Three of a Kind

[hoxltc]

2013 season

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, Hartford) – The Hawks get off to a 5-1 start and are 7-5 entering league play, but end the season 15-17 (6-10 American East). The also fall in the semifinals of the conference tournament to eventual champ Binghamton.

 

Things are looking up however, despite losing lone senior and all-time leading scorer Rob Washington (1,918) to graduation, Hartford had a pair of newcomers named to the All-Freshman team.

 

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Georgia) – The Bulldogs end the year 23-14 (9-7 SEC East, tied with Florida for second behind Kentucky (10-6)).

 

Georgia opens the season at the Travelers Invitational in Lubbock, Texas against Tharby's Villanova's squad. Lovat had kidded Tharby over the phone earlier in the week on how they wouldn't be able to stop Buford and they weren't. Buford netted 25 points as the Bulldogs led at half 31-20 and went on to a 66-55 victory.

 

Speaking of Buford...WOW!!!. In the final SEC regular season game, he scores 25 markers to become the SEC's All-Time leading scorer.

 

In the SEC tourney they beat LSU (79-44) and Ole Miss (77-65), but fall to champion Kentucky 89-82 in the semifinals.

 

They earn a NIT invite and in the West Region they defeat UC-Riverside (70-50), LaSalle (75-73), and Siena (66-64) in the Round of Eight. They get by New Mexico (90-86) in the semifinals, but lose to East Carolina in the championship 66-56 in Buford's last collegiate game. He struggled all night, finishing just 4-of-13 from the field, six rebounds and nine points. It was the only game all season he didn't score in double figures.

 

Buford is named the SEC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and is also a First-Team All-American. For his career he ends with 2,734 career points (6th All-Time NCAA), 1,043 rebounds, while being Player of the Game 47 times. He will be sorely missed is an understatement.

 

Tharby (Asst. coach, Villanova) – The Wildcats complete the season 21-13 overall and 11-7 in the very tough Big East. They struggle in their second round loss in the league tournament.

 

They do however get a bid to the Big Dance, a 10-seed in the South Region. They get by (7) Kansas (81-74) and upset (2) Duke (70-60), before dropping a 64-55 decision to eventual National Champion Michigan State. The Spartans top surprise, Kansas State (No. 7 seed in the East) 67-59 for the title. Kansas State had upset #1 Georgetown to reach the Final Four.

[hoxltc]

2014 offseason

 

The three former teammates got together for the Fourth of July at Tharby's Philadelphia home. There was a lot of talk over the holiday celebration about the “glory days” back at UMKC and discussion about Izaguirre future, but Tharby had the bomb shell so to speak for the group when he announced that he had been hired as the new head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson the day before. FD was just a hour drive up I-95 in Teaneck, New Jersey.

 

The Knights, of the Northeast Conference, were coming off a 17-14 season (10-8 in loop) and former head man Greg Dunigan had decided to retire after winning the league's Coach of the Year. He applied for the job and they really liked his work at Villanova. He also became the conference's tallest head coach (6-10) of all-time.

 

Tharby would welcome back five seniors, three being starters, and a talented group of juniors. The AD told Tharby he hoped that the team could stay in the .500 range over the next couple seasons until he was able to bring in his own recruits. Tharby is hoping for far better from himself and his team however, but the school hasn't had a new trophy in the case since winning the conference and tournament in 2002.

 

Hannan and Lovat for now are staying put, but while happy for Tharby, they both are a little more motivated to make their own splash on the NCAA scene as a head coach.

[hoxltc]

2014 season

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, Hartford) – The Hawks finish the season 15-18 (6-10 in American East) after having quite a tough start of the season. Hartford plays first eight games of the year on the road, including contests at #4 Kentucky, #7 Syracuse, #2 Michigan State and Florida. While the Hawks lost their games against the NCAA's best, they gained valuable experience.

 

They receive a 7th-seed in the league tournament and defeat No.2 Stony Brook 77-74 in the opening game. They then push passed 6th-seeded New Hampshire 64-56 to reach the championship tilt against top-seeded and league champ Binghamton (24-9).

 

Hartford leads at halftime 43-33 and go on to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 84-73 win, with center Ethan Johnson scoring 24 points and point-guard Gabriel Testa netting 19 points to go along with six assists. It is the school's second trip the the NCAA tournament with the other coming in 2007.

 

The Hawks get a 16th-seed in the Midwest Regional and face top-seed Michigan State, who defeated them 65-47 back on December 13th. Hartford trails just 36-26 at halftime and give the Spartans everything they want in the second half but fall 78-72 as NCAA Player of the Year William Henriques scores 23 points for MSU.

 

It turns out to be the closest game the Spartans have on their way to the National Championship. They beat upstart Creighton 77-60 in the title game after beating Duke 102-94 in the semifinals.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Georgia) – The Bulldogs finish 18-14 overall and 8-8 in the SEC East. They also lose in the second round of the SEC tournament to #8 Auburn 74-65. They get no invites to any post season tournaments.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson) – The Knights finish 18-14 in Tharby's first season as the head coach, including 11-7 (5th) in the Northeast Conference. For the season four players average double figures in points.

 

In Tharby's first game, the Knights defeat Northern Illinois on the road 72-69 as five players reach double figures. He picks up his first conference victory in late December against Quinnipiac and his first home win on January 4th against Bryant University.

 

In the loop tournament, FD gets the 5th-seed and knock off (4) Long Island 83-69 and (3) Robert Morris (74-70), as six players score 10 points or more, to reach the championship game. They trail top-seed St. Francis (PA) 44-42 at half. However SF's Tyree Heron scores 24 of his game-high 37 points (9-of-14 3s) in the second half and the Knights fall 86-72. FD hits just 3-of-25 from beyond the arc in the loss, while SF is 14-of-28.

 

Tharby feels was a pretty solid first season as a head coach. Izaguirre sends a simple text to Tharby the next day...”Way to go big man”.

 

Later that week Tharby is named the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year and two of his players, junior center Travis Nunez and senior guard John Laiviene are picked to the All-Conference first team.

 

Game of note: November 25th, Manhattan defeats Umass 120-116 in double overtime. Umass sets a NCAA record by making 23 three-pointers (of 35 attempts), while Manhattan hits 37-of-65 field goals and 40-of-49 free throws.

[olympia]

Anyone reading? Good so far?

