Letter to the editor: Welcome to rock bottom

By David Spoganetz

As I sit here typing this letter to The Rider News, reflecting on the Rider men’s basketball team’s latest embarrassing loss, this time to Merrimack College by a whopping 26 points, I cannot help but ask myself: “Is this rock bottom?” With a university bogged down by recent layoffs, audits and budget deficits, would it not be nice to have something to rally behind such as a competitive men’s basketball team?  For better or worse, men’s basketball has been one of, if not the biggest and most popular sport this university has to offer. However, the on-court product has been nothing short of abysmal.

 Another alumnus recently wrote a similar letter about this topic in April 2025 and described the program as “content in its mediocrity.” It is now safe to say we are past this point and have entered the stage of just being plain bad. Within the last five years we have witnessed the likes of Fairleigh Dickinson University, another small, private New Jersey school, shock the world by upsetting a No. 1 seed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, or the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s very own Saint Peter’s University, received national attention by having a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight. So, it begs the question: why not us?

 Do not get me wrong, the current state of college basketball is difficult to navigate. Between Name, Image and Likeness, and transfer portals, having a successful program is harder than ever. But it is clear this current program has no clear plan or direction on and off the court. It is time to stop being content with early conference tournament exits and losing seasons and to start asking the question: why not us?

David Spoganetz graduated from Rider University in 2012 with a B.S. in business administration