By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Eight months ago, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s men’s basketball team was wrapping up their entry into history.
Last season’s campaign was, in no uncertain terms, the best ever for the Panthers. Finishing with just three losses, Pitt-Bradford claimed the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate College regular season crown for the first time in over two decades, then snatching their third-ever AMCC Tournament Championship before making a deep drive to the NCAA Division III tournament quarterfinals.
Undoubtedly, that Pitt-Bradford squad left a high watermark on the program’s history, and as the Panthers prepare to reach for that lofty bar ahead of the 2025-2026 season, they do so with a combination of the new and the familiar.
After five years at the helm of his alma mater, which culminated in a AMCC Coach of the Year award, Jesse DeLoof stepped away from the Panthers this offseason. Building the program up from the 1-24 team he inherited, DeLoof left on a high note and ultimately took a head coaching position with Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. In steps Daniel Smay.
Smay arrives at KOA Arena fresh off a two-year head coaching stint with Penn State DuBois, where he also showcased an ability to develop a program. Following two down years for the Nittany Lions which produced a combined 11 wins, Smay churned out back-to-back seasons with 15-plus, also reaching the Penn State University Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since 2012. Having the prospect to take over a team primed for success, he jumped at the chance to take the helm of the Panthers.
“Once I was blessed enough to get an interview, I fell in love with the place. I’d only coached here against (Pitt-Bradford),” said Smay, who earned the PSUAC Coach of the Year award in 2023-2024. “I had never been on campus and the campus is gorgeous, the people I met during the interview process were amazing and I just absolutely fell in love with it”
Smay takes to the drawing board with a crop of seasoned veterans at his disposal. Despite losing three key pieces in Jamrion Butler, Jesse Laster and Braylen Salters, who combined for nearly half of the Panthers’ 103.1 points per game last season and all were selected to All-AMCC teams, Pitt-Bradford welcomes back 10 returners.
At the top of that list is Jeremy Rodriguez. Entering his third season as a Panthers, Rodriguez is fresh off a year where he averaged 17.1 points a game – the highest of any returner – and shot 54.4 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He is joined by Xander Norris and Rodd Yarbrough, two frontcourt forwards who added roughly 20 points to the scoreboard each night, and Coby Farley, a dual threat guard that shot nearly 40 percent from deep last year.
“I think (the returners) have picked up right where they left off, if not grown some more. They know the expectations and the nice thing about having so many returners is that they know what it takes to win,” said Smay. “These guys are fantastic and they’re working hard and I think they’re ready and willing to fill the big shoes that were left empty from last year’s starters.”
Part of the key to the Panthers success last season was the newly implemented and highly-efficient run-and-gun style of play DeLoof put in place. Playing at the fastest place in the league, Pitt-Bradford netted the highest points per game in the AMCC by nearly 20 points (103.1), had the highest offensive efficiency (1.118) and dished out the most assists (17.2). From Smay’s point of view, there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken.
“There’s a small circle of us in the college world that run that system and I happen to be one of them. Basically, you’re looking to see the same system style as Jesse,” said Smay. “We had our differences in principles, different little nuances on the court, but we run the same style. There’s not going to be much of a drop off in the way we play. It’s still going to be up and down, passing all over and getting the crowd excited.”
Similar to the pace they look to play at, the Panthers’ season kicks off quickly. After playing their first game on Friday night, a road game against Houghton, Pitt-Bradford will see four opponents in seven days. Regardless, Smay and Co. are eager to hit the hardwood with their eyes staring at last season’s benchmark.
“I don’t go anywhere expecting to do less than what we’re supposed to do and my job as a coach is to win and make young men that much better in the process. I don’t believe in rebuilding years. If you have enough guys to play, you have enough guys to win just like everybody else. We’re going to give it a good go this year,” said Smay. “The goal is the same as last year. Are we going to do that? I don’t know. Are we going to do better than that? I don’t know. That’s the great thing about basketball, if you get guys to buy in, a group of guys become a team.”
