Colgate men’s basketball head coach Matt Langel has announced the addition of four first-years that will join the Raiders for the 2016-17 season.
“We are excited about the four young men joining our Colgate Basketball family,” said Langel. “Coming from various parts of the country, they share their love for basketball, wanting to be here at Colgate, and most importantly, their high-character families. We are confident they will each add significant value to our program this year and beyond as we continue on our quest to compete for a Patriot League Championship.”
The four new Raiders hail from four different states across the country and bring with them strong talent both on and off the court. The Class of 2020 will be comprised of Gabe Alter (Fort Washington, Pa.), Jack Buckmelter (Denver, Colo.), Will Rayman (New York, N.Y.) and Milan Williams (Southfield, Mich.).
Gabe Alter
Fort Washington, Pa.
Germantown Academy
6’3 – 185
Alter comes to Colgate from Fort Washington, Pa. where he helped guide his Germantown Academy team to four-straight league championships, including a state title as a freshman. Alter averaged nine points, six rebounds and four assists per game while serving as a team captain during his senior season to earn second team All Inter-AC honors. Strong in the classroom as well, Alter was a member of the National Honor Society and was awarded the Markward Basketball Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in 2016.
Langel on Alter: “Living many years in the Philadelphia area, I am fortunate to have known Gabriel and his family for a long time. Despite significant injuries during his high school years, Gabe’s talent, coupled with his discipline, determination and hard work have allowed him to achieve one of his dreams of being a Division I basketball player. Playing for the legendary Coach Fenerty at Germantown Academy and for the Jersey Shore Warriors, Gabe was significant member of winning programs that value team over self, competing to the best of your ability, and constantly working to improve as an individual – all qualities Colgate Basketball values greatly.”
Jack Buckmelter
Denver, Colo.
Denver East
6’1 – 175
A four-year varsity starter and three-time All-State pick, Buckmelter will come to Colgate from Denver East High School in Denver, Colo. Buckmelter averaged 17.8 points, 3.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game as a senior captain en route first team All-League and honorable mention All-State recognition, in addition to earning a spot in The Show All-State game. Buckmelter averaged 17.0 points per game throughout his four-year career, earning All-State and All-League honors as both a freshman and sophomore as well.
Langel on Buckmelter: “Jack has proven to be a high-achieving individual in everything he has put his mind to. He holds a reputation in the Denver area basketball community as a tireless worker who finds ways to help his team win and make his teammates better. Jack is extremely charismatic and I know that his energy alone will make an immediate impact on our team”
Will Rayman
New York, N.Y.
Millbrook School/New Hampton School
6’8 – 200
Rayman comes to Colgate from New York City where he played a season at New Hampton School after a four-year career at the Millbrook School. He was named the NEPSAC Class B Player of the Year after averaging 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game as a senior at the Millbrook School. Rayman was named the MVP of his Millbrook School team as a junior and senior in addition to earning All-Conference honors for both seasons. He finished his career with averages of 15 points and six rebounds per game. Rayman earned Region All-Star and All-Conference honors following his post-graduate year at New Hampton.
Langel on Rayman: “Will has been a part of our family within our program for some time now. We recruited him from the Millbrook School dating back to 2014 where he had a great career under Coach Billy Thom. When Will made the coinciding decisions that he wanted to come to Colgate after playing for Pete Hutchens and studying at The New Hampton School as a postgraduate, our staff could not have been happier. We were certainly excited for Will but not surprised when he was named to the second team Class AAA All-NEPSAC team and led New Hampton to the top seed in arguably the strongest league in the country. Will plays as hard as he possibly can every time he steps on the court and combines great basketball length with a skill set that we believe will fit exactly how we play.”
Milan Williams
Southfield, Mich.
Detroit Country Day School
6’3 – 210
A two-time captain of his Detroit Country Day School team, Williams helped lead his squad to a district championship as a senior in 2016. The Southfield, Mich. native earned All-County honors while guiding his team to a spot in the regional final as a sophomore and a state championship as a freshman. Williams garnered his team’s Corey B. Jones Competitive Spirit Award and was the co-president of his school’s community service club.
Langel on Williams: “The Detroit Country Day School has a great history and tradition of excellence in the classroom and on the court. In choosing Colgate, those expectations are welcomed by Milan. In addition to raving about Milan’s on-court contributions towards the team’s successes, DCDS Coach Mark Bray uses words like ‘worker’, ‘phenomenal teammate’ and ‘great person’ to describe him. As Milan starts this next part of his journey here at Colgate, we are confident he will continue to represent his family, his community, our program and Colgate University in the same manner that has distinguished him to date.”
Colgate Men’s Basketball Class of 2020
| Name | Height | Weight | Hometown/High School |
| Gabe Alter | 6-3 | 185 | Fort Washington, Pa./Germantown Academy |
| Jack Buckmelter | 6-1 | 175 | Denver, Colo./Denver East |
| Will Rayman | 6-8 | 200 | New York, N.Y./Millbrook School |
| Milan Williams | 6-3 | 210 | Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day |