Carlow men's basketball making season debut on ESPN3

Swade Redman plans to graduate from Carlow in the spring. He longs to play one final basketball season with the Celtics.

For now, he’ll settle for one game.

Redman, a Jeannette graduate, will lead his teammates in their national television debut Monday night. The Celtics will visit Youngstown State in their season opener on ESPN3. Tip is at 6 p.m.

“We’re all real excited to get this game in, being that we haven’t got a game in yet and not knowing if we were going to play at all,” said Redman, a senior guard. “We just got back into the swing of things last week.

“Playing on ESPN is something we all dreamed about, and this is something that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.”

Coach Tim Keefer said the NAIA-level Celtics have lost 12 games from their schedule because of covid-related issues with other teams.

The River States Conference is attempting to plug on while many other leagues have closed down for the winter.

“It will be a tough one, but at least we are getting to play,” Keefer said of the opener against the Division I Penguins.

Redman said Carlow players are getting tested twice a week. Safety protocols are the bridge to a season, whatever permutation of one that may exist.

“I was hoping to at least get to play a couple games this year,” he said. “Hopefully we get the chance to have somewhat of a season.”

Keefer and his staff are beginning their seventh season, a season like no other. The program still fits the fledgling tag: the Celtics went 1-27 last season and were 0-15 in conference. But those numbers seem irrelevant now as the team embraces a simple chance to play, counting its blessings with each practice and game it is afforded along the way.

“Last year we got to go down and play in Miami, and it was great,” Keefer said. “We are still taking baby steps, but the guys are coming in and graduating and getting good jobs so it’s worth it.”

Other WPIAL products on the Carlow roster include sophomores AJ Sharp (Jeannette), Hunter DeStefano (Penn-Trafford), Malcolm Randall (Northgate), Anthony DelMastro (Plum), Eugene Goodwine (Nazareth Prep) and Tre Harvey (Nazareth Prep), and freshmen Ben Lawrence (Ringgold) and Nehemiah Brazil (Nazareth Prep).

‼️ Game Day ‼️
? @CarlowMbb plays live on ESPN 3 tonight when they travel to @YSUsports.
? 6pm
? YSU Beeghly Center
?️? https://t.co/EDP9eVAKwT pic.twitter.com/URb5OAkTa5

— Carlow Celtics (@CarlowCeltics) January 4, 2021