Game 1

Transylvania (0-0, 0-0 HCAC) at Centre (0-1, 0-0 SAA)

Monday, November 13th, 2023 | 7:30 PM |Danville, Ky. (Alumni Gym)

Audio: none | Video | Live Stats

A SHORT TRIP SOUTH

Transylvania Men's Basketball tip-off their 2023-24 season with a short trip south to Danville, Kentucky to face Centre College. It's the second year in a row the Pioneers will begin the season on the road. 

LAST TIME OUT

Transylvania fell to Rose Hulman in the opening round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament 68-71 in Terre Haute. The Pioneers led by two points with 32 seconds to go but Rose Hulman scored five unanswered points to complete the comeback. Transy finished the season 14-12 overall and 11-7 in the HCAC.

FULL RECAP | BOX SCORE

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

Transy returns twelve players from last season's team, with their starting five all returning. Leading scorer from last season Jaylan Green returns for his senior season and finished last season with 14.2 points per game. Junior Colby Napier averaged almost 30 minutes per game last season and was second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game. His 60 made three point shots led all Transy scorers last season. 

Junior Hunter Penn finished last season with  a team 189 rebounds and 18 blocks and is poised to make an impact once defense on the glass again this season. Senior Simon Smith was second on the team in rebounds last season with 15 and averaged 9.4 points per game last season. Dakota Capps is back for his sophomore campaign and was second on the team in assists with 3.1 last season. Expect to see more of Matthew Teague this season, who started in seven games last year and gave Transy quality minutes off of the bench (608 total).

Transylvania was voted fourth in the 2023-24 HCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning two first place votes.

LOOKING AT THE COLONELS

Centre lost their opening game of the season at Asbury 63-72. The Eagles held the Colonels to 27 second half points to pull away with the 9 point win. Centre had three players finish with 10+ points in the loss. Chez Moore finished with 18 points in the season opener.

Centre struggled last season, finishing just 5-20 and 2-12 in the Southern Athletic Association. The Colonels are looking to get back to their winning ways as they haven't recorded a winning season since the 2019-20 season (24-5, 11-3).

Centre is led by Greg Mason who has been the head coach since 1999. He is 425-172 and ranks among the leaders of NCAA DIII Men's Basketball all-time winningest coaches with a career winning percentage of .712 heading into the 2023-24 season.

THE SERIES

Transylvania has dominated series dating back to 75-76 with a record of TU 40-Centre 23
 

	Result	Transy	Centre
1975-76	W
	W
1976-77
1977-78	W	64	61
	W	94	77
1978-79	L	60	77
	L	51	53
1979-80	W	85	70
	L	68	78
1980-81	W	66	63
	W	67	64
1981-82	L	64	66
	L	66	75
1982-83	W	74	65
	L	70	73
1983-84	W	69	53
	W	57	53
1984-85	W	86	73
	L	62	68
1985-86
1986-87
1987-88	W	89	70
	W	89	84
1988-89	L	70	85
	W	84	78
1989-90	W	84	75
	W	80	77
1990-91	L	84	85
	W	82	79
1991-92	W	74	71
	W	82	62
1992-93	L	72	81
	L	69	81
1993-94	W	90	79
	W	78	73
1994-95	W	96	78
	W	83	62
1995-96	W	90	70
	W	81	65
1996-97	W	71	70
1997-98	W	80	69
1998-99	W	76	64
1999-00	W	62	51
2000-01	W	73	66
2001-02	L	44	84
2002-03	W	84	75
2003-04	L	57	66
2004-05	W	69	68
2005-06	W	66	61
2006-07	L	54	56
2007-08	L	56	66
2008-09	W	65	63
2009-10	W	68	60
2010-11	W	56	51
2011-12	W	74	62
2012-13	L (OT)	64	70
2013-14	L	75	84
2014-15	L	72	74
2015-16	L	46	61
2016-17	L	71	79
2017-18	W	89	83
2018-19	L	71	63
2019-20	L	57	58
	L	71	86
2020-21	covid
2021-22	Win	62	61
2022-23	Win	73	70
40 W	23 L

SERIES HISTORY

PREVIOUS MATCHUP 

Transylvania defeated Centre 73-70 at the Clive M. Beck Center on November 21st, 2022 in front of a packed house. Colby Napier led the scoring with 20 points and Jaylan Green finished with 17. Transy survived a sluggish second half where they were out-scored 40-29 by Centre. 
BOX SCORE

THE LANE WAY

Head Coach Brian Lane '90 enters his 22nd season. Lane first started with the Pioneers in the 1990 season when he was an assistant under his father, the legendary Don Lane. He then coached as an assistant for UNC-Charlotte, South Carolina, North Carolina State, Florida Atlantic, and Morehead State before being named Head Coach of Transylvania in 2001.

Since 2001, Lane has led the Pioneers to six NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2020. He was named a Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Finalist in 2011-2012 and has earned Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2005-2006. 

Lane has been named HCAC Coach of the Year on four separate occasions, earning the honors in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2012. He has 351 wins as head coach, earning his 350th last season versus Mount St. Joseph (FULL RECAP) and his 351 wins are second most all time, trailing his legendary father Don Lane who has 509 career wins. 

During his playing career at Transylvania (1986-1990), Lane scored 1,286 points which ranks 30th all time in program history.

TRANSY STATS N' STREAKS

• Transylvania has reached the HCAC postseason tournament in nine straight seasons, last winning the tournament during the 2019-20 season.
• The Pioneers have not recorded a losing season since the 2015-2016 season (the 2020-21 season was shortened due to Covid)
• Transy ranked third in the HCAC last season in scoring, averaging 75.6 points per game. 
• Jaylan Green was thirteenth in the HCAC last season in scoring
• Hunter Penn was sixth in the HCAC last season in rebounding  

UP NEXT

Transylvania hosts R.V. Elmhurst on November 16th at 7:30 PM. Transy lost to the Blue Jays 68-97 last season in Illinois.
WATCH | LIVE STATS 

 

2023-24 HCAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

1.	Anderson University (5)	80
2.	Manchester University (2)	67
3.	Hanover College (1)	66
4.	Transylvania University (2)	65
5.	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	50
6.	Franklin College	38
7.	Mount St. Joseph University	36
8.	Earlham College	23
9.	Bluffton University	18
10.	Defiance College	12

2023-24 HCAC Athletes to Watch
 

Transylvania

Name	Class	Hometown	Position
Hunter Penn	JR	Versailles, Ky.	Forward
Colby Napier	JR	Hindman, Ky.	Guard
Simon Smith	SR	Louisville, Ky.	Forward
Dakota Capps	SO	Louisville, Ky.	Guard