 Nance,
Hannon lead St. Thomas to title -
Mar 20, 2011Tommies hit six consecutive shots in 17-0 run to break away SALEM, Va. -- Surprisingly reserved and composed after winning the Division III men's basketball national championship, Tyler Nicolai (5'10''-G-89) tried to speak for three teammates and his coach. 'I don't really know what to say,' the senior said after leading St. Thomas to a 78-54 victory against Wooster and its first national championship - in its first try - Saturday. 'Maybe back in the locker room it will be a little different,' he said. The Tommies (30-3) took command early, and decisively, using their pressing defense to catch the Fighting Scots off guard during a 34-5 run spanning 9 1/2 minutes of the first half. John Nance (6'4''-G) scored 10 of his 16 points in the burst. In one stretch, the Tommies scored 17 points in a row, hitting six consecutive shots, including four 3-pointers, and forcing turnovers on five consecutive possessions in which the Fighting Scots never got off a shot. 'If we can't lead with our pressure and our press, we get in trouble,' said Tommies coach Steve Fritz , who has been part of St. Thomas basketball since he played there from 1967-71. 'He's a legend at the school, one of the best players ever to play here,' post player Tommy Hannon (6'8''-F-90) said, a piece of the net tucked behind his ear. 'To be able to be a part of the team that brings him his first national championship is special and something we'll cherish forever.' Fritz, who won his 593rd game against 246 losses, paced the sidelines the entire game, his left arm in a sling. He had surgery to repair a torn biceps muscle on Monday. 'There's no pain today,' he said, laughing, when asked about his arm. 'Don't worry.' Hannon also scored 16 for the Tommies, who used the big run to go up 36-16 with 5:31 before halftime. They never let the margin below 10 again en route to their 12th victory in a row. Ian Franks (6'4''-G-88) scored 22 points to lead Wooster (31-3), but the Fighting Scots couldn't muster another dramatic rally. They came back from a 17-point deficit with a 27-8 run over the final 9 minutes in beating Middlebury on Friday night, but couldn't repeat the surge in the final. 'Any time we scored it seemed like they would answer right back,' Franks said. He was the only player to score in double figures for the Scots. Alex Healy (6'4''-G-88) added 15 points and Tyler Nicolai had 11 for St. Thomas, which shot 54 percent. After falling behind 46-26 in the opening seconds of the second half, Wooster got a 3-pointer from Nathan Balch (6'1''-G-88) and seven straight points by Franks to halve the deficit to 46-36. But rather than crumble with the sizable Wooster crowd screaming and imploring the Fighting Scots to keep charging, St. Thomas collected itself and scored the next seven points. Healy scored on a drive, as did Teddy Archer (6'3''-G), and Nicolai's 3-pointer pushed the margin back to 17. The key, Bryan Wickliffe (6'5''-F/C-89) said, was how effective the Tommies were with their pressure. 'They kind of turned it up on us a little bit and caught us by surprise,' he said. A 6-0 run featuring a baby hook by Hannon and four free throws made it 63-43 with 7:39 left, and the Fighting Scots never mounted another threat in their first title game appearance. 'It's a terrible feeling, a terrible feeling,' said Wickliffe, one of four seniors for Wooster. 'I don't have a chance to come out next year and try to get a championship. This was it.' St. Thomas, of Minnesota, claimed the championship in its first title game appearance. The Fighting Scots started fast, hitting five of their first seven shots and taking an 11-2 lead before the game changed completely. Hannon's three-point play and layup got it started for the Tommies, and they outscored the Scots 34-5 over the next 9 1/2 minutes, hitting six 3s. Wooster made only one field goal, a 3-pointer by Franks, during the drought, and while they were 8 for 10 from the foul line in the closing minutes, Franks' 3 with 13:11 left in the half was their last basket of the half until he hit a tightly contested jumper at the buzzer. Courtesy of AP D3hoops.com's All-America Awards - Mar 29, 2011
