The Riverhawks men’s and women’s basketball teams start their seasons at home on Nov. 1 against Penn State York.

The Riverhawks men’s team will play at 7 p.m. Men’s head basketball coach Joe Snowden said he looks forward to the team’s competing.

“I’m looking forward to watching these guys develop and grow and get better each game,” Snowden said.

Last year the men’s squad finished last season with nine wins and 12 losses and lost 80-71 to Prince George’s Community College in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 20 Divison III finals. 

Snowden added the lesson the team learned in the playoffs last year is to “finish games.”

“We went right to the wire and we forgot to finish,” Snowden noted. “This is what I’m teaching them now to do is to finish games.”

The men’s team will have three captains—Marquis James, Michael Duffy and second-year transfer studies student Matt Kostacopolous.

“We’re going be good,” Kostacopolous, a forward and guard, said. “It’s a new team, we got new players, we got to get the chemistry down. We just got to come out every game and bring the energy.”

Duffy, a forward, said it’s a “cool” feeling to be one of the captains.

“I mean, I was kind of expecting it to happen,” Duffy, a third-year kinesiology student, said. “It is hard at times to take on the responsibility, but [i’m] getting used to it.”

James, a forward, said he’s excited about the upcoming season.

“I’ve been waiting since last summer,” James, a second-year transfer studies student, said.

The women’s team finished with two wins and 17 losses last year and lost 68-59 to Butler County Community College in the NJCAA Region 20 semifinals. 

“We don’t base our [success] on our seasonal record,” head women’s basketball coach Lionel Makell said. “We base our [goals] on improvement from start to finish and we go from there.”

The women’s team, which has 10 players on the roster, plays at 5 p.m on Nov. 1.   

That’s the “most we’ve had in nine years to come out,” Makell said. “So we feel pretty good after playing last year with six ladies. Feels good to see the gym full.”

Makell noted the game plan is to play hard defense. 

Second-year business student Syrena Boone, a returner, said the Riverhawks will do great this year. 

“We have a really well-rounded team of good shooters [and] ball handlers,” Boone, who will play center, said.

The team will have three returners.

Third-year public health science student Brandy Middleton, also a returner, said,  “I want to continue attacking the basket and shooting.”

Middleton, who averaged 10.4 points a game last season, will play shooting guard.

Sports Editor Dan Elson contributed to this story.