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Back Mountain varsity ice hockey wins NEPASHL championship

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Upcoming Wilkes-Barre Township bridge project draws ire

<p>LEHMAN &#8212; Over the past three years, Penn State Wilkes-Barre has been in the shadows of college basketball in the Wyoming Valley, while their NCAA Division III counterparts have flourished.</p><p>People may have been curious about PSU Wilkes-Barre, but hardly seemed captivated.</p><p>That changed this season.</p><p>The forgotten school on the mountain has been building a contender under head coach LeShawn Hammett.</p><p>Hammett has propelled the Lions to an 18-9 record and a trip to the 2018 USCAA National Tournament. This marks the second time the Lions have made it to the tournament, their first since 2010. The Lions drew the No. 8 seed and will take on No. 9 seed Vermont Tech at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Penn State Fayette in Uniontown.</p><p>Hammett arrived at PSU Wilkes-Barre three years ago after a successful run as Cecil College&#8217;s mentor. While at Cecil, Hammett guided the Seahawks to the 2013 NJCAA National Tournament. His team also won the Region XX championship and Hammett won the Region XX and District 14 Coach of the Year honors.</p><p>Before his arrival at PSU Wilkes-Barre, Hammett had ties to the area. He is the all-time leading scorer at Luzerne County Community College. After his time at LCCC, Hammett played at St. Francis College (Pa.) and then overseas.</p><p>&#8220;I have blended my coaching style from all the coaches I&#8217;ve had playing overseas and in college,&#8221; Hammett said. &#8220;This was probably the easiest team I have ever had in buying in to what we are trying to do.&#8221;</p><p>Last year, PSU Wilkes-Barre lost in the Final Four to PSU Greater Allegheny, the team they beat this year to advance to the championship game in the PSUAC playoffs.</p><p>&#8220;Getting that close showed the coaching staff that to get to the next level, we needed depth,&#8221; Hammett said. &#8220;We went the transfer route and took that next step and we&#8217;ve seen the difference.</p><p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t get enough respect,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I feel we are just as good as King&#8217;s, Wilkes, and Misericordia, but because we are that little school on the mountain, we are forgotten about.</p><p>&#8220;I hope the guys seize this opportunity to show that we are just as good as the other players in the area.&#8221;</p><p>The PSU-Wilkes-Barre team is filled with guys that have a lot in common.</p><p>&#8220;These guys may have been looked over, and now they have an opportunity here,&#8221; Hammett said.</p><p>Levaughn Soules, a Meyers high school product, is one of those guys.</p><p>Soules just won the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference&#8217;s Newcomer of the Year award after leading his team in points (11.4 per game) and rebounds (7.8 per game).</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know about PSU Wilkes-Barre until coach Hammett recruited me,&#8221; Soules said. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad that I came here.&#8221;</p><p>The coach&#8217;s feeling is mutual.</p><p>&#8220;Levaughn fit our style of play,&#8221; Hammett said. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s very special. Maybe he&#8217;s the beginning for top talent in the area to come here. Why wouldn&#8217;t recruits want to play with Levaughn? He may not only wind up being the best player in PSU Wilkes-Barre history but in the PSUAC.&#8221;</p><p>Senior point-guard Shakur Jackson originally thought about transferring from PSU Wilkes-Barre after the hiring of coach Hammett, but stayed after a promise by Hammett.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know coach at the time, I was skeptical,&#8221; Jackson said. &#8220;We spoke and he told me if I stayed, by my senior year we were going to go to a national tournament and win. I&#8217;m glad that I stayed, it was the best decision I&#8217;ve ever made.&#8221;</p><p>PSU Wilkes-Barre has its work cut out Wednesday against an almost identical offensively-styled Vermont Tech team.</p><p>&#8220;We are a pressure defense, we want to get in your face and make you feel uncomfortable,&#8221; Hammett said. &#8220;We are a really good team when we make consecutive stops and once we take the lead our opponent is playing against the clock and our pressure.&#8221;</p><p>Jackson isn&#8217;t too worried about Vermont Tech.</p><p>&#8220;We have been watching a lot of film on them,&#8221; Jackson said. &#8220;We are just taking it one day at a time. We know our opponent. If want to make it to Saturday, we have to get through them first. &#8220;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penn State Wilkes-Barre men&#8217;s basketball coach LeShawn Hammett oversees practice Monday as the Lions prepare to take on Vermont Tech on Wednesday in the USACC Tournament at Penn State Fayette in Uniontown. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State Wilkes-Barre men&#8217;s basketball coach LeShawn Hammett oversees practice Monday as the Lions prepare to take on Vermont Tech on Wednesday in the USACC Tournament at Penn State Fayette in Uniontown. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penn State Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Jordan Williams goes in for a dunk during practice on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Penn State Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Jordan Williams goes in for a dunk during practice on Monday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Penn State Wilkes-Barre men&#8217;s basketball team practices on the campus in Lehman Township on Monday as they prepare for the opening round of the USACC Tournament. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>The Penn State Wilkes-Barre men&#8217;s basketball team practices on the campus in Lehman Township on Monday as they prepare for the opening round of the USACC Tournament. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penn State Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Tomir Gibbs eyes the basket before taking a jump shot during practice on Monday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Penn State Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Tomir Gibbs eyes the basket before taking a jump shot during practice on Monday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Davaughn Robert (23), Tomir Gibbs (shooting) and Shakur Jackson (3) practice before PSU Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s appearance Wednesday in the USCAA tournament. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL022718PSUWilkes-BarreTournament_5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Davaughn Robert (23), Tomir Gibbs (shooting) and Shakur Jackson (3) practice before PSU Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s appearance Wednesday in the USCAA tournament. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Forgotten no more, PSU Wilkes-Barre men&#8217;s basketball team makes national tournament</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @ TLSports</p></shirttailMeta></div>

A shot at respect: Forgotten no more, PSU W-B makes national hoops tourney