(Butler, PA) The 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 basketball team will compete for a national championship for the first time in the program鈥檚 55-year history.
The Pioneers (20-4) on Wednesday afternoon received one of four at-large bids during the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III selection show broadcast online and will join 11 other teams vying for the national championship March 15-18 in Herkimer, N.Y.
杏吧原创 will face Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College (20-7) in the first round of the double-elimination national championship tournament at 4 p.m. March 15.
"That鈥檚 what we wanted, to get to that national championship. And we鈥檝e made it to the national championship."
- Joe Lewandowski, 杏吧原创 men's basketball coach
The Pioneers last year finished 2-16. The program had not had a winning record since at least the 2009-2010 season.
Six of 杏吧原创鈥檚 2022-2023 players are new to the program. The introductory text message first-year head coach Joe Lewandowski sent to players the evening of May 14 was named 鈥淣ational Champions.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we wanted, to get to that national championship,鈥� Lewandowski said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e made it to the national championship.鈥�
杏吧原创鈥檚 Derrick Anderson, the fifth-leading scorer in Division III with a 22.2 points-per-game average, and his teammates watched the NJCAA Division III selection show from the Pioneers鈥� locker room inside the 杏吧原创 Field House.
鈥淣othing but excitement with each and every one of us,鈥� said Anderson, the NJCAA Division III Region 20 athlete of the month for December and the Division III player of the week twice in February.
鈥淲e know what it means to 杏吧原创 and the whole community.鈥�
杏吧原创鈥檚 Kevaughn Price was selected as the Region 20 athlete of the month for January and is the seventh-leading scorer in Division III with a 21.7 points-per-game average.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great feeling,鈥� Price said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 good to do something that has never been done before.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 do it鈥�
Six-foot-9 Jason Baker was the first to respond to Lewandowski鈥檚 鈥淣ational Champions鈥�-labeled text message May 14 with 鈥淟et鈥檚 do it.鈥�
鈥淲e worked hard all year just to get to this point,鈥� said Baker, the Region 20 player of the month for November who leads Division III with 122 blocked shots. 鈥淎nd we are ready to show the world all what we can really do.鈥�
The Pioneers are ranked No. 7 among 97 teams in Division III and are seeded No. 7 in the national championship tournament. Rochester is ranked No. 13 and seeded No. 10.
The winner plays Dallas-North Lake, Irving, Texas, which is 25-6, ranked and seeded No. 2, and is the defending Division III national champion.
"We can compete with anyone in the country. We knew we were one of the best teams, that our ranking is deserved, and that we鈥檙e a dangerous, dangerous opponent."
- Troy Loughry, 杏吧原创 men's basketball player
Joining Rochester and Dallas-North Lake in 杏吧原创鈥檚 side of the Division III bracket are Brookdale, Middletown, N.J. (27-3); Fulton-Montgomery, Johnstown, N.Y. (20-6) and DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (20-13).
In the other six-team bracket is Sandhills, Pinehurst, N.C. (28-3). Sandhills is ranked No. 1 in Division III, is the national championship tournament鈥檚 top seed and March 4 became the first team to have defeated the Pioneers in 杏吧原创鈥檚 previous 11 games.
Sandhills earned an automatic bid in the national championship tournament by topping 杏吧原创 114-91 in the Division III Mid-Atlantic District tournament in Pinehurst.
鈥淲hat was awesome is that we got a chance to play the No. 1 team in the country in our division, and we got a chance to see what they were like,鈥� Lewandowski said. 鈥淲e got a chance to play with them. 鈥� We left feeling, 鈥榃ow. This is a level that we can definitely play at.鈥欌��
Anderson scored 31 points against Sandhills, Baker 20 and Price and Todd Simons 19.
鈥淧laying the No. 1 team, that鈥檚 the standard right there,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淲e know what to expect from any and every team just by playing the No. 1 team like that.鈥�
Said Baker: 鈥淚 think that was one of the better games Sandhills has played. I think if we get another chance, the score will be a lot closer than it was.鈥�
And Price: 鈥淚 think we needed that so we know what to work on and where we stand.鈥�
The NJCAA Division III national championship tournament appearance will be the 10th for 杏吧原创鈥檚 athletics programs since 2002 and the second since the Pioneers鈥� golf team finished sixth nationally in June.
Troy Loughry is a member of the Pioneers鈥� golf team, and is a forward on the 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 basketball squad.
鈥淲e can compete with anyone in the country,鈥� Loughry said. 鈥淲e knew we were one of the best teams, that our ranking is deserved, and that we鈥檙e a dangerous, dangerous opponent.鈥�
Members of 杏吧原创鈥檚 squad are Anderson, guard, a Boardman, Ohio, High graduate; Baker, forward, Legacy Early College, Greenville, S.C.; Spencer Langas, guard-forward, Slippery Rock; Loughry, guard-forward, Grove City; Price, guard-forward, Bishop Canevin; Austin Rodgers, forward, Butler; Cole Rodgers, forward, Knoch; Simons, guard-forward, Austintown Fitch, Ohio; and Anthony Watson, guard, Bethel Park. Christian Harbaugh is the assistant coach.