The 2023-24 NCAA basketball season began on Nov. 6 and the NYU men’s team is gearing up for another exciting campaign on the court. After last year’s season that exceeded expectations, the team looks to perform well in the UAA and beyond. 

The Violets started last season as the last team in the UAA preseason rankings. Yet, they managed to defy the odds and ended the season with an 18-8 record, finishing fourth in their conference and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Their tournament run ended early in the first round, losing to Lancaster Bible College 64-67. 

NYU is currently voted as the best team in their conference according to this year’s UAA preseason rankings, and is now 2-1 in non-conference play. With this new distinction, head coach Dave Klatsky aims to guide his players into handling the extra pressure that comes with being the highest-ranked team. 

Klatsky, now in his second season with NYU, has revamped and bolstered NYU’s basketball program. Under his guidance, the team has transformed into one of the top teams in their conference. Despite early successes, Klatsky remains humble and focused on improvement.

“We learned a lot about ourselves and about the competition last year, and we’re hopefully going to take those lessons learned and apply them to this year,” said Klatsky. “We’re coming in a completely different spot than we were last year, which is good. People’s expectations of us have risen a little bit, and now we have more of a target on our backs.”

The addition of new players has bolstered the team’s depth and dynamic. The team welcomed two graduate student transfers, six-foot-seven forward Konrad Kiszka and six-foot-eight center Emmanuel Onuama. The team also welcomed first-year guards Hampton Sanders and Flynt Whitworth, center Jonathan Sigurdsson and forward Alan Mashensky.

“What they, as a group, bring is size. Four of those six are over six feet six and that was something we didn’t have last year,” said Klatsky. “We had maybe one guy over six feet six, but in the rotation, we had zero. So now we have the flexibility to play both big and small.”

The team wants to continue their success heading into the 2023-24 season. They have their sights set on a strong conference run, a berth in the NCAA tournament, and perhaps a deep postseason run.

“I just want to win games and I want to do as well as we can,” said Klatsky. “I would love to get back to the NCAA tournament — that would be phenomenal. And then see what happens from there.”

To qualify for the tournament, the Violets would need to either win the UAA Championship for an automatic bid or maintain a winning record to secure one of the 20 at-large bids. 

“I think we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and know that our goal is to be the best team we can be,” said team captain Spencer Freedman. “And that happens by getting in the gym and practicing getting shots up and working on your game on your own. We’re just trying to take the approach of, ‘How can we get better every day?’”

The Violets’ next game is at Yeshiva University on Nov. 18, as they look to bounce back from Sunday night’s loss.

Contact Anthony Lo at [email protected].