City of Basketball Love

By Jeff Griffith (@hooplove215)
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While a sizable chunk of our Division III All-Area Men’s Rankings have remained largely unchanged, there’s been a seismic shift at the top, as a surprise squad from right outside of Philadelphia continues to write headlines in the early-going 2023-24:

Here’s the latest update to our rankings:

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Previous Rankings: Preseason (Nov. 6) | Nov. 28

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1. Widener Pride (LR: 3)

Record: 8-1 

Last Three Weeks: at DeSales (W,  92-77), vs. Arcadia (W, 89-63), at Swarthmore (W, 77-57)

A revamped Widener roster was already impressive through the first nine games of its season, but a dominant win over a vaunted Swarthmore program signified the Pride as more than deserving of the area’s top slot. Since Thanksgiving alone, Widener has a string of four wins against teams over .500, including three on this list and two in this list’s top five. Those wins have been dominant, too, the four of them coming by an average of more than 20 points. Plenty of contributors deserve credit for Widener’s run so far, but graduate forward Dominic Dunn has been chief among them, averaging 14.9 points, 7.7 boards and 3.4 assists on the season to date.

Next Up: vs. Carthage (Dec. 20), vs. Benedictine (Dec. 21), at Hood (Jan. 3), vs. Stevenson (Jan. 6)

2. Swarthmore Garnet (LR: 1)

 Record: 7-3 (1-0 Centennial)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Washington College (W, 67-48), at Dickinson (W, 67-55), vs. Ursinus (W, 82-66), vs. Widener (L, 77-57), at Hampden-Sydney (L, 67-46)

Let’s be clear — we have every reason to believe that Swarthmore is still Swarthmore. The Garnet have generally owned the top spot in the area for several years, have deep NCAA Tournament pedigree in recent years, and still look the part of a contender. That said, the Garnet will enter a new calendar year with a bad taste in their mouth; their last two contests of 2023 were losses by 20 and 21, albeit to a very talented Widener team and a Hampden-Sydney team that ranks in the Top 10 nationally. Senior guard and reigning CoBL All-Area Player of the Year Vinny DeAngelo has continued his strong start to the season, leading the way with 15.5 ppg on .464/.404/.882 splits while also chipping in 3.2 rpg. 

Next Up: vs. Rowan (Jan. 3), vs. Gettysburg (Jan. 6), at McDaniel (Jan. 9)

3. DeSales Bulldogs (LR: 2)

Record: 7-2

Last Three Weeks: vs. Widener (L, 92-77), at Alvernia (W, 68-63), at Baruch (W, 80-61), vs. York (N.Y., W, 95-63), at Muhlenberg (W, 74-60)

DeSales, which opened the season at No. 2 in our area rankings, remains in the top three for a simple reason; the Bulldogs’ only losses are to the two teams ahead of them. Just after the Thanksgiving holiday, DeSales took a 15-point home loss to upstart Widener, but turned around to rip off four consecutive wins — three on the road, three by double digits, and two against ranked area teams — heading into winter break. It’s continued to be a balanced scoring effort for the Bulldogs, who have six different players averaging over eight points, but junior forward Caleb Gibbs’ near double-double average of 10.4 ppg and 8.6 rpg has been a major highlight, to compliment the team-high 12.7 ppg of senior forward Elijah Eberly. 

Next Up: vs. Hamilton (Dec. 29), vs. Montclair State (Dec. 30), vs. Arcadia (Jan. 3), at FDU-Florham (Jan. 6)

4. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (LR: 6)

Record: 7-1 (3-1 Centennial)

Last Three Weeks: at Gettysburg (W, 65-56), at Haverford (W, 70-63), vs. Johns Hopkins (L, 74-54), vs. Albright (W, 79-66)

After a sub-.500 campaign a year ago, Franklin & Marshall’s red-hot start has signified a potentially maror turnaround. The Diplomats have also benefited from success in a front-loaded conference schedule, with four conference contests — and three wins, including two on the road — already under their belt prior to the new year. Of Franklin & Marshall’s 14 losses last year, 11 came in conference play. While the Diplomats’ consistent leading scorer, sophomore guard Vakris Grasulys (16.9 ppg), has struggled from the field in a couple of outlier recent games, Franklin & Marshall offers a balanced cast of characters, with four players averaging double-digit points. 

Next Up: at Washington and Lee (Dec. 29), vs. TBD (Dec. 30), at Mary Washington (Jan. 3), vs. McDaniel (Jan. 6), at Muhlenberg (Jan. 9)

5. Gettysburg Bullets (LR: 4)

Record: 6-3 (3-1 Centennial)

Last Three Weeks: vs. Franklin and Marshall (L, 65-56), at Washington College (W, 70-39), vs. Dickinson (W, 62-48), at Salisbury (L, 80-74)

Gettysburg had a busy couple of weeks after Thanksgiving, splitting its four contests while setting up a 3-1 start to conference play. The Bullets’ lone conference loss to date came against a strong Franklin & Marshall squad, but was followed up by two dominant conference wins. Gettysburg will face a challenging start to the 2023 calendar year, with a visit to powerhouse Swarthmore, before getting back into the full thick of conference play. Junior guards Carl Schaller (13.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Jordan Stafford (13.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) have logged nearly identical statistical starts to the season to pace the Bullets.

