MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The 2022-23 Millersville men's basketball season is all about opportunity, or rather, who will seize the opportunity? The Marauders are talented, but young and unproven. The team that takes the court on Nov. 11 at Virginia State will look far different from the team that Millersville fans had grown accustomed to over the previous four years in both personnel and style of play. The familiar Caden Najdawi, James Sullivan and Khari Williams graduated and took with them multiple All-PSAC East honors and 1,000-point careers. Point guard Jaden Faulkner, a two-time All-PSAC East selection as well, will miss the entire 2022-23 season rehabbing from offseason knee surgery.

Losing four starters and four All-PSAC East honorees creates a vacuum for production and leadership. The program is coming off its first PSAC East title since 2007 and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, so the new challenge is sustaining success. It isn't as if the Marauders are bereft of talent. Justin Nwosu is a three-year starter five points shy of 1,000. Mekhi Hendricks started at point guard two seasons ago and averaged over 10 points per game. Ryan Davis is a fourth-year player who has not only scored 20-plus points in games against PSAC East competition but has also been a PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week. Matt Dade, a 6-6 junior transfer from West Chester, was an All-PSAC East Second Team selection last season after averaging 12.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. There's sophomore guard Jahme Ested, who made big plays in Millersville's crucial road wins at East Stroudsburg and West Chester. They've all played meaningful minutes and been productive at a high level. But now it's on them to shoulder the load and mentor the young players as they were once led by the likes of Najdawi, Sullivan, Williams and D'Marco Suggs. This is now their team and their time to make the most of new opportunities.

"What we have to do after losing a lot of guys from a special group on and off the court is learn from them," said head coach Casey Stitzel. "The players have to take the example from the older guys who have been around—some of the best players and leaders we've had here. How quickly can they learn to go from a talented team to a winning team is the big key. It's going to take time because the one thing a coach can't give players is experience. They have to learn how to fail and adjust to that themselves."

While there is experience in a group that includes Hendricks, Ested, Davis, Nwosu, Dade and Cal U transfer Dylin Borden, Millersville will need significant contributions from players with tremendous promise but have not yet had the opportunity to showcase it. J.D. Gross redshirted last season, and Drew Stover played sparingly as a freshman, mostly late in games that were well in hand. Stitzel is high on the freshman class, and Keith Mency, Jacob Aryee, Daysjuan Waters, Jordan Nkoa Abesselo, Joseph Grab and Ethan Pires will all provide depth. The talent is there. It's now a matter of channeling that talent into wins. That isn't an automatic.

This is where Stitzel really needs Hendricks, Nwosu and Davis to star—picking up the leadership mantle and be an example of consistency and resiliency during the grind of the PSAC schedule.

"We expect those guys to learn from what we accomplished last year and show the young guys the way," said Stitzel. "That's always the progression for young players as we've gone through a rebuild and now trying to keep the success going. How do you go from a talented player to a winning player? That means you have to bring it every day. That's all our young players. They are figuring out what they need to do to go from the guy who has a great practice to consistently really good at both ends of the court with defense and rebounding."
 
With new personnel, Millersville will need to alter the way they've defended and scored for the past three seasons. This team doesn't have a bouncy 6-8 center like Najdawi blocking shots at the rim. This team doesn't have Sullivan, who could single-handedly eliminate the opponent's top guard. This team doesn't have Faulkner driving and creating. But this team has its own sets of strengths, particularly, shooting, versatility, and athleticism.

Nwosu embodies these strengths, and it really feels like he is primed for a standout season. A starter from day one on campus, Nwosu has been the high-end role player the Marauders have needed, provided physicality on defense, rebounding and double-figuring scoring. He's been consistent, yet ever improving. His rebounding and 3-point shooting have improved each season. Had he not been surrounded by four All-PSAC East players, he'd very likely already have a couple of those honors himself. Nwosu averaged just under 10 points per game last season, but he had only the fourth-most shot attempts on the team. Two season ago, when Faulkner was injured, Nwosu averaged nearly 14 points per game. Stitzel expects the Marauders to press more often this season, and Nwosu is one of the reasons why. His length and athleticism shrink passing lanes, and he is one of the best transition finishers in the PSAC.

"Justin, in my opinion, is an all-conference talent," said Stitzel. "We are looking for him to take the next step. He is just a great kid. He had a great end of the season last year, and he's picked up where he left off."

Davis is another versatile wing looking to turn flashes of brilliance into an all-conference season. He enters his fifth season in the program but has played just two because of a redshirt and COVID-19. Davis is a capable scorer but playing behind All-PSAC East players, he's been limited to just 15 minutes per game over the first 62 games of his career. However, Davis has all the makings of a double-figure scorer. He shot 48.3% from the field on 120 attempts and sank 76.2% of his free throws. He creates problems on defense with his length. Even in limited minutes, he recorded 32 steals and blocked 11 shots. The Marauders saw a glimpse of what Davis can be. He played over 23 minutes just twice last season, but in those two games, he averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 points and recorded three steals in a block.

"Ryan Davis has really taken a step that we've been looking for him to make," said Stitzel.

A new addition to the Marauders' front court is no stranger to the PSAC East, and he'll immediately give the Marauders a boost on offense and on the glass. Matt Dade is a 6-5 forward who scored in double-figures 20 times as a sophomore for West Chester in 2021-22. Stitzel saw him up close twice last season, and while the Marauders won both games, Dade scored 12 points in both games, made 12-of-14 free throws and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game. Dade recorded 12 double-doubles last season.

