THROGGS NECK, NY – After a disappointing 2021-22 season where it finished just 4-19, the Maritime College men's basketball team is ready to turn the page.  The Privateers, who were picked 11^th in the Skyline Conference Preseason Poll, will get to do just that on Tuesday night, when the 2022-23 campaign begins at home against Medgar Evers.

"At the end of the day, nothing (from last season) really carries over," Head Coach Mike Berkun said.  "You start brand new, which is probably a good thing for us."

This year's team features a number of veterans who saw significant time last season, led by fifth-year senior Ryan Donovan (North Salem, NY).  Donovan ranked fifth in the league with 18.5 points per game in 2021-22.  He was also the Privateers' top rebounder last year, pulling down 6.6 boards per contest.

"Ryan's been here for a while and knows exactly what we want," Berkun said.  "He's more of a quiet leader who leads more by example than his voice.  I'm looking forward to him having a great year."

Other veterans looking to make an impact are senior forward Sean Flynn (Flushing, NY), junior forward Robbie Mitchell (Richmond, NY) and junior guard Theo Noble (Bronx, NY), all of whom figure to play a big role this season.  Also factoring into the mix is a strong group of newcomers that includes junior forward Aleksandar Begovic (Kotor, Montenegro), a 6-foot-8 transfer from Marshalltown Community College in Iowa.  Freshman guard Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY), meanwhile, helped Smithtown West High School have one of the best seasons in program history last year.

Berkun feels that mix of veterans and newcomers will be the Privateers' key to success in 2022-23.  More importantly, this will be the first time since 2019-20 that the season isn't significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  And that could prove to be the biggest difference of all.

"It feels normal for the first time in a couple years," Berkun said.  "The players finally get to focus on the things they should get to focus on—school and basketball—without having to worry about all that other stuff."

Maritime will start the season with a busy stretch of four games in seven days, three of which will be at Riesenberg Gymnasium.  After taking on Medgar Evers, the Privateers will host York (Nov. 10) and CCNY (Nov. 14), while also visiting Mitchell on Nov. 12.

"We definitely want to play right away, so that was certainly part of it (the early season schedule)," Berkun said.  "It wasn't necessarily intentional, but it's not necessarily a bad thing either."