 

I'm enjoying it. I've never followed to see if any former players got picked up as coaches. interesting concept to follow indeed

[hoxltc]

olympia - I played thier four seasons at UMKC, then added them as coaches the next season. I'm just letting the AI play everything out. Should be cool to see how each does in thier coaching careers. Already have seen a lot of movement from the three, but finally had one get a head coaching job, hoping all three will in the near future. Thanks for reading - I'm enjoy yours as well!!

[hoxltc]

2015 season

 

The preseason poll has six teams receive first place votes, five of the top six teams (11 of 25) weren't in the final poll in 2014. Kansas State is #1,

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, Hartford) – Hartford ends 14-16 (8-8 American East) and falls in the second round of conference tournament – no magic this season.

 

Lovat (Asst. Coach, Virginia Tech) – Lovat gets fired from Georgia along with the head coach, but a week later is hired by Virginia Tech (coming off a 10-20 season) and third-year head coach Thomas Moniz. (Moniz was head coach at Hartford 05-07).

 

The Hokies finish 11-21 (1-11 vs. Top 50 teams) and 2-14 in the ACC, are 293rd in points given up and turn the ball over at a 15.8 clip. However they only lose one player to graduation.

 

They are a 12th-seed in tourney and knock off (5) Wake Forest 73-70 in the first round before falling to Duke 65-51 in second round.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 2nd year) – FD finishes 15-17 and 8-10 in the Northeast Conference.

 

They get a 7th-seed for the league tournament and beat (2) Central Connecticut State 82-70 in their first game. In the semifinals they defeat (6) Long Island 73-61, but they fall to Quinnipaic in the finals 59-53. FD center Travis Nunez is named to second team.

 

Coach Izaguirre gets hired as the lead scout for Oklahoma State and longtime head coach James Willis. Willis has won 384 games at OSU, which is fourth on the NCAA All-Time list. <Hoping coach Iz will get another shot at a top job before too long!>

 

OSU ends 25-8 and loses in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Two three-seeds meet for the National Title in which #7 Texas beats #9 Auburn 73-54.

[hoxltc]

2016 season

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, Hartford) – It's Hannan's fifth year as an assistant at Hartford, after five years at Pepperdine.

 

Hawks finish 23-12 overall and win the regular season American East (third in school history) title going 11-5.

 

As the top-seed they blow by Albany 66-49, but then lay an egg in a 91-85 loss in the semifinals to Stony Brook.

 

They do receive a invite to the NIT where they get a 3rd-seed in the West Region. They defeat College of Charleston 71-57, but fall to eventual NIT Champion Texas 83-66.

 

Hartford head coach Cameron Box earns AE Coach of the Year honors.

 

Lovat (Asst. Coach, Delaware) – Lovat wasn't really happy at Virginia Tech, all be it in just one season. However as fate would have it another job opened up, one he couldn't pass up.

 

Delaware first-year head coach Daniel Hearn, who was Izaguirre's assistant at UMKC the four years Lovat was there, got the job at DU and asked Lovat to become his lead recruiter. Hearn had followed Izaguirre to Milwaukee, then made stops at Cornell and South Carolina.

 

Delaware ended the season 14-16 overall and 8-10 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They also bowed out in the first round of the league tourney, without leading scorer Boyce Stafford who injured a knee three games prior.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 3nd year) – The Knights end a some what disappointing season 10-20 (8-10 in Northeast Conference). However Tharby losses only one senior (he only averaged 2.0 ppg) and guard Brooks Marcus won the league's Freshman of the Year honors after netting 14.0 ppg and starting all 30 games.

 

Coach Izaguirre – Oklahoma State ends 29-8 and ranked #10 in the country. They also made to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. #20 West Virginia upsets #1 Pittsburgh 74-64 to win the National Title.

 

Game of Note; February 12th: Virginia's Bruno Ramos (15) and Ron Stickney (7) combine to block 22 shots in a 60-52 victory over Boston College. Ramos' 15 swats were just one off the all-time NCAA record.

[hoxltc]

2017 season

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, Hartford) – Hartford ends the season 16-15 overall and 11-5 (2nd place) in the American East.

 

In the loop tourney the Hawks are seeded 2nd and get by Binghamton 76-73 in the first round. In the semifinals they defeat (3) Albany 63-62 to reach the championship game. In the title game they are blown out by (4) Vermont 81-54 to end the year.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Delaware) – The Blue Hens finish a very tough year 8-22 overall and 6-12 in the CAA. They also lose in the first round of the league tournament.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 4th year) – FD concludes the season an even 15-15 overall and in third in the league with a 11-7. A 3rd-seed, they fall to (6) Sacred Heart 77-69 in the first round of the conference tournament. Sophomore Brooks Marcus leads team with 15.4 ppg.

 

Coach Izaguirre – Oklahoma State ends 24-10 and ranked #23 in the country and are champions of the Big 12 Tournament. They finish the year with a loss in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Final Four: (5) Villanova upsets #1 Stanford 84-60, while (10) Creighton defeats #14 Boston College 71-69. Villanova then tops Creighton in the National Title game 74-60.

 

Game of Note; February 28th: Stephan F. Austin's David Brough hits a NCAA record 13 treys (of 20 attempts) and scores 42 points in his club's 85-57 victory over Lamar.

[hoxltc]

2018 preseason

 

Tyler Hannan and head coach Cameron Box switch schools, but will still be Hawks. The two move from Hartford to St. Joseph's of the Atlantic 10 Conference. St. Joe's is coming off a 21-11 year in 2017 and a 23-9 season in 2016 – both years they made the NIT.

 

Also Coach Izaguirre leaves Oklahoma State to become the head coach at South Dakota State. The 59-year old coach is six wins shy of 500 for his career. In 20017 SDS was 8-21 overall and 4-14 in the Summit League. They play UMKC on Dec. 26 and Feb. 25 in league play.

[hoxltc]

2018 season

 

Hannan (Recruiting Coordinator, St. Joseph's) – The Hawks finish 21-13 overall and third in the Atlantic 10 at 11-5. They receive the third-seed in league tournament and blowout (6) Siena 72-43 before falling to (2) St. Louis 73-69 in the semifinals.

 

They also get a top-seed in the NIT West Region. They beat IUPUI in the opening game 80-42, but lose to (5) Boise State 85-69.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Delaware) – The Blue Hens end the season a disappointing 14-18 and 6-12 in the CAA.

