LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates men's basketball team returns nine of its 10 leading scorers from a year ago, giving head coach Jon Furbush '05 and his squad great confidence heading into the 2025-26 season. The campaign tips off Friday evening at the Gordon Classic when the Bobcats take on Anna Maria College at 5 p.m. in Wenham, Mass.

"There's just so many more knowns going into the season," Furbush said. "We put in a new system last year, so we really only have one class of guys that we're teaching right now. The other three classes have a good understanding and they've done a really good job of getting the first-years up to speed on what we're doing. We have the same coaching staff too so there's good energy and optimism about what we can do and a lot of work to be done. But we just want to stack today on top of yesterday. That's our focus right now."

Junior forward Babacar Pouye (Carpinteria, Calif.) was a second team All-NESCAC and a second team All-State selection a year ago. He was also named to the Maine Men's Basketball Coaches and Writers Association's All-Defensive Team. Pouye averaged 12.1 points per game and led the Bobcats on the boards with six rebounds per contest. He shot .500 from the floor and Pouye's 1.9 blocked shots per game ranked third in the NESCAC.

"Pouye has really improved his perimeter skills, so we have some flexibility to move him down to a four and go with a bigger lineup," Furbush said. "He can score in a variety of ways and does things I can't teach. If we're struggling on offense, the solution is often to simply get him the ball."

Senior guard Brady Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) was the team's leading scorer last season at 13 points per game. He shot a team-best .395 from three-point range, hitting 64-162 from distance. His top performance came against Ohio Wesleyan when he poured in a career-high 29 points on 10-14 shooting, hitting 8-10 from three while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing out three assists.

"Brady has improved his defense and his practice habits," Furbush said. "He's really set the tone by playing very hard during practice and showing he can guard multiple positions. And of course we know he can shoot anywhere inside half-court."

Coyne is joined in the backcourt by senior Peter Psyhogeos (Yarmouth, Maine), who often guards the other team's top offensive threat, and sophomore point guard Keenan Sparks (York, Maine), giving the Bobcats a trio of Mainers in the starting lineup. 

"We know what we're going to get with Keenan," Furbush said. "He pushes the ball. He's the one that makes us go fast, and he really does an awesome job there. He's gotten a lot stronger this off-season. He's got way more confidence and ability to lead." 

When it comes to leadership, Bates couldn't ask for two stronger captains this year than senior guards Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) and David Omasombo (Lewiston, Maine).

"They've done a really good job this fall organizing all the things that we do in the preseason," Furbush said. "They also make sure that guys are accountable when we're not there as coaches. They have also empowered the other four seniors to be leaders as well, making it really more of a leadership team." 

Cravitz has played a ton of basketball for the Bobcats and is always a threat to get hot from outside, having shot .372 from long range last year despite dealing with some injuries. Omasombo is a leader both on the court and in the community, where he gives back countless hours of volunteer work in his hometown of Lewiston. 

Senior center Chiwer Mayen (Jackson, Miss.) could be a big X factor this year for the Bobcats, as Furbush is excited about the possibility of him and Pouye on the court at the same time. Mayen can jump out of the gym and Furbush says that it's just a matter of building consistency, as he's still relatively new to basketball.

"We've got him fixated on the things that he needs to do to help us be productive," Furbush said. "He's had an awesome first few weeks of practice and I've told him multiple times, 'I need the Saint Joseph's (14 points, 7-8 shooting) and Tufts (three blocked shots) Chiwer for all 25 games this year.' And he's really coming into his own. And it's awesome to see because I just know how hard this kid works. I anticipate him having a pretty big season for us."

With players such as junior Cole Decker (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) and sophomore Sean O'Leary (Franklin, Mass.) having a ton of rotation experience as well, the Bobcats are ready to improve significantly from last year's 10-win campaign.

"We played fairly slow offensively because we were learning in real time how we wanted to play," Furbush said. "And again, our default was like, 'just throw the ball to Babacar and everyone figure it out.' But I think our pace of play is something that we're taking pride in. They've had a really good preseason with their conditioning and we're trying to substantially increase our scoring output. Now, whether or not we do that this season is an unknown, but we're definitely trying to play faster. And so I think the brand of basketball will be a little more exciting."