Le Moyne men’s basketball to open first season in Division I at Georgetown

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Le Moyne College men’s basketball team will open its first season in Division I competition by visiting a school that’s drawn a lot of crowd boos when taking on Syracuse University.

The Dolphins will open their NCAA Division I era traveling to the Georgetown Hoyas at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 7. It’s the second meeting between the two schools and first since the early 1950s.

“I cannot think of a more fitting opponent than Georgetown for the first Division I game in the history of the Le Moyne’s men’s basketball program,” Bob Beretta, director of athletics & recreation at Le Moyne College, said in a release. “Throughout our reclassification discussions, we cited the ability to compete against aspirant institutions as a major benefit of transitioning to Division I.”

Beretta went on to say, ““The Georgetown brand is truly elite, academically and athletically. The history and tradition of the Hoyas’ basketball program ranks amongst the finest in all of college basketball, and Georgetown’s standing as this country’s oldest Jesuit institution resonates immensely with the entire Le Moyne community. We look forward to traveling to our Nation’s Capital for the Dolphins’ Division I debut in November.”

“This Fall will witness the ascendance of Le Moyne’s athletic programs to Division 1,” Le Moyne President Linda Le Mura said. “Appropriately enough, the new men’s basketball season will be inaugurated by a game against long-time basketball powerhouse Georgetown. This matchup is particularly apropos given the strong tradition of basketball excellence at Catholic colleges and universities in general, and the seasoned veteran vs. new kid on the block nature of this particular pairing; Georgetown is the oldest of the 27 Jesuit schools in the U.S., while Le Moyne is the youngest. While local fans will long remember the intense Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry in the classic Big East days, perhaps this matchup will plant the seeds of a new Jesuit-based rivalry.”

The Dolphins — who fell to the Hoyas in a matchup during the 1952-53 season — return seven letterwinners and two redshirts, including all four members who started at least 20 games, from last year’s squad, which went 15-15, including 11-9 in Northeast-10 Conference action.

Georgetown posted a 7-25 record during the 2022-23 season and fired previous head coach Patrick Ewing, a legendary center for Georgetown in the early 1980s. The school then hired former Providence College head coach Ed Cooley to lead the program.

Besides playing Le Moyne, the 2023-24 edition of the Hoyas will also continue their rivalry against Syracuse by hosting the Orange and new head coach Adrian Autry on Dec. 9 at Capital One Arena.