MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The SUNY Morrisville men's basketball team will get the 2025-26 season slate underway Saturday, opening the schedule with a tip-off tournament on the road at Williams College.
 
The Mustangs return nine to the roster this season from the squad that posted an even mark of 13-13 overall last year, adding 12 new faces to provide depth in both the offensive and defensive game.
 
Junior Jacob Works (Liverpool, N.Y.) returns alongside seniors CJ McCullum (Bronx, N.Y.) and Jalyn Moorehead (Rochester, N.Y.) to lead the backcourt after averaging 28.4 points per game combined a year ago.
 
Avion Grainger (Syracuse, N.Y.) also returns to provide the Mustangs a variety of options in the offensive attack – as the junior is a threat both on the outside as well as in the paint for Morrisville.
 
Second year head coach Bryan Wickliffe strengthened the depth of the Mustangs play, adding in the offseason five transfers, including All-Region honoree Tony Borges (Auburn, N.Y. / Cayuga CC). In that mix is also AJ Burnett (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Joseph Guerrero (Bronx, N.Y.), who that hail from NJCAA schools that are ranked first and second in the preseason poll for the region.
 
Morrisville's first test of the season will come against Williams College on Saturday in a mid-afternoon battle at Williams. The Ephs put together a 15-10 overall campaign a year ago, and will serve as a solid season opener for the Mustangs who are staring down their second year of competition in the SUNYAC.
 
The Mustangs will wrap up the weekend with a Sunday bout against MCLA in Williams, before returning home to challenge Utica University in a crosstown match on the 19^th in their home opener.
 
Houghton rolls into town on the 25^th before Morrisville heads to Hartwick on December 2 for a final tune-up before opening league play.
 
The Mustangs eye a return to the post-season after putting together an even 9-9 record last year, but will need to keep their focus early on before getting into the heart of the league play after the winter break.
 
Last year's squad saw the Mustangs edge opponents on average 74.0 to 72.4 points per game, controlling the glass as they outgained opponents 40.2 to 37.3 rebounds per game. Morrisville's defense forced opponents into an average 14.9 turnovers per contest, leading to 16.2 unanswered points per game.
 
Morrisville opens SUNYAC play on December 5 against Canton, before hosting Oswego on the 6^th in a memorial game for Hunter Kowaleski, former student-athlete of the program.
 
A final road battle at Keuka on the 13^th will carry the Mustangs into the break with an eye on returning to the court on January 3^rd at Hamilton.
 
Morrisville resumes league action on the 6^th at Buffalo State, kicking off 16 straight league games through the end of February.
 
The full roster and schedule with links to live action can be found on the college's athletic website.
 
SUNY Morrisville's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
 
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2023 issue and earned additional recognition in Top Public Schools Regional Colleges (North). For more information about SUNY Morrisville, visit www.morrisville.edu.
 
#RunAsOne