Men’s Basketball Gearing Up for the New Season
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team will enter the 2025–26 season looking to build on its growing competitiveness within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
Head Coach Todd Peretz, entering his 27th season at the helm of the Mariners, leads a group eager to take another step forward in conference play. His squad opens with a challenging November slate, spending much of the early season on the road. Trips to Manhattanville, Dean, and Eastern Connecticut State will set the tone, while early matchups against Westfield State and CCNY at the Coast Guard Academy offer opportunities to battle competitive non-conference opponents.
By late November, Mitchell returns home to Yarnall Athletic Center, where the Mariners will host a stretch of key non-conference contests, including a rematch with Hartford — a team they edged in a thrilling opener last season. December brings an opportunity to build momentum heading into the holiday break, highlighted by home dates with Rivier and Anna Maria, as well as a warm-weather swing through Florida to face Warner and Webber International.
When the calendar flips to January, conference play takes center stage. Mitchell faces a tough GNAC road gauntlet early, with visits to Saint Joseph's (ME), Rivier, and New England College, before returning home for crucial matchups against Elms and Saint Joseph (Conn.).
The February schedule offers opportunities to make a statement against Dean, Norwich, Albertus Magnus, and Lasell — all GNAC opponents. A late non-conference meeting with crosstown foe Coast Guard brings two local programs together before a hopeful postseason push begins.
"As we enter our third year playing in this highly competitive conference, our goal is to continue to improve upon last year's performance by advancing deeper in the GNAC Men's Basketball Tournament," said Peretz. "With a strong core of returning players coupled with an influx of talented transfers and first-year players, this is an attainable goal."
This year's Mitchell squad boasts 14 new faces alongside seven returning players from a team that reached the GNAC quarterfinals in just its second season as a conference member. Senior Brandon Lee (Stockton, Calif.) provides valuable veteran leadership as a versatile forward who has started 37 career games, averaging 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest last season.
The sophomore backcourt duo of Collin Jefferson (Orlando, Fla.) and Tommy Daly (Wethersfield, Conn.) — both of whom contributed significant minutes as freshmen — will look to take the next step and help stabilize the offense. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Abdul Mansaray (Jacksonville, Fla.) figures to play a key role in the post after a promising rookie campaign in which he shot 57.4% from the field and 73.3% from the free-throw line.
Among the newcomers are key transfers Troy Butler (Manchester, Conn.) and Matthew Carter (Corinth, Texas). Butler, a junior guard transferring from Castleton, averaged 15.5 points per game for the Spartans last winter. Carter, a sophomore swingman from VTSU–Johnson, earned North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Rookie of the Year honors last season after averaging 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.9% from the field in 27 games.
The Mariners open their season on the road Saturday, November 8, at Manhattanville and will play their first home game on Friday, November 21, against Westfield State in the annual Cadet-Mariner Classic.
Additionally, the Mitchell men's basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released by the conference on Thursday afternoon and voted upon by the league's 13 head coaches.
Tip-off for the 2025–26 men's basketball season is set for Friday, November 7, as teams open with non-conference action. Conference play gets underway on Saturday, January 10. Teams will complete a 12-game single round-robin conference schedule, with the top eight teams at the end of the regular season earning berths into the 2025–26 GNAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
The postseason begins with the GNAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 24, followed by the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday, February 26, and concludes with the GNAC Championship Game on Saturday, February 28. The winner will be crowned 2025–26 GNAC Men's Basketball Champion and earn the league's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll Results
| 1) | Saint Joseph's (Maine) | 168 (12) |
| 2) | University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 149 |
| 3) | Albertus Magnus | 143 (1) |
| 4) | Lasell | 137 |
| 5) | Norwich | 105 |
| 6) | Rivier | 101 |
| 7) | Mitchell | 76 |
| 8) | Regis | 71 |
| 9) | Emmanuel | 68 |
| 10) | Dean | 62 |
| 11) | Elms | 57 |
| 12) | Colby-Sawyer | 29 |
| 13) | New England College | 17 |
