COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University men's basketball team is aiming to right the ship heading into the 2023-24 season after they finished last year's season with a 12-14 record. The Comets snuck into the OAC Tournament on the final day of the season with a win over Baldwin Wallace. With the new season on the horizon, a group of returning players, along with some key incomers, will be heavily relied upon by head coach Damon Goodwin and his fellow coaching staff. 

Coach Goodwin is entering his 29th season at the helm of the Capital program, having overseen almost 430 wins for the Purple and White. This season, Goodwin will be expecting his guys to deliver in a testing schedule that will surely demand the team's best at all times. 

RETURNING PIECES
This year' roster will be bolstered by two primary starters from a year ago in the form of Carter Combs and Dom Moegerle. Combs – who earned All-OAC accolades at the end of the season – led the Comets in scoring with 11.0 points per game. He added just shy of four rebounds per game and also contributed team bests in assists (80) and steals (22). 

Moegerle started 22 games a season ago and scored 7.9 points per game. He also contributed 3.3 rebounds per game while adding 25 assists, 21 steals and 14 blocks. His energy and personality will certainly be a welcomed return to the lineup this year. 

Others to have seen significant time last year include Ryan Suever, Justin Nixon, McKane Finkenbine, Nate Gerber and Alex Eyink. 

Suever started 16 games, contributing 5.9 ppg and 4.0 rpg. Nixon started 11 games and put up 6.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg. Nixon also led the team in blocks with 15. Finkenbine started just four games, but played in 25 contests, contributing 5.2 ppg and a total of 47 assists on the season. Gerber started 2 of the 21 games he saw action last season, scoring 4.4 points per contest. Eyink is a player who was limited to just 13 games last season due to injury, but has seen significant time in the starting rotation for the Comets. He'll be poised for a fully healthy season in 2023-24. 

Others to have factored in significant playing time in recent years who return this season are Brody Gowen, Deon Miller, and Jon-Michael Senes. These players will join a bevy of new faces in the team in competing for time on the floor. 

THE SEASON AHEAD
The Comets got their season underway a week ago, playing on the road at Division I Howard University in Washington, D.C. in an exhibition game. There, the Comets led the Bison at halftime, but eventually succumbed to the DI opponent by a final score of 83-79. The game showed great positive signs for what's to come in 2023-24. 

With the preseason now behind the Comets, the sights are set on Kenyon College who will be the team's first opponent on November 8th. Capital will open the season against the Owls at home in The Capital Center with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. 

The busy first week of the season will continue for Cap who will go to Earlham's early season tournament and play Olivet and Earlham on Saturday and Sunday. 

From there, the Comets will continue their non-conference season by hosting Denison and Adrian while traveling to Ohio Wesleyan and Case Western Reserve. 

OAC play will commence for the Comets on December 2nd when Otterbein will pay a visit to The Capital Center. Prior to the new year, Capital will host Baldwin Wallace and travel to Marietta and Mount Union. 

After the new year, Capital travels to Otterbein and BW and hosts Marietta and Mount Union while also taking on home-and-home series with John Carroll, Wilmington, Heidelberg, Muskingum, and Ohio Northern. 

The highlight of the second portion of the season will be the January 21st match-up at Otterbein as the two schools will Battle for the Oar that day.