The Gannon University men’s basketball coach didn’t need to see a bracket unveiled without his team five days after the Knights’ 62-58 dramatic overtime loss to Slippery Rock University in the PSAC tournament virtually eliminated Gannon from the national tourney picture.

“The last game was a shame,” he said. “My personal opinion was (if we won) not only do we make the (PSAC) final four and have a chance to win the conference tournament, I felt that would put us in the tournament.”

Slippery Rock earned the Atlantic Region’s seventh seed.

Reilly wasn’t alone in his disappointment, as the entire Gannon team was distraught in the locker room at the Hammermill Center after the game, guard Adam Blazek said.

“We were kind of crushed the way the season ended,” said Blazek, who played all 45 minutes.

Blazek missed eight games midway through the regular season with a broken right hand.

Gannon earned the rights to host a PSAC quarterfinal game when it soundly beat Slippery Rock, 75-63, six days earlier at home.

“They really wanted it,” said Reilly, who was named the PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year. “They were excellent in practice for the last couple weeks.”

Reilly said the team’s returning players will begin their offseason training routines in several weeks while the coaching staff continues to recruit on the road.

“For me, it’s the most important part of the year because we’ve got to add to our group,” he said.

Reilly said the team will try to add two guards and two forwards after it will lose six seniors from this season.

Forward Tanner Furno, Gannon’s longest tenured player, said Gannon’s future is bright.

“This season can be looked on as the foundation that we learn from what we need to do so we can play like a team like we have this season,” he said.

As for those returning, Blazek, a sophomore, said he and a handful of teammates plan to stay in Erie over the summer to train for next season.

“I’ve missed the postseason the two years I’ve been here so I’ve got to start to get going to end that,” Blazek said.

The Knights finished the season with a 22-7 record, its best mark since the 2008-09 team won 30 games and reached the Elite Eight.

“Coach told us we were the first real team he had since he had those great teams four or five years ago,” Blazek said.

Furno agrees.

“Out of my four years playing at Gannon, this is my favorite team both in terms of people and friends as well as the way we played basketball and held together throughout,” he said.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

But for the Gannon University men’s basketball team, it boils down to a simple premise: defend home court against Slippery Rock University Wednesday and finish in second place, taking a first-round bye and quarterfinal home game that comes with it. Lose, and the Knights will host California University of Pennsylvania Saturday.

It comes down to winning, something senior guard Oscar Macias was quick to point out.

“This is the first game of the postseason for us,” said Macias, who led Gannon with 17 points in its 82-69 win over Lock Haven University Saturday. “We want to win the conference championship and ultimately the national championship and that starts now.”

At 21-6 and 15-6 in the conference, Gannon dropped out of the national rankings Tuesday and is currently eighth in the Atlantic Regional Rankings, though a new list will be released Wednesday. The top eight teams in the season’s final rankings reach the NCAA tournament.

The Knights have already clinched an appearance in the PSAC postseason tournament for the first time since 2008-09, andare trying to position themselves with conference’s elite, but with just a game left for each team, a clear hierarchy of teams has still not been determined.

For instance, on Saturday Slippery Rock beat Indiana University of Pennsylvania at home to tie for first place while Mercyhurst, coming off a win over Gannon, lost to Cal, which the Knights have beaten twice already this season.

“It’s wide open, and (players) know it’s wide open,” Gannon coach John Reilly said.

Gannon had to rebound for a split last week on Saturday after the Knights laid an egg on offense in their loss to rival Mercyhurst Wednesday. Gannon’s 36 points were the fewest in a game since at least the 1970s and looked uglier at times in the second half when Gannon scored13 points and committed 17 turnovers.

Reilly said the Knights neglected ball security and estimated that “95 percent of the turnovers were unforced.”

“Are we as terrible as we played? Of course not, we have a really good team,” he said. “When we aren’t turning it over, we’ve been really solid. When we do turn it over, you better buckle up.”

The Knights quickly recovered, however, on Saturday when they shot 61 percent from the field to score their most points in more than a month.

“We were never really worried about what our offense was able to do,” Macias, one of six seniors to be honored Wednesday, said. “Saturday’s game was more of a confidence-booster.”

Saturday’s game could’ve also been the charm for C.J. Oldham, who was playing his third game at point guard since taking over starting duties from Jabs Newby.

