Category: Sports – Friar Sports

by Connor Whalen ‘28 on November 13, 2025

The Friars’ 2025–26 men’s basketball season kicked off against Holy Cross at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Monday, Nov. 3. The story of the game was clear early on: Kim English found an absolute gem in Estonian guard Stefan Vaaks ’29. An instant crowd favorite, Vaaks scored 19 points in 20 minutes, going five for nine from the field, three for seven from three, and six for six from the line. He came up with two steals, proving his worth on both ends of the floor, and was +14 for the night. Whether he finds his way into the starting lineup—which seems likely at this rate—or he provides English with a spark off the bench, Vaaks will be a crucial piece of theFriars team this year. Other notable performers included Jamier Jones ’29, logging 16 points in his debut—including several highlight dunks—and Ryan Mela ’28, who ended the game with 4 steals. 

One concerning aspect of the game was the second half drop off. After leading the Crusaders 44–27 at the half, the Friars were outscored in the second half 52–45. The second-half falloff is no new concept to anyone who watched PC men’s basketball last year. The offense remained consistent throughout the game, yet, defensively, giving up 52 points in one half to a rather uninspiring Holy Cross team is cause for major concern. Nonetheless, English and his team secured a win to kick off the season, giving major cause for excitement. 

The team then traveled to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Saturday, Nov. 8, to square off against the Virginia Tech Hokies, losing in overtime. The Friars had no answer for Neoklis Avdalas: the Greek freshman put up 33/5/6 in a dominant showing. The 6’9” forward did it all, shooting from deep efficiently—not to mention, taking difficult shots off step-backs and under heavy pressure—scoring in the paint, showcasing his playmaking ability, and logging a block and a steal. Avdalas will be an NBA first round pick—a lottery pick at that—and it should not surprise anyone if he finds himself in the top 10 come draft night. Finding a 6’9” point forward with his skillset is hard to come by, and NBA teams will recognize that. 

Losing to such a clearly talented and dynamic player is a slightly consoling fact for Friars fans attempting to cope with the loss, yet the result stings nonetheless. There is plenty of room for improvement, and the problems this team seems to already be facing are nothing new in Friartown. The Friars lost the turnover battle, giving up the ball in costly situations throughout the game, and defensively were scrambling throughout the entire game. Another frustrating aspect of the game was the play design in crucial situations. With the game tied and almost four seconds to win it and prevent OT, the Friars inbounded the ball to Vaaks, who then took a heavily contested, off-dribble three, fading away from the basket. The Friars then went into OT, and these were the results of the first three possessions: Jason Edwards ’26G missed a mid-range shot saved by a rebound and putback layup by Oswin Erhunmwunse ’28, Edwards blocked on a layup attempt, and Edwards blocked on a mid-range jumper. The Friars would then fail to hit shots, and an Erhunmwunse turnover leading to a fastbreak dunk was the absolute nail in the coffin. The offensive scheme simply lacks creativity; there has to be some variation instead of constantly playing iso ball. This team thrives when playing fast and scoring in transition, but in half-court sets, they simply were not good enough—and were far too predictable. If this offense breaks out of its stagnation by implementing more off-ball movement and screening, the sky is the limit for this team. Yet, if everyone in the building knows exactly what the offensive gameplan is, this team will suffer in crucial moments. 

There is, however, plenty to be proud of coming out of the loss: Edwards and Jaylin Sellers ’26G combined for 54 points—proving just how good this backcourt is—and the Friars put up 101 points against an NCAA tournament-level opponent. This team has to get better defensively, though Avdalas is about as talented of a player as this team will see all season. Other things to note are we are only two games in, almost everyone in the lineup receiving meaningful minutes is new to PC, and the team needs time to gel over the course of the season. There are legitimate causes for concern, but the Friars have time on their side and will have plenty of opportunities to work them out.