By Taylor McGillis, Online Editor
The Saint Leo University men’s basketball team earned a berth in the NCAA Division II basketball tournament for the first time in school history on Sunday, March 5th. Despite losing in the championship of the Sunshine State Conference tournament earlier in the day, the Lions third-place regular-season finish and a deep run in the conference tournament were enough to earn Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lance Randall and his team a spot in the field of 64. The Lions enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed and winners of nine of their last ten, having their only loss come in the finale of the Sunshine State Conference tournament.
On the topic of winning nine of their last ten, Randall said “It was less about a team being hot, and more about a team learning how to win and who kept getting better. Our team has done a great job and they are terrific competitors, they genuinely care about each other, and that is a big part of winning. Fundamentally, we’ve been sharp, strong on the defensive end, and we’ve talented players who have learned to play together.”
The nine game stretch where the team caught fire was without a doubt a team effort, but the play of junior Marcus Ruh and Sunshine State Conference Newcomer of the Year Trent Thomas was elevated to another level. In the last 10 games Ruh averaged 18.6 points per game, more than five points more than his season average, and Thomas’ 30 point performance versus Eckerd propelled the Lions into the conference tournament championship.
“It is quite a tandem (Ruh and Thomas) and they’re both very unselfish. Marcus gets in gaps, he gets in lanes, and he’s finishing so well around the basket. And with him shooting at such a high percentage from the perimeter, teams have to step out on him, which allows him to get into the lane. Trent is such an unbelievable scorer. He can rise up and hit a jump shot like a Division I player. But he can also elevate and get to the rim, so he’s a handful I’m sure,” said Randall.
The play of the team has been exceptional down the stretch and much of that credit must go to Head Coach Lance Randall, who was recently named the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year. Randall’s success enabled him to turn around a program that was just coming off of a 12-16 losing season; in fact, they hadn’t had a winning season since 1998.
Though the season has been impressive thus far, no one is more impressed than Athletic Director, Fran Reidy. “To make the NCAA tournament in his first year, after 40 years of never being to the post-season is amazing. Coach Randall first assembled a great staff of coaches, then somehow found players somewhat late in the process that possessed the toughness and basketball smarts to play the way he wanted to play. The proof of his abilities is clear – the second time through the league he did not lose a game except for Lynn. That is the sign of a great coach – it took him once to learn each team and their tendencies, and then he beat each of them in succession. I am so impressed with his focus, work ethic and drive for excellence,” says Reidy.
There was certainly a buzz around campus during the team’s nine game winning streak and as the wins kept coming, and the Bowman Center got a little more crowded every game. “It’s been a fantastic year this year,” said senior student and supporter Will Johansen. “I have been a diehard Saint Leo basketball fan for four years now, and this team has been something special. With only two players returning from last year, not many fans knew what to expect. But of course we all heard how good of a coach Coach Randall was, so we all got pretty excited for what he and the team were going to do this year. This late run has been pretty fun as a fan, and the student section got louder and more packed at every game.”
The Lions win travel to Huntsville, Ala. for their NCAA regional game on Saturday, March 10th. Their opponent is none other than Sunshine State Conference foe Florida Tech, who the Lions beat on back on Feb. 4th to start their nine game winning streak. If the Lions beat Florida Tech they will play the winner of the University of Alabama in Huntsville vs. Benedict College game.