 

They get the 10th-seed in the loop tourney and get by (7) VCU 66-59 and (2) Northeastern 55-44. They however fall in the semifinals to (6) George Mason 72-52 in the semifinals.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 5th year) – The Knights finish the campaign 17-14 and 11-7 (3rd) in the Northeast Conference. As the 3rd-seed in the conference tournament, they rout (6) Robert Morris 83-63, but then lose to (2) Wagner 64-50 in the semifinals.

 

Coach Izaguirre – Coach Iz leads South Dakota State to a solid 17-13 overall record and they finish 10-8 (4th) in the Summit League.

 

Iz picks an early Christmas present as his club defeats Southern Utah 64-55 on Christmas Eve to give him his 500th career victory. He ends the season with a career mark of 511-352.

 

SDS defeats Izaguirre's old club UMKC twice in the conference regular season, 67-59 in late December and again 75-49 on February 25th. However UMKC gets some revenge in the league tournament by beating SDS 71-59 in the first round. UMKC goes on to win the tournament and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

 

Izaguirre is named the Summit League Coach of the Year, he had also won the honor as UMKC head coach in 2001.

 

Side note: Speaking of UMKC, head coach Jamie Ely took over when Izaguirre left in 2005 and has been there ever since. He is 185-215 in his time at UMKC, but has won the conference tournament twice and in 2018 helped the team to a 20+ win season for just the third time in school history.

[hoxltc]

2019 offseason

 

Add another of the trio to the head coaching ranks.

 

Tyler Hannan finally gets his shot as a bench leader as he accepts to top position at Brown University of the Ivy League after 13 seasons as an assistant at Pepperdine, Hartford and St. Joseph's.

 

The 36-year old Hannan will inherit a club that was 16-14 (9-5 Ivy League) in 2018 and return four seniors. Dartmouth has won the league the past three seasons, while the Bears have never reached the post season.

[hoxltc]

2019 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 1st year) – Brown finishes 11-18 overall and 6-8 in the league.

 

Hannan and Brown fall in their first three games, including a 61-52 loss at Santa Clara in the season opener. They finally get their first win on December 4th with a 76-66 home win against New Hampshire. The Ivy League does not hold a post season league tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Delaware) – The Blue Hens end the season 14-19 and 8-10 in the CAA. They get the 7th-seed in the loop tourney and knock off (2) Drexel 69-61 in the opening round. They then defeat (6) Winthrop 64-50 in the semifinals, but lose to (5) Northeastern 68-56 in the championship game.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 6th year) – The Knights conclude the year 15-17 overall and 10-8 in the Northeast Conference.

 

They get the 6th-seed in the conference tournament and beat both (3) St. Francis (NY) 73-67 and (5) St. Francis (PA) 92-65 to reach the title contest. However they have the season end there with a 59-49 loss to top-seed Mount St. Mary's.

 

On February 26th in a 78-56 loss to Sacred Heart, senior guard Brooks Marcus becomes Fairleigh Dickinson's all-time leading scorer, passing 2005 grad Chris Boyd (1,917).

 

Marcus, who started all 121 games in his time at FD, finishes his career with 1,994 points and 366 three-pointers. He averages 19.3 ppg in 2019 and is named Northeast Conference Player of the Year.

 

Coach Izaguirre – South Dakota State was up and down all year and ends 14-15 overall and 6-12 in the Summit League. They don't qualify for the league post season tourney.

 

NCAA Tournament: #4 Tulane routs #17 Brigham Young 83-59 for the National Title.

[hoxltc]

Early 2020 season

 

On November 12th Fairleigh Dickinson and head coach David Tharby traveled to Brown University to battle skipper Tyler Hannan and the Bears – for the first time two former teammates to battle as opposing head coaches.

 

FD opened the season with a 59-42 loss at Columbia, shooting just 28%, while senior Rueben House scored 17 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Brown won a crazy game at Santa Clara in overtime 108-100 with juniors Jarod Dunham scoring 28 points and John Diller 21. Freshman guard Sean Williams had 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while junior Percy Buckingham grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.

 

Here is the game recap.

 

**From Fairleigh Dickinson's student newspaper “The Pillar”**

 

Knights Earn First Win of Season at Brown

By Heath Yawney – staff writer

 

PROVIDENCE, RI – Fairleigh Dickinson held Brown University to just 26 percent shooting and had a key run to end the first half in their decisive 76-47 victory over the Bears at Paul Baily Pizzitola Sports Center on Tuesday. FD hit 46 percent of their shots in their first win of the season after shooting a chilly 28 percent in their season opening loss to Columbia on Saturday.

 

FD (1-1) was led by senior Reuben House - who recorded a double-double for the second straight game – with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Scotty Maze had 14 points for the Knights, while Kevin Halter had 13 off the bench, and Adam Eure 11. Brown was paced by junior Colin Burch's 15 points and seven rebounds.

 

The contest's storyline was somewhat overshadowed by the coaching match-up as FD head coach David Tharby was matching wits with his former teammate and second year skipper Tyler Hannan. The two played together at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2000-2001, under future Hall of Fame coach German Izaguirre.

 

“Obviously when I saw this game on our schedule I was very excited,” said Tharby. “(Hannan and I) are still great friends and I'm so glad he finally got a shot at a head coaching job. We haven't gotten to see each other over the past couple of years, so it was good to be able to catch up with him a little bit.”

 

The teams were tied at 21-21 with 6 minutes and 45 seconds to go in the opening half, but Brown then lost leading scorer Jarod Dunham to an apparent groin injury and FD took full advantage.

 

“We are a young team, but I felt for our first home game we started off really well,” said Hannan. “Then we lose Jarod and we looked very unfocused the rest of the night, especially in the final minutes of the first half.”

 

The Knights closed out the first half on a 12-0 run after Dunham went to the locker room. The game-changing streak ended with a old fashion three-point play by House and the visitors led 33-21 at the intermission.

 

“You never want to see a player go down, especially early in the season,” said Tharby. “We seemed to take advantage of a little lapse of concentration on their part after that. Then to come out and have (Jackie) Moorman make a great play really gave us a huge spark to stretch out the lead and ultimately put the game away.”

 

Brown (1-1) turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half and FD's Moorman worked around two defenders in the low post and converted a and-1 to get things started again for the Knights. The lead continue to grow as Brown couldn't find the range, while the Knights converted from all over the floor.

 

“It was nice to go up against David and his fine club, but I was hoping for a better showing from mine,” said Hannan. “Hopefully if we get a chance to play each other again in the coming seasons me and my staff will have a little better game plan.”

