WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.—The Lycoming College men's basketball team was picked 10th in the Landmark Conference preseason coaches poll, as announced by the conference office on Friday, Nov. 7.
Fresh off a run to the NCAA Quarterfinals, Catholic was tabbed as the preseason favorite, with 79 points and seven first-place votes. Susquehanna took second with 65 points and two first-place votes, with Wilkes right behind them at 62 points and the remaining first-place pick.
The middle of the conference saw Moravian earn 59 points, inching out defending champion Drew, picked fifth with 58 points. The bottom half of the poll is made up of Scranton (39 points), Elizabethtown (30), Goucher (28), Juniata (17), and Lycoming (13).
The Warriors return four starters from 2024-25. The squad is headlined by the two leading scorers from last season: junior Hayden Pardoe (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain), fresh off averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest, and senior Isaiah Valentine (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area), who averaged 14.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a season ago.
A third double-digit scorer in junior Connor Shanahan (Chester Springs, Pa. / Downingtown East) is back after posting 10.1 points and 2.3 rebounds a night, plus senior JJ Beagle (Williamsport, Pa. / Williamsport Area) returns to the court after his 2024-25 season was cut short after two games. A force in the paint, Beagle averaged 9.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 block per game during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Warriors will tip off the season later tonight, Nov. 7 in the Alfred Tip-Off Tournament, taking on Alfred University on the road at 6 p.m. Lycoming will open the home slate on Wednesday, Nov. 12, against Keuka College at 7 p.m.
