SUNY COBLESKILL BASKETBALL HEADED TO NJCAA MEN’S NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
SUNY Cobleskill basketball fans will be wearing black, orange and green on St. Patrick’s Day this year as the Fighting Tigers men’s team will be playing in the quarterfinal round of the 2005 NJCAA Division III National Championships hosted by SUNY Delhi in Delhi, NY on Thursday March 17. The Fighting Tigers will meet Minneapolis Community & Technical College of Minneapolis, MN in the “Elite Eight” at 8:00 PM. The Fighting Tigers will enter the tournament with a 29-4 overall record while the Marauders of Minneapolis Community have posted a 28-3 record on the season.
The Fighting Tigers earned their second trip to the NJCAA National Tournament by winning the 2005 Region III Championship in Utica, NY this past weekend. Cobleskill captured the tournament championship by defeating: Hudson Valley Community College, 67-64 in the quarterfinals, defending Region III Champion Cayuga Community College in the semi-finals, 66-63, and Delhi Tech 50-41 in the championship game to capture the second regional championship during the tenure of Cobleskill Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. The Fighting Tigers also won the 1998 championship under McCarthy advancing to the “Final Four” that year.
“I’m very proud of our team, my staff and I’m extremely happy for all of our fans in the community who have supported us for so long,” said Coach McCarthy. “It was very gratifying to see so many of our fans in Utica over the weekend to cheer us on. We’ve received tremendous community support and now we’re all headed for Delhi. As an Irishman coaching on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m hoping that a little bit of my people’s luck will come our way because Minneapolis an extremely talented basketball team.”
The tournament will tip-off on Thursday March 17th at 1:00 PM when Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL (16-16) meets Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA (21-9) followed at 3:00 PM by Richland College, Dallas, TX, (22-8) meeting Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ (23-9). The evening session will start at 6:00 PM with Montgomery Community College, Tacoma Park, MD (18-12) meeting Hostos Community College, Bronx, NY (23-8).
Admission to the tournament will cost: $20 for an all-tournament adult pass, $15 for an all-tournament student pass, $8 for a general admission to a two-game tournament session and $6 for a two-game tournament session. To purchase tickets interested parties can contact SUNY Delhi during regular business hours at (607) 746-4675. Media outlets seeking tournament credentials can contact Kim MacLeod at (607) 746-4603. For updated latest in updated tournament information the tournament website is accessible at www.championships-delhi.org.
