Coming off a historic season, the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team is back and ready to get to work to reach even higher in 2023-24. The River Hawks will open the new campaign against Rivier University at Costello Athletic Center on Monday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.

The River Hawks finished last year with a Division I program-record, 26-8 overall mark. The team also collected a record 11 victories during America East Conference play to finish second in the league standings en route to making a second championship game appearance in three years. On the heels of that success, Head Coach Pat Duquette and the River Hawks earned their highest DI preseason ranking, picked to finish second in the league’s 2023-24 coaches’ poll. However, Duquette stresses the importance of looking forward with the right balance of humility and confidence.

“We have a chance to be just as good as we were last year. Although I think most of the coaches recognize we've got a lot of key pieces coming back, we’ve just got to stay humble, get back to work, and realize how difficult what we did last year was and how much work went into it," explained Duquette.

“We deserve to be confident. I mean, we were this close to getting to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years and we've elevated the program to that level. But we just have to remember what got us there was a lot of hard work. And a new season means starting from scratch in a sense, so we need to build from the ground up the right way little by little this year.”

With the focus, experience and chemistry of this year’s squad, the reigning America East Coach of Year entering his 11th season is looking for the River Hawks to position themselves to make another deep postseason run and once again battle for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level. In order to do so, Duquette knows defense will once again be a core identifier for success.  

“We’ve got to continue to be a great rebounding team. We were one of the best rebounding teams in the country last year and we've got to do that again. We have the size and athleticism to do that, maybe even more so this year than last year. Beyond that, we’ve got to continue to become an elite perimeter defense team. We’re good, but if we want to win a championship, we’ve got to be elite, and we can't just rely on our shot blocking that we have in the back because that's a luxury. We've got to get better at our rotations and making sure our defensive perimeter pressure is as good as it can be.” 

The 2023-24 roster features a strong list of nine returners, including three starters from last year in seniors Max Brooks (Waldorf, Md.), Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) and Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C). Coulibaly, a Preseason All-Conference honoree and 2022-23 Second Team selection, and Hikim are bringing a ton of experience into their fifth and final seasons after averaging 11.4 and 10.7 points per game, respectively, last season. Brooks, who was named to the America East All-Defensive Team with 61 blocks in 2022-23, also looks to be a leader on the floor.

“I think the leadership is going to come from a lot of different areas," commented Duquette. "I don't want to force anybody into that position. The natural guys are the ones that have been here the longest and had the most success like Ayinde, Karim and Max, of course. Those guys all have different personalities, so they show their leadership in different ways." 

The River Hawks are slated for 29 games this season, and after going a perfect, 17-0 at home last season, will spend the majority of the new year on the road with 16 games away from home. The team will play a regional non-conference campaign similar to last year’s schedule to maintain consistency and prepare for America East action. The team’s road schedule is highlighted by visits to Georgia Tech and Arizona State, which will give the River Hawks a real test against top-tier competition.

“We have to become a better road team. How do you get better than second? You’ve got to finish first, and in order to do that, you've got to be near perfect both at home and on the road,  so we’re talking about just trying to close out some road games. We’ll have a tough trip to Georgia Tech and Arizona State that our players are looking forward to, and it's always exciting to play schools at the highest level and get some national exposure for the program.

“Heading into conference, one of the messages that we’ll keep reinforcing is how important every game is because of the way our conference championship works and the higher seed hosting," concluded Duquette. "Understanding that, valuing those opportunities, and finding a way to close some really close road games will hopefully get us where we want to go.”