“We just really like him there,” Reilly said of the 6-foot-8-inch Oldham. “He gives us a different look. Defensively, it helps us with rebounding. Nothing against Jabs; it’s just a move we feel we needed to make at the time.”

Defense and rebounding will be at premium at the Hammermill Center Wednesday when Slippery Rock and Gannon, the PSAC’s best and second-best rebounding teams, play for the second time after the Rock beat the Knights 69-56 Jan. 30

“We got down early and their physicality got to us,” Reilly said.

Winners of their last four, Slippery Rock was curiously left out of last week’s Atlantic Region rankings, but this week’s version could be another story after the Rock’s win over IUP, which is fifth in the Region rankings.

“We all know it’s a big game,” Macias said. “We had a meeting where we basically said, ‘This is it. We’re going to give it our all, not make excuses and if we fall short we’re not going to say what if.’”

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

The high-flying Blanton is responsible for a large part of Gannon University’s highlight reel and was at it again when he served up a facial early in the second half against Edinboro Wednesday.

But unfortunately for Gannon, the Knights couldn’t get it fall with such ease in the second half, when they went cold for a stretch that allowed the Scots to win 67-64.

“I feel like everyone is playing their best basketball right now,” said Blanton, who led Gannon in both games last week with 21 and17 points. “Each game is important because we are deciding our own destiny.”

The Knights, tabbed 24th in this week’s national rankings, got back on the winning track Saturday against Clarion University, beating the Golden Eagles 67-48.

Coach John Reilly said Gannon has responded well to losses this season.

“I’m hoping we can learn something from the Edinboro game, which I know we have and transfer that over to another game,” he said. “I really think that one of the big reasons we won at IUP was how we lost at Slippery Rock.”

Gannon (20-5 overall, 14-5 PSAC West) also moved to within one game of Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the PSAC West when Mercyhurst downed the Crimson Hawks Saturday. The Knights are tied with Slippery Rock for second place in the division, the final spot that would receive a first-round bye and quarterfinal home game in the PSAC tournament.

But Reilly downplayed the importance of the tournament’s location.

“No matter where the tournament is, no matter where we play, I think we have a chance to win,” he said. “That’s my confidence in this team.”

That includes Wednesday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, where Gannon has lost two of their last three games against the Lakers, who defended their home court against mighty IUP Saturday for the third straight year.

Gannon beat Mercyhurst 56-42 in their previous meeting at the Hammermill Center on Jan. 23, when the Lakers were in the midst of a four-game losing streak. They enter Wednesday’s game having won three of their last four.

“I feel like everyone playing now has to be playing their best,” Blanton said. “Every game’s a must win for us.”

After Gannon travels to Mercyhurst on Wednesday, the Knights will continue on their road trip to Lock Haven University Saturday.

“The end is right there, it’s right in front of us,” Reilly said.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

And the five overtimes that ensued, before leaving the basketball office at almost 1 a.m.

He just couldn’t get enough new history being made.

Last week, the No. 17 Knights completed one of the best two-game road trips in school history, handing then seventh-ranked Indiana University of Pennsylvania its first home loss of the season before winning at California University of Pennsylvania for the first time since 1958.

Winners of seven of their last eight, the Knights improved to 19-4 overall and 13-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Western Division —one game behind IUP.

Since then, IUP had won 21 straight at home and had not lost to Gannon since February 2009.

“They’re the best team in our league for the last four years,” Reilly said. “I thought our focus was better (this time).”

After IUP had beaten Gannon in its seven previous tries, the Knights needed little extra incentive to play their best Wednesday.

But after their loss to the Crimson Hawks 72-65 in December, they got it anyway in the next day’s issue of the Erie Times-News.

In it, Indiana guard Scooter Renkin called the game his “coming-out party” after pouring in a career-high 25 points.

It didn’t sit well with the Knights.

“We couldn’t wait to play that game,” senior guard Oscar Macias said. “We feel that they’re one team that doesn’t respect us.”

Macias said assistant coach Chris Viscuso pinned the article to a bulletin board during practice, further motivating Gannon to end IUP’s streak.

“Our practices were extremely intense leading up to the game,” Macias said.

