BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team took a huge step forward this season as a young team showed a lot of growth and promise. Under
Mike Berkun's first season at the helm, the Bengals finished with a record of 8-17 (6-12 SUNYAC); their most overall wins and conference wins since the 2018-19 season. In addition, the Bengals saw themselves entering the final weekend of the regular season still fighting for a playoff spot, which would have been their first appearance since 2017.
With their improvement in the win column, the Bengals also saw multiple improvements in the stat book as well. Buffalo State averaged 65.7 points per game, their highest total since the 2021-22 season. As a team, the Bengals shot .404 from the field which is the best mark since the 2018-19 season. The team also improved by reducing turnovers with 314 on the year, the lowest since 2019-20 and drastically improved on defense as they allowed 71.4 points per game which is the lowest average since the 2008-09 season. Within the SUNYAC, the Bengals shot 32.3% from three-point range which was tied for the third best in the conference.
Individually, the team saw eight new faces with nearly all of them contributing right away. Among the new faces was the duo of
Zee Johnson (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and
Nate Severson (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg). Johnson had a stellar rookie campaign averaging 9.6 points per game with 74 total rebounds, 28 steals and five blocks across all 25 games. Johnson scored in double digits in five of the last six games of the season and set a career-high of 18 in a matchup with Morrisville. Severson was the only Bengal to start all 25 games. The senior guard came out firing to start the season going 6-7 from three-point range and finished the year shooting 40.6% from three-point range; the second best mark in the SUNYAC.
Among the returners that played a crucial role this season was
Bryce Williams (Jamaica, NY/Campus Magnet) and
Matt Parkinson (Springfield Gardens, NY/John Browne). Williams played every game for Buffalo State missing one start as he led the team averaging 11.4 points per game with 67 assists, 20 steals, and 15 blocks. Williams scored double digits 16 times with a high of 22 points against Plattsburgh. Parkinson finished his four-year career at Buffalo State averaging 9.6 points per game with 77 total rebounds. Across 22 starts, Parkinson averaged 29.0 minutes per game to lead the team and preach that veteran presence on the court.
Despite falling just short of a playoff spot, the men's basketball team showed tremendous growth this past season. With most of this season's key contributors returning, the Bengals are poised to get back in the playoff race and return to one of the most storied programs in the SUNYAC.
