On February 26, the West Chester University men’s basketball team captured its first
PSAC East Regular Season championship since 2006 with a 75-70 victory over the Millersville University Marauders. A week later, the Golden Rams qualified for their first NCAA Division II tournament since 2019. With an overall record of 23-6 and an 18-3 record in conference play, the 2024-2025 season has been a historic one for the Golden Rams.
In his 17th season, head coach Damien Blair has led the team to a milestone that only the 1998-1999 and 2015-2016 squads achieved. “The goal for this team was to win as many games as we possibly could,” he says. “The goal was to win the divisional title, win a conference title and get to the NCAA [tournament] and get into the regional championship.”
From the first day of practice, Blair and his staff worked to ensure that the team played cohesively rather than individually. “One of the biggest messages we’ve been giving the team from day one is play as hard as you possibly can and be as tough as
you possibly can,” he shares.
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Blair was named the 2024-2025 PSAC East Coach of the Year on March 6. Though it is an individual accolade, Blair chose to accept the award as a group accomplishment. “To
be honest, it’s more of a coaching staff award,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve changed
anything this year that I haven’t done in previous years. I think the bottom line is the Xs
and Os aren’t as important as the Jimmys and Joes. It’s the players that win the
basketball games.”
Several members of the Golden Rams roster received end-of-season awards, too. Senior guard Elijah Allen and junior forward Davante Dennis were both named First Team All-Conference, while senior forward Joshua Walker was named to the Second Team.
In the current era of college athletics, where rules and league structure change frequently, Blair and his staff had to adapt. “In Division II, you’re not allowed to work out during the
summer, but typically these guys are working out constantly,” notes Blair. “With the
culture of collegiate sports and college basketball, it’s like free agency every year.
You’re bringing in new guys and, this year, we brought in three Division I guys and really
talented freshmen as well. When you’re bringing new guys in, you have to establish a
culture quickly. These guys bought in 100% from day one.”
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The Golden Rams began the 2024-2025 season on Nov. 8. The first two games
included back-to-back losses against West Liberty and Wheeling universities. Their first
win came on November 16 against Wilmington University of Delaware, when they defeated the Wildcats 92-78.
Conference play began on Nov. 22 with consecutive wins, the first an 81-64 victory over
Slippery Rock University, the second an 80-79 thriller against Edinboro University.
The team fell in only three PSAC games, losing matchups against East Stroudsburg,
Millersville and Shippensburg universities. Regular season play concluded on March 1,
with an 85-68 win over Kutztown University.
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Despite their six losses, the Golden Rams were undefeated at home in the 2024-2025 campaign. With 18 consecutive wins, the program has not lost a game on its home court since February 2024.
With the regular championship secured, the team had home-court advantage for the
PSAC Tournament, entering as the No.1 seed and matching up with Millersville. Despite
their victory just a week prior over the Marauders, the Rams fell short by a final score of
85-71.
West Chester University begin the NCAA tournament with a matchup against Virginia State
University on March 15. Tip-off at the ASRC Center is scheduled for noon. “[Virginia
State] is a very tough and athletic team that’s well coached,” says Blair. “We’ve got to be
the best version of ourselves to be successful.”
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