Gannon had to come back in the second half after blowing a six-point halftime lead and held on for a 57-55 win to become just the second visiting team to walk out of IUP’s Kovalchick Convention Center since its opening last season.

The Knights faced a similar scenario in their 56-53 win over Cal when they overcame a sluggish start.

Macias said the two back-to-back games made for a challenge.

“That was a little hard; after going from the No. 7 team in IUP to Cal, who’s mediocre in the PSAC, it was a little hard getting up for that game,” Macias said. “We knew we hadn’t won there in a long time and as seniors, this might be our last time playing here.”

In their wins last week, the Knights combined to make only 17-of-36 from the foul line, particularly head-scratching considering Gannon has converted at a 73 percent clip and had a streak of 32 straight hits from the line in late January.

“I think it’s something that comes and goes and a lot of it is really the timing of it,” Reilly said. “When you have one that you need to make down the stretch, you’ve got to make it.”

Both games last week featured playoff-like physicality and intensity, which Reilly said he expects of all Knights games from here on out.

Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center will showcase a potential playoff match up when the Knights host rival Edinboro University.

On Jan. 16, Gannon beat Edinboro 86-63, the same day Scots starters Bryan Theriot and Jay Fletcher were injured. Both are now back in the lineup for an Edinboro team that has won three of its last four games and qualified for the PSAC playoffs for the first time in four years by beating Lock Haven Saturday.

“It was very misleading because they lost two key guys in that game and they’re both back,” Reilly said. “We have to make sure we stay hungry and guard Edinboro because they have guys that can make shots.”

Gannon will have a chance to sweep the second straight season, although Macias said this year’s team is different.

“We’ve really bought into the team and we’re listening to the coaches, whereas last year, we were more fighting the coaches,” he said. “Last year wasn’t a ‘we’ team; it was more of a ‘me’ team.”

Macias said the Knights are striving to be the same team every day, despite the fact that they earned their first spot in the Top 25 rankings since the 2008-09 season.

“Coach told us we have to remain the attackers, we can’t wait to be attacked,” Macias said. “The rankings do feel really good though. I’m glad to be 17th.”

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

And after Clarion University upset second-place Edinboro University Saturday at McComb Fieldhouse, the Knights moved one step closer to their first conference title since 2009-10, the same year they reached the Final Four.

But don’t expect any scoreboard watching from the Knights, who will face third-place Indiana University of Pennsylvania for the second time 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and follow it up with a visit to California University of Pennsylvania Saturday.

“We can’t do anything but look at the team we play,” Gannon coach Cleve Wright said. “Whenever you look ahead like that, you’re setting yourself up for a disappointment or a misstep.”

In the latest coaches poll released Tuesday, Gannon reached No. 6, its highest ranking so far this season.

Last week’s wins against Slippery Rock and Lock Haven universities also gave the Knights 20 wins for second straight season and fourth time in five years.

Gannon breezed past Slippery Rock by outscoring the Rock 49-29 in the first half on the way to an 82-64 win on the road Wednesday before it wore down a game Lock Haven team, 70-62, at the Hammermill Center Saturday.

In both games last week, sophomore guard Batts led the Knights with games of 18 and 20 points.

Batts is Gannon’s leading scorer, averaging 13 points per game. She ranks third in the country in 3-point percentage, shooting 46.7 percent, and is fourth with 3.3 3’s per contest.

“I wouldn’t be able to have the success without my teammates helping me get open,” Batts said. “We have great post players on the inside and we want to feed them the ball, and if they double them they can kick it out, we can drive. It opens up so many options.”

Forward Nettie Blake had statiscally her best game Saturday, finishing with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

On Wednesday, the Knights will try to avoid a repeat of last season, when, after routing IUP in their first meeting, the Hawks beat Gannon in the next two contests, the last in the PSAC tournament.

“That was tough losing to them last year, but we take every practice and game the same way,” Batts said.

The Crimson Hawks, who are 8-1 at home this season, appear to be to be cut from the same cloth as the Knights. Like Gannon, IUP’s starting lineup includes three sophomores in Marita Mathe, Amy Fairman and Ashley Stoner.

The Crimson Hawks also have two Erie natives in Lindsay Stamp and Zhane Brooks on the team. Stamp transferred to Indiana after spending her freshman season at Mercyhurst last year.

