Cobleskill, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team has been ranked fifth in the 2021-22 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Western Division Pre-Season Poll by the league's coaches. In their first season post-Covid, and as a member of the NAC, the Fighting Tigers will feature a new head coach in first-year mentor
Justin Maxwell along with a cast that will feature only one returning player from the 2019-20 version of the team which finished 16-9 overall including a 10-6 mark in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) standings.
As the team heads into the new season, coach Maxwell and the Fighting Tigers will be looking to start from scratch.
"We want to establish a strong culture and give our players a chance to experience college basketball in our system. We're going to play an up-tempo fast paced game and try to catch teams off guard. Our team's strengths are going to be shooting and speed so this will be a system kids are going to like playing in."
Though they are basically a young team, the Orange & Black do have several upperclassmen who will be counted on for production this year.
Senior point guard
Mike McKoy, Charlotte, N.C., Statesville Christian High School, returns this season after making 17 appearances in a reserve role in 2019-20.
Cobleskill will also be counting on a pair of junior college transfers to bolster their attack this season as senior forward
Juwan Malone, Brooklyn, N.Y., Brooklyn Collegiate High School/Fulton-Montgomery Community College, joins the roster after averaging 14.0 points per game with the Raiders along with junior forward
Justin Feldman, Chester, N.Y., Chester High School/Orange Community College, who averaged 13.0 points per game for the Colts are projected to play important roles for the team this season.
Among the first-year players, the Fighting Tigers will be looking to: combo guard
Yandeel Vazquez, Amsterdam, N.Y., Amsterdam High School, who has displayed an excellent perimeter game along with forward
Ja'Nyve Smith, Albany, N.Y., Bishop Maginn High School, an athletic wing player and shooting guard
Shaun Johnson, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Poughkeepsie High School, a long-range shooter for productivity.
The Orange & Black will open the season on Tuesday November 9 when they travel to Castleton, Vt. to meet the Spartans of Castleton University for a non-league affair beginning at 7:00 p.m.
2021-22 NAC Western Division Men's Basketball Pre-Season Coaches Poll:
| Ranking |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
SUNY Canton (2) |
30 |
| 2. |
SUNY Polytechnic Institute (2) |
26 |
| 3. |
SUNY Delhi (1) |
25 |
| 4. |
Cazenovia College (1) |
21 |
| 5. |
SUNY Cobleskill |
13 |
| 6. |
Northern Vermont University-Johnson |
11 |
*(#) Denotes Number of First Place Votes
2021-22 NAC Eastern Division Men's Basketball Pre-Season Coaches Poll:
| Ranking |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Husson University (6) |
36 |
| 2. |
University of Maine Farmington |
29 |
| 3. |
Northern Vermont University-Lyndon |
22 |
| 4. |
University of Maine Presque Isle |
18 |
| 5. |
Maine Maritime Academy |
11 |
| 6. |
Thomas College |
10 |
*(#) Denotes Number of First Place Votes
