2022 Recap
The University of Scranton men's basketball team won its eighth Landmark Conference title in 2022-2023 after defeating fourth-seed Juniata College 84-63 in the championship game.
Graduate student Jackson Danzig scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and also added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals to earn Most Valuable Player honors. To go along with Danzig's 20 points, senior Stephen Braunstein added 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, Matthews-Spratley had 14 and McLoughlin registered 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Royals' season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to to-seeded Randolph-Macon 63-41.
The Royals finished the year with an overall record of 22-9, which marked the program's first 20-win season since 2018-19. During the momentous run, Scranton captured its first Landmark Conference title in six years, while head coach Carl Danzig picked up his 400th career win.
After a 22-4 season that saw Catholic earn a ranking in the D3hoops.com top-25 for the first time since 2016, the Cardinals are back in the preseason poll, ranked 17th. Aaron Kelly returns the majority of his production from a season ago, including three-time All-Landmark First Team selection Jesse Hafemeister. The Mendham, N.J. native reached the 1,000 point milestone in the Cardinals opener on November 8. He has averaged at least 15.9 points per game in each season of his career.
Also returning for the Cardinals are All-Landmark Second Team choices, Sean Neylon and Tommy Kelly. The duo combined for 25.3 points per game while each shooting 39 percent from beyond the three-point line in 2022-23. Dan Buckley and Brian Herbert both return after starting 26 and 19 games respectively while the sharp-shooting Jake Timby is back as well after a strong season off-the-bench after recovering from injury. Kelly brings in a strong transfer in Enzo Sechi while also adding a strong freshman class to the mix in '23-24.
"We are very excited for Landmark play this season. The additions of Lycoming and Wilkes will add even more competitive balance to league play. We are excited to continue some old rivalries, while building a few new ones as well. We have a veteran team, with a nice combination of talent and depth, so we are excited to see how the year unfolds." - Head Coach Aaron Kelly
The Drew University men’s basketball team returns a core of talented and experienced players heading into the 2023-24 campaign. A trio of guards – senior Andrew Turco (12.4 ppg), senior James Anderson (8.1 ppg), and junior Papie Roberts (8.1 ppg) – are back after starting at least nine games a year ago. Turco also led the Rangers in three-pointers (65) and steals (41) while Roberts finished second in assists (60). Sophomore forward David Musial and sophomore guard Kevin Cronin also return with starting experience while 16 additional Rangers will round out a deep roster for second-year Head Coach Michael McSloy.
“We are very excited about this upcoming season. We welcome 12 newcomers, four of which are transfers that will add some experience to a very young team which includes key returners Andrew Turco, James Anderson, Papie Roberts, and David Musial.” - Head Coach Michael McSloy
Elizabethtown returns a total of 12 players for seventh-year Head Coach, Britt Moore. The Blue Jays welcome six newcomers to the team. The Blue Jays return five players who appeared in all 24 games last season. Among the five, Dylan Rowe and Rance Russo started in all 24 games while other key returner, Niko Georgelis started in 23 of them. Etown is led by five seniors along with All-Landmark Conference Second Teamer, Rance Russo. Russo started in all 24 games for the Blue Jays last season and led the team in points (431), 3-pointers (43), and field goals (154). Rowe led the team in total rebounds (149) and blocks (30).
“We are excited for the upcoming season. Our trip to Montreal plus the additional days of practice have really helped a young group as we head into the season.” – Head Coach Britt Moore
The Gophers return an experienced group for first-year head coach Justin Klingman. Goucher returns a total of 14 players and 79 percent of its offense from last season. Klingman knows the Landmark Conference well, as he was on the coaching staff at Catholic for four seasons and also played at Scranton from 2011-15, earning All-Conference honors as a senior.
Sophomore guard Jacob Morgan led the Gophers in scoring last season at 12.8 points per game while ranking sixth in Division III in steals with 2.9 thefts per game. Senior Darrell Green also averaged double figures, scoring at an 11.5 ppg clip, while four other players who averaged at least 5.5 ppg also return, led by David Nwankwo and his 6.7 ppg average. Goucher also welcomes seven newcomers as it looks to start climbing the Landmark ladder.
“We’re excited for the start of the season and optimistic about this year. Our guys have had a competitive spirit throughout our pre-season and have been challenging each other in healthy ways daily. We have a good blend of improved returners and newcomers who will contribute right way. Our guys are bought into the process of getting better each day and eager to start playing games.” - Head Coach Justin Klingman
Greg Curley begins his 23rd season in charge of the Eagles, a side returning most of its core players from last season’s Landmark Conference Championship run. The 2022-23 finished 17-11 overall and 9-5 in conference while maintaining the second-best defense by points per game in the Landmark.
