The Ithaca College men’s basketball team is returning to the court with a young squad that has its eyes set on a Liberty League title.
The Bombers had a successful 2022–23 season where they finished 18–8 and had the best regular season record in the Liberty League. However, the campaign ended in the semifinals of the Liberty League Championship when the team came up short 44–49 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
This season, there is going to be a whole new rotation as the Bombers graduated six graduate students and seniors, four of whom were starters. Head coach Waleed Farid, in his third season with the team, said that he is looking forward to coaching this year’s squad and that there are going to be many opportunities for the players that may not have seen the court as much.
“We graduated six guys, six really big important pieces from our team last year,” Farid said. “Six guys that we absolutely love and had huge impacts on our program from their first day on campus. So, in terms of this year, that means there’s a lot of holes, a lot of openings [and] a lot of opportunities to be had. … With that, [it] brings some uncertainty but also brings some excitement.”
This year’s squad is made of 15 athletes including five first-year students, three sophomores, three juniors and four seniors. Many of these players have played important roles for the team, but this season, their roles are going to be expanding with the loss of many key starters.
Senior guard Triston Wennersten said that after having to practice individually and in small groups toward the beginning of the academic year, getting back into the gym with the coaching staff has been especially beneficial.
“We’ve been getting in extra work, playing one-on-one or on our own,” Wennersten said. “Now that the season officially started, we can get in work with the coaches and the assistant coaches, which has been helpful.”
Furthermore, junior guard Logan Wendell said Farid has played a pivotal role in instilling discipline among the players. With only one starter from last season remaining, lineup changes are expected, so the team has to put its best foot forward.
“He’s just trying to get us as disciplined as possible,” Wendell said. “We’re doing a lot of stuff differently this year and in order to execute we kind of need to be operating at 100%. He’s emphasizing discipline and the four captains are trying to emphasize that as well.”
Last season, the Bombers led the Liberty League in scoring margin, out-scoring their opponents by an average of 8.2 points per game and 2001–1789 overall. Wennersten said he believes the team will be able to get the edge this year because of its overall speed and athleticism. He said that the team has plenty of different skill sets that will help them in the long run.
“Since we’re a little on the smaller side, just using our speed and athleticism to get up and down the floor,” Wennersten said. “We brought in a lot of good [first-year students] and I think our depth is going to help us a lot. We’re gonna have a lot of people contributing on different nights, which is going to be very helpful.”
Wendell is coming off a spectacular season where he ranked 7th in the Liberty League for scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. He was also selected for the All-Liberty League Second Team. He said that this year he is just going to try to repeat his feats, but it would not be possible without his teammates.
“My teammates have a lot of trust in me,” Wendell said. “I’m super blessed to have the support I do from my coaches and my teammates. They make everything possible for me to go out there and succeed, so I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep it rolling this year.”
The South Hill squad also brought in new assistant coach George Sikoryak III ’23. Sikoryak was a graduate student last year and started all 26 games. Farid explained that during his time as a player, Sikoryak set the mentality for everyone in terms of work ethic, which will carry over to his role as an assistant coach.
“He was a guy who lived in the gym, he took care of his body, was always bought into putting in the work [and] never satisfied with how good he was at anything,” Farid said. “That’s carried over to how he’s going to be as an assistant coach for us. He’s also somebody who always brings a positive attitude and energy to every single day. It has a really big impact, especially on a team that’s a little bit younger, a little less experienced, having a guy who’s been through it here.”
The Bombers’ season officially starts Nov. 9 with a rivalry match against the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in Cortland, New York. Wennersten said he is using the loss against RPI in the semifinals to fuel the team’s results for this season.
“That definitely motivated me a lot,” Wennersten said. “I think the other guys feel the same way. And just the way to lose that on our home floor. We do not want to see that again.”
