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2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule Poster (.PDF) | Desktop Wallpaper (.JPG)
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team heads into the 2017-18 season with a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the program after the success of a historic season last year.
 
In one of the most successful years in program history, the Golden Bears (26-4 overall) ended the 2016-17 season with the second-most wins in a single season in program history, trailing only the 2008-09 team's 28. KU won its second straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division title as it set the school record with 18 PSAC victories and tied a 100-year-old record with an 18-game win streak en route to earning a bid to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
 
KU reached the conference final for the first time since 2010, before falling to Shippensburg University the next night.
 
"We played against really good competition," said head coach Bernie Driscoll. "When you get to the postseason, any team can beat you on any given night. Having to play back-to-back nights like we did for the semi-final and final always worries me because there is not much time to rest and prepare for your next opponent."
 
Kutztown's season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing to IUP (28-4) 94-80.
 
Driscoll and his staff said goodbye to a large senior class that made their mark on the program.
 
Josh Johnson finished his career second in Kutztown history with 883 rebounds and third with 1,702 points.
 
Ryan Connolly is another starter that graduated. He made a program record 229 3-pointers throughout his career, including a KU record 77 last season.
 
Austin Beidelman finished fifth in Kutztown history with 356 assists. Rounding out the senior class was Howard Sellars and Martin Dietrich.
 
"I'm proud of how this senior class was able to go out," Driscoll said. "They did a lot for our program and accomplished a lot for us. We're losing a big group, but then again, we have a lot of experience coming back, which I'm excited about."
 
The 2017-18 Golden Bears return three starters, including senior Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin), redshirt-junior Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) and junior Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg). Ridgeway, Lee and Demetrius Bennett (Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Neumann)) were named team captains for the season.
 
The trio leads a group of 11 returning players from a year ago.
 
"There are a lot of guys coming back that will have to assume different roles," said Driscoll. "They will have to make up for the production lost from our seniors last year. This group may be faster and have more depth than last year, but they need to step up defensively. We're looking at a rotation of about nine players, which will let us get up-and-down the court and press more."
 
As with every season, the goal is the same, to win the PSAC East. Along with those goals, Driscoll wants this team to lead the NCAA in assists and free-throw attempts.
 
"Our expectation is to always win the PSAC East," Driscoll said. "If you win the PSAC East, you are set for everything else; the PSAC title and the NCAA Tournament. We believe we have to take that first step and win the East, and this team can do that."
 
The Golden Bears are ranked second in the PSAC East in the preseason poll released Oct. 26. The Raiders are picked first with eight of the nine votes. East Stroudsburg University comes in behind KU in third, receiving one first place vote. West Chester University and Lock Haven University round out the top-five.
 
The 2017-18 men's basketball season opens at home at Keystone Arena on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. against Penn State Schuylkill. After another home game versus the University of the Sciences on Wednesday, Nov. 15, KU opens its PSAC East title defense on the road with back-to-back crossover games at California University (PA) on Saturday, Nov. 18 and at Slippery Rock University on Sunday, Nov. 19.
 
RETURNING STARTERS
 
Three starters return from the final game last year against Indiana (PA) in the First Round of the Atlantic Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The keys to the offense are in the hands of the point guard Ridgeway. Last year the senior was voted to the First Team All-PSAC Eastern Division for the first time in his career and was also honored as an All-Region selection while setting both the single-season (260) and career assist (465) marks. Ridgeway also broke the single-game school record with 14 assists three times.
 
The rising senior ended the year with 260 assists, which placed him in fifth in PSAC single-season history, while his 8.9 assists per game led the league and ranked second in the NCAA. His 14.6 points per game (ppg) was good for third on the team last season.
 
"Ethan is fearless," said Driscoll. "He told me before practices began that he wants to lead the NCAA in assists. He's a hard worker and a tough kid, so I know that is achievable. We're a better team when he has the ball in his hands."
 
Lee is another All-Conference and record-holder that will be penciled into the starting lineup. The redshirt-junior earned All-PSAC Second Team honors last year for the second straight season. He set the KU single-season record with a 50.4 3-point percentage, while his 67 3's ranked ninth in program history.
 
He led the Maroon and Gold in scoring at 15.9 ppg, which ranked 13th in the PSAC, and was in the top-14 of the conference in field goal percentage (54.7), free throw percentage (82.0), steals per game (1.9), blocks per game (0.9) and 3-pointers per game (2.2).
 
