LebCo College Basketball 2023-2024 Season Recap

With March Madness now here, the College Basketball season is drawing to a close. We wanted to take a moment to recap the seasons of each of the fourteen LebCo natives who competed this past year. Overall, our homegrown talent put on an impressive showing.

Cedar Crest’s Ileri Ayo-Faleye is the only player still in action. He awaits his chance to lead the University of Vermont into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

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The Seniors

Zara Zerman  Kutztown University (Northern Lebanon ’20)

Zerman finished up her fantastic career on March 6th with a loss at West Chester in the second round of the PSAC Tourney. The game was a in a first-round playoff win over Mansfield, 58-38, where Zerman ledd the team with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists . Her season-high of 18 points came in a big win over East Stroudsburg on January 29th. Against Shippensburg, she also had her biggest game of the season, hitting for 15 points and adding 5 assists along with 5 rebounds in a key 16-point victory. Zerman finished the season 3rd on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg). She added 3.0 rebounds and led the team with 2.4 assists per game. Her 33 steals were 2nd on the team.

Kutztown finished with a record of 15-15. Zerman’s record at Kutztown over three years was 57-37, with the Bears making the playoffs each season. In her first season, they reached the PSAC finals, won 27 games, and earned an NCAA playoff berth. She was an annual Dean’s list and Scholar-Athlete award winner in every season as well.

Zerman wrapped up her career with impressive numbers, considering she lost her freshman year due to Covid. Her numbers are as follows: 759 points, 238 assists, 286 rebounds, and 109 steals. She also shot 84% from the FT line and knocked down 89 total threes in her 3 seasons.

Bryce Coletti  Messiah University  (ELCO ’20)

In his final season at Messiah, Coletti led the Falcons in most categories. He was the only team member to start all 25 games, playing over 770 minutes. Coletti shot 85% from the FT line and scored 11.8 ppg to lead the team. He added 2.6 rebounds and almost 3 assists per game. Coletti was also tough defensively, swiping the ball 24 times during the season. Coletti had many impressive outings, including a season-high 27 points against Albright. His game of the year came at Stevenson, finishing with 25 points, 5 dimes, and 5 boards.

Coletti finishes his career at Messiah with a gaudy stat line of 807 points, 249 rebounds, 284 assists, and 83 steals. Bryce is a Physical Therapy major and will graduate in May.

Jason Eberhart  Wilkes University (Cedar Crest ’20)

Eberhart appeared in 26 games for the Colonels. The senior forward achieved a game-high 8 points on February 17th in a Senior Day clash with Goucher where he also added 6 rebounds. Eberhart averaged 1.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist for the season. Wilkes ended the season 19-8.

Eberhart is a Communications major.

Women

Giahny Correa Penn State University – Harrisburg (Lebanon ’21)

During her junior campaign, Correa led the team in scoring with 17 ppg while shooting 43% from the field. The former 1,000-point scorer for Lebanon was a terror in the paint, getting to the line 125 times and converting on 70% of those free throws. She was 2nd on the team in both steals and assists, with 56 and 57, respectively. Correa added almost 3 rebounds per game as well. She scored a season-high 28 points in a thrilling road victory at Penn State – Abington, 78-73, on January 13th. She also added 3 rebounds and 4 assists in that game.

The Lady Lions finished their amazing season 17-12 overall, winning 10 straight games to end the year. They road the hot streak to taking the United East Conference Championship for the first time in program history. They lost in their NCAA tournament first-round game at nationally-ranked New Paltz.

Sarah Batra Williams College (Cedar Crest ‘22)

The sophomore Batra played in 16 games for the Ephs, earning one start. She had appeared in 6.8 minutes per game, averaging 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds. Her season-best performance came during a game against then-No. 10-ranked Amherst on Jan. 5, where she scored 6 points, shooting an impressive 3-4 from the field. Batra also contributed to her team’s 70-53 triumph at WPI on Jan. 2, scoring 5 points in just six minutes of play. Williams finished the season with an 10-14 record.

