William Smith basketball begins its season Friday at SUNY Geneseo, with six seniors leading a 13-player roster that is seeking a return to the Liberty League Tournament.
Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. for the opener, according to the Herons' season outlook. Head coach Seraphine Hamilton begins her third season, joined by assistant Jake Gallo in his second year.
William Smith finished ninth in the conference last season and missed the league tournament. Hamilton said the returning players are more comfortable in the system and have shown greater confidence and decisiveness after their offseason work.
The roster adds two first-year players to a group led by seniors Ella Pysnack, Ava Lobozzo, Giana Lobozzo, Dani Krenzer, Miranda Martin and Amelia McCulley. Hamilton said the seniors bring different skills and a depth of experience that the team hopes to use in its playoff push.
McCulley and Lobozzo lead returning contributors
McCulley earned USBWA Rochester Area honorable mention and appeared on the Liberty League Honor Roll three times. She averaged 10.6 points, four rebounds and 0.9 assists last season, with a career-high 24 points against Bard.
She ranked fifth in the Liberty League in blocks at one per game, 13th in 3-pointers at 1.2 per game and 14th in scoring. Her 89 career blocks and 1.3 blocks per game are each tied for second on William Smith's career lists.
Giana Lobozzo averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, two assists and 0.6 blocks. She ranked third in the league in steals at 2.4 per game and led the Herons with 59 steals.
Lobozzo also ranked ninth in conference rebounding, 12th in scoring, 14th in blocks and 21st in assists. She reached double figures in 15 games, recorded career highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds at FDU-Florham and earned four Liberty League Honor Roll selections.
Junior Jojo Sulmasy returns after averaging 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Her 41 offensive rebounds led the team, and her season highs included 14 points against Skidmore and seven rebounds against Clarkson.
Sophomore Kira Ostovar contributed 1.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. She ranked 20th in the Liberty League in blocks at 0.4 per game and provided a defensive presence, with career highs of eight points at Vassar and five rebounds at Ithaca.
First-year Amanda Dempsey comes from Dunmore, Pennsylvania, where she played for Carrie Toomey at Dunmore High School. A four-year varsity letter winner, she was part of a 2023 state championship team, three district championship teams and four league championship teams.
Fellow newcomer Allie Gagnon, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, played for John McNamara at Pentucket Regional High School. She earned four varsity letters and first- and second-team CAL All-Star honors.
Conference play begins Dec. 4
The Herons' 25-game schedule includes 10 home dates. They travel to Pitt-Bradford on Nov. 14 before opening Liberty League play against Bard at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in Bristol Gymnasium.
William Smith will compete in the Naples Shootout Dec. 29-30 in Naples, Florida. The team will mark National Girls and Women in Sports Day when it hosts RPI on Feb. 5, followed by Senior Day against Union on Feb. 6.
An alumni event is planned around the Feb. 19-20 trip to Vassar and Bard, which closes the regular season.
The Liberty League Tournament begins with the first round Feb. 23, followed by semifinals Feb. 26. The championship game is scheduled for Feb. 28 at the highest remaining seed.
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