The beginning of the basketball season has arrived and Suffolk University men’s basketball is gearing up for another hard fought four months.
The men’s team is preparing for another year as they come off of their seventh consecutive winning season, finishing last year 15-12. The Rams are 45-30 overall in conference play and are looking to better their record as they will play 18 conference games this season.
Suffolk struggled during conference games last year, finishing 7-8 in conference play. The Rams’ offense was sixth in the conference with an average of 76 points per game. During the preseason, the team has been more focused on their defensive play.
“We’ve been a little bit more slanted towards our defense,” said head coach Jeff Juron. “Statistically our greatest area for growth is our defensive side of the ball.”
This will be Juron’s 10th season coaching the Rams, while also serving as the assistant director of athletics. Throughout his time with the Rams, Juron has taken the team to new heights, including a trip to the 2023-24 Commonwealth Coast Conference championship game. Unfortunately, the team fell to Roger Williams University but Juron is more focused on emphasizing a positive team culture.
“Culture to me is a big word and it encapsulates a lot of things but more or less a kind of unity in how we respond and how we approach all the things that we have to do on the basketball court,” said Juron. “I want a group that likes each other and that works hard for each other.”
Team chemistry is a big priority for graduate student Danny Yardemian. Yardemian will take on the role of captain this season and emphasized how connected the Rams are during preseason.
“Everyone gets along. We have a really good group of guys,” said Yardemian. “We’ve got a close connection so we can really feel the comfort.”
Yardemian also recognized the importance of having many returning players this year, including eight seniors.
“A lot of these guys have been together for years,” said Yardemian. “Everyone’s more comfortable this year than prior years.”
As far as expectations for the season, Yardemian emphasized that he tries not to set his hopes too high or too low. He said that the team’s biggest challenge will be to stay in that middle area.
“It’s a long year,” said Yardemian. “There’s a lot of ups and downs and I think our biggest challenge is just staying even. You know, you control what you can control. If something negative happens you’re going to have an opportunity the next day to make it up and if a lot of good things happen in a row remember this sport does a really good job of humbling you”
The team still has a few preseason practices lined up before their first game. Yardemian and the team will continue to put in the work as they hope to make it to the championship game again.
“We’ve had a pretty good two weeks of preseason practice but there’s still a lot to do before opening night,” said Juron. “So plenty of time to get better before it starts.”
The Rams will host their first matchup of the season against University of Maine Farmington Nov. 9. The Rams will play 25 regular season games, including 18 Conference of New England matchups.
