Jimmy Sotos ’21 clinched a last-second win for the men’s basketball team against Patriot League rival Lehigh on Jan. 19. As the seconds counted down, Sotos understood he “had to make a play and quickly.” The Bison’s starting guard sunk the game-winning layup with 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock to top off his consistent performance throughout the contest.

Reflecting back on his career with Bison basketball, Sotos remarked that his favorite memory so far came in the 2017-2018 campaign.

“Winning the Patriot League Championship in 2018 was easily the best moment in my life on a basketball court,” Sotos said.

After graduating prominent players like Stephen Brown ’18, Zach Thomas ’18, and Nana Foulland ’18, the current team faces the challenge of placing different players in new leadership roles. Sotos has stepped up as one of the team’s go-to guards.

“This team is completely different than last year, so it’s taken a while to get used to playing together and figuring out what it’s going to take to win games. I think we’ve figured each other out at this point and don’t expect it to be a problem in the future,” Sotos said.

Sotos attributes his inspiration to work harder and overall motivation to his former teammate Brown.

“I learned a lot from playing behind Stephen last year, and now that I’m starting, I have some big shoes to fill. His work ethic and mental toughness is inspiring and has motivated me to be like him in those aspects,” Sotos said.

Sotos became a leader on the team after becoming a starter and gaining experience early this season. As a leader, Sotos says that keeping a confident mentality is extremely important.

“Everyone on our team has a different role. I want to make sure everyone is always confident in themselves so that we’re all playing to our full potential. We’re tough to beat when we’re doing that,” Sotos said.

With the season well underway, Sotos said he and the rest of the team are gearing up to build momentum for postseason play. The Orange and Blue currently hold sole possession of first place in the Patriot League with a conference record of 6-1 and an overall record of 12-7.

“We are looking forward to competing for another Patriot League Championship and hopefully getting back to the NCAA Tournament,” Sotos said.

CAREER STATS

1371 Total minutes played

.766 Free-throw percentage

344 Career Points