New head coach makes his mark early at Westminster

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa—Kevin Siroki didn’t take long to make a mark in his first college game as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team.  Siroki guided his team to 67-58 win over Mount Union in the first round of the Buzz Ridl Classic. The Titans trailed 31-19 at halftime but erased the 12-point deficit and rallied back to get the win.

Siroki was emotional after the game but gave credit to all of his players and gave his players a special message before the game.

“Forget about me, I love you,” Siroki said. “The guys battled all night long. It’s not about me, it’s about those guys.”

Siroki and his team had the gym packed for the first regular season game of the year. The players used that energy to their advantage.

“Hearing the crowd chant ‘defense’ while you are on the court just makes you feel like you have about one hundred players on your side,” junior guard Kendall Hunter said. “It was a feeling that we want back for every single home game and Coach (Siroki) is the one who starts it all.”

After his first collegiate win, Siroki is already looking to the next task at hand.

“Savor it for a little bit and move on.”

Five Titans scored in double figures in the game, led by Thomas who scored 19 points (8-for-17). Senior Doug Smith (South Park, PA / South Park) followed with 13 points. Sophomore Ben Donlow (Poland, OH / Poland Seminary) and senior Ron Martino (Youngstown, OH / Cardinal Mooney) scored 11 points each, while senior Reuben King (New Kensington, PA / Highlands) earned 10.


Donlow led Westminster on defense with 11 rebounds, while senior Adam Carswell (Painesville, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) had 10.


For the game Westminster shot 42.4% (25-59), including 50% in the second half (17-34), while Mount Union shot 37.9% (22-58).