2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team represented Wagner College during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by second-year head coach Donald Copeland, played their home games at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, New York as members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 7–9 in NEC play to finish in sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the NEC Tournament, they defeated Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut, and Merrimack to win the NEC tournament championship, as a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history and the first time since 2003. As a No. 16 seed in the West region, they defeated to Howard in the First Four, before losing to North Carolina in the First Round.

2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball
NEC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record17–16 (7–9 NEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Kevin Jones
  • Scott Rodgers
  • Kevin Lynch
Home arenaSpiro Sports Center
Seasons
2023–24 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Central Connecticut 13 3   .813 20 11   .645
Merrimack 13 3   .813 21 12   .636
Sacred Heart 10 6   .625 16 16   .500
Le Moyne* 9 7   .563 15 17   .469
Fairleigh Dickinson 9 7   .563 15 17   .469
Wagner 7 9   .438 17 16   .515
LIU 6 10   .375 7 22   .241
Saint Francis 3 13   .188 8 22   .267
Stonehill* 2 14   .125 4 27   .129
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
2024 NEC tournament winner

Preseason polls

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Northeast Conference poll

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The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2023. The Seahawks were picked to finish in fifth in the conference.[1]

Rank Team
1. Sacred Heart (7)
2. Central Connecticut (1)
3. Fairleigh Dickinson (1)
4. Merrimack
5. Wagner
6. Stonehill
7. LIU
8. Saint Francis
9. Le Moyne

() first place votes

Preseason All-Conference Team

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Previous season

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The Seahawks finished the 2022–23 season 15–13, 8–8 in NEC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the NEC tournament, they were defeated by Sacred Heart in the first round.[2]

Roster

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2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Rahmir Moore 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Saint Joseph's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
G 1 Javier Ezquerra 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr IMG Academy San Juan, Puerto Rico
G 2 Di'Andre Howell-South 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So St. Francis Brooklyn Paterson, New Jersey
F 4 Tyje Kelton 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Monroe College Dunellen, New Jersey
G 5 Zae Blake 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Green Bay Washington, D.C.
G 10 Tahron Allen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Monmouth Brooklyn, New York
G 11 Melvin Council Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Monroe College Rochester, New York
G 12 Zaire Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Eagle Academy Brooklyn, New York
G 13 Julian Brown 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Bergen Catholic High School Middletown, New York
F 15 Seck Zongo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr The Patrick School Bronx, New York
F 22 Churchill Bounds 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Central Arkansas Berlin, Maryland
F 24 Rob Taylor II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr St. Mark's School Brooklyn, New York
F 32 Keyontae Lewis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Lloyd C. Bird High School Chesterfield, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 25, 2023

