BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Northampton men's basketball coach Brennan McCarthy has his nationally ranked Spartans ready to tip for the start of the 26-27 hoops season this weekend in Syracuse, New York against Onondaga Community College.

"We are ready to get started," explained Spartans Head Coach Brennan McCarthy, " Our squad and coaches have been working hard to get to this point and we are just ready to get on the floor and start competing and playing basketball."

Northampton, the defending Region 19 champions, find themselves in familiar territory with the #11 ranking in the NJCAA national poll that was released earlier this week. The Spartans finished 26-6 a year ago, captured their first ever Region 19 title, and finished 12th in the nation at the NJCAA DIII national championship tournament.

"We work for this," stated Brennan McCarthy, "Our goals don't change. Yes. This is a new squad and fresh new faces but our goals and standards stay the same year in and year out. Our goal is to put a team on the floor that is going to battle and contend for a Region championship. It is early, but I feel we have a team that is going to play hard and compete, and that is all we are asking of them."

Brennan McCarthy is coming off a banner year, where the veteran head coach was recognized as the NJCAA North Atlantic B District Coach of the Year along with EPAC Coach of the Year and Region 19 Coach of the year honors. McCarthy, who has established himself as one of the top recruiters in the NJCAA at the DIII level, enters his 13th season owning an outstanding overall head coaching record of 230-89. McCarthy is surrounded by a qualified coaching staff that includes former Spartan standout and Northampton Hall of Fame inductee, Andrew Miller, along with Dr. Todd VanNortwick and Jah-Seer Aulder.

"I can't say enough about our coaching staff, explained Brennan McCarthy, "The time they pour into players and program is one of the main reasons we have been able to find success on a consistent basis. It is both on the court and off. I appreciate all of them and what they do to keep our players grounded and focused, not only in basketball, but also with their work in the weight room and in the classroom."

Brennan McCarthy will look to sophomore Julian Bair (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg) to slip into a leadership role in the early going. Bair saw action in 30 games a season ago and is the lone returner from the Spartans Region 19 championship team.

"It makes sense that Julian would be a leader for us," commented Brennan McCarthy, "Julian is a returner off a championship team. He was here a year ago and was with us through all the ups and downs and our championship run. He knows what it takes. I think this is a great opportunity for him to be able to lead his peers by example by knowing first hand what it took for us to have success a year ago."

The Spartans will look to newcomers, Shermar Killen Jr. (Muhlenberg, PA/Muhlenberg) and Yahsir Wood (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) to make an immediate impact when the Spartans hit the floor on Sunday afternoon in their season opener. Shamar Parker (Philadelphia, PA/Samuel Fels), Djibril Sylla (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic), Talasi Henderson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) and Julian Bair (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg) will also be counted on in the early going to help lead a young squad.

"We have some guys that we are going to lean on their experience as we get started," explained Brennan McCarthy, "We have 13 true freshman that are going to need to find their way a bit but we have a nice mix of transfers with some experience that will get the newcomers up to speed. I don't anticipate that to be a long process. I like our team. I feel we have a hard-nosed team that is going to compete. I am excited to get things started."

The Spartans travel to Syracuse, New York to open the season against Onondaga Community College on Sunday, November 1st at 3pm at the Allyn Hall Gymnasium.