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And so we've reached the wrap-up portion of the Super 75 series, which essentially concluded two weeks ago. But THIS final go-around proved even more challenging than the first part – namely, the excruciating task of selecting 75 players out of literally thousands over the better part of four decades. In this last chapter, as Steve Zerdelian modeled last week, I have chosen the players that most impressed me LIVE since watching my first D2 game at Le Moyne College back in 1982.
We tip things off with standout athletes who played for teams currently in our East Region, though they were NOT at the time. Many of these standouts plied their trade in the Empire State.
Back when Saint Rose was in its final days as an NAIA program, the Golden Knights made an instant impact, winning 20 games in their transition year and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament the following season in 1992, albeit in the old Atlantic Region. Two men who would become longtime NE10 assistant coaches shortly after graduating comprised a killer backcourt: Jeff Gore was a bad-ass shooting guard who could score from anywhere and still ranks in the Top 10 at CSR in scoring (1,803), assists, steals, and all the shooting categories (.542 FG, .399 3%, .879 FT%) while suiting up for four 20-win teams. The future longtime Southern New Hampshire assistant recorded a school-record 45-point game and brought talent and New York City moxie to the fledgling NCAA club… His partner in crime at the point was the cunning, future Le Moyne assistant Gallagher Driscoll, who – though a year older – was part of a class that compiled a 95-28 record. Cut from the same cloth as his mentor Brian Beaury, the fiery, no-nonsense floor leader was a masterful, unyielding playmaker and cagey defender, who still boasts school records of 878 assists and 359 steals to go with 975 points.
Driscoll’s high school teammate – Lenny Rauch – stayed home in Syracuse and became the most explosive John Beilien recruit at Le Moyne. A muscular big man who could score inside and out, Rauch did anything and everything he wanted to on the court, including deliver no-look passes better than anyone as the point forward. Cocky and uber-confident, opponents held a grudge against Rauch, but more than one has told us over they years they wanted him on their team. A future college referee, he still ranks second in scoring (1,876) and rebounding (1,151) while claiming fifth in assists (509) and steals (172)… Another Dolphins great from that exciting era was a lithe Swiss-army knife named Pete Jerebko, (brother of Syracuse University's Chris Jerebko), who was one of the most lethal 3-point shooters in D2 history (.495 career accuracy). He tallied 1,740 points (#6 at LC), 731 rebounds, 271 assists and 117 steals while winning 1988 Player of the Year in the brutal though now-defunct Mideast Collegiate Conference.
Continuing West on the Thruway, the greatest player in Roberts Wesleyan history was a relentless bull named Joe Rebisz (pronounced “REB-zee”). The two-time Player of the Year in the Northeast Atlantic Conference (NAIA) graduated in 2002 as the Raiders’ (the team is now known as the Redhawks) all-time scorer (2,464) and rebounder (1,325), and he hasn’t been matched yet. Extremely hard-working and stunningly unconventional, Rebisz actually had a shot in his arsenal that drove defenders crazy as he released it – I kid you not – backwards!
Joe Rebisz was a force to be reckoned with against NAIA and NCAA opponents (photo credit pending)
Last stop in Upstate New York is Buffalo, where strapping shooting guard Brian Montanero helped lead Daemen to the NAIA Elite-8 with spectacular long-range shooting (his 279 triples are second most in program history) as he scored 1,920 points (#3) and played sterling defense for the Warriors (now Wildcats) with 161 steals (#8).
Downstate, the Pace Setters of the late 1980s and early 1990s truly lived up to their name, controlling tempo better than any team in the Atlantic Region, milking the clock and defending on the other end with unbridled zeal. Late, great head coach Darrell Halloran was blessed by terrific players such as Craig Crichlow and Rodney Reese, but my favorite was an inside-out monster named Bert Brisbane, who holds down career slots 1, 2 and 3, respectively, with 1,963 points, 891 rebounds and 204 steals. Solid, staunch and superb, the 1992 NYCAC and ECAC D2 Player of the Year was the head honcho as the Setters ascended the ranks to an NCAA Tourney team… Shifting attention to Long Island, tough-as-nails guard Malcolm Dowdy captured the NYCAC Player of the Year the year before Brisbane, starring on both ends of the floor by collecting 1,897 points and 207 steals, marks that are still second best in Panthers lore.
