The Hobart basketball team opens the 2025-26 season at home against York (PA) at 5 p.m. Friday, November 7. The Statesmen return their leading scorer but will have to replace their other four starters from a team that went 16-10 overall, 10-8 in the Liberty League. Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13 embarks on his sixth season at the helm of his alma mater, seeking his fifth winning season. Over the past five seasons, he's guided Hobart to a 90-45 record, five Liberty League Tournament appearances and two NCAA tournament appearances.
LEADERSHIP
Thompson has been impressed by the team's four seniors' leadership. Gabriel Bergeron, Niko Lutz, Jaymon Pysnack and Axel Traina have done a great job stepping into the void left by the graduation of the Class of 2025, helping foster a team environment that Thompson describes as, "elite unity." From spring practices to summer workouts, to the team's European tour, to preseason camp, they have led without any sense of entitlement, refusing to cut corners and putting in the work. Bergeron and Pysnack were selected to serve as team captains this season.
KEY RETURNERS
Alex Moesch '27
- Last season's leading scorer (12.2 ppg)
- Led team in 3FG% (.395)
- One of 8 in Liberty League with 50+ 3FGM
- 2024-25 All-Liberty League 3rd team
- USBWA All-Rochester Area 1st team
Monty Nedd '28
- Played in all 26 games
- Averaged 8.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 spg, 1.3 apg
- 2nd on team in steals
- Made more FT (77) than all but one teammate attempted
- Season-high 26 pts at RIT in first career start
- 5x Liberty League Rookie of the Week
Dorian Paki '27
- Top returning rebounder (4.1 rpg)
- Season-high 13 boards in win over Rochester
- Season-high 14 pts vs. Bard
- Blocked season-high 4 shots in Liberty League Tournament game at Union
Allen Mordi '28
- Played in all 26 games, starting 9
- Averaged 4.9 ppg
- 2nd on team in blocked shots (12)
- Liberty League Rookie of the Week after back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts vs. Utica, Merchant Marine
Gabriel Bergeron '26
- Played in 16 games, averaging 12.4 minutes before suffering season-ending injury
- Season-high 15 pts in win over RPI
- Sank 5 3FG vs. Engineers
- 5 pts, 6 rebs in win over Keuka
Lutz, sophomore Justin Price, Traina and Pysnack add depth and experience to the lineup. Lutz is a solid shooter anywhere on the floor and will be a key player in Hobart's success on the glass this season. Price is likely to play an expanded role at the point, helping direct the offense, while providing strong defense. Traina and Pysnack are accurate spot-up shooters and veteran voices on the floor and in the locker room.
Newcomers
Hobart's roster will be bolstered by six newcomers, two sophomores and four first-years. From the Class of 2028, Scotland Simpson was a team manager last year, but earned a roster spot this year, while Devyn Williams won two Section V Championships at nearby Lyons and played his way onto the roster this preseason. The Class of 2029 comes to Geneva from around the world, featuring guards Jackson Carey (Huntington, N.Y.) and Elvis Lloyd (Denver, Colo.) and forwards Charlie Forgione (Adelaide, Australia) and Harrison Muntner (New York, N.Y.). Their success at the scholastic level has them primed to play important roles on this year's Statesmen squad.
Schedule
Hobart's 25-game schedule features many of the same local and conference rivals with the exception of the Hobart Tournament in November. The Statesmen will welcome U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to Bristol Gym for the first time since 1974. The tournament field will also include Fredonia, led by former Hobart Assistant Coach Sean Smiley, for the first time ever in Bristol Gym and Hamilton, which hasn't played in Geneva since 2015. The chase for the Liberty League title and its accompanying automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is expected to be wide open as evidenced by the fact that four different teams received first-place votes in the coaches' preseason poll. Hobart is picked sixth in the poll. The Statesmen finished fifth in the league last year and proved they could beat anyone in the six-team conference tournament, splitting the home-and-home regular season series against the other five teams. Highlights of Hobart's home schedule include Jan. 10 vs. RIT (Geneva Public Library Day), Jan. 23-24 vs. Union & RPI (Basketball Alumni Weekend) and Feb. 21 vs. Bard (Senior Day). During Basketball Alumni Weekend, the Statesmen will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 2000-01 Hobart team that captured the program's first Liberty League Championship (then called the UCAA) and earned its first NCAA tournament bid.