SARASOTA Fla, - The 2024-2025 Mighty Banyans Men's Basketball season has officially come to a close with a 14-14 regular season record and 7-9 conference record, finishing 5th in the Sun Conference.

It wasn't always easy for the Banyans, who, midway through the season, found themselves with a 6-9 record following a four-game losing streak. Nevertheless, the team managed to do just enough to keep their season alive, ending the year winning three of their final five games to secure a spot in the Sun-Conference tournament as the 5th seed.

"I was happy with how we did this year in the (Sun) Conference," commented Banyan Head Coach Andrew Wingreen. "One of the toughest leagues in the country and we did a really good job. We had the right guys and the right people in place to compete at a high level. 

New College performed well in a season where expectations were low to minimal, however, there was arguably still some meat left on the bone for New College, who at times found themselves unable to close out close games. This was a sentiment expressed by Coach Wingreen as he reflected on the year.  "The number that sticks in my mind is we lost six of those one possession games this season, but that just shows us we are right there from a talent perspective and we just need some more consistency to close those games out."

Although the season ended in the first round of the playoffs with a loss to Southeastern University, the year had several bright moments to look back on. The 2025 season marked the Banyans' first in-conference sweep, as New College defeated Southeastern in both of their regular-season matchups. 

The Banyans also finished the year with the top scorer in the NAIA. Senior guard Charlie Yoder led the nation with 24.4 points per game and was named to the All-Conference First Team, capping off an impressive collegiate career. "Charlie was obviously incredible not only on the court as a player but just off the court as a leader and somebody who embraces what we are all about here at New College," commented Wingreen on the impact Yoder brought to his team. "He's an impressive player, just always found ways to score when we needed it… We are going to miss him for sure, but yeah, he made his mark here at New College." 

Yoder is not the only upperclassman who has played his last basketball with New College. Senior guard Jordan Clark, who earned a spot on this year's All-Conference second team, is also closing out his time as a Banyan. 

While these departures will certainly leave a void on the Banyan roster, the depth chart is filled with young talent that shone throughout the regular season. One of these players, freshman guard Diego Eslava, was a true difference-maker for the Banyans and was named Sun-Conference Freshman of the Year. The first-year player was one of the Banyans' most consistent long-range shooters, finishing the year shooting 39% from long range, which ranked second on the team. "Eslava is an incredible basketball player but just a special kid off the floor," remarked Wingreen when asked about the freshman. "He came in and was coachable, he wanted to learn, he asked questions, and I was happy to see all that work paid off and he was able to get named freshman of the year for our conference." 

As New College men's basketball wraps up its second year as a program, there is plenty to look forward to for a team coming off its first conference playoff visit. "Our returners will come in and do a great job and then we have to do our job as a staff to get a few more pieces," commented Wingreen. "But I think we have everything in place for another year of competition to play at a high level in the conference."