 

[size="2"][b]Fairleigh Dickinson 76, Brown 47[/b]

[b]F-Dickinson (1-1) Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts[/b]
Jackie Moorman    C    30   2-5   1-1   3  10   1  1   5
Reuben House      PF   31  6-10   4-6   3  10   2  4  16
Al Heilman        SF   19   2-2   0-0   1   3   2  4   5
Scotty Maze       SG   31  3-11  7-10   0   4   3  2  14
Adam Eure         PG   27  4-10   1-2   0   3   2  1  11
Kevin Halter      SG   24   2-4   7-8   1   5   2  2  13
Charles Dews      PG    8   1-1   0-0   0   0   0  0   2
Charles Salem     PF   12   0-2   1-2   1   3   0  1   1
Scott Elwell      SF   10   1-3   1-2   0   1   0  0   3
Edward Bowen      PF    4   2-2   0-3   0   1   0  0   4
Scott Reynolds    C     2   0-0   0-0   0   0   1  0   0
Dennis Calloart   SF    1   0-0   2-2   0   0   0  0   2
Totals                200  23-50 24-36  9  40  13 15  76
                           46%   67%

3-point goals: 6-17 (J.Moorman 0-1, A.Heilman 1-1, S.Maze 1-6, 
A.Eure 2-5, K.Halter 2-3, S.Elwell 0-1).
Turnovers: 3 (R.House 1, K.Halter 1, C.Salem 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Moorman 1, S.Maze 1, S.Elwell 2, 
E.Bowen 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Maze 2, A.Eure 1, S.Reynolds 1)

[b]Brown (1-1)       Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts[/b]
Percy Buckingham  C    21   1-3   0-0   3   6   1  4   2
Jarod Dunham      PF   12   1-3   1-2   0   2   1  1   3
Colin Burch       SF   23  5-13   1-2   3   7   2  2  15
Sean Williams     SG   20   1-5   3-4   1   3   1  3   5
Thomas Friend     PG   20   2-6   0-0   0   2   1  3   6
John Diller       SF   24   1-7   1-2   0   2   0  3   3
Grady Duprey      SG   21   1-4   1-3   2   3   0  0   4
R. Lafontaine     PG   10   0-4   0-0   0   0   0  0   0
Johnie Kearse     PF   15   0-3   2-2   2   6   0  4   2
Carroll Abbott    PF   19   2-4   0-0   2   5   0  2   6
Orville Johnson   SF    3   0-2   0-0   0   0   0  2   0
William Painter   C    13   0-1   1-2   1   2   1  1   1
Totals                200  14-55 10-17 14  38   7 25  47
                           26%   59%

3-point goals: 9-24 (C.Burch 4-9, S.Williams 0-3, T.Friend 
2-5, J.Diller 0-1, G.Duprey 1-2, R.Lafontaine 0-1, 
C.Abbott 2-2, O.Johnson 0-1).
Turnovers: 10 (J.Dunham 1, C.Burch 1, S.Williams 1, 
J.Diller 2, G.Duprey 2, J.Kearse 2, C.Abbott 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Abbott 1)
Steals: 2 (G.Duprey 1, C.Abbott 1)

Halfime:  Fairleigh Dickinson 33, Brown 21.[/size]

[hoxltc]

2020 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 2nd year) – The Bears end 14-15 overall and 6-8 in the Ivy League.

 

Began the season 6-1 in conference play, then lost seven straight to end the season, including a 27-point loss to last place Columbia. They did however split their two games with IL Champion Princeton. Junior Jarod Dunham led the conference in scoring (18.2 ppg) and was selected to the All-Ivy League Second Team.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Delaware) – The Blue Hens end a very disappointing season 11-20 (7-11 CAA). FD started out 3-2, then lost eight straight, then won five in-a-row, before going 3-10 in their final games. They also fell in the second round of the league tourney.

 

Junior John Burgin was named to the All-CAA Second Team after averaging 8.2 points and 7.5 rebounds.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 7th year) – The Knights ended 10-19 overall and 7-11 in the Northeast Conference, but did win six of their last 10 contests. They failed to qualify for the league tournament.

 

Senior Rueben House scored 13.5 ppg and had 10.2 rpg in winning the league's Player of the Year honors. Jackie Moorman (5.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) was also named to the NEC All-Freshman Team

 

Coach Izaguirre – South Dakota State ends 12-17 overall and 8-10 in the Summit League – lost in first round of loop tournament.

 

National Final – Virginia (35-3), the top ranked team in the country, beats 15th-ranked Oklahoma 80-63.

[hoxltc]

Here is a quick 20 year recap on our three guys.

 

Tyler Hannan – Chattanooga, Tennessee

 

2000 – Freshman at UMKC – 11.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg. All-Summit League Freshman Team

2001 – Sophomore at UMKC – 10 ppg, 7.4 rpg

2002 – Junior at UMKC – 14.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg. All-Summit League First Team (Went over 1,000 career points.

2003 – Senior at UMKC – Dislocated patella in third game of season, red-shirted.

2004 – RS Senior at UMKC – 12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg.

Finished Career at UMKC seventh on career list in points (1,461) and rebounds (887).

2005 – Volunteer Coach at UMKC

2006-2011 – Lead Scout at Pepperdine

2012-2017 – Recruiting Coordinator at Hartford

2018 – Recruiting Coordinator at St. Joseph's

2019-2020 – Head Coach at Brown University

 

Cody Lovat – Missoula, Montana

2000 – Freshman at UMKC – 11.1 ppg, 2.1 apg. All-Summit League Freshman Team

2001 – Sophomore at UMKC – 10.6 ppg, 3.0 apg.

2002 – Junior at UMKC – 11.1 ppg, 2.8 apg. Went over 1,000 career points

2003 – Senior at UMKC – 13.4 ppg, 4.3 apg. Lead Summit League in assists.

2004 – Summer worked at Ad Agency, quit job in December to follow UMKC.

2005 – Volunteer Coach at UMKC

2006-2008 - Lead Scout at Troy

2009-2014 – Lead Scout and Recruiting Coordinator at Georgia. Fired in 2014.

