By Joe Budzelek
Sometimes, a full reset is best for the growth of a program.
Entering his fourteenth season as head coach at New Haven, Ted Hotaling is leading the Chargers into their debut at the Division I level as a new member of the Northeast Conference — a league that has served as a Division I launching pad for mid-major programs that have since enjoyed postseason success at their new homes, such as Bryant, Mount St. Mary’s, and Robert Morris.
Like many of his mid-major and low-major counterparts, Hotaling has seen most of New Haven’s top talent from their final season in the Northeast-10 move on — with the exception of NE-10 All-Rookie selection Najimi George (more on him later). That attrition forced Hotaling and his staff to sign seventeen new players over the past four months.
Despite the frenetic task of nearly rebuilding the roster from scratch, Hotaling capitalized on a newfound level of talent now eager to be part of a program stepping onto a bigger stage.
“Everyone else is in the same boat,” says Hotaling, “We lost a lot of players, but at the mid-major level of basketball, everyone’s kind of rebuilding every single year. The question is what kind of consistency this new landscape is going to bring to our level in the future. It’s not like we’re entering a conference where most teams are returning the majority of their rosters.
“That’s not the fault of any coach — it’s just the new dynamic that’s unfolding across college basketball. So, yes, I do think if you can get the right kids, you can make an immediate impact. I don’t know what that means in terms of wins and losses, but you can absolutely be competitive. And if you can retain your players, you can be competitive at a high level and maybe even compete for conference championships.”
An element that has been a staple of many of Hotaling’s New Haven teams is his NBA-based influence, which has helped shape his approach to analytics, roster building, and X’s and O’s on both sides of the floor.
“The NE-10 has been playing like the NBA for 30 years,” says Hotaling. “I don’t think the teams in that conference have played that way because they necessarily wanted to, but out of necessity — it’s just harder to get taller, athletic, physical players at that level. Those guys are usually being picked up by the North Carolinas and Dukes of the world.
“Our program has long embraced a two-guard system — a philosophy rooted in John Beilein’s approach — which I first adopted as an assistant at EKU and later implemented at New Haven. We’ve run it for over 15 years, emphasizing versatility, spacing, and skill.
“Now, at the Division I level, we can attract slightly taller players, which helps defensively and in matchups, but our identity remains the same: play with skilled, high-IQ basketball players in a five-out offense that prioritizes passing, driving, and shooting. It’s an intentional style built on adaptability and modern basketball principles.”
Speaking of their newfound size, last year’s Chargers roster featured just two players taller than six-foot-five. This season, they have seven players measuring six-foot-seven or taller — several of whom Hotaling expects to make an immediate impact.
Six-foot-nine, 235-pound Italian import Stefano Faloppa played last season at UT Martin but was originally recruited by New Haven the previous offseason out of Monroe Community College, where he averaged 10.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Hotaling tabs Faloppa as a perfect fit at both the four and the five.
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| Underclassmen forward additions Andre Pasha and Tristan Burth are two of New Haven's most physical low-post options. (Photo Credit: New Haven Athletics) |
JUCO addition Andre Pasha is another veteran frontcourt presence who has also received high praise from Hotaling. A major contributor to Mohawk Valley’s first NJCAA national championship in school history, Pasha averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while hitting 31% of his three-point attempts. Despite his stat-stuffing box scores, Hotaling calls Pasha an unselfish, team-first forward with shooting and passing ability — an excellent fit in New Haven’s five-out system.
In addition to returning six-foot-seven reserve forward Timothy Coleman, all three of New Haven’s freshman frontcourt players have a chance to earn roles right away.
Originally a Brown commit, six-foot-eight Harlem native Zoumana Traore brings some of the team’s best verticality, with the ability to block shots and rise above the rim for highlight dunks. With a soft touch on his outside shot and the ability to slice his way to the basket, Traore has a real chance to earn minutes early as a big three or a backup four.
Six-foot-eight Bronx native Tristan Burth has quickly endeared himself as one of the more jovial personalities in the locker room — a contrast to his intense, physical presence down low. “Tristan is a relentless, high-IQ four man,” says Bridgeport Prep assistant head coach Ponce James. “With a developing perimeter game, he refuses to be outworked. He’s skillful, with tremendous footwork in the post. He’s vocal and will run through a wall to win.”
