Sejin Kim

2025-26 Men's Basketball Season Preview

11/6/2025 11:30:00 AM

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College men's basketball team will get the 2025-26 season underway at home on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game against the Bethany College Bison. The new-look Owls are hoping to generate improved results by leaning on a few key veterans, as well as a stacked class of eight first-years who bring additional versatility and depth to the court. Head Coach Steve Phillips, now in his third year at Kenyon, is preaching the details of how to take competitive, close games from a season ago and turn them into wins this season.

2024-25 Review
While the Owls' 7-18 record from the 2024-25 season wasn't exactly what the team had in mind, improvement and competitiveness were evident. The team lost two games in overtime and lost a total of five games by three points or less. An upset win over No. 15-ranked Denison University in early February showed just what the team was capable of. The program did graduate leading scorer Gefen Bar-Cohen, who contributed team-bests of 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, however, the Owls return four of their five starters, four of their top-six scorers, and four of their top-five rebounders from the 2024-25 season.

Coaching Staff
Familiarity and consistency should play a bigger role in the team's success this season, as Head Coach Steve Phillips enters his third year and has been actively working to mold the program to his liking, through both recruiting and coaching adjustments. Assistant Coach Justin Sosinsky is also back for his third season. In their first two seasons at Kenyon, since coming over from Williams College, the two have a combined 12-39 record. The 2025-26 staff does have one change, as alum Aaron Sutton '05 joins the crew as a part-time assistant.

NCAC Preseason Poll
Kenyon had a 5-11 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) record last season and finished in a three-way tie for sixth place. Conference coaches didn't give the Owls much love in the 2025-26 preseason poll, which was released last week and had the Kenyon team picked to finish last in the conference standings. Denison, with six first-place votes, was selected as the favorite and John Carroll University, with one first-place vote, was picked second. The College of Wooster was third, while DePauw University and Wabash College, each with one first-place vote, were selected fourth and fifth, respectively.

Returning All-Conference Honorees
With three-time all-conference honoree Gefen Bar-Cohen graduating in May, the Owls return one All-NCAC player in Marius Mazeika. As a first-year last season, Mazeika ranked second on the team with averages of 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest. He shot 34 percent from long range and also contributed 29 assists and 10 steals. At season's end he was voted the NCAC Newcomer of the Year.

Returning Statistical Leaders
Kenyon's leading returning scorer is sophomore wing Marius Mazeika, who poured in 12.0 points per game as a first-year. He's also Kenyon's top returning rebounder, at 5.9 boards per contest. Senior point guard Nick Nelson had a team-best 79 assists a season ago and has 196 assists over his career. Nelson also posted a team-high 36 steals last season, while Jackson Burke, a first-year forward, returns to the lineup after logging a team-best 19 blocks. His classmate, Jackson Maloney, returns after ringing up a team-high 50 three-pointers.

Schedule Overview
Season & Home Opener: Saturday, November 8 vs. Bethany College (3:00 p.m.)
NCAC Opener: Saturday, December 6 at DePauw University (1:00 p.m.)

How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon basketball throughout the season via the following links:
Live coverage (stats and video) - https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live
X, Instagram and Facebook - @KenyonSports
YouTube - @KenyonAthletics

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