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Salem

About the 2004 Division III
men's basketball tournament

Looking back on the
2004 Final Four

By Pat Cummings
D3hoops.com

For the staff of D3hoops.com, a weekend in Salem is fun. Drive 450 miles, observe practices, enjoy the Roanoke nightlife, sleep, arrive at the Salem Civic Center eight hours before the semifinals, ensure the elaborate technology is working, interview coaches, broadcast the games, write the stories, take the pictures, enjoy the Roanoke nightlife, sleep, repeat. Two hours after the national championship, we are on the verge of collapse.

A Jason Kalsow jumper with time running out revived our senses, leaving just one of many memories from the weekend.

Williams/Amherst
The rivalry is intense. The fans are intense. But this is not the “we hate you no matter what” matchup I was anticipating. Both squads have a mutual respect for each other. Set plays go out the window. Amherst knows Williams and vice versa; the result is basketball in its purest form.

In the postgame press conferences, players refer to their opponents by name, as if they are long lost friends who battled together. Sure, the fans razz each other. But all in all, Amherst/Williams is a must see for any basketball fan. Their meeting in Salem brought a special twist to this year’s Final Four.

The beauty of a game between Amherst and Williams is that no matter where it is played, under what conditions, pride hangs on the line. For that, the viewer is guaranteed some classic basketball.

As Williams coach Dave Paulsen glowed after his team’s victory, “I’m glad people from outside Massachusetts got a chance to see just how special this rivalry is.” I agree.

John Carroll
Mike Moran’s squad is unique. With substitutions resembling line shifts at a Columbus Blue Jackets game, the Blue Streaks typically rotate 12 players, engaging in an up-tempo offense and a strangling press. The Pointers took about ten minutes to figure out the press and used a tall backcourt to literally, pass over the smaller JCU guards.

JCU did break the jinx that seemed to haunt the OAC: The preseason conference selection actually won the OAC tournament. Beyond that, the eighth-seeded Blue Streaks created a buzz for even making it to Salem after knocking out 2000 champions Calvin, then top-seeded Wittenberg and sectional host, Wooster.

It seemed as though the long road to Salem may have taken its toll on the Blue Streaks who defied the odds to get there.

Seniors David Gibbons and Jerry Angel impressed those in attendance in Salem and will be sorely missed, along with four other graduating players. But the future is still bright for JCU who returns high-flying freshman Brandon Mimes and junior Michael Grogan.

Kudos to the fans from JCU for a solid turnout and their much enjoyed pep band.

UW-Stevens Point
After the first semi between Amherst and Williams, the general sentiment around the arena went like this: “There’s another game?” and “Who’s wearing those florescent yellow warmups?” The answers, of course, were “yes” and “Stevens Point.”

Jack Bennett energized just about anyone he talked to in Salem, even coddling up to the old Hoopsville crew and Final Four broadcasters, Dave McHugh and Jared Rosenbaum. As Dave and Jared sat along press row, observing the Pointers’ Thursday practice, Bennett just strolled over and took up conversation with the two.

The Pointers fans had the longest road to travel, especially after about one hundred of them made it to the sectionals at Puget Sound. Combine an appearance in the women’s Final Four, and the women’s Frozen Four for ice hockey, and many Point faithful had a tough decision to make. Those who chose to travel to Salem went home the happiest.

Jack and Nick Bennett weren’t the only coach-son combo in Salem as Matt and Pete Moran joined their father with John Carroll. While the two Bennetts seem to have a tumultuous relationship on the court (as the both admitted after their win against Williams), their championship performance was a story made for the movies.

When asked about their youth and the promise of a new season with all but one player (Neal Krajnik) returning, the Pointers were quick to acknowledge the need to stay on the ball.

“I said to my team, ‘we need to take advantage of this opportunity now,’ cause another team we played, Gustavus Adolphus, was in the same situation. They didn’t make it back.” The Golden Gusties made it to the national championship game in 2003 and lost to Williams by two. Losing only three seniors and retaining the core of their squad, GAC seemed poised for another run to Salem, only to lose in the second-round this year to the Pointers.

UW-Stevens Point will face that situation now.

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