BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – This season, for the first time in 30 years, a head coach other than Jeff Santarsiero will be pacing the sideline for the Geneva men's basketball program.
DJ Damazo, hired back in April, was selected to take the reins from Santarsiero following the latter's retirement, and Damazo has his squad ready to begin play next week. The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its annual men's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday afternoon, and the Golden Tornadoes were picked to finish fourth in the North Division. Westminster and Washington & Jefferson are the preseason favorites to win the North and South Divisions, respectively.
The GTs concluded the 2025-26 season with a record of 10-16, going 7-9 in PAC play to earn the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. They lost in the opening round to W&J, who would go on to win the PAC championship and also earn a victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Damazo inherits a squad that saw five seniors graduate last season, including four starters.
Geneva has a small senior class this year, headed up by guard
Ryan Edwards. Edwards shot over 40% from three-point range last season, scoring 4.2 points per game and averaging 1.3 assists per game. He will look to take on a larger role this year in Damazo's new fast-paced scheme. He is joined in the senior class by
Micah Fisher and
Tyler Travillion.
Junior
Tommy Coletti is Geneva's top returner after averaging 13.5 points per game in the 2025-26 season. A versatile, lanky guard, Coletti contributes on both ends of the court, recording 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game last year. Fellow junior
Austin Matthews will also look to make a leap after the big man took over one of spots in the starting lineup midway through last season, averaging 8.0 points and 5.7 boards across the year.
Sophomores
Tayt Lucas and
Elijah Brush are the two most impactful returners from last year's freshman class. Lucas played in every one of the GTs' games last season, averaging almost 12 minutes per game, and he will likely play a larger role in the rotation starting this fall. Brush, a forward from Arizona, also looks to increase his contribution in his second season with the program.
Nine newcomers fill out the rest of Coach Damazo's lineup. Multiple freshmen are expected to make an impact right off the bat.
The men are on the road for the first four games of their season, beginning with a game at Carlow on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes will then travel to Lancaster, PA to compete in the Fellowship of Christian Athletics Proven Classic, hosted by Lancaster Bible College.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
