LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – When you think of Lock Haven athletics, typically basketball is not the first sport that comes to mind. Winter sports here at The Haven are dominated by wrestling, who get a majority of the attention from fans and students alike. However, this year the winds seemed to change as Bald Eagle Basketball had a renaissance, thanks to the overwhelming success they experienced this year.
Men’s basketball had their best year in program history. The Bald Eagles finished with an outstanding 21-8 record and clinched the No. 1 seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern division for the first time ever. When talking about the year as a whole head coach Mike Nestor did not seem surprised at how well his team performed.
“Obviously it was a great year in terms of, most wins we have had in a long time,” Nestor said, “and becoming the one seed in the PSAC East was huge for the school. It was a roller coaster at times, but this year was a lot of fun.”
A roller coaster is the perfect way to describe how the Bald Eagles 2023-24 season began, as right away they were hit with a challenge. Last year it was star guard Eli Washington who led the way for a Lock Haven team that ended up making the PSAC playoffs. But just three games into the year coach Nestor had to figure out how to win without Washington as he would miss the rest of the season with a leg injury.
“When we had Washington go down who was just a great leader for the team, it was just disappointing that he was not able to play in some of our big games,” Nestor said. “It was probably difficult for him to sit there and see this successful year and not technically be a part of it at the end. But even towards the end of the season he was practicing as hard as he could, and his positivity was huge for us. He helped us as a staff, and he helped players coming off the bench. That’s just who he is and that’s who he has been his whole life. He and I have been together longer than any player I have ever coached, so obviously for me, he is pretty special.”
After Washington went down Lock Haven started the year with a 3-4 record and looked like they were destined for a middle of the pack finish. But something clicked after a loss to California Pa. As the Bald Eagles would win 16 out of their last 18 games down the stretch. When talking about what started the streak coach Nestor credited some breakout stars.
“All of the sudden Justice Shoats kind of emerged to be what he was,” Nestor said. “The transfers we brought in started feeling a bit more comfortable with their roles. I thought the mindset just changed and guys started to realize their roles. Then we just started to win games and that became kind of contagious.”
Lock Haven had themselves a breakout star during their win streak in Shoats. Shoats came off the bench last year as a freshman, averaging 9.8 points per game (PPG) and 1.4 assists per game (APG). Then when the injury to Washington forced Shoats into a starting role he exploded, averaging over 20 PPG and just under 5 APG. Shoats was the lead guard for the Bald Eagles all season, and the main catalyst for one of the best offenses in the PSAC.
While Shoats got a lot of the attention throughout the season, he wasn’t the only reason that Lock Haven was so successful. Big men Dyson Harward and Collin Jones were first-year transfers to the Bald Eagles this season and played crucial roles down the stretch. Harward averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game as the starting center, while Jones put up 11 points and just under four rebounds as the sixth man. Both Jones and Harward were all too familiar with each other, as they faced off multiple times in high school and in college prior to transferring to Lock Haven. While competing for a starting spot can be a contentious position, coach Nestor spoke about how they kept it a friendly competition.
“There was a bit more of a competitive mindset between those two at the beginning of the season. But man, when they fit into their roles, they were completely supportive of each other nonstop. That doesn’t mean they didn’t compete every day in practice, but once they got to know each other and realized they were all in it for the same reason it was very easy to coach both of them.”
While Lock Haven had major contributions from newcomers in Harward, and Jones, Nestor noted Isaiah Stewart as an unsung hero this season. Stewart was a swiss army knife for the Bald Eagles all season, playing great defense and contributing in every statistical category.
All these key contributors lead to the Bald Eagles finding themselves in a winner take all game versus Millersville. The winner of that final game would be crowned the first seed in the PSAC East. Thomas Fieldhouse was as loud as it has ever been, and that crowd helped Lock Haven stun Millersville 90-79.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere,” Coach Nestor said when asked about what that game was like. “Last year we had beat them [Millersville] in the playoffs, which was our first postseason win in 33 years. It was a great feeling and really showed how much the program has changed.”
Coach Nestor went on to highlight the Bald Eagles post season as well. As they captured a huge 100-76 win versus West Chester, before losing a heart breaker in round two against Cal. Pa.
“It has been really cool to see Lock Haven rise from the bottom of the barrel, and get a home playoff game, then make the semifinals and have a shot to win the game with only 10 seconds left.”
Lock Haven did indeed have a chance to win in the final seconds versus Cal. Pa. but came up just a bit short. After the disappointing end all eyes turned to the NCAA voters, as the Bald Eagles held out hope their name would be called on selection day. Unfortunately, the players gathered at Coach Nestor’s house were left in disappointment, as they were left out of the dance and their season was over. Nestor mentioned how he told the team how proud he was of them, and to remember the amazing year they all shared together.
Lock Haven had their best year in program history this past season, but a lot will need to happen if they want to replicate this year’s successes. All three starting big men in Harward, Jones, and Jalen Gorham are all graduating. And it was just revealed on Wednesday April 9, that Shoats will enter the transfer portal. Bald Eagle fans will have to hold their breath and hope Shoats returns, but all signs point to the superstar guard moving to a division one school in the coming months.
For now, all anyone can do is wait and look back on the incredible year Coach Nestor and his team had this winter. And it seems Nestor’s expectation is to have the same amount of success in 2025.
Ryan States is in his 3rd year at Lock Haven University, and his second with the Eagle Eye. He is a Journalism major with intentions to minor in Sports Management. With his never-ending passion for all things sports, he wishes to pursue a career as a sports writer for a major outlet. When not watching sports, he can be found playing video games, hanging out with friends at the REC. Or you can find him helping out in the booth during LHU sporting events. His biggest hope while at Lock Haven is to be able to positively contribute to LHU sports in any way he can.
