The St. Anselm College Division II Men’s’ basketball team may not be the champions of the world, but this weekend the Hawks became the champions of the very competitive New England 10 (NE10) conference that actually includes 13 teams. After a successful season, the Hawks won three tough games in the tournament to claim the title.
I have been following the team for the past two years because my grandson, Matt Becker, is a starter. This year I have watched live streams of practically every game on my desktop and have become a real fan not just of my grandson but of the team itself. You might say that I have bonded with them all to the point where I have even given them pet nicknames. Here is a little tribute to the players.
Miles Tention (Cool Cat Tention): Team leader Tention never lost his head in the tournament. He made crucial baskets, and key stops during critical moments. His five-year career at St. Anselm was capped off in the tournament final with a steal and subsequent dunk that sealed the victory.
Tyler Arbuckle (Crazy O’Buckle): The team’s leading scorer, who never met a shot he would not hesitate to take, also set a Hawk record for hitting the deck.
Matt Becker (the Mattador): On defense throughout the season and in the tournament, Becker challenged every opponent’s top gun, and in the pivotal semi-final thriller against nationally ranked Bentley, he threw down a career high 32 points in the 71-70 victory.
Owen McGlashan (Mighty Mac): McGlashan came up big in the tournament final with 12 points and 8 rebounds against New Haven’s 7’1” Defensive Player of the Year.
Zach Taylor (Outback Zack): The Aussie also came up big in the tournament especially with his work down under the basket on both ends of the court.
Matt Relihan (Sir Relihan): Although relegated to the bench for most of the season, Relihan came up with key plays on both offense and defense in the Bentley win.
Finally, a word of praise for coach Dickson who won his 700th career win in a crucial victory against New Haven at the end of the regular season. More than that, Coach deserves credit for putting a team on the floor that actually played as a team, a rarity these days.* Click this link for a highlight video of the Bentley game, or watch the video below.
Winning a championship is an achievement that most players will never attain on any level. The Hawks won the league championship, and nothing can ever diminish the accomplishment. In my opinion, what they do in the NCAA DII tournament will just be gravy. Still, I will be watching this Saturday night as they take on visiting Caldwell College in a packed Stoutenberg gym. Hopefully, it will be another thriller.
DSKG, Hawks.
###
What fun
ReplyDelete