KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team hopes that returning players, incoming transfers and a more aggressive attack can put the Golden Bears back in the upper echelon of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division in the 2024-25 season.

The Golden Bears are looking to outperform preseason expectations after a forgettable 2023-24 season that featured a 4-24 record and a 3-19 conference mark that fell short of the PSAC Championships for the fourth consecutive season. Kutztown was tabbed as the sixth-best team in the East Division preseason poll.

Senior point guard Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) is seen as an X-factor for the squad, as his impact was missed after he was injured six games into last season. The Maryland native, who led the team in both points per game (16.7) and total steals (30) as a sophomore in 2022-23, earned All-PSAC East Second Team honors while starting 22 games for KU.

Kutztown welcomes transfers Joey Chapman (Reading, Pa./Reading), Omari Banks (Middletown, Del./The Phelps School (Pa.)), Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) and Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)), along with freshman forward Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic), in hopes of improving the team's depth and experience.

Head coach Bernie Driscoll, now in his 24th season at the helm of the program, recognized the struggles of the recent past but is confident of the team's development both on and off the court as he evaluates his desire for the future.

"Our goal is always to win the PSAC East," said Driscoll. "We look forward to getting back to being a competitive basketball team this year. For us to [achieve] the same success that we have had in the past, we have to play better. Last year was a hard lesson to learn, but our freshmen are a year older, are a little bit more mature and understand the PSAC. Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) is healthy and Charlie Bell IV (Miami, Fla./The Phelps School (Pa.)) will be eligible this year, so we are looking forward to being a little bit more mature and having more depth than we have had in the past."

In addition to the team's PSAC schedule, they open the season at the PSAC/CIAA Challenge at East Stroudsburg, where they will face Lincoln (Nov. 9) and Elizabeth City State (Nov. 10). They will host all five non-conference games this season, beginning with a Wednesday night matchup on Nov. 13 against Jefferson.

The preseason polls have East Stroudsburg and West Chester atop the East Division, with Millersville, Shepherd and Lock Haven rounding out the top five. The conference's coaches voted California (Pa.), Slippery Rock and Gannon as the top three programs in the West Division.

Kutztown will open its season at the PSAC/CIAA Challenge at East Stroudsburg on Nov. 9-10. The Golden Bears will play Lincoln on Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. tip against Elizabeth City State on Sunday. The home opener is set for Wednesday, Nov. 13, against Jefferson at 7:30 p.m.