John Griffin’s first year at the helm of the Bucknell men’s basketball team was marked by progress. Good road wins over Penn State and Niagara highlighted a non-conference slate that was filled with some growing pains, but by season’s end the Bison were playing their best basketball. They won their final three games of the regular season to finish in a tie for second place in the Patriot League regular-season standings, and then an 80-57 rout of American in the tournament quarterfinals signaled that a corner had been turned. Bucknell did fall 68-65 at top-seeded Colgate in the semifinals, but that down-to-the-wire loss has served as a motivator all offseason.
Year two for Griffin brings a different mindset. This time a year ago he was focused on crafting a team culture. Now, with 10 of the 15 players on this year’s roster a junior or senior, Griffin has a veteran squad that is intent on flipping some of those close losses into the win column.
In two preseason games against live competition – a closed-door scrimmage at Buffalo and an 88-82 win at Saint Joseph’s in a charity exhibition game – Griffin seemed most impressed by the team’s maturity. At Saint Joe’s, a team picked in the top three in the Atlantic 10 this season, Bucknell built a 10-point lead, fell behind by a bucket after the Hawks made a late run, but then those veterans made big plays in crunch time and the Bison won by six.
“Having veteran, mature players helps in so many ways,” said Griffin. “From a communication standpoint, from staff to players and peer-to-peer communication, everyone has a ‘we’ over ‘me’ approach right now. When we played [at Saint Joseph’s] on Saturday, there was no wasted communication because everyone is now moving in the same direction. And that’s where maturity really shows itself.”
Griffin built his 2024-25 schedule with that experience level in mind. The team opens the campaign on Monday at Delaware, and over the next two months the Bison will visit the likes of Kentucky, Gonzaga, Maryland, and Syracuse. Atlantic 10 powers Richmond and St. Bonaventure will visit Sojka Pavilion, the Bison will take on Gerry McNamara’s Siena squad in a neutral-site game in Wilkes-Barre, and road games against strong mid-majors such as Delaware and Radford will surely test the squad heading into Patriot League play.
“Every game on our schedule is going to be tough. There’s certainly a little bit of angst from me as the head coach about the sheer strength of the schedule, but I think our group understands that there are two reasons why we are doing it,” explained Griffin. “One is to give them a chance to compete against legendary programs that are considered to be some of the best in college basketball. That’s a huge part of our recruiting. Come to Bucknell and you are going to have opportunities to shine and win games on those stages. But then we also want to be battle-tested. We want to learn as much as we can and have our weaknesses exposed, so that we can quickly correct them. And unless you’re playing teams where you can’t overwhelm them with your athleticism, you aren’t really going to learn that.”
Leading the Bison into battle against those tough foes will be four senior captains: guards Josh Bascoe and Elvin Edmonds IV, wing Ian Motta, and key frontcourt reserve Pip Ajayi.
Edmonds and Bascoe have had different career arcs, but as the two primary ballhandlers, they enter their senior seasons as the team’s engine. Both were outstanding down the stretch in the Saint Joe’s win, with Edmonds finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Edmonds has been a key member of the backcourt all four years, and last season he upped his scoring output to a career-high 10.8 points per game. He also had three double-digit assist games and ranked third in the Patriot League with 4.4 assists per game.
Even though he appeared in 54 games over his first two seasons at Bucknell, Bascoe’s minutes were limited as he dealt with some injuries. Last year was his breakout, however. Playing with confidence attacking the paint and upping his 3-point accuracy to over 35 percent, Bascoe averaged 9.4 points and 3.6 assists. An 11-point, 10-assist performance in the win at Penn State and an 18-point first-half explosion at Lehigh showed off his skill set.
“It’s great to have two senior guards that have different capabilities,” said Griffin. “Josh Bascoe is more of a scoring threat. He’s an undersized two guard who can also play the point, but I think he has the ability to be a very effective point producer for us. He’s very confident and very creative. And then Elvin has always been the steady, poised player for us. Our relationship has grown together, and he knows he has the freedom to be a playmaker. He’s done a good job of getting stronger, which helps him absorb contact going to the rim. Those two give us a nice one-two punch because they are both very capable scorers and you have to close out on both of them on the 3-point line.”