“I think when you look at the classes and the makeup of the team, it is very similar,” Wright said.

In addition to Wednesday’s game at IUP, Gannon will also host Edinboro on Feb. 13 for a game with PSAC implications.

Currently, the Knights’ magic number — the combination of Gannon wins and losses for either Edinboro or IUP until Gannon clinches the conference —  is six.

Wright declined to speculate on whether he would consider resting players should the Knights clinch the conference title early.

“I wouldn’t even fathom considering to think about that, just because we’re so focused on who we’re playing next.,” Wright said.

Gannon has already clinched at least a home game in the first round of the conference tournament. It can secure a first-round bye with wins this week coupled with an IUP loss to Clarion Saturday.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

It also means pivotal games and the end of the regular season as well as conference and NCAA tournament games are coming into sight.

Sorry if your roses are a little late this year, ladies.

“It’s the best time of year,” Gannon University men’s basketball coach John Reilly said. “Usually teams are playing their best right now.”

So far this season, there hasn’t been much for Reilly and the Knights not to love.

The Knights, winners of their last four, are 16-3 and will travel to play Slippery Rock University for sole possession of second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Western Division Wednesday. Indiana University of Pennsylvania is atop the West.

Reilly stressed the importance of the game.

“It is the biggest game and not because of the reasons most people would think,” Reilly said. “It’s because it’s the next game we gotta play.”

Since losing to West Chester University on Jan. 12, Gannon has won its last four games by an average of more than 14 points per game, right at its season average that leads the PSAC.

This included the Wednesday’s 56-42 win in the 65th meeting against city rival Mercyhurst, something the Knights failed to do in two tries last season.

Guard Adam Blazek, who scored 11 points against the Lakers, said Gannon was looking forward to the Mercyhurst game.

“Everything is magnified when you play against a rival,” he said. “Our practices and intensity were at a high level. The result just showed how we play when we are together and defend hard.”

Gannon outrebounded the Lakers by a staggering margin of 36-11 and excelled against Mercyhurst’s oft-problematic defensive scheme.

“In the Mercyhurst game, they’re not playing a traditional zone,” Reilly said, “They’re playing a match-up, which you have to attack differently than a 2-3 zone. At times, we got stagnant. But ultimately we moved the ball and people like we had to.”

The Knights followed it up with a workman-like 65-53 win over Clarion University Saturday.

Darrell Blanton, the Knights’ leading scorer averaging 16.9 points per game, led Gannon both games with 20 and 19 points.

With nine games remaining in the regular season, all of which are against conference opponents, the Knights have found their groove balancing games every Wednesday and Saturday, Reilly said.

“The seniors have done a nice job leading us and we’re in a nice routine in practice now,” he said. “We’re intense with how we talk and listen, but we do nearly as much. Everything’s geared to the teams we’re playing next.”

Gannon’s attention to detail and the fundamentals has manifested itself on the court. Against Mercyhurst, the Knights hit their 32nd consecutive free throw, highlighting a three-game stretch in which they went 48-of-50 from the line.

“This year’s team is different than last year’s because we are all in it together; practicing, lifting, school,” Blazek said. “The higher attention to detail, the better team we have.”

While the Knights are without the services of forwards T.J. Wilson and Algeron Torrence due to injury, they have spread the ball around. Against Clarion, four players finished in double-figures, including guard Blazek, whose 17 points off the bench tied a season-high.

The Knights’ date with Slippery Rock Wednesday will break a tie for second-place in the PSAC and move the winner to within one game of Indiana, which will host Slippery Rock Saturday.

Gannon split a two-game series with the Rock last season.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

“Applies to just about everything in life, doesn’t it?” Reilly asked.

The provocative placards are meant as reinforcement for this season’s team mantra: “sacrifice brings success,” which the Knights decided on while working with noted sports psychologist Joe Carr in September.

Given that the Knights have equaled last year’s win total thanks to 23-point wins over Edinboro University Wednesday and California University of Pennsylvania Saturday, one can assume the Gannon men have made more sacrifices this season than the ancient Aztecs.

