Men's Basketball Downs Kean University, 76-73, in Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic Championship Game
Kean-SC Box Score/Play-by-PlaySUNY Plattsburgh-Colby Box Score/Play-by-Play
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., January 3, 2007 – Springfield College senior co-captain Damian Farley (Natick, Mass.) scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds and was named the 2007 Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the Pride defeated Kean University, 76-73, this evening in the men’s championship game of the Classic.
SC junior guard Jamaal Gibbs (Norwalk, Conn.) added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor in the win over the Cougars as Gibbs took home All-Tournament Team honors. With the two victories in this week’s Naismith Classic, the Pride improves to 5-7 overall on the season. Kean drops to 9-3 overall on its campaign.
SC opened the championship tilt on an 18-9 run to take a nine point lead with 10:51 remaining before halftime. The Pride would then extend its lead to 38-26 at the break led by freshman forward Pat Crean (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) with 10 points and five boards, and Farley with six points and eight caroms at the half.
SC opened the second stanza much like it did the first, going on a 12-7 run to lead by 17 points (50-33) with 14:52 remaining in regulation. The Cougars would not go down without a fight, however, crawling back to within six points (70-64) with just 2:14 left to play. The Pride would eventually hang on to win by just three, as Kean junior guard William Floyd even had a shot to send the contest into overtime with an extended three-point try at the buzzer.
The Cougars were led by senior forward Brett Wyatt who had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. For his efforts, Wyatt was named to the All-Tournament Team along with senior guard Bryan Keller who netted 11 points for Kean University.
SC’s Crean finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds, as freshman guard Ryan Blackmon (Stamford, Conn.) came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor.
SUNY Plattsburgh 86, Colby College 70
SUNY Plattsburgh junior forward Travis Gorham scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds and five assists as the Cardinals rolled past the Mules of Colby College, 86-70, in the men’s consolation contest. For his efforts, Gorham was named to the Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic All-Tournament Team.
Plattsburgh State (5-4) opened up the game on a 9-0 run and eventually led after the first 20 minutes of action, 35-28. In the second half, the Cardinals opened up their margin by going on a 20-3 run midway through the stanza as Plattsburgh State led, 64-40, with 10:56 left to go in regulation.
Cardinal junior guard Anthony Williams netted a game-high 18 points on 2-of-5 shooting from deep and a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. Junior forward Khylan Hunt and senior guard Jerrad Dumont chipped in with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Colby College (7-5) freshman forward Adam Choice led the Mules with 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard came off the bench to net 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor for Colby.
2007 Holiday Inn/Naismith Classic All-Tournament Team:
Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Damian Farley – Springfield College
Jamaal Gibbs – Springfield College
Brett Wyatt – Kean University
Bryan Keller – Kean University
Travis Gorham – SUNY Plattsburgh
Colby College – Drew Cohen
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Head Coach Charlie Brock
Charlie Brock in 2009-10 will enter his 12th season as the head coach at Springfield College. Brock’s achievements as a coach are certainly impressive, as he has taken three schools to the NCAA Division III Tournament and has an overall, 29-year record of 394-363 for a winning percentage of .520. Read more.