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'This team was more like a family'
By Derrick Stilley
An impressive Penn State Altoona basketball season, led by coach David McGreal, ended with an 84-61 loss to La Roche in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship.
Though this team fell short of its ultimate goal of winning a championship, it will be remembered for its achievements.
n Dewayne Jones won defensive player of the year;
n Savion Word was a first-team all-conference guard;
n PJ Charles was a second-team all-conference center;
n Andruw Harman was a second-team guard/forward;
n Mason Bush was awarded third-team forward.
The Lions finished with an overall record of 17-9 while being 12-2 vs. conference opponents.
While totaling a league-leading 17 assists per game, this team was more like a family than a team, not just playing with, but for each other.
This season was special to McGreal and the players.
"I think a lot had to do with the senior class," said McGreal, which consists of Harman, Word, Robbie Hicks and Alex McClellan.
Word spoke to the team's resilience and family atmosphere.
"We went through adversity and stuck with each other through the hard times," Word said.
After starting slowly, losing three of four to mostly out-of-conference teams, the Lions quickly rallied and tallied off a 10-game win streak.
"That upperclassmen leadership kind of took over," McGreal said. This team's mindset led to this being the only season Altoona reached the AMCC championship game.
Two seniors, Hicks and Harman, passed the 1000-point mark in their careers this season.
"It gave me a sense of pride," McGreal said.
Hicks and McGreal both graduated from Rockledge High School in Florida so this moment meant more to them.
"I came up 10 points short in high school of 1000 points so I wanted this achievement," Hicks said.
Along with this, Hicks became the winningest player in PSU Altoona basketball history with 60 wins.
"Woah... honestly I didn't even know that stat, I think that shows what coach McGreal's been able to do for Altoona more than myself. I'm thankful for him," Hicks said.
With such an accomplished season, what could be next?
"The goal is to get to the national tournament," McGreal said. Charles is focused on coming back better than ever next year.
"I am going to become a better leader while also looking to improve my jump shot to become more of a threat," he said.
Charles is from Altoona and credits his on-court success to his coach and teammates.
Dylan Darkwah is also motivated to come back from his knee injury for next season.
"I have a chip on my shoulder, strictly business," said Darkwah. Other notable returnees include Jones (a Johnstown product), James Simples III and McClellan, who will be using his Covid year to return for his last season.
This season was memorable for the Altoona community. It ended up being one of the best basketball seasons for Altoona in recent history.
We'll see if McGreal and the team can take that next step they are starving to take.
Derrick Stilley is a Penn State Altoona student who covers Penn State Altoona basketball for The Altoona Collegian.