POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's and women's basketball teams each open their 2018-19 seasons over the next few days. The Bears women host St. Lawrence University tomorrow night at 6 p.m. After a scrimmage tomorrow afternoon, the men open at home against the Saints at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
 
Third-year head coach Brittany Cohen's women's team enters the year with a lot of new faces, including assistant coach Michael Busby. Busby joins the staff after spending the last three seasons as the head coach at Clinton Community College. He has also worked the Bears Basketball camp for 10 summers.
 
Potsdam will be captained by a trio of seniors this year. Guards Abbey Smith (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford) and Riley Luckie (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) and forward Victoria Shopovick (White Plains, N.Y./Maria Regina) will lead the Bears on and off the court.
 
Smith and Luckie will pace Potsdam's offense. Smith played in all 25 games last season, while starting 19. She averaged 4.5 points-per-game, led the Bears in assists (65), while also recording 20 steals and 2.2 rebounds-per-game. Luckie was Potsdam's top scorer a year ago at 9.3 ppg. and started every contest. She also led the team in 3-point shooting percentage at .338, while registering 53 assists and 16 steals along with 2.6 rpg. Shopovick came off the bench in each contest last season. Junior guard Leah Giavatto (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) is also back. She saw time in 21 games and totaled 15 assists and six steals.
 
Four sophomores round out Potsdam's returnees. Center Naya Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Women's Academy of Excellence) led the team in both field goal percentage (.464) and rebounding (5.2 rpg), while averaging 3.7 ppg. and posting 16 blocks. Forward Nicole Hansen (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley), fresh off a playoff appearance with Bears volleyball team this Fall, showed promise last season. She played in all 25 contests with 19 starts, averaging 4.0 ppg. and only trailed Walters in rebounding at 3.9 rpg. She also led the Bears with 19 blocks. Guards Mia Jackson (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Hall V) and Carly Shear (Newark, N.Y./Newark) are also back. Shear, another two-sport athlete just reached the SUNYAC semifinals with the women's soccer team. She played in 23 games on the hardwood last season and Jackson played in 20.
 
The newcomers consist of six freshmen and a senior. Senior forward Danielle Pound (Henderson, N.Y./Immaculate Heart) was a standout for two seasons with the women's lacrosse team and brings tremendous athleticism onto the basketball court. Freshmen Devyn Elliott (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) and Phoebe Moura (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) give Potsdam two more options at forward. Freshmen guards Amanda Maresca (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) and Carly Petrower (Emerson, N.J./Emerson) make their way to the North Country from New Jersey. Fellow freshmen guards Dyamon Hunter (Bronx, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy) and Aaliyah Smith (Queens, N.Y./Flushing) come to Potsdam from the Bronx and Queens, respectively.
 
After opening against the Saints tomorrow night, the Bears will play six more nonconference contests. Potsdam hosts Utica College on Tuesday before heading to SUNY Canton for the Fee Roos Classic on Nov. 17-18. There the Bears will face SUNY Cobleskill and the host Roos. NESCAC foe Hamilton College invades Welsh Gymnasium on Nov. 20, followed by Clarkson University a week later. Canton comes to Potsdam on Jan. 22 to round out the nonconference slate. SUNYAC play starts at home on Nov. 30, Bear Pride Night, at 5:30 p.m. against SUNY Oneonta.
 
The men look to build off a promising 2017-18 season that saw an eight-win improvement and the most victories by the Bears since 2008-09. At 11-14 (6-12 SUNYAC), Potsdam stayed in the playoff hunt until the final day of the season.
 
In his third year, head coach Jim Bechtel and assistants Kevin Baksh '18 and Josh Tocays '18, return a talented corps of upperclassmen. Senior forward Dante Langley (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville) was third team All-SUNYAC last winter and led the Bears in scoring with 12.8 ppg. and totaled 10 blocks, 27 assists and 12 steals. Senior guard Nosa Onabor (Brooklyn, N.Y./Northside Charter) was just behind him at 12.6 ppg. and was the top rebounder at 5.6 rpg. He also blocked 13 shots. Junior guard Danny Delsol-Lowry (Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching) averaged 12.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg. and led Potsdam in assists (74) and steals (34). Junior guard Jayquan Thomas (Hollis, N.Y./Richmond Hill) missed time early last season due to injury, but came on strong as the year went on to average 9.2 ppg. and record 43 assists and 16 steals. Senior forward Serigne Kane (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Prep) averaged 8.3 ppg., but also made his presence felt at the defensive end of the court with a team-high 15 blocks along with 5.0 rpg. Junior guard Aaron Armstrong (Lisbon, N.Y./Madrid-Waddington) is another proven playmaker, dishing out 55 assists last season to go with 3.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg and 24 steals.
 
Junior center Kristoff Saunders (Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching) gives the Bears more size inside. Last season, he led Potsdam in field goal percentage (.605), scored 4.1 ppg, grabbed 3.4 rpg. and blocked eight shots. Senior guards Andrew Hoag (Hoosick Falls, N.Y./Hoosick) and Tanner Stone (Schroon Lake, N.Y./Schroon Lake) are back to give the Bears more depth and veteran experience.
 
Three sophomores return for Potsdam. Forward Dante Viskovich (Massena, N.Y./Massena) sparked the Bears off the bench in 24 games last season, draining 17 3-pointers, averaging 3.5 ppg. and posting 16 assists and 14 steals. Guard Colby Simpson (Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching) played in 19 games, averaged 2.9 ppg. and contributed 26 assists and 11 steals. Guard Nana Annorh (LeFrak City, N.Y./Newton) will battle for more time this year.
 
With so much experience returning, just two newcomers join the team this season. Junior forward Jonathan Bell (Auburn, N.Y,/Auburn) puts on a uniform this year after working with the team in 2017-18. Freshman guard Isaiah Joseph (Harlem, N.Y./Izquierdo Health and Science) looks to make a quick impact this winter after heading north from Harlem.
 
After Tuesday night's battle with SLU, the Bears will travel to Worcester, Mass. for the Ted Coughlin Tournament. They'll face host Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. and either Eastern or William Paterson the following afternoon. After Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, Potsdam heads to Scranton, Pa. for a contest with Marywood University. The Bears close out nonconference play at home against Clarkson on Nov. 27 and at Keystone College in La Plume, Pa. on Dec. 17. As with the women, the men open their SUNYAC schedule against Oneonta on Nov. 30 during Bear Pride Night.
 
As always, Bears fans can find all statistics, streamed video and team news on potsdambears.com all season.