photo courtesy of Point Park Athletics
Senior forward Alan Heter reaches for the hoop during a Nov. 12 game against Penn State-Fayette. Point Park defeated Penn State-Fayette 88-85.
Point Park men’s basketball is back in full bounce for this season. The Pioneers kicked off the season on Nov. 6 at the Ohio Christian Tournament.
The team is being led by coach Bob Rager, who is in his 26th season this year.
The Pioneers have been picked third of five teams in the KIAC (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) North Division in the KIAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Returning starters this season are junior Matthew Noszka from Pittsburgh, who averaged 14.3 points and senior forward Alan Heter from McKees Rocks, who averaged 11.6 points per game.
Other returning players are guard/forward T.J Lanier, guard Brandon Camic and guard Yandell Denis.
There are several newcomers to the Point Park roster such as Barry Smith, a guard/forward from Penn Hills; Sa’iid Allen, a guard from Baton Rouge, La.; Jerah’me Williams, a point guard from Youngstown, Ohio; and Art Christian, a sophomore guard/forward from Cleveland, Ohio.
Freshmen Jerrad Tuite, Cameron Harbaugh, Miles Bennetww and Alek Schaffer have also all been added to the court lineup.
“I think the team is looking good,” Heter said. “[We’re] still figuring everyone out. We’re athletic with some good shooters, which is really fun to play/watch. Honestly, I believe that this year’s team is deeper player-wise, meshes better and plays better together then last years team. I think we can go further and do better.”
The Pioneers made sure they would be known this season by beating Great Lakes Christian (Mich.) College, 143-70 in their season opener at the Ohio Christian Tournament.
This score broke the 18-year old record of 141 points versus Franciscan on Nov. 11, 1996.
The Pioneers jumped to a 77-33 lead in the first half.
Point Park shot 67 percent from the field and 57 percent from long range.
Point Park then moved on to play Ohio Christian in the tournament, and unfortunately came up short. The Pioneers lost to the Trailblazers 82-76.
Ohio Christian controlled the rebounds 42-24, which put the Pioneers at 41 percent in shooting.
The Trailblazers held a small lead of 44-40 at the half, and the Pioneers were never able to catch back up.
“Our team has a ridiculous amount of potential,” Noszka said. “It showed in the first two games of the tournament. We can make a big impact if we work as one unit. The sooner we gain that chemistry consistently the closer we will be to winning a championship.”
Point Park then moved to have their home opener on Nov. 10 in the CCAC-South gym against Penn State Beaver.
The Pioneers surpassed 100 points again, winning 111-87 this past Monday night.
Senior guard/forward Barry Smith made a dent in the scoreboard with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three assists.
Matching for the team high was Jerah’me Williams with 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Point Park held a 51-38 advantage in rebounds, forcing 22 turnovers. The Pioneers had a 51 shooting percentage from the floor.
“It was a great team victory,” Smith said. “Everybody contributed and played as a unit. I just do as much as I can so that we can win and I always try to leave everything I have on the court. I think we have a good team and will go far, we just have to keep our intensity every night.”
The Pioneers kept the wins coming with their next game against Penn State-Fayette.
It was a close call with a final score of 88-85.
Heter had a game of 24 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Along with Heter, Smith had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the game.
Point Park’s next game is a non-conference away game against Washington Adventist on Nov. 19.
