LEWISTON, Maine -- With the graduation of 1,000-point scorer Steph Baxter '23, the Bates men's basketball team enters the 2023-24 season with some new players and a new game plan as they look to have a big season in the always-tough NESCAC. Bates gets the 2023-24 campaign underway this Saturday with a 2pm tip-off at Clark University.  

"I think we have been so heavily focused on how to score, the last couple of years, with somebody as talented as Steph," head coach Jon Furbush '05 said. "Our mentality (this year) has been more that our defense is going to be our best offense. We're going to get out running in transition, and I think that we have really good depth at every position in every class. I envision that there's not going to be one guy that you can stop, and there's going to be a lot of different players that have the ability to score at any given time."

Furbush, the all-time winningest coach in Bates men's basketball history, enters his 16th year at the helm of the program. This year, his squad is led by senior captain Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine), who is a good example of that defensive-first approach, leading the team last year with 30 steals. 

"He's the best," Furbush said. "If you asked anyone on campus outside of athletics, let alone inside of athletics, they would have incredible things to say about this young man. And post-pandemic, he's just been an incredible leader. He came into the program in the middle of the pandemic, and he's just seen a lot of adversity in his time here. He embodies what I would define as Bobcat basketball." 

McCormick leads a group of guards that Furbush feels will be crucial to the team improving on last year's campaign that saw Bates finish with an overall record of 7-17. Sophomores Brady Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) and Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) are the team's two leading returning scorers from a year ago. Coyne averaged 7.1 points per game as a rookie while Cravitz checked in at 6.5. points per game.

"Those guys need to make a jump for us to be successful," Furbush said. "Both Elliott and Brady are, I would consider, dead-eye shooters that can do a little bit more than shoot. And I think sophomore Peter Psyhogeos (Yarmouth, Maine) has made an incredible jump in his off-season. He's shooting the ball a lot better, but he's also a good driver and an incredible defender and rebounder. Those three guys should be really key pieces to our puzzle this year."

The Bobcats have four seniors in the rotation this year. Trace Gotham (Medfield, Mass.), Devin Harris (Bear, Del.), and Stephen Ward (Boston) should all see significant minutes. 

"I hope the swag Trace's currently playing with in practice continues to shine," Furbush said. "Everything seems to be clicking in his head and the game's getting a lot slower for him, and he's just got some really good confidence."

Harris is a high-flyer who tied with Ward for the team-lead in rebounds last year at 5.3 per game. Both will be part of an old-school low block rotation that also includes sophomore Chiwer Mayen (Lewiston, Maine), first-year Babacar Pouye (Carpinteria, Calif.), and first-year Ben Leach (Atlanta). 

"Mayen's had an incredible off-season," Furbush said. "(At six-foot-eight), he's just a physically imposing human being, even though he's one of the nicest people I've ever met." 

The Bobcats have a "local" feel, with seven Mainers on the squad. That's up one from last year's total with the addition of first-year guard Jaelen Jackson (South Portland, Maine) to the mix.

"Jaelen was a late addition to the program and has been a pleasant surprise so far," Furbush said. "There were some question marks with our point-guard play coming into the season, but he'll be a nice addition to the rotation at some point if he continues to progress the way he has so far."

As of now, who gets regular minutes is up in the air, which Furbush likes.

"I wouldn't call it a problem, it's more of a situation when you have guys that are making a case for themselves in the rotation," Furbush said. "We'll use our practices to figure out who the heck we're going to play."