Men’s Basketball Tip Off Season with Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University men's basketball team is set to host the annual Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic tournament this weekend at the Woodward Center on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11.

The tournament begins with the Owls opening their 2023-24 regular season against William Paterson University on Friday at 5:30. At halftime of the game, Westfield will honor alumnus Russ Thompson '87 who will be inducted into the MASCAC Hall of Fame. Thompson was inducted into the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. 

The second game on Friday night will be at 7:30 as Western Connecticut State University faces Ramapo College. On Saturday, the Owls will tip-off against Ramapo College at noon followed by William Paterson and Western Connecticut at 2:00.

The Owls' journey back to the MASCAC championship begins on Friday in their matchup against William Paterson. Westfield finished the 2022-23 season with an overall mark of 12-16 and finished as the second-seed in the MASCAC Tournament with an 8-4 conference record, falling to Worcester State in the league title game.

For Westfield, the frontcourt duo of Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) and Brendan Keaveny (Quincy, Mass.) return along with junior guard Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.).

Hamilton, a two-time MASCAC All-Conference First Team selection, is the Owls top returning scorer as he averaged 13.2 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. The senior forward is currently third in program history with 825 total rebounds with his career average of 10.2 rebounds per game standing fourth all-time.

Keaveny averaged 8.4 points per game last season but was particularly effective down the stretch in conference play, bumping his scoring average up to 10.3 in MASCAC action. He was a consistent threat from the perimeter, knocking down 37 triples on the year.

After an injury-plagued season last year, Teng is also back for the Owls as he scored 8.8 points per game on 37.5% shooting from the field in just six games. The junior guard will look to regain his 2021-22 form where he shot 41.6% from three-point range and added 10.7 points per game.

The Pioneers finished the 2022-23 season at 10-15 overall. Leading scorer Shawn Summers Jr. (Montclair, N.J.) returns as the senior guard averaged 16.2 points per game and also led the team in assists last year with 59. Their second leading scorer, Tyreek Montgomery (Neptune, N.J.) is back for the Pioneers as he averaged 13.0 PPG and led the team with 50 steals last season.

Western Connecticut State finished last season with a record of 22-5 overall. For the Wolves, Jaheim Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) enters the campaign as their top returning scorer as he averaged 10.4 points per contest in 27 games. Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) posted 7.3 PPG and was second on the Wolves with 54 assists last year.  

Ramapo College ended last year at 10-15 overall. The Roadrunners return leading scorers Peter Gorman (South Amboy, N.J.) and Jordan Meyers (Piscataway, N.J.) with Gorman averaging 15.2 points per game and Meyers contributing 12.0 points per game last year.

Video and live stats for the Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic can be found at WestfieldStateOwls.com.