Lexington, Ky. – After a season unlike any other, the Transylvania men's basketball team arrives for the 2021-22 season ready to make its mark on a new campaign.

Against a series of logistical challenges levied by the pandemic, Transylvania competed in 17 games in the 2020-21 season, an achievement in itself. The colorful, and at times, unpredictable season tipped off in December 2020 with five consecutive Division I games against teams from Kentucky, including back-to-back season-opening contests at Morehead State, a weekend clash at Eastern Kentucky, a holiday excursion to Murray State, and finally a New Year's Day date at Bellarmine.

The unique schedule led into a staggered Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference slate which featured cancellations and postponements, two games against some teams, and no games against others. But the Pioneers weathered every variable and challenge to furnish a 7-3 record in the regular season against their HCAC foes, eventually making their way back to the HCAC Championship Game where they were outpunched by the Franklin Grizzlies, 73-54.

Though the season ended on a sour note, the Pioneers looked back at a miracle season that not many other teams had, one which offered a variety of competition and the ability to achieve closure and write one final stanza for a memorable senior class.

Approaching a new horizon, Transylvania enters this season aiming for its fourth consecutive HCAC Championship Game appearance and what would be its second conference title in three years, fielding a compelling mixture of veterans and newcomers.

"We have played at a level for the last three seasons that has become our new standard," espouses Lane on the eve of the 2021-22 season. "We strive not only to be a top program in the HCAC, but also nationally and I think the last few teams have been able to re-establish that ethos that our best teams in the past have held."

LAST SEASON

8-9 overall, 8-3 vs. Division III teams, HCAC Tournament Runner-Up, Lucas Gentry named Conference Most Valuable Player

KEY LOSSES

Michael Jefferson, guard, Lucas Gentry, guard, Dominique Turner, forward, Gavin Root, guard, Will Sivills, guard, Will Anderson, forward
 

RETURNING PIONEERS

Zach Larimore, Sr., guard, Brandon Cromwell, Sr., guard, Jack Patton, Sr., guard, Aiden Pashley, Sr., guard, Luke Schroeder, Jr., center, JD Marshall, Sr., center, Simon Smith, Soph., forward, Ethan Hudson, Soph., guard, Matthew Jones, Sr., guard, Jaylan Green, Soph., guard, Cameron King, Sr., guard

NEWCOMERS

Matthew Teague, guard, La Grange, Ky. (Oldham County HS), Alex Madson, guard, Lexington, Ky. (Lafayette HS), Zach Stahlman, guard, Prospect, Ky. (Trinity HS), Cam Gregg, guard, Rossville, Ga. (Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe HS), Colby Napier, guard, Hindman, Ky. (Knott County Central HS), Hunter Penn, forward, Versailles, Ky. (Woodford County HS)

A NEW FOUNDATION

The winds of change have transformed a key nucleus from the last three years into a roster with new lead actors lining the stage as the Pioneers have bid adieu to Jostens Trophy Finalist and All-HCAC First Team guard Michael Jefferson, and 2021 HCAC Player of the Year Lucas Gentry. But a new generation of high-level performers waits in the wings ready to steer the Pioneers ahead, led by senior forward Zach Larimore and junior wing Brandon Cromwell.

As one of the centerpieces of Transylvania's climb back to HCAC prominence, Larimore brings an assortment of star qualities to the Pioneers in his final campaign: the Oldham County product led the team in minutes last year and finished second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game, adding a shade under five rebounds per game while expanding his offensive repertoire as a 40 percent shooter from three-point land last season.

Cromwell is an emerging two-way talent who adds a powerful punch to bridge the gap from one Pioneer generation to the next. Entering last season, Cromwell was coming off an electric freshman season in 2020-21 before tearing his ACL in the second game of the season at Morehead State, piercing Transylvania's three-dimensional attack and cutting short a potential breakout season for the then-sophomore.

Now a junior, Cromwell arrives ready for tip-off from day one, aiming to pick up from where he left off as a freshman who shot 47 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

Jack Patton presents another ballhandling guard for the Pioneers that Lane will count upon to steady the offense while veterans Aiden Pashley and JD Marshall are more resources with years of experience that the Pioneers can count upon during gritty gametime situations.

As a new roster takes shape ahead of the season, Lane inventories of a bevy of talent, one with new faces molded upon a steady foundation. "Going into the offseason, we learned that we were losing a significant amount of scoring and that we needed to do two things," recounts Lane. "One was to get our returning players to buy into the amount of time they needed to spend in the offseason with our full-time strength coach, Zach Turner. Secondly, we knew early on that we needed to recruit an exceptional class of incoming players that would be ready to play their first year."  

WINGS UP FOR VEGAS

Each season brings along a new band of brothers, a new identity, and a nonconference schedule which entails a varying dose of adventure in an oscillating geographic direction. The hallmark of the 2021-22 nonconference schedule is Transylvania's return to the D3Hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, a de facto basketball convention at the South Point Resort Arena which brings together the best teams in Division III basketball from every corner of the country during the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Out in the Entertainment Capital of the World, the Pioneers will take part in two marquee events: a nonconference contest with Saint Joseph (Conn.) on December 28 and a battle against Concordia-Moorhead on December 30.

The matchup with Saint Joseph will pit Coach Lane against one of the most storied peers he has ever faced in his 21 years as a head coach in Jim Calhoun. The former UConn men's basketball head coach who led the Huskies to national championships in 1999, 2004, and 2011 has spent the twilight of his illustrious career building a Saint Joseph program from scratch over the past half-decade, forming a fascinating coaching clash in Vegas.

"With 917 wins going into the season, Coach Calhoun is clearly one of the best in our profession," adds Lane. "He sits in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame alongside former Transy coach C.M. Newton. It will be an exciting game for our players."

In addition to exposure to nationally-acclaimed teams, the Pioneers' first trip to Las Vegas in eight seasons provides Transylvania with added benefits in making the westward trek. "The last trip our program took to Las Vegas, we played a team that was gunning for the longest winning streak in school history to start the season," adds Lane. "This year, we have an opportunity to play a top-10 team with a hall-of-fame coach. These types of events have been very important to the success of our teams in the past. Playing outside of our region and traveling across the country to play games has given our players in the past some of their fondest memories."

The formative trip to Las Vegas serves as a springboard into the majority of the HCAC conference schedule, resuming on January 2 at Manchester University.

FROM CHEMISTRY TO CHAMPIONSHIP

With a standard of consistent championship contention established over the past three seasons, the Pioneers forge into a new season with pieces old and new prepared to continue the tradition while raising the bar. Transylvania heads into opening night on Monday, November 15 at Centre College still forging a new identity as its collection of talent takes shape. Though much of the Pioneer assortment features new faces and skill sets, the team has quickly acclimated to one another's intensity and embraced it through preseason and training camp.

"This team has an unbelievable rapport with one another," adds Lane. "They get along on and off the court as well as any team I have coached at Transy. They challenge each other in practice and have outstanding leadership, so we enter the season with a high level of confidence even though we have some unanswered questions."

With Cromwell and Larimore forming the veteran nucleus of the Pioneers, sophomore sharpshooters like Simon Smith, Ethan Hudson, and Jaylan Green also serve as potential contributors as the season marches forward.

A loaded newcomer class completes a picture which, while not yet fully formed, proves to be another talent-laden team which has its sights set on peaking for the stretch run of the 2021-22 campaign.

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