Men's basketball breaks all boundaries

To say the Keene State Men's basketball team had an amazing 2003-04 season would be an understatement. Setting a new school record for wins (25-6), the Owls proved that they were a viable team, poised and ready for the NCAA Division III tournament.

KSC had never made an appearance to the tournament before this season, which exemplified how much this group of players achieved over the course of one season.

The Little East Conference is full of great teams.

For the most part the Owls had to be aware that some of the other teams in the conference had either won the LEC tournament before or at least had made an appearance.

But Keene State had never won the tournament before, and coming into the playoffs this season the Owls understood a change had to be made in the school's history.

KSC was given the chance to play their rivals Plymouth State in the LEC championship game, and showed PSU precisely how different this Owls team was compared to years past. Keene State went on to win the Little East Conference tournament, defeating Plymouth 79-67.

With a first round bye in their first ever NCAA DIII tournament appearance, KSC stunned non-believers with a second-round victory over Babson College.

The win sent the Owls to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament where they faced an extremely athletic Rochester College team.

The momentum KSC thrived upon all season did not falter against Rochester as the Owls played a hard fought and close game, defeating the University of Rochester 82-79.

KSC advanced to the Elite Eight with the task of competing against last season's D-III champions, Williams College.

Unfortunately, the road to victory could not be completed for KSC as they fell to Williams 79-64.

Even though KSC could not grab the title, they're season proved to be remarkable, and quite possibly unforgettable. Many players on KSC's roster made a huge impact on the improbable season.

Three different seniors were named to the All-Conference team. Forward Chris Timson (16.8 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game) was selected to the first team, while guard Alphonse Michalski (14.7 ppg, 5.48 assists per game) and forward Matt Wheeler (14.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg) were selected to the second team squad.

Senior guard Bennett Pawlusiak (4.3 ppg, 1.78 steals per game) also contributed to Keene State's monster season along with Harley Davis (6.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg), who saw his playing time increase, and will surely be depended on for next year's run. This Owls team was not based on just a few players, but rather, built upon team chemistry and coming together to earn each victory.

Some of the other players that contributed to the team aspect of the Owls would be junior guard Joe Shaw (5.0 ppg), who stepped up mightily in the NCAA wins over Babson and Rochester, and sophomores Ben Maynard (3.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Sean Sullivan (11.7 ppg). Head coach Rob Colbert was also honored as Little East Coach of the Year.

With positive contributions coming from not only the seniors and juniors but also in KSC's sophomore and freshman class, the Owls will certainly be looking forward to the 2004-05 campaign.

Keene State finished their remarkable season ranked No.18 in the country, the highest final ranking in school history.

But beyond all the statistics, the power rankings, and the wins and losses, is a team that defined themselves throughout the course of the season, and took each game a step at a time.

Not one player could exemplify the overall season the Owls had. It simply comes down to team play, and that is something this KSC basketball squad was built upon.

The very foundation in which this team started the season remained intact through the regular season all the way into the NCAA tournament. If KSC can win the Division III national championship next year, then the ultimate goal will be completed for the Owls, but nobody will forget the unbelievable season this group of players and coaches were able to accomplish. That is the definition of a successful run.