New-look Broncs hope to turn the page

By Benjamin Shinault and Rich Saile

Another season passed for Rider men’s basketball when it dispersed from the hardwood at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, last March. The Broncs experienced yet another Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament loss by the hands of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, and they saw many of their top players either graduate or hit the transfer portal. 

It’s the harsh reality of modern college basketball, but the Broncs are rolling out a fresh squad for the 2024-25 basketball season.

A clean slate

Heading into last season, the Broncs were predicted to be the best team in the MAAC, according to the conference’s preseason poll. 

This season, Rider saw its preseason ranking take a significant dip to the seventh spot. Rider only has six players returning this season: graduate student forward Tariq Ingraham, graduate student guard T.J. Weeks, sophomore guard Ruben Rodriguez, sophomore forward Ife West-Ingram, junior forward Tyriek Weeks and junior guard Jack McFadden.

T.J. Weeks and Ingraham are the only returning starters for Rider, meaning that Head Coach Kevin Baggett, now entering his 13th season with the Broncs, will have some adjusting to do.

“This is going to be a team effort. It’s not as much as one individual. It’s going to be all the individuals trying to get the new guys to understand our concepts, our language and what it is to play hard,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said. 

Whether its the new playbook, the new chemistry on the floor, the Broncs coaching staff will have their work cut out for them to get the new additions settled in.

Freshman frenzy

Entering last season, the Broncs added eight new players to the team: five freshmen and three transfers. This season, Rider added three freshmen and seven transfers.

The freshmen the Broncs added include guard Flash Burton, guard Maurizio D’Alessandro and forward Cole McCabe.

Burton, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Philadelphia, is a certified scorer, as he was only the fourth player in his school’s history to record 1,000 points. Burton also scored 40 points in a single game, good enough for a school record at O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania.

D’Alessandro, as a sophomore in high school, D’Alessandro was named to the first team Virginia All-Prep League team.

McCabe, a commanding and athletic force downlow, from Miami Beach, Florida, stands in at 6 feet, 8 inches and is known for his scoring ability and strong follow throughs at the rim. 

New Broncs on the block

The Rider recruitment staff did not waste any time bringing in the newest batch of Broncs to Lawrenceville. Seven new transfer students will hit the floor, and the starting lineup will be almost completely different.

Some of these new Broncs come from larger programs, such as Appalachian State, Troy, Florida State, DePaul and Nevada.  

Junior guard Zion Cruz, who is from Trenton, New Jersey, spent last year at Pratt Community College in Kansas, where he averaged 14.6 points per game and a field goal percentage of 47.8%. 

The Broncs also landed junior center Alaaeddine Boutayeb, who played at both Florida State and Arkansas State before joining Rider’s team. Boutayeb, who is from Morocco, is a giant on the court, standing at 7 feet, 2 inches and weighing 230 pounds.

Another player who will don cranberry and white this year for Rider is junior guard Andre Young. Young, from Mableton, Georgia, shares a highschool with Rider alums Dwight Murray Jr. ’23 and Mervin James ’24, who both attended Pebblebrook High School like Young. 

Breaking down the schedule

Rider will have quite the tough trek through out-of-conference play, taking on UCLA, Iowa and Villanova, all on the road. 

On Oct. 3, the MAAC released the new format for the 2025 MAAC Championships in the wake of the MAAC receiving two new teams, Sacred Heart and Merrimack. 

“I agree with it and we will see if it’s good or bad and I found it hard to think that all 13 teams can make it in and play at a reasonable time where we are not playing at 11 or 12 o’clock at night,” Baggett said.

Rider begins the new season during Homecoming weekend on Oct. 26 against Holy Family at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Gym.