The 49^th season of Lancaster Bible College men's basketball is slated to begin this weekend, as the Chargers are set to host St. Mary's (Md.) and Salisbury on Friday and Saturday respectively at Horst Athletic Center. Though the season may be different, the scheduled 15 games represent an important step in the process of the program under second-year head coach Jon Mack.
 
The Chargers advanced to the North Eastern Athletic Conference Final last season after defeating Penn College in the NEAC Quarterfinals, and upsetting SUNY Poly in the NEAC Semifinals. Lancaster Bible went toe-to-toe with top seed Penn St. Harrisburg in a NEAC Final that required overtime, but the Nittany Lions proved to be too much, and the Chargers' season ended at 14-14.
 
This year's team is slated to play nine games at Horst Athletic Center and six more on the road, and will look to build upon a strong second semester that saw the Chargers go 10-2 over a 12-game stretch from mid-January to mid-February that culminated with the aforementioned NEAC Final appearance.
 
In addition to the preview below, be sure to listen to Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack on the Horse with No Name Podcast, as he explained what the program is hoping to do on and off the floor this season.
 
Head Coach: Jon Mack (2^nd Season – 21^st Overall)
Assistant Coaches: Chris Cook (2^nd Season), Jalen Archer (3^rd Season), Chris Rich (4^th Season)
Student Assistant Coach: Hunter Gerber
 
Returners
Seniors: Tyler Hilton (G, 1.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG), Britton Beachy (G, 6.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG), Tyler Norris (F, 7.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG)
Juniors: Jordan Shewbridge (G, 16.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.4 APG…NEAC All-Conference First Team), Caleb Carpenter (F, 2.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG)
Sophomores: Kobe Devine (G, 3.4 PPG, 1.6 APG), AJ Kwiatkowski (G), Matt Lemaszewski (F), Ethan Beachy (G, 1.2 PPG, 1.0 RPG), Jackson Whitt (G, 1.2 PPG), Adam Stoltzfus (F, 3.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
 
New Players
Sophomore: Ty Erisman (G)
Freshmen: Seth Beers (G), Wyatt Kwiatkowski (G), Grant Sareyka (G), Jordan Praylow (G), Andrew Workman (F), Austin Gerber (G), Andrew Zentner (F), Ethan Hine (G), Isaiah Mitchell (G), Mytchell Parmer (F), Cesar Jabes Melo (G), Connor Simmons (G)
 
Losses to Graduation / Did Not Return
Luke Beers (G, Graduation) Kaleb Murry (G), Brion Elliott (G), Brett Bechler (G), Jarron Cuoghi (G), Cole Johnson (G), William Afoakwah (C), Patrick Obogo (F), AJ Holmes (G/F), Matt Leon (F), Francis Mensah (F)
 
Program Notes
-Through 48 seasons of play, Lancaster Bible has an overall record of 492-737 (.400)…Over the past 10 seasons, Lancaster Bible is 167-117 (.588)
-The Chargers have advanced to the NEAC Final in six of the past seven seasons
-The NEAC will not be playing conference games this season, though teams are allowed to play if they are able to abide by NCAA and local guidelines
-One of Lancaster Bible's 2021 opponents, St. Mary's (Md.), will be joining the NEAC for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond
-The 2021 features one team, Moravian, who the Chargers have never played in their 48-year history…The Chargers have played St. Mary's (Md.) twice, and Salisbury once
-Lancaster Bible will renew its rivalry once again with Cairn, as the teams will battle twice in two nights on Feb. 19-20
-Junior Jordan Shewbridge enters the season 162 points from becoming the 24^th player in program history to score 1,000 points in his career
-Should the Chargers play all 15 scheduled games, and Britton Beachy appear in each of them, he will become the 19^th player in program history to play at least 98 games in a collegiate career for the Chargers
-Just like last season, there are sets of brothers associated with the program, as brothers Britton and Ethan Beachy will once again be on the roster, as will freshman Austin Gerber, and his brother, and student assistant coach Hunter Gerber
 
Season Preview Podcast
Head Coach Jon Mack recently joined the Horse with No Name Podcast to talk about who has impressed the coaching staff so far in practice, the craziness of the season so far, and what the program hopes to accomplish by playing this season.
 
Season Links
Team Roster
2021 Schedule
2019-20 Statistics
Program History
Where to Watch This Season's Games