Bert Brisbane, Pace's all-time leading scorer (photo credit pending)
Sticking with the old MEC, Herb Magee was still in his relative salad days back in the 1980s, and no one has produced more game-changers or 1,000-point scorers (58!) than Philadelphia Textile/Philadelphia University/Jefferson, the majority selected and shaped by the Hall of Fame coach. The decade before the Rams joined our region, there were some tremendous stars, including four-year starter Randy Stover, a skilled big who was a threat from anywhere (233 threes) and who still ranks in the Top 5 in program scoring (2,369) and rebounding (1,067). The two-time All-American was a crucial part of 98 wins, three NCAA appearances and the 1991 Elite-8… D1 transfer Ed Malloy from St. Joseph’s was another prolific frontcourt force at 6-9, racking up 1,510 points in just two seasons. And, the local boy is still running up and down courts, now in his 19th year as an NBA referee… A few years prior, All-American playmaker Mike Louden capped a strong career with a brilliant senior campaign, earning 1989 MEC Player of the Year acclaim. His 1,495 points are almost an afterthought compared to his 669 assists (#2) and 284 steals (#1)… graduating a year earlier was consistent, hard-nosed forward Tony Coleman, who cranked out 1,627 points and 1,058 rebounds (#7), earning All-Conference honors all four years before joining the Harlem Globetrotters.
Teikyo-Post’s Ron Christy was a no-brainer Super 75 pick, but just before him, when the Eagles were among the NAIA ranks, a sleek, dynamic, All-American forward by the name of Rasuel McKune was an absolute beast on both sides of the ball. His 2,165 points are surpassed only by Christy, while his 1,631 boards, 326 steals and 221 blocked shots are all totals that are second to none.
Among the great PSAC players I have come to know and love, no one shined brighter than Kutztown guard Stephen Dennis, who radiated NBA talent and could break down any defense. Few could take over games quite like the Golden Bears’ all-time scoring leader (his 2,406 points are third-most in league history), who also places second in assists (442) and fifth in rebounding (688)… Honorable mention to deadly sharpshooter Anthony Lee, who ranks in the Top 10 in scoring (#2 at 2,292) and 3-point shooting (#1 at 46.8%)
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown's all-time scoring leader (photo credit pending)
East Stroudsburg has had its share of star power, with flashy forward Rasheed Moore, onetime Philly Textile center Chris Bach, who returned to the game after a decade-long hiatus, and undersized post Steve Harris, who ushered the Warriors to their first Elite-8, But my pick of the litter was long-range bomber and defensive whiz Whis Grant, a thoroughbred who collected 1,860 points (#2), authored the most 20-point games on record in ESU history and induced 197 steals – mostly deflections from his long arms on Jeff Wilson’s vaunted, suffocating, full-court press.
Mansfield’s pre-eminent players over the past four decades were two-way guard Chris Venning and prominent pivot Brian White from the mid-1980s, who combined for over 3,000 points and nearly 500 steals, with the latter snatching a Mounties-record 1,085 rebounds… More recently, Joe Bell was a 6-6 muscle man who left a major mark on the program with 1,904 points (#1) and 737 caroms (#6).
The best product out of Shippensburg was Dustin Sleva, an athletic, agile, 6-8, two-time Player of the Year who could put it on the floor and shoot like Dirk Nowitzki. With 2,071 points and 1,098 rebounds, the European star virtually transformed the woebegone Raiders into perennial NCAA contenders (72-21 his last three years) all by himself.
The alpha dog of the PSAC West this century has been Indiana, which reached two NCAA title games under Joe Lombardi. Among the noteworthy players during the Crimson Hawks’ big run were sinewy point guard Devante Chance and long, lanky stud Jacobo Diaz (1,747 points and 1,105 rebounds are both #2 in IUP history), but it was none other than 2011 National Player of the Year Darryl Webb who put this program on the map, polishing off his brilliant career with 1,949 points (#1), 1,214 rebounds (#1), 162 blocks (#2) and a glittering 94-32 record. The beefy, 6-6 star brought attitude and confidence on every play, earning him the distinction of being the first IUP player to have his jersey retired. And deservedly so.
Back before the school was a member of the PSAC, Gannon was one of the powers of the old MEC, and it was silky wing Butch Warner who fueled the Golden Knights’ fire, winning the 1985 conference Player of the Year. He’s still listed #1 in scoring (2,090), #5 in assists (378) and #2 in steals (196).
