The men's basketball season started off with two wins over non-conference foe Pitt-Titusville (76-60) and PSUAC opponent Penn State Greater Allegheny (75-71). The team prepared for a three game home stand against PSUAC opponents Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Fayette. The Lions of New Kensington came up short, sliding to 2-3 overall.
The team took its first road trip of the season to Penn State York and lost a nail-biter 75-72. The team bounced back nicely with a win in their next game against Penn State Mont-Alto 65-50. Unfortunately for the team, another four game losing streak would follow the win over Mount Alto.
The next home game against rival Penn State Greater Allegheny, always is a big game on the schedule. The game this year had even more meaning. It was Senior Night for the lone senior on the team, Justin Reed (Saltsburg). Athletic Director Dave Murray said before the game, "It's always special when you have a student athlete as unique as Justin. He has been an outstanding player on the court, as well as a great ambassador for this university." Head Coach Doug Schneider praised Justin during an interview, "Justin has improved so much these past four years and it has been a pleasure coaching him and seeing him grow as a young man, as well as an individual." The team took these words to heart, and delivered Justin a win in the last home game of his career.
The last four games of the season were hard fought on the road, but resulted in four straight losses to Penn State Schuylkill (99-88), Penn State Dubois (82-63), Penn State Beaver (97-63), and Penn State Brandywine (95-83).
Even though the team experienced tough times, there were a lot of positive things that came out of this year. Freshman Lamont Wright (Penn Hills) took the PSUAC by storm and showed he was one of the top freshmen in this conference. His 22.5 points-per-game average was good for a top five finish in the conference. "What a great season Lamont had. We all knew he was good coming out of a program like Penn Hills, but I think he surpassed everyone's expectations, even my own" Head Coach Doug Schneider expressed.
Sophomore guard Darryl Harrington (Perry Traditional Academy) helped form one of the best guard tandems in the conference. He averaged an impressive 16.0 points-per-game. Anthony Brown (Oliver), Victor Chaneyfield (Imani Christian), and Dillen Statler (Elderton), Shaquille Hager (Oliver), and Mike Poydence (Apollo-Ridge) all progressed throughout the season with each having their own bright spots. Abe Strapac (Leechburg) provided a nice spark off the bench all season long.
After the season ending loss to Penn State Brandywine, Coach Doug Schneider highlighted the season's strong points. "It has been a joy to coach this team in my first year. I have learned a lot, and can use this experience to be even better next year. Even though overall it was a frustrating year, we have a lot we can build on. It's tough losing a kid like Justin, but with the emergence of Lamont and the leadership of Darryl all season long, we are going to get better and improve on this season. I can promise you that!"