2015 – Lead Scout at Virginia Tech

2016-2020 – Lead Scout and Recruiting Coordinator at Delaware

 

David Tharby – Somerset, Kentucky

 

2000 – Freshman at UMKC – 15.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg. Summit League Freshman of the Year and Named to All-American Freshman Team

2001 – Sophomore at UMKC – 19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg. Summit League Player of the Year

2002-2004 – Played with Professional team in Italy

2005 – Tore ACL/MCL in summer, cut from Italian team – Volunteer Coach at UMKC during rehab

2006-2008 – Assistant Coach at Lakeview High School

2009-2011 – Assistant Coach at Georgetown

2012-2013 – Assistant Coach at Villanova

2014-2020 – Head Coach at Fairleigh Dickinson

[hoxltc]

2021 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 3nd year) – The Bears end 13-17 overall and 6-8 in the Ivy League. On Christmas Day they battled #7 Michigan to overtime, however fell 101-93.

 

For the first time in league history, the Ivy League conducts a conference tournament, but Brown losses to Canisius in the first round 69-67.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, Delaware) – With head coach Daniel Hearn on the hot seat, the Blue Hens finish 14-17 (8-10 in CAA) and it looks as if this may be the last straw for the AD and the board. They also get blown out in the first round of the league tournament.

 

CAA member and regular season champ Georgia State makes it to the Final Four, but losses a great battle with Uconn 79-78 in the semifinals.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 8th year) – Tharby's is starting to feel the heat of the hot seat after no post season appearances in his first seven seasons. The team ends 17-15 and 10-8 (tied for fourth) in the Northeast Conference.

 

In the loop tourney, the Knights get the fourth seed and get by St. Francis (NY) in the first round 78-62. They then knock off top-seed Mount St. Mary's 90-58 in the semifinals before falling to No. 2 Boston Tech 81-64 in the title game after trailing at halftime 31-26.

 

Junior Scotty Maze earns All-Northeast Second Team honors after averaging 15.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

 

Coach Izaguirre – South Dakota State ends 17-14 overall and 10-8 in the Summit League – lost in semifinals of league tournament.

 

National Final – An 11th-seed in the South Region, Louisville upsets #1 Arizona 85-62 in the semifinals and then defeats UConn 57-54 for the top prize.

 

Great Performances:

 

March 2nd – La Salle's Jimmie Ogle scores 52 points (three shy of the NCAA record) on 20-of-32 field goals. The 20 baskets are a NCAA record, but La Salle drops a 107-94 decision to St. Bonaventure in an Atlantic 10 contest. The record for most points in a NCAA game is 55 by Arkansas-Little Rock's Christian Colon in 2007.

 

March 8th – Drexel's Mikeal Vesvolod hits an NCAA record 22-of-31 free throws, part of a 36 point night, but it's not enough to advance in the CAA Tournament as they lose to William & Mary 93-92.

[hoxltc]

2022 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 4th year) – The Bears go 0-6 to begin the season and finish the year a disappointing 10-20 and 6-8 in the Ivy League – the hot seat is getting warm for Hannan.

 

Brown, the sixth-seed, lost in the first round of the conference tournament, 64-59 to Dartmouth. Junior forward Orville Johnson earned All-Ivy Second Team honors after averaging 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

 

Lovat (Recruiting Coordinator, New Orleans) – The entire staff is fired at Delaware after the 2021 season, but Lovat finds work in the land of Mardi Gras at New Orleans.

 

The Privateers had just hired James June, who was a longtime assistant at East Carolina and had been an assistant at Florida the past three seasons. June takes on his first head coaching job and is a 1991 grad of the Naval Academy and played on the last Midshipmen team to reach the NCAA Tournament.

 

New Orleans ends the season 14-17 overall and 9-9 in the Sunbelt Conference. They are seventh-seed in the league tournament and lose to (10) Eastern Tennessee State 77-75 in the opening round. Senior point-guard Clement Evans is selected to the First Team All-Sunbelt after posting 10.2 ppg and a league best 7.9 assists per game.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 9th year) – Tharby was feeling the heat entering the season, but saved his job for now with a tremendous 22-11 season, including a 12-6 mark in the league, good for second place.

 

The Knights get the second-seed in the conference tournament and begin with a 56-42 win over (7) Long Island. They then blowout (6) Sacred Heart 101-48 in the semifinals and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 75-60 victory over (4) Boston Tech, with Scotty Maze scoring 31 points n 6-of-12 from the arc.

 

It was Fairleigh Dickinson's first Northeast Conference tournament title since 2002 and they tied the school record for most wins in a season. It is also their first postseason appearance since being invited to the CIT tournament in 2005.

 

FD gets a 14th-seed in the South Region and falls to (3) Oklahoma State 78-52 after trailing just 34-32 at halftime.

 

The Knights have a trio of players earn season awards as junior forward Charles Salem (11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg) and senior forward Al Heilman (10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg) are named to the First Team. Maze is a Second Team pick after posting 15.5 ppg and 2.7 apg.

 

Coach Izaguirre – South Dakota State ends 18-13 overall (most season wins in school history) and 10-8 in the Summit League – lost in semifinals of league tournament.

 

National Final – Season long No. 1 Auburn (38-0) finishes the first undefeated season in dynasty history with a 72-49 triumph over #6 Tennessee in the title game. For the season the Tigers score 81.7 ppg, give up just 59.3 for a average margin of victory of 22.4.

 

They also put on a show on December 29th as they overwelm North Carolina Central 122-45. They led at halftime 68-12, hit 16-of-36 from beyond the arc, and hold a 56-28 rebound advantage, including 21 offensive rebounds.

[hoxltc]

<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">2023 season</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">

</span></strong></p><p>

<strong>Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 5th year) –</strong> The hot seat was still warm heading into the season and the board wants a .500 conference record. Hannan was returning five seniors, but before the start of the season second leading scorer Sean Williams is suspended for the first half of the year for breaking team rules.</p><p> </p><p>

Borwn wins season opener 101-77 over Virginia, the second highest game scoring output in school history, shot 60% from the field and had six players in double figures. They go 4-1 to start the league season and lost last three in-a-row – finish 16-14 overall and an even 7-7 in the Ivy League.</p><p> </p><p>

Receive the fourth seed in Conference tournament and fall to eventual champion and No. 5 Harvard 90-82 in the first round.</p><p> </p><p>

Freshman guard Mark Kinser (9.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.0 apg) is named Ivy League Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Ivy. Center Henry Crawford (10.8 ppg, 2nd on team) also was an All-Freshman Team.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Lovat (Assistant Coach, Temple) –</strong> Things didn't go well at New Orleans for Lovat. He was never really on the same page with head coach James June and was fired a week after the 2022 season ended. However just a few weeks later he was hired as the assistant coach at Temple, who had moved from the Atlantic 10 to the Big East a couple seasons prior. Temple's head coach is Greg Freeman, who has won 366 career games, and is hoping Lovat can improve the Owls.</p><p> </p><p>

