After its 2020-21 regular season was cancelled due to COVID-19, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team is more eager than ever to get back on the court this season for a full intercollegiate schedule of games.

"After taking a full year off from competing in a regular season, the anticipation for this year is different," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal, who is entering his fifth season leading the men's basketball program. "We're just excited to get back to a full slate of games, both conference and non-conference."

In 2019-20, the Lions posted a 16-12 overall record, including going 11-9 in the AMCC. That year's team reached the semifinal round of the conference playoff tournament and also earned its fourth-ever berth to play in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Division III Championship Tournament. As Penn State Altoona heads into the 2021-22 season, the team will look to a combination of returners from the 2019-20 squad and new talent added to the roster since then to help take the program to the next level.

Back from the 2019-20 season are senior guard/forward Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge), senior guard Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge), senior forward/center Dominic Frucella (Duncansville, PA/Hollidaysburg), and junior guard Alex McClellan (York, PA/West York).

Harman and Hicks were both highlighted as "Players to Watch" in the 2021 AMCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, which also saw the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team picked to finish in fourth place in the conference this year. Harman is coming off of a 2019-20 season in which he was voted the AMCC Newcomer of the Year and was also a second team all-conference selection. He finished top 10 individually in several statistical categories within the AMCC that season, including ranking second in steals (50), third in blocks (48), fourth in rebounds (226), fifth in rebounds per game (8.1), and sixth in points (411). Meanwhile, Hicks was sixth in the AMCC that season in points per 40 minutes (22.9) and ninth in three-pointers made (51).

Frucella appeared in 14 games in 2019-20, his first season with Penn State Altoona after transferring to the program, and is expected to get additional minutes in the paint this year. McClellan saw time in all 28 games in his freshman year, averaging 12.7 minutes per game and connecting on 24 three-pointers.

"From our 2019-20 team, we return a decent nucleus. We bring back Druw, the reigning AMCC Newcomer of the Year, and Robbie also returns after taking last year off due to COVID," said McGreal. "Alex was also a big part of the 2019-20 team as a freshman and has improved a lot, and Dom will provide leadership and timely minutes, as well."

In addition to the returners from the 2019-20 season, Penn State Altoona also welcomes back five sophomores who gained some experience during the Lions' seven-date Spring 2021 exhibition schedule: guards Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/Scotland Prep) and Chris Jarosz (Toronto, ON/Andrews Osborne Academy), guard/forward Casey Parkins (Laurel, MD/Atholton), and forwards Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) and Gershon Simon (Johnstown, PA/Greater Johnstown). The team also brings back forward Y'shua Bragg (Pittsburgh, PA/Carrick), who will be seeing his first action since appearing in 25 games and averaging 6.8 points per game during the 2018-19 season.

"We have added some really talented pieces in the last two years. This includes Jahmar, who was our leading scorer in the COVID-shortened year, Casey, who also provides a scoring punch from the wing, and Mason, who is an all-around solid player," said McGreal. "Those guys all played and gained experience in our short spring season."

Penn State Altoona rounds out its roster with six first-year players. Leading the group of newcomers are a pair of junior college transfers, junior guard Saivon Word (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) and junior center Jarrett Gardner (Live Oak, FL/Suwannee). Word joins the Lions from Allegany College of Maryland, while Gardner transferred to the program from Florida Gateway College.

"We've added some depth and experience by bringing in two junior college players," said McGreal. "Saivon will provide an immediate impact at the guard position, and Jarrett will prove to be an immediate presence in the paint."

The Lions' other four newcomers are freshmen, guards Varun Ajjarapu (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) and KeJahn Rainey (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac), forward Jalen Ruston (Upper Marlboro, MD/Wise), and center PJ Charles (Altoona, PA/Altoona).

"Adding to our depth at the post position is PJ, the local product who had a great career at Altoona Area High School," stated McGreal. "Also transferring in from Coast Guard as a freshman is Varun, who will be a steady presence at the guard position and add timely shooting."

The Lions will test their mettle with a tough schedule that consists of some challenging non-conference opponents, in addition to the team's usual competitive AMCC lineup.

"This year's schedule is one of the toughest since I've been here. We play some really strong schools that have national tournament aspirations, leading off with Washington and Lee out of the ODAC. We'll also face Salisbury, a national contender in just about every sport, and we'll head down to Daytona Beach in December for a classic hosted by Brockport State, who won their league and went to the national tournament two years ago," McGreal explained. "We will also play some perennially solid regional non-conference teams in Washington & Jefferson, Juniata, and Misericordia. All of that is in addition to the national tournament-level teams that we have to face in our own conference, including Behrend, Medaille, and La Roche."

McGreal believes that the strength of men's basketball within the AMCC has grown significantly and continues to get better. As his team gets into the meat of its conference schedule this season, the coach knows that each opponent will provide a bigger challenge than ever before.

"We feel that the AMCC is going to be tougher, including because of the addition of some new coaches," he said. "I'm really excited to see how each team has improved since 2020, and we're excited to take it to the next level."

That "next level" is Penn State Altoona's team mantra this season. The Lions have grown as a basketball program and experienced some key successes over the past several seasons, but now McGreal wants to see his team take the next step.

"We've finished in fourth place in the conference, we've made the semifinals in the tournament, but now we want to take it to the next level," he explained. "We're excited about the opportunity to possibly get past the semifinal round and compete for a conference championship in February."

Penn State Altoona men's basketball starts its 2021-22 schedule at home this Sunday, November 7, hosting non-conference opponent Washington and Lee University for a 2:00 p.m. game in the Adler Arena.