Gainesville, FL

The Santa Fe Saints Men's Basketball team opens the 2025-26 season at home on Saturday, November 1^st at 2:00pm vs St. Leo JV in the Santa Fe College Gymnasium.

The team will then travel for their first away contest of the year on Wednesday, November 5^th at 6:00pm vs Pasco Hernando State College.

Head Coach John Ritzdorf enters his second year at the helm of Santa Fe Men's Basketball and has added two new assistant coaches to his staff for 25-26.

"It's been a lot of fun constructing this team since the end of last season. Counting coaches and players, we have 13 new faces in the program, and it's been exciting to see our growth throughout the pre-season" Ritzdorf adds. "Many of these guys are hungry for this opportunity which has translated into very competitive practices. We have a long way to go to get where we want to be, but I believe we have retained and recruited the right people and I'm excited for the journey ahead!"

Roman Behrens joins the Saints this season having played for Coach Ritzdorf at Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska before spending the remainder of his career at DII Holy Names in Oakland, California. Behrens has a proven playing background and is looking forward to joining Ritzdorf on the sidelines this season.

Melvin Freeny adds 15+ years of experience of training and coaching to this year's staff and is a Gainesville native and graduate of Buchholtz High School. Freeny is no stranger to collegiate basketball, playing four years at Siena College in Loudonville, New York, helping his team earn a MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament bid in 1999. His extensive knowledge of the game will certainly help him get the most out of the Saints this season.

November 1^st marks the first of 29 total games for the Saints, who with a full slate of Citrus-Conference matchups will have a fair and entertaining schedule. The Saints will host nationally ranked Daytona State in early January and a strong Florida SouthWestern squad later that month. Santa Fe will make return trips in February as both teams received NJCAA D1 preseason poll votes.

Ritzdorf adds 11 newcomers to this year's roster who bring both youth and experience at the NJCAA, NCAA DI and NCAA DII levels. Ritzdorf made a concerted effort to bring in players who could immediately contribute to all aspects of play; from shifty guards who can distribute the ball and make plays to big men who control the paint and clean the glass, the 2025-26 Saints look to take a forward step this season and compete at a high level within the FCSAA.

2025-25 Roster: 2025-26 Santa Fe Men's Basketball Roster - Santa Fe College Athletics

2025-26 Schedule: 2025-26 Santa Fe Men's Basketball Schedule - Santa Fe College Athletics