Junior Nick Pelotte (#4) was named to the All-Northeast Region Team after leading the Little East Conference in scoring with 18.2 points per game. Photo by John Scott.
Pymouth State University was in the midst of perhaps its most successful men’s basketball season in school history in the winter of 2003-04. The Panthers had won 13 of their first 14 games, and were in the process of setting the school record for wins in a season with a 23–5 record while advancing to the championship game of the Little East Conference Tournament.
But when Keene State College edged Plymouth State in the title game of the LEC Tourney, the general thinking was that the Panthers would proudly make their third straight post-season appearance as a top seed in the ECAC New England Regional Tournament. PSU was “on-the-bubble” for a berth in the prestigious NCAA National Tournament, Division III’s version of “The Big Dance,” but that would be tough with only six at-large berths in the country available.
Panther head coach John Scheinman had other ideas. He had confidence in his team, and confidence that the selection committee would agree that the Panthers were one of the deserving 48 teams across the country in Division III worthy of a national berth. So he gathered the team at 10:30 p.m. on a Sunday night in March, got some cookies and juice, and awaited word from the NCAA on its official Selection Show, which was broadcast over the Internet.
“It was just like you see on TV,” said Scheinman. “We’re all huddled around the screen, and there’s total silence and tension. People were starting to get nervous because we were in the bottom of the bracket, and they went through a lot of teams before they got to us. Then all of a sudden, Bang! Complete jubilation!”
Happiest, of course, were seniors Mike Loughlin, Ryan Chicoine and J.J. Truman, who were facing their last chance at an NCAA berth. They were the heart and soul of the team, and a strong supporting cast to the leading scorers, juniors Nick Pelotte and Anthony Oglesby, and freshman standout Andreas Pope.
The announcement marked just the second time that Plymouth State had earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers dropped a first-round decision at Williams College in its initial visit in 1996. This time around, PSU was awarded a home game, hosting Castleton State College in the first round, and the Panthers didn’t disappoint the loud and rowdy crowd at Foley Gymnasium, sending the fans home with the first NCAA Division III Tourney win in New Hampshire history.
After dispatching Castleton State, PSU traveled to Amherst College for a second round match-up against the Lord Jeffs, who were fifth in the national rankings. The Panthers, who were ranked 10th in the nation in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage defense, would have to be at the top of their game against the mighty Lord Jeffs.
While Plymouth State turned in a gutsy performance, it was Amherst that brought its “A” game. The Lord Jeffs connected on a season-high 13 of 24 three-point field goals, including 10 of 14 attempts in a 63-point first half, and never let PSU get closer than 10 points in the second half.
“If they had missed three of those three-pointers in the first half, it’s a seven-point game instead of a 16-point game,” said Pelotte, “and maybe things would’ve been different in the second half. But give them credit. It’s their gym, and the ball went in for them.”
The Panthers stayed in the game, thanks largely to Pelotte. After leading the team with 16 points in the first half, the lightning-quick point guard scored the first 12 Panther points in the second half on a combination of short jumpers and running lay-ups in traffic. Oglesby, Pope and Loughlin also contributed key hoops in a second-half PSU run, and the Panthers cut the deficit to 10 points (78-68) with 9:40 on the clock.
The physical play of the Jeffs had the Panthers in foul trouble, and it caught up with the visitors in the second half as four starters fouled out. The Jeffs followed with a 19–2 run over the next four minutes to put the Panthers away. Scheinman got all 15 players in uniform into the game down the stretch and the season went into the record books with a 24–6 overall record.
“I’m just real proud of my guys,” said Scheinman. “They gave a great effort and tried real hard to the end. The foul trouble hurt us, but I give all the credit in the world to Amherst. That’s why they’re number five in the country.
“What we did this season was special,” Scheinman added. “The 13–1 start to the season. The school record for wins. The first NCAA Tournament win in school history. One of only six at-large berths in the country. Those are special accomplishments, and the kids have been a joy.”
—KC
