2014-15 Men's Basketball Season In Review
Penn State Hazleton finished its 2014-15 campaign with a 9-11 overall record (7-8 PSUAC) failing to reach the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs for the second consecutive season. Coach Rush found himself rebuilding the program in his 4th season at the helm. Looking back, the Nittany Lions have much to improve upon, but much to look forward to as well.
The Not So Good:
After a sub-par season in 2013-14, the team returned just 3 players this year, only 2 of which had significant experience from last season. Despite good new talent on the team, that inexperience showed itself in the first half of the season with the team unable to string together back to back wins after its first two non-conference games of the year. Adding to the adversity, the Lions lost several players at the semester break. The team lost a major inside presence in Jordan Rattley and their biggest outside shooting threat in Royce Brathwaite who averaged nearly 10 points per game off the bench. Departing to continue his academics at University Park was junior forward and team captain Dwayne Vines. Vines' leadership, ability to rebound at both ends of the floor, and score without being targeted in the offense was irreplaceable in the second half of the season. Forced to hit the reset button, the team struggled to find a winning formula, losing 5 straight games to open the second semester, taking them out of playoff contention.
The Good:
Coach Rush found young talented players that gained excellent experience in 2014-15. Sophomore guard Tyreek Fairfax increased production from his first season to average nearly 10 points per game, shooting 70 percent from the free throw line. After a slow start, freshman center Jordan Singletary found comfort in the paint, scoring at 61.2 percent from the field (2nd best in PSUAC) and becoming one of the premier shot-blockers in the PSUAC averaging 2.5 swats a contest (2nd best in PSUAC). Singletary nearly completed a triple double on February 1st vs. PSU Mont Alto where recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds and a season high, 8 blocked shots. Jordan followed that performance with a season high 25 points in a win over PSU Schuylkill on February 4th, shooting 90 percent from the field, with 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. Accompanying Singletary was another freshman standout Jacob Solano, who made an immediate impact on the Lions offense. Solano eclipsed the 20 point mark in 13 of 20 games in 2014-15, finishing 4th in scoring in the PSUAC at 21.3 points per game and shooting 82.7 percent from the free throw line (T-2nd best in PSUAC). The offensive juggernaut scored a career high 37 points in a win against PSU Worthington Scranton on December 3rd and his consistent play garnered him a 2nd Team All-American Award by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Future:
The Nittany Lions rebounded nicely to finish the year. As the season came to close, the team found their stride, winning 3 of its last 4 games in conference play and showing signs of great things to come. The team improved its winning percentage to .450 after a disappointing 7-16 record in 2013-14. With a full season under their belt, Hazleton has an impressive young nucleus of players returning, poised to make a splash in the conference in 2015-16.