"Anytime you can bring in a guy who has had double-doubles in the PSAC, that's a huge asset," said Stitzel. "He comes from a good program. He's a great kid with a great family. He can pass, drive it, shoot. He's fit right into our culture which has been cool to see. He works hard every day. Coming in from a rival, he knew he had to win these guys over. He's got a chance to be one of the better players in the PSAC if he keeps working hard."
At guard, Hendricks returns to the starting lineup after a season as the Marauders' sixth man. He came to Millersville as a walk on but earned a place on the team as some instant offense off the bench. In 2019-20, he took over at point guard with Faulkner injured. Hendricks shot nearly 38% from three, 80% from the line and averaged 10.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. He unselfishly returned to the bench with Faulkner healthy in 2021-22 but still shot 47.3% perfect from the field and drilled 49.2% of his 3-point attempts. He helped save the day with 20 points in an overtime win at Mansfield, and his importance to the team was no more evident that in the PSAC Tournament win over West Chester. The Marauders started sluggishly, but Hendricks sparked the team to a come-from-behind win by scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting with three steals.  

"Mekhi is rock solid," said Stitzel. "He gives us outside shooting and some playmaking, which we'll need. He's been great as a player and as a leader in practice."

Ested takes over at point guard after averaging 8.4 minutes per game in 29 games last season. He'll be in a new position at the team's primary ballhandler and shouldering an increased burden for scoring and shot creation. What Millersville learned from Ested in 2021-22 was that he never backed down from the moment. He played his best against Millersville's toughest competition. He scored 11 points against Cal U, an NCAA Tournament team. His second-half performance at East Stroudsburg was a significant reason why the Marauders won that game. Ested also scored clutch buckets late in the second half at West Chester—a place where historically the Marauders rarely win.

"Jahme's biggest challenge is learning how to score while also making others better," said Stitzel. "That was something that Jaden and James (Sullivan) mastered. 'I can still get you 20, but I can have that game where my shot isn't going in, but I'll get you eight, nine assists with one or two turnovers.' He's figuring it out. Most young guards and scoring guards in high school so they have to learn how to do both. We have high hopes for him and believe he's going to be a really good player."

Ested is also benefiting from Faulkner's presence on the bench as a de facto coach. Faulkner has always been revered for his basketball IQ, and he's imparting that to Ested.

"He's got a great mentor," said Stitzel. "Even though Jaden isn't playing, he's mentoring Jahme and coaching him up, and there is no one better to learn from."

Borden provides valuable experience at point guard as well, having been a part of an NCAA Tournament team at Cal U, and he's an outstanding student-athlete, earning PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors three times. His first two seasons at Cal U were wiped out from a redshirt and the COVID-19 season, but he played in 26 games last year.

Stitzel also has high hopes for Gross and Stover. Millersville fans early to Pucillo Gymnasium certainly saw Gross' slam dunk exhibitions during warm-ups. Standing 6-2, Gross is explosive, and he often put on a show in practices last season. A season of learning Stitzel's system helped Gross significantly. '

"Gross is as talented a player as we have," said Stitzel. "If you watched practice last year and I asked you to pick out the most talented players, even on a 25-win team, he'd be right there. He's got all the athletic ability in the world. His jumper has gotten better. The game has slowed down for him from a mental side."

While Gross has worked to merge his athleticism with a developing game, center Drew Stover came to Millersville with a refined game and spent the offseason dropping 30 pounds to become quicker and stronger. Stover had little chance of seeing the floor as a true freshman behind Najdawi and Suggs. But when he did, he was impression. With soft touch and an array of post moves, Stover made 17-of-20 shots. He played the entire second half against Penn State Brandywine and totaled 17 points and seven boards in 20 minutes. He played eight minutes at Bloomsburg and carved up the Huskies for 10 points and three rebounds. Stover has the skillset that can make him the fulcrum of an offense.

"Drew is as talented a post player as I've coached, and I've been blessed to have some good ones," said Stitzel. "What he did for himself this offseason was he got into really good shape. He's moving better. He has a super high IQ. Even early last year, going up against two fifth-year seniors in practice last year, you knew it wasn't too fast for him. He has a nice feel. He can shoot the three. He's added that to his game. He's such a good passer, so if teams bring a double on him, he'll be able to get guys open for shots. We expect him to take a really big step this year."
Millersville's freshman class should provide help with ball-handling and scoring.

"It's a really talented group," said Stitzel. "Keith Mency will give us some help at the point guard position. Jacob Aryee is as talented as a freshman as I've recruited here. Waters is super talented from a big-time league in D.C. Jordan had an A10 offer last fall. He's just learning how to play in our system. Ethan Pires is as a good a shooter as I've coached here. At some point this year, we are going to need them to play. We are a lot younger. That's the biggest challenge—getting these guys to know what it takes to be successful in the PSAC. They are working toward it every day. Hopefully, by the time conference play comes, we'll be ready to go."

The Marauders won't be easing into the season, either. The opener is at Virginia State—a team two seasons removed from an NCAA Tournament appearance. One day later, the Marauders get Virginia Union, a team that went 23-7 last season and is nationally ranked to start the season. Millersville and Virginia Union played a double-overtime thriller in Pucillo Gymnasium last season. After playing Mercyhurst twice in the postseason and IUP in the PSAC Championship game last season, the Marauders get both teams at Pucillo Gymnasium during winter break. The toughest stretch of the season comes in February when the Marauders play at East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg and West Chester in three-game stretch.