Panthers to Open 2021-22 Season vs. Clarion at Ron Wilson Classic
MILLERSVILLE, PA - After over a year and a half of waiting and preparation, the Claflin Panthers men's basketball team will take the court. The team will hit the road to take on the Clarion Golden Eagles in the Millersville Challenge. When the team takes the court, the Panthers will feature a new look, but the team will bring the same intensity that made them one of the most surprising teams in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the last season of play.
The 2021-22 Panthers will head into the season with a new look as only three players return from the 2019-20 season. Leading the way for the Panthers will be a trio of graduate students who will look to lead the young squad this season. Graduate guard
Donnell Frayer, Jr. is the leading scorer returning for the Panthers. During the 2019-20 season, Frayer, Jr. totaled 271 points and he averaged 8.7 points per game. His best game of the season came against Saint Augustine's when he scored 26 points against Saint Augustine's. Also returning for the Panthers will be graduate guard
Romero Hill who was second on the team with 62 assists. He also averaged 5.6 points per game. He scored a career-high 13 points against Winston-Salem State. This season, both players will need to lead the way for a Panthers team that features 14 newcomers to the team.
Though the Panthers will feature a host of newcomers, the team will be expected to live up a great performance during the 2019-20 season. The team finished the season with a 58-56 loss to eventual champion Winston-Salem State in the semifinal round of the 2020 CIAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Panthers held a 56-55 lead over the Rams with 40.3 seconds remaining in the game, but the Panthers allowed three unanswered free throws to the Rams in the final seconds of the game and sealed the 58-56 loss and ended the team's season, just under a minute away from the championship game. This season, the Panthers will look to build on that momentum even though the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to concerns regarding COVID-19. In the preseason, the Panthers were picked to finish seventh in the CIAA Pre-Season Predicted Order of Finish.
Facing the Panthers will be a Clarion team that will be looking for some answers of their own. Unlike many teams, the Golden Eagles competed in 11 games during 2020-21 and finished the shortened season with a 4-7 overall record. In their last full season of competition, the Golden Eagles posted a 5-23 record and the team was picked to finish seventh in the Western Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason coaches' poll. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles will be sophomore guard Gerald Jarmon who averaged 22.4 points per game during the shortened season in winter 2021.
The Panthers and the Golden Eagles are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start at Pucillo Gymnasium in Millersville, Pennsylvania. The game will be the opening event in the Ron Wilson Classic hosted by Millersville University. For more information on Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to
www.athletics.claflin.edu.
