By Chris Granozio
Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show was pretty cut and dry, and the Regional Committee did a tremendous job constructing the bracket, which consists of the three automatic bids from the league tournament championships: Bentley of the Northeast-10, St. Thomas Aquinas of the East Coast and surprise party-crasher Felician, which pulled the upset special in the Central Atlantic. There are five NE10 teams in the field, two CACC clubs and the one ECC qualifier. A closer look reveals the top three seeds are all members of the NE10’s Northeast Division. Here’s a thumbnail glance at the matchups slated for Saturday’s opening-round action at the Dana Center, where Bentley will host the big shebang for the first time since 2011:
#3 St. Anselm (17-10) vs. #6 New Haven (17-8)
A rematch of an NE10 tourney quarterfinal, this will be the New England rivals’ third meeting in three different venues this season – and it’s the one intra-league affair in the first round. The Hawks have won the first two meetings, including the 81-79 overtime thriller last Monday, during which Chris Paul poured in a career-high 40 points. This is the 25th NCAA appearance for the Hawks, who annexed regional championships in 2000 and 2019. The Chargers are participating in their ninth regional but have never won more than one game in any of them, doing so on four occasions. St. Anselm – which leads the all-time series, 20-9 – boasts the longest active NCAA Tournament streak at nine (not counting last year, when the Hawks – as well as the vast majority of East Region clubs – did not field a team due to the pandemic). New Haven features the tallest player on any roster in 7-1 D1 transfer Majur Majak, who paces the nation with 3.16 blocked shots per contest. If the recent past is any indication, expect another tug-of-war as this will be the teams' fourth postseason match-up in as many years, with the two most recent battles having been decided in OT and the 2019 clash by a solitary point.
#2 Franklin Pierce (18-10) vs. #7 St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4)
Here’s a rare showdown between former NAIA programs that have only met once in the NCAA era – a one-point Pierce win in 1999. And both squads have earned regional trophies within the last decade. The Ravens – the only team in the field to have beaten top-seeded Bentley (doing so twice, in fact) – make their eighth NCAA appearance and first since an epic 79-77 loss in 2014 at eventual champ Southern Connecticut. A year earlier, they captured the crown in the Queen City of Manchester. St. Thomas Aquinas – which is participating in its seventh straight regional (all under Tobin Anderson) – made its maiden Elite-8 voyage in 2017 and holds a 5-2 head-to-head edge, with all but one of the meetings taking place prior to 1988. The Spartans enter tourney play as the hottest team in the field with 14 consecutive wins, capped by a 59-48, do-or-die taffy-pull at home vs. archrival Daemen in the ECC Championship. Franklin Pierce lost the NE10 title tilt at Bentley in what turned out to be a meaningless game as far as seeding is concerned. The Ravens feature the most talented player in the bracket in 5-11 junior guard Isaiah Moore, who ranks sixth in the nation with 23.0 points a game and 18th with 5.4 assists. STAC’s strongest weapon is its vaunted pressure defense, which forces 18.1 turnovers per game – fourth-most in Division 2.
#1 Bentley (22-4) vs. #8 Felician (19-9)
The class of the East all season, the Falcons are experiencing March Madness for the first time in six years and hosting a regional for the first time since 2011. Their opponent is the feel-good story of the tournament in Felician, which finished third in the CACC North but earned three hard-nosed victories away from home, topped off by a squeaker vs. division champ Dominican, in punching its second ticket to the big dance – the other also coming as an underdog a dozen years ago. This is a match-up of two teams with similar nicknames that have met only twice (Bentley wins in 2011 and 2019) and that both hoisted trophies on Sunday. The Golden Falcons – who are dancing thanks to Dee-End McRae’s clutch jumper with two seconds left – are playing with house money and hoping to become only the third #8 seed to knock off a #1 in our region. Bentley, which features one of the East’s most complete players in grad student guard Jordan Mello-Klein, is competing in its 19th regional, with three championships to its credit, all of which occurred within a four-year span (2007, 2008, 2010) - one of the most dominant runs in this region’s history.
