THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON - The Men’s Basketball Team have gone well into their season scorching hot. With a win over Susquehanna on January 10, the Royals secured a 13-1 start, the best start of head coach Carl Danzig’s career, and the best start by a Royals team since the 1992-93 season, a year they reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. They have since risen to 17-3, the best overall record in the Landmark Conference.

Entering the season, there were questions and doubts surrounding the team. With only one returning starter from last year’s 12-14 team, the Royals seemed to have lost strength; In the paint, 6’9”, First Team All-Landmark Center Will McLoughlin and 6’7” forward Cameron Khoza both graduated, and in the backcourt, starting guards Tahaj Parland and Mason Thompson also graduated. Returning players only accounted for 45% of the total minutes played last year.

Those returners took their chance to step up, and they never looked back.  

The team runs a dynamic offense with every player on the court typically in motion. With a deep rotation of players constantly subbing in and out, everyone stays fresh, so the team can constantly play high-tempo and outrun their opponents. Constant off-ball movement forces defense out of position, which they use to feed the ball into the paint. This is when their offense is at its strongest. Their post players have great vision, and when the defense collapses, the guards find the weak spots and get open shots, or they are able to find an open player and swing the ball to them.

If every team could run this offense, they would. It is the kind of offense that requires certain types of players every team wants, but few have. It requires discipline, composure, and effective decision-making at high speed. The same can be said of their defense, where they utilize a man defense with minimal help, trusting their guys to hold their own in 1-on-1 matchups.  

The Rotation

Guards: Jon Spatola, Brendan Carr, Ben Robinson, Will Marion, Josias Carbon

Reserves: Dante Regan, Duke Cloran

Forwards: Sammy Tornabene, Nick Ruisi, Luca Baratta, Hamilton Roth  

Reserves: Teddy Spratt, P.J. Kellachan, Tommy Nahill

It is a curious question of how this team, with four new starters and very little experience playing together, could enter the season playing at the highest level in the Landmark Conference and continue it well into the year. The answer is simple: They practice and play at a higher level than other teams.  

It is clear that the team culture was built on wanting to outhustle, outwork, and outplay their opponent night in and night out.  

“We’ve thought we had the potential to be great the last three years, but this year it all came together with people buying in early and being healthy.” Luca Baratta said.  

The players were certainly bought in, as during the preseason months of August and September, Baratta and other returning players could be found in the Byron Center practicing every day of the week.

The team’s philosophy is passing a good shot for a great shot, and it allows them to make a staggering 41% of their three-pointers as a team, against their opponents 28%.  

“We really bought into the idea of getting the best shot and not really caring about how many points you have as an individual but trying to get the best shot in every possession,” Baratta said.

Part of how they have been able to achieve these goals is through consistent performances from their top talent.  

Senior Captain Jon Spatola has been the starting point guard for the Royals since he was a freshman, and will leave as one of the great all-time Scranton guards. Against Moravian University last night, he became the forty-ninth thousand point scorer in Scranton history, and with 3 steals, he moved up to second all-time in career steals. At 5’9”, he is a complete basketball player, with unmatched quickness and handle, a 45% three-point percentage, and the ability to jump out of the gym. The Royals have depended on him to not only win his matchups but also create for his teammates, which he has done in spades this year, with his rebounding and assist averages up significantly over previous seasons. His consistency has been the motor that allowed the Royals to steamroll lesser opponents and finish out close wins against top teams.  

“I don’t think I’m that vocal. I’m hardworking, competitive as well,” Spatola said.  

Spatola has started 98 out of 99 games in his four years at Scranton- he is the definition of poise. He provides leadership as a capable and unshakeable presence on the court.

A bright spot from last year’s team has also made the big step forward. 6’6” forward Sammy Tornabene was crowned the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year in 2025, but still made a massive jump in production from last year. After a summer spent playing in Jersey Pro-Am leagues, he nearly doubled his points per game from 10 to 18 and increased his rebounds per game from 2.6 to 7.5. When he played against Elizabethtown on Jan. 7, he had a statement game where he recorded 23 points and 19 rebounds. The Royals have their own version of the modern big man, who can back down opponents in the paint but also control the outside game with guard-like skills, speed, and shooting. Not to mention, he’s the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.

“I think a lot of it comes from the offseason, playing and spending time with people who are a lot better than me, and just staying focused on my craft. I trust my teammates. I wouldn’t be doing this without them” Tornabene said.

He is right, considering defenses can’t focus on him completely if Brendan Carr is waiting for an open three.

The Royals have enjoyed Junior Brendan Carr’s breakout this season as a premier perimeter threat. He went from being a rotation player last year to a consistent and efficient volume shooter teeming with confidence. He shoots over five three-pointers a game at nearly 40%, and is shooting nearly 90% from the free-throw line. What’s impressive is that his strength as an outside shooter is not the extent of his offensive game. He scored a career-high 28 points against Ursinus, with eight made shots inside the arc.  

