D3hoops.com: Notables

By Matthew Florjancic
D3sports.com

WADSWORTH, Ohio -- Matthew Broderick’s character in the Civil War drama Glory made an inspirational comment to his troops before the final battle in the movie. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw addressed his regiment on the beach before entering Fort Wagner.

After looking at the flag bearer, Shaw asks those in his command “If this man shall fall, who will lift the flag and carry on?”

While the forwards and centers showed their skills in Day Two of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational, it was a record-setting performance by Plattsburgh State guard Anthony Williams and consistent play from fellow Division III All-American James Cooper that carried the Division III flag into the national spotlight.

Williams scored 34 points in a 125-99 Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet victory over MBM Logistechs. Williams’ mark beat the old record of 30 held by Eddie Smith of Illinois-Springfield.

In addition to the 34 points, which Williams scored in just 26 minutes on the court, the two-time State University of New York Athletic Conference Player of the Year tied another CBI record with 12 made field goals.

Williams’ numbers in his third and final game of the weekend earned him a spot on the East Squad for the CBI All-Star Game Saturday night. Cooper joined Williams on the East All-Star roster.

Though the contest between 20 of the top small-college players in the country was televised live on ESPNU, the bright lights did not cause a change in anyone’s approach to the game.

“I haven’t played on national TV since my senior year [of high school] at the City Championship at Madison Square Garden,” Williams said with a smile following the contest. “I’m happy because people back home at Plattsburgh were watching me on ESPNU tonight, showing support. That’s what I was thinking about in the game. I’ve got to represent them.

“It’s been a great experience,” added Williams. “I’m blessed to have this experience and it’s dedicated to my teammates [and] the hard work we put in all season. I didn’t even hear about this tournament before the season started. We were off to a good start and then I got invited.”

“It’s an honor to be named an All-Star,” Cooper echoed. “You’ve just got to block it out and stay focused on the game. You can’t worry about the TV and stuff like that.”

Williams, a native of Brooklyn, wasted no time showing Division III players can play with athletes from other divisions. He scored 16 points on seven of eight shots and handed out four assists in helping the East to a 107-85 victory over the West All-Stars.

“If it wasn’t for any of my [Plattsburgh] teammates,” Williams said, “this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Cooper, the second-leading scorer in Fighting Scots history, scored seven points, pulled down two rebounds and earned one assist during the game. All of Cooper’s points came in the second half.

“Hopefully, we’re getting better, then we’ll get more recognition,” Cooper said of two Division III players being chosen as All-Stars, compared to the one selection in the 2007 CBI.

As the players were warming up at halftime, Wooster head coach Steve Moore made his way down to the
floor and motivated Cooper to maintain his desire to compete on the national stage. In the first half, Cooper only shot the ball twice. Cooper was 3-of-5 after the conversation with Moore.

During the three games prior to the All-Star contest, Cooper averaged 16.7 points per game, which was the same average for his entire career at Wooster. Williams was the third-leading scorer in the tournament, scoring 19.3 points per game.

Cooper and Williams were third and fourth, respectively, in field goal percentage. Cooper connected on 64.5 percent of his shots (20-of-31). Williams, a career 41 percent shooter at Plattsburgh State, converted 19 of his 30 attempts into points during the CBI.

The weekend served as a way for Williams and Cooper to close out their collegiate careers and prepare for the next level of basketball.

Cooper has been in contact with Moore and former Wooster All-American Tom Port about playing in Europe. Port is currently playing professionally in Ireland for St. Paul’s.

“I’m definitely going to try to pursue a career overseas for a few years and probably go to grad school after that,” said Williams, who plans on being a school counselor and basketball coach after his playing days are over.

2008 Collegiate Basketball Invitational Participants
A last-minute alternate, Southern Vermont’s Nick Harrington averaged 11 points and seven rebounds in three contests on Team Galaxy. Harrington shot 54.2 percent from the field and made seven of his ten free throws. He added four assists, two blocks and one steal during the CBI.

Washington U.’s Troy Ruths joined Harrington on Team Galaxy. Fresh off the 2008 national championship, Ruths started two of his team’s three games. The former Bear scored 13.3 points per game and added 14 rebounds to his resume. Ruths had five steals and two blocks on the defensive end of the floor.

Mardochee Jean, a standout at Hardin-Simmons brought his defensive skills to Wadsworth. The 6-8 center showed everyone how rebounding is done in The Lone Star State. Jean averaged 9.7 rebounds and 4.7 points for the Louis Perry and Associates team that advanced to the CBI Championship game.

The MBM Logistechs team featured two Division III players with Andrew Olson from Amherst and Guilford’s Ben Strong. Olson was consistent on the offensive end, scoring six points in each of the three games he played. The starter for two games, Olson tallied 15 assists, the fifth-highest total in the tournament.

Strong was quiet during the first game of the CBI and scored two points. However, the First-Team All-American scored 14 and 21 in his final two games for a 12.3-point tournament average. He added 17 rebounds and a team-high five blocks in 74 minutes played.

On the same Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital team as Cooper, Aurora’s Larry Welton scored 28 points in three games, which averaged out to 9.3 points per game. Welton, who helped Aurora make three NCAA Tournaments in four years, pulled down 11 rebounds and was 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.