Young Penn State New Ken men's basketball has high hopes after solid 1st half of season

Brant Mack took over the Penn State New Kensington men’s basketball team at a less-than-opportune time. He was hired in October 2020, when the world was in the grip of the covid-19 pandemic.

Building up the program was going to be tough enough, but without a year of competition to evaluate his players, Mack was facing a steeper uphill battle.

So Mack and his players put the down time to good use. Despite having to stay distanced in the gym and in the weight room, the Lions were able to work on their skills, and Mack was able to impart his playing philosophies.

It also allowed Mack more time to recruit. When he arrived on campus, there were fewer than 10 players on the roster. The roster was up to 15 by the time PSNK was able to resume games last season. The result was a .500 record (14-14) overall and a 9-10 mark in the Penn State University Athletic Conference.

The 14 overall wins were only two fewer than the previous three seasons (2017-18 through 2019-20) combined, and the nine PSUAC wins equaled the number of conference wins in those three seasons.

The momentum carried over into this season. PS New Kensington headed into the holiday break at 6-7 overall and 5-3 in the PSUAC. Conference play resumes Jan. 14 with a home game against PS Brandywine.

“Headed in the right direction,” said Mack, who played at Division I Loyola (Md.). “We’re not happy with where we’re at right now. We’re expected to achieve a lot of things this year, a lot of success. So while we’re headed in the right direction, it’s taken a little bit longer.”

The roster is up to 17 players, and only four are seniors, including Fox Chapel grad Joseph Dusabe and Springdale grad Sammy Carey. Only two of the other 13 players are juniors, leaving Mack with time on his side to mold the young roster.

“Our level of play has picked up and is multifaceted,” Mack said. “I think the guys are understanding the game and understanding the pace a little better. We’ve tightened up our defensive strategy and made it more of a help defense.

“As far as the offense, we really spread it out and run a motion offense. … We brought in guys that are high-talent guys, and they’re learning our system.”

Mack’s offense has spread the ball around and kept the scoring even, so the Lions aren’t relying on one player to carry the load.

Sophomore Shyheim Flanagan leads the Lions in scoring at 12.6 points per game. Flanagan, Mack said, has the ability to break a press on his own, and his shooting percentage is up a point from last season.

Plum grad Ta’Rasi Means is next at 11.8 ppg. Means, a freshman, is just scratching the surface after a broken foot limited him to five games last season. Mack said Means is nursing another foot injury, and his status going forward is up in the air.

But if Means’ absence is lengthy, Mack has plenty of other options.

“If you look at our roster, one through 17, they can all score the ball,” Mack said. “They’re very well-rounded players. We can go big as well as small, so we’re a very balanced team. We’re very deep.”

Three other players are averaging at least 8.8 points per game: sophomore guard Aubrey Feaster II (9.3), sophomore forward Benjamin Cunningham (8.9) and sophomore forward Jovan Kojic (8.8), who hails from Serbia. Cunningham also is leading the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game.

“Ben has really worked on his game,” Mack said. “He has really developed his jump shot and his ability to go off the bounce. He’s defending the best player at times. He defends guards. He defends bigs. He’s a real coachable kid.”

Means and Cunningham also are tied for the team lead in steals (1.2 per game).

Freshman Donaven Johnson has been a consistent contributor, averaging 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Sophomore point guard Dalton Wiles averages 4.1 points and shoots a solid 40.9% from 3-point range.

Mack also is expecting to see more production from sophomore guard Andre Hayes and junior guard Jerry Kabantu in the second half of the season. Kabantu, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is working his way back from an injury.

“We’re still very young,” Mack said. “We’ve got to get a little bit more physical, and we’ve just got to understand when to make the right pass. Shot selection is going to be key down the stretch.”

PSNK entered January tied with Penn State Mont Alto for first place in the PSUAC West at 5-3, with Greater Allegheny a game behind and Fayette, DuBois and Shenango an additional game back.

The race to the top of the division promises to be tight throughout the next few weeks.

Mack believes, however, his team has the capability of not only reaching the top of the division but contending for the conference title.

“Our goal is to win a championship,” Mack said. “I think we have the talent even though we’re young. To have a winning record is, obviously, an improvement on previous years. But we’re looking to win at least our side of the conference.

“I do feel that we’re one of the top three teams in the conference.”