“It means every little thing that we can do for the team we will,” senior guard Oscar Macias said. “If that mean’s going to bed early or not going out on the weekend, we will”

In a tightly-packed PSAC West, Gannon currently stands alone in third place with a 14-3 overall record and 8-3 mark in conference play. Only Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock University stand a game ahead of Gannon, which will have a chance to make another statement 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts city rival Mercyhurst at the Hammermill Center.

Mercyhurst was among a host of teams that handed Gannon bitter defeats at the wire last season. The Lakers beat the Knights twice by a total of four points.

“Every one of those games we had a chance to win and for whatever reason we couldn’t finish,” Reilly said. “This year, we have been able to finish games.”

Those painful losses also included defeats to Edinboro and Cal last season, something the Knights made certain would not repeat itself last week.

“We make it a point to go out and make a statement every game,” Macias said. “We still feel like we aren’t given the respect that we’ve earned.”

Gannon broke away from Edinboro midway through the second half when it exploded for a 14-0 run after the Scots lost their main threat in center Bryan Theriot, whose his knee buckled while in the paint.

Gannon’s second-half run, which was led by eight points from reserve forward Algeron Torrence, sent the Knights to an 86-63 win.

Torrence finished with 24 points in 18 minutes. Torrence is one of five players who have led the Knights in scoring this year.

Against Edinboro, Gannon welcomed back guard Adam Blazek, who had been inactive with a broken right hand since Gannon’s Dec. 2 game against East Stroudsburg. He came off the bench to score 15 points with a wrapped hand.

Gannon went 7-2 without Blazek in the lineup, a feat Reilly attributed to the team’s depth.

“I think it says a lot about the guys,” he said. “I don’t want Adam to take this wrong because he’s a very, very important part of our team, but we played a lot better without Adam than we did early in the year. Now I think we’re going to play a lot better with our team down the stretch, no doubt.

“The area that we really missed without Adam was the tremendous one-on-one defense, tracking loose balls and deflections. They played excellent ball without him, which can only help us get better.”

Gannon’s balanced attack also fueled the Knights’ 82-59 win over Cal, in which four Gannon players scored in double-figures.

“On any night, anybody could be our leading scorer,” Macias said of the team’s depth. “Honestly, just because some players don’t play doesnt mean that they can’t play. People see the team playing well and say they have good chemistry, but they don’t see how those players push us in practice to make better.”

In its next stretch of five games, Gannon will play the West’s current first-, second- and fourth- place teams, beginning Wednesday with Mercyhurst.

“I feel we need to make a statement against Mercyhurst to show we’re not just a team on an early-season spurt,” Macias said.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

After dishing out turkey, potatoes and stuffing at the Sisters of St. Joseph’s annual community Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, the Knights feasted on turnovers in blowout wins over Roberts Wesleyan and Daemen colleges in the 29th annual Gary Miller Classic.

With a pair of easy wins and the tournament trophy in hand for the first time in two years, the Knights ran their record on the young season to 4-0 as they enter Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. It’s the first time Gannon started 4-0 since 2008-09 — the same year it reached the Elite Eight.

“It’s very important. Most importantly confidence-wise,” coach John Reilly said. “Last year we were a very poor road team; we were actually better on the road, so the intensity and energy that I saw were very important.”

Sophomore point guard Adam Blazek earned the tournament’s most outstanding player honors after leading the Knights’ swarming defense by grabbing three steals in both Friday’s 66-45 win over Roberts Wesleyan and five more in Saturday’s 65-46 win over Daemen in the championship.

“I’ve watched a lot of films, and our defensive rotations have been great,” said Blazek, who also led Gannon with 15 points Friday and chipped in 13 more Saturday. “Right now, our defense is much better than it was last year.”

Gannon got even with defending champion Daemen, which started a string of near-misses for the Knights a season ago when it bested the Knights 67-65 in the opening round.

The Knights were willing to sacrifice their bodies by making hustle plays throughout both games.

They routinely frustrated the Wildcats (8-3), who came into the game averaging nearly 90 points a game but shot just 33 percent from the field Saturday. The Knights also limited Roberts Wesleyan to just 28 percent shooting to hold their opponents to less than 50 points in consecutive games for the first time since 1992.

But the Knights also committed 29 turnovers of their own, a number they cut to 19 on Saturday.

“Pretty much 95 percent of those turnovers were unforced,” Blazek said. “I think we need to shoot better from the outside because that will open up the driving lanes.”