Four of last year’s regular starters will be on the squad this season including Landmark All-Conference First Team post Chase Husted, guards Mason Hardy and Tyler Lapetina, and forward Gabe Guidinger. Several players that regularly featured off the bench will also make a return including Kyle Ruggery, Evan Eisenhart, and Michael Montecalvo.
In total, six freshmen and one transfer student will join 13 returners as Juniata looks to claim secure a first Landmark Conference Championships.
After the graduation of six seniors and three starters, the Lycoming College men’s basketball team will begin a new era under second-year head coach Mark Linebaugh in 2023-24, as a big group of eight newcomers will be a major factor in the team’s success in its first year in the Landmark Conference.
An experienced backcourt will also be key to the team’s success, including senior Steven Hamilton, who was a Second Team All-Conference pick in 2022-23 after finishing amongst the top 20 in the league in five statistical categories, including leading the MAC Freedom in three-pointers made (2.2). Senior Brendon Blackson and sophomore Isaiah Valentine will also be key to the team’s efforts after combining to average 12.8 points, 2.7 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game last year.
“It’s been an exciting start to the season, as we’ve mixed in eight newcomers into our early season practices. With the loss of six seniors, we have a lot of open opportunities and, so far, we have embraced the challenge of stepping into new and expanded roles. There is a lot of tradition in Lycoming basketball and there could be an argument made that we were the most successful basketball program in the MAC since 2000. We have guys ready to embrace that tradition, our culture, and our team values, and I think how successful we are in doing that will tell the tale of how successful we are as we take on the challenge of joining the Landmark Conference.” - Head Coach Mark Linebaugh
The Greyhounds return 13 letterwinners and all five starters this winter from last year's 8-17 squad. Leading the group will be sophomore forward Marquis Ratcliff, who was the 2023 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and made the All-Conference Second Team. Second year Head Coach Darryl Keckler has added 11 newcomers with ten freshmen and a transfer joining Moravian this year, and he looks to meld the group together as the Hounds search for their first postseason appearance since 2020.
"We are hoping to keep getting better throughout the season as we mix the returning players and our newcomers. If we can continue to progress and develop, our team could be very competitive in Landmark play." - Head Coach Darryl Keckler
Junior forward Will McLoughlin headlines the group of returners for the Royals after earning D3hoops.com All-Region Third Team and All-Landmark First Team honors in 2022-23. McLoughlin ranked sixth in the conference in rebounding (6.8 rpg), seventh in field goal percentage (56.2%) and eighth in scoring (15.0 ppg).
In the backcourt, senior Tahaj Parland and sophomore Jon Spatola started all 29 games for the Royals a season ago and averaged 6.8 ppg and 5.9 ppg, respectively, while Spatola led the team with 3.3 assists per game. Elsewhere for the Royals, sophomore E.J. Matthews-Spratley averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 46.8% from the floor. Scranton will host FDU-Florham as part of the annual Hilton Scranton Invitational on Friday evening at the John Long Center at 5:30 p.m.
"We are excited about the journey that is in front of us. Looking forward to a challenging schedule throughout the year that will prepare us for the conference slate. We have a group of 16 guys who are committed to the process of getting better each and every day." - Head Coach Carl Danzig
The River Hawks enter this season projected to finish third in the Landmark Conference behind Catholic and Juniata, and will look to fill the void left by the departure of Howie Rankine Jr. Starting every game for the River Hawks last year, Rankine averaged 17.1 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game while being named to the All-Landmark Conference First Team.
Despite this, Susquehanna still brings back the trio of Brandon Lavitt, Billy Anderson, and Jackson Van Wagener, who all look to make a leap after an impressive first year. Lavitt averaged 13.0 points per game and led the team in rebounds per game with 7.2, Anderson averaged 6.8 points in 15.1 minutes per game, and Van Wagener averaged 5.9 points in 28.8 minutes per game in 15 games played last season. A couple of redshirt sophomore's also join the mix with Steven Ressler and Cooper Haberern looking to contribute in their first year of action after missing all of last season.
Head coach Frank Marcinek will once again be at the helm for the River Hawks as he enters his 36th season as head coach of the men's basketball program. Marcinek, Susquehanna's all-time leader in coaching wins, enters this season just five wins away from earning his 500th career win as a head coach.
"I expect the conference to be very competitive top to bottom. We return a strong nucleus, but have a lot of work to do to get back to the level at which we expect to compete with the top teams in the conference." - Head Coach Frank Marcinek
After finishing 13-12 last season, the Colonels look to make a splash in their first season in the Landmark Conference with nine returners including four starters from the regular lineup last season. Four first-year student-athletes join Wilkes for the 2023-24 season to round out the roster which will push for postseason positioning.
"We are excited to make our debut this season in the Landmark Conference, night in and night out I think it is going to be great competition with some of the best teams in our region. Potentially this could be one of the better leagues in the Northeast and we are hoping to compete for a playoff spot with a chance to get to the NCAA Tournament." - Head Coach, Izzi Metz