Dessoye Earns 1st Team PSUAC Honors
By Ross Turetsky, PSU SN Athletic Staff Writer
Recently the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) named their all-conference team, comprised of the best of the best in men’s and women’s basketball for the 2019-2020 season. The Penn State Scranton men’s basketball squad was represented in stellar fashion by their junior stand-out point guard Matt Dessoye, as he was named 1st Team East All-Conference. Dessoye received this prestigious honor alongside Pat Gallagher from Penn State Brandywine, Michael Coleman from Penn State York, Khalil White from Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Richard Grant from Penn State York, and East Player of the Year, Penn State Hazleton’s Andy Kwiatkowski.
Dessoye, a native of Wilkes-Barre and a Meyers High School hoops product, completed a tour-de-force junior campaign where he led his team in scoring, averaging 19.2 points a game, 4.5 assists per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, all while shooting a solid 42.4 percent from the field, a team-high three point percentage from beyond the arc of 34.6, and making nearly 80 percent of his free throws from the charity stripe. Overall this season, Dessoye played in and started all of Scranton’s 25 games, where he scored a total of 479 points, had 112 assists, 89 rebounds, 31 steals with his stingy play on defense, and stayed sharp and consistent all year long even while leading his squad by averaging nearly 34 minutes played each game. Dessoye’s stalwart efforts helped Scranton improve their win total from the year before, as they notched a 7-18 overall record, along with a 5-14 mark in the all-important conference play. A major highlight of the season came in a late season stretch, when Scranton went on a team-high three game winning streak from February 11th to the 18th against tough conference foes Penn State Hazleton on the road, at Penn State Brandywine in a double overtime thriller, and at home on Senior Night against Penn State Lehigh Valley.
Penn State Scranton men’s basketball assistant coach Michael Latrella was impressed in Dessoye’s tenacious work ethic all season long that led to his tremendous success. “Matt’s hours in the gym and in the weight room really paid off. His goal to make everyone around him better is something instilled in him early on by his parents. Matt’s loyalty, hard work, and ambition makes him a pleasure to coach,” said Coach Latrella.
As the sun has set on another Penn State Scranton basketball season, the sky’s the limit for Dessoye as he enters his final year in the program as a senior. Gifted with slick ball handling skills, clutch shooting ability, an unselfish passer, lightning quick speed on the court, a tough rebounder, a solid defender, and a great team leader, Dessoye is poised to get even better next season and help make his basketball squad a legit contender. Along with Dessoye’s continued stellar play, look for head coach Chris Sload’s numerous key returning players such as double-double machine Rob McAndrew, Arel Lamour, Cameron Jordan, Melick Lubin, Corchado Kente, Mike Foder, Savion Saunders, Troy Walker, and many others to make sure Scranton has a magical, thrilling season to be remembered come next Fall.
