March 2, 2001

By Gary Rubin

CCNY Launches into March Madness with Upset Win
The NCAA Division III tournament was announced on Sunday, Feb. 25. Many familiar teams are listed in the bracket but there are a few surprise entries as well.

One of the biggest stories is the run put together by City College of New York (CCNY), coached by first-year mentor Andy Stampfel. With a record of 10-14 entering the City University of New York Athletic Conference tournament, the No. 8 seeded Beavers defeated Brooklyn College 68-55 in a play-in game. They then did the impossible in the quarterfinals by upsetting No. 1 seed Baruch College 73-67 to advance to the semifinals. CCNY took one step closer in their quest for the championship by defeating York College (NY) 67-62 in their next game.

Ralph Perez's 22 points propelled the Beavers, who trailed by 15 points at halftime and outscored York 40-20 in the second half. Finally, CCNY capped its miraculous run with a win over the College of Staten Island, seeded second in the tournament, to clinch the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Stampfel, 28, is in his first year at CCNY and came to the college after being an assistant at St. Francis College last season. The Beavers, 14-14, take on Catholic University on March 1 in the first round of the tournament.

More Miracles
Speaking of Catholic, the Cardinals needed a miracle of their own to advance to the tournament. With an NCAA tournament bid on the line, Catholic freshman Will Morley came through with a short jumper in the lane as time expired to propel the Cardinals to a 61-59 victory over Marymount in the championship game of the Capital Athletic Conference tournament. The win was the 10th straight for head coach Mike Lonergan's team and a ticket to the NCAA tournament for the fourth year in a row.

The long wait for MacMurray College head coach Dr. Bob Gay is over. His Highlanders are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 40 years. Sophomore Derek James scored 29 points, including 18 in the second half, to lead MacMurray to a 100-95 win over Fontbonne College last week and the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. That means an automatic bid the MacMurray, ending the long postseason drought. The Highlanders will travel nearly 600 miles to face Maryville (TN) University in the opening round. Gay is in his 26th season at the helm of the MacMurray College men's basketball team and is the winningest coach in school history. The Highlanders made a tremendous turnaround this year after finishing last season with a 10-15 record, including a 7-7 mark in the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

George Petrie, now in his 12th season as the Gettysburg Bullets' head coach, guided the program this season to its first-ever Centennial Conference championship and first conference title of any kind in 62 years. The Bullets are making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1996 and play Hampden-Sydney College in the opening round.

Winner Take All
Two Midwest region teams faced off on Saturday afternoon with a NCAA bid on the line. Washington (MO) traveled to Chicago to take on the Maroons in a winner-take-all game. To the victor went the University Athletic Association title and automatic bid to the tournament. The loser would have to await his fate and hope for an at-large bid. As it turned out, both teams got in the tournament.

Chicago sophomore Derek Reich scored a game-high 26 points as the third-ranked University of Chicago defeated No. 4 ranked Washington 84-70 to win the UAA regular season title. The league title was Chicago's fourth in the past five years. The victory was also Chicago's 42nd straight at home in conference play. Overall, Chicago has won 46 of its last 47 games at the Henry Crown Field House. The win was Chicago's 12th straight this season.

Chicago head coach Mike McGrath, now in his ninth year with the Chicago basketball program and his second as head coach, has the Maroons in familiar territory. In his debut season a year ago, McGrath led Chicago to a 23-4 record, the UAA title, and a NCAA Division III sweet 16 appearance. During his seven-year tenure as an assistant, McGrath helped guide the Maroons to a record of 107-73 (.594), including an 82-23 (.781) mark from 1995-99.