Motta is a multidimensional player whose confidence also seems to be at an all-time high heading into his fourth year. He has always been a capable defender and rebounder, over the last two years he has shot better than 38 percent from the arc, and now as he has gotten physically stronger he has added the ability to get to the rim and finish drives.
“Ian Motta has had a really nice offseason,” said Griffin. “He gained a lot of confidence toward the end of last season and carried it through the summer. He’s just a really hard-playing college basketball player. He’s going to play with reckless abandon around the rim, he’s going to attack downhill, and he’s going to crash the glass. Ian provides an athleticism to our team from that wing position that will be impactful.”
Ajayi transferred in from then-Division II Mercyhurst a year ago, and in his first season with the Bison he played in all 33 games off the bench as a quality backup for all-leaguer Noah Williamson. Ajayi shot 59.7 percent from the field and was one of the league’s top shot-blockers, despite playing only 12.3 minutes per game. Ajayi will have a similar role this year, but Griffin envisions his production increasing as his comfort level in Division I has increased.
“Pip has taken a great leap in terms of the processing required at the Division I level,” said Griffin. “I thought last year he did whatever we needed him to do to help us win. This year we need him to take a step forward in terms of production. I think you will see Pip and Noah on the floor together more this year. He is a high-flying, active defensive player and rebounder, and he’s probably our strongest player around the rim from a post defense standpoint.”
In addition to the four seniors, the Bucknell roster features six juniors, further solidifying the team’s veteran presence. Williamson, a 7’0” center from Latvia, is the most decorated of the group. He earned Third Team All-Patriot League honors taking a huge leap forward as a sophomore, and he was recently one of five players named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game, and by season’s end he was one of the league’s top centers. Williamson logged 23 points and 10 rebounds in the Patriot League Tournament win at American, and he hit four 3-pointers and tallied 19 points and eight boards in the semifinal loss at Colgate, which landed him on the All-Tournament Team.
“Noah has taken a huge leap from the time we lost to Colgate last year to the current moment in terms of his body,” said Griffin. “For a player that barely played his freshman year to basically leading us to the Patriot League semifinals, he experienced a world of growth mentally and physically. What he learned is that he’s a very good player and he has a toolbox of skills that can be really effective offensively. He can pass, dribble, and shoot. He’s also taken a great leap in the world of leadership. He’s got a competitive edge to him right now, and you can see it as we practice day in and day out.”
Ruot Bijiek has played in all 65 games over the past two seasons, and he started all but one a year ago when he averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The lanky 4 man scored 11 points at Duke and had a career-high 14 against Holy Cross. Bijiek has the ability to stretch the floor as a 6’9” forward with range beyond the arc, now he will be looking to hone in that consistency as a shooter.
“Ru is a guy who we are hoping takes a huge jump this season,” said Griffin. “The first thing that pops off the page with Ru is his shooting ability. He’s 6-9 and very mobile, and he can also dribble and make decisions. He gained about 10 pounds, and although you might not be able to tell just from looking at him because of his body type, that extra strength had been very helpful for him. In the Saint Joe’s game he was not having a great day but then he hit a huge three in the corner late in the game. That to me is a sign of his maturity where he overcame some adversity to make a huge play to help us win in the last two minutes.”
New to the squad this year is Davidson transfer Achile Spadone. The Geneva native captained the Switzerland National Team at the U18 and U16 levels, and he played regular minutes off the bench in the Atlantic 10 for the last two seasons.
“Forgive the pun, but Achile can really be a Swiss Army knife for us,” said Griffin, perhaps already foreshadowing a social media meme. “He has the ability to do a bunch of different things to help a team win. He played in almost every game at Davidson and had some good moments. He’s very strong at 6’4” and can move his feet very well, and on top of that he has unbelievable in-game experience. At Saint Joe’s he got his shot blocked twice and it didn’t rattle him whatsoever. He drove it again and got an and-one and finished with eight points off the bench. We need him to be assertive and be a guy that can come in off the bench and get us buckets. He plays for the national team in Switzerland, so he has a maturity about him, and his personality fits our team really well.”