“He’s a huge piece to the puzzle. He’s been stepping up when we need him, and even when he isn’t hitting shots, he’s getting other people open and keeping the defense honest,” teammate Will Marion said.

Surrounding Spatola, Tornabene, and Carr is a supporting cast of players whose unique strengths and skills have contributed to the team’s success in big moments throughout the season.

Ben Robinson has been the biggest surprise of the year, stepping into a starting role as a freshman after leading his high school team to a Pennsylvania State Championship. The 6’1” guard earned his minutes in the beginning of the season through physicality, gritty defense, and hustle, but his scoring has picked up drastically as of late, averaging 13.3 points over the last four games. He is, in many ways, the image of this team’s mantra.

“(Robinson is) Quiet but loud on the court,” Marion said.  

Baratta called him, “The futch,” short for ‘the future.’

“He’s one of the most composed freshmen I’ve ever seen. (he is) Very lowkey.”  

Sophomore Nick Ruisi, while dealing with injuries, has otherwise been a dynamic second big man all season. He has scored over 20 points multiple times this season and has also had multiple double-digit rebounding games. He plays the role of power forward with versatility, having recorded multiple steals in five games this year. In games against bigger opponents, 6’5” Hamilton Roth has stepped in and provided stability, scoring eight points in 17 minutes against Catholic University.

With a strong stable of guards and speed to spare, the Royals have used a small-ball offense with four out. To make this work, Senior Captain Luca Baratta, a 6’2” former guard, plays the stretch four. Leading up to this season, he was a 3-and D wing with a penchant for rebounds. Now, he stretches the floor, shooting 38% from three with most of his attempts coming from the corners, while also protecting the paint against traditional fours and fives.  

“I used to be more of a facilitator, more of a playmaker, and now I’ve transitioned to setting screens, playing tough defense, and boxing out. As I’ve gotten stronger and gotten older, it’s been a pretty natural transition.”  

Baratta, as a captain, has been the vocal leader of the team: the loudest voice on the bench, the most supportive, and the most willing to do whatever he can, including changing positions, to win.

Another key player has been point guard Will Marion. As the secondary ball-handler behind Spatola, he is often relied on to take care of the ball and initiate the offense. Even at a fast pace, he moves at his own tempo, unbothered by defensive pressure. He has been fearless in big moments this year, scoring five straight points in the last two minutes to push Scranton over the edge in an 84-80 win against Moravian University.

“I feel like I got a little more comfortable from my freshman year. The game slowed down a bit for sure. A big thing was working in the offseason with my teammates, playing pickup and all that.”

His value also comes from understanding his teammates’ tendencies, creating open looks with nifty passes. He is second on the team in assists, behind only Spatola.

Rounding out the rotation is freshman guard Josias Carbon. The explosive guard has been used as a spark plug this season, with high-efficiency games such as scoring 17 points in 18 minutes against Kings College. He wears uniform number 1.

“His number tells you everything you need to know about him. He thinks he’s number one, and he brings that energy and confidence to the core, and that’s something we need on our team,” Baratta said.  

In all of these discussions, the players spent much more time discussing the strengths of their teammates and the team's culture rather than talking about themselves. This is indicative of who they are and why they keep succeeding: they are humble. Their success, they think, is a reward of their teamwork, not their individual accolades.

“We have a group of guys who I feel can do everything, so it makes everyone’s individual jobs easy,” Spatola said.

“Everyone on their own has helped get us here, but we just keep going. We have a bunch of big games coming up and we’re always just worried about the next game,” Marion added.  

Danzig and his staff, including current senior and former player Matt Hanley, have done an excellent job reigning in and channeling the energy of the team. Opponents are overwhelmed with an offensive onslaught all game long, while on the defensive side of the ball, fresh legs and good situational matchups persistently create stops and turnovers. The result is an electric brand of basketball that other teams haven’t been able to stop. As of this past Monday, Feb. 2, the Royals are back in the NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball Top 25, the only team in the Landmark with that accolade.

Entering the home stretch of the season, every game is important, and Scranton has multiple key home matchups in the upcoming weeks. The Royals have three home games left where they will play Conference rival, Elizabethtown, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7; Susquehanna at 4 p.m. on Feb. 14; and against Wilkes, who snapped an 11-game Scranton win streak earlier in the season, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. This matchup should be an instant classic, with Wilkes being one of Scranton’s historic rivals and both teams fighting for a higher playoff seed.

They have one goal at the end of the day: to win a Landmark.

For more information, go to https://athletics.scranton.edu/sports/mens-basketball

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