Lee has started in 54 of 60 games the last two seasons.
 
"Anthony is such a smart player," Driscoll said. "He knows and understands the game. He's a great shooter and came back this fall stronger. He put on 15 pounds of muscle, which will only improve his overall game."
 
Cuevas rounds out the trio of returning starters from last year's team. The junior forward scored 14.3 ppg in starting 27-of-29 games last season, which was good for fourth on the team. His 61.8 field goal percentage was third in the PSAC and 16th in the NCAA.
 
"Dan can run the floor with the best of them," said Driscoll. "He has the type of speed that makes him probably the fastest forward in the league. He also has the range to shoot the ball, and does that well, which makes him even more of a threat offensively. I expect him to take the next step leadership-wise to help this team."
 
OTHER NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS
 
With two spots remaining to fill in the starting lineup, Driscoll will have a number of options at his disposal.
 
With a deep team and a desire to play at least a nine-man rotation, a few names will likely get the call to fill out the starting lineup and also contribute early off the bench. The lineup may change each night depending on who is on a hot streak.
 
Senior guard Rafiq Marshall (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz (Cheyney)) comes to KU after three years at Cheyney University, where he started 41-of-68 games and averaged 14.6 ppg as a junior.
 
"Rafiq brings a toughness and energy on defense that we really need," said Driscoll. "With him and Ethan on the perimeter, you're looking at two tough kids. He's also a streak shooter, and he wants to win. I really like what he's done in his short time here so far."
 
Moe Williams (Townsend, Del./Life Center Academy) redshirted last season, but will be an important player in the backcourt for the Golden Bears in 2017, as he is very versatile.
 
"Moe can play any position from the one to the four," Driscoll said. "He's going to give us a lot of flexibility and will probably be our leader in the press. He's a long player that attacks the basket really well. He's probably one of the most athletic kids we've had in a long time."
 
Sophomore center Oenis Medina (Reading, Pa./Reading (Shippensburg)) and freshman center Joseph O'Brien (Abington, Pa./Abington) will compete for starting minutes alongside Cuevas in the frontcourt.
 
Medina transferred from Shippensburg University, where he played in 12 games as a freshman for the PSAC champion Raiders.
 
"Oenis and Joseph will be nice compliments to Dan in the post," said Driscoll. "These two are gifted athletically and give us a ton of size that we desperately need. You can't teach that."
 
Sophomore forward Max Wagner (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) was one of six Golden Bears to appear in all 30 games during his freshman season. He averaged 4.0 ppg and 2.3 rpg and saw his minutes increase down the stretch last year.
 
"He deserved to see the court more like he did towards the end of last year," Driscoll said. "I'm a firm believer that you earn your playing time. He worked hard at practice and proved he wanted more minutes. I was really happy for him after last year. I expect big things from him this year."
 
Bennett, the third captain, has appeared in 21 games through two years after transferring from Neumann University following his freshman season. He appeared in 10 games last season, averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.9 minutes per game.
 
"Demetrius is a great kid and a great leader," said Driscoll. "He's been a good captain and he'll be in the guard rotation."
 
Juniors Ricky Hicks (Coatesville, Pa./Polytech) and David Johnson (Dunellen, N.J./Dunellen) are both expected to be in the mix for minutes in the back court. Hicks appeared in 19 games as a sophomore, and Johnson played in eight games last season.
 
"Ricky is a quick guard and David is an excellent shooter," Driscoll said. "I'm excited to see the improvements they've made from a year ago."
 
Sophomore Josh Townsend (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) made nine appearances as a freshman, and his 6-7 frame will give Driscoll another big body in the post for depth.
 
"JT has it there, he has the game," said Driscoll. "He just has to be more consistent. When he is, he can be the best player on the floor."
 
Freshmen guards Facundo Arens (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Bahia Blanca) and Kiyon Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School) will compete for minutes in the back court.
 
"Facundo grew up in Argentina and played for the same program that produced Manu Ginobili," said Driscoll. "He is a lethal shooter and has an all-around game. Kiyon is a Philadelphia-tough point guard that plays with a lot of energy."
 
Grady Minick III (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) redshirted last season and will also be vying for time in the back-court.
 
IUP and Shippensburg are perceived to be the biggest challengers in the PSAC for KU, along with rival West Chester. Driscoll also believes Mansfield University is a dark horse in the league this season.