On December 8th Temple defeats Tharby and Fairleigh Dickinson 70-45. The team ends 14-17 and 8-10 in the Big East. They get the 10-seed in the league tourney and promptly lose to No. 15 West Virginia 86-80 as the nation's leading scorer, Chris Madden (25.6) pours in 37 points for the Mountaineers.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 10th year, 139-142) –</strong> The board's goal for Tharby and FD was to win the conference. They finish the campaign 20-13 and earn a trip to the CIT tournament.</p><p> </p><p>

The Knights defeat champion Mount St. Mary's early in the conference season, but suffer a terrible 69-65 road loss to Sacred Heart (4-26, 2-16) late in the year to finish a game behind MSM at 13-5 in the Northeast Conference. MSM has won the regular season title four of the last five years.</p><p> </p><p>

Earn second-seed in league tournament and easily defeat (10) Wagner 87-60 in the first round, but then lose to No. 6 and eventual champion Robert Morris 70-69 – missing a potential 3-pointer with :04 left.</p><p> </p><p>

CIT – A seventh-seed, FD is victorious over Northeast member St. Francis (NY) 64-59, then have the season end with a 89-81 loss to (15) New Mexico.</p><p> </p><p>

FD senior center Jackie Moorman (6.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 4.0 bpg) is named Northeast Conference Player of the Year. With his 4.0 bpg ranking third in the nation. Also freshman forward Ollie Beasley (9.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg) is the league's Freshman of the Year.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Coach Izaguirre –</strong> Coach Iz decides to retire prior to the season, he finishes fourth on the all-time wins list with a career record of 572-411.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>National Final –</strong> Unranked Pittsburgh tops #4 North Carolina 72-65 to win the third National Championship in school history, the others being back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Notable Games:</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Dec. 14 – LSU 109, Kennesaw State 103 (ot) – The Tigers' Chris Morel scores 40 points (17-of-22 FG) and grabs 20 rebounds.</p><p> </p><p>

Feb. 11 – Brian Brewton of Mount St. Mary's scores 50 points in a 83-68 Northeast Conference win over Robert Morris. He ends 15-of-19 from the field, including 11-of-12 from the arc, and 9-of-14 from the line.</p><p> </p><p>

NCAA Tournament – Midwest Region, (16) SE Missouri State upsets third-ranked and top-seed Georgetown 75-74.</p>

[hoxltc]

2024 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 6th year) – Start the season 3-9, but end up 14-17 overall and 7-7 in the Ivy League.

 

Conference tourney seeded sixth and upset (3) Columbia 57-43, then fall to (2) Penn 70-58 in the semifinals. Finish 346 of 356 NCAA teams in 3-pt % (.272).

 

Freshman shooting guard Gregory Powell (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) named to IL All-Freshman team, while sophomore center Henry Crawford is third in the league in scoring (15.7).

 

Lovat (Assistant Coach, Temple) – The Owls put together a fine season by starting the year 12-1, finishing 25-9 and ranked #14 in the nation. They place second in the Big East at 12-6, 13-1 at home and #9 in RPI.

 

Big East Tournament they are seeded third and defeat (6) Villanova 79-65 in the quarterfinals, then fall to eventual champion Pittsburgh 68-58 in the semifinals.

 

NCAA Tournament – they get a No. 4 seed in the West Region and beat (13) Pepperdine 88-82, then get upset by (12) Nevada 63-60. It was the first post season Lovat has seen since he was an assistant at Georgia back in 2013.

 

Senior center Elijah Ibrahim (11.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 bpg) earns First Team All-Big East honors, while junior Omar Nicks ranks 10th in the league with 14.5 ppg.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson, 11th year) – The Knights (17-15, 9-9) begin the season 5-0, including the championship at the Midwest Hope Classic in Chicago, defeating Tulsa, Centenary, and finally Arizona State.

 

They begin the Northeast Conference season 4-8, then put together a five-game winning streak before falling in their last league contest.

 

They are the 6th-seed in the conference tourney and defeat (11) St. Francis (PA) 86-68 in the opening round, then lose to (3) Long Island 70-66.

 

Sophomore forward Ollie Beasley (17.3 ppg, 13.0 rpg) is named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year. He leads the nation in rebounding and is third in the league in scoring.

 

FD puts three players on the All-Freshman team, including point guard Vern Steinman (6.4 ppg, 2.4 apg), who is Freshman of the Year, plus Wilbur Marchese and Chris Handley.

 

National Final – Michigan State's First Team All-American guard Jacob Brown nets 22 points and five assists as the #1 Spartans (35-5) defeat surprise Wyoming (29-9) 70-62 to capture the National Title.

 

 

Notable Games:

 

Jan. 15 – Utah's Cedrick Bailey, the National Player of the Year and nation's leading scorer (27.3) pours in 50 points in a 84-53 win over UNLV. Bailey is 16-of-24 from the field, including 11-of-18 3s, and is 7-of-9 from the line. He ends 16th all-time on the NCAA scoring list.

 

Feb 17 – Davidson shuts down UMKC 67-24. UMKC has their worst season in school history, finishing 7-22. Coach Izaguirre and the three coaches can't be pleased to see where that program has gone to.

 

NCAA Tournament, West Regional Final – Indiana beats Kentucky 113-110 in a game that the teams combine for 30-of-57 from 3-point range. The Hoosiers then fall to Wyoming in the Final Four.