In four games so far this season, Gannon has had two different starting lineups that feature three players who did not play for the Knights last season. A total of 10 players scored in each of Gannon’s wins this weekend and currently have six players averaging five or more points.

“The depth is excellent,” Reilly said. The most important thing is that we have eight returning guys. We’ve improved ourselves there and the new guys are also contributing.”

The Knights also received welcome news when All-State recruit Matt Dogan, of West Middlesex High School, and New Castle’s Brandon Domenick signed a letter of intent to play for the Knights earlier in November.

Dogan, whom Reilly called “smart” and “athletic,” has nearly 1,500 career points for West Middlesex entering his senior season.

He is the third District 10 standout to sign with Gannon in the last three years. Blazek made the short trip from Cathedral Prep a year ago and North East High School product Cory Bailey is in his freshman season.

“I’ve always liked local players because there are some advantages,” Reilly said. “A lot of times with local players, they’re well-coached and are smart. We also try to get them here so that their families can come and watch games.”

Gannon will host to East Stroudsburg and Kutztown universities in PSAC games this weekend. For the second season, crossover games between the East and West conferences will count toward conference records.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

Key Players lost: Brandon Belt, guard, averaged 9.1 points per game, led Gannon with 51 3-pointers; Stephen Battle, guard, 8.6 points.

Projected Starting Lineup (2011-12 statistics):

PG — Adam Blazek, sophomore (32.5 minutes per game, 17.1 points, 3.6 assists, 82 steals)

G — Jabs Newby, junior (at Eastern Kentucky: 11.9 minutes, 1.7 points)

G/F — Robert Wilson, junior (2010-11 at Urbana: 15.5 points,8.9 rebounds, .881 free-throw percentage)

F — Rogerio Livramento, junior (at Community College of Rhode Island: 10.7 points, 11.2 rebounds)

F — Darrell Blanton, senior (32.5 minutes, 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, .538 field goal percentage)

Top Reserves:

G — Oscar Macias, senior (30.6 minutes, 9.7 points), F — T.J. Wilson, senior (14.5 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.8 rebounds)

Key Games (opponents’ 2011-12 record):

Gary Miller Classic — Nov. 23 and 24

Porreco Cup — Dec. 14 and 15

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (22-6 overall, 17-5 PSAC) — Home: Dec. 8; Away: Feb. 6

Mercyhurst (12-14, 10-12) — Home: Jan. 23; Feb. 20

East Stroudsburg — Home: Dec. 2

Outlook:

Gannon will try to build on a solid 2011-12 season by returning nearly all of its key players while mixing in some new blood as well.

Senior forward Darrell Blanton and sophomore guard Adam Blazek anchor a team that started three new faces in its opening weekend. The Knights snuck past Glenville State 70-67 Friday thanks to Darrell Blanton’s jumper in the last seconds and routed Ohio Valley 91-65 Saturday.

Juniors Jabs Newby, a transfer from Division-I Eastern Kentucky, and Rogerio Livramento cracked the starting lineup, as did Robert Wilson, who redshirted a year ago after leading Urbana in scoring and rebounding the previous season.

“(The lineup) evolves during the season,” coach John Reilly said. “Our bench is deep and it’s really all based on production.”

Gannon hasn’t reached the PSAC playoffs since 2008-09, but Reilly said this year’s team has an eye on the postseason.

“Finishing high in the conference, making the playoffs and really reaching our potential are our main goals.”

The idea of watching a collection of young men coming together in hopes of cutting down the nets causes the former Gannon University men’s basketball coach to recall what he refers to as a “golden time.”

The seeds of which were planted in Springfield, Mass., a quarter-century ago when the Knights took Gannon and the city of Erie on a ride it hasn’t forgotten.

Chapman was the engineer operating the roller coaster that was the 1986-87 season that culminated with an appearance in the national championship game. That game marks its 25th anniversary Wednesday.

“It was almost like a Hoosier-like story,” said Chapman, who now lives in Reading, Pa. “The team became a family with each other and became a family with the city as well.”

The Knights provided plenty of thrills throughout the season, as they tallied a 28-6 record en route to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II tournament. The Knights made the often block-long line for tickets well worth the wait before eventually falling to Kentucky Wesleyan 92-74 in the title game.

