by Matt Koll
Before the madness in March, one PAC team has a chance to become legendary in February (took me an embarrassingly long time to think of a February rhyme).
It’s the PAC Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament, featuring six teams vying for a shot to go down in history as conference conquerors. The top seed has earned that spot for the first time in its PAC history, while the second seed is a familiar face, the defending champion owns the third seed and a surprise team is in the 4th spot. Let’s take a look at the field…
No. 1 GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES (22-3, 18-2 PAC)
Ryan Rachic is part of a well-balanced GT’s team that is poised to win its first ever PAC crown. (Photo courtesy of Geneva).
Coach Santarsiero says: To win it all, they must…“come to work everyday, believe in each other and trust what we have been doing all year.”
It was another strong offensive year for the Golden Tornadoes, which has seemingly been a staple of the program over the last several seasons. But this year, they bring a tenacious defense to the table. Geneva finished the regular season averaging 66 points allowed per game, the best mark in the conference. They’re also ranked 1st in opponent field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, as well as defensive rebounding.
“I think this team has been a special group because of their work ethic, their ability to share the ball and not caring who gets the credit,” said head coach Jeff Santarsiero. “Obviously, our commitment to defense has been a tremendous factor to our success so far.”
This Geneva squad also boasts the best assist to turnover ratio in the PAC and we haven’t even talked about their ability to shoot the three ball, yet. So let’s talk about it, shall we?
The conference’s top three-point shooting team (41%) is led by Trevor Tipton who averages almost three made three pointers per game and shot an impressive 47% from deep during the regular season. But according to Santarsiero, the commitment to the three goes beyond just Tipton.
“We have always had the ability to shoot the three,” Santarsiero said. “They put the work in everyday and we do specific shooting drills to help them work on technique and confidence.We also made a commitment to get the ball inside which opens the perimeter up as well. All our players in our program have the ability to shoot the three.”
Prior to an overtime loss to W&J on Feb. 7, the Golden Tornadoes ripped off 12 straight wins. Their two losses in PAC play have been by a combined five points. They’ve put together an impressive regular season and have their sights set for their first PAC Championship Game appearance since 2020. Only this time, coming home with the hardware.
Next game: Thursday at 7 pm vs. winner of Waynesburg/Grove City
No. 2 SAINT VINCENT BEARCATS (22-3, 17-3 PAC)
Jaden Gales, the 2023 PAC Newcomer of the Year, is hoping to lead the Bearcats to their first PAC crown since 2016. (Photo courtesy Saint Vincent).
Coach Harris says: To win it all they must…”rebound and rebound, stay tough for 40 minutes and be aggressive.”
If you want to see a superstar on display, watch Saint Vincent’s Jaden Gales go to work. The sophomore sensation averaged a conference-leading 18.8 points per game while also ranking in the top ten in rebounding this season. It was an impressive follow-up to a fantastic freshman season in which he averaged over 17 points per game and was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year along with First Team All-PAC honors. Two big seasons and his head coach D.P. Harris has some big things to say about him.
“Gales’ best days are ahead of him and if [he’s] like the guys who played here before and trusts the process, he will be a pro,” said Harris. “He’s still growing his skill set and needs to get better at finishing versus contact. I think a big summer is ahead of him and to be honest he needs to step it up this week.”
Gales leads the top scoring team in the conference (83.0 ppg) alongside other top 15 scorers Dev Ostrowski (8th at 16.6 ppg) and Osyon Jones (13th at 14.8 ppg). Jones also ranks third in the PAC in field goal percentage (57.5%).
The Bearcats went through a tough stretch in late January and early February where they lost three out of four games but finished strong with a four-game winning streak.
“We are playing very well and need to keep the ball moving and I mean moving,” said Harris. “We had one bad week, for the most part of the season we have been really consistent.”
This team has plenty of firepower and the best offensive player in the conference. That’s a pretty good base to work with for a championship run.
Next game: Thursday at 7 pm vs. winner of Chatham/Bethany (on the PAC Sports Network)
No. 3 CHATHAM COUGARS (17-8, 15-5 PAC)
Chatham has already won two PAC titles and Elijah Sutton is looking to lead the Cougars to another in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Chatham).
Coach Richards says: To win it all they must…”continue to defend at a high level, play with great intensity and take care of the basketball.”
The defending champion Cougars put together another strong regular season that was capped off by a seven-game winning streak, including a dramatic win over No. 5 Grove City on the road when Geoffrey Helm knocked down a corner three with 3.4 seconds left to give Chatham the 56-53 victory.
“We’re very pleased with our play over the last few weeks, but we can’t be satisfied,” said head coach Dave Richards. “We’ve had great preparation and practices that needs to continue going into our first round game. We need to continue to defend at a high level, play at our pace and take care of the basketball.”
Two quotes from Richards in this section, two mentions of “taking care of the basketball.” The Cougars finished the regular season 5th in the PAC in turnover margin, just shading into positive territory at +.12, while boasting the 3rd-highest assist to turnover ratio in the conference. It wasn’t all rosy for Chatham this year though, as the team hit a skid in mid-January in which it lost three out of four games.
“We were not competing very well on the defensive end,” said Richards. “Since then, we have made a big commitment to be more consistent and play with more energy on the defensive side. Our upperclassmen and leaders have really stressed letting our defense set the tone for us.” Chatham has given up over 65 points in a game only once since that time.
