TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team, led by head coach eighth-year head coach Mark Gilbride, will welcome five freshmen to campus this fall. Zisi Blades, Christopher Faughnan, Robert Jordan, Dylan Matchett and Nathan Tawiah-Boateng all recently signed Division III Celebratory Forms in honor of their intentions to attend RPI and join the men's basketball program.
 
"It is a talented and well-balanced class," said Gilbride. "Most importantly, these are the type of high-quality young men who we are happy to have in our program at Rensselaer. We are excited to see what these student-athletes will bring to our team."

  Blades is a 6-4 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., who in 2021-22 completed a post-graduate year at St. Thomas More School, playing for legendary coach Jere Quinn. Previously, Blades attended Christ the King High School in Queens. In an abbreviated senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was awarded the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Spring Tournament Top Performer in 2021. Following his junior year, Blades, who averaged 12.8 points per game during the course of his high school career, was included in the Prep Hoops CHSAA Top 50.

Faughnan, a 6-5 forward from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., averaged 17.0 points per game during his senior year at Our Lady of Lourdes High School. He was named the Dutchess County Co-Most Valuable Player, selected to the Lower Hudson Basketball Coaches Association All-Section team and a member of the All-New York State Class A Fifth Team.

A 6-6 forward from Fort Plain High School in Fort Plain, N.Y., Jordan was a career 1,000-point scorer for the Hilltoppers. As a senior, he averaged 20.0 points and 18.0 rebounds per game and was an All-New York State Class C Second Team honoree. Jordan also earned recognition as a Times Union Small-School Boys' Basketball All-Star and was awarded the Western Athletic Conference MVP following the 2021-22 campaign.

A native of Milford, Conn., Matchett is a 6-3 guard who played a post-graduate season at Choate Rosemary Hall, averaging 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. He previously attended and played at Hopkins School in New Haven, earning the Robert Wyant Award for Perseverance in Men's Athletics.

A 6-7 forward, Tawiah-Boateng comes to Rensselaer from the Bronx, N.Y. and Fordham Preparatory School. As a senior, he averaged a double-double of 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while blocking 3.5 shots per contest. During the course of his career, he was a two-time All-CHSAA First Team selection and helped the Rams to back-to-back CHSAA 'A' City Championships (2020, 2022). Tawiah-Boateng was named to the All-New York State Class A 16th Team following his senior year.

The five newcomers look to add to a squad that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament this season. The Engineers won the Liberty League regular season title for the second straight season (15-3) and had an overall record of 23-6. The Engineers, who came within one win of tying the school single season record, finished the year ranked No. 21 in the final D3hoops.com Poll.