The Washington and Lee men’s basketball team currently sits third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference standings with 13 wins and two losses. 

The Generals already have more wins than they had all last season (7), including a road win against the then-No. 15 Roanoke Maroons. The team also boasts an undefeated away record at 5-0.

Head coach Chris McHugh, ’09, said the game against Roanoke was a testament to the team’s mentality and grit.

“In the final few minutes, we made a ton of great plays offensively,” McHugh said. “When it came down to it, we just let it rip and made plays late in the game.”

He also said the team’s on-court play has improved from last season, especially on the defensive end.

“I think our defense has been pretty elite this season, and we’ve done a great job defending our opponents. That’s been our identity,” he said.

Statistically, the team’s scoring and defensive numbers have flipped. After scoring 65.1 points and giving up 75.5 points per game last year, this year the Generals score 75.8 points per game while conceding only 65.2 points per game.

The team’s leading scorer, 2025 ODAC Rookie of the Year Connor Amorosi, ’28, said the growth in leadership of the team’s seniors — John Loughlin, ’26, A.J. Thomas, ’26, and Colin Ryan, ’26— has factored into this year’s success.

“All three of them have stepped up in very notable ways and made really big plays down the stretch that have won us games,” Amorosi said.

Thomas said he didn’t come into last season as prepared as he should have and added that he and his fellow seniors changed that this season.

“We all came in with this edge and put a lot more work in at the gym,” he said.

Loughlin noted that he and his fellow seniors have found their leadership niche by staying true to themselves.

“I’m the guy that’s trying to be the loudest guy, the energy guy to get our team going,” Loughlin said. “A.J. and Colin really lead with their competitiveness.”

Assistant Coach Isaac Hibbard said the team has played well when trailing and in close games this season compared to last year. He said there have been several games this season when the team has fought back to win. He said he believes the Generals might have lost those games last season.

“I would say the Guilford game sticks out. They would press full court on make or miss, no matter what. We were down by 10 at the half,” Hibbard said. “There were a couple of times where they could have put us away, but this year’s team just stayed resilient and fought through.”

The Generals added four first-years to the roster this season. Ryan said their contributions on and off the court have been invaluable and helped spark the hot start to the season.

“Whether they’re rotation guys or not, in practice they’ve all been elite,” Ryan said. “In the locker room I’m right next to Kevin Die’, who’s a freshman, and he and I go back and forth, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Die’, ’29, said the team’s welcoming environment allowed him to feel comfortable almost immediately. He noted the difficulty transitioning to the physicality of Division III basketball, but now, in midseason, he said his abilities and the team’s chemistry are coming together.

“The guys and coaches stayed with me and helped build my confidence to where it is now,” Die’ said. “When we can bond together off the court, that leads to the greatest damage on the court.”

McHugh said the team is focused and more prepared to handle adversity this season. He also said they understand it is a long season in a difficult ODAC and that they must show up every night motivated to win.

Hibbard said that the Generals have their minds set on their season playing into March.

“As a staff we haven’t made the NCAA Tournament. As a school, it’s been since 1980 that we made it. We’re super motivated to get that done,” he said.

Ryan added that the team still carries a chip on its shoulder from last year’s struggles. He said he views every game in the ODAC as redemption for last year. 

“I don’t think there’s any sense in the team that we’ve arrived. We haven’t really done anything yet,” Ryan said. “We’re just really excited about the chance to keep getting wins.”