Norwin graduate Adam Bilinsky will be playing for a different college basketball team next season.
Bilinsky put his name in the NCAA transfer portal after nine games at Mercyhurst.
The 6-foot-3 freshman shooting guard wants to play closer to home. He likely will remain at the Division II level, likely staying in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
“I entered the portal a few weeks ago with intentions to move closer to home,” Bilinsky said. “With family-related issues the past month, I just wanted to be somewhere closer.”
His grandmother, Kathy, died earlier this month, which influenced his thought process to leave Erie and be nearer to his family.
Bilinsky, the last year’s TribLive Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year, averaged 7.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 21.3 minutes off the bench for the Lakers (6-6, 2-2 PSAC).
He had 16 points in 34 minutes against Roberts Wesleyan and scored 12 against Kutztown.
Bilinsky said three schools are in consideration: Pitt-Johnstown, Slippery Rock and Seton Hill.
His brother, Ty, is a redshirt sophomore at Pitt-Johnstown.
“I really did like it (at Mercyhurst),” Adam Bilinsky said. “Teammates, roommate, coaches, made it a lot of fun and definitely grew relationships there. On the basketball side of things, coach (Gary) Manchel really pushed me and made me a 10 times better basketball player than I was before I stepped on campus. I couldn’t thank him enough.”
