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Almost all of the rosters are now posted. Very few surprises. So, my July predictions are always made based on the rumored rosters. With about 30 days to opening night, it's real now.
Prior to the Coaches' Poll being released, below is my updated West rankings:
1. California - Nothing has changed in this slot. Unlike most in the West this season, the Vulcans' core group has played with one another for several years. There will be no learning curve. Add to it two returning 2021 starters who both missed all of the 2022 season -- along with a very strong incoming class -- and this is Cal's West title to lose. The Vulcans are strong at all five starting positions and will feature two 6'7" dynamic G/F players. They will be a match-up nightmare.
(Insert line in the sand ... as after the clear-cut No. 1, things get tricky here in a hurry)
2. IUP - The Crimson Hawks' streak of West titles is in serious jeopardy. Roster-wise, Joe Lombardi may have a strong enough team to compete with California by the time they meet after Christmas. But, there are major questions at this time. Three key players return -- Ethan Porterfield, Dallis Dillard and Jaylen Stewart. The other top returners are inexperienced (Dolan Waldo and Damir Brooks). Waldo redshirted last season but could be in the starting lineup at SF. The rest of the upcoming rotation, while experienced, will be making their IUP debuts. Akron transfer Garvin Clarke (PG) will be a name everybody gets to know very quickly. Speaking of 'quickly', we'll learn a lot about this new team in a hurry. A very tough opening month is looming.
3. Mercyhurst - All-West guard Jeff Planutis returns along with forward Aidan Reichert. Power forward Max Jusianiec arrived from Saint Rose and will have an immediate impact. Like IUP, the Lakers took some major losses. However, they should remain right in the thick of things.
4. Slippery Rock - The Rock added a final roster piece late in Wagner transfer Ja'Mier Fletcher (6'7", 245 lbs). He should be the final 'muscle' piece the team needed. SRU is without question the wildcard team. The Rock added two dynamic transfer guards -- Maceo Austin (Duquesne) and Ike Herster (Gannon) -- to go along with with returning starter Lashon Lindsey. On paper, this is SRU's best team in years. The biggest question will be can this group share the ball and actually play like a team? If so, this will be a dangerous group. If not, this could be a disaster by early January.
5. Clarion - The Golden Eagles amazingly managed to keep their very talented freshmen class of a year ago together. Steve Kelly also returns as one of the more underrated point guards in the PSAC. This will be one of the biggest starting lineups in the league, headlined by 6'9" 240 lb power forward Jayson Harris. Now a sophomore, Harris may be the most dominant big man in the league the next several years. Another sophomore, F Jihad Simpson (6'9", 220 lbs) will start alongside a pair of 6'6" sophomore guards (Cam Kearney and Justice Easter). It's been a long, long time since this program has had any buzz.
6. Gannon - Some think Gannon should be higher than this slot. Hard to say at this point. I can say this: Gannon had a good roster last year. It didn't have good leadership. The best players were retained and the rest were replaced largely with transfers. This upcoming version is very athletic. Long gone are the traditional Gannon post players in the 6'8", 250 lb range. They've all been replaced with athletic forwards who can run and shoot. This team will be a headache to play. If the learning curve to a new system doesn't slow them too much, the Knights could be in the thick of things.
7. UPJ - The Mountain Cats were decimated by graduation. While some solid players do return, this will be an extremely young team -- especially under the basket. It's no secret UPJ is one of the better-coached teams in the league and that Bob Rukavina will find a way to make them competitive. However, this is a major rebuilding project.
8. Seton Hill - The Griffins made a lot of headway last season under first-year head coach Ben Wilkins. The transfer portal, however, soon came calling. Two key starters left town. All isn't lost, however. Sophomore PF Gabe Gillespie showed flashes of stardom as a true freshman a year ago and PG Sean Dillon also returns.
9. Edinboro - The Scots took forever to hire their new head coach. That doesn't help recruiting much. While I think they did make a good hire, this year unfortunately is going to be a very long one inside McComb. Conference wins are going to be very few and far between.
Notes:
I will say this was one of the hardest preseason rankings I've done in years. SRU and Gannon are very difficult to forecast right now. To an extent, so are IUP and Mercyhurst. UPJ and Seton Hill could easily be flipped. I strongly believe Clarion is going to be dangerous this year. I saw that basically all-freshmen team hammer IUP for 34 minutes last year. They are big and can play. Depth will be the concern inside Tippin. But, starting lineup for starting lineup, they can stack with most. Those aren't true freshmen anymore.
