2022 Record: 21-9 (10-4)

Head Coach: James Jones (Career Record 373-301)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Bez Mbeng (10.4 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

SG: August Mahoney (10.9 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.5 Ast)

SF: John Poulakidas (12.0 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.4 Ast)

PF: Matt Knowling (13.6 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 2.4 Ast)

C: Danny Wolf (2.6 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.6 Ast)

6: SG Casey Simmons (2021-22 Northwestern 2.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast)

7: PG Yassine Gharram (3.4 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.1 Ast)

8: C Samson Aletan

9: PF Jack Molloy (3.5 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.8 Ast)

10: PF Nick Townsend (2.5 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.4 Ast)

11: PG Devon Arlington (1.8 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.2 Ast)

12: PF Yussif Basa-Ama (2.9 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast)

13: PG Trevor Mullin

Yale returns the majority of their team from a squad that won 20+ games last season. This Yale team is very well balanced and has a ton of experience. Yale returns starting guard duo Bez Mbeng and August Mahoney. Mbeng is a true point guard with impressive passing ability and is an elite defender. Mahoney is going to take on a new leadership role on the team being one of the older players on the squad. He is also their best three point shooter with a near 47% clip. Yasine Gharram is also returning for the Bulldogs. He was a nice depth piece off the bench showing the ability to drive to the rim and score. Devon Arlington is another guard that adds depth. He is a former 3 star according to 247 sports and does have potential to have a dramatic rise in numbers this season.

Speaking of breakout seasons and dramatic rises in stats, John Poulakidas is a player that had a huge breakout season last year. The rising junior averaged 1.8PPG in the 2021-22 season before becoming a full time starter and averaging double figures in the 2022-23 season. He’s another quality three point shooter for the Bulldogs this upcoming season as he’s coming off a 40% clip from beyond the arc in the 2022-23 season. Casey Simmons, a transfer for Northwestern, fits perfectly in the 6th man role but could also easily start for the Bulldogs this upcoming season. The former 4 star prospect and athletic guard sat out all of last season but is poised to make a comeback and is exactly the player Yale needed. It’s really rare for an Ivy league team especially Yale to take a transfer so when they do, it has to be someone special.

Matt Knowling is the leading returning scorer for Yale this upcoming season. The 6-6 big man has excellent post moves for his size and plays bigger than he really is. Knowling is also a very good defender in addition to being a statistically sound offensive player. He also has a really high basketball IQ and always seems to make the right choice on the court. There is also quality forward depth off the bench for the Bulldogs. Players such as John Molloy and Yussif Basa-Ama should see a rise in their play time this season. Nick Townsend is another player that could be positioned to have a breakout season for the Bulldogs.

Big man Danny Wolf really came onto the scene this summer in the FIBA U20 European Championship playing for Israel. Wolf averaged 17.7PPG and 12.0RPG in the event in 7 games played. He proved that he can play with some of the best players in Europe and hold his own. Wolf really has a chance to make an impact this season with the Bulldogs as the starting center spot is wide open. Also competing for that starting center spot is 3 star big man Samson Aletan out of Texas who chose Yale over high major offers from programs such as Kansas State, Houston, and Texas among others.

Yale is going to be the preseason favorite in the Ivy League next season in the eyes of many in the media. It will be expected that the Bulldogs finish atop the regular season standings and cut down the nets in the conference tournament. Yale will face competition from Princeton who went on a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 in the 2023 NCAA tournament. However, with the returners that Yale has coming back, they have to be the preseason favorite in the Ivy League next season.