Yale Athletics

In the season opener on Monday night for the Yale men’s basketball team (1–0, 0–0 Ivy), the team started on a high note, downing cross-town rivals Quinnipiac (0–1, 0–0 MAAC) in a dominant 88–62 showing.

Despite being picked second in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, the Bulldogs came into the new season with question marks on their roster. However, just one game into the season, the team has started to answer some of them. 

Returning stars

The Bulldogs lost some key contributing players from last season’s March Madness squad, so an early question was how the returning stars would hold up with even more pressure on them this season. 

Two seniors, John Poulakidas ’25 and Bez Mbeng ’25 stepped up on Monday night, both coming in hot. Both players put up a significant amount of points, 19 and 17, respectively, setting the tone for this season. Poulakidas was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 13.4 points, and will look to carry this success into his senior year. His opening performance proved he is up for the challenge. 

Mbeng has been a star for the Bulldogs’ defense in the past, finishing as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in both the 2022–23 and the 2023–24 seasons. His stellar offensive game on Monday is an exciting new element to his game. He’s flashed these skills in games before, but he’ll undoubtedly look to become an even more significant threat on both sides of the court.

Close behind was junior Nick Townsend ’26, scoring 14 points on Monday. Townsend averaged six points per game last year, so this was a real performance and improvement.

Replacing Wolf

The most noticeable change to the Yale roster this season was the loss of unanimous 2024 First Team All-Ivy big man Danny Wolf. Wolf was a game-changer for the Bulldogs last season, and with his transfer over the summer, he proved to be formidable last night for his new team — the Michigan Wolverines — posting an impressive 19 points and 13 rebounds. The gap he left in the Bulldogs front court ability, however, was a point of concern going into the year. 

While it was only one game, the big men for Yale look to be off to a good start this season. Samson Aletan ’27, the only listed center on Yale’s roster, played very few minutes in his first start this season but was clearly in the minds of any Quinnipiac player who came into the paint. Meanwhile, 6’7”, 240-pound power forward Townsend also plays center for the Bulldogs in some lineups. To go along with his 14 points, the junior grabbed seven rebounds, showing the ability to space the floor by going 2–2 on three-point shots. 

Behind the two starters was Jack Molloy ’25, a crowd favorite who drew massive applause from the crowd on every play, including on a massive dunk during the second half. 

The forward joined the Yale football team as an offensive tackle this fall and was listed at 6’7” and 275 pounds on their roster. 

Rookie contributor

One player who stood out for the Bulldogs on Monday night was Isaac Celiscar ’28, who dropped 18 points and eight rebounds in his first collegiate game. The first year out of Winter Haven, Florida, led the Bulldogs in rebounds on the night and impressed in the sixth-man role as the first player off the bench.

While Celiscar immediately showed that he can make an impact for the Bulldogs this season, one thing to watch will be whether or not he can shoot the three in college. Celiscar did not attempt a single three-pointer on Monday but showed an ability to hit from deep in his high school career. 

Team depth

The four top scorers for the Bulldogs of Poulakidas, Celiscar, Mbeng and Townsend all finished within five points of each other and represented three different classes. The team’s depth was impressive, with all of these players proving to be a significant threat on the court. The two returning star seniors, Poulakidas and Mbeng, set an excellent example for the young Celiscar, who showed he was ready to compete on the Division I stage as only a first year. 

These players are picking up where Danny Wolf left off, as we haven’t seen any loss in steam from the Bulldogs after his transfer. It will be interesting to see if another star arises this season or if the Bulldogs maintain their depth and diversification of threats on the court.