Player of the Year: Michael Taylor (6'4''-G-87) of Whitworth Rookie of the Year: D.J. Woodmore (6'3''-G) of Va.Wesleyan Coach of the Year: Steve Fritz of St.Thomas 1st Team G: Steve Djurickovic (6'3''-88) of Carthage G: Michael Taylor (6'4''-87) of Whitworth G: Ian Franks (6'4''-88) of Wooster F: Jonathan Jones (6'5'') of Kean C: Troy Whittington (6'6'') of Williams 2nd Team G: Tyler Nicolai (5'10''-89) of St.Thomas : Lamonte Thomas () of J.and Wales, RI G: Eryk Watson (6'3'') of Maryville, TN F: David Golembiowski (6'7'') of SUNYIT C: Michael McClary (6'5'') of Olivet 3rd Team G: James Wang (6'0'') of Williams G: Tony Mane (6'0'') of Wisc.-La Cros. F: Wes Smith (6'3'') of Wabash F: Derek Mitchell (6'5'') of Ferrum C: Carl Hipp (6'8'') of Hamline Honorable Mention James Jones () of Delaware Valley Chris Sullivan () of Wittenberg Marvin Billups (6'5''-F/G) of Purchase Todd Phillips (6'3''-F/G) of E.Mennonite Aaron Burtzel () of St.John's, MN NABC Division III All-America Awards 2010-11 - Mar 20, 2011
1st Team C: Chad Burridge (6'7'') of Oswego St. G: Steve Djurickovic (6'3''-88) of Carthage F: Jonathan Jones (6'5'') of Kean C: Michael McClary (6'5'') of Olivet PG: Georgio Milligan (6'2'') of Franklin & Marshall F: Derek Mitchell (6'5'') of Ferrum F: Michael Taylor (6'8'') of Whitworth C: Troy Whittington (6'6'') of Williams 2nd Team G: Zach Ashworth (6'2'') of Scranton F/C: Phil Barera (6'6'') of Ithaca F: Chris Barnes (6'6'') of Texas Dallas F/G: Marvin Billups (6'5'') of Purchase G: Scott Gillespie (6'0'') of Ripon F: Trevor Halter (6'6'') of Marietta C: Carl Hipp (6'8'') of Hamline F: Ryan Sharry (6'8'') of Middlebury 3rd Team PG: John Dibartolomeo (5'11'') of Rochester F/C: Marcel Esonwune (6'6'') of York, NY G: Ian Franks (6'4''-88) of Wooster G: Tony Mane (6'0'') of Wisc.-La Cros. G: Conor Meehan (6'4'') of Amherst G: Jordan Moss (6'4'') of Manchester F/G: Todd Phillips (6'3'') of E.Mennonite G: Anthony Trautman (6'1'') of Lebanon Valley NABC Division III Senior All-Star Game rosters
 EAST
ALL-STAR TEAM4 Derek Mitchell (6'5''-F) of Ferrum College 5 Marvin Billups (6'5''-F/G) of Purchase College 20 Conor Meehan (6'4''-G) of Amherst College 23 Kai Massaquoi (6'2''-G) of Richard Stockton College 32 Brandon Stephens (6'3''-F-89) of Team France 32 Phillip Barera (6'6''-F/C) of Ithaca College 40 Andrew Powers (6'7''-C) of Gettysburg College 42 David Golembiowski (6'7''-F) of SUNYIT 52 Lester Prosper (6'8''-F/C) of SUNY-Old Westbury 33 Ian Franks (6'4''-G-88) of The College of Wooster 42 Troy Whittington (6'6''-C) of Williams College Coach Phil Ness / Mike Turner WEST ALL-STAR TEAM 5 Michael Taylor (6'4''-G-87) of Whitworth College 13 Alex Franz (6'1''-G-88) of St.Mary's, MD 21 Steve Djurickovic (6'3''-G-88) of Carthage College 25 Jacob Smith (6'6''-F) of University of Wisconsin at Superior 30 Danny Jones (6'6''-F) of Randolph-Macon College 32 Chris Saltzman (6'3''-F) of Penn State Behrend 33 Austin Meier (6'4''-F) of Milwaukee School of Engineering 50 Michael McClary (6'5''-C) of Olivet College 50 Carl Hipp (6'8''-C) of Hamline University 4 Tyler Nicolai (5'10''-G-89) of University of St.Thomas 33 Ryan Wholey (6'4''-F) of Middlebury College Coach Jim Burson / Jim Nelson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Men
Women
Subscribe
Login
Fritz
