Men's Basketball Season Preview

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The 2024-25 Bridgewater State University men's basketball season began with high hopes.

Picked to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches poll, the Bears opened with three straight wins by an average of 16 points.

But those positive early vibes were later replaced by an injury bug that led to three starters missing significant time.

First, it was leading scorer Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.), who sat out 10 games from Nov. 23-Jan. 15 after averaging 19 points in the season's first five games.

Then, the versatile Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) was hurt in late December and missed the remainder of the season.

Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) exited on Jan. 22 and was unable to return to the lineup.

Another starter, T.J. Williams, who was picking up the scoring load, suffered an injury that caused him to miss time down the stretch and limited him.

"It was tough," said coach Matt McLaughlin of what the Bears went through last season. "In all my years playing and coaching, I've never been part of a team that experienced that many injuries.

"We lost two starters for the season. Josh had to sit out 10 games. T.J. was really making an impact and he got hurt."

BSU finished 10-16 and went 5-7 in the MASCAC, losing to Framingham State in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

The Bears are ready for a fresh start in the 2025-26 season, which begins Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at 7:30 p.m.

Jennings, a senior, and Taylor, a junior, return after having their seasons cut short along with Campbell.

Senior Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) is back as a four-year starter who owns the BSU career record for assists and joined the 1,000-point club last season.

With that veteran group all healthy, there is optimism that the Bears will be on the rebound. They are picked in a third-place tie with Worcester State in the MASCAC preseason coaches poll behind Westfield State and Salem State.

"Absolutely there is definitely going to be a chip on their should after the type of season they went through," said McLaughlin, now in his fourth year as the head coach. "We went through challenges and struggles, and that's where growth takes place. You get mental toughness, for sure."

Leading the way for BSU is Kikuba, the MASCAC Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and a second-team all-conference pick the past two seasons.

He was one of two players to appear in all 26 games a year ago, averaging 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals.

Kikuba enters his final year with 433 career assists, the program record, and has 1,097 points with a chance to crack the top 10 at BSU.

"He's been so steady since day one,'' said McLaughlin. "He has just elevated his game each year. He's got the assists record, scored 1,000 points and is probably gonna break the steals record (needs 58 for the record).

"He's been such a force for us all three years. Dante is such a catalyst every year and he excels just as much at the defensive end as on offense."

Campbell, who made the all-conference second team, averaged 17.6 points on 50 percent shooting. He was tied for second in scoring in the MASCAC.

Jennings averaged 14.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in the 15 games he played before getting injured while Taylor was scoring 9.8 points with 4.5 rebounds before going out in a game against Salve Regina on Dec. 30.

The Bears have several other key players returning, including junior Sam Sweeney (Burlington, Vt.). His playing time increased throughout the season and he averaged eight points, making 43 percent of his 3-point shots.

Up front, BSU returns junior Samuel Omisore (Boston, Mass.), who averaged 6.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, and senior Abdoul Bah (Lynn, Mass.).

There are five freshmen on the team, including point guard Tzar Powell-Aparicio (Lowell, Mass.), who has made a favorable impression.

BSU will be playing 11 non-conference games before the MASCAC schedule starts Jan. 7 at Fitchburg State.

The Bears have two games in Las Vegas at the D3hoops.com Classic after Christmas. They will also host the Cave Classic at the Tinsley Center Nov. 21-22.