PITTSBURGH, PA - Last seaon was a wild one for the Redhawks. The team was young, and didn't have a single senior, but under the leadership of head coach, Hermie Carmichael, the team managed to defy the odds after some rocky games and make it to the AMCC Championship game. Althought the team did not emerge victorious, we're excited for what the team could do this season now that they've got some experience under their belt, and a team of experienced upper classman to lead the way. Let's dive in!
2021-22 Season
The La Roche Men's Basketball team ended their season last year with only 12 losses of 28 games played. The team showed their skill when they beat Pitt-Bradford 88-61 at the beginning of the season and again 91-78 later on. These victories are what the team hopes to continue to show as they start a brand new season with a new crew.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all wins for the men's team, they took losses to teams like Carnegie Mellon, Pitt Greensburg, and Penn State Altoona. Their first game against Carnegie Mellon was lost by one point, 103-102, in the final seconds. When they played Penn State Altoona, both times, they lost. The first time they lost 88-72 and the second time they lost 96-87. The Redhawks even had an unexpected loss to Hilbert when they played the team for the second time, once again losing by only a couple points.
The most shocking part of the 2021-22 season occurred during the AMCC tournaments. La Roche, not predicted to go far, made it to the semi finals against Penn State Altoona. As previously mentioned, they lost both of their games to Altoona during the season, but when it came to the semi final at the Junker Center, the Redhawks unexpectedly beat the team 95-63. They moved onto the Championship game, and even more surprisingly their opponent was Medaille. Medaille who had beaten the #1 seed, Penn State Behrend. In the end it was the #3 seed (La Roche) against the #4 seed Medaille. Many would have predicted with this being the matchup that the Redhawks would have a win on their hands as they had beaten the team earlier in the season. Unfortunately, the team cracked under the pressure and lost the game 71-70. It was yet another game lost by only a mere point. It's clear that the Redhawks men's team has some issues with performance consistency that need to improve before the upcoming season.
Lost Players
The Redhawks only lost one player this year, and it was to another college. Forward, Kadyn Hannah, was a critical player on the court for LRU. Hannah had a total of 156 total rebounds, 25 assists, 366 points, and 28.6 points per conference game all in his freshman year. His impressive stats alone are enough to prove his talent as a player, not to mention he was also named AMCC Newcomer of the Year (2021-22). We're curious to see who steps up to fill the gap that was left by Hannah transfering.
Players to Watch
Despite the loss of Kadyn Hannah, there is hope for the Redhawks. Players like Joe Pipilo, Devon Darrell, and Joe Starzynski will be key to the success of the Redhawks this season. Watching Pipilo on the court alone would be enough to see his ability, but his stats also reflect his effort. He has a total of 371 points and 13.7 points per game. Darrell, also an impressive player, has a total of 346 points and 103 assists. Starzynski recorded a total of 185 points in only 521 minutes of play for his freshman year. These three, especially Joe Pipilo, are expected to lead their team to what we hope are even more wins this upcoming season.
Teams to Keep an Eye On
Although, due to some inconsistencies, the Redhawks should watch out for all the AMCC teams, there are a few teams that will need to be kept a closer eye on than others.
Penn State Altoona, and Penn State-Behrend are big opponents to be on the lookout for as we approach the upcoming conference season. An important change to note this year in the AMCC is that Medaille is no longer part of the conference. The Mavericks have left and have become full members of the Empire 8 which is a conference made up of primarily Upstate New York institutions. This knocks off one team the Redhawks don't have to worry about this season, even if there is some unfinished business between the two teams.
A non-conference opponent that is important to note is Carnegie Mellon. Last season La Roche played them as their season opener and lost to them in overtime by a devastating one point. This season they'll be kicking things off with Carnegie Mellon again but this time, it'll take place on the Tartans' home court. Despite the unpredictability of their past season, we look forward to watching the team hit the court again, and hopefully look for another shot at the AMCC Championship.