Penn College spotlight on men’s basketball

With a group of playoff-experienced seniors, depth from a mix of junior and sophomores, multiple ball handlers, and good height with two 6-foot, 10-inch and three 6-foot, 5-inch players, Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s basketball coach Geoff Hensley believes he has the pieces in place for something special.

The Wildcats open their season at home at 5 p.m. on Friday in a nonconference game against Elmira (N.Y.) College.

“Practices have been super competitive to start the season. We have a great mixture of returners and new players. The senior class has been the cornerstone for the growth of the program the last four years and is ready to conclude their college careers on a high note. We have a long way to go, but the potential is there,” Hensley said.

Anchoring the senior cornerstone that the sixth-year coach alluded to are 6-1 point guard Gavin Barrett of Roselle, New Jersey; 6-6 forward Livingston Cross of Union, New Jersey; 6-3 wing Ronn Flood Jr. of Union, New Jersey; and 6-10 center Michael Woolridge of Hollidaysburg.

Barrett and Cross earned United East first-team honors a year ago and Barrett also was named to the D3Hoops.com District 4 All-Region third-team. Barrett enters the season with 1,157 career points and Cross has 692 career points and 342 career rebounds. He led last season’s team with 543 points. During their careers, Barrett has scored 30 or more points in a single game four times and Cross has done it three times.

Joining them as a key returnee is 6-7 sophomore forward Landon Reeder of Montoursville, along with newcomers Joe Savage of Williamsport, a 6-5 freshman forward; 6-10 freshman forward Luke Staunch of Sharpsville; 6-3 freshman guard Julien Leveille of Maplewood, New Jersey; and 6-foot sophomore guard Donnie Bass Briscoe of Alexandria, Virginia, a transfer student from Bridgewater College.

“We will be deeper this year compared to past seasons and more experienced. With six seniors on the team (5-10 guard Christian Chandler of Chesapeake, Virginia, and 6-2 guard Cade Cavanaugh of Greensburg are the others), now with playoff experience from last year, and a mixture of sophomores and juniors in the rotation combined with some standout freshmen, it’s a well-balanced, experienced and deep squad,” Hensley said.

“We will have multiple ball handlers who can create and make plays, whereas in the past, we relied a lot on Gavin to do that for us. Also, we are bigger,” the coach said.

“Right now, our focus is on continuous improvement each day and staying healthy. Our team culture and standards are at an all-time high, and if we can focus on the things we can control and try to get better every single day, this team has a very high ceiling. With such a good senior class, we are relying on their experience and leadership to climb the ladder of the United East,” Hensley said.

Penn College is coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons and hosted and won its first-ever UE playoff game during a 10-16 overall, 7-7 all-UE campaign a year ago.

One area that Hensley looks for his team to improve upon is defensive points allowed per game (84.1, 14th of 16 in the UE last season) and 3-point field goal percentage (29.3, 13 of 16 in the conference a year ago).

“We need to be much better defensively and keep teams from scoring and shoot the ball better from behind the arc,” the coach stressed.

“The United East Conference is so strong in men’s basketball. It makes every game a battle and war. It’s really tough to move up the conference ladder when the top is so good with teams like Penn State Harrisburg, Lancaster Bible and St. Mary’s. But that’s what makes college basketball so exciting; it’s the best of the best going at it every single night. We have a great group of young men who have gone through the trials by fire and are ready for the test ahead,” Hensley said.

In addition to 16 UE games, the Wildcats have nine nonconference regular-season games scheduled, including two at the Florida Sunshine Shootout in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Dec. 28 and 29.

Sixteen teams compete in the United East, with the top 12 earning spots in the single-elimination playoffs that begin Feb. 19. Penn State Harrisburg is the defending champion and St. Elizabeth University finished second last season.

Men’s Basketball
Schedule/Series History
Friday, Nov. 8 — Host Elmira College, 5 p.m. (tied 3-3)
Saturday, Nov. 9 — Host Keuka College, 1 p.m. (Keuka leads 7-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 13 — at Muhlenberg College, 7:30 p.m. (first-time opponent)

For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.
For more about the United East, visit the conference website.