Season Preview: 2022-23 Men's Basketball

WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball team looks to build off of their storybook 2021-22 season. The campaign saw the Presidents capture their first Presidents' Athletic Conference title since 1994-95 and rack up a school-record 24 wins. The conference title was the 10th in program history. W&J will enter the 2022-23 season with high expectations as the team enters the season as defending champions and were chosen first in the PAC preseason poll.

The Presidents are set to open their season on the road against Penn State Altoona on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Conference play begins iin earnest on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Bethany College. 

2021-22 Season Review: W&J got out to a hot at the beginning of their 2021-22 campaign as they won five of their first six games in conference play, only dropping a tough 79-76 decision at home to Geneva.

The Presidents finished 16-2 in conference play with their only other PAC loss coming to Chatham (85-80) on Jan. 19. W&J would win nine-consecutive games to end the regular season and secure No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. 

The Presidents would square off with Grove City in the PAC Quarterfinals after just defeating them in the season finale just three days prior, 77-55. Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) led the way for the Presidents, dropping 26 points in a 90-72 win over the Wolverines. The Presidents would advance to play No. 5 seed Waynesburg in the semifinal round. 

The Presidents beat the Yellow Jackets for a third time in as many tries in 2021-22. The Presidents won 61-52 at Waynesburg on January 12 and claimed a 68-63 win at home on February 9. All three games were played at a pace that favored the Yellow Jackets. However, for a third time this season, Waynesburg came up short. Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) was hampered with foul trouble throughout the night and was held scoreless. It didn't matter as W&J was able to beat Waynesburg at its own game --- defense. The Presidents limited Waynesburg to 36.5 percent from the field and forced 18 turnovers. The 66-61 win sent W&J to the PAC Championship game for the first time since the 2006-07 season. 

The top-seeded Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team trailed for more than 36 minutes but rallied late to defeat second-seeded Chatham University by a 68-63 score in the PAC Tournament Championship game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium.  

Okikiola Agbale helped W&J turn the tide in the second half. The senior big man registered a season-high and game-high 18 points off the bench. Agbale converted all six of his field goal attempts and drained six-of-seven free throw attempts in the contest. For his efforts, Agbale was named the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Joining Agbale on the All-Tournament Team were sophomores Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) and J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University). 

Agbale (18 points), Mazza (12 points), Gearhart (12 points) all finished in double figures. Kyran Mitchell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) joined them with his 12th double-double of the season, as he recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. 

W&J saw its season end in the NCAA First Round when it suffered a 95-70 loss to eventual NCAA runner-up Elmhurst University. 

Head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith and Michael Bigley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-LaSalle) earned major awards for their roles in guiding W&J to its first PAC championship since 1994-95. Stewart-Smith claimed his first Coach of the Year honor while Bigley was voted Newcomer of the Year.

Mitchell and Gearhart were both voted to the All-PAC First Team. W&J was the only PAC team with multiple First Team honorees.

"We have high internal expectations since we return a veteran group that has been through a full season together and experienced success. Our goal will be very similar to last year – we want to max out our group," said Head Coach Ethan Stewart-Smith. "We found out that we have a high ceiling, so we are hopeful that we are able to approach this year in a very similar manner by focusing on our process that we have to go through in order to reach our ultimate goal: win the PAC title."
 

2022-23 PAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes)	Points	2020-21 Record (conference)
1. Washington & Jefferson College (10)	110	24-5 (16-2 PAC)
2. Geneva College	94	14-11 (12-5 PAC)
3. Chatham University (1)	88	21-5 (14-4 PAC)
T-4. Thiel College	76	8-16 (7-10 PAC)
T-4. Westminster College	76	17-9 (13-5 PAC)
6. Waynesburg University	60	14-14 (9-9 PAC)
7. Grove City College	53	10-16 (5-12 PAC)
8. Allegheny College	48	8-14 (6-9 NCAC)
9. Saint Vincent College	47	3-22 (2-16 PAC)
10. Franciscan University	42	10-16 (7-11 PAC)
11. Bethany College	21	2-19 (2-13 PAC)

2022-23 PAC Men's Basketball Players to Watch: Kyran Mitchell, Michael Bigley, Nick Gearhart, and J.R. Mazza

Team Captains: Kyran Mitchell, Nick Gearhart, J.R. Mazza, and Michael Bigley

Key Returners: The Presidents returns the nucleus of their championship team, as they look to build off of their success prior to this season.

