NCAA Basketball: West Georgia and Mercyhurst gear up for first Division-I season

If you’re a mid-major enthusiast, you’re in luck as the NCAA is adding two new Division-I programs this season, sending two former Division-II programs in West Georgia to the Atlantic Sun Conference and Mercyhurst to the Northeast Conference. 

The two programs will become the freshest in Division-I hoops, substituting the Le Moyne Dolphins who held that position last season after transferring into the Northeast Conference from Northeast-10 conference at the Division-II level. 

West Georgia

Previously a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC), West Georgia qualified for the Division II NCAA Tournament 20 times and went as far as the Elite-8 back in 2002. The Wolves’ most recent accomplishment avenged this past season as they won the GSC Tournament for the first time since 2016 but capped off their Division-II career with a second-round exit in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

West Georgia will be navigating through their inaugural Division-I season without their three leading scorers from last season as Zawdie Jackson (22), who was an All-American, Camron Donatlan (16.4) and Marlon Smith (11.7) are not listed on the Wolves’ roster for this upcoming season. However, filling their fourth slot in points per game is Kolten Griffin. Griffin, a 6-foot, 6-inch forward averaged 8.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists through 33 starts. The St. Joseph, Missouri native recorded nine double-digit scoring games last season. 

At the helm for the Wolves is Dave Moore, who will be under control for his seventh season. With West Georgia, Moore has recorded a 103-68 overall record while booking three trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst, the other freshly acquired Division-I program, has a smaller historical background compared to West Georgia, only making the Division-II NCAA Tournament seven times since becoming a program in 1971. The school’s best finish in the NCAA Tournament rang in in 2019 when it made it as far at the Elite-8 before falling to Northwest Missouri State. 

While the NCAA Tournament hasn’t given the Lakers much success, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament has, as Mercyhurst won the conference tournament in 2016, their one and only conference tournament victory in program history. 

Unlike West Georgia, Mercyhurst is returning its points per game leader in 6-foot, 6-inch forward Jeff Planutis, who averaged 17.4 points through 31 games played last season. Also returning for the Lakers is Aiden Reichert, a 6-foot, 4-inch forward who averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season. 

Head coach Gary Manchel leads the Lakers on the bench for the 22nd year in a row. Manchel has motored a 373-219 record with Mercyhurst, good for a win percentage of .630. While a win percentage like that over a drawn-out period is eye-appealing, the list of accomplishments for Manchel doesn’t stop there. The 61-year-old has the most wins by a head coach in school history while also becoming the first coach in program history to lead the Lakers to the NCAA Tournament.  

It is worth noting that due to the NCAA’s policy on reclassifying programs, West Georgia and Mercyhurst are not allowed to participate in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT Tournament until the 2028-2029 season, however, watching the two sides transition into college hoops’ most fierce division is enough to keep fans and college basketball enthusiasts engaged.