(Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) headlines the Hawks' group of returners, as the three-year team captain earned Third-Team All-SUNYAC honors after averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game in 2010-11. Last year, Wichard became just the 13th player in program history to score 1,000 points during his career, and he looks to ascend the program's scoring chart this season, bringing 1,062 career points into the 2011-12 campaign. Wichard possesses the ability to hurt teams from long range, as he shot 38.6 percent from beyond the arc last year off 49-of-127 shooting.

In the post, 7-foot senior center

(Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) will help anchor the low block as a 6-foot, 7-inch lefthander. Guard/forward Matt Pierson (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) adds to the Hawks' already-deep arsenal of shooters, while guard Josh Engler's (Newtown, Conn./Newtown) hustle and work ethic reinforce the team's blue-collar attitude.

New Paltz's schedule is challenging once again, as the Hawks travel to the University of Scranton for the Radisson Invitational from Nov. 18-19 to open up their season and square off with regional-rival Mount Saint Mary College on Nov. 22 on the road. On Nov. 30, the Hawks contest Vassar College in their first home tilt of the year, and they host SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo State on Dec. 2 and 3, respectively, to begin conference play. A road game against Plattsburgh, a home game against non-conference Montclair State University and a home game against SUNY Oneonta round out the rest of New Paltz's slate before the turn of the calendar year.

The Hawks visit St. John Fisher College on Jan. 3 in Rochester, N.Y., and they play 10 straight league contests before taking on New York University in their final non-conference bout of the regular season. From Feb. 10-14, New Paltz enjoys a three-game home stand against SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oswego and Plattsburgh, and it concludes its regular season on Feb. 18 at Oneonta. The 2012 SUNYAC Men's Basketball Tournament runs on three different dates: the quarterfinals will be held on Feb. 21 at the sites of the top four seeds, while the semifinals and final will run from Feb. 24-25 at the site of the highest-remaining seed.

"I think having good, quality non-conference opponents is the only way to go," Rejniak said. "It's going to be the barometer of what we need to work on, and it will prepare us for this tough league."

After a month of practices and preparation, Rejniak is optimistic about the upcoming season and is looking forward to building upon the foundation set by former head coach Dagan Nelson.

"I'm looking forward to seeing this group maintain the success that it has in the fall semester and span it over two semesters," Rejniak said. "Coach Nelson did a great job with recruiting and implementing the system, and my job is just to take that system to a whole new level."