College-District

Capsule previews for Westmoreland County college basketball teams

Bill Beckner
By Bill Beckner
4 Min Read Nov. 7, 2023 | 2 years Ago
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Men

Saint Vincent

Division: III

Conference: Presidents’ Athletic Conference

Coach: D.P. Harris

Last year’s record: 15-11, 11-9

Conference finish: 6th

Playoff finish: PAC quarterfinals

Key returnees: Jaden Gales (So., F), Mike Iuzzolino (Jr., G), Osyon Jones (Sr., G)

Notable: Gales (6-foot-6, 215) was the PAC Newcomer of the Year and ECAC Rookie of the Year last season, averaging 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. … Gales, Iuzzolino and Jones are returning starters, as was senior Tayler McNeal. … A player to keep an eye on is sophomore transfer Dev Ostrowski, a 6-2, 200-pound guard. The Haitian-born Ostrowski played previously at Miami Dade College. … Iuzzolino is the son of former NBA guard Mike Iuzzolino. … Harris is 369-153 in his 16-year career. He has coached the Bearcats over two stints.

Seton Hill

Division: II

Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division

Coach: Ben Wilkins

Last year’s record: 16-13, 11-11

Conference finish: T-5th

Playoff finish: PSAC first round

Key returnees: Sean Dillon (Sr., G), Ryan Meis (Sr., G), Jimmy Moon (Grad, F)

Notable: The Griffins made the PSAC playoffs for the first time since 2018-19. They won 16 games after combining for that many wins in the previous three seasons. … Dillon averaged 14.7 points and made a team-high 58 3-pointers. … Wilkins, a Mt. Pleasant native with Division I coaching experience, begins his second season as coach. … The Griffins were picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West preseason coaches’ poll. … Last year’s leading scorer, Samuel Tabe (16.4 ppg), is playing a fifth year at Division I South Alabama.

Pitt-Greensburg

Division: III

Conference: Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference

Coach: Chris Klimchock

Last year’s record: 12-14, 8-6

Conference finish: 4th

Playoff finish: AMCC quarterfinals

Key returnees: Micah Jones (Grad, F), Matthew Marinchak (So., G)

Notable: Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) is the top returning scorer at 9.1 points per game, and Jones averaged 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. … The Bobcats were picked by conference coaches to finish seventh. … JoJo France graduated last season as the second all-time leading scorer in the program (1,813 points). … Klimchock begins his third season with the Bobcats. The former Greensburg Salem standout guard is 22-29 overall and 16-14 in conference games.

Women

Saint Vincent

Division: III

Conference: Presidents’ Athletic Conference

Coach: Jimmy Petruska

Last year’s record: 22-5, 17-3

Conference finish: 2nd

Playoff finish: PAC champions, NCAA first round

Key returnees: Emily Cavacini (Sr., G), Emily Thompson (Jr., G-F), Madison Weber (Grad, F)

Notable: The Bearcats won the PAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth time. … Cavacini was the PAC Tournament MVP, scoring 22 points in the title-game win over Chatham. … SVC had the top defensive field-goal percentage in Division III (28.1%). … Cavacini (12.6) and Weber (11.2) averaged in double figures. … Senior Alana Winkler started 24 games last season. … Opponents averaged 50.4 points. … Petruska begins his 14th season leading the Bearcats.

Seton Hill

Division: II

Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division

Coach: Maeve Gallagher

Last year’s record: 18-14, 11-11

Conference finish: 6th

Playoff finish: PSAC first round

Key returnees: Hallie Cowan (So., G), Helene Cowan (So., G), Christiane Frye (Sr., G)

Notable: This is the first season for Gallagher, a former assistant who took over for Mark Katarski, who led the team for nine seasons and compiled a record of 147-120. Gallagher also was an assistant at Washington & Jefferson and Longwood. … Frye, an All-PSAC West player, averaged 16 points to lead the team and made 103 3s. … The team averaged 69.7 points. … Senior 6-1 forward Sakeria Haralson also is a returning starter.

Pitt-Greensburg

Division: III

Conference: Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference

Coach: Darien Lantz

Last year’s record: 14-13, 9-5

Conference finish: 3rd

Playoff finish: AMCC semifinals

Key returnees: Chloe Lukondi (So., G), Melina Maietta (Jr., G), Tiana Moracco (So., G)

Notable: UPG powered through to the conference semifinals before falling to Penn State Behrend. … Lantz is set to start her second season as coach. Former head coach Kelsey Oddis is an assistant. … An All-AMCC performer, Maietta (Greensburg Central Catholic) averaged 16.4 points and led the team with 66 3s.

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About the Writers

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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