ALFRED, NY – Due to COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing within the Alfred University men's basketball program, the Saxons will not be able to compete for the remainder of the regular season and in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament.
 
"While we knew that competing during COVID would bring this risk to any of our programs, I am still heartbroken for our men's basketball team to see the timing of this deny them the chance to compete for an Empire 8 title," said Director of Athletics Paul Vecchio. "I appreciate the leadership of head coach Russ Phillips through this challenging situation and know that as a basketball program this group made great strides this spring in our quest to raise another E8 championship banner in the near future."

The Saxons will finish the season with a 5-2 record, their third winning season in the last four years. During the truncated season, the Saxons swept both Houghton and Keuka and also defeated Elmira, and were sitting in fourth in the Empire 8 standings.
 
Several Saxons made big strides this spring. Sophomore guard Mike Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) led the team in scoring and assists, averaging 14.3 points per game and 4.4 assists per game. Junior forward Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) averaged 13.2 points per game and led the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. There were also major strides made by sophomore forward Darren Miller (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse) as he averaged 10.7 points per game, sophomore guard Adam Enders (Belfast, NY/Belfast) with his 8.9 points per game, as well as rookie forward Casey Curran (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone), who made an instant impact with his 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
 
"Although we are disappointed with how our season is ending, we are grateful for the opportunities we had," said head coach Russell Phillips. "So many people were hard at work behind the scenes to allow us to compete and practice and we are very thankful for their efforts.  We are choosing to look at the positives and focus on our growth as a program during this chaotic season. Very proud of how our guys handled the ups and downs and excited for the future."
 
AU will bring its entire roster back for the 2021-22 season.