LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates men's basketball head coach Jon Furbush '05 makes no bones about it, senior guard Steph Baxter is the straw that stirs the drink for the Bates men's basketball team entering the 2022-23 season, which tips off Saturday at 2pm when the Bobcats welcome Clark University to Alumni Gym. 

"Because of the year we lost to COVID, Steph went from a first-year role player, to a junior who was playing 35 minutes a game and had to do everything," Furbush said. "So to gain that experience last year and now moving into this year as a senior leader, he's just shown so much development, not just as a player, but bringing guys together after a really challenging season. I think he's given a ton of optimism to not only this team, but also the coaching staff. So I think we're going to be leaning on him hard this year and hopefully the guys around him will pick up some of the slack where he may need it." 

Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) led the conference in scoring a year ago, at 20.4 points per game, and was a second team All-NESCAC selection. But while Bates is counting on another big year from him, Baxter is by no means alone when it comes to players who can put the ball in the hoop.

Sophomore guard Jahmir Primer (Hempstead, N.Y.) was named the Maine Men's Basketball Coaches and Writers Association Rookie of the Year last season, averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He only got better as the season went along, capped off by a remarkable performance against Williams where Primer poured in a season-high 25 points on 9-18 shooting.

"This is my 15th year (as head coach) and I finally got somebody who kind of fell in my lap," Furbush said of Primer. "I hear these unbelievable stories at other NESCAC schools where guys are knocking on their doors, and we've had a lot of those guys, but none of them are that good. But Jahmir, he's an All-NESCAC type of player. He's on every scouting report now, but he's also going to be the beneficiary of teams putting their best defensive player on Steph. So he's going to have a secondary defensive player on him, which I think is a mismatch." 

Rounding out the trio of guards who led Bates in scoring a year ago is junior Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine), who averaged 10.2 points per game as a rookie. 

"After about five games (last season), every time he checked in you could hear the assistant coaches on the other team, 'Shooter, shooter, shooter.'", Furbush said. "So he's all over the scouting reports, but where he's developed well is he's able to create more off the bounce. So he is not just a catch-and-shoot guy. And the way we're playing this year on offense, he's just hard to guard. He cuts with a purpose and knows where to be at all times. So I think he's a guy that will end up playing a lot of minutes for us."

The Bobcats have four players who will be competing for minutes in the post this season. 

Junior Stephen Ward (Boston), junior Devin Harris (Bear, Del.), senior Cam Riley (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.), and first-year Chiwer Mayen (Lewiston, Maine) all provide different looks for teams to contend with in the low block. 

"Ward doesn't necessarily play above the rim but he bullies his way to points and plays tough defense," Furbush said. "Cam can really shoot it, and Devin and Chiwer are way above the rim defensively, can really protect the rim. So we can be a little bit more aggressive on defense on the perimeter. And they all understand how to play and what we're trying to do. So I think that they're going to be kind of game-to-game guys and what we need for that game based on the matchup, but I feel very confident that all four guys can really help us be successful." 

Furbush expects sophomore Grant Nadeau (Gorham, Maine) to compete for a starting job and is excited about the return of sophomore sharpshooter Drew Sachs (Ann Arbor, Mich.), who joined the football team this year, and should be good to go after Thanksgiving. Junior Trace Gotham (Medfield, Mass.) has impressed in practice and is making a case for more playing time this year as well. 

"I have some tough decisions to make," Furbush said. "But these are the decisions I'd rather have than a cliff after four or five guys." 

The Bobcats feature six players from Maine, which is the most they've had since the NCAA tournament team of 2014-15. Furbush both his assistant coaches, Quinn Newton and Graham Safford '15, are Mainers as well. 

"Coming out of COVID we couldn't really go anywhere to recruit," Furbush said. "I was like, 'Man, we have to take care of the guys in our backyard.' And so between Chiwer, David Omasombo '26 (Lewiston, Maine), Peter Psyhogeos '26 (Yarmouth, Maine), and Brady Coyne '26 (Falmouth, Maine), we have four rookies from Maine on our roster, all of whom are having great practices so far." 

With the pandemic further in the rearview mirror, the Bobcats also ventured west to Colorado and landed promising first-year Elliott Cravitz (Denver), who has immediately impressed. 

"When you're recruiting, you always think they're good until they get here and then sometimes you're like, 'Man, did I make the right decision?' But Elliott has validated that decision for me," Furbush said. "I remember going out to watch him last fall in a pickup game and I was like, 'Wow, this kid can really play.' He's had a great preseason and he can really shoot it." 

Furbush is excited to see all the parts come together.

"I think the way we're playing, we're sharing the ball, guys are feeling part of everything that we're doing," Furbush said. "I think we're really competing on defense and the way they're conducting themselves right now gives me a lot of hope that they're eager to learn more and compete and get back to where we were pre-COVID. So I think we're obviously going to rely on Steph's leadership a lot and I think he's ready to answer that challenge. So hopefully this weekend versus Clark we'll show you something."