2018–19 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team represented Bucknell University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by fourth-year head coach Nathan Davis, played their home games at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania as members of the Patriot League. They finished the season 21–12, 13–5 in Patriot League play, to earn a share of the Patriot League regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League tournament, they defeated Holy Cross and Lehigh before losing to Colgate in the championship game.[1] They were not selected for postseason play.

2018–19 Bucknell Bison men's basketball
Patriot League regular season co-champion
ConferencePatriot League
Record21–12 (13–5 Patriot)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Paul Harrison
  • John Griffin
  • Joe Meehan
Home arenaSojka Pavilion
Seasons
2018–19 Patriot League men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Colgate135 .7222411 .686
Bucknell135 .7222112 .636
Lehigh126 .6672011 .645
American99 .5001515 .500
Navy810 .4441219 .387
Army810 .4441319 .406
Lafayette711 .3891020 .333
Boston University711 .3891518 .455
Loyola (MD)711 .3891121 .344
Holy Cross612 .3331617 .485
2019 Patriot League tournament winner

Previous season

The Bison finished the 2017–18 season 25–10, 16–2 in Patriot League play, to win the Patriot League regular season championship. They defeated Loyola (MD), Boston University and Colgate to win the Patriot League tournament championship. As a result, they received the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Michigan State.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Stephen Brown2G5'11"160SeniorManassas, VAGraduated
Nana Foulland20C6'10"235SeniorReading, PAGraduated
Zach Thomas23F6'7"195SeniorIjamsville, MDGraduated

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Walter Ellis
#72 SG
South Bend, INBrewster Academy6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg)Apr 8, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Andrew Funk
SG
Warminster, PAArchbishop Wood High School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)160 lb (73 kg)Sep 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Kahliel Spear
SF
The Colony, TXThe Colony High School6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)N/AApr 9, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Alex Rice
#53 PG
Jersey City, NJThe Patrick School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)N/ASep 12, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Malachi Rhodes
PF
McDonough, GAWheeler High School6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)180 lb (82 kg)Sep 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jake van der Heijden
PF
Raleigh, NCRavenscroft School6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)May 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Alex Timmerman
C
Crystal Lake, ILCrystal Lake Central High School6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)250 lb (110 kg)Apr 24, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2018–19 Bucknell Bison men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
C0Paul Newman6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)234 lb (106 kg)SrSt. Andrews SchoolPhiladelphia, PA
G1Kimbal Mackenzie6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)160 lb (73 kg)SrJohn CarrollOakville, ON
F2Walter Ellis6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)187 lb (85 kg)FrBrewster AcademyGranger, IN
G3Jimmy Sotos6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)192 lb (87 kg)SoConantElk Grove Village, IL
F/C4Nate Sestina6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)245 lb (111 kg)SrCameron CountyEmporium, PA
G5Jordan Sechan (W)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg)SoNorthfield Mount HermonNew Canaan, CT
G10Andrew Funk6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrArchbishop WoodWarrington, PA
G11Avi Toomer6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)192 lb (87 kg)JrGradyAtlanta, GA
F12John Meeks6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)225 lb (102 kg)SoThe Burlington SchoolBurlington, NC
F13Bruce Moore6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)223 lb (101 kg)JrMcDonoghRandallstown, MD
G14Ben Robinson6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg)JrHigh Point ChristianHigh Point, NC
G15Nate Jones6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)209 lb (95 kg)SrRadfordRadford, VA
G22Matt O'Reilly6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg)SrProlific Prep AcademyMoraga, CA
F23Kahliel Spear6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrThe ColonyThe Colony, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: June 3, 2024