Next Up: vs. WPI (Dec. 29), vs. TBD (Dec. 30), at Swarthmore (Jan. 6), vs. Haverford (Jan. 9)

6. Penn State Harrisburg Lions (LR: 9)

Record: 10-2 (2-0 United East)

Last Three Weeks: at Penn College (W, 74-68), vs. Gallaudet (W, 86-56), at CCNY (W, 80-57), at Neumann (W, 75-66), at Bridgewater (L, 80-64), at Alvernia (W, 76-71)

Penn State Harrisburg was fully cruising as winners of six in a row before falling at Bridgewater in resounding fashion. They bounced right back, picking up an impressive road win at Alvernia on Monday. The Lions’ 10-2 start is worth noting; through 12 games last season, Penn State Harrisburg had a record of just 6-6, on its way to a final mark of 15-11. The Lions have received substantial contributions from senior guards Donyae Baylor-Carroll (17.6 ppg) and Nate Curry (13.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg).

Next Up: vs. N.C. Wesleyan (Dec. 29), vs. TBD (Dec. 30), vs. Muhlenberg (Jan. 3), Penn State Berks (Jan. 6)

7. Alvernia Wolves (LR: 7)

Record: 6-3 

Last Three Weeks: at Neumann (W, 73-66), vs. DeSales (L, 68-63), vs. Gwynedd Mercy (W, 100-87), at Keystone (W, 102-81), vs. Kean (W, 67-59), vs. Penn State Harrisburg (L, 76-71)

A home loss to PSU-Harrisburg spoiled some momentum for the Wolves after they won three straight following a tight loss to a really good DeSales team. Alvernia’s been able to win in multiple fashions in recent weeks, with a pair of recent outings featuring over 100 points, immediately followed up with a 67-point showing. Leading the way in those efforts has been a quartet of players averaging 12 or more points, including senior forward Jakob Kelly, who leads the way with 15.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg. 

Next Up: vs. Penn State Behrend (Dec. 29), vs. TBD (Dec. 30), at York (Jan. 3), vs. Albright (Jan. 6)

 8. Bryn Athyn Lions (LR: 8)

Record: 8-2 (3-0 United East)

Last Three Weeks: at Pratt Institute (L, 70-62), at Clarks Summit (W, 83-76), vs. Gallaudet (W, 76-60), vs. Cairn (W, 72-67), vs. Saint Elizabeth (W, 73-69)

Bryn Athyn, which went 11-14 and 5-9 in conference play last season, is already more than two-thirds of the way to its 2022-23 win total and off to a 3-0 conference start. The Lions are winners of their last four since falling on the road at Pratt Institute, and have made a recent living on close wins, earning three of their last four victories by seven points or fewer. Bryn Athyn has gotten notable production from four double-digit scorers this season, with sophomore guard Will Little (14.6 ppg) and junior forward Jalen Parker (14.5 ppg) leading the way. Parker also has logged a team-high 8.7 rpg. 

Next Up: at Randolph-Macon (Dec. 29), vs. TBD (Dec. 30), vs. Rosemont (Jan. 3), at Wilson (Jan. 6), at Keystone (Jan. 9)

9. Eastern Eagles (LR: NR)

Record: 7-2 

Last Three Weeks: at Cabrini (W, 82-74), vs. Misericordia (W, 67-66), vs. Neumann (W, 92-90), vs. Wilson (W, 93-70), at Stockton (W, 77-73)

Eastern got off to a sluggish 1-2 start against a challenging opening schedule, but has ripped through all of its contests since and is riding a six-game winning streak. Included in the mix have been a handful of close victories, including one in overtime over Neumann, a one-point win over Misericordia, and a four-point road win at Stockton. Wins are wins, though, and Eastern is one of the area’s hottest teams, largely thanks to the efforts of its red-hot three-point shooter, graduate guard Jaron Fairweather, who is averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 boards while shooting staggering .515/.471/.806 splits. Leading the way in scoring, though, is sophomore forward Zubair Lee, with 16.9 ppg. 

Next Up: vs. Roanoke (Dec. 19), vs. Wabash (Dec. 20), at Stevenson (Jan. 3), vs. York (Jan. 6)

10. Arcadia Knights (LR: 5)

Record: 6-4

Last Three Weeks: at York (L, 83-77), at Widener (L, 89-63), at Marymount (L, 81-51), vs. Shenandoah (L, 76-65), vs. Scranton (W, 70-61)

Arcadia was riding high, having finished last season with a surprise run to the NCAA Tournament and opened the 2023-24 slate on a streak of five wins. That steak, though, was followed by a string of four consecutive losses, including one by 26 and one by 30. Those four losses, though, came against a group of teams with a combined 28-9 record, and three were on the road, so it’s hard to fully fault the Knights. That said, Arcadia will be looking to build off of its recent win over Scranton to continue turning things around, and will look to the efforts of stat machine and graduate forward Jalen Watkins (19.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg) in order to do so. Plenty of teams are certainly nipping at the Knights’ heels, with a case for this No. 10 slot. 

Next Up: at Towson (Dec. 30), at Rutgers-Newark (Dec. 31), at DeSales (Jan. 3), vs. King’s (Jan. 6), at Stevens (Jan. 10)