BEVERLY, Mass. - The 2025-26 Conference of New England men’s basketball season tips off with programs across the league aiming to build on a year of breakout performances and postseason success. With veteran cores returning to several contenders and an influx of new talent ready to make an impact, the stage is set for another winter of thrilling competition, rivalries, and championship aspirations throughout the CNE.

Curry Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 12 | graduated: 3 | newcomers: 6)
2024-25 Results (2-23, 1-17 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: 10th place
 
The Curry Men’s Basketball team will look to improve on the growing pains of last year as they head into the 2025-26 season. Having only graduated three players, they bring back an experienced team. They are also getting senior Tommy Mallinson back from injury, after he missed all of last season.
 
Also returning is Shawn Charles, a senior from Vero Beach, FL. A big man who has only attempted one career three-pointer, Charles has worked on his shot, and is looking to expand his shooting range this year. That would be great news for the Colonels, as when Charles puts up a shot, it usually goes in. He set a program record for shooting percentage in a season last year at 62.9%, and currently holds the program record for career shooting percentage at 61.6%.
 
The Colonels also brought in freshman Manny Hidalgo, who was a Maine Mr. Basketball semi-finalist last year. He won two state championships during his HS career, and averaged 16 PPG, 6 RPG, 4 APG, and 2 SPG, and was named an All-State selection. 

 
Endicott Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 13 | graduated: 4 | newcomers: 6)
2024-25 Results (18-8, 15-3 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: Semifinal loss (T-3rd)
 
The Endicott men's basketball team kicks off its 2025-26 campaign this Friday at 5:30 PM against John Jay in the Emmanuel College Tip-Off Classic. Here's an inside look at the Gulls' upcoming season.

• Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) was named to the 2025-26 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America fifth team, the organization announced last Friday. Montagnino is the reigning Conference of New England (CNE) Player of the Year, Endicott Co-Male Athlete of the Year, and was a 2024-25 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America Third Teamer.
• The Gulls welcome in a freshman class of four to this year's squad. Niko Catalano (North Andover, Mass.), Reece Goodman (Binghamton, N.Y.), Thomas Hunt (Dallas, Texas), and Caden Sullivan (Franklin, Mass.) each get set for their first career collegiate seasons.
• University of New Haven transfer Andrew Mitchell (Roxbury, Mass.) joins Coach Bettencourt's squad as a junior guard. Mitchell's former squad, the New Haven Chargers, made the jump from Division II to Division I this season.
• Joey DaSilva (Windham, N.H.) and Liam Dunfee (Nahant, Mass.) accompany Montagnino as graduate returners on the roster this season. DaSilva and Dunfee bring a combined total of 75 games of playing experience back to the Gulls.
• Senior guard Jason Romans (Peabody, Mass.) gets set to make his Endicott debut this season after sustaining a season-long injury last November. In 2023-24 at Curry, Romans averaged a team-high 16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the Colonels.

 
Gordon Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 9 | graduated: 3 | newcomers: 10)
2024-25 Results (11-14, 7-11 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: 7th place
 
The Gordon Men’s Basketball team returned nine veterans for the 2025-26 season and added 10 newcomers. Alex Daniel ranked second on the team last season with 12.0 points per game. Ryan Brooks averaged 10.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per contest a year ago.
 
The Fighting Scots open the 2025-26 season on the road at New England College November 12.


JWU (Providence) Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (Returners: 4 | Newcomers: 13 | Graduated/Departed: 12)
2024-25 Results (5-20, 3-11 GNAC) | 2024-25 Stats 
The Wildcats seek to replace their top six scorers and all five starters from a year ago with 13 newcomers. Sophomore Azariah Harrison appeared in 19 games and is head coach Jamie Benton’s top returning scorer at 5.2 ppg. Graduate student Dylan Hooter appeared in 17 games last season. Five of the newcomers hail from ‘The Ocean State’ and hope to push the Wildcats back to the playoffs.


Nichols Men’s Basketball 
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 10 | graduated: 1 | newcomers: 8)
2024-25 Results (13-13, 10-8 CNE) | 2024-25 Statistics | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: 5th Place, Loss at No. 4 RWU in CNE First Round

The upcoming 2024-25 Nichols season will feature a balance of returning core athletics, and a fresh batch of exciting newcomers. Under the tutelage of second year head coach Tyler Hundley, the Bison will look to improve upon a .500 campaign in 2024-25, which saw them fall in the CNE First Round as the No. 5 seed. 
 
Leading the list of returners for the Bison is senior guard Javen Flowers-Smith, an All-CNE First Team selection who averaged a team-high 20.7 points per game last season, while also shooting 43.1% overall from the field. His totals from last year also included double-figure points in all but two games, as well as a season-high 44 points against CNE opponent Roger Williams on December 7th. 
 
The Bison are also eager to welcome back a number of other players, including senior guard Dominic Mello, and have also added a number of promising transfers in forward Edrick Quezada, and guard Kuany Teng. 

 
Roger Williams University Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 11 | graduated: 6 | newcomers:6)
2024-25 Results (18-9, 12-6 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: No. 4 Seed, Lost in CNE Semifinals to No. 1 WNE
 
After their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24, RWU finished the season as the No. 4 seed in the CNE Tournament, earning a spot in the Semifinals after defeating Nichols at home in their first round matchup.
 
Head Coach Mike Tully is entering his 23^rd season leading the Hawks and has posted a 303-278 record with the Hawks. Tully sees a roster that returns 11 players from last years squad, while bringing in six players to the roster. The Hawks will see Finn Miller return after being named to the All-Conference Third Team. The Hawks also see four of their top six return from last season, with Miller being joined by Ryan Higgins, Ty Higgins who split reps in the starting lineup, as well as Philip Sughrue.
 
