Basketball team clones out roller coaster year
Mike Givler
Capital Times Staff
The men's basketball team at Penn
State Harrisburg has had its ups and downs
this season, however Coach Brad Markey
said the problem can be summed up in one
word-inexperience.
"Inexperience is a problem," Markey
said. "We have so many players who
haven't played college basketball before."
The Lions are fielding a team with
only three returning players and only eight
players on the roster. The team is 7-13
overall and 5-8 in district play, and must
finish .500 in the district to make the
playoffs. The Lions' three remaining
games are all district contests.
Markey credits the inexperience factor
to the nature of the institution, a two-year
college for juniors and seniors.
"Everybody we play has four years to
teach a program," Markey said. "We have
to start over every year with new kids."
Another problem Markey has found
with the Lions is inconsistency. He added
that this is the reason for the roller coaster
season.
"I think we're decent, then I think we're
awful, then I don't know what to think,"
Markey said. "We arc inconsistent because
of all of the new players."
Markey added that along with the
inconsistency comes a lack of offense. The
Lions have been averaging about eight
points less a contest than their opponents.
"We don't have enough guys who can
handle the ball and put the ball in the
basket,” Markey said.
One bright spot Markey pointed out
about this season was the Lions' three
game winning streak they posted. The
Lions beat Beaver, Wilmington, and
Miscricordia in late January, and Markey
said the game at Wilmington, their only
road victory to date, was a great win.
"Wilmington is a very talented team,
and to beat them by 17 on their home
court was really great," Markey said.
Another shining point in the season,
Markey said, has been the play of senior
Brian Gchris.
"Brian has surpassed everything we
thought he could do," Markey said. "We've
got a lot of production from him on the
floor."
Markey added that the two other
seniors, Mike Walts and James Truhe,
have been the most consistent players on
the team and have done a lot of things he
expected them to do.
The Lions have also been lighting it
PSH Lions snare new baseball coach
Mike Givler
Capital Times Staff
Penn State Harrisburg has selected
Wayne Geist to be the college's baseball
coach, replacing Gary Pritchard who retired
last June due to personal reasons.
Athletic Director Duane Crider said five
people were interviewed and Geist was the
"best match for the campus and the team."
Geist has not officially accepted the
position yet, but Crider said "everything is
okay."
Crider said Geist was selected by the
athletic organization and baseball players.
up from the free-throw line, shooting a
very impressive 77 percent, which puts
them fifth in the nation in that category.
Watts has been the main contributor to
this statistic, shooting 88.6 percent from
the charity stripe, placing him second in
Junior Tony Calo (33) fires a|
District II contest 71-48. (
Crider added that he felt it was 1
to have the players in on the dec);
"It was critical that the playe
with the interviews and the decisi
it is their team,” Crider said.
Lion pitcher Bob McDonald, (
players who was involved in the
said this coach could be a greal
the team.
"I think with the type of coa
chosen, we can be very compeliti
district," McDonald said. "Allj
now is fan support." I
Catcher Tim Gallagher, also
decision, agreed with McDonald
s A
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pass to a teammate during the Lion's game with Philadelphia Pharmacy. The Lions lost the
important
ision.
irs helped
ion, since
one of the
; decision,
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!tch we've
ive in the
1 we lack
in on the
that Gcist
the district and seventh in the nation
If the Lions do make the playoffs, they
will have to deal with another problem
their less-than-impressive road record. This
could be a big factor since the Lions
would be low-seeded and have to play road
&
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is what the team needs.
"He is a good aggressive coach,"
Gallagher said. "He plays aggressively and
I think we need to play that way."
"Last year we sat back and watched
things happen, and we got blown out,"
Gallagher added.
Gcist has coached American Legion
baseball teams in the Harrisburg area, as
well as basketball, softball and women's
field hockey. Gcist was also the head
groundskeeper for the Harrisburg Senators.
The baseball team is losing three
players from last year's roster: outfielder
John White, pitchcr/infieldcr Derek
CAPITAL TIMES Q ri DTC /lC
February 10, 1992 ijIUIV lij / JLD
games in the playoffs. However, Markey
said that anything can happen in the
"second season.”
"You can never count anyone out,"
Markey said. "We play a style of
basketball that can keep us in any game."
Slocum, and inl'icldcr Marshall Walters
The team compiled a 9-13 record last
year (3-4 in the district), and finished third
in the double-elimination district playoff
tournament in Wilmington, Del.
The fourth-seeded Lions lost to
Alvcrnia in the first round of the
tournament, but got by Misericordia in the
losers' bracket before bowing out to
Wilmington.
The Lions played games in Maryland
and Washington D.C. last year, and also
took a team trip to Cocoa Beach, Fla.
Photo by Mike Starkey
See Coach, page 16