Feb. 28, 2003

By Gary Rubin
D-III News
Worst to first stories aren't supposed to happen all in the same season, but don't tell that to the Susquehanna (Pa.) University men's basketball team, which completed an improbable turnaround by capturing its first Commonwealth Conference regular-season championship in seven years.

In this the 100th season of Susquehanna basketball, the Crusaders gave 14th-year head coach Frank Marcinek his 200th career victory on Feb. 22, while winning for the sixth-straight time, and 12th time in 13 games. That's a far cry from just six weeks ago, when the team was struggling with a record of just 5-6, including losses in its first two conference games by a combined 66 points (62-93 at Lebanon Valley on Dec. 4, and 70-105 vs. Elizabethtown on Dec. 7).

A 92-87 win over regional rival and Freedom Conference power Lycoming College on Jan. 11, jump-started the squad, which went on to reel-off six straight. That streak ended with a 90-78 loss at defending NCAA Division III runner-up Elizabethtown on Feb. 1, but the team bounced back with a second six-game winning streak.

"The credit goes to the players. We went down to York (Jan. 8) after going 1-1 in the King's Tournament and thought that was one we were going to get, and we lost. I was distraught afterwards, but one of the players came to the office around 11:30 or a quarter-to-twelve that night and said, 'coach, don't worry about it, we're grown men and we'll handle it - go home and get a good night's sleep.' And from that point on, we're 12-1. That was a turning point that kind of jumped out at me," said Marcinek, who is 200-151 (.570), leaving him one win shy of tying Susquehanna director of athletics Don Harnum (201-153, .568, 14 years) as the program's winningest coach.

"It means a lot to me (to win 200 games)," he continued. "I'm excited and happy I've been here long enough to win 200. I'm happy it happened on a day like today. I hope I can win 500, I really do. I'm 44 years of age and it's not like I'm 60 and ready to move on."

Sizzling!
One of the hottest Division III teams in the country is Ramapo College of New Jersey. Head coach Chuck McBreen, the school's first full-time head coach, guided the Roadrunners to the regular season title in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and 16 straight wins heading into the league tournament.

"The last four years as a full-time coach I've been able to put in 13- to 15-hour days," said McBreen, who used to put in seven hours a day as a part-time coach. "Although some people mistake time and being present for production, I learned from my time as a Division I assistant at Western Carolina just how important productivity is during the hours we are working. I have instilled this in my assistant coaches and as a result of our hard work, my program has continued to improve each year to its present level."

Short Shots
The last of the unbeaten Division III teams fell last week when Mike Neer's Rochester Yellowjackets knocked off Mark Edwards' No. 1 Washington University Bears 83-82 on Feb. 23. It was the second close game between the schools this season. Washington won the earlier meeting 74-71 in overtime in St. Louis.

Gordie James became the all-time winningest basketball coach in Willamette history on Feb. 22 as the Bearcats held off Puget Sound 71-64. The victory gave James 278 wins over 16 seasons, surpassing Hall of Fame coach John Lewis, who won 277 games in 20 years from 1947-67.

With the Division III tournament pairings announced on March 2, here's a look at some regular-season champions:

Jack Bennett guided Wisconsin Stevens Point to the regular season title in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and earned the top seed in the league tournament. The Pointers were perfect at home this season with 12 wins.

Thiel wrapped up the regular season crown in the Presidents Athletic Conference with a 91-88 win over Waynesburg on Feb. 22. First-year head coach Mike Snell led his Tomcats on a late-season charge that produced six straight wins and eight victories in their final 10 games to seal the title. Grove City, coached by Steve Lamie, tied for the PAC crown but lost twice to Thiel in head-to-head matchups during the season.

In his first season, Sul Ross head coach Doug Davalos led the Lobos to the American Southwest Conference West Division championship. The team closed the regular season with seven straight wins and clinched a spot in the league tournament a week early.

"The season thus far has been beyond my wildest dreams," Davalos said. "To clinch a playoff spot with two games left in such an evenly-matched conference is a monumental achievement."

Bert West led East Texas Baptist to the ASC East Division championship. The Tigers closed the regular season with seven straight victories.

Kevin Small's Ursinus club ran the table in the Centennial Conference East Division and became just the third team in Centennial Conference history to go unbeaten (13-0) in conference play. The team's 19 wins are the second-most wins in school history. The 13 wins are a new record for wins by an East Division team. Franklin & Marshall, coached by Glenn Robinson, won its fifth straight Centennial West Division championship.