Columbia 2024-25 Season Preview

Ivy Madness is arguably the best conference tournament in March.

Now entering its seventh year of existence, no other tournament in Division 1 basketball invites just a half of its conference’s teams, a mere quartet of the best of the best in the Ivy.

Four of the six previous Ivy Madnesses have gone to chalk, but in the tournament this March, the four-seed Brown Bears were within a game-winning shot from Yale’s Matt Knowling from earning their first NCAA Tournament since 1986.

What does this have to do with Columbia?

Following last season’s 13-14 record, Columbia’s best under the eight year tenure of Jim Engles, the Lions bring back a young core that is jelling after winning just eleven games across the previous pair of seasons. Led by senior point guard Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa, the Lions will return three starters and five other players who averaged at least ten minutes-per-game. With proven talent returning and newcomers competing for playing time, Columbia has their best shot to earn an Ivy Madness appearance this upcoming season. Once in, anything could happen.

With 1074 career points, incoming senior guard Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa is on pace to finish his career amongst the all-time points leaders in school history. (Photo by Brian Foley/Foley Photographs)  

With a roster similar to last year, the Lions will continue to be at their best when they play effectively in transition (3rd fastest offensive tempo in the Ivy), share the ball freely (11th best assist-to-field goal made ratio nationally) shoot the ball well (1st in the Ivy w/ a 37.2 3P% in conference play) and defend the perimeter aggressively. 

Turnovers, however, were the team’s biggest bugaboo last season. 

“One thing we’re really focused on this offseason is our turnover percentage,” says Columbia assistant head coach Jake Brown,  “We can get better defensively by turning the ball over less. We gave up a lot of “pick-sixes” where we couldn’t really defend and gave up easy buckets. If we can take care of the ball, it will help our efficiency on both sides of the ball.”

According to KenPom, last season, Zavian McLean and Jaden Cooper were the only guards with higher possession assist rates than turnover rates. McLean has graduated and will take his extra year of eligibility at Florida Gulf Coast, but Columbia’s remaining guards will work hard this offseason to limit mistakes and maximize efficiency. 

If there’s one player who is a prime example of how guards have developed efficiency under Coach Engles and his staff, it is Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa. Even while his offensive load has remained consistent throughout his time at Columbia, his turnover rates decreased in each of his three seasons. Incoming junior guards Avery Brown and Kenny Noland also improved turnover rates last season while Jalen Cooper nearly halved his turnover rate when comparing his freshman to his junior season.

The Lions will certainly miss the leadership and the steady, efficient play of Zavian McLean, but they also have plenty of talent to become one of the best backcourts in the Ivy. Look for Rubio de la Rosa and Brown to reprise their starting roles while Kenny Noland is the safest bet to earn a starting spot vacated by McLean’s graduation, but also expect Jaden Cooper to earn a few starts throughout the season.

One frontcourt piece whose starting role is cemented is incoming junior Blair Thompson. The 6’8 205 New York City native made an impressive jump in year two, improving his shooting splits (53 2P%, 37 3P%, 77 FT%), block rates and rebounding rates on both side of the court while also looking more comfortable with the ball in his hands. Starting alongside 6’6 205 Josh Odunowo, both forwards were often outsized in their respective matchups, but following Odunowo’s graduation, Thompson is expected to play more at the stretch-4 position, which better suits his strengths. 

While there is no clear candidate to fill Odunowo’s starting role, expect 6’10 junior Zine Eddine Bedri and 6’9 senior Jake Travroff to compete for a starting role after both forwards averaged about ten minutes-per-game off the bench, with each forward ranking third and fourth, respectively, in defensive metrics, per EvanMiya.com.  “Zine got more comfortable as the season got on,” says Brown, which is evident in much improved rebounding and turnover rates, and nearly doubling his assist rate from his freshman season — last season Bedri averaged 4.0 assists per 40 minutes played. 

Brown calls Tavroff “one of our more consistent guys down low” which is evident as his two-point shooting percentage has improved every season, peaking at 59% last year. At 6’9 245, Tavroff is Columbia’s biggest body and he uses his size to fight for rebounds.

Despite the prospects of Bedri and Tavroff in the frontcourt, the loss of Josh Odunowo, who will be taking his extra year of eligibility at UMBC, will create a void of his energy and spirit of the starting lineup: “I don’t think anyone can really replace what Josh brought to the table,” says Brown, “His work ethic and his motor was unmatched. He was really the heart and soul of our team.” 

Former three-star prospect Richard Nweke is one forward who is primed to apply his blue-collar grit to earn a role in the frontcourt after tearing his ACL right before the start of the 2023-24 season. “He’s a guy who’s most similar to Josh,” says Brown,  “Not maybe your traditional five man, but he’s got an unbelievable motor, work ethic and a guy we expect to contribute.”

Another former three-star prospect, Noah Robledo, is a returning senior who shares Odunowo’s glue guy mentality and could step into a bigger role, especially in terms of senior leadership. Starting his career mostly a catch-and-shoot spacer, the 6’5 Robledo has worked hard throughout his career to gain 25 pounds of muscle and develop into an efficient three-and-D bench weapon who can slot into the 3 or 4, thanks to his defensive versatility and relentlessness under the offensive glass.

Despite Columbia’s wealth of quality returnees, it has become common practice for players under Jim Engles to work for the playing time they earn. “That’s the great thing about Coach Engles: he really gives every one of these guys an opportunity,” says Brown, “We’re bringing in a lot of guys in this year, so we just hope it’ll become more competitive. We will really have guys working for their spots and earn their minutes.”

Columbia incoming sophomore Arop Arop showcasing his athleticism and gracefulness above the rim against SUNY-Delhi (D3), a game in which he scored ten points in only fifteen minutes. (Photo by Columbia University Athletics/Lem Photography)

In addition to Nweke, Arop Arop might just be that frontcourt weapon that steps up and shines this upcoming season. The 6’11 185 forward from Texas brings an intriguing package that is atypical to what is commonly seen in the Ivy league. “Arop didn’t get a ton of minutes playing behind some guys, but he’s somebody we really think can take the next step this summer [by] putting on a little bit of muscle and a little more size to him,” says Brown, “He just can do things very few in this league can do due to his athleticism and his body type.” 

Between the steady improvement throughout the roster and the promise of their unproven talent, the Columbia Lions are poised to play even better, and more importantly, finish the year strongly to the tune of earning their first Ivy Madness bid.