Now, we jump to the teams that made a splash on the grandest stage – the Elite-8. Headlining that lineup is speedy Barton point guard and future Harlem Globetrotter Anthony Atkinson, who, as my colleague Tim McCaffrey, chronicled in a recent “Musings” column, authored the greatest comeback in championship game history in 2007 at Springfield’s MassMutual Center. That 29-point outing was the crown jewel of a tour-de-force performance over the duration of that tournament, as the devout, unassuming leader of the Bulldogs scored the winning points at the end of all three games. Inspired by God (he read the Bible every morning and quoted scripture when speaking to the media) and endowed with uncommon, unteachable instincts, Atkinson outscored powerhouse Winona State (MN) 10-1 over the final 39 seconds of an unforgettable title tilt between the #1 and #2 teams in D2, topped off by the game-winning lay-up at the buzzer. That shocker snapped the Warriors’ D2-record 57-game winning streak and rudely interrupted what could’ve been a three-peat (WSU won it all the year before, edging the Bulldogs in the semis in OT, and reclaimed the crown the year after). The unbelievable rally from 14 down made this classic the greatest game I’ve ever seen, and Barton’s two prior, mostly forgotten triumphs – against Grand Valley State and Cal State-San Bernardino in OT – may also be in my all-time Top 10. Atkinson – who played sparingly his first two years at D1 Campbell – totaled 1,340 points and 376 assists in his two years with the Bulldogs, galvanizing them to two Final Fours and that Storybook championship.
Anthony Atkinson (above), who led Barton to an inconceivable victory over Winona State in the 2007 National Championship game (photo credit pending)
That Winona State dynasty that saw the Warrior
s compile an absurd 105-6 record between 2006-08, and 271-67 if you expand to an 11-year stretch. The program was teeming at the seams with talent during the championship years: 2,000-point scorer David Zellman closed out his career at the outset, 3-point sniper David Johnson began his at the end, while a trio of All-American studs did the heavy lifting throughout: blonde, brawny point guard Zach Malvik (1,971 points - #3, 549 assists - #2), nimble, cat-like forward Jonte Flowers (Top 6 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) and two-time National Player of the Year John Smith, who was one of the best four-year centers ever to come down the pike, as he amassed 2,265 points (#1), 1334 rebounds (#2) and 423 rejections (#2) while shooting 56% (#2) and making 541 free throws (#1). Blessed with textbook footwork, a blue-collar work ethic and unbridled talent both in the post as well as mid-range, Smith had an ordinary name and absolutely unforgettable game.
Quincy Henderson (#4), Zach Malvik (#11) and John Smith (#42) versus Bemidji State (photo courtesy Peter Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications, Winona State University)
Similar to Winona, Metropolitan State of Denver captured two national championships in three years (2000, 2002) and featured an explosive assassin in combo guard Demarcos Anzures, who could knock down the three with aplomb (school-record 302), fortifying the lofty 2,116-point school scoring record. He exploded for 32 points in the Roadrunners’ first championship game vs. Kentucky Wesleyan, earning MVP honors as Metro State avenged the previous season’s title-game loss.
Like Barton, Augustana (SD) reached back-to-back national semifinals, winning the whole enchilada the second go-around to cap a brilliant 65-5 stretch that doesn’t even include a preseason upset at D1 Iowa to kick off that magical 2015-16 campaign. How’s this for a harmonic convergence?: the Vikings’ 1-2 punch up front consisted of the top two scorers in program history: Daniel Janson (2,255) – a National Player of the Year as a senior – and Casey Schilling (2,054), who were the backbone of the team’s fortunes. The terrific twosome also placed among the school’s Top 5 rebounders, combining for a whopping 1,854 caroms.
The team that produced the winningest D2 season ever was Findlay (OH), which orchestrated a perfect 36-0 romp in 2009, winning two of their Elite-8 games in OT (the first vs. similarly undefeated LIU Post) and the other by a deuce, including a buzzer-beating opus vs. Cal Poly-Pomona for all the spoils. The catalyst of the Oilers’ success was multi-faceted small forward Josh Bostic, who earned some personal hardware as well; specifically Elite-8 MVP and D2 Player of the Year. An unselfish force and master passer, Bostic did it all on a very balanced team, as evidenced by his senior year stat line of 18.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2,9 apg and 2.4 spg.
