The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team is coming off a successful 2024-25 season, in which the Lions compiled an 18-10 overall record, including going 12-4 within the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The team reached the AMCC championship game last February and fell just shy of victory.

Head coach David McGreal, who is embarking on his ninth season with the program, hopes his squad can make another run to seal the deal this year.

"Our team motto this year is 'finish,' and our goal is exactly that: to hopefully finish as AMCC champs," he said. "The road is a little tougher than we imagined coming into the year with the loss of key players from last year's team. But we're very confident in our returners who did return to use their experience, along with their knowledge of the system, to help elevate their games to offset what we've lost."

Leading Penn State Altoona's crop of returners are senior guard Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) and junior forward Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George), who were both tabbed as "Players to Watch" in the 2025-26 AMCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, in which the Lions were voted third. Claar started all 28 games last season and ranked second in the conference in free throw percentage (83.6), sixth in steals (46) and three-point field goal percentage (38.7), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8), and ninth in steals per game (1.6). Frye's first year with the program last winter was a good one, as he finished third in the league in field goal percentage (59.0), 18th in field goals made (128), and 19th in points (325) while catching fire during the AMCC Tournament, averaging 23.3 points per game in the Lions' three playoff contests. Both players were All-Tournament picks at the conclusion of the conference postseason.

"We're expecting a big year from Kaden. He's got to be a little more aggressive and offensive-minded, and so far in the preseason, he has shown that," McGreal said. "Nehemiah looks to pick up where he left off from his dominant performance in the conference tourney. This season, we need him to rebound a little bit more with the makeup of this year's roster."

McGreal also highlights a trio of juniors who are expected to make a significant impact this season: guard Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage), forward Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus), and guard/forward Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary).

"Mason started 23 games last year, and we need him to continue his tough play on defense and smart play on offense. With some improved shooting over the summer, we're looking for him to be more of a three-point weapon. Mike is probably one of the biggest keys to this season, sliding in to take over from Dwayne Jones, specifically on the defensive end and on the glass. We've asked him to pick up his scoring a little bit, as well, which he is showing signs of early on this fall," McGreal explained. "We're also hoping for a bounce-back year from Braelen, who had big moments his freshman year and had what he would say is a sophomore slump. He has been playing extremely well in the preseason."

McGreal is also excited about the addition of two transfers, sophomore guard Rasheed Daniels (Richmond, VA/Monacan), who transferred from Division II Emory & Henry University, and junior forward Aidan McCormack (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), who transferred from Division III Widener University.

"Rasheed is one of our new pickups in the offseason, a D-II transfer who we're expecting to be a big-time contributor eventually. Right now, he's sidelined due to injury, but we're expecting a lot out of him when he returns," stated McGreal. "Aidan is another transfer who is expected to make a splash with us this year. He was a highly touted player coming out of high school, and we're excited about him getting an opportunity to play at Penn State Altoona."

Additionally, McGreal points to several other returning players who he anticipates will see increased roles: junior guard Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium), senior forward Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll), sophomore forward Brendan Abell (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park), sophomore guard/forward Eli Sterling (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim), sophomore guard Teddy Mangan (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), and sophomore guard Jonathan Barkley (Accokeek, MD/Gwynn Park).

"Elliot is looking to regain his offensive form that we've seen flashes of in his first two years. His basketball IQ is an added bonus that will help both the reserves and the newcomers along," McGreal said. "Zion is our other senior, and he's one of the better shooting big men in the program, making more than 40 percent of his threes last year. With some improvements on defense and rebounding, he should play a role in our post depth this season."

"We also bring back some guys who are coming off a really successful varsity reserve season, in which they went 6-1. That includes returners like Brendan, Eli, and Teddy, who look to provide depth and energy in our rotation," McGreal continued. "Jonathan continues to show his uncanny ability to knock down shots in practice and scrimmages, and he looks to also play a role this year."

Rounding out the roster are two more transfers and four freshmen. The Lions welcome junior guard Sean Capers (Bronx, NY/Lyman), a transfer from Oakland City University, and sophomore guard Jalen Triplin (Altoona, PA/Altoona), a transfer from fellow AMCC team La Roche University, along with freshmen forwards Drew Escala (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) and Max Voyda (Homer City, PA/Homer-Center), freshman guard/forward JT Harman (Fredericksburg, VA/St. Michael the Archangel), and freshman guard Sean Martin (Leesburg, VA/Heritage).

"Sean Capers, a transfer junior point guard, brings experience and shooting ability at his position. Drew Escala is a big 6-foot-7 local from Tyrone who has shown the ability to rebound and defend in the post, and he will definitely see some time this year as a freshman," said McGreal. "Other newcomers include local point guard and La Roche transfer Jalen Triplin, Altoona legacy player JT Harman – the brother of former Lion great Andruw Harman – and Sean Martin, both of whom are wings from Virginia who look to have good careers here. Big man, sharp-shooting Max Voyda has the potential to be a really good player and make his mark in our program."

Penn State Altoona men's basketball gets its 2025-26 schedule underway with a challenging non-conference slate, beginning with Christopher Newport University at home on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. Other non-conference dates include matchups with Chatham University, a two-day tournament at SUNY-Oneonta, Penn College, Franciscan University, McDaniel College, the College of Wooster, and Regent University.

The Lions' 16-game AMCC schedule begins on the road Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Pitt-Greensburg.

"Our nonconference schedule is ridiculous. We'll just be looking for experience and team bonding," said McGreal. "Our sole goal is to finish as AMCC champs."