Las Vegas, N.V.- The Oswego State Men's Basketball team have started their 2023-2024 season 7-0 and are currently ranked #4 in the nation by D3Hoops.com. This week, the Lakers will head to Las Vegas to face their stiffest competition yet at the 13th Annual D3hoops.com Classic being held December 27th-30th at South Point Hotel Casino & Spa. The D3hoops.com Classic hosts 16 teams (9 men's teams, 7 women's teams) playing 16 games in 72 hours which makes the event the biggest of its kind for NCAA Division III basketball.
The Lakers strong start this season has been led by pre-season all-american Jeremiah Sparks. The senior guard is averaging collegiate career highs in points at 19.4 a game, assists at 3.7, and is a perfect 26-26 from the free throw line. Also making strong contributions to the Lakers successes is junior guard Ahkee Anderson. The second-team all SUNYAC member from last season is the second leading scorer for the Lakers at 11.2 points per game, is tied with Sparks for the team leader in steals at 1.43 a game, and is averaging only one turnover a contest to ensure the team can maximize each possession. Furthermore, senior forward Cartier Bowman is nearly averaging a double-double on the season with 9.9 points a game and 8.0 rebounds and leads the team in rebounding.
The Lakers are slated to face two top-25 teams who both competed in last season's NCAA DIII Men's Basketball tournament. First, on Thursday December 28th, the Lakers will play in the nightcap game against #8 Case Western Reserve at 11pm (EST). These two teams have the highest national ranking among the Men's teams in the event. The Spartans of Case Western Reserve are a perfect 9-0 to begin their campaign with a winning margin of 15.6 points per game. Then, on Saturday December 30th, they will face #21 Pomona-Pitzer in the final game of the event at 6pm (EST). The Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer are also 9-0 beating teams who face them by an average of 15.2 points per game.
Head Coach Jason Leone had this to say regarding an overall outlook for the weekend and what this means to him and the program:
"We are beyond excited to compete in the 2023 D3Hoops.com Classic in the coming week. The field this year could be considered the strongest in the recent history of the event…. These games are significant for our program because we will be exposed to two of the best teams at our level, which can only give us opportunities to learn about ourselves and weaknesses we need to address… Our program has progressed so far in recent years and to have this type of national exposure that results from participating in this classic is thrilling. Regardless of our in-game results, this is a victory for Oswego State Basketball."
Tournament program and live game video links can be found HERE