One of the players who suffered through that agonizing defeat to Findlay was versatile power forward Larry Gordon, who graduated after that game but who, by example, helped pilot Pomoma to the precipice of greatness as the Broncos would go on to win it all the following year. Not only did I get to see Gordon play at two Elite-8s, I also had the privilege to watch him at his home gym thanks to a Le Moyne West Coast trip when he was just starting to blossom. A CCAA and West Regional MVP, the local boy produced 34 double-doubles as a senior, concluding his stellar career with 1,527 points (#3) and 947 rebounds (#1).
The first Elite-8s I ever witnessed were in Springfield, and there were two teams that sparkled above the rest. One was Bruce Pearl’s Southern Indiana team that won the 1995 trophy after finishing second the year before. Little did he know at the time, but All-American forward and two-time D2 Player of the Year Stan Gouard (pronounced GIRARD) would one day become the head coach of his alma mater (being named to that post prior to this season). His nickname of “Superman” says it all… Gouard was something special to behold: a diligent double-double machine who pumped in 22 points during the ’95 championship game vs. UC Riverside.
Stan Gouard, defying gravity and the defense on the way to the rim (photo courtesy of Ray Simmons, Director of Athletic Communications, Southern Indiana University)
The team that knocked off the Screaming Eagles in ’94 was current D1 program Cal State-Bakersfield, which had also won it all the year before with a pristine 33-0 slate and would take home a third title in ’97. Two stars shined brightest for the Roadrunners during that dynasty: dazzling quarterback Kenny Warren, who shepherded CSUB to a 111-21 record and two trophies, finishing #2 in scoring (1,521) and #1 in assists (520)… the other was two-year phenom Kebu Stewart, a dominant, determined post player who was sensational with his back to the basket, able to turn and creatively score in traffic. Between 1995-97, the focal point of the Runners tallied 1,290 points and 766 rebounds, while guiding them to a 55-8 record and the 1997 championship. Oh, and throw in National Player of the Year accolades, to boot.
Another D2 champion that has since reclassified to D1 is Bellarmine (KY), which gained ultimate glory in 2011 with a 33-2 record and spent the rest of the decade contending for a second title which never came. Among the superstars in the Knights’ firmament were all-time leading scorer and national champ Jeremy Kendle (1,969 points) and recent power forward extraordinaire Adam Eberhard (1,568 points) but my unquestioned favorite in program history was brilliant passer and phenomenal scoring point guard Braydon Hobbs (#1 in assists, steals and 3-pointers), a four-time All-GLVC rock star who commanded the Knights to back-to-back Final Fours and that national championship before earning D2 Player of the Year as a senior.
Though they haven’t won it all, perennial contender West Liberty (WV) has been knocking on the door for nearly two decades, spending more weeks in the NABC Top 25 and at #1 than any team this century. So it figures the high-octane Hilltoppers, who press and bang threes better than anyone, have been bountiful with star power. Prolific scorers such as Alex Falk, Devin Hoehn, Dan Monteroso and, currently, Dalton Bolon have filled it up big-time, but the purest shooter I have ever seen in all my D2 years was Seger Bonifant, a 6-7 scoring machine who could post up and drive with the best of them, but his bread and butter was the 3-point shot, whose perfect arc was so beautiful, it belongs hanging in the Louvre. Bonifant is the D2 record holder with a ridiculous career 52.5 percentage, and his 2,289 overall points top the Toppers.
West Liberty's Seger Bonifant (Photo credit pending)
The one West Liberty player that got away was David Dennis, the marvelous guard whom Jim Crutchfield took with him to Nova Southeastern (FL) after his sophomore year as the linchpin of that kamikaze offensive system. The dandy lefty playmaker stuffed his resume with 1,977 points, 706 rebounds, 772 assists and 328 steals, helping the Sharks transform into West Lib South.
Nova’s new archrival – Florida Southern – has had its share of success on the national level, and the best player I saw was Kevin Capers, a sensational shooting guard who could score in a variety of ways, ranking second in Moccasins history in scoring (2,319) while also expertly setting up his teammates (he is fifth in assists with 467) and contributing mightily on defense (his 261 thefts are second all-time). Capers was the central figure in the Mocs’ 2015 national championship, taking home MVP honors along the way… A close second is recent graduate and 2020 D2 Player of the Year Brett Hanson (2,238 points, 844 boards, 439 assists), who had one of the best mid-range games I’ve ever witnessed.
