A buzzer-beater for the ages

With half of a second remaining of a closely contested game, NYU men’s basketball had a chance to beat the University of Chicago. Sophomore Hampton Sanders inbounded the ball from the sideline. Graduate student Tristan How set an off-ball screen, pulling two defenders away. In one fluid motion, graduate student Brock Susko cut to the basket, caught the pass and put up a buzzer-beating layup as time expired, sealing the Violets’ victory.

The roar of the crowd shook the gym as the basketball team stormed the court. A buzzer-beater, or a shot scored as time expires, is something basketball players dream of scoring, and Susko’s joy was palpable in the moment.

NYU stunned UChicago in a game that would be remembered long after the final horn. But this wasn’t just about one moment. This was about something bigger — the rise of a program now ranked No. 2 in Division III, built on resilience and an unrelenting commitment to winning.

“I don’t know what happened, but during the timeout [with 0.5 seconds left,] I went back to my 1999 senior year of high school,” head coach Dave Klatsky told WSN. “We ran a play under one second — got a wide-open layup. So I said to my team, ‘I don’t know if it’s gonna work. It worked for me in high school. Let’s try it.’ And it ended up working. A simple screen-the-screener and Brock was wide open. Just enough time to get the shot off and win the game.”

For Susko, the moment itself was a blur.

“Honestly, I blacked out,” Susko said. “I don’t even remember taking the shot — it had to be adrenaline. But that win meant a lot. Every game in our league matters. My teammates set good screens, got me open, and that’s all I really remember.”

A program reaching new heights

NYU men’s basketball isn’t just winning games — it’s dominating the season. With only one loss this season, the Violets are now 19-1 and sit at No. 2 in the D3Hoops rankings. The rise has been nothing short of remarkable.

The program has evolved rapidly under Klatsky, now in his third season. A former Ivy League standout at the University of Pennsylvania, Klatsky has instilled a system that maximizes talent while demanding unselfishness. The result is a team that embraces depth and sacrifices personal stats for the collective goal of success.

“One night, it might be Tristan,” Klatsky said.  “The next, it might be Zay [Freeney] or Brock. But they’ve bought into it. They want to win, and they understand winning means playing unselfish basketball.”

The numbers back it up. The Violets rank among the top teams in offensive efficiency, but the defensive transformation has elevated it. The team held opponents to just 64.5 points per game, one of the lowest marks in the UAA, while forcing turnovers at a high rate.

The Violets only loss was a setback against Emory University that Klatsky said tested the team’s ability to respond.

“That moment could’ve sent us in different directions, but our guys stuck together, took the challenge and kept getting better every day,” Klatsky said. “That loss didn’t derail us, it propelled us.”

A new-look offense without a star bucket-getter

Last season, NYU’s offense ran through Spencer Freedman, a dynamic point guard who controlled the pace and created his own shot at an elite level. His departure left many questioning whether the team could sustain its offensive firepower.

NYU reinvented itself without Freedman. The team’s fluid, motion-based offense thrives on constant ball movement and off-ball cutting, creating a system where multiple players can be scoring threats. How has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 15.7 points per game, but the offense doesn’t revolve solely around him. Instead, the new system allows How to operate in isolation on the wings, where he’s at his best — surrounded by perimeter shooters who stretch the floor, giving him space to attack.

This balance has turned NYU into an offensive juggernaut, averaging 82.7 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 37.7% from three. The approach has worked, as NYU leads the UAA in offensive efficiency, and the team’s spacing and selfless playing style have made them a nightmare for opposing defenses.

Susko’s breakout season

Susko’s buzzer-beater wasn’t just a defining moment for NYU. It was personal validation for the graduate student who transferred from California Lutheran University.

Coming into the season, expectations were high for the 6-foot-5-inch guard, but he struggled early. Through the first couple games, he shot just 2-for-12 from the three-point line, an uncharacteristic slump for a player known for his shooting ability. 

“I struggled shooting at first,” Susko told WSN. “That was unlike me, but I just kept working through it, thinking through it, trusting that the shots would fall.”

They did. Since then, Susko has emerged as a key offensive weapon, scoring 24 points against Washington University in St. Louis and earning UAA Athlete of the Week. Adding to his early struggles, Susko battled a finger injury throughout the season, making his resurgence even more impressive. He credits his mental approach — working with NYU’s mental skills coach and using visualization techniques — to his resurgence.

“I feel like if you do the work, you should be confident in your game,” Susko said.

Freeney’s leadership

At the heart of NYU’s success is senior co-captain Freeney, who recently reached 1,000 career points. Freeney has been through it all, including a coaching change, a program rebuild and now one of the most successful seasons in recent years for NYU.

“My freshman year, I was thrown into the fire,” Freeney said. “I wasn’t ready physically — I didn’t take the weight room seriously. But every summer, I took what I learned and worked to get better. Now, I can look back and say the hard work paid off.”

As a captain, his role extends beyond scoring. Freeney has been instrumental in leading a roster with eight new players, setting the tone in practices and keeping the team focused on the bigger picture.

“Winning in the UAA is not easy,” Freeney said. “Every detail matters. My role is making sure we stay sharp, stay locked in and understand how hard we have to work every day to be great.”

The walk-on who energizes the team

While NYU’s top scorers have driven much of their success, the team wouldn’t be the same without junior Bryan “Moose” Moussako.

Moussako, a walk-on and transfer student, didn’t have a roster spot when he first arrived. After getting cut from the Franklin & Marshall College basketball team as a first-year, he transferred to NYU and became a team manager. When players were injured, he’d step in as a practice player, and within a few weeks, had his own jersey and was officially added to the roster.

“There were times I wanted to quit,” Moussako said. “I got zero emails back from schools, and I’d ask myself, ‘Why am I still doing this?’ But I always came back to one thing: I can control what I can control. I stayed in the gym, and when I finally got that jersey, it made everything worth it.”

Moussako has carved out a critical role as NYU’s energy guy, bringing relentless defense and high-intensity play off the bench. The 6-foot guard is often the first to press, diving for loose balls and disrupting passing lanes — he’s their Josh Hart-style glue guy.

“I spent my whole offseason just trying to be Pat Bev,” Moussako said. “I was on the track doing defensive slides all summer, working on everything that would make me the best defender I could be. That’s what I bring to the team.”

Looking ahead: the March Madness mindset

With March Madness approaching, NYU knows the real work is only beginning. The No. 2 ranking is an achievement, but it means nothing if they don’t finish strong.

“We don’t listen to the hype,” Freeney said. “We don’t see ourselves as underdogs or favorites. We just play our game and keep proving ourselves every night.”

For Klatsky, it’s about keeping the team focused on what got them here.

“We just have to stay grounded and stay confident,” Klatsky said. “If we do that, the results will take care of themselves.”

NYU is built for this moment — with depth, grit and a roster that’s embraced the pressure. Now, it’s time to see just how far they can go.

Contact Brian Sanchez at [email protected].