City of Basketball Love

By Jeff Griffith (@hooplove215)
& Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
__

In a 2022-23 season that featured its fair share of successful local Division II men’s programs, several players stood out, en route to postseason conference honors, NCAA Tournament contributions, and more. 

We weren’t quite sure how to honor those who put together standout seasons, so we decided to put together an “Honor Roll” list of players from the CoBL region (which includes Southeastern Pa. and a few schools from the PSAC East).

Here’s the list of players broken down by local and non-local products: 

THE LOCALS

Malik Archer — Jr. | G | Holy Family

Archer, an MCS product in his first season at Holy Family after transferring from Beaver County Community College, had a productive year for the Tigers, averaging 15.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting efficient .394/.341/.825 splits. The guard missed the last month of the season, but started in all 17 of his appearances, averaging 30.9 minutes. The highlight of Archer’s strong 2022-23 campaign came in a Jan. 7 win over Felician in which he amassed 33 points on a lights-out 8-of-12 three-point mark. 

Matt Dade — Jr. | F | Millersville

Dade was an All-PSAC East Second Team selection at West Chester last season and earned first team honors in his first season as Millersville’s go-to guy. A 6-6 forward from Episcopal Academy, Dade averaged 12.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg, while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.  He reached double figures in 14 of his team’s 18 games in the new year, including a season-high 33-point outing against West Chester.

Jayy Davis — Sr. | G | Lock Haven

In his first season at Lock Haven, the 6-3 guard led the Eagles in scoring as he averaged 14.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg to earn second team All-PSAC East honors. A Hatboro-Horsham product who had stops at Northampton Community College and Washington Adventist (Md.),  Davis scored 20-or-more points eight times to help his team to a 17-12 mark, including a 12-10 record in the PSAC. He shot 43.1 percent from the floor and 38 percent from deep.

Eric Esposito — Sr. | F | Holy Family

Esposito put together a well-rounded senior campaign for the Tigers as he started 22 games and played in 25. The 6-7 forward and Conwell-Egan product averaged 12.3 ppg, which ranked second for Holy Family. He added 6.5 rpg, 2.2 spg and more than a block per game, which were all team-highs and also tallied 57 assists, which ranked third on the team.

Rashon Johnson — R-Sr. | F | Shippensburg

Johnson, a Simon Gratz product and Second Team All-PSAC East selection, was one of three strong scoring options for a Shippensburg team that went 19-11 this season and reached the PSAC semifinals. Johnson started in all 30 of the Raiders’ games, and averaged 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Shippensburg’s second-leading player in both categories, Johnson contributed several memorable outings for the Raiders, including a combined 46 points and 25 rebounds in Shippensburg’s regular season finale and PSAC tournament opener, both of which were wins over Lock Haven. 

Lakeem McAliley — R-Soph. | F | East Stroudsburg

The PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and All-PSAC East First Team selection took another strong step in his second full year of action, averaging 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 assists for ESU’s NCAA Tournament squad. The 6-foot-6 wing from Mastery North improved his three-point clip from 32.5 percent as a redshirt freshman to 40.4 percent as a redshirt sophomore. He chipped in 13 points and seven boards in an NCAA Tournament defeat against Mercyhurst. 

Jaelen McGlone — Soph. | G | East Stroudsburg

McGlone, a 6-foot-4 sophomore out of Cheltenham who transferred to East Stroudsburg this year after one season at Rider, pieced together a solid campaign and pitched in to ESU’s 23-9 record and run to the NCAA Tournament. The guard started in all but four of the Warriors’ 32 contests, and averaged 11.0 points, 3.4 boards and 1.9 assists. McGlone was a consistent contributor, especially down the stretch; he scored at least 12 points in seven of the Warriors’ last 10 games. 

Jake Nelson — Sr. | F | Bloomsburg

Bloomsburg had a rough go of it this winter with just one win to show for the 2022-23 campaign, but Nelson was one of two local standouts for the Huskies. The 6-7 forward from West Chester Rustin finished second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and first in rebounding (8.8 rpg) while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and  41.3 percent from deep.  He had eight double-doubles and finished a point or rebound short four other times.

Robert Smith — Soph. | G | West Chester

An All-PSAC East Second Team selection, Smith led the Rams in scoring with 15.5 ppg, to go with 2.9 rpg. Smith was the epitome of consistent — especially down the stretch — for West Chester, amassing double-digit points in the Rams’ last 14 contests of the season; he only failed to reach 15 points in four out of 29 total appearances. Smith, a Bishop McDevitt alum, was known for his three-point shooting as a freshman, averaging 14.2 points on 46 percent shooting from the deep, but produced strong scoring numbers with more playing time as a sophomore, despite his three-point rate dipping to 30 percent. 

Erik Timko — Soph. | G | Jefferson

The Methacton product followed up his impressive CACC Rookie of the Year campaign in 2021-22 by earning Player of the Year honors this past season, averaging 22.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists — all of which were improvements from his rookie season — while shooting red-hot percentages of .526/.452/.891. TImko’s three-point rate was good for ninth nationally, while his scoring average ranked 11th. Timko cracked 30 points six times, and dropped 25 in the Rams’ CACC Tournament semifinal win over Bloomfield. 