Now, we'll see how the Coaches' Poll compares.
Prior to the Coaches' Poll being released, below is my updated West rankings:
1. California - Nothing has changed in this slot. Unlike most in the West this season, the Vulcans' core group has played with one another for several years. There will be no learning curve. Add to it two returning 2021 starters who both missed all of the 2022 season -- along with a very strong incoming class -- and this is Cal's West title to lose. The Vulcans are strong at all five starting positions and will feature two 6'7" dynamic G/F players. They will be a match-up nightmare.
(Insert line in the sand ... as after the clear-cut No. 1, things get tricky here in a hurry)
2. IUP - The Crimson Hawks' streak of West titles is in serious jeopardy. Roster-wise, Joe Lombardi may have a strong enough team to compete with California by the time they meet after Christmas. But, there are major questions at this time. Three key players return -- Ethan Porterfield, Dallis Dillard and Jaylen Stewart. The other top returners are inexperienced (Dolan Waldo and Damir Brooks). Waldo redshirted last season but could be in the starting lineup at SF. The rest of the upcoming rotation, while experienced, will be making their IUP debuts. Akron transfer Garvin Clarke (PG) will be a name everybody gets to know very quickly. Speaking of 'quickly', we'll learn a lot about this new team in a hurry. A very tough opening month is looming.
3. Mercyhurst - All-West guard Jeff Planutis returns along with forward Aidan Reichert. Power forward Max Jusianiec arrived from Saint Rose and will have an immediate impact. Like IUP, the Lakers took some major losses. However, they should remain right in the thick of things.
4. Slippery Rock - The Rock added a final roster piece late in Wagner transfer Ja'Mier Fletcher (6'7", 245 lbs). He should be the final 'muscle' piece the team needed. SRU is without question the wildcard team. The Rock added two dynamic transfer guards -- Maceo Austin (Duquesne) and Ike Herster (Gannon) -- to go along with with returning starter Lashon Lindsey. On paper, this is SRU's best team in years. The biggest question will be can this group share the ball and actually play like a team? If so, this will be a dangerous group. If not, this could be a disaster by early January.
5. Clarion - The Golden Eagles amazingly managed to keep their very talented freshmen class of a year ago together. Steve Kelly also returns as one of the more underrated point guards in the PSAC. This will be one of the biggest starting lineups in the league, headlined by 6'9" 240 lb power forward Jayson Harris. Now a sophomore, Harris may be the most dominant big man in the league the next several years. Another sophomore, F Jihad Simpson (6'9", 220 lbs) will start alongside a pair of 6'6" sophomore guards (Cam Kearney and Justice Easter). It's been a long, long time since this program has had any buzz.
6. Gannon - Some think Gannon should be higher than this slot. Hard to say at this point. I can say this: Gannon had a good roster last year. It didn't have good leadership. The best players were retained and the rest were replaced largely with transfers. This upcoming version is very athletic. Long gone are the traditional Gannon post players in the 6'8", 250 lb range. They've all been replaced with athletic forwards who can run and shoot. This team will be a headache to play. If the learning curve to a new system doesn't slow them too much, the Knights could be in the thick of things.
7. UPJ - The Mountain Cats were decimated by graduation. While some solid players do return, this will be an extremely young team -- especially under the basket. It's no secret UPJ is one of the better-coached teams in the league and that Bob Rukavina will find a way to make them competitive. However, this is a major rebuilding project.
8. Seton Hill - The Griffins made a lot of headway last season under first-year head coach Ben Wilkins. The transfer portal, however, soon came calling. Two key starters left town. All isn't lost, however. Sophomore PF Gabe Gillespie showed flashes of stardom as a true freshman a year ago and PG Sean Dillon also returns.
9. Edinboro - The Scots took forever to hire their new head coach. That doesn't help recruiting much. While I think they did make a good hire, this year unfortunately is going to be a very long one inside McComb. Conference wins are going to be very few and far between.
Notes:
I will say this was one of the hardest preseason rankings I've done in years. SRU and Gannon are very difficult to forecast right now. To an extent, so are IUP and Mercyhurst. UPJ and Seton Hill could easily be flipped. I strongly believe Clarion is going to be dangerous this year. I saw that basically all-freshmen team hammer IUP for 34 minutes last year. They are big and can play. Depth will be the concern inside Tippin. But, starting lineup for starting lineup, they can stack with most. Those aren't true freshmen anymore.
Now, we'll see how the Coaches' Poll compares.
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