The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team enters the 2024-25 season hoping to build on last year's accomplishments. The Lions went 9-9 within the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference last season, and the team was voted sixth in this year's edition of the conference's preseason coaches' poll.

Eighth-year head coach David McGreal aims to pair a strong core of returners with an influx of new talent. His team qualified for an AMCC Tournament berth last year, and after suffering a loss in the first round, he hopes that the program can again make a postseason push this time around.

"This year, we're looking to rebuild and reload from last year's squad that finished .500 in league play," McGreal said. "Hopefully, we'll get to the point where we're in the mix to try and fight for a playoff spot, which is an opportunity to play for a conference championship."

McGreal will lean on some key returners to lead the way for his team this season, including a trio of seniors: forward Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) and guards Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) and Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty).

Jones, the AMCC's back-to-back reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is coming off of a 2023-24 season in which he was a first-team all-conference selection and led the league in blocks (52) and blocks per game (2.1) while being second in rebounds per game (9.2), third in total rebounds (230), and ninth in points per game (16.0). Meanwhile, White was fourth in the AMCC in free throw percentage (82.9) and eighth in assists per game (3.2), and Sheetz ranked 11th in the league in points per 40 minutes (19.7) and 15th in three-pointers made (39).

Additionally, junior guard Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) – who was limited to just 11 games in his first year with the program due to injury last season – figures to be a regular in the Lions' lineup, while sophomore guards Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) and Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) and sophomore guard/forward Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) will see an uptick in playing time.

"We'll be relying on some good returners, including Dwayne, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Jahmar, who's been with us for four years, and Justin, who will provide an offensive spark," said McGreal. "We're also looking forward to seeing Kaden back in action. Hopefully he'll be able to play the whole year after his season-ending injury last year, when he was playing really well in conference games, so I'm excited to see what he can do in a whole season. The rest of the returners are going to be expanding their roles, including Abiah, Braelen, and Elliot, whose minutes will go up, and hopefully their production will, as well."

McGreal believes that height could be a significant advantage for Penn State Altoona this season. The Lions will get significant contributions from both Jones and sophomore forward Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus), as well as junior forward Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll), sophomore forward Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George), and freshman guard Kal-El Gentles (Austin, TX/San Juan Diego). Bruce and Frye are both transfer additions to the roster.

"I believe our biggest strength is that we've got a lot of size this year, including Dwayne and Michael, but also adding the height with our newcomers," said McGreal. "Nehemiah, a transfer from Randolph, Zion, a transfer from Clarks Summit, and Kal-El are all 6-foot-6 or taller. We're excited to get back on the floor for an opportunity to see how this group comes together. We can possibly grow into a really, really good team by the time we start playing league games, and hopefully we can be one of the teams in contention."

Penn State Altoona men's basketball gets its schedule underway on Friday, November 8, and Saturday, November 9, playing in the Bill Sudeck Tournament, hosted by Case Western Reserve University, with the Lions opening against Case Western. After that, Penn State Altoona plays home games against regional non-conference foe Juniata College on Tuesday, November 12, and new Division III program Regent University on Friday, November 15. The Lions travel to Massachusetts later in November to compete in the Western New England University Holiday Classic on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23.

Penn State Altoona's non-conference schedule is rounded out with a road game at Regent, an exhibition at Division I Mercyhurst University, and a late-December home game with McDaniel College.

The Lions' 16-date AMCC schedule starts on Tuesday, November 26, with a road game at nearby rival Mount Aloysius College, and it stretches into late February, when Penn State Altoona hopes to be challenging for a spot in the conference tournament.

"Our non-conference schedule, once again, has some tough opponents, including our opener against Case Western, who made it to the Division III Sweet 16 last year, and a pretty tough tournament at Western New England against some really good competition. We also have a few more non-conference home games this year, which will give our fans the chance to see us early in the season," said McGreal. "In AMCC play, we'll be looking to hopefully get back in contention for a championship, which is our goal every year. Hopefully this group can put it together and make it happen."