Queen's Men's Basketball is coming off their most successful season in program history. The team captured the OUA silver medal and earned a berth in the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Final 8, finishing the championship tournament finishing fourth overall.

Queen's Men's Basketball Head Coach Steph Barrie said while last year was great for the program, but it's an entirely new year now.

"We've worked pretty hard at trying to make guys understand that last year was last year, and we're trying to keep it there," Barrie said. "And part of the reason why we were successful last year was because we were really good at being in the moment last year, and that was a key to our success. So, to start living in the past would make no sense for us. We're not trying to protect what happened last year, we're trying to take this year's team and find out how good we can be."

While the team's results will stay in the past, Barrie said they can carry some of the momentum gained into the new season. The Gaels finished the regular season third in the OUA East with a 9-5 record before taking down both the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens in the OUA Playoffs, on their way to the Wilson Cup. The win over Carleton was the team's first since 1998.

"That had been building. That's not something that happened overnight, that was probably a 10-year process of guys putting in the work to get to a point where they were more competitive. It was a very long process of our guys believing that they can beat anyone.

"Our expectation now is that guys understand that they can beat anybody. And at the same time, we can also lose to anybody. That's the beauty of OUA Basketball right now, there's a lot of parity, a lot of really good teams in the league. Consistency will be a huge factor. And that's really what has separated the best teams over time. We're aiming to be that type of consistent program to be great every single day. We feel confident that the wins will take care of themselves at that point."

Queen's lost two veteran producers in Quinton Gray and Henry Van Herk. Both players went pro this summer after graduation, with Gray signing with the Albania Superleague and Van Herk signing in the ProB league in Germany.

Barrie said he expects the void left by the two to be filled by a number of players this season.

"The reality is, it's not going to be filled by any one or two people. Our leadership strategy over the last several years is, we don't have captains, we don't have a leadership group, we basically put a team picture up at the beginning of the year with everyone's face on it, and that is the leadership group.

"Everyone has the onus to lead in their way. Some guys are further along, some guys are maybe at the beginning, some guys might be vocal leaders, some guys might be leaders in terms of competitive nature. Everyone's got to find a way to lead."

The Gaels will also have a number of key contributors returning this season as well. First Team OUA East Division All-Star Cole Syllas returns after leading Queen's in scoring and rebounding last year, averaging 19.4 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. Other key returnees include Luka Syllas, who was third in team scoring averaging 12.7 points per game, Cameron Bett, and Connor Keefe.

Barrie said there will also be opportunities for players to grow into roles and earn minutes early in the season.

"There's been some really pleasant surprises, especially in some of the new players. Connor Kelly, a transfer from Bishop's, has fit in really well and serves a much-needed purpose for us in terms of his three point shooting ability. 

"And two guys that have really looked good as first year players are Gianni Itegeli and David Ayon. Those guys have earned opportunities to play in the rotation, which is always a benefit when you have first year guys that that can be in that situation. Like Cole and Luka (Syllas), who had their opportunities early, the development can happen at a more rapid pace."

As important as their goals on the court this season, the Gaels are also looking to make an impact off the court. Barrie said the team loves their continuous work with youth basketball in the Kingston area, and is also looking to help support local initiatives for people in need.

"We have a few initiatives that we've done in the past and will continue to do. We're doing some work with the OBA that's going to help us interact with youth basketball in the region. We're running a CP Series, where we're going to do five sessions with 60 local kids, in our building. So that's going to be a great way to connect from a basketball standpoint, for our guys to work with some young kids. We are a basketball team at the end of the day and we do want to positively influence the basketball in the region, so we are excited about that."

And as we did last year, we are going to do a fundraiser for an underserved group. Last year, we did a fundraiser for Movember and we donated the funds to an Indigenous shelters group for men. This year, we are discussing some potential options, but it'll be along the same line. It's going to look to help the male community in some underserved area of society. 

And then we have our own internal off-court initiatives that are very entrenched in what we do. We spend a lot of time working with our guys with around off court topics of discussion, growth, that have nothing to do with basketball. We do that every Monday, and they are great sessions as they allows our players to find their voice within the program."

Queen's Men's Basketball kicks their regular season off with a doubleheader at home, taking on the Laurentian Voyageurs Friday, Nov. 3 and the Nipissing Lakers Saturday, Nov. 4 in the Main Gym at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.

Barrie said when the team focuses on their goals for the season, it's less about results and more about the process to achieve the results they think they're capable of.

"If you get wrapped up in the wins and losses, you lose track of what's important. What's important for us is to be the best version of what this team can be at the right time. What does success look like? It looks like us coming together to reach the ultimate level that we're capable of reaching at the end of the season and when playoffs start.

"Is that going to be good enough to beat the best teams? We certainly feel confident going up against the best, but we know we are nowhere near where we need to be at this point, so we will just focus on what we can control best – getting better everyday."