Coming off the 2024-25 season with a UAA title, the NYU men’s basketball team will return to the court to kick off its season with a fresh look. Last season, the Violets played well — earning a 29-1 record before the championship game — but lost 64-60 in the final 10 seconds of the NCAA tournament final to Trinity College.
The Violets open the season tonight at the Paulson Center, taking on The College at Old Westbury at 6 p.m. for Tear it Up! Night.
This year’s team will feature 12 new players with an entirely new starting five after four starters graduated and starting guard Hampton Sanders transferred to Division I Columbia University ahead of his junior year. NYU also hired new head coach, Waleed Farid, after Dave Klatsky accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Florida.
Farid brings a strong pedigree to NYU. Last season, he led Ithaca College to the Liberty League title and was named the D3hoops.com Region 3 Coach of the Year. Originally from Queens, Farid is ready to bring his winning ways and distinct coaching style back to the city.
“I’m really passionate about the game,” Farid said. “You’ll see that from our players. When they’re on the court, they’re going to play hard, they’re going to play together, they’re going to be very detailed and prepared for every day.”
Despite losing much of last year’s core, the Violets are returning a couple of key contributors — seniors Quinn Clark and Bryan “Moose” Moussako. Clark missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season with an injury, but he led the team in rebounds while averaging 10.4 points per game in his first collegiate season.
Moussako, a former walk-on, was an integral three-and-D player last year. The heartbeat of the team, he often guarded the opponent’s best scorer, and he shot 41.1% from three on the season. To reach its full potential, NYU will need Moussako to expand his offensive arsenal and to continue to be a vocal leader for a team welcoming the newcomers.
“Bryan Moussako is one of our leaders,” Farid said. “He brings the juice every day. He’s holding guys accountable while also still leading by example, putting in the work on a daily basis.”
Though Clark and Moussako are stepping into bigger roles, the team’s success this season will also hinge on its new additions’ ability to adjust to the bright lights of New York.
One new player the Violets will be leaning on is 5’10 guard Carnegie Johnson, a junior transfer from the D-I U.S. Naval Academy, who trained with NBA superstar Donovan Mitchell this summer. Johnson is an elite playmaker with the ability to score from anywhere on the court, despite being an undersized guard.
“One of our new guys, Carnegie Johnson, has really stepped up as a leader even though he’s just getting familiar with everything,” Farid said. “He’s a natural-born leader, and he’s been awesome so far.”
Other new faces include three first-years — Oliver Ford, Chase Garcia and Zach Kolaja — and seven transfers, in addition to Johnson, who consist of a mix of top D-III standouts and former D-I players. Each transfer brings an impressive resume and the ability to contribute immediately.
Two examples are graduate students Darren Rubin, who led the Denison University men’s basketball team in points and assists last season, and Luke Kolaja, a former Yale University forward who can stretch the floor from the four or five spot. Graduate student Alex Daniels, a transfer who played two seasons at American University, will be a fan favorite, providing high-flying highlights and turning layup lines into dunk contests.
“Guys are stepping into new roles from where they’ve been previously, since we have a lot of transfers,” Johnson said. “But I think a lot of our new guys are doing a good job finding their role and leading in their own way.”
Despite the lack of continuity from last season, the Violets have more than enough winning experience from the top to the bottom of the roster.
“A big thing, knowing how many new guys we had coming in, is being able to break the ice as quickly as possible,” Moussako said. “Creating that connection really quickly was very important to me, and I feel like that’s being built.”
With chemistry coming together and a balanced roster led by a coach used to winning, the Violets are poised to be a national contender. Yet, the team is still being overlooked.
The D3hoops.com men’s Top 25 preseason poll for 2025-26 included 51 schools that received votes to be ranked — NYU was not one of them. Defending national champion, Trinity College, is the No. 1-ranked team on the list.
“I’m not worried about what other people think of us,” Farid said. “It has no bearing whatsoever on the success of our program, and the NCAA Tournament is not based off the D3Hoops top 25 poll.”
NYU is focused on its own goals, not the preseason rankings. Despite doubt from the outside, the Violets know they have as much potential as any team in the country.
“We want to win a national championship,” Moussako said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you we’re going to win one, but we’re trying to build to that every single day. That’s our goal right now — to build to that standard.”
Contact Matthew Singh at [email protected].