2024-25 Patriot Basketball Preview

Conference Overview

Join us for our 2024-25 Patriot Basketball Preview, where we dive into a unique conference filled with strong returning players. Last season’s tournament had a familiar ending as Colgate claimed their fourth straight Patriot League Championship, advancing to March Madness. More impressively, Colgate’s final-game wins came with margins of over 13 points, highlighting their dominance in the league. This season, with every team returning key players, the competition to end Colgate’s streak has intensified.

At the top of the conference once again is Colgate, but this season may present their toughest challenge yet as they lose their top three scorers, including last year’s Player of the Year, Braeden Smith. They do, however, bring back Player of the Year candidate Jeff Woodward and a talented supporting cast ready to step up.

American University poses the strongest threat, returning top players like center Matt Rogers, a Player of the Year favorite, and point guard Elijah Stephens. They’ll also add three-star freshman Julen Iturbe, who’s expected to make an early impact.

Boston University pulls off a rare feat by bringing back all five starters, led by point guard Miles Brewster. This group of skilled guard scorers and a promising frontcourt featuring breakout candidate Otto Landrum adds depth to their lineup.

Lehigh boasts two of the conference’s best guards in Tyler Whitney-Sydney and Keith Higgins Jr., both prolific scorers and Player of the Year contenders, though their frontcourt depth beyond Bube Momah remains a concern.

Bucknell returns impact center Noah Williamson, who has the potential to take a leap this season, paired with lead guard Elvin Edmonds IV. Navy brings back one of the conference’s top scorers, Austin Benigni, along with standout rebounder and defender Donovan Draper.

Army received a major boost with the return of point guard Jalen Rucker, a star from the 2022-23 season, to join forces with Ryan Curry and Josh Scovens. Lafayette will look to build on last season’s momentum behind returning center Justin Vander Baan, though they’ll need more scoring from their guards as no player averaged double figures last season.

Holy Cross is led by Caleb Kenney, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, and is hoping for a bounce-back season from guard Will Batchelder and a breakout from promising freshman Joe Nugent. Loyola Maryland may have a hidden gem in transfer Jacob Theodosiou, a former three-star recruit from Wyoming, but scoring depth could remain a challenge for the Greyhounds.

In our 2024-25 Patriot Basketball Preview, the season promises to showcase the development of returning players and the impact of fresh talent throughout the conference. Will Colgate achieve a remarkable five-peat, or is this the season a new champion will be crowned?

Patriot Basketball Preview: Projected Standings

1. Colgate
2. American
3. Boston U
4. Lehigh
5. Bucknell
6. Navy
7. Army
8. Lafayette
9. Holy Cross
10. Loyola Maryland

Patriot Basketball Preview: Projected Award Winners

Player of the Year: Matt Rogers, American

Defensive Player of the Year: Donovan Draper, Navy

Newcomer of the Year: Jacob Theodosiou, Loyola Maryland

Freshman of the Year: Julen Iturbe, American

Coach of the Year: Matt Langel, Colgate

Patriot Basketball Preview: Projected All-Conference First Team

Miles Brewster, Boston U

Tyler Whitney-Sydney, Lehigh

Keith Higgins, Lehigh

Matt Rogers, American

Jeff Woodward, Colgate

American Eagles

Projected Starters:

PG: Elijah Stephens (12.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.9 apg)

SG: Geoff Sprouse (8.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg)

SF: Matt Mayock (8.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)

PF: Julen Iturbe (FR)

C: Matt Rogers (16.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 apg)

6M: Lincoln Ball (4.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)

Army Black Knights

Projected Starters:

PG: Jalen Rucker (16.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.6 apg) 2022-2023 Stats

SG: Ryan Curry (10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.1 apg)

SF: TJ Small (9.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)

PF: Josh Scovens (12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 apg)

C: AJ Allenspach (2.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.4 apg)

6M: Blake Barker (5.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg)

Boston University Terriers

Projected Starters:

PG: Miles Brewster (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg)

SG: Ethan Okwuosa (7.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg)

SF: Kyrone Alexander (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg)

PF: Otto Landrum (8.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 apg)

C: Nico Nobili (7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg)

6M: Matai Baptiste (5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.7 apg)

Bucknell Bison

Projected Starters:

PG: Elvin Edmonds IV (10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg)

SG: Josh Bascoe (9.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.6 apg)

SF: Achile Spadone (2.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.6 apg @ Davidson)

PF: Ruot Bijiek (7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)

C: Noah Williamson (12.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 apg)

6M: Ian Motta (5.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.5 apg)

Colgate Raiders

Projected Starters:

PG: Jalen Cox (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 apg)

SG: Nicolas Louis-Jacques (6.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)

SF: Chandler Baker (5.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.3 apg)

PF: Brady Cummins (7.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)

C: Jeff Woodward (7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg)

6M: Parker Jones (4.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 apg)

Holy Cross Crusaders

Projected Starters:

PG: Tyler Boston (FR)

SG: Will Batchelder (8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 apg)

SF: Joe Nugent (6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.5 apg)

PF: Gabe Warren (1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg @ Rice)

C: Caleb Kenney (11.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)

6M: Kahlil Singleton (4.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.5 apg)

Lafayette Leopards

Projected Starters:

PG: Mark Butler (7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)

SG: Devin Hines (9.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.4 apg)

SF: TJ Berger (7.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg) 2022-2023 Stats

PF: Joshua Wyche (2.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.6 apg)

C: Justin Vander Baan (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg)

6M: Ryan Pettit (5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.5 apg)

Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Projected Starters:

PG: Cam Gillus (5.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)

SG: Tyler Whitney-Sidney (15.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)

SF: Joshua Ingram (6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)

PF: Keith Higgins, Jr. (12.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 apg)

C: Bube Momah (6.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg)

6M: Nasir Whitlock (5.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)

Loyola Maryland Greyhounds

Projected Starters:

PG: Chris Kuzemka (6.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.4 apg)

SG: Jacob Theodosiou (0.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.5 apg @ Wyoming)

SF: Tyson Commander (5.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.3 apg)

PF: Jordan Stiemke (5.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.5 apg)

C: Milos Ilic (7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)

6M: David Brown III (4.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg)

Navy Midshipmen

Projected Starters:

PG: Austin Benigni (17.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 apg)

SG: Lysander Rehnstrom (5.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)

SF: Kam Summers (4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 apg)

PF: Donovan Draper (9.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)

C: Mitch Fischer (5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.6 apg)

6M: Mike Woods (5.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.2 apg)

Coming Next

Thank you for reading the 2024-25 Patriot Basketball Preview. To view the conference preview release schedule, keep up to date with us on X @collegehoopsrpt. If you haven’t already, feel free to check out one of our other conference previews linked below! Next up is the SEC. Thank you for reading, and we appreciate all the support!

• America East Conference Preview
• American Athletic Conference Preview
• ACC Conference Preview
• ASUN Conference Preview
• A10 Conference Preview
• Big East Conference Preview
• Big Sky Conference Preview
• Big South Conference Preview
• Big Ten Conference Preview
• Big 12 Conference Preview
• Big West Conference Preview
• CAA Conference Preview
• CUSA Conference Preview
• Horizon Conference Preview
• Ivy Conference Preview
• MAAC Conference Preview
• MAC Conference Preview
• MEAC Conference Preview
• Missouri Valley Conference Preview
• Mountain West Conference
• NEC Conference
• Ohio Valley Conference

Cover Image: Photo Credit: Patriot League