PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Men's Basketball kicks off their season Sunday on the heels of their second PAC Championship and second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons.
 
However, past performance does not guarantee future success, and first-year Head Coach Brian Baudinet is looking to establish his own winning culture at the helm.
 
"There's been some recent success here, which is great, but we don't have a lot of returners," Baudinet said. "We have a couple guys that played on last year's team, but almost the entire roster is in new roles. It's nice to have a couple guys that have had success, but there's a lot of newness."
 
Among the Cougar returners are 2024-25 All-PAC First Team guards Diaun Pinkett and Lovenson Xavier. Pinkett, last year's PAC Player of the Year, returns for his senior season after averaging a team-high 17.2 points per game last campaign. Xavier, also a senior, averaged 16.4 points per game last season. Both were selected to the PAC Preseason Players to Watch list.
 
"They're going to get guarded very heavily, and people are going to pay a lot of attention to them," Baudinet said of Pinkett and Xavier. "So hopefully they're ready for that challenge, and hopefully we have other guys that are that are ready to step up as well."
 
Among those who will have elevated roles this season are seniors Easton Fulmer (40 3PM in 2024-25) and Jake TenBerge (15.9 PPG at Compton College in 2023-24) as well as junior Donovan Callahan. All three were named PAC Preseason Players to Watch.
 
While Chatham will have players that can score, Baudinet emphasized that good defensive play and aggressiveness on the glass will be key to achieving success.
 
"We have some characteristics that I think are good to build off," said Baudinet. "Now, if we can just make sure that we become very good defensively and rebounding wise, as some of these guys who are less experienced gain some experience and confidence, I think that's where we'll really hit our stride."
 
The Cougars first face Carnegie Mellon down the road Sunday before their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. against Penn State Altoona.
 
"Hopefully we can provide a good, exciting and entertaining product for everyone," Baudinet said. "If we can get some great fan support to the AFC to help us in that pursuit, we would greatly appreciate it!"