Brady Muller and Josh Fulton are two more versatile juniors who will be able to give quality minutes off the bench. Muller is a hard-working, physical, get-on-the-floor type of player who can rebound and defend and also knock down a three. Fulton is an intriguing player, simply because Bison fans have not seen him in action very much yet. He was limited to spot duty in 20 games as a freshman, and then he did not play at all last year due to injury.
“Brady had a great summer,” said Griffin. “He’s a glue guy. He’s tough and he has a great voice. Where he has taken a big step forward is his shooting, and specifically the speed of his release. What Brady brings to the table from a vocal and from an intangibles standpoint is second to none. Josh Fulton really hasn’t played in two seasons, and as a staff we are trying to be patient with his development. He brings an athleticism to our program that we need from a defensive standpoint. He slashes without the ball so well, and now it’s just about rebuilding his confidence and finding out how he can impact a game. Brady and Josh both want to do whatever they can for the team.”
Junior Quin Berger was an effective role player off the bench in his first season after transferring from Saint Joseph’s, but an ACL tear during a preseason practice will keep him out of action this season. What Griffin lost in a key rotation piece, he gained in an extra member of the coaching staff.
“Quin’s role right now is ‘Coach Berger’,” Griffin said. “He is one of the leaders in our locker room and he’s instinctively very vocal. He’s not afraid to express how he feels, whether it’s positive reinforcement or to hold someone accountable, and that’s a critical piece to the championship puzzle. He’s going to work his tail off to get back on the court, but in the meantime, he’s in all of our coaches’ meetings, and at every timeout during a game, he’s the first line of communication. He’s earned that respect in a short amount of time here.”
Guard Brandon McCreesh and forward Patrick O’Brien are the two members of the sophomore class. McCreesh flashed his potential in 29 games off the bench last year, highlighted by a 10-point performance on the road at Lafayette. He has looked very good throughout this preseason and will be able to spell Edmonds or Bascoe without any dropoff. O’Brien appeared in seven games as a freshman and gives the Bison depth up front behind Williamson and Ajayi.
“Brandon had a great summer,” praised Griffin. “His minutes last year never affected his commitment and his preparation, and this summer was great for him. He changed his body by working hard in the weight room, and the player we saw in spurts last year is the player we are seeing regularly now. He’s being more assertive, more aggressive, and the ball is coming to him and he’s making quicker decisions on whether to shoot, pass, or attack. He has a chance to be a very good player at Bucknell.
“Pat O’Brien is a super skilled 4 or 5, and he’s still at an early stage in his career. He can make a three and he’s a very good passer. The challenge for him right now is the depth chart as he’s backing up two very good 5 men.”
Like McCreesh, freshman point guard Jayden Williams is likely to see plenty of action this season spelling the two seniors in the backcourt. A strong and quick ballhandler out of The Bronx, Williams comes from a strong prep program at Blair Academy in New Jersey.
“Jayden is tough, he’s a pit bull of a New York City guard,” said Griffin. “His impact has already been felt from a competitive standpoint. He will guard you as soon as you walk off the bus, and his competitive spirit aligns with mine and our team’s. He’s all about winning championships. He did it at Blair and he’s a great leader. For now he will grow and learn and probably have some good days and some bad days, but ultimately his energy and his competitiveness will remain.”
Matt Lange and Kellen Welch are first-year walk-ons who have been familiar to the program for years. Lange is the son of Saint Joseph’s head coach Billy Lange, for whom Griffin served as associate head coach for four years before returning to Bucknell. Welch is the son of former Bucknell post player Tom Welch ’97, and they are poised to become the first father-son duo to suit up for the Bison. Both have tremendous potential and give the team a good look every day.
“Matt is super competitive, he’s the prototypical gym rat, and he is a connector,” said Griffin. “That’s what you want your freshmen to be on the floor. When they are out there, the team’s energy is elevated, and Jayden and Matt have both done that. Matt is a coach’s kid so he’s super smart, and his physicality at some point in the year could be impactful.
“Kellen is a super skilled player, as skilled as I’ve seen in a long time,” said Griffin. “His ability as a freshman to pick up schemes offensively and defensively and apply it immediately is very unique. It’s a testament to his dad, who was a very good player here, and he’s also an engineer. He needs to develop his body, but he helps us because he’s a skilled 6’7” player who can stretch the floor and give us a good look in the post.”