Roger Williams led the nation in three-point field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio last season in Division III. The Hawks open their season on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4:00 pm against Clark.

Suffolk Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 5 | graduated: 7 | newcomers: 12)
2024-25 Results (20-8, 14-4 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: CNE Runner-Up, Third Seed

Suffolk was inches away from capturing the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship, but the third-seeded Rams fell short to top-seed Western New England, 75-74.  Despite not hoisting the trophy, the league runner up made the blue-and-gold’s record books as the first-ever squad in the program’s 80-plus year history to produce a 20-win season with a 20-8 overall ledger. 
The Rams will have their work cut out to reach the conference championship for the third consecutive campaign as they lost seven players, including four starters, to graduation. Head coach Jeff Juron assembled nearly a brand new squad with nine true freshmen and three transfers to work alongside the five returners highlighted by Nick Verdile (11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg).
 
University of Hartford Men’s Basketball
 
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster  (returners: 11 | newcomers: 7)
2024-25 Results (5-20, 3-15 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: Did not make CNE Tournament

The Hawks men’s basketball team is ready for a bounce back season in 2025-26 after finishing last season with a 5-20 overall record. Head Coach Aaron Toomey returns for his third season with a lot of familiar faces returning the roster. Kaosi Chijioke is back for Hartford after averaging 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 2024-25. Other key returners include Drew Stack, Joshua Petion and Reggie Selden. The Hawks also jumped into the transfer portal bringing in guards Kyle Winters (Siena College) and Kent Olewiler (Bloomsburg University) to help bring some added success. 

The Hawks have a 25-game slate in 2025-26 with 12 home games in Chase Family Arena. Hartford will open the season on Friday, November 7th against the College of Wooster with a 7:00 PM start. The 16-game CNE slate starts on December 2nd against Western New England University. 
 
University of New England Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 14 | graduated: 2 | newcomers: 8)
2024-25 Results (7-18, 5-13 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: n/a

The University of New England and 14th-year head coach Ed Silva have 14 returners back from 2024-25, including senior forward Adam Lux, who was a third team all-conference selection after leading the squad in points (15.3/game), three-pointers (2.0), and second in rebounds (6.0). Senior guard Adrian Torres is a three-year starter with career averages of 12.9 points and 3.0 steals. Junior guard Jaelen Jackson also scored in double figures last season, while senior guard Jayden Thornton, senior guard Jimmy Hulland, and junior forward Kha Cao Ra James made substantial contributions in just under 20 minutes per outing. The Nor'easters also have six incoming transfers.
 
Wentworth Institute of Technology Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (returners: 11 | newcomers: 8)
 2024-25 Results (9-17, 8-10 CNE) | 2024-25 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: CNE Sixth Seed, CNE First Round

Head Coach Jason Chornyei enters his first season at the helm of the Wentworth Institute of Technology men’s basketball program. It will be a new-look roster, with 11 returning players, including one of last season’s top scorers, Russell Dolabany, and eight newcomers looking to make an immediate impact. The 2024-25 season saw Wentworth finish with a 9-17 overall record and an 8-10 mark in conference play, with a Conference of New England Tournament appearance. The Leopards have made the postseason the last 19 playing years and will look to make a statement in Chornyei’s first season. 

Wentworth will open the campaign on Saturday, November 8 at Wheaton. 
 
Western New England University Men’s Basketball
2025-26 Schedule | 2025-26 Roster (Returners: 10 | Newcomers: 9 | Graduated: 6)
2024-25 Results (23-7, 15-3 CNE) | 2024-25 Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: NCAA Tournament, NCAA Sweet 16, CNE Champions

Coming off a historic season that saw the Western New England men’s basketball team win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history, the success did not stop there as the Golden Bears advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 round in 2024-25, capping off the most historic season for the Golden Bears men’s basketball program. The 2025-26 season brings a different look to the WNE squad, with three of WNE’s top four scorers from last season graduating. The Golden Bears still have plenty of firepower from last season’s squad returning, as they look to repeat as Conference of New England Champions.

Under 11^th-year Head Coach Colin Tabb, the Golden Bears will be led by a pair of seniors who had breakout junior campaigns in 2024-25, leading WNE to unprecedented success. Cody Palazessi (Somers, Conn.) started in all 30 games for the Golden Bears last season, posting career highs in nearly every statistical category. The Somers, Connecticut native, averaged 27 minutes per game, shooting 48% from the field, cashing in on 45 threes. Palazessi totaled 346 points during the season, averaging 11.5 points per game. Palazessi also assisted the Golden Bears with 90 rebounds, 53 assists, and went 75/82 from the free throw line, a 91% clip. WNE will also look to senior Luka Vlajkovic, who played in 27 games last season, averaging over ten points per game. The Melrose, Massachusetts, native was efficient from the field, nailing over 53% of his shots, and dropped 14 three-pointers for the Golden Bears. Vlajkovic was tenacious on the boards, collecting 46 offensive and 101 defensive rebounds for the Golden Bears, dishing out 39 assists, collecting 19 steals, and had 12 blocks on the year.  

The Golden Bears also return a pair of key senior point guards to the roster in 2025-26, with Nate Kasper (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Matt Houde (Windsor Locks, Conn.) expected to play big roles for the blue and gold this season. Western New England men’s basketball replenishes its roster with nine newcomers, including a pair of transfers from NCAA Division II in Travis Mangual (Willimantic, Conn.) and Zein Wahdan (Alexandria, Egypt). 
The WNE men’s basketball team opens its 2025-26 season on home court, hosting Springfield College on Friday, November 7, at 7:30 PM, inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.