Knoch graduate and Westminster College basketball player Rob Briggs leads the Presidents' Athletic Conference in rebounds. This will be his last season, however, as the engineering major will be transferring to Pitt.

NEW WILMINGTON — After a stellar high school basketball career that helped to produce three WPIAL playoff teams, Knoch graduate Rob Briggs anticipated more of the same at Westminster College.

After all, the Titans were coming off an 18-9 season and an NCAA Division III Tournament appearance the year before his arrival.

“Rob's arrival was ill-timed,” Westminster coach Larry Ondako admitted. “We had a bunch of injuries and he had to be thrown into the fire as a freshman.

“We graduated four seniors from that national tournament team and lost three returnees to injuries. That's like losing seven players.”

Westminster still hasn't recovered.

The Titans have lost 49 of 69 games since Briggs' arrival, including 32 of 42 the past two years.

The 6-foot-5 junior forward is a third-year starter. He won't be around for a fourth.

Briggs carries a 3.5 grade-point average as an engineering major and is headed to the University of Pittsburgh for the next two years to attain his degree.

“It's going to be tough because I know these guys are going win next year,” Briggs said.

Briggs is doing his share in 2010-11. He ranks second in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with 7.7 rebounds per game — trailing only Thiel's Blair Rozenblad (9.9) — and is among Westminster's scoring leaders at 9.3 points per game.

The Titans rank last in the PAC in rebounding margin and defensive rebounds.

“Rob and Adam Carswell are the only big men we have and Rob really gets after it,” Ondako said. “He's had five or six double-doubles this year. We're going to miss that production.”

Briggs scored a career-high 22 points against Waynesburg this season. His previous high was 17, scored against Penn State-Behrend in his first game Nov. 15, 2008.

Westminster doesn't have a senior on this year's team. The lone senior on the roster, Max Spinner from Boca Raton, Fla., has an ankle injury and decided to redshirt.

That's nothing new for Briggs. Only one player, Anthony DeFelice, has stayed on the team through all three of Briggs' seasons with the Titans.

“It's been a different world here. Guys come, guys go, some transfer, some quit,” Briggs said. “We've never had a chance to build any chemistry here.”

Two former Butler County players — Mike Pratkanis from Butler and Steve Cress from Mars — were teammates with Briggs at Westminster.

Pratkanis transferred to Duquesne after his freshman year and Cress decided to leave the team after the first semester this season.

The Titans are 3-13 so far this season, including 0-6 in conference play. Regardless, Briggs has not lost his enthusiasm or motivation.

“This is my last year of playing basketball and every day, I feel like we're on the verge of getting over the hump,” he said.