Georgia College & State University men’s basketball opened up its season with a blowout victory and a close loss to a top-15-ranked team in Young Harris, Georgia, with the season opener against Shorter University, Friday, Nov. 14, and its second game against 14th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University, Saturday, Nov. 15.
The Bobcats were one point away from the century mark, beating the Hawks of Shorter University 99-70 to open the season; however, they couldn’t come out with the sweep of the games in Young Harris as they fell three points short, 81-78, to the Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial.
The Bobcats lost a pair of their top five scorers entering the season, including their 2024-2025 top scorer, Zyair Greene, to Indiana State University. However, with the Bobcats’ performance thus far this season, players have definitely stepped up to fill any gaps.
A different Green has led the Bobcats in points through the first two contests, with Khalil Green averaging 16 points, followed by C.J. Jones at 13, and Luke Krawczyk with 11.5. Oscar Lynch leads the Bobcats in rebounds, collecting 5.5 boards per game. Jones has worked well in the playmaking department for the Bobcats, leading the team with eight assists.
The Bobcats and coach Ryan Aquino brought in a pair of freshmen before the season, including guard Boston Kersh and guard Austin Mosby-Weems.
“They’re great guys,” said Mason Etter, a junior on the men’s basketball team. “They fit into the culture really well, so I don’t think we have to do much. They are already blending in with us, and they know what it takes to have a winning culture here.”
The men’s basketball team had some struggles throughout the 2024-2025 season, finishing the season with a 9-19 record and a 4-14 conference record. The Bobcats also could not make a Peach Belt Conference playoff appearance due to their struggles in the regular season.
“I’m one of the younger guys,” Mosby-Weems said. “So I expect myself to come into practice every day and challenge the older guys. Things can change throughout the season, but I want to do my job to challenge the older guys, like Khalil and Caleb, to ensure they’re getting better. So when it’s time for them to go into those games, they have already been working, been prepared and practiced.”
“When you recruit players, all these guys, they all want two things,” said Ryan Aquino, head coach of the men’s basketball team. ”They want to win and they want to play. And you try to get as many guys as possible who care more about winning than about themselves. They care more about the team’s result than the individual’s. That’s why I think they can do something special.”
The Bobcats finish a three-game road trip with a game in Central, South Carolina, as they battle the Warriors of South Wesleyan University on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m.
“I’m excited to play Young Harris twice this year,” Etter said.“We lost to him last year in our first game of the season, but we’ll get him twice this year, and we should be in mid-season form for both of them, so that’ll be a fun game.”
GCSU celebrates its first home contest the following week, as it faces the Thomas University Night Hawks on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 3:30 p.m. inside the Centennial Center.
“I think we’re going to catch their eyes, have some surprises,” Aquino said. “So that way, when we start having some home games, I think there might be a little bit of buzz coming at some point, which is gonna be fun, and I hope the fans come back out and support the way that they have when we’ve been successful.”