It’s time for another Hartford Hawks men’s and women’s basketball season, as the 2023–2024 NCAA basketball season begins on November 6. On the men’s side, the Hawks are led by new head coach Aaron Toomey and have a large number of new players. From 2015 to 2016, Toomey worked mostly as an assistant coach at a few different schools until being hired by the university in the spring. He’s finally had his shot at being a leading man. This season’s roster is virtually completely rebuilt. Twelve of the fifteen players on the roster are freshmen, and two of the upperclassmen are transfers. Isaiah Rice, a senior guard, is the only member of the squad from the previous year still playing. The Hartford Men’s Basketball team plays its home opener versus Baruch College this Friday, November 10th, in the Chase Arena. There will be a lot of learning and chemistry-building ahead.
The Women’s team is similarly affected in many ways. For her sophomore campaign, Polly Thomason returns to lead the Women’s team. The only player on her team who is back from the previous campaign is sophomore guard Siena Hallberg. Two transfer students and nine freshmen make up the remaining eleven players. Similar to the men’s team, future success will require a great deal of chemistry and learning over time. On Sunday, November 12th, women’s basketball will play Williams College at home in Hartford to start the season.
Hartford will begin to play in the 2023–24 season as a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference, an NCAA Division III sports league made up of ten New England-based schools and universities.
