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Tuesday, March 01, 2022

DeSales Basketball, Men and Women, Going to NCAA's D3 Tournament

DeSales Starters (L to R): Keba Mitchell, Dat Lambert, Matt Kachelreis,
Timmy Edwards and Mike Bealer
(Blogger's Note: I'm about to do some bragging, so you might want to skip this unless you like hoops.)

DeSales Basketball programs, both men and women, are going to the D3 NCAA tournament. 

The women's team (21-3) had an automatic invitation as the winner of the MAC Freedom conference. They play SUNY Cortland on Friday in Medford, Ma.

I thought the men's team (22-5) was finished. Despite an amazing season, the Bulldogs were upset by the Lycoming Warriors in the MAC Freedom semifinal on Friday. A team DeSales had already beaten twice during the regular season came ready to play, and eked out a 65-61 win. Although I believe Lycoming deserves all the credit for a great win with outstanding athleticism by Mo Terry and Matt Ilodigwe, I was disappointed to see the season end for a great balanced team that played together all year. I also hated to see my grandson's basketball career end on a sour note. 

It will continue. 

On Monday, the basketball gods selected 20 teams to join the 44 conference champions. DeSales made the cut and is playing Babson College (18-7) on Friday in Ashland,Va.  The winner of that game will face either Randolph-Macon (27-1, ranked #1) or Mirchell College (17-10) on Friday. 

DeSales and Babson are both making their sixth NCAA appearance. 

DeSales relies on a balanced attack and stingy defense. As many as 14 players will score, making defense difficult. 

Timmy Edwards (Trinity HS) is the man inside the paint. Keba Mitchell (Berks Catholic) is the dunker, and bats balls away like he's swatting at flies. Both Edwards and Mitchell missed the first few games of the season due to injuries, but are now at full strength. 

On the corners, Dat Lambert and Jordan Holmquist have been deadly shooting guards. Lambert has hit 56 from downtown, and Holmquist has had 52. Point guards Matt Kachelreis (Emmaus), Mason Barnes (Pottsville) and Will Pollick (Kingsway) all have amazing court vision. Get this. Kachelreis has had 159 assists this season, among the highest in D3 basketball. 

Anyone on that team, from Mike Bealer (18 points against Moravian) to Christian Gulden (12 points against Lycoming) can score a lot of points in a hurry. 

At the helm is Scott Coval, who has steered his teams to over 500 wins. 

Win or lose, I'm happy to see the Bulldogs recognized as a top team. I suspect Coval and the Bulldogs are more interested in winning. 

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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 1, 2022 at 6:59 AM

    Fantastic report! We know how proud you are of Dat. Desales has an excellent basketball program. Hope both teams go far in the playoffs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 1, 2022 at 7:29 AM

    Hey the girls are playing in Massachusetts not Virginia...

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 1, 2022 at 8:33 AM

    Congratulations Dak and both teams at DSU! I remember commenting several years ago my hope that Dak would consider DSU. So glad he did. What a great run.

    On a sad note, I've heard that a towering figure in Allentown College's and DeSale's history has just passed. May he rest in peace and shine his heavenly spirit on the basketball programs he truly loved.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bernie O'HareMarch 1, 2022 at 11:22 AM

    7:29, corrected. I truly believe the women should be hosting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMarch 2, 2022 at 12:27 PM

      They can not host anything boys or girls. The gym does not have the seating. The NCAA put a minimum number of seats for a hosting venue.

      Delete

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