The Allegheny men’s basketball team has a new face at the helm, but expectations are still high after making it to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship a season ago. With the new season here, Head Coach Josh Clemens said he is ready for the opportunity.
“I’m very excited,” Clemens said. “Coming off a great season last year, we hope to continue that. It’s a strong group expecting to be pretty good.”
Clemens spent the last decade at Paul Smith’s College in New York. Working as a student-athlete, assistant and then head coach with the Bobcats, Clemens comes in with experience, and Athletic Director Bill Ross stated during a press release in late August that the college is fortunate to have a quality coach lead the team this year.
Allegheny is off to a tough start, however, dropping their first game of the season against Fredonia 112-97. Leading the way for the Blue and Gold was Ryan Lang, ’26, with 20 points. Despite six Gators putting up double figures in the point department, the Blue Devils shot a marvelous 67.7% from the floor, including going 12-of-18 from deep to give them the edge.
If Allegheny wants to be successful this year, it will have to be without Caden Hinckley, ’23. The former All-PAC center inked a deal with A.S.D. Canusium Basket, a Serie C club under the umbrella of Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro, in Italy during the offseason. He was instrumental to both sides of the ball last year for the Gators, and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. But, the team is looking ahead to create something new for this campaign.
“We don’t need a superstar,” Clemens said. “Last year they had a great group of guys that was led by someone with the defensive capability of Caden. This year we’re going to ask to be by committee — it’s any given night.”
Despite losing one of their impact players, Allegheny is still bringing back loads of talent. Four of the five starters from the 2022-23 season will make their return, and the team is led by five seniors who have established a veteran presence in the locker room.
One of the upperclassmen includes Andre Wilder, ’24, who was named as an All-PAC player last year. Wilder burst onto the scene a year ago, becoming a regular starter. Averaging over 15 points and almost nine rebounds a game during his junior stint, Wilder’s rousing abilities helped account for the Gators to lead the PAC and represent the top 25 throughout all of Division III basketball in scoring.
In addition, they brought in another six-foot eight-inch talent in Zion Barksdale, ’27. A local product, Barksdale grew up in Meadville and attended Cathedral Prep High School off the corner of West 10th St. in Erie. While he is still young, the rookie is looking to give a sprinkle of hometown magic to the team.
“One of the OG’s, I like to call them the old guys from Meadville, yesterday told me the neighborhood is behind me,” Barksdale said. “They’re rooting for me. It just means a lot to know that I have my city supporting me and I’m going to do whatever I can do.”
The first four contests of the year are on the road. Allegheny will head north this weekend to compete in the Hawks Against Hunger Tip-Off Tournament, before taking on Grove City in the Wolverines’ den on Nov. 15. Their first minutes of action in the friendly confines of James H. Mullen Jr. Arena will take place on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. as the Gators match wits and lock horns with the Bethany Bison.
Last year, Allegheny led the conference in attendance inclduing during the playoff run they put together. One can expect the bedlam fans encompassed last year to be fruitful once again.
The culture of this team has been growing, and the tradition of winning that Allegheny has fostered throughout its history has come storming back with the groundwork laid down by former head coach Bob Simmons.
Clemens said that it is easy to have a good culture when the team is winning. His emphasis this year is how the Gators will handle the lows. Mistakes are a part of the game, and making sure they do not compound in order to get back on good runs will be crucial.
The success Allegheny found a season ago has not been prevalent in recent times. The Gators put together its first 20-win season last year since the 1997-98 trial, and it was just their third season above the .500 marker this century.
The leaps and bounds of improvement showcased what this team is capable of. The overall picture is bright, and Allegheny has their sights set on one target.
“Our team goals haven’t changed much from last year,” Lang said. “We want to get back to the championship and get a win in that game.”