Robert Tucker — Sr. | C | Kutztown

As a senior in 2022-23, Tucker — a Paul Robeson alum — earned All-PSAC East Second Team honors contributing 15.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg to the Bears’ 11-17 squad. Tucker’s production increased substantially in 2022-23, his first year as a starter; the 6-foot-7 center doubled both his scoring and rebounding numbers, and improved his free-throw percentage by nearly 20 points. Tucker logged 12 double-doubles this season, including six in the Bears’ first eight games. 

Louie Wild — Jr. | G | Bloomsburg

After averaging 5.7 ppg as a sophomore, the Roman Catholic product took a huge leap in production as a junior. Wild led Bloomsburg in both scoring (14.9 ppg) and assists (3.4 apg). The 6-1 guard shot 44.3 percent from the floor and .411 from 3-point range and reached double figures in 14 of his team’s final 16 games. He scored 20-or-more points seven times, including a 32-point performance against Shepherd.

Others

Hakim Byrd, Jr., Jefferson (Neumann-Goretti); Aamir Hurst, Fr., Holy Family (Neumann-Goretti); Dymir Montague, Sr., Lock Haven (Neumann-Goretti); Treveon Pitts, Sr., Chestnut Hill (Cheltenham); David Robinson Jr., Sr., Holy Family (SCHA); Drew Stover, Soph., Milersville (Upper Dublin)

~~~

THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS

Jalen Boyd-Savage — Fr. | G | Cheyney

The Wolves struggled to a 5-20 record this season, but Boyd-Savage put together an impressive statistical campaign, scoring among the nation’s top 50 with 19.2 ppg, while shooting 44 percent from the field. His season was cut short in January after 15 starts, but the freshman showed plenty of promise in the early months of the season, including a 34-point outing in his debut, a win over Bryant and Stratton Rochester. 

Carlos Carter — Sr. | F | Shippensburg

Carter was the PSAC East Player of the Year as he averaged 18.4 ppg (second in the conference) along with 6.3 rpg and 2.4 apg for a Raiders squad that went 19-11. The 6-5 forward also led his team with 63 made threes (.364) as he shot 46.6 percent from the floor. Carter scored 30+ three times during the season and was in double figures in all but one of his 30 games. 

Antonin Kemkeng — Jr. | F | Jefferson

An All-CACC Third Team selection, Kemkeng served as a reliable second option for Jefferson, leading the way with 9.7 rpg while adding 11.6 ppg and shooting 55.5 percent from the field. The 6-foot-9 forward from France logged 10 double-doubles — including five in the last 10 games of the regular season — and had 23 points and 14 boards in a two-point February 11 loss to eventual CACC champion Caldwell.  

Kyle McGee — Jr. | G | West Chester

One of the leading scorers and rebounders for a West Chester team that went 21-8 before falling short in the opening round of PSAC Tournament play, McGee tacked on an impressive 4.0 apg to go with his 14.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg. His assist numbers — as well as his 1.6 spg — were both team-highs. McGee logged a triple-double with 11 points, 10 boards and 11 assists in West Chester’s Feb. 8 win over NCAA Tournament-bound East Stroudsburg. The junior guard ultimately earned First Team All-PSAC East honors.

Kian Nixon — Soph. | F | Cheyney

In a full season for Cheyney, Nixon started in all 25 of the Wolves’ games, averaging a team-high 7.8 rebounds to go with 15.3 ppg, while shooting solid .411/.313/.708 splits. Nixon, a sophomore from Maryland, especially hit his stride down the stretch; he played nearly every minute of the Wolves’ last six games, a stretch during which he averaged 24.3 points and 10.5 rebounds, including a 34-point, 16-rebound showing in a Feb. 20 loss to Bryant and Stratton. 

Carlos Pepin — Sr. | F | East Stroudsburg

The reigning PSAC East Player of the Year couldn’t replicate that honor, but he put together a dominant final season for the Warriors, averaging 17.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 2.4 apg, while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor. A 37-point, 14-rebound, three-steal effort against Shippensburg was the highlight of a number of terrific performances this season, which included reaching double figures in 31 of 32 games and scoring 20-or-more eight times.

Dominic Sleva — Gr. | F | Shippensburg

The 6-6 forward was another first team All-PSAC East selection for Shippensburg as he averaged 13.1 ppg and 12.0 rpg. He was the conference’s leading rebounder, posting double-doubles in 16 games, and also led his team with 37 steals — not bad for a big man. He tallied 20 rebounds in a game twice this season, including a 19-point, 20-rebound effort against Mansfield.

Korey Williams — Sr. | G | Lincoln

Williams earned All-CIAA honors for Linocln, which went 17-15 this past season. The 6-foot guard from Brooklyn averaged 16.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg. He finished third in the conference in scoring and first in 3-point makes (69). Williams had 13 games of 20-or-more points and shot a solid 43.6 percent from the field.

Others

Eli Barrett, Sr., West Chester; Jalen Bryant, Soph., Kutztown; Kyree Generett, Sr., Kutztown; MJ Iraldi, Soph., Chestnut HIll; Justin Nwosu, R-Sr., Millersville; Conor Regan, Jr., Chestnut HIll; Amir Warrick, Gr., Chestnut Hill