"Our expectations are really high, and we expect our returners to come in ready to build on last year and approach this season with more focus and urgency. We should have a great understanding of what it takes to be successful, and this year will be more challenging than last given the high expectations" said Stewart-Smith. "We understand that last year's success does not automatically translate to this year, so we are really focusing on our overall mindset and consistency in practice."

Mitchell started 28 of the 29 games played last season for the Presidents as he averaged 16.2 points per game (2nd on team), had 240 total rebounds (1st on team), 138 assists (1st on team), and 91 steals (1st on team). Mitchell filled the stat sheet on a nightly basis, as he recorded 12 double-doubles and three triple-doubles last season. 

"We are excited to watch Kyran's hard work continue to pay off. We ask him to do almost everything for us, and he grows and improves every year. He'll be one of our main scorers & play makers" stated Stewart-Smith. "We'll ask him to guard the other teams' best players. We'll ask him to be the keystone of our defensive system. He is one of the most versatile and complete players in our conference."

Mitchell also walked out of 2021-22 with some hardware as he found himself on the All-PAC First Team, NABC All-District 7 Second Team, D3hoops.com All-Region 7 Second Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District IV (First Team), PAC SAAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Moth (December 2021), and a three-time PAC Player of the Week (12-13-21, 1-17-22 and 2-21-22).

Fellow senior Dirk Daniels (Phillipsburg, N.J. / Blair Academy) returns for his final season in Red & Black, as he comes off of a season where he led the team in field goal percentage shooting. Daniels converted at a 64.3% clip in the season where he appeared in 27 games off the bench. Daniels was also fourth on the team in blocks with 13. 

Gearhart is coming off of a 2021-22 where he lead the team with 16.8 points per game and 23 blocks. He was awarded on the D3hoops.com All-Region 7 Third Team, All-PAC First Team, PAC All-Tournament Team, a PAC Player of the Week selection (2/14/22), a three-time PAC Sports Network Player of the Game (@Westminster - 12/1, vs. Thiel - 1/4 and vs. Waynesburg - 2/9), and honored on the Juniata College All-Tournament Team.

Mazza is coming off of a record-breaking season in his own right. Despite being snubbed of All-PAC recognition, Mazza set the single-season school record with 102 made three-pointers. Mazza converted 38.9 percent of his three-point attempts and made 75.8 percent from the free throw line. Mazza also contributed on the defensive end, as he racked up 53 steals to rank second on the squad. He was also nominated to the PAC All-Tournament Team and was a two-time PAC Sports Network Player of the Game.

Fellow junior Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) led the team in free throw percentage at 76.2. Langston made 54.3 percentage of his shot attempts and contributed 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. 

Junior Kaden DiVito (Coraopolis, Pa. / Cornell), Logo Zervos (Morgantown, W.Va. / Trinity Christian) and Beckett Connelly (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver) all return after making valuable contributions off the bench last season. DiVito ranked third on the team in made three-pointers with 13 and tallied 36 steals defensively. Zervos appeared in nine games and Connelly saw action in 22 contests off of the bench. 

Bigley was a large part of W&J's success in 2021-22. He averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his debut season with W&J. Bigley tallied 61 assists and 33 steals in 26 appearances. Bigley scored a season-high 26 points in a 111-103 win at Geneva on Feb. 12. Bigley is W&J's first PAC newcomer of the year award winner since Jon Koch in 2003-04. 

A trio of sophomores Jordon Nelson (Mint Hill, N.C. / Hickory Grove Christian), Maurice Hudgins (Hayes, Va. / Christchurch School), and Darus Bacote (Aberdeen, Md. / Havre De Grace) also join the group of returners. 

"We are pleased with our team's mental approach so far. That is a big focus for us this year and we're still working toward being more consistent with how we show up and compete on a daily basis," stated Stewart-Smith. "We do have strong leadership that has done a good job setting the tone for our team, so we expect our mindset to continue to improve as the season progresses."

Newcomers: The Presidents add nine freshmen to the roster this season who will all look to find ways to contribute to the team.

"We expect some new faces to work toward meaningful minutes this year," said Stewart-Smith. "We have a first-year class with a ton of depth and versatility, so it's been fun seeing them compete and get more comfortable with our overall style of play on both sides of the ball."

Brandon Jakiela (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) - Guard
Matt Seidl (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) - Guard
Ryan McCort (Saint Clairsville, Ohio / Saint Clairsville) - Guard
Brandon Learn (New Stanton, Pa. / Hempfield) - Guard
Cameron Moss (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum) - Forward
Quinten Elrod (Dayton, Ohio / Kiski School (Pa.)) - Forward
Josh Pelzer (Schwenksville, Pa. / Perkiomen Valley) - Guard / Forward
Josh Chambers (Hanover, Md. / Indian Creek) - Guard
Alex Acosta (Acworth, Ga. / North Cobb) - Forward

Coaching Staff: Ethan Stewart-Smith (Penn State Altoona '07) is the 15th men's basketball coach in Washington & Jefferson College history. The 2022-23 season marks his eighth season as the head coach of the Presidents. Faced with the task of rebuilding the program from the ground up, the Presidents have enjoyed success in five consecutive seasons.

