SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—A chance for a historic three-peat as Liberty League Champions and a return to the NCAA Tournament surrounds the Skidmore College men's basketball team as it prepares for the 2016-17 season.
 
The Thoroughbreds weathered injuries in 2016 to once again sit on the top of the Liberty League at the end of the season, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a 19-9 overall record.
 
This season, Skidmore is the unanimous pick to win the Liberty League, according to the preseason league polls. The Thoroughbreds earned their highest preseason ranking in school history, as they are 28th (receiving votes) in the first d3hoops.com national poll.
 
With most of the team returning and the preseason accolades, head coach Joe Burke knows that he's going to get every team's best shot this season.
 
The "X" is on our back and we know that coming into this year," said Burke. "But that's an exciting thing. The guys know that there's great expectations for this year, and that's because of the level that the program is at to this point. As long as this team is fulfilling what its capable of, we are going to be good come March."
 
Leading the way for the Thoroughbreds this season are senior captain guards Aldin Medunjanin and Royce Paris and sophomore guard Edvinas Rupkus.
 
Medunjanin, the 2015 Liberty League Player of the Year and 2015 d3hoops.com Preaseason All-American, comes into this season fully healthy after an injury caused him to play only five contests last season. In those five games, Medunjanin averaged 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists. In his last full season in 2014-15, he averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, earning NABC All-District and D3hoops.com All-East First Team honors.
 
"[Aldin] has been a prominent part of the team his first three seasons, and he got injured last year," said Burke. "We didn't know if he was going to get this year of eligibility back. In the meantime, he stayed involved, and he was like an extra coach for us. He knows what he's stepping into, but there is a time period for him to find a way to put himself back to the picture and make this team gel. He's the right guy for the job, and he's probably the most mature person that I've coached."
 
Paris was one of the players that rose up during that season. In his 17 starts, Paris averaged 9.3 points and 2.0 assists per game. He was among the top shooters in the nation from the charity stripe, shooting 84.8 percent.
 
"We have high expectations for Royce," said Burke. "It took a little bit for him to get going, but by January he was playing great basketball. We have great faith in him, and he has great faith in himself and his game."
 
Rupkus earned Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors after moving into the starting lineup for the final 23 games of the season. He led the team with 17.2 points and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field. Over the summer, Rupkus also gained a ton of experience playing for Lithuania's U-20 national team, as his squad earned the silver medal at the FIBA European Championships.
 
"The year he [Ed] had as a freshman, you'd be hard pressed to find that at any level in college basketball," said Burke. "I demanded a lot of him and he came through. You never want anyone to get hurt obviously, but Aldin's injury allowed Ed to evolve, and now we have an interesting dynamic that I hope does great things."
 
Sophomore guards Jack Byrne and Chase Ta and junior guards Jack Morrow and Benny Louchheim will provide shooting off the bench for the Thoroughbreds. Senior guard Tyler Victoria will look to run the point for the second unit, providing defense and energy.
 
In the front court, Skidmore will look to junior center Marcus Jackson and sophomore forward Charlie Williams to replace the production in the middle after the graduations of Erik Sanders and Nick Volpe. Jackson blocked a team-leading 15 shots last season, with Williams right behind with 12.
 
Junior forward Martin Bedulskij will look to provide shooting and rebounding as a stretch four this season, after an encouraging preseason. Last season, the forward tallied two double-doubles, including a 17-point, 10-rebound effort against Castleton.
 
Three freshmen have joined the green and yellow this season. Forwards Jordan Cole and Pat Gallagher, along with guard Joey Crowley will get early playing time, as they learn from the senior leadership of Medunjanin, Paris, and Victoria.
 
"We have established a great culture at the top, and I think that's why they wanted to be here," said Burke. "Royce, Aldin, and Tyler are great character guys, so when our freshmen came in I knew they were going to be in good hands."
 
The Thoroughbreds will march through a tough schedule, beginning Tuesday night at the Williamson Sports Center against Castleton. From there, the team will head to the D3hoops.com Hoopsville Classic this Friday-Saturday, where they will play Randolph-Macon and Stevenson. Trips to Vermont (Middlebury) and California (University of California- Santa Cruz) also highlight the non-league schedule. The Thoroughbreds begin the 16-game Liberty League season on Dec. 30 against Vassar, a rematch between two Liberty League semifinalists.
 
For Burke, success this year, like any other year, is definied by the effort that his groups bring night-in and night-out.
 
"I'm trying to get the most out of every group," said Burke. "I sat in the locker room proud of last year's group, because they gave me everything they had, and they maxed out. We will see about this year's group, but if we max out at the end of this year, we will be on our way, and the results will take care of themselves."