The Cougars use a balanced approach offensively, with Helm and Simon Boyer ranking in the top 10 in 3-point field goals per game. If they get a lead in a tight game, they’ll want Elijah Sutton on the free throw line. His 80.9% mark from the charity stripe is the best on the team and ranks 5th in the PAC. The team may look different than last year’s, but coach Richards and the program has proven it knows what it takes to win a championship. And they’ve got depth…
“The great thing about this team is someone different steps up every game,” Richards said. “We have multiple guys that we look to make big plays in big games. We’ve had four different guys lead us in scoring over the last four games.”
Next game: Tuesday at 7:30 pm vs. No. 6 Bethany (on the PAC Sports Network)
No. 4 WAYNESBURG YELLOW JACKETS (14-11, 11-9 PAC)
Antone Baker, the PAC leader in blocks, and the Yellow Jackets are seeking their first PAC crown since 1996. (Photo courtesy of Waynesburg).
Coach Fusina says: To win it all they must…”get enough defensive stops.”
The Yellow Jackets are the surprise team of the PAC Championship Tournament field after being picked to finish ninth out of the 11 teams in the conference in the Preseason Poll back in October.
“It doesn’t matter what a pre-season poll says. I actually had no idea what we were picked,” said head coach Tim Fusina. “Looking at where teams ended up, there were a lot of picks that were wrong. We had a few bad things happen last year. We had a lot of injuries and lost a bunch of games late because we lacked depth and scoring. We addressed that in recruiting and by developing our returning guys. We addressed the needs we had and we have stayed healthy for the most part. Our guys play hard and compete and when you have size and talent, those things give you a chance every night.”
Waynesburg finished the season winners of 4 out of 5 games, including a 61-43 home win over first round opponent Grove City. A huge part of that scoring improvement that Fusina mentioned came in the form of senior Antone Baker. After averaging 14.2 points per game last season, Baker finished the regular season as the third-highest scorer in the conference, improving that average to 17.8 points per game.
“Antone’s versatile. He can score in a lot of different ways. He can drive it, he can seal, he is really athletic and can score over defenders at the rim,” said Fusina. “He has developed a little bit of an outside game to around 17 feet where you now have to guard him. He can defend different positions and rebounds the ball. He’s become a very good player through putting time in outside of the season and outside of practice.”
While the offense has been buoyed by Baker and others, Fusina maintains that Waynesburg has had the success it had this season because it defends. The Jackets make you work for everything you get offensively and they give a lot of focus and attention to detail on that side of the floor.
The numbers bear that out, too. Waynesburg finished as the second-best defense in the conference in terms of points per game while also ranking second in opponent field goal percentage. The tricky areas in terms of their play within the tournament may come in the form of rebounding and free throw shooting. They ranked dead last in total rebounds per game, but they finished the season ranked fifth in rebounding margin because they give up the fewest amount of rebounds per game. From the free throw line, Waynesburg’s 66% ranks just 8th in the conference.
Next game: Tuesday at 7 pm vs. No. 5 Grove City
No. 5 GROVE CITY WOLVERINES (13-12, 9-11 PAC)
Chase Yarberough (17.8 ppg) is one of the top scorers in the PAC and leads a fundamentally sound Wolverines team. (Photo courtesy of Grove City).
The Wolverines finished out the regular season with a tough home loss to No. 3 Chatham on a last second three-point shot. When you’re playing this team, you’re in for a tough, defensive battle. That makes the first round matchup against Waynesburg that much more intriguing, as they are another team that prides itself in defending well.
Grove City has the conference’s third-best scoring defense while also ranking 3rd in total rebounding. Though they don’t take many shots from deep, the Wolverines also own the third-highest 3-point field goal percentage (34.9%) as well.
Chase Yarberough put together a stellar season offensively, averaging 17.8 points per game (tied for 3rd in the PAC) while also cracking the PAC top 16 in rebounding.
Grove City fell to Waynesburg in both matchups during the regular season, 66-58 at home, 61-43 on the road just a couple of weeks ago.
Next game: Tuesday at 7 pm @ No. 4 Waynesburg
No. 6 BETHANY BISON (9-16, 8-12 PAC)
Cole Dailey and the Bison are back in the PAC Tournament and seeking their first conference title since 2012. (Photo courtesy of Bethany).
When you’re watching a game in which the Bethany Bison are involved, expect to see that ball tickle the twine many, many times.
Bethany got themselves into the tournament after finishing the regular season tied with Geneva for the most points per game (83.0), while also finishing at the very bottom of the conference in points allowed per game (87.3). The Bison use a volume approach on offense, shooting the second-most field goal attempts and the most three point field goal attempts on the year.
They do well in cleaning up their shots, owning the fourth-highest offensive rebounding mark per game. But their lack of defensive rebounding gives them the conference’s worst rebounding margin heading into tournament play.
Cole Dailey leads the way offensively, averaging 17.5 points per game (tied for 5th in PAC). It was a rough month of February for this team, going 1-4 that included two one-point losses. Bethany dropped both games against Chatham this season, 88-70 at home and 123-85 on the road.
Next game: Tuesday at 7:30 pm @ No. 3 Chatham (on the PAC Sports Network)
