BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
@ LEHMAN COLLEGE - February 19-25, 2005
MEN’S SENIOR COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP
Amalbert Wins City Tech’s 1st-Ever Title, Tops CSI, 76-66
Only in the school’s second full season as a member of the NCAA, New York City College of Technology, under the direction of legendary head coach Ray Amalbert beat the College of Staten Island, 76-66 to win the school’s first-ever CUNY Athletic Conference / Con Edison Men’s Basketball Championship. City Tech, the tournament’s second seed, held at Lehman College’s Apex Arena in the Bronx. The Yellow Jackets (21-5), the CUNYAC South Division Champions, gain the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships beginning next Thursday, March 3. A site and opponent will be selected on Sunday evening at 10:30 pm.
With the win, Amalbert raises his record to six CUNYAC Championships and heads to his sixth NCAA Tournament and his first since 1995. He won all of his previous titles at Hunter College. Moreover, Amalbert also announced his retirement from collegiate coaching after 23 seasons (16 at City Tech in two stints, seven at Hunter) last week at CUNYAC’s pre-tournament luncheon.
“It was a very emotional game for me,” said Amalbert. “But I’m especially happy for the program that I helped build over the past six years as we went through the NCAA process. This win puts City Tech on the NCAA map for the first time and I couldn’t come up with a better way to finish my coaching career here.”
The #2 seeded Yellow Jackets stormed out to a 9-2 lead in just over four minutes of game action, but the senior-laden Dolphins fought back and took a three-point lead into the half, 34-31 following six ties. CSI Senior forward Mike Nebavlakis (FDR/Brooklyn, NY) led all scorers with 11 points at intermission. Coming out of the break, the Dolphins extended the lead to six points at 40-34 on a jumper my senior guard Mike Stewart (Westinghouse/Brooklyn, NY), a three-time CUNYAC all-star. With just under eight minutes remaining in the contest, following a John Smith (Bayside/Queens, NY) jumper that gave CSI a 58-56 lead, Amalbert’s team put back in the full-court press and scored eight straight points in three minutes and never looked back.
Junior guard Clyde Forteau (St. Raymond’s/Bronx, NY) hit a 3-pointer for a 69-63 City Tech lead with 1:23 left in the game and nailed three-of-four free throws in the final minute to seal the deal for the Yellow Jackets. Forteau finished with a team-high 19 points. Coming off of an impressive performance in the semifinals (an 83-69 win over CCNY) sophomore forward Otis Saylee (Seward Park / New York, NY) had another strong performance with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Last season’s CUNYAC Player of the Year Shacun Malave (DeWitt Clinton / Bronx, NY) had 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for the Yellow Jackets and was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He had 20 points and 16 rebounds in the semifinals. Sophomore center Terrin Johnson (Curtis / Brooklyn, NY) also pitched in for City Tech with 12 points for the second straight game.
“Our full court press keyed all of the runs we had tonight,” continued Amalbert, “It was great facing Tony [Petosa, CSI’s head coach for the past 15 years] one last time. They’re always prepared and Stewart is one of Tony’s all-time best players.”
Nebavlakis led CSI with 19 points and five rebounds, while senior center John Smith had 16 points and nine rebounds. CSI senior guard Mike Stewart was held to 12 points on 6-20 shooting from the field, after a dominating performance in the Dolphins semifinal game. Still Smith and Stewart were named to the All-Tournament team along with Forteau, Saylee, CCNY’s Michael Loubier (Spring Brook/Chevy Chase, MD) and Lehman’s Sekani Francis (JFK/Bronx, NY), the reigning CUNYAC Player of the Year.
The Yellow Jackets, who were the tournament runners-up in 2004, have now been victorious in 16 of their last 17 games and 11 straight overall heading into the 48-team National Tournament next week.