Distinct WPIAL flavor to Shippensburg men's basketball team

Shippensburg handed No. 9 IUP its only loss of the season.

The Raiders did the same to No. 8 West Chester.

Knocking off elite programs is nothing new for the emerging men’s basketball program, not since Latrobe native Chris Fite became coach seven years ago. He has transformed Shippensburg from an afterthought in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to one of its most consistent winners. The Raiders have recorded four straight 20-win seasons, made two Division II NCAA Tournament appearances and won the program’s second conference championship in 2016-17.

What makes Shippensburg’s success unusual is its roster makeup. These Raiders have a distinct Western Pennsylvania flavor. Eight of the 14 players come from WPIAL programs, and it’s proving to be a winning formula for Shippensburg (12-3, 8-1 PSAC).

“Sometimes I look around on the floor, and there’s five WPIAL guys out there,” said senior forward John Castello, a Mars graduate who ranks second on the team in scoring (15.4 average) and first in rebounding (8.1). “It feels like a WPIAL all-star game.”

Given the background, Shippensburg, not surprisingly, plays a gritty game.

The Raiders, winners of five straight, rebound and defend. Against West Chester, Shippensburg had a 45-37 edge in rebounds against Division II’s second-best rebounding team. They also held the Golden Rams 15 points below their season average in a 79-70 victory.

“Every coach knows how he wants to construct a roster, and with our structure and makeup, we have success with guys who are tough and have high basketball IQs,” Fite said. “Maybe we don’t top the wow-factor chart, but our kids understand how to play unselfish.”

Which continually leads Fite back to Western Pennsylvania to recruit.

“I think there’s a comfort level there,” he said. “There’s a familiarity with the WPIAL. It’s my backyard. I worked at IUP and developed relationships while I was there. With more and more success, there’s more and more players who are aware of Shippensburg.”

Besides Castello, other key contributors from the WPIAL are junior guard Jake Biss (Latrobe), sophomore forward Carlos Carter (Indiana), senior swingman Daylon Carter (Ambridge), redshirt sophomore forward Dom Sleva (Montour) and sophomore forward Luke Nedrow (a Marist transfer and Central Catholic grad). Freshmen Andrew Recchia (Mars) and Geoffrey Helm (Greensburg Central Catholic) also are on the roster.

“I think it brings a closeness to our team that maybe some others don’t have,” Biss said. “Most of us are from the same area. We’ve seen the same things. We’ve played in the same backyard.”

During the offseason, Shippensburg’s WPIAL contingent gathers at Central Catholic, where they work to develop more cohesion.

Leading the way is Biss, a second-year starter and one of the PSAC’s premier players.

The point guard tops Shippensburg in scoring (15.6 average), assists (61), 3-pointers (28), 3-point percentage (41.2) and steals (22). A first-team All-PSAC East performer last season, Biss has evolved from a pass-first player into an offensive force.

“Mainly, I’m just trying to be more of a leader on this team,” Biss said. “At the end of last season, I started taking on more of a scoring role. I’m trying to take advantage of that, playing faster and making more plays.”

With Biss making plays, Castello creating matchup problems with his ability on the perimeter and significant contributions from everyone else in its eight-player rotation, Shippensburg is out to make more history.

The Raiders want to host the PSAC tournament — the East champ gets the honors this season — and add to the program’s total of three NCAA tourney victories. It will take more performances such as the ones against IUP and West Chester.

“We’re getting there, and we’ve shown what we’re capable of doing,” Fite said. “We’ve played a difficult schedule, and we’ve dropped a couple of games to good teams. For us, we have to stay in the right mindset and play the right way.”