Rochester College earns fifth-place in USCAA national tournament for retiring coach Pleasant

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The exit stage left outing for veteran Garth Pleasant didn’t result in a national championship for the retiring Rochester College men’s basketball coach, but at least the 38-year head coach got to coach a win in his final game on the sidelines.

Rochester College, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association ranks and the No. 1 seed for the USCAADivision I national tournament, was an upset victim in the opening round but came back to win its final two games in the consolation rounds to grab fifth in the nation at Penn State-Fayette.

The Warriors were national semifinalists last season and finished third overall, while Rochester College was a national runner-up in 2009.

“It wasn’t the storybook ending that we hope for,” offered Pleasant, who was honored with the Commissioner’s Award by USCAA officials and was notified that the annual award would be renamed the Garth Pleasant Award in honor of his near-40 years of service to small-college basketball. “We lost our first game, but we fought back and won our last two. Fifth in the nation is still very good, but I think this team had its sights on a national championship.”

Rochester College won four national championships under Pleasant, who began coaching in the fall of 1972 at the small Christian college in Rochester Hills, Mich.  The Warriors had numerous top-10 finishes in the USCAA national tournaments spanning nearly four decades.

In the first round, the Warriors (25-8) were stunned by Spaulding, 69-56.

“It was just one of those games,” sighed Pleasant, whose team was coming off back-to-back top-four finishes at the national tournament. “We shot under 15 percent from three (point range) and under 50 percent from the foul line. We just couldn’t make shots from anywhere. The hard thing about it was I felt that the two teams we beat in the consolation bracket were actually better teams than the team we lost to. But that’s why the games are played. Upsets happen and we just didn’t play well.

“I am proud of how the boys bounced back,” continued Pleasant, who relinquished the head coaching duties the day after the USCAA tournament concluded, handing the reigns over to his son, Klint Pleasant. “We still had a chance to do well at the tournament and did really well.”

In the consolation games, the Warriors knocked out Washington Adventist (62-57) and Oakwood (Va.) 81-73 in the fifth-place game to end the season.

All-American Ricky Doran led five Warriors in double figures against Oakwood, collecting 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead Rochester and give Pleasant his 720^th and final victory.

Lorenzo McClelland and Ian Jenkins both finished with 19 points, Marues Ewell added 13 points and seven assists and Sean Mattia scored 10 for the Warriors, who led 41-33 at the break and maintained the lead.

Oakwood’s All-American Marcus Fitts finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Ambassadors. Wilber Ampey added 11 points and 11 rebounds, Ronald Bushner scored 11 and Austin Dogette chipped in with 10 points for Oakwood, which held a 52-45 edge on the boards.

Against Washington Adventist, Michael Graham scored 20 points with 13 points to lead Rochester College. Doran added 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, while McClellend followed with six points and seven rebounds and Dwayne Watkins had eight points and five boards for the Warriors.

Jaime Newton led Washington Adventist with 23 points and four assists. Khalid Martin added 11 points and 15 rebounds for Adventist, which held a 59-44 edge on the boards but shot a horrid 19-for-80 (23.8 percent) from the floor.

“It was an emotional weekend for me, especially after that last game,” said Pleasant. “I think everyone can understand that. It will feel different next year, for sure, not being part a team.

“I have been very blessed over the years,” added Pleasant. “I have coached a lot of great teams and a lot of great young men. I will miss it.”

In the tournament-opening loss to Spaulding, Doran scored 17 points and both Ewell and McClelland added 12 points for the Warriors, who made only 2-of-16 three-point attempts and finished a subpar 8-for-17 from the foul line in the defeat.

Dewhon Mcaffee scored a game-high 28 points to pace the Golden Eagles. Mcaffee was a perfect 14-for-14 from the foul line and Spaulding finished 24-for-28 overall from the charity stripe in the contest.

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Tags: college men's basketball

Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Prep Wraps, Rochester College