Similar to Traore, six-foot-seven Worcester native Teshaun Steele boasts good size and multi-positional versatility that could help him get on the floor right away. “Teshaun Steele is the kind of player who can move around like a chess piece,” says Hotaling. “Guys like that have been really effective for us in those spots. In the future, he probably has the potential to play both the four and the two for us. I know that might sound a little unconventional, but we’ve had plenty of players fill both roles in this system because of their passing ability, versatility on defense, and ability to guard multiple positions.”
While retaining Najimi George was one of the biggest boons of the offseason, the new-look New Haven backcourt embodies the mindset and roles of the types of players Hotaling is trying to bring in and retain in the Chargers’ next chapter.
“Number one, you have to be absolutely certain about the type of people you want to bring into your program. That’s the top priority,” says Hotaling, “My biggest challenge early on was staying disciplined and vigilant about bringing in individuals who genuinely share my core values.
“We want highly competitive people — but with humility and self-awareness. And above all, we want tough people. In our program, we define toughness as the mental, physical, and emotional strength to thrive in any set of conditions.
“I think we’ve done a really good job with that. The players have been very responsive and receptive to what we’re trying to do. Those kinds of people are usually very coachable, which ties directly into our goal of limiting mistakes.
“Number one, we have to limit turnovers — and we’ve always been very good at that. If you can limit turnovers, you can take away transition opportunities and eliminate uncontested twos and threes. We want to make layups, and we’ve typically been strong at finishing our twos because of our shot selection.
"From there, it’s about identifying transition defense, protecting the paint, guarding one-on-one, and finishing possessions with strong defensive rebounding.”
After playing most of last season as an undersized four, six-foot-four Najimi George will start as New Haven’s three-guard after averaging eight points and three rebounds per game as a freshman. The explosive and athletic Bridgeport native combines his guard skills with a high level of situational awareness, and Hotaling describes George as one of the quickest learners he has ever coached.
A trio of transfers will join George as key contributors in the backcourt, led by Albany senior transfer Kheni Briggs — the only backcourt newcomer with Division I experience. The six-foot-three, 200-pound guard averaged 7.3 points per game while shooting 33.3% from three and 79.2% from the free-throw line.
While Briggs’ willingness to score at all three levels stood out at times in Albany, his low-turnover and high-steal rates make him one of the more analytically driven players on this year’s roster. “Steal rate is a big stat in the NBA, and Briggs stands out in that area,” says Hotaling. “He has a high steal percentage and a low turnover rate, so his metrics really pop. I also think he’ll be a consistent shooter for us, which is something we definitely need more of. The NBA places a lot of value on steal percentage as a key metric when evaluating prospects because it reflects a player’s instincts and anticipation.”
Felician (DII) transfer Jabari Fitzpatrick joins New Haven after an excellent sophomore season, with the six-foot-three New Jersey native averaging 19.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and an eye-popping 7.8 free-throw attempts per game. Hotaling hopes Fitzpatrick will emerge as a team leader, as the savvy offensive weapon also possesses a strong feel for the game.
Graduate transfer Maison Adeleye comes to New Haven after earning Third-Team All-LSC honors last season at UT Permian Basin, where the six-foot-four combo guard averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Citing his tenacity on the ball and excellent length, Hotaling sees Adeleye as one of the team’s most switchable defenders.
Among the veteran combo guards, Fitzpatrick and Adeleye are the most likely to handle de facto point guard duties, while Briggs and George will provide more of a scoring and off-ball presence in the backcourt.
Of the seven true freshman guards joining the Chargers, six-foot-three Aidan Losiewicz, six-foot-two Dior Kennedy, and six-foot Vere Anthony appear the most polished and ready to compete for immediate minutes.
Losiewicz is a score-first guard with excellent range and the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. Kennedy is a bouncy, high-motor guard who can create his own offense, while Anthony has the purest point guard skills and mentality on the team.
All in all, it’s a safe bet to project about ten or eleven players — roughly half of them freshmen — competing for meaningful playing time, with six of the previously mentioned veterans most likely to lead the squad in Year 1 in the NEC.
While LIU enters the season as the unanimous preseason favorite, the NEC has a recent history of former NE-10 programs making an immediate impact at this level. Merrimack, Stonehill, Le Moyne, and Mercyhurst all finished above .500 in conference play in their NEC debuts, so it wouldn’t be a shock if New Haven joins those ranks.
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