#4 Dominican (21-7) vs. #5 Pace (19-9)
Two Hudson Valley schools whose campuses are 17 miles apart will square off in suburban Boston in the always-fun 4-5 game. Dominican has played on this stage in each of the past four years and five times overall, while Pace is still seeking its second NCAA win (the first was a 92-88 victory over Queens in Old Westbury, NY), having only reached this level three times previously, most recently 15 years ago. The Chargers played two white-knucklers in the CACC Tourney, rallying to nip Jefferson in overtime before losing that one-point decision to divisional rival Felician in a game that featured six lead changes over the final 2:06. Both clubs showcase fifth-year point guards in Daniel Grant (DC) and Brandon Jacobs (PU), who have combined for 3,042 points and 1,161 career assists. The teams also place a premium on defense, with Dominican averaging 8.4 steals per contest and the Setters limiting opponents to a stingy 41% from the floor. This intriguing encounter – their first since 2011 – will be the “rubber game” as the two sides have split the first six to date.
Time to Say Goodbye
Two unforgettable legends departed our regional stage this weekend: a player and a coach. Felician’s stunning CACC Tournament run, coupled with Daemen’s setback at St. Thomas Aquinas in the ECC Championship Game, resulted in the swan song of Wildcats megastar Andrew Sischo. The fifth-year center amassed a superb resume, the likes of which come along very rarely. The numbers are off the charts: 2,888 points (15th in D2 history), 1,478 rebounds (4th) and 84 double-doubles in 133 career games. The only student-athlete ever to earn four Player of the Year Awards and be named to five All-Conference Teams, Sischo was a two-time consensus All-American whose team went 100-37 when he suited up. The native of Guilderland, NY will certainly have opportunities to play professionally, but since he is recently engaged to be married, he may elect to trade in his shorts and sneakers for a business suit and barbecue apron. Whatever path he chooses to follow, we at D2Easthoops wish Andrew Sischo nothing but success and happiness going forward.
Also riding into the proverbial sunset is the legendary Herb Magee, (left), whose 55-year career guiding Jefferson came to a close in cruel fashion as the Rams – with whom he has been associated for 62 seasons as a player, assistant and head coach – bowed out of the CACC Tournament in a heartbreaking overtime semifinal vs. Dominican. The 80-year-old Hall of Famer compiled a spectacular 1,144-450 record… good for a .718 winning percentage. Only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke has enjoyed more victories as an NCAA head coach than Herb, who led his troops to 31 NCAA Tournaments, three regional championships and the 1970 national title. Magee’s teams recorded an astouding 50 winning records in 54 seasons, including each of the last 24! The Philadelphia lifer and product of West Catholic High School, who boldly claims to be the greatest shooter in his city's history, went on to score 2,235 points at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Jefferson). He rejected offers to play professionally in order to stay home and dedicate himself to teaching the game he loves, and we all have benefited immensely from that choice.
Having sat courtside next to Herb Magee many times over the four decades I’ve covered the region in some form, Herb has always graced me with generous compliments and imparted fascinating insights, often during game action, as a matter of fact. It has been a rare privilege to be included in his and his staff’s inner circle. The ”Shot Doctor” has been blessed with a memory like a steel trap, able to rattle off the most obscure details of virtually every game he’s ever coached. There are many adjectives I can use to describe his on-court demeanor, and they include: demanding, nurturing, grouchy, witty, sarcastic, incisive, competitive, and brutally honest. I can impart dozens of anecdotes, but I’ll share just one. During a home game vs. Wilmington seven years ago, a player diving for a loose ball on the sidelines inadvertently took out Herb, knocking him hard to the floor and eliciting gasps from the crowd. His assistants, as well as one of the game officials, rushed to his aid. Yet the never-flustered Magee refused their assistance, springing to his feet, dusting himself off and remarking, “Get away. I’m an exceptionally fit, 73-year-old man.” A mixture of relief and chuckles filled our little corner of the Gallagher Center, and to this day, that uncommon display of tenacity and flippancy still brings a smile to my face. Last year, when I received a media award from the Eastern Athletic Communications Association, I was asked to choose someone to introduce me. I decided to swing for the fences and called on Herb, whom I am proud to say has been as much a fan of my work as I have been of his. When he said yes, I felt honored and special.
The Rams’ sideline will never be the same without Herb Magee, but life is a never-ending series of transformations and adaptations. It’s someone else’s turn now, and it will be impossible (not to mention unfair) to make any comparisons. I wish Herb, his lovely wife, Jeri and the rest of the wonderful Magee family peace, prosperity and plenty of pleasure as he transitions into a new chapter of an extraordinary life. God bless you, dear friend.
Next report comes your way prior to the regional final. Until then, Happy Hooping to All!