2024–25 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2024–25 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team represents Mercyhurst University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Lakers, led by 23rd-year head coach Gary Manchel , play their home games on Owen McCormick Court in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pennsylvania as first-year members of the Northeast Conference .
This season marks Mercyhurst's first year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I . As a result, the Lakers are not eligible to participate in the NCAA tournament until the 2028–29 season.[ 1]
Previous season
The Lakers finished the 2023–24 season 15–16, 11–11 in PSAC play to finish in fifth place in the West division.[ 2] They were defeated by IUP in the first round of the PSAC tournament.[ 3]
Preseason polls
Northeast Conference poll
The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2024. The Lakers were picked to finish in seventh in the conference.[ 4]
Rank
Team
T-1.
Central Connecticut (5)
T-1.
Wagner (4)
3.
Fairleigh Dickinson
4.
Le Moyne
5.
LIU
6.
Chicago State
7.
Mercyhurst
T-8.
Saint Francis
T-8.
Stonehill
() first-place votes
Preseason All-Conference Team
Graduate student forward Jeff Planutis was selected as a member of the NEC Preseason All-Conference Team.[ 5]
Roster
2024–25 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
Deshaun Jackson Jr.
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Fr
Newport High School
Covington, Kentucky
G
1
Sean Lang
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
GS
Linganore High School
New Market, Maryland
F
2
Qadir Martin
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
St. Peter's Boys High School
Staten Island, New York
G
4
Bernie Blunt III
5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Sr
Edinboro
Morgantown, Pennsylvania
F
5
Mykolas Ivanauskas
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Sunrise Christian Academy
Chicago, Illinois
G
10
Christian Gamble
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Jr
Sidwell Friends School
Silver Spring, Maryland
G
11
Jake Lemelman
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Fr
MacDuffie School
Newton, Massachusetts
F
12
Jesse Hafemeister
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
GS
Catholic
Mendham, New Jersey
F
21
Max Jusianiec
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Jr
Saint Rose
Alfred, New York
G
22
Shemar Rathan-Mayes
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
GS
UNC Wilmington
Toronto, Ontario
F
23
Charles McClennahan Jr.
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Jr
Butler Community College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
F
31
Jeff Planutis
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
GS
Woodstock Academy
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
F
32
Aidan Reichert
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Sr
Jackson Center High School
Jackson Center, Ohio
F
34
James Thomas
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
Jr
Chatham
Sharpsville, Pennsylvania
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster Last update: October 1, 2024
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024 *8:00 pm, ESPN+
at George Washington
L 59–76
0–1
Charles E. Smith Center (1,851)Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2024 *7:00 pm
at Morgan State
W 78–73
1–1
Hill Field House (2,345)Baltimore, MD
November 9, 2024 *3:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Houghton
W 88–62
2–1
Owen McCormick Court (702)Erie, PA
November 13, 2024 *7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Canisius
W 62–52
3–1
Owen McCormick Court (987)Erie, PA
November 16, 2024 *12:00 pm, ESPN+
at Columbia
L 63–77
3–2
Levien Gymnasium (658)New York, NY
November 19, 2024 *7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Mount Aloysius
W 98–45
4–2
Owen McCormick Court (503)Erie, PA
November 24, 2024 *4:00 pm, Altitude Sports
at Air Force Cal Classic
L 48–82
4–3
Clune Arena (1,737)Colorado Springs, CO
November 27, 2024 *7:00 pm, ACCNX
at California Cal Classic
L 55–81
4–4
Haas Pavilion (2,093)Berkeley, CA
November 30, 2024 *10:00 pm, ESPN+
at Sacramento State Cal Classic
W 66–60
5–4
Hornets Nest (415)Sacramento, CA
December 1, 2024 *4:00 pm, ESPN+
at San Francisco
L 59–87
5–5
Sobrato Center (1,234)San Francisco, CA
December 7, 2024 *3:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Lafayette
L 73–77
5–6
Owen McCormick Court (300)Erie, PA
December 10, 2024 *7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Penn State Altoona
W 77–51
6–6
Owen McCormick Court (154)Erie, PA
December 15, 2024 *5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Kent State
L 57–82
6–7
MAC Center (1,376)Kent, OH
December 18, 2024 *5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Binghamton
L 60–62
6–8
Dr. Bai Lee Court (2,008)Vestal, NY
December 22, 2024 *2:00 pm, ESPN+
at West Virginia
L 46–67
6–9
WVU Coliseum (10,777)Morgantown, WV
NEC regular season
January 3, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Stonehill
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
January 5, 2025 1:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Central Connecticut
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
January 10, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
at Saint Francis
DeGol Arena Loretto, PA
January 12, 2025 2:00 pm, NEC Front Row
at Le Moyne
Ted Grant Court DeWitt, NY
January 18, 2025 1:00 pm, NEC Front Row
at Wagner
Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY
January 20, 2025 2:00 pm, NEC Front Row
at LIU
Steinberg Wellness Center Brooklyn, NY
January 24, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Wagner
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
January 26, 2025 1:00 pm, NEC Front Row
LIU
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
January 30, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Saint Francis
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
February 1, 2025 3:30 pm, NEC Front Row
at Fairleigh Dickinson
Bogota Savings Bank Center Hackensack, NJ
February 6, 2025 NEC Front Row
at Chicago State
Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL
February 8, 2025 3:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Le Moyne
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
February 13, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
at Central Connecticut
William H. Detrick Gymnasium New Britain, CT
February 15, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+/SportsNet Pittsburgh
at Stonehill
Merkert Gymnasium Easton, MA
February 20, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Fairleigh Dickinson
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
February 27, 2025 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row
Chicago State
Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern .
Sources:[ 6] [ 7]
References