WILKES-BARRE – After a stellar Landmark Conference debut, the Wilkes University men's basketball team is set to begin their sophomore season this Friday, November 8 at the Ursinus College Tip-Off Tournament against Washington and Lee University. Head coach Izzi Metz begins his eleventh season as Colonel head coach.

"I know the guys are really excited," Metz said of the energy within the team. "We've had a few weeks of really good practice and a couple of scrimmages behind us now, and guys are excited to play someone else!"

Last season, Wilkes reached the semifinals of the Landmark Conference Tournament but fell to Catholic University in overtime, 88-93. They finished the year 19-8 overall with an 11-7 record in Landmark play.
14 student-athletes will don the navy and gold this season, with the roster comprised of one graduate student, one senior, four juniors, three sophomores, and five first-years.

Graduate student Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) was one of the defensive anchors on a team that allowed the least points per game in the Landmark Conference (67.3). Zvorsky led the team in steals with 46 and had the third most rebounds on the team (131), with 87 of them being on the defensive glass. Offensively, he averaged 7.6 points per game, the fourth-most on the team.

Senior Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) was named Second Team All-Landmark in 2023-24 and averaged a career-high 15.1 ppg (sixth in the Landmark Conference). The senior proved to be one of the Colonels' most dangerous shooters beyond the arc with a team-high 50 three pointers and the team's second-highest three-point percentage at .360, while dishing out the second most assists on the team with 81.

Junior forward Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) also earned Second Team All-Landmark recognition last season, and was the Colonels' top scorer averaging 16.9 ppg, the fourth-best mark in the conference. Lesko was also second on the team from beyond the arc with 47 three pointers and contributed the third-most blocks in the conference with 39 on the defensive end. He is joined by guards Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) and Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) who each set new career scoring highs with averages of 7.3 and 4.1 ppg respectively. Rounding out the junior quartet is Matthew Ward (Carlisle, PA/Big Spring), who joins the Colonels after two seasons at Swarthmore College. In two seasons with the Garnet, Ward averaged 3.9 minutes per game and had 18 points and 22 total rebounds.

"He's coming from a top twenty nationally ranked program, so (he) knows what big games look like," Metz said of Ward. "He's stepped in and seamlessly blended in with our guys and can stretch the floor a little bit, shoot the ball, and plays tough on both ends."

Sophomore forward Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) saw action in 21 games in his first year, snagging 50 rebounds and posting 37 points. Guards Drew Sechleer (White Haven, Pa./Crestwood) and Travis Linn (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) shined from beyond the arc in limited playtime, with Linn going perfect with four triples and six rebounds in ten games and Sechleer hitting five of his own with four assists in nine games of play.

"(Lesko) and (Merrifield) have a lot of big game experience, they complement each other well," Metz said of his returning group. "We're also really excited to have Zvorsky back, the leadership, the toughness, his prowess on both ends of the court."

"We're excited about the returning group, and we certainly think that they're going to fuel us moving forward."

First year guards Brian Britton (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia), Brendan Styer (Chesterbrook, PA/Conestoga), and Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) along with forwards Mason Fedor (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) and Issac Thomas (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Blue Mountain) round out the Colonel roster with depth.

"Those guys assimilated nicely so far into the culture of the program, and we're excited about all of them," Metz said. "We think at some point this year and down the road they're going to help us. The returners have been really welcoming to those guys and we're excited."

Wilkes starts the season with four straight road games, including their opening game of conference play against the University of Scranton on November 20. They then welcome Catholic to the Marts Center for their first home game of the year in a Landmark semifinal rematch on November 23. After a pair of non-conference games, the team will face Lycoming College at home on December 4 and travel to Juniata College on December 7, and close out their non-conference schedule with games against King's College (Dec. 30) and Muhlenberg College (Jan. 4).

From there, the Colonels hit the heart of Landmark play with 14 conference matchups, including a stop at the Palestra to face Elizabethtown on January 12.

"Coming into the league last year with teams not knowing us, and us not knowing as well as we should have maybe about certain teams, now I think that honeymoon phase is over," Metz said.

"It's an 18-game grind, there's no other way to put it. Every game has got the same amount of importance and it's a long season, but that's what we signed up for and we're looking forward to it."