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Prepping for Preps '24-25: Penncrest (Boys)

10/29/2024, 9:00am EDT
By Josh Verlin

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2024-25 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Connor Cahill was a fourth and fifth grader at Media Elementary school when Tyler Norwood led Penncrest to back-to-back District 1 5A championships. He wasn’t at the title games, but he remembered being in attendance for several contests, enthralled at the 5-foot-9 guard’s heroics in a Lions uniform.

“Gym would be packed, he would put on a show,” Cahill said. “Those were really good memories.”


Connor Cahill (above) and Penncrest's juniors are eyeing a big improvement. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

That was in 2017 and 2018, Norwood’s graduating after the second championship. That was the last time Mike Doyle’s program held as much promise as they have coming into this season. 

With Cahill and his fellow juniors now well-seasoned veterans, the Lions are looking to make some noise in the Central League and District 1 5A once more. 

They’re coming off a year where they finished 14-11 overall (7-9 Central League), earning the No. 10 seed in the District 1 5A field. Penncrest pulled off a first-round upset, beating No. 7 West Chester Rustin, but lost to No. 2 seed Upper Dublin in the second round and to Radnor in playbacks, either of which would have qualified them for the state bracket. 

Pat Garrison, Kevin Gamlin and Michael Maddox have graduated from that squad, leaving Doyle with one full-time starter (Garrison), one part-time starter (Gamlin) and one reserve (Maddox) to replace from the rotation.

The junior class is no doubt Doyle’s core, starting with three who return from last year’s starting lineup: Cahill, a skilled 6-0 combo guard with deep range and a strong belief in his ability to get his shot off; Mikey Mita, a versatile 6-7 wing forward who gives them a high- and low-block presence, though he’s also expanded his game to the 3-point arc; and Will Stanton, a steady 5-11 point guard whose older brother Ben Stanton suited up for the Lions and now plays at Elizabethtown College. Another junior, 6-2 wing Ryan McKee, has been starting in the fall.

This season, the Lions will go as they go.

“They’re ready for it, they’ve been waiting for it, and I think that they’ll be able to step up this year,” said Doyle, who’s collected 290 wins in 22 seasons. “And all the shots they’ve taken and times they’ve played together, hopefully. will show for them.”

Mita, whose length and ability to play the ‘3’, ‘4’ and ‘5’ makes him one of the bigger defensive worries for opposing teams in the Central League, is entering his third year as a starter. While teams have been focusing on him as a primary option the last couple years, there’s no doubt this year’s squad will have a more varied offensive attack. That’s in large part due to the development of Stanton and Cahill, the two guards playing with a newfound confidence this offseason, whether that was for their grassroots teams or with the Lions. 


Mikey Mita (above) gives the Lions a good inside/out threat at 6-7. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Offense was a struggle at times last year, like the season-ending loss to Radnor, a 34-32 defeat. That was one of three losses that season where they held their opponents below 40 and still lost; six others, they kept opponents below 50. 

“This year our ability to put points up is really going to help us and help separate us from where we were last year and put us over the edge,” Cahill said. 

“We have a really good set of guys, we have a ton of people who can shoot the crap out of the ball,” Mita added. “Everyone can get downhill, create for themselves, but more importantly create for others and open up opportunities for the rest of the team.”

Doyle and his juniors all pointed out the improvements that senior wing Theo Gladue had made over the summer. A 6-3 wing, Gladue can knock down the 3-ball as well as anybody else on the Lions, but he’s increasingly been attacking the rim off the bounce, using his length to finish around defenders.

“He really made strides so much, he’s actually being recruited as a legitimate Division III player over the summer,” Doyle said. “I think you sprinkle in his senior leadership, you put him in with those juniors and I think you have a really strong mix.”

When the season comes, they’ll be joined by Sean Benson (6-0), Jeff Cropper (5-11) and Orion Kolleh (6-3), three football players who will provide additional depth and toughness on the hardwood. In their absence this fall, 6-3 freshman wing forward Finley Lester has flashed good potential off the bench.

The Central League looks wide-open, with Lower Merion graduating most of its rotation from a league championship side — though that was also the case last year, and the Aces defended their crown anyways. Conestoga, and Garnet Valley figure to be in the mix near the top, while Springfield (Delco.), Upper Darby, and Marple Newtown all want to be factors as well. 

Penncrest hasn’t won the Central League since 2010, Doyle’s seventh season as head coach, a group led by current Chestnut Hill College head coach Andrew Radomicki and former Immaculata standout Rodney Duncan.

Doyle expects this group to be in the mix for league and district titles the next two years. He’s not asking for back-to-back trophies again, but one more in the case is a realistic goal. The juniors won’t settle for anything less, and know they have a two-year window to make some real noise.

“That’s the plan, this year and next year,” Cahill said. “I feel we can do it. We feel confident that we can get back to the district title [game]; Doyle’s talked about it. That’s our expectation, essentially, championship and a district championship this year, and a far state run.”


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