WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team's season came to a close on Tuesday night at Washington & Jefferson in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Quarterfinals, losing 85-59, and with it came the end of the long tenure of Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero, who announced last fall that he would be retiring at the end of this season.  Geneva finishes its season with a 10-16 record, while W&J moves on to the PAC Semifinals.
 
No one born after the Ronald Reagan administration has ever looked down at the Geneva men's basketball bench and not seen Coach Santarsiero along the sideline.  Santarsiero began his Geneva career as an assistant coach in 1988 and was promoted to the head role in 1996, and he's been patrolling the sideline ever since.  That will change next season as the men's program will now begin a national search for a new men's coach, with big shoes to fill.
 
Geneva actually came out with a burst to start the game in its quarterfinal matchup.  Sophomore Tommy Coletti drove down the heart of the lane on the opening possession of the game and threw down a tomahawk dunk, and on the next possession Coletti drained one from deep.  Sophomore Austin Matthews followed with back-to-back buckets, and when senior Trey Barker knocked down a three-pointer, the Golden Tornadoes led 12-4 five minutes into the game, forcing a W&J timeout.
 
Things changed drastically after the President timeout, though.  Geneva went ice cold, and over the next several minutes W&J put together a 23-2 run to take a big lead.  By the time Coletti knocked down a turnaround jumper in the lane with six minutes left in the half, the men were trailing 27-14.
 
Geneva refused to fold, though.  Buckets from Coletti and senior Alec Srock, along with three-pointers from Barker and freshman Tayt Lucas, pulled Geneva within 33-26 heading into the halftime break.
 
It didn't help Geneva's attempt at a comeback that seniors Jonathan Bertovich and Nick Million, two of the top Golden Tornadoes all year who averaged a combined 26 points during the season, were still significantly limited due to injuries and unable to contribute much offensively. 
 
Ultimately, Geneva just did not have enough firepower to keep up with the Presidents on Tuesday night.  The men never got any closer than their halftime deficit of seven points in the second half, and W&J started to pull away as the half moved along.  By the midway point of the half, the Presidents had taken control of the game, stretching their lead to 60-37.
 
Coach Santarsiero used the final ten minutes of the game to cycle through a number of reserves as the season drew to a close, with W&J eventually wrapping up the win, 85-59.
 
Coletti led the offense with 17 points.  Barker finished with 11 points, while junior Ryan Edwards reached double figures with ten points.  Matthews added nine points and seven rebounds.  Geneva shot 22-of-58 (37.9%) from the floor, 8-of-23 (34.8%) from three-point range.  The men committed 23 turnovers against the W&J fullcourt pressure.
 
Alex Acosta led four Presidents in double figures with 16 points.  W&J shot 28-of-58 (48.8%) from the floor, 3-of-15 (20%) from deep.  The Presidents held a big advantage in free throws, making 26-of-30 attempts, while Geneva made just ten trips to the stripe, converting seven.
 
"It sort of felt like the same story we've often had this year," said Santarsiero.  "We got off to a good start, but then we went cold and didn't defend well, and we gave up way too many free throws.  But W&J is a really good team, so we knew we had to shoot it well and play almost a perfect game, and we couldn't do that.  It definitely hurt not to have JB and Mills at full strength, and I definitely didn't want to push them.  It's been a really enjoyable year for me, though, and I'm proud of the work these guys have put in.  They gave me all they had tonight."
 
"Overall, I'm so blessed to have had this opportunity to coach at Geneva," Santarsiero continued as he reflected on his career.  "I'm so grateful for all the guys that have played for me, and all the support my coaches and my family gave me over the years.  I couldn't have done it without them, and now it's time for someone else to take over the reins of this program."
 
Geneva will begin its search for a new coach immediately, while the Golden Tornadoes say goodbye to five seniors in Barker, Bertovich, Million, Srock and Danny Lauer.


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).