New Paltz, N.Y. — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team wrapped its historic 2022-23 season earlier this year. The Hawks made it all the way to the semifinal round of the SUNYAC Tournament for just the sixth time in program history. SUNY New Paltz also secured back-to-back semifinal appearances for the first time ever.

The Hawks opened their season by hosting the Mariners of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. SUNY New Paltz secured its first win of the season, beating the Mariners 92-65. The next game of the season saw the team head north to Saratoga Springs to face-off against Skidmore College. In a back-and-forth game, the Hawks unfortunately came up short despite their efforts. 

A week later, SUNY New Paltz made its way to the other side of the Hudson River to participate in the Hudson Valley Tournament. In their first game, the team played local rivals Vassar College. The Brewers came out on top but the loss motivated the Hawks for their game the following day against Bard College. SUNY New Paltz defeated Bard handily, 94-73. Rylan Blondo and Isaiah Bien-Aise combined for 49 points with 25 and 24, respectively. The win helped the team improve to 2-2 on the season and get back to winning ways with the conference play approaching.

The Hawks were on a tear in their first five conference matchups. On the road at Oneonta, SUNY New Paltz came away with an 82-77 win in a tight knit game. Only a few days later, the team secured two more wins, taking down Potsdam and Plattsburgh. In only their third SUNYAC game of the year, the Hawks put 107 points on the Cardinals. Junior captain Sean St. Lucia was the catalyst of the dominance, scoring 21 points along with his seven rebounds and eight assists. 

The following weekend, SUNY New Paltz traveled to Western New York to face Fredonia and Buffalo State. The Hawks beat the Blue Devils 65-57. Junior Jonah Bevacqua led the way with 17 points in 26 minutes. The next day, the winning ways continued and the team came away with another win over the Bengals. The Hawks then headed home for well-earned time off for the holidays. Heading into the break, SUNY New Paltz was 7-2 on the year and 5-0 in the SUNYAC. 

After some time off for the holidays, the Hawks resumed their season in Willimantic, CT for the East Conn Tournament. In the first round, SUNY New Paltz was met by No. 9 Middlebury College. Unfortunately, the team was not able to extend its winning streak and fell short to the Panthers. The following day, the Hawks played against New Jersey City University and once again came away with a loss despite all efforts. 

SUNY New Paltz lost three more as SUNYAC play picked back up. The Hawks ended up splitting the series with Oneonta and lost their first matchups against SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo, falling to 5-3 in the conference. However, the team turned the ship around in their game against SUNY Cortland, as they bested the Red Dragons 95-81 with Blondo scoring 23 while adding seven rebounds and eight assists. 

SUNY New Paltz then met No. 20 Oswego State and the game saw the Lakers get the best of the Hawks. A week later, though, the team got back on track after securing series against both Buffalo State and Fredonia. SUNY New Paltz took the series over the Bengals in a 43-point blowout. 

As February rolled around, the Hawks met the Lakers for the second time. Oswego State improved to No. 13 in the country and once again, got the better of SUNY New Paltz. The next day, the team came up just short in a close 74-71 loss to the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland. 

A mid-week, non conference game saw the team head to Williamstown, MA to No. 15 Williams College. The Hawks led 37-35 after the first half, but in the second the Ephs created some separation and were able to scrape away a win.  Despite the loss, SUNY New Paltz got back on track as SUNYAC play resumed. The Hawks took yet another series, this time coming in an 88-61 win over SUNY Geneseo. Junior Solomon Neuhaus was crucial in the Hawks win as he scored a season-high 17 points to help the program secure another conference win. 

In the final three games of the regular season, SUNY New Paltz fell just short on two occasions, unable to secure wins against SUNY Brockport and Potsdam despite both games being within five points at the end of regulation. The team regrouped and earned a win over Plattsburgh in a back-and-forth game, securing the victory thanks to another 20-point performance from Blondo. 
 

As the postseason came around, SUNY New Paltz earned itself the fifth seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, setting up a road matchup with No. 4 Oneonta. Blondo was a standout for the Hawks in a convincing 72-48 win in the quarterfinals. He scored 23 points and added five steals. Junior Tyreik Frazier was a force defensively, recording three blocks in addition to his eight points, four rebounds, and three assists.

The first round advanced SUNY New Paltz to the semifinal round at top-seeded and against No. 9 nationally ranked Oswego State. In their previous two matchups, the Lakers had blown out the Hawks. SUNY New Paltz had to put together a near perfect performance in order to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the nation. The team almost pulled it off in the first 40 minutes of play. The Hawks led at the half but weren't able to see the game out as the Lakers began to hit in crunch time. SUNY New Paltz ended up falling 73-68 in the semifinal round and the men's basketball program saw their season come to an end. 
 

The Hawks ended the year with a 13-14 record, 10-8 in the SUNYAC, and made it to the SUNYAC Tournament Semifinal Round for the second-straight year. 

Throughout the season, SUNY New Paltz competed with a handful of nationally ranked programs and showed that the future is bright for Hawks men's basketball program. 

With the season coming to an end, the All-SUNYAC selections were announced. Junior Rylan Blondo received All-SUNYAC Second Team honors for his performances and became the 14th Hawk in the last 50 years to earn back-to-back all-conference selections. 

In his third season for SUNY New Paltz, Blondo ranked fourth in the SUNYAC in points (427), third in minutes played (844), fifth in assists per game (3.5), seventh in steals per game (1.8) and 12th in field goal percentage (46.8 percent).

The Hawks graduated five-year staples in starters Brandon Scott and Bien-Aise, but will return Blondo and most of their roster next season in the pursuit of the program's first SUNYAC Championship.

Highlights from the 2022-23 season (edited by Joseph DiPreta)


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