The men's basketball team ended its 2009 to 2010 season with a disheartening loss in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament to No. 2 Williams College. The team finished with a 22-9 overall record and 9-5 mark in the University Athletic Association. Guards Andre Roberson '10, Kenny Small '10 and John Weldon '10, as well as forward Terrell Hollins '10 and center Rich Magee '10, finished as the most successful class in school history with 83 wins and four NCAA Tournament appearances.This season, though, the Judges are essentially a brand-new team, as the squad only returns four players: forwards Vytas Kriskus '12 and Christian Yemga '11, guard Tyrone Hughes '12 and center Wouter van der Eng '13. Kriskus, Yemga and Hughes were named captains of the team.

"It will be up to [Yemga], [Kriskus] and [Hughes] to lead the way and assimilate the new guys on the court," coach Brian Meehan said. "It is a significant change from the high school to college environment, but our three experienced captains can help in easing that transition."

Kriskus led the team with 64 3-point conversions and was third on the team with 12.8 points per game. Yemga finished third with 3.3 rebounds per game, while Hughes was second with 32.3 minutes per game.

However, the Judges will look to 12 new players, 10 of whom are first-years, to replace the production from the senior class last season, during which Small averaged a team-best 14.3 points per game. Hollins finished last season with 13.7 points per game and a team-leading 10.4 rebounds per game while Roberson led the Judges in both assists and steals.

Because of the lack of experience on the team this season, Meehan pointed out that defense needs to be a focal point for the team over the course of the season.

"The holes on defense will leave us a little exposed, and thus it should remain as a top priority for the team," Meehan said.

Kriskus also believes that defense is a key to the team's success.

"Defense is absolutely the most important thing," he said. "I think we have a team with more than enough offensive capabilities, so it will come down to whether we are able to stop other teams."

Meehan noted that the new group of players is talented.

"We have signs of becoming very good and simply have to balance the display of talent and personal growth on the court," he said.

Kriskus and Hughes set the tone in the squad's preseason opener Nov. 4, which was an 83-60 loss to Division I University of Massachusetts Amherst. Kriskus scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Hughes recorded 11 points and six rebounds in the loss. Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 was the only rookie to start in the game.

Centers Youri Dascy '14 and Alex Schmidt '14 and guards Derek Ratos '14 and Ruben Kanya '14 each logged more than 16 minutes in their first collegiate action. Dascy finished the game with 11 points, while Schmidt scored 6 points and grabbed four rebounds. Retos scored 5 points while Kanya had two assists.

Because of the infusion of youth, the team is poised to be very competitive for the next 4 years. However, Meehan concedes it "may take some time for the freshmen to mature on the court, but the faster they do, the more consistent and successful the team will end up being."

Despite receiving 55 points for the nationally ranked top 25 poll by D3hoops.com, the Judges slipped out of the preseason poll. Washington University in St. Louis was the only University Athletic Association school to be selected to the poll.

In that same poll, Williams College is ranked No. 8, while Middlebury College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two other local schools, are ranked No. 9 and No. 15, respectively.

Overall, Meehan acknowledged that there will "be some sort of a learning curve at first, but we will certainly improve over the course of the season."

The team's first game of the season is tonight at Lasell College at 7 p.m. The team will then host the Brandeis Invitational Friday and Saturday.