[hoxltc]

<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">2025 season</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">

</span></strong></p><p>

<strong>Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 7th year) –</strong> The Bears start 0-4 and are 4-7 in the league before going on a eight-game winning streak. They end the season 18-14 overall (most season wins in school history) and 8-6 (tied for 2nd) in the league.</p><p> </p><p>

They are the No. 3 seed for the league tournament. They open with a 72-67 win over (6) Columbia, with Henry Crawford scoring 19 points and Mark Kinser added 11 points and 11 rebounds. </p><p> </p><p>

Next they defeat (7) Dartmouth 79-58, after trailing 33-28 at half, to reach the title game. Crawford has a huge game with 24 points and 13 rebounds. </p><p> </p><p>

In the championship contest Brown faces (8) Yale, who finished last in the regular season standings, but knocked off (1) Princeton and (5) Penn. The Bulldogs shoot 50% and go on for a 64-50 victory. Kinser scores 20, but Crawford struggles scoring just nine points (on 3-of-13 shooting) and garbs six rebounds. (Yale gets buried by Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 96-56).</p><p> </p><p>

Junior forward Charles Faulkner (9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg) is First Team All-Ivy League, while Kinser (9.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.1 apg) is selected to the Second Team. </p><p> </p><p>

Hannan is picked as the Ivy League Coach of the Year.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Lovat (Assistant Coach, Temple) – </strong>The Owls end the season 17-13 overall and 8-10 in the Big East after being 9-2 at the New Year.</p><p> </p><p>

Temple opens the season with a nail-bitting 70-69 win at Hannan's Brown club, surviving a last second shot attempt by the Bears. The Owls led 38-30 at halftime.</p><p> </p><p>

They receive a 11th-seed in the Big East Tournament and fall to (14) St. John's 89-77 in the first round.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Tharby (Head Coach, Rhode Island, 1st year, 12th overall) –</strong> Atlantic 10 Conference member Rhode Island fires their head coach after five consecutive sub-par .500 seasons, including a 15-16 mark in 2024. Tharby jumps at the chance to grab the job after 11 seasons (176-170) at Fairleigh Dickinson and a NCAA appearance in 2022. It may be a tough season however as he will only have one returning starter.</p><p> </p><p>

The Rams open the year with a 72-62 win over UTEP and end the season 16-15, 7-9 in the A10. On January 25th, RI loses a crazy game with George Washington 111-105 in overtime. </p><p> </p><p>

They get the 11th-seed in the A10 Tournament and come up on the short end of a 59-46 decision to (6) LaSalle.</p><p> </p><p>

Guard Daniel Jaynes (12.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg) is named A10 Freshman of the Year, along with Andreas Hurrinus being All-Freshman. </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>National Final –</strong> #1 Michigan State (37-3) wins their second straight National Championship with a 80-69 win over Georgetown (28-11).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Notable Games:</strong></p><p> </p><p>

In the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, Northern Iowa defeats Indiana State 128-101. The 128 points are the third most ever in the dynasty scored in a game. Northern Iowa's Chris Stocks scored 40 points, the teams combined for 30-of-56 from the arc and 78-of-130 from the field (60%).</p><p> </p><p>

NCAA Tournament, South Region, (16) Lamar upsets (1) Texas 96-81 in the first round.</p>

[hoxltc]

Prior to 2026 season

 

It finally happened. All three former teammates have now reached their goal of becoming a head coach at a Division I program.

 

Cody Lovat, after 20 years as an assistant coach – the last three at Temple, has become the skipper at Delaware State. The Hornets are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and were 17-14 (9-7) in 2025. The former coach decided to retire and Lovat jumped at the chance.

 

Delaware State returns just one starter in sophomore Justin Hedge, so things might be rough for a few years for Lovat.

 

Also Tyler Hannan fires his entire coaching staff in hopes of breathing new life into his Brown program that hasn't been able to put together two solid seasons in-a-row.

 

On January 5th, Hannan's Brown squad travels to Rhode Island to take on Tharby's crew. It is the second time, the other being in 2020, that the two will face each other, that was won by then Tharby's Fairleigh Dickinson team. Here is a quick write-up that appeared in the local newspaper.

 

RHODE ISLAND 92, BROWN 80

 

KINGSTON, RI – Junior Jose Arce came off the bench to score a game-high 23 points, including 20 in the second half, and grabbed eight rebounds, to help Rhode Island (6-6) erase a 46-44 halftime defecate to visiting Brown (5-10) and go on to a 92-80 victory at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.

 

It was the third straight win for the Rams, while the Bears have now lost four in-a-row.

 

Rhode Island also received 15 points each from sophomores Andres Hurrinus and Daniel Jaynes, while senior George Pena added 13. Brown was paced by senior center Henry Crawford's 20 point, 10 rebound double-double. Derick Johnson added 17 markers and sophomore Ricky Brake had 13.

 

“(Brown) is a very scrappy team and they took it to us in that first half,” said RI head coach David Tharby, who played with Brown skipper Tyler Hannan at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “This is the second time in my coaching career (the other being in 2020 when Tharby was at Fairleigh Dickinson) that I've gotten to go up against Tyler, it is always fun and a challenge. We made a couple adjustments at the break and we got a nice lift from Arce of the bench to help us get back on track in the second half.”

 

Rhode Island finished the game hitting 51% from the floor, compared to Brown who shot 45% - just 29% in the second twenty minutes.

 

“We kind of got away from some things there in the second half and we just could buy a bucket there for a long while, but credit them for coming out strong,” said Hannan. “Arce was the difference in the game, especially in the second half. We just didn't have an answer for him tonight.”

 

Rhode Island 92, Brown 80

BROWN (80) – Savoy 3-7 1-2 7, Crawford 9-13 2-2 20, Brake 5-11 2-4 13, Kinser 1-2 1-2 3, Dwyer 1-7 4-5 6, Riley 1-3 2-2 5, D. Johnson 5-13 7-7 17, Bailey 4-8 0-0 9. Totals 29-64 19-24 80.

RHODE ISLAND (92) – T. Johnson 3-4 0-0 6, Eaddy 2-3 3-4 7, Hurrinus 6-12 3-5 15, Jaynes 3-5 7-7 15, Pena 4-8 4-6 13, Sanchez 1-3 2-2 5, Arce 8-14 5-9 23, Schworm 1-6 0-0 2, Whitaker 0-0 3-4 3, Rodriguez 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 29-57 28-38 92.

Halftime – Brown 46, Rhode Island 44.

3-point goals – Brown 3-12 (Crawford 0-1, Brake 1-2, Kinser 0-1, Dwyer 0-2, Riley 1-2, D. Johnson 0-2, Bailey 1-2); Rhode Island 6-15 (Jaynes 2-3, Pena 1-4, Sanchez 1-2, Arce 2-5, Schworm 0-1). Rebounds – Brown 36 (Crawford 10); Rhode Island 38 (Arce 8). Assists – Brown 17 (Brake 5); Rhode Island 17 (Jaynes 5). Steals – Brown 4 (Savoy 2); Rhode Island 9 (Arce 3). Blocks – Brown 2 (Brake, Bailey); Rhode Island 1 (Rodriguez). Turnovers – Brown 15, Rhode Island 14. Total fouls (fouled out) – Brown 30 (Savoy, D. Johnson); Rhode Island 23 (none). Attendance – 1,625.