Next to Anthony Atkinson, the most impressive individual performance during an Elite-8 run must go to two-time Pac-West scoring champ Jet Chang of now-folded program BYU-Hawaii. The Taiwanese shooting guard amassed no fewer than 100 points over his three games at the MassMutual Center in 2011 as the Seasiders made it to the last Saturday before losing a heartbreaker to Bellarmine. Chang – who became the only member of the losing team to earn the Most Outstanding Player award – cranked out 22 points vs. Bloomfield in the quarterfinals before exploding for a career-high 43 points and 13 rebounds in the semis vs. undefeated #1 West Liberty, then dropped 35 in the championship contest, giving him these ludicrous overall numbers: 35-53 overall (66%), 12-17 from long range (71%), and 18-21 from the line (86%).
Augusta State (now just Augusta) featured two tremendous players in 6-11, 305-pound beast Garret Siler and Australian-born small forward Ben Madgen to the cusp of a national title. Siler was a planet in the paint and used slam dunks, as well as an indefensible jump-hook, to re-write the NCAA record book with a .735 career field-goal percentage (.789 as a senior). The crafty Madgen was a perfect complement – the quintessential D2 small forward, dynamite off the bounce and brandishing a deadly jumper, earning him two Peach Belt Player of the Year awards. Perhaps the only player to reach the Elite-8 all four years of his career, Madgen’s 2,306 career points were a conference record upon his graduation in 2010 and he is the only Jaguar to have his number raised to the rafters.
6-11 string bean Zach Hankins was a force in the paint for 38-1 Ferris State in 2018, taking home MVP honors as he powered the Bulldogs to the 2018 national crown before jumping ship to D1 Xavier for his senior season. The D2 Player of the Year as a junior was virtually unstoppable, shooting 63% from the floor, averaging 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and national-best 3.3 blocks a game.
The first player I ever saw sport the hideous man-bun was a strapping, bearded mountain man of Russian descent who left quite the impression on me. Andy Avgi propelled relatively new program Western Oregon to its greatest heights as the Wolves went 31-4 and made it to the national semifinals on his coat-tails. The unconventional yet extremely effective All-American power forward closed his career second in scoring (1,855), rebounding (596) and blocked shots (83) while shooting a robust 57% from the field.
Lincoln Memorial has reached the upper echelon of D2 programs in recent years, thanks to outstanding talents such as skillful forward Dorian Pinson and long-distance specialist Gerel Simmons, but if I have to choose a favorite Railsplitter, my choice is Luquan Choice, an awesome name that befits a special game. A quick driver with deadly pull-ups and 3-pointers off the dribble, Choice drilled a program-record 426 triples at an impressive .448 clip, fueling a scoring total of 2,039 that ranks third at LMU.
The last two players I’m including are here primarily due to compelling distinctions they held. When shooting guard Steve Dye graduated Alderson-Broaddus (WV) in 2006, he flaunted a D2 record of 444 career 3-pointers, shooting the Battlers into the Sweet 16 along the way. The four-year starter, whose record has since been eclipsed, is now the head coach of his alma mater.
And lastly, there’s Gil Goodrich, a 5-10 point guard with pizazz who was a D2 version of Steve Nash. The first thing you need to know about this kid is that no one I’ve ever covered wore more uniforms: three in high school and three more in college, including cups of coffee at D1 outposts Howard and Lamar. When he played his senior year at Bowie State, he was beyond captivating, nearly leading the nation in scoring (27.0) while dishing out an impressive 6.8 assists a game, knocking down 4.3 treys a night, picking up 2.4 steals each time out and shooting 86.3% from the foul line. But here’s the kicker: the athlete his teammates called “The Truth” and who wowed every initially skeptical crowd he played before in the Historically Black CIAA… was white!
Well, we’re not quite done just yet. Check back here this Thursday, as Steve Zerdelian will fill in some of the gaps in my early years (1984-94), showing some love and giving some pub to a few more athletes I never had a chance to see – but he did! Until then, Happy and healthy hooping to all!
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