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Clarkson University Athletics

2025-26 Clarkson Men's Basketball Preview

KocakAydin2024act2343
Gary Mikel

Men's Basketball | 11/5/2025 2:43:00 PM

After two straight years of missing out on a Liberty League playoff berth, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team is looking to make the leap into the postseason for 2025-26.

Guided by 12th-year head coach Jeff Gorski and first-year assistant Aidan Holmes, the Green and Gold will be a relatively young team with only one senior, but much of the junior class has seen ample minutes since stepping on campus two years ago, and the team should be vying for a playoff spot when the regular season winds down in late February.

Clarkson will miss the size and presence of two forwards that graduated, Finn Cork and Jack Dalgety. The offense often ran through Cork in the post as he led the team in assists a year ago and also topped the conference in rebounding. Dalgety was another strong rebounder and sharpshooter from the perimeter.

Looking to replace those two in a variety of ways is senior Aydin Kocak. The long forward suffered an injury in the second half of the season, but is back to play an inside-outside game that should cause a problem for opposing team's bigs. Kocak has always had a role with the team as a bench player, but he should see his numbers take a significant jump as a starter this winter.

Joining him as captains are juniors Braeden Burns and Steve DeRegis. Burns, a forward and Liberty League All-Star as a sophomore, has averaged 15.9 points per game over the first 50 games of his career and is on pace to finish his collegiate career near the top of the all-time leaders in scoring. Burns got better as the year went on last season, averaging 17.7 points per game in conference contests compared to 16.8 points per contest overall. DeRegis posted 11.6 points per game a year ago, ranking second in the conference in both 3-pointers made (66) and 3-point field goal percentage (37.7%). He is more than halfway to 200 career 3-pointers, a figure attained by only three other Clarkson players since the 3-point line was added to college basketball nearly four decades ago.

Clarkson has several other juniors on the team as well to help with leadership, and all have played key minutes for the Knights in the past. Guards Matt Toscano, Casey Montesano, and Tyson Maxam supplied some scoring punch off the bench in the past, and Toscano stands out as well for his defensive abilities. Forward Ben Phillips often came in to spell for Cork at the post in the last two years as well.

The Golden Knights will, unfortunately, be without projected starter Jeff Dewar, who will miss his sophomore season due to injury. However, classmate Lorenzo Rappa returns for his starting role at point guard this year. He and his brother Ben Rappa are strong players in the backcourt and each stands out for their defensive acumen. Lorenzo Rappa posted 29 steals a year ago and Ben Rappa had 26 steals and 15 blocks despite averaging just 15 minutes per game.

Clarkson has a number of talented first-year collegians joining the fray in 2025-26. Nate Abernethy will be a starter in the frontcourt and should help get some of the rebounds that Cork and Dalgety snagged a year ago. Bobby Piddock should also see some time as a forward for the Knights in his first season. Clarkson also adds four first-year guards with Liam Mali, Ben Bianco, James Dingman and Brendan Bartley all vying for minutes.  



 
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Players Mentioned

Braeden Burns

#24 Braeden Burns

F
6' 4"
Junior
Steve DeRegis

#5 Steve DeRegis

G
6' 0"
Junior
Jeff Dewar

#15 Jeff Dewar

F
6' 5"
Sophomore
Aydin Kocak

#23 Aydin Kocak

F
6' 5"
Senior
Tyson Maxam

#2 Tyson Maxam

G
6' 1"
Junior
Casey Montesano

#3 Casey Montesano

G
6' 1"
Junior
Ben Phillips

#25 Ben Phillips

F
6' 7"
Junior
Ben Rappa

#30 Ben Rappa

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Lorenzo Rappa

#0 Lorenzo Rappa

G
6' 0"
Sophomore
Matt Toscano

#4 Matt Toscano

G
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Braeden Burns

#24 Braeden Burns

6' 4"
Junior
F
Steve DeRegis

#5 Steve DeRegis

6' 0"
Junior
G
Jeff Dewar

#15 Jeff Dewar

6' 5"
Sophomore
F
Aydin Kocak

#23 Aydin Kocak

6' 5"
Senior
F
Tyson Maxam

#2 Tyson Maxam

6' 1"
Junior
G
Casey Montesano

#3 Casey Montesano

6' 1"
Junior
G
Ben Phillips

#25 Ben Phillips

6' 7"
Junior
F
Ben Rappa

#30 Ben Rappa

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Lorenzo Rappa

#0 Lorenzo Rappa

6' 0"
Sophomore
G
Matt Toscano

#4 Matt Toscano

6' 0"
Junior
G