Bio

1973-74 Men's Basketball Team

The 1973-74 men’s basketball team, coached by Tom Brouse, defeated Penn State Beaver 71-67 in the 1974 Commonwealth Campus Championship game. The team returned only one letterman from the previous season, Galen Bickel. Bickel served as team captain and was the leading scorer on a team that went 16-4 overall and also won a Commonwealth Western Division title.

The team was remembered in an Altoona Mirror article for its balance: the shooting of Bickel and sixth man, Sam Tiesi; the rebounding prowess of John “Goose” Marin and Roger Imbruglia; the ball handling of Tom Bickel; the defensive intensity of Bernie Bettwy.

In the semifinal against Scranton, three players scored over 20 points in a 96-92 win. Galen Bickel scored 26 and had 17 rebounds, while Bettwy added 24 points and eight assists. Marin poured on 20 points to hold off a second-half charge from the hosts, Scranton.

In the championship game, the Cougars built up a 45-30 lead at intermission and allowed Beaver to take a one-point lead late in the second half, only to pull ahead and seal the game at the foul line. Marin scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Commonwealth Campus Championship game. The Bickel brothers, Galen and Tom, were named to the All-Tournament team, along with Marin. Coach Brouse also noted the efforts of Imbruglia, Tiesi, and Bettwy in the finals.