03/15/06
Matchups for NJCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament set
Former champ Gloucester among eight finalists in tourney at SUNY Delhi
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL: NJCAA DIVISION III TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
Four newcomers and one former national champion are among the eight men’s basketball teams that will compete for the 2006 NJCAA Division III Tournament title at SUNY Delhi.
The three-day tournament starts with first-round games at 1 p.m. Thursday and concludes at 8 p.m. Saturday with the national title game at Floyd L. Maines Arena in the Clark Field House.
A blind draw determined Thursday’s opening matchups, which begin at 1 p.m. with Rochester Community & Technical College (Minn.) against Montgomery College (Md.).
North Lake College (Texas) plays Suffolk Community College at 3 p.m., followed by Gateway CC (Conn.) against William Rainey Harper College (I[an error occurred while processing this directive]ll.) at 6 p.m.
Gloucester County College (N.J.) meets Finger Lakes CC at 8 p.m. in Thursday’s last game. Finger Lakes enters as the champion of Region III, which is home to local colleges SUNY Delhi and SUNY Cobleskill. Delhi lost in the first round of the Region III Tournament earlier this month. Cobleskill failed to qualify for the regional tournament.
Finger Lakes, Gateway, Rochester and Suffolk will make their national-tournament debuts Thursday. Gloucester, which won the national title and finished 30-0 in 1994, is making its second tournament appearance in the last three seasons.
Game times remain the same Friday and Saturday. The two teams that win their first two games will play for the title at 8 p.m. Saturday.
For tournament updates, visit the SUNY Delhi website http://www.delhi.edu or the NJCAA website http://www.njcaa.org.
Rochester vs. Montgomery
Rochester (22-9) won the Region XIII title with an 88-85 victory over Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Ninth-year coach Brian LaPlante leads a defense-oriented team that generates the bulk of its offense in transition.
Sophomore forward Joey Kollar averages 18 points for the Yellowjackets, who have allowed 67 points per game this winter. Freshman guard Cory Lott averages 13 points and sophomore forward Corey Ryan contributes 11 per game.
Montgomery (15-15), which will make its sixth tournament appearance, defeated Community College of Allegheny County, 69-65, in the Region XX final.
Coach Steve Hobson last led the Knights to the tournament in 2001. David Jones scores 17 points per game as one of five Montgomery players averaging double digits. The Knights play an up-tempo game and press often on defense.
North Lake vs. Suffolk
North Lake (19-14) earned its second tournament appearance with a 78-69 victory over Richland College in the Region V championship.
The Blazers, coached by Tim McGraw, have won their last six games. Guard Preston McCarter averages 18.2 points and forward Chris Agwumaro contributed 17.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Guard-oriented Suffolk (20-9) defeated Nassau Community College, 73-68, in the Region XV championship.
Rookie coach Tim Cluess leads a Long Horns team that likes to press on defense and run on offense. Freshman guards Alvin Vivan and Chuka Lioegbu each average 13 points, while freshman guard Desean Gist and sophomore guard Ryan Freely contribute 12 points per game.
Gateway vs. W.R. Harper
Gateway (18-9) became the first team from Connecticut to earn a national-tournament berth when it defeated Springfield Technical Community College, 79-68, in the Region XXI championship.
Coach John Stewart’s team is led by all-conference and all-region sophomore forward Matt Dickens, who averages 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. Freshman swingman Tocari Davis averages 17 points for the Lions, who get 11 points per game from Edvinas Inkrata.
William Rainey Harper (26-6), ranked fourth among NJCAA D-III teams, beat Joliet Junior College, 83-80, in the Region IV championship. The Hawks last appeared in the national tournament in 1999, placing third in the final round.
First-year coach Ed Molitor Jr. leads a team that has allowed 66 points per game. Sophomore guard Matt Monaghan (17.5 ppg), sophomore guard Dane Cruz (16.5 ppg) and freshman center Brandon Jung (12 ppg, 8 rpg) are the Hawks’ top threats.
Gloucester vs. Finger Lakes
After winning it all in 1994, Gloucester (24-7) is back in the national tournament for the fifth time since 1998. The Roadrunners, who also made it in 1999, 2000 and 2004, beat Bergen County Community College, 76-73, in overtime for the Region XIX championship.
Fifth-year coach Ricky Jackson relies on a half-court game led by sophomore guard Michael McDonald (13 ppg), sophomore guard Tavis Gale (10.5 ppg) and sophomore forward Larry Morris (10.5 ppg).
Finger Lakes (25-8) extended its winning streak to 10 games by beating Herkimer County Community College, 75-69, in the Region III championship. The Lakers, coached by Richard Jones, allowed the fewest points in its conference for the second consecutive year.
Sophomore center Juan Paulino is the top rebounder among NJCAA D-III players, with 21 per game. He also averages 18 points and is 17 shy of becoming the school’s all-time scoring leader.
Freshman guard Ryan Henry is ranked 13th in nation in scoring, at 19.5 points per game.
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