LA ROCHE CLAIMS TOP SEED IN MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
La Roche University and Penn State Behrend each went 14-4 in conference play and were named AMCC regular season co-champions, but it was the Redhawks who went 2-0 against the Lions head-to-head to earn the top seed and hosting rights in the 2024 AMCC men's basketball championship tournament.
La Roche University and Penn State Behrend each went 14-4 in conference play and were named AMCC regular season co-champions, but it was the Redhawks who went 2-0 against the Lions head-to-head to earn the top seed and hosting rights in the 2024 AMCC men's basketball championship tournament. First round games tip off Tuesday evening with #3 Alfred State University hosting #6 Penn State Altoona and #4 Pitt-Greensburg hosting #5 Pitt-Bradford. #1 La Roche and #2 Penn State Behrend will each receive first round byes. Tournament semifinals will take place at La Roche on Friday evening with the championship game set for Saturday at 5pm.
La Roche finished the regular season 14-4 and enters the tournament as the top seed, looking for their second straight AMCC men's basketball title. The Redhawks boast a balanced offensive attack, with three players averaging double figures. Junior G Joe Starzynski leads the team with 14.0 points and 1.2 blocks per game, while Bryce Epps adds 12.4 points per game and Michael Brooks adds to the offensive production with 11.4 points and 3.0 assists per game. Senior G/F Isaiah Thomas leads the Redhawks with 6.2 rebounds per game, while also chipping in with 9.6 points per game.
Also with a 14-4 record, Penn State Behrend has earned the #2 seed and a first round bye in the tournament. Senior G Tommy DiRienzo leads the Lions and finished second in the AMCC with 18.7 points per game, while leading the conference in free throw percentage (83.7%). Sophomore G Matthew McDonough adds 14.5 points per game, while sophomore G Mason Blankenberg adds 10.2 points per game. Senior G RJ Marsh averages a team-leading 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Alfred State comes into the tournament with a 12-6 record and the #3 seed. Leading the Pioneer offense is senior G Paris Jamison who ranks third in the conference with 17.7 points per game and an AMCC-leading 64.3 field goal percentage, while his 52 steals are third-best in the league. Senior C Cody Schneider averages 16.8 points per game, while also grabbing 8.6 rebounds and adding 4.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Dylan Perry and Michael Miller also chip in with 10 points per game.
#4 Pitt-Greensburg enters the tournament with an 11-7 record. Sophomore G Matthew Marinchak leads the Bobcat offense, and ranks sixth in the AMCC, with 17.4 points per game while his 66 made three pointers are second-best in the conference. Freshman F Trent Rozich averages 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, while senior G/F Micah Jones contributes 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore G Jackson Byer leads the AMCC with 2.8 steals per game while also adding 10.4 points and 3.1 assists per game.
Pitt-Bradford, with a 10-8 conference record, comes into the tournament as the #5 seed. Junior G/F Jamarion Butler leads the Panthers, and ranks fourth in the AMCC, with 17.6 points per game, while his 56 steals are tops in the league. Butler also chips in with 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Junior G Jesse Laster adds 12.1 points per game, to go along with 6.1 rebounds per game, while Gus Napoleon adds 11.2 points per game.
Rounding out the tournament field is #6 Penn State Altoona with a 9-9 mark in conference play. Junior F Dwayne Jones leads the Lion offense with 16.3 points per game, while also grabbing a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game (2nd in AMCC) to go along with 2.1 blocks (1st in AMCC) and 1.8 steals per game. Senior F Mason Bush is second on the team with 14.0 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. Rounding out the double figures for the Lions are Kaden Claar (13.3 ppg), Justin Sheetz (13.1 ppg), and Jahmar White (11.1 ppg).
AMCC Tournament Schedule
First Round: Tuesday, February 20
#6 Penn State Altoona at #3 Alfred State, 7p
#5 Pitt-Bradford at #4 Pitt-Greensburg, 8p (double header with women)
Bye: #1 La Roche & #2 Penn State Behrend
Championship Round at #1 La Roche
Semifinals: Friday, February 23
6pm: #1 La Roche v. winner of UPB/UPG
8pm: #2 Penn State Behrend vs. winner of PSA/ASC
Finals: Saturday, February 24 - 5pm