Kailey Eckhart  Lebanon Valley College (ELCO ’22)

Eckhart appeared in all 26 games during her sophomore season. She averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.7 rebounds. She also totaled 17 assists, 6 steals, and 7 blocks. In a December win over Marywood, Eckhart scored a season-high 11 points and added 4 rebounds. LVC won the game by 13 points. The Lady Dutchmen finished a successful campaign at 15-11, losing in the MAC semifinal to Arcadia by a single point, 53-52.

Aaliyah Ferrer Alvernia University (Lebanon ’23)

Ferrer appeared in 12 games during her freshman season at Alvernia. She tallied 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block. She knocked down four three-pointers while shooting 44% from deep. The Lady Wolves finished the year 15-11 while making the MAC Playoffs.

Men

Ileri Ayo-Faleye  University of Vermont (Cedar Crest ’20)

Ayo-Faleye has started all but one of the 32 Catamount games this season. He leads the team in getting to the line, shooting 72%. He’s averaging 7.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds. On the defensive end, the former Falcon has added 20 steals and a whopping 45 blocks!

Ayo-Faleye was the player of the game Tuesday night in their huge 1st round conference win over New Hampshire, getting Vermost 1 step closer to an NCAA berth. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. His best game this season came in a win over Umass Lowell, where he collected 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Vermont faces #2 seed Umass Lowell on Saturday in the America East Conference title game. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 11 am. If the Catamounts win, they will go dancing. They currently hold a 27-6 record.

Asher Kemble  Wilmington University (ELCO ’20)

After transferring from Bloomsburg in the off-season, Kemble played his junior season for the Wilmington Wildcats. The 6’7″ forward finished the season averaging 5.0 ppg, along with 3.3 rebounds. Kemble’s best game this season was a 95-80 win over Felician, where he scored 15 points while adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. The Wildcats lost their final game last week in the CACC Tournament to Post. The team finished 16-13 overall.

Braden Bohannon  Lebanon Valley College (ELCO ’21)

After missing his sophomore season on the hardwood, the Dutchmen quarterback returned and appeared in 18 games this season after trading his cleats for high-tops. Bohannon averaged 5 ppg and 3.3 rebounds. He also added 11 assists and 8 steals for the season. Bohannon scored a season-high 20 points in a 77-61 win over King’s on January 24th. In that game, he chipped in 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. The Dutchmen finished the year with a record of 7-18.

Corey Attivo  Arcadia University  (ELCO ’22)

Attivo appeared in all but one of Arcadia’s 26 games this season. The 6’9 sophomore totaled 71 points and added 34 rebounds and 5 blocks. Attivo knocked down 11 three-pointers on 33% from deep. Attivo scored a season-high 10 points and added 8 rebounds in an 81-72 win over King’s College on January 8th. The Knights finished their season 17-9, coming up just short in the MAC Freedom Conference Championship where they lost to Stevens by 3.

Marquis Ferreira Penn State University – Berks  (Lebanon ‘22)

This season, Ferreira started 19 games for Penn State. The sophomore was 2nd on the team in scoring with 13.3 ppg. He added 2.3 rebounds per game and totaled 37 assists and 18 steals. Ferreira had four games where he eclipsed the 20 point mark. He hit for a season-high 29 points in a win over Penn State-Abington. That performance earned Ferreira honors as the United East Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. The team finished 4-19 overall.

Luke Collins  Penn State University – Berks  (Lebanon ‘22)

Collins started 15 games during his sophomore campaign for PSU-Berks. While averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds, he was 3rd on the team in minutes. He added 60 assists and 27 steals. Collins was also the team’s sharpshooter, leading the team with 49 threes on 37% shooting from downtown! His season-high points total came when he scored 19 in a one-point loss to Penn College. In what was a total effort, he added 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. The team finished 4-19 overall.

Eli Becker Wilkes University  (Palmyra ’23)

The freshman Becker appeared in 21 games for Wilkes. Last year’s Lebanon County Boys Player of the Year scored a season-high 14 points on December 18th against Clarks Summit. In that game, he added 9 rebounds. The Colonels finished the year 19-8. For the season, Becker averaged 1.8 ppg and 2.4 rebounds.