[hoxltc]

2026 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 8th year) – The Bears end the season 13-18 overall and 7-7 in the Ivy League.

 

They are the No. 3 seed in the league tournament and begin with an opening round 66-51 win over (6) Princeton. Then in the semifinals, despite 25 points from senior Henry Crawford, Brown falls to eventual champion and (7) Yale 73-71, as the Bears miss a layup with three second left.

 

Crawford (20.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) is selected the Ivy League Player of the Year, while senior Mark Kinser (11.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.7 apg) is also named to the First Team. Crawford leaves Brown as its All-Time leading scorer.

 

Lovat (Head Coach, Delaware State, 1st year) – The Hornets finish 13-17 on the season, 8-8 in the MEAC. DSU and Lovat won the season opener 58-54 over North Dakota State and are 5-7 at the New Year. They also win four of their last five games in the MEAC. Their biggest victory of the year is a 70-61 win over Louisiana State, who ends with a 45 RPI.

 

MEAC Tournament they get a No. 7 seed and lose to (10) Coppin State 87-59.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Rhode Island, 2nd year, 13th overall) – The Rams end 12-17 overall and 6-10 in the A10. In the loop tourney they get the No. 10 seed and lose to (7) Xavier 83-80.

 

Sophomore Daniel Jaynes (15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.0 apg) is selected to the A10 Second Team.

 

National Final – #10 Illinois (28-10) defeat #1 Villanova (33-5) lead at halftime 33-25 and go onto a 73-46 victory.

 

Notable Games:

 

January 31st – Belmont wins a crazy, high-paced contest over Stetson 127-122 in overtime.

[hoxltc]

2027 season

 

It was a tough year for each of the three coaches as they combined for an overall 37-52 record and 18-28 in their respective conferences.

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 9th year) – Finish the season 11-19 (6-8 Ivy League). Start the season 1-6.

 

Get the 6TH seed in league tourney, fall to (3) Dartmouth 85-81.

 

Seniors Sonny Savoy (8.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Graig Dwyer (11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg) are named to the Ivy League First Team.

 

Lovat (Head Coach, Delaware State, 2nd year) – The Hornets end the season 14-16 overall, 9-7 (4th) in MEAC. They will however return all five starters in 2028, four being the team's top scorers.

 

MEAC Tournament, receive No. 4 seed, they lose to (5) Morgan State 75-57.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Rhode Island, 3rd year, 14th overall) – The Rams start the season 10-4, but end the season winning just two of their next 15 games to finish 12-17. They also post a disappointing 3-13 mark (tied for last place) in the Atlantic 10.

 

They fail to qualify for the conference tournament and are 0-5 verses Top 50 RPI teams.

 

National Final – It was an All-PAC 10 championship as UCLA, who was in a play-in game and an No. 11 seed, defeated #16 Arizona 77-73. The Bruins had lost twice to the Wildcats during the regular season, each by a single point.

 

Notable Games:

 

February 27th – West Virginia's Leo Dangelo scores a NCAA record 57 points in a 145-138, double overtime loss to Gergetown in a Big East contest. Dangelo was 20-of-33 from the field, including 9-of-19 from three-point range, and 8-of-9 from the line.

[hoxltc]

Just a quick check on if anyone is reading and liking this dynasty.

[hoxltc]

2028 season

 

Hannan (Head coach, Brown University, 10th year) – The Bears and Hannan end another tough season, this time going 9-21 overall, 5-9 in the Ivy League.

 

Hannan is finding it a tough task to recruit for an Ivy League school, but the AD and board still feel he is doing a good job.

 

IL tourney, get the No. 7 seed and lose to (2) Dartmouth 80-55.

 

Lovat (Head Coach, Delaware State, 3rd year) – Lovat and the Hornets knew they had a chance to have a solid season with all five starters returning.

 

They open the season against #1 Virginia and give the Hokies all they want. Virginia leads by 10 (36-26) at halftime and then has to hold off a fury at the end from DSU to win 68-60.

 

They finish the year 18-16 overall, 8-8 in the MEAC and get the No. 6 seed in the loop tourney. That's where the fun begins.

 

They begin the tournament with a 14-15 record and face (11) South Carolina State in the first round. Delaware State wins easily 69-51 with senior Jack Beam scoring 16 points. DSU then upsets (3) Bethune-Cookman 72-61 in the second round with senior Brady Meza, who finishes fourth on the DSU all-time scoring list (1,647) scoring a game-high 23 points. B-C is 0-of-18 from the arc, while DSU hits a solid 24-of-30 from the free throw line.

 

In the semifinals, Delaware State gets a game-winning shot with :03 left from senior Milton Proulx (19 points) to beat (2) Coppin State 63-61. Meza nets 13 points, Beam 12 in the win.

 

The Hornets face top-seed Florida A&M for the title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, something DSU has only done once in the previous 16 seasons. Beam scores 17 points, Proulx and Meza 12 each as DSU hits 23-of-26 from the charity stripe and pulls off another upset with a 76-66 triumph.

 

DSU gets a 15th seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and faces #2 ranked and second-seeded Tennessee in the first round. The Hornets trail just 46-40 at the intermission, but the Volunteers go on to a 101-73 victory - Meza scores 19 points and Beam 13.

 

Lovat will now have to figure out how to replace seven seniors, including two (Meza and Beam) 1,000 point scorers.

 

Tharby (Head Coach, Rhode Island, 4th year, 15th overall) – The Rams begin the season 10-0 and the campaign a solid 23-11, including a 92-55 win over Hannan's Brown club on December 22nd. Against Brown, RI leads 45-29 at half, hits 55% from the field, including 13-of-24 from the arc.

 

RI's 8-8 Atlantic 10 record gets them the seventh-seed in the league tourney. They open with a 79-61 win over (10) Duquesne and then upset (2) Dayton 87-77. In the semifinals they fall to (6) St. Joseph's 99-84 despite a career-high 26 points from future star sophomore Toby Tillis, which included 8-of-11 3s.

 

They get an invite to the NIT and earn the top-seed in the Midwest Region, but lay an egg with a 87-56 loss to (8) Princeton. The Tigers shot 54% compared to Rhode Island's 39%.

 

Senior Andreas Hurrinus (14.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.3 apg) is named to the A-10 Second Team, one of five seniors that will graduate.

 

National Final – In the all ACC final, #1 Virginia easily defeats Wake Forest 76-51.