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2018*
7:00 p.m.
at St. BonaventureW 88–85 OT1–0
Reilly Center (4,668)
Olean, NY
November 10, 2018*
7:00 p.m.
FairfieldL 58–60 1–1
Sojka Pavilion (3,183)
Lewisburg, PA
November 13, 2018*
7:00 p.m., WQMY
CanisiusL 73–82 1–2
Sojka Pavilion (2,237)
Lewisburg, PA
November 25, 2018*
2:00 p.m.
at VermontW 69–61 2–2
Patrick Gym (2,446)
Burlington, VT
November 28, 2018*
7:00 p.m.
NortheasternL 78–96 2–3
Sojka Pavilion (2,121)
Lewisburg, PA
December 1, 2018*
7:00 p.m., Stadium
MonmouthW 65–43 3–3
Sojka Pavilion (2,579)
Lewisburg, PA
December 4, 2018*
7:00 p.m.
at La SalleW 92–79 4–3
Tom Gola Arena (1,321)
Philadelphia, PA
December 15, 2018*
12:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 15 Ohio StateL 71–73 4–4
Value City Arena (14,241)
Columbus, OH
December 19, 2018*
10:00 p.m.
at Saint Mary'sL 56–85 4–5
McKeon Pavilion (2,622)
Moraga, CA
December 22, 2018*
10:00 p.m., ESPN3
vs. Rhode Island
Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals
W 84–82 5–5
Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 23, 2018*
10:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. TCU
Diamond Head Classic semifinals
L 65–82 5–6
Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 25, 2018*
6:30 p.m., ESPNU
vs. UNLV
Diamond Head Classic third-place game
W 97–72 6–6
Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
Patriot League regular season
January 2, 2019
7:00 p.m., Stadium
at ArmyW 64–63 7–6
(1–0)
Christl Arena (958)
West Point, NY
January 5, 2019
1:00 p.m., Stadium
at Boston UniversityL 80–87 7–7
(1–1)
Case Gym (841)
Boston, MA
January 9, 2019
7:00 p.m.
ColgateW 84–81 8–7
(2–1)
Sojka Pavilion (2,788)
Lewisburg, PA
January 12, 2019
12:00 p.m.
AmericanW 55–54 9–7
(3–1)
Sojka Pavilion (3,092)
Lewisburg, PA
January 14, 2019
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Holy CrossW 93–78 10–7
(4–1)
Sojka Pavilion (2,514)
Lewisburg, PA
January 19, 2019
12:00 p.m.
at LehighW 85–83 11–7
(5–1)
Stabler Arena (1,558)
Bethlehem, PA
January 23, 2019
7:00 p.m.
Loyola (MD)W 71–68 12–7
(6–1)
Sojka Pavilion (2,243)
Lewisburg, PA
January 26, 2019
4:00 p.m.
at AmericanL 68–76 12–8
(6–2)
Bender Arena (1,172)
Washington, D.C.
January 30, 2019
7:00 p.m.
NavyW 69–57 13–8
(7–2)
Sojka Pavilion (2,154)
Lewisburg, PA
February 2, 2019
2:00 p.m.
at LafayetteW 94–66 14–8
(8–2)
Kirby Sports Center (1,487)
Easton, PA
February 6, 2019
7:00 p.m.
at Loyola (MD)W 84–72 15–8
(9–2)
Reitz Arena (730)
Baltimore, MD
February 9, 2019
12:00 p.m., WQMY
Boston UniversityW 82–76 16–8
(10–2)
Sojka Pavilion (3,052)
Lewisburg, PA
February 11, 2019
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
LehighW 87–75 17–8
(11–2)
Sojka Pavilion (2,793)
Lewisburg, PA
February 16, 2019
7:00 p.m.
at Holy CrossL 71–72 17–9
(11–3)
Hart Center (1,564)
Worcester, MA
February 19, 2019
7:00 p.m., Stadium
at ColgateL 64–75 17–10
(11–4)
Cotterell Court (643)
Hamilton, NY
February 24, 2019
2:00 p.m., WQMY
LafayetteW 118–76 18–10
(12–4)
Sojka Pavilion (2,968)
Lewisburg, PA
February 27, 2019
7:00 p.m.
at NavyL 53–64 18–11
(12–5)
Alumni Hall (1,822)
Annapolis, MD
March 2, 2019
12:00 p.m.
ArmyW 62–61 19–11
(13–5)
Sojka Pavilion (2,982)
Lewisburg, PA
Patriot League tournament
March 7, 2019
7:00 p.m.
(2) (10) Holy Cross
Quarterfinals
W 77–65 20–11
Sojka Pavilion (2,107)
Lewisburg, PA
March 10, 2019
2:00 p.m., CBSSN
(2) (3) Lehigh
Semifinals
W 97–75 21–11
Sojka Pavilion (2,718)
Lewisburg, PA
March 13, 2019
7:30 p.m., CBSSN
(2) (1) Colgate
Championship
L 80–94 21–12
Cotterell Court 
Hamilton, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Source:[2]

References