LANCASTER, Pa. – After earning the program's first Centennial Conference Tournament Championship under head coach Nick Nichay, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, the (RV) Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team seeks a return trip as Nichay begins his seventh year in charge. 

F&M will open its season by hosting Elizabethtown at the Mayser Center on Saturday, November 8. 

2024-25 Diplomats

The Diplomats' consistent defensive performances were a key component in securing the team's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. F&M went 21-7, 11-2 Centennial Conference with the seventh-best scoring defense (61.2 points allowed per game) in Division III. 

Despite some early inconsistency with an 2-2 start to the season, F&M put together an 8-4 non-conference slate that included wins over (RV) Saint Joseph (Conn.) and (RV) Hamilton. After opening Centennial Conference play with a comfortable win against McDaniel, F&M dropped back-to-back games to (RV) Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins. 

The mid-January loss to the Blue Jays was the program's last defeat until the NCAA Tournament, as F&M went on a 12-game winning streak that saw them snap a 14-game losing streak to Johns Hopkins, secure the first seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament, and win the program's ninth Centennial Conference Championship and first under head coach Nick Nichay. The 2024-25 season came to a close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as (RV) Catholic claimed an 84-50 win to bring the 12-game winning run to a close. 

Players to Watch

G - Kevin Nowoswiat - Sr.
G - Vakaris Grauslys - Sr.
G - Dylan Cormac - Sr.
F - Franklin Jones - Jr. 
G - Steve Donahue - So.

Plenty of talent returns despite the departure of Josh Parra, John Seidman, and Sebastien Charles. 

Kevin Nowoswiat's 2024-25 season saw him collect numerous awards including a spot on the NABC All-American First Team, NABC District 5 Player of the Year honors, and Centennial Conference Player of the Year honors. Among Centennial Conference players, he was  second in points per game (18.7), first in rebounds per game (7.0), fourth in field goal percentage (50.0%), fifth in minutes per game (33.1), and eighth in assists per game (2.9). He posted double-figures in 27 games with six double-doubles and a career-best 32 points against Gettysburg (February 22). 

Vakaris Grauslys earned back-to-back Second-Team All-Centennial Conference honors in a 2024-24 campaign where he ranked  second in points per game (18.7), first in rebounds per game (7.0), fourth in field goal percentage (50.0%), fifth in minutes per game (33.1), and eighth in assists per game (2.9) in the Centennial Conference. He became the 39th Diplomat to reach 1,000 career points and reached double-figures in 22 games, including the last ten games of the season.

Cormac made 11 starts with 23 total appearances in his junior season, proving a viable three-point option. He ranked eighth in the Centennial Conference for three-point field goals per game (1.8) while shooting 41-of-118 (34.7%) on threes and 48-of-135 (35.6%) on field goals. He had a career-best 17 points against Neumann (December 5). 

Jones started all 16 games he featured in before injury ended his sophomore season. His 1.38 steals per game was second on the team, while he shot 22-of-46 (47.8%) on field goals. 

Donahue was key from the bench in his rookie season, appearing in all 28 games with one start. He shot 30-of-68 (44.1%) on field goals and 15-of-45 (33.3%) on threes with a career-high 15 points in victory over Swarthmore (February 8). 

Joining the Diplomats

Five members of the Class of 2029 will join the Diplomats for the 2025-26 season, adding depth to an 18-player deep roster. Two forwards will begin their collegiate careers in Bohdan Biekietov (Odesa, Ukraine / Montgomery (N.J.)) and Max Pearis (Providence, R.I. / Tabor Academy), while Darius Ajakaiye (Providence, R.I. / Wilbraham & Monson Academy), Landon Brownstein (Peoria, Ariz. / Ironwood), and Quin Frasher ( Durham, N.C. / Durham Academy) enter as options at guard. 

The Road Ahead

F&M's 11-game non-conference schedule features three teams that also competed in last season's NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The Diplomats begin the 2025-26 season by hosting Elizabethtown at the Mayser Center on Saturday, November 8, marking the fourth-straight season of facing the Blue Jays. F&M is on the road over the following week, starting with a trip to Marymount on Tuesday, November 11, marking the first meeting of the sides. They then open the Rutgers-Newark tournament against first-time opponents and fellow NCAA Tournament qualifiers Pitt.-Bradford on Friday, November 14, while they'll face either Rutgers-Newark or St. Elizabeth the following day. F&M hosts a pair of non-conference opponents ahead of the Thanksgiving break, as Albright (Thursday, Nov. 20) and Eastern (Tuesday, Nov. 25) visit Lancaster. It marks the 111th meeting against Albright, while the tenth game against Eastern will be the first time the sides have faced each other since 1996. 

