Montclair State University’s men’s basketball team is looking to do something that they haven’t done in more than 40 years: win back-to-back New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships.
Last season, they won their first NJAC championship since the 2002-03 season. They also made the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III tournament, winning their first-round game against Utica University and losing their second-round game against Western New England University.
If the pressure of potentially becoming the first repeat champions in more than four decades wasn’t enough, the NJAC preseason coaches’ poll had the Red Hawks ranked first in the standings of who would win the championship this season. With all of this being said, the real question is, how is the team feeling heading into their season opener?
Head coach Justin Potts, who is beginning his seventh season with the Red Hawks, gave his thoughts as to where he feels his guys are at.
“I think it’s a hard-playing group," said Montclair State head coach Justin Potts. "I think it’s guys that are committed to it." Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
“I think it’s a hard-playing group, I think it’s guys that are committed to it,” Potts said. “You know, the biggest thing is we’re going to have to continue to grow as we go forward and that’s kind of what that preseason is for, trying to figure some things out and piece things together.”
Montclair State will open the season on the road, with three games in Pennsylvania, where they will take on Dickinson College, Penn State-Harrisburg, and Alvernia University. Their first game at home in the Panzer Athletic Center will not come until Nov. 19.
One player that Red Hawk fans will have their eyes on is the reigning NJAC Rookie of the Year, sophomore guard Kabrien Goss. Goss averaged 22.5 minutes per game and totaled 175 points after appearing in all 29 of the team’s games.
Goss spoke about what his expectations are for himself and the team as a whole heading into the season.
“I feel like the biggest thing going into this year is just being a leader and being able to lead guys, especially guys that are maybe older than me,” Goss said. “That might be the biggest thing I need to work on this year, that’d be very different than last year. As a team, I just feel like we need to continue to get to know each other and play through mistakes or play through things that may occur during the game, because it’s not always going to be the same.”
If you came to Panzer at any point last season, you were able to see very clearly what the identity of Montclair State basketball was. Their 22-7 overall record was proof that a fast-paced, high-energy offense can routinely win games. Every year is a blank page, though, and the opportunity to show that identity once again is right in front of the Red Hawks.
Kabrien Goss was named NJAC Rookie of the Year in 2024-25, starting as a freshman for the eventual conference champions. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
Coach Potts talked about what he has seen from his team thus far in the preseason and what he wants their identity to look like.
“We’re going to play a fun style, we’re going to get up and down, we’re gonna try to score a lot of points, trying to play the game in the 90s and the 100s if possible, and make sure that we set the tone of how the games [are] being played and we’re the aggressor for the 40 minutes.”
