Saint Vincent women, men expect to compete despite roster turnover

Saint Vincent returns the Presidents’ Athletic Conference player of the year in women’s basketball this season, hoping to make another run at the NCAA Division III PAC championship, but the Bearcats must overcome the loss of their leading scorer in the process.

They get started on a modified schedule at 7 p.m. Saturday at Geneva. The St. Vincent men’s team will open its season at home by welcoming Geneva for a 3 p.m. tip-off.

Eight graduated players moved on from the St. Vincent women, including leading scorer Madison Kollar, the former Latrobe star. Yet, Jimmy Petruska, who enters his 11th year as Bearcats coach, appeared unfazed.

“We’re not looking at it as a rebuild. It’s a reload,” Petruska said.

While Kollar and her team-leading 17.1 points per game have departed, two senior starters return, including guard Jenna Lafko (Hampton), the reigning PAC player of the year after leading the Bearcats in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and steals (78) and ranking second in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (95).

She also shot 50.9%, including 37.7 from 3-point range.

Another starting guard, Carly Kilgus (South Fayette), returns from last season’s 19-7 team (15-1 PAC) that was a preseason favorite to win the league but suffered its worst loss of the year in the PAC semifinals, a 74-53 decision to Washington & Jefferson.

Kilgus (7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) led St. Vincent with 100 assists and was second with 52 steals.

“We have talented players,” Petruska said. “There’s a lot of unknowns. I’m anxious to see how we respond. I think we can absolutely contend again if we continue to focus every day on what we know we can do.”

The St. Vincent men’s team must fill several voids left by the losses of key players, among them leading scorer David Stephen (16.1 ppg) and Josh Duda, the team’s top 3-point shooter (43.5%).

But junior forward Shemar Bennett (14.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg), the Bearcats’ leading rebounder, and senior guard Walter Bonds (Bishop Canevin, 5.3 ppg, 49 assists, 33 steals) return for second-year coach Terrance Smith, who ranks second all-time in scoring (1,819 points) as a player at St. Vincent, where he twice was named an NAIA Division II All-American.

St. Vincent went 13-14 (7-9 PAC) in Smith’s first year as head coach following five seasons as a Bearcats assistant.

Despite its sub-.500 record, St. Vincent came within a basket of winning the PAC Tournament in Smith’s first season, losing to Grove City, 70-69.

Several players graduated or were unable to return to the team, presenting an unexpected roster turnover that will feature a number of new, untested players.

“It’s going to be just as difficult this year as last, but for different reasons,” Smith said. “We had a lot of older guys last year, guys that I’d had relationships with that began when I was an assistant. We’ve brought in 13 new players. It’s basically a whole new team.”

Smith said he’s looking for players who won’t let up in practice, which he hopes will translate to games.

“I tell our guys the fun comes when you’re winning,” he said. “I’m not looking for guys to have fun at practice. I want you to come to work, and when you beat the other teams and get W’s, that’s when it becomes fun.”

Smith expected to learn a lot about the Bearcats in the Geneva game. He’s hoping to see a different start than that of last season’s team, which lost five of its first eight games.

“We’d dig ourselves a hole early on and then have to fight to get back into games,” Smith said. “We weren’t great defensively — we had flashes — but we can point to a lot of things that we want to improve.”

The shortened regular-season schedules will consist of nine conference games for each of the PAC’s 10 members, all of whom will participate in the conference tournament March 1-6.