F&M returns from Thanksgiving by hosting NCAA Tournament qualifiers (RV) Hamilton for the first time since 1963 on Sunday, November 30. The sides resumed the series last season for the first time since the 1964-65 campaign. The team's last game before the winter break sees them travel to Stevens on Wednesday, December 3 for the first series matchup since 1924, the lone game to date. F&M hosts the Franklin & Marshall Holiday Tournament on Monday, December 29, and Tuesday, December 30. They'll face the City College of New York to open, marking the tenth game in the series and the first contest since 1953. On the other side of the bracket, Lancaster Bible and Drew will face off to determine the final day's games. Lancaster Bible has become a regular non-conference opponent, while F&M has not faced Drew, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, since 1994. The final non-conference games for the Diplomats see them travel to No. 14 Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, January 3 before hosting Centennial Conference opponents Haverford in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, January 6. 

With the Centennial Conference split into divisions, F&M will be competing in the same division as McDaniel, (RV) Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, and Dickinson for the 2025-26 season. They will play each of those schools both home and away as part of the 13-game conference slate, featuring Wednesday and Saturday matchups over a seven-week span. The inter-division matchups will see the Diplomats host Washington College and Swarthmore with trips to Haverford, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus.

The Diplomats open the conference slate at McDaniel on Saturday, November 10. They'll face (RV) Gettysburg for the first time on the road on Wednesday, January 14, while they host Johns Hopkins in a Centennial Conference Tournament Championship rematch on Saturday, January 17. F&M concludes their series against Haverford on the road on Wednesday, January 21 before facing Dickinson in Carlisle on Saturday, January, 24. F&M then hosts Washington College on Wednesday, January 28 before wrapping up their McDaniel series at home on Saturday, January 31. F&M's next three games are inter-division contests, starting with a trip to Ursinus on Wednesday, February 4, followed by hosting Swarthmore on Saturday, February 7, before wrapping up this stretch at Muhlenberg on Wednesday, February 11. F&M follows this with an away trip to Johns Hopkins on Saturday, February 14 before concluding the final week by hosting Dickinson on Wednesday, February 18 and (RV) Gettysburg on Saturday, February 21. Five of the final six regular season games feature teams that also competed in the 2024-25 Centennial Conference Tournament. 

The Centennial Conference Tournament will feature the top six teams, regardless of division, from the regular season standings. The postseason starts on Tuesday, February 24 and will continue through the championship game on Sunday, March 1 with the higher-seeded team hosting each of the playoff games on their campus sites.

The 64-team NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament will take place over the following four weekends, starting with regionals on Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7. The Sweet 16 is slated for Friday, March 13, while the Elite 8 and Final Four rounds will take place on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21. The Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, will host the National Championship Game on Sunday, April 5. 

In The Polls

The defending Centennial Conference Men's Basketball champions have been selected to finish in first place in the 2025-26 Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason poll, earning 78 points and seven first-place votes. Centennial Conference Tournament finalists Johns Hopkins follow in second place with 75 points and three first-place votes. Gettysburg (61), Swarthmore (58), Ursinus (53) and Dickinson (41) complete the Centennial Conference Tournament playoff places, while McDaniel (27), Muhlenberg (22), Washington College (22), and Haverford (13) complete the rankings. You can view the complete Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll here.
 
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Court Club Donors

Thank you to our fantastic supporters who have already joined the Court Club for the 2025-26 season. Contact head coach Nick Nichay on how you can join the court club today.

Al Ingraham '72, Catherine Jasons '76, John Fischer '77, Mike Dee '85, Mark Maggioncalda '82, Carol & Mike Krzyzewski, Stephanie Lavenberg, Stephen & Melinda Frasher, Helen & Francois Moreau, Charles Meehan '69, Reeve Askew '66, Scott Cosby, Ty Savastio '12, Shannon & Deborah Donovan, Jeffrey & Sheri Brownstein, Richard Ryan '73, Michael & Ann Nowoswiat, Eric & Lynn Tuori, Brian Lewis '82, Michael '00 & Elizabeth Ritacco '02, Hunter Eggers '17, Terry Scott '87, Lester & Tara Satlow, Gillian Pearis, Stephen & Logan Donahue, Angela Slater