FIGHTING TIGER MEN PLACE 7TH AT 2005 NJCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNMENT

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team brought home a seventh place finish from the 2005 NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament hosted by SUNY Delhi in Delhi, NY from March 17th through March 19th. It marked the second time the Fighting Tigers have appeared in the NJCAA’s Elite Eight by virtue of winning the program’s second NJCAA Region III Division III Championship.

The Fighting Tigers entered the tournament’s quarterfinal round versus Minneapolis Community & Technical College from Minneapolis, MN. In a hard fought possession for possession contest it was the Marauders of Minneapolis besting the Fighting Tigers by a 64-60 margin.

“We turned the ball over far too many times to be successful against a team the caliber of Minneapolis which is usually the difference in a low scoring contest,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “The unique thing about this tournament is that we still have to play two games in the consolation bracket which is not exactly what we envisioned but now it’s time to readjust our goals and finish out the season on a positive note.”

Freshman swingman Michael Lawrence, Newburgh, NY, Newburgh Free Academy, led Cobleskill in scoring with 13 points on the evening. Senior point guard Isiah Forde, Bronx, NY, Herbert H. Lehman High School, scored 11 points to go with three steals and two assists while senior guard Jamael Lynch, Brooklyn, NY, Bishop Loughlin High School, added 11 points and two steals. Senior forward Daniel Pierre, Brooklyn, NY, High School of Art & Design, chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds and freshman forward Abar Miller, Albany, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, had nine points and six rebounds in defeat for the Fighting Tigers.

In the consolation round the Fighting Tigers squandered a 10 point second half lead to fall to Montgomery Community College of Tacoma Park, MD. Cobleskill again struggled with turnovers down the stretch to fall by a 75-71 margin to the Falcons.

Daniel Pierre paced the Fighting Tiger attack with 22 points and 14 rebounds in the contest while Abar Miller added 20 points in the contest. Michael Lawrence also contributed eight points and four rebounds for Cobleskill in a losing effort.

“It was very disappointing the way we executed down the stretch and I have to question our mental toughness,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “Certainly this effort left a lot to be desired and I’ll be interested to see how we respond tomorrow.”

In the game for seventh place overall in the tournament the Fighting Tigers faced the Bulldogs of Bunker Hill Community College of Boston, MA. Cobleskill jumped on the Bulldogs by a 41-23 margin at the half and never looked back defeating the Bostonians by a 71-55 score. With the victory the Fighting Tigers closed the season with a program record for most wins in a season with a 30-6 overall mark.

“Certainly winning thirty games in a season is an impressive feat and even though we didn’t win a national title; we accomplished some things that most programs only dream about,” said Coach McCarthy. “I’m very proud of our players, my coaching staff, our support staff and our fans because without their hard work and support this type of success is not possible. I said thirteen years ago that we wanted to build something special at Cobleskill and I will always remember this season as the culmination of this building process.”

Jamael Lynch ended his Fighting Tiger career on a high note scoring 20 points and passing out five assists on the afternoon. Lynch’s senior classmate Daniel Pierre posted his second double/double of the tournament with 13 points and 15 rebounds to go with two blocked shots while Michael Lawrence closed the year out on a high note with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Cobleskill also received strong outings from senior center Scotty Frater. Poughkeepsie, NY, Spackenkill High School, scored six points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots and freshman reserve center Bryan Morse, Beacon, NY, Beacon High School, who scored three points and grabbed seven rebounds of the coming off the pines for the Fighting Tigers.   

During Coach Kevin McCarthy’s tenure the Fighting Tigers have posted a 292-103 overall record establishing a SUNY System record for most consecutive 20-win seasons currently standing at eleven while making 13 consecutive post-season tournament appearances capturing Region III Championships in 1998 and 2005. The Fighting Tigers advanced to the NJCAA “Final Four” in 1998 and the “Elite Eight” in 2005. Under his direction the Fighting Tigers have won three Mountain Valley Conference Western Division titles and two overall Mountain Valley Conference Championships and have been nationally ranked in every Final Season NJCAA Division III National Poll since 1994. Cobleskill has spent a combined total of ten weeks ranked number one in the nation during this time.