BRADFORD, Pa. – The Pitt-Bradford men's basketball team returns a wealth of experience from its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Semi-Finals appearance a season ago. Heading into the 2014-15 slate, the Panthers will lean on several returners for guidance on the court.
Senior and star point guard Keith Burgess returns for the Panthers as he enters his final year of eligibility in a Pitt-Bradford uniform. Burgess enters this season with 989 total career points. He looks to join the 1,000-point club in the early goings of the year.
"Keith is a two-time All-AMCC player for us and he has been a very good scorer and one of our best defenders the last two years," remarked head coach Britt Moore when asked about his most productive returner.
Joining Burgess in the starting lineup is fellow senior Tyler Fantaskey. A year ago, Fantaskey finished the season tied for third in total points with a final tally of 300. He is the go-to shooter outside the arc for the Panthers and will be called upon early and often this year for his three-point shooting ability. "Tyler is a very good shooter and has worked on his ball handling ability and defense in the offseason," said Moore. "We will expect a lot from him this year."
Senior Lucas Pichette looks to be the anchor of the Panthers' lineup and will be returning to his center position. He led the Panthers last season in total rebounds with 179, averaging 6.6 per game. According to Moore, Pichette has the ability to be one of the best post players in the league this year.
Hiree Peoples, a senior transfer from Pitt-Titusville, joins the lineup as the final senior on this year's squad. "Hiree is an elite athlete and good defender who should be able to help us immediately this season," said Moore.
Juniors Eric Matheson, Steven Owens, Forrest Works and Nick Goss each return to the lineup. Matheson finished the year tied for third with Pichette for total points with 300, and an 11.1 ppg game average. Works appeared in 26 games last year but did not make a start. He will be counted on for valuable minutes this season at the center position as well. "Matheson can really handle the ball well and makes great decisions, and Forrest really put on weight and strength over the summer," said Moore. "Both these guys will need to be on their game all season for us to be productive."
According to the head coach, Owens is the type of player that does everything well and has earned significant playing time heading into his junior year. "This is a guy that has the opportunity to have a breakout season," Moore remarked. Goss saw action in 10 games a year ago and is a "scrappy guard" according to Moore that is more than capable of playing valuable minutes. Junior Paul Klenke is a transfer from Pitt-Titusville that is a strong shooter and could work his way into the lineup.
The final returners are sophomores Zach Smith and Manny Welch. Smith played in 25 games as a freshman and made one start. He clocked in 500 minutes of playing time and finished the year with 103 total rebounds to go with a 7.2 ppg average. "Zach had a nice freshmen year and hit some really big shots for us," said Moore. "He is a very skilled post player and looks to have a big sophomore season."
Welch is a true shooter that earned minutes on the floor as a freshman late in games. He is a player that has expanded his game and could be a big contributor to this year's squad before all is said and done. One freshman that is poised to make an appearance for the Panthers is Tim Atkinson. According to Moore, Atkinson is a solid guard that can defend well and has shown promise in the pre-season thus far.
The Panthers open up the 2014-15 season in the Rutgers-Newark Tournament with Alfred State and two other good teams in Newark and Curry. They host Juniata for the home opener on Nov. 22, a team that is coming off an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
"We are excited to play another challenging non-conference schedule," said Moore. "We have a few local teams, including Houghton and Alfred, as well as hosting Wooster, one of the best programs in the Great Lakes Region. We look forward to the challenge that each game provides."