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:30 pm
at Fordham L 64–68 OT 0–1
 21  Council Jr.   13  Kelton   1  Tied  Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,837)
Bronx, NY
November 9, 2023*
7:00 pm
Molloy W 83–48  1–1
 13  Council Jr.   12  Allen   3  Tied  Spiro Sports Center (1,046)
Staten Island, NY
November 14, 2023*
7:00 pm
at Rhode Island L 53–69  1–2
 10  Kelton   5  Kelton   5  Tied  Ryan Center (3,795)
Kingston, RI
November 18, 2023*
12:00 pm
at Seton Hall L 51–72  1–3
 9  Kelton   6  Kelton   4  Taylor II  Prudential Center (8,344)
Newark, NJ
November 25, 2023*
1:00 pm
NJIT W 64–51  2–3
 18  Council Jr.   7  Lewis   4  Tied  Spiro Sports Center (558)
Staten Island, NY
November 28, 2023*
7:00 pm
at Providence L 52–86  2–4
 17  Council Jr.   8  Council Jr.   2  Zongo  Amica Mutual Pavilion (8,069)
Providence, RI
December 2, 2023*
3:30 pm
at Stony Brook W 60–59  3–4
 13  Tied   6  Council Jr.   5  Ezquerra  Island Federal Arena (1,765)
Stony Brook, NY
December 6, 2023*
7:00 pm
at Coppin State W 62–59  4–4
 21  Williams   11  Lewis   3  Ezquerra  Physical Education Complex (532)
Baltimore, MD
December 10, 2023*
1:00 pm
Boston University L 59–73  4–5
 15  Williams   4  Tied   5  Council Jr.  Spiro Sports Center (905)
Staten Island, NY
December 17, 2023*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
at Fairfield L 51–63  4–6
 13  Council Jr.   7  Tied   4  Council Jr.  Leo D. Mahoney Arena (1,616)
Fairfield, CT
December 22, 2023*
2:00 pm
Gwynedd Mercy W 98–49  5–6
 28  Council Jr.   8  Tied   11  Council Jr.  Spiro Sports Center (312)
Staten Island, NY
December 30, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Manhattan W 68–56  6–6
 17  Allen   12  Council Jr.   7  Ezquerra  Draddy Gymnasium (909)
Riverdale, NY
NEC regular season
January 4, 2024
7:00 pm
at LIU L 67–69  6–7
(0–1)
 16  Allen   8  Tied   9  Ezquerra  Steinberg Wellness Center (489)
Brooklyn, NY
January 6, 2024
4:00 pm
Saint Francis (PA) W 71–56  7–7
(1–1)
 19  Brown   6  Council Jr.   5  Tied  Spiro Sports Center (989)
Staten Island, NY
January 15, 2024
1:00 pm
Stonehill W 64–54  8–7
(2–1)
 16  Ezquerra   9  Allen   6  Ezquerra  Spiro Sports Center (972)
Staten Island, NY
January 19, 2024
7:00 pm
at Merrimack W 71–65  9–7
(3–1)
 15  Council Jr.   13  Council Jr.   7  Ezquerra  Hammel Court (812)
North Andover, MA
January 21, 2024
2:00 pm
at Sacred Heart L 61–66  9–8
(3–2)
 14  Council Jr.   11  Allen   6  Council Jr.  William H. Pitt Center (641)
Fairfield, CT
January 25, 2024
7:00 pm
Merrimack L 44–60  9–9
(3–3)
 11  Brown   8  Lewis   5  Ezquerra  Spiro Sports Center (889)
Staten Island, NY
January 27, 2024
1:00 pm
at Central Connecticut L 68–69 OT 9–10
(3–4)
 22  Ezquerra   11  Lewis   3  Kelton  William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,121)
New Britain, CT
February 1, 2024
7:00 pm
Le Moyne W 80–57  10–10
(4–4)
 23  Brown   10  Allen   10  Ezquerra  Spiro Sports Center (1,093)
Staten Island, NY
February 3, 2024
2:00 pm
at Stonehill L 61–71  10–11
(4–5)
 19  Council Jr.   7  Council Jr.   6  Ezquerra  Merkert Gymnasium (1,025)
Easton, MA
February 8, 2024
7:00 pm
at Fairleigh Dickinson W 66–62  11–11
(5–5)
 22  Allen   7  Brown   5  Council  Bogota Savings Bank Center (347)
Hackensack, NJ
February 15, 2024
7:00 pm
at Saint Francis (PA) W 65–63 OT 12–11
(6–5)
 20  Council Jr.   8  Council Jr.   3  Ezquerra  DeGol Arena (703)
Loretto, PA
February 17, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
Sacred Heart L 53–63  12–12
(6–6)
 17  Council Jr.   10  Ezquerra   8  Ezquerra  Spiro Sports Center (1,173)
Staten Island, NY
February 22, 2024
7:00 pm
Central Connecticut L 72–73  12–13
(6–7)
 17  Brown   7  Tied   8  Ezquerra  Spiro Sports Center (1,051)
Staten Island, NY
February 24, 2024
1:00 pm
LIU W 72–57  13–13
(7–7)
 25  Council Jr.   7  Tied   6  Council Jr.  Spiro Sports Center (1,276)
Staten Island, NY
February 29, 2024
7:00 pm
at Le Moyne L 56–70  13–14
(7–8)
 21  Council Jr.   8  Kelton   3  Ezquerra  Ted Grant Court (570)
Syracuse, NY
March 2, 2024
4:30 pm
Fairleigh Dickinson L 54–57  13–15
(7–9)
 16  Council Jr.   13  Council Jr.   5  Council Jr.  Spiro Sports Center (1,486)
Staten Island, NY
NEC Tournament
March 6, 2024
7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
(6) at (3) Sacred Heart
Quarterfinals
W 60–57  14–15
 22  Allen   9  Council Jr.   5  Ezquerra  William H. Pitt Center (361)
Fairfield, CT
March 9, 2024
2:00 pm, YES/ESPN+
(6) at (1) Central Connecticut
Semifinals
W 66–56  15–15
 20  Brown   9  Lewis   5  Ezquerra  William H. Detrick Gymnasium (2,449)
New Britain, CT
March 12, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN2
(6) at (2) Merrimack
Championship
W 54–47  16–15
 22  Allen   12  Lewis   3  Brown  Hammel Court 
North Andover, MA
NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2024
6:40 pm, TruTV
(16 W) vs. (16 W) Howard
First Four
W 71–68  17–15
 21  Council Jr.   7  Lewis   8  Ezquerra  UD Arena 
Dayton, OH
March 21, 2024
2:45 pm, CBS
(16 W) vs. (1 W) No. 5 North Carolina
First Round
L 62–90  17–16
 18  Tied   5  Allen   4  Brown  Spectrum Center (18,223)
Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "In Pursuit of First-Ever #NECMBB Crown, Sacred Heart Enters 2023–24 Season As Clear Favorite". Northeast Conference. October 24, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "#NEC23 Men's Quarterfinal Recaps: The Favorites All Advance". Northeast Conference. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Wagner College Athletics. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Wagner Seahawks 2023-24 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 25, 2023.