Stewart-Smith led the Presidents to a school-record 24 wins and a PAC Tournament title in 2021-22. The conference title is W&J's first since the 1994-95 season, as the Presidents rallied to a 68-63 win over Chatham in the title game. For his efforts, Stewart-Smith was voted PAC Coach of the Year for the first time. He coached Michael Bigley to PAC Newcomer of the Year honors while Kyran Mitchell and Nick Gearhart earned First Team All-PAC honors. 

W&J compiled a 7-3 record during an abbreviated 2020-21 season. The Presidents finished tied for second place in the PAC regular season standings and hosted a PAC Tournament Quarterfinals game for a second straight year. Cameron Seemann garnered Second Team All-PAC status for a third consecutive season.

W&J finished 2019-20 with a 14-12 overall mark and a 9-7 record in league play. The Presidents earned the No. 4 seed in the PAC Tournament and hosted a quarterfinals game for the first time since the 2010-11 season. W&J secured a winning campaign for the first time since 2008-09.

Evan Bonnaure joined the Washington & Jefferson College men's basketball program as its Intern Assistant Coach for the 2020-21 academic year.

"It has been really fun to see Coach B's growth as a coach over the last three years, and our team is so lucky to have him with us. He has done an incredible job implementing and coaching our defensive system, which is the main reason I was so excited to get to work with him" said Stewart-Smith. "He has built great relationships with our guys and continues to build our recruiting network, which is a big reason why we have been able to achieve the success that we have. We have a really collaborative approach to how we coach our team and we're so thankful to have him with us for another year."

Bonnaure was influential in helping W&J claim the PAC regular season and tournament titles in the 2021-22 season. The Presidents tallied a program-record 24 wins and finished PAC play with a 16-2 record. The Presidents rattled off 12 consecutive road wins before falling to eventual national-runner up Elmhurst University in the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament First Round. Both Kyran Mitchell and Nick Gearhart were named First Team All-PAC. Mitchell also earned All-Region honors from the NABC and D3hoops.com following the season. 

Prior to his time in Meadville, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for East Stroudsburg University. During his time at ESU, the Warriors qualified for a pair of NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championships, which included a run to the 2018 Elite Eight. The Warriors claimed a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East titles and the 2018 PSAC Championship while amassing a 48-14 overall record during his time on the bench. 

Sven Zepic '19 joined the men's basketball program as a volunteer assistant coach in October of 2022. 

"Sven is one of the best leaders that I've coached at W&J, so I'm thrilled for our guys to be able to learn from him on a daily basis. He was a captain and someone that was willing to do whatever our team needed every night" stated Stewart-Smith. "We are excited to have him join our staff and our players will really benefit from him being on our bench."

Zepic, no stranger to the program, was a three-year member of the team from 2016 through 2019. He started all 26 games as a senior in the 2018-19 season. Zepic finished with career highs in points, rebounds and assists in his senior season. Additionally, he was a team captain as a senior. 

Looking at the Schedule: The Presidents are set to compete in a 25-game schedule for the 2022-23 season. The Presidents are slated to have their 2022-23 home opener on Thursday, Nov. 17 against Muskingum.

The schedule features five non-conference games. The Red and Black will take on Penn State Altoona (Nov. 8), Carnegie Mellon (Nov. 12), Muskingum (Nov. 17), Albright and an opponent to be determined at the Albright College Holiday Tournament (Dec. 29-30).

League play starts on Nov. 15 as W&J travels to Bethany, W. Va. to take on Bethany. The first conference home game will take place on Nov. 22 as W&J will host the Westminster Titans. W&J opens the New Year at Salvitti Family Gymnasium on Jan. 5 as they host Geneva.

W&J will play a double round robin schedule against conference opponents. The PAC Tournament is scheduled to be held from February 21-25.

Last Word: "We're really excited to embrace the challenges that come with defending a title. That's what I'm looking forward to the most," stated Stewart-Smith. "As we said, this will be one of our most difficult years to date and we'll need to do our best coaching job & our players will need to be more focused and prepared while we get the other team's best effort every night. It will be another year of battles in the PAC, and there won't be much separation between teams."