The fans, in turn, reciprocated by giving the Knights one of the most distinct home-court advantages in the country.  With on-demand sports still several decades away, the 2,600 that regularly packed into the Hammermill Center harassed opponents to the point of assault all in the name of their beloved Knights.

“I remember people scalping tickets; they really made us feel like NBA players,” said David “Motown” Morris, a junior forward on the team. “It wasn’t really as much of a bandwagon following as it was a love Erie had for Gannon basketball.”

And these Knights gave the fans plenty to love.

Gannon featured some of the unlikeliest of heroes, including several players who would fit the criteria for non-traditional students.

“It was really intoxicating because each one had a different story,” Chapman said.

Center John “Shanghai” Matthews, 30, had spent the previous 10 years in a steel mill, the team’s leading scorer Mitch Smith saw his collegiate career interrupted by a stint in the military and Notre Dame transfer John Bowen among others gave the team its distinctive flavor.

“There was definitely an allure to this team,” said John Ruby, who along with Chuck Shramm, comprised Chapman’s coaching staff. “It was unique because it was an older, more veteran team that was willing to sacrifice for the team, when you think that the older you get, it becomes more about me, me, me.”

But the Knights were about much more than just a scrappy bunch—they knew how to win.

This was no more on display than when the Knights took down top-ranked Millersville in the Eastern Regional at the Hammermill Center. Gannon knocked down a pair of late free throws to ice the game with a pair of free throws.

“We had great games against Millersville, Mercyhurst, Edinboro, West Chester,” Chapman said. “Between games and the people, I probably don’t remember the games as much as I do the people who all had a part in our success.”

And the Knights managed to captivate many.

Gannon’s appeal even managed to transcend the hardwood and began to occupy the airwaves.

Local radio stations began playing “Let’s go Gannon, let’s go,” a parody of Wang Chung’s “Let’s go.”

On the court, Chapman also served as the team’s de facto mascot by often entering the stands drumming up support for the team.

“He came out and went in the stands to try to get everyone fired up and would raise his hands,” Morris said.

Gannon coach John Reilly, whose 2008-09 Elite Eight team broke the 1986-87 team’s school record for wins by going 30-4, joined Chapman’s staff as a graduate assistant the following year.

“They would have the applause meter, which was always rigged, and after the first basket, the whole student body would throw toilet paper on the court, and they’d have to take 10 minutes to clear it off,” Reilly said.

Then there was Gumby.

Played by a Gannon student, the Knights’ officially unofficial mascot would slide down the bleachers before each game before dislocating his shoulder.

All of it together made for an atmosphere that Reilly remembers as “nuts.”

“I had never been in an environment where I could feel sound,” Chapman said. “The noise there was an actual physical force like a jet engine. I remember seeing some of the players from the other team would cover their ears after we made a big play.”

But as Gannon forged its way through the tournament, the Hammermill circus wasn’t afraid to take their act with the Knights. Members of the Gannon University Travel Squad – GUTS— made sure they were with the Knights every step of the way.

“They were a group of adults who conducted themselves like students,” Chapman said of some 2,000 fans who made the trip to Springfield. “I can’t give any names because there might still be outstanding warrants.”

“We had a lot of players who could’ve played Division I basketball, and that’s what you need if you’re going to win a national championship,” Ruby said. “Unfortunately, Kentucky Wesleyan had more Division I-caliber players.

Gannon semifinal win over Montana State-Billings—then Eastern Montana— featured the Knights staging a double-digit rally to win 61-55.

“We had a different game the game before against Eastern Montana that went down to the wire. I think it may have taken a lot out of us, and if we had more energy, the championship could’ve been closer.”

Chapman remained coach until 1989, when he took over as head coach, but never forgot his days at Gannon, Ruby, said.

“When Tom and I left for St. Bonaventure, which was a very tough job, a lot of times we would think back and ask ourselves, ‘well, maybe it is better to be a big fish in a small pond,’” said Ruby, who lives in Harrisburg where he teaches at Central Dauphin High School.

The Knights’ run holds a special place in hearts of the players, who consider it among their favorite memories.

“That season had some of the most memorable times of my life,” said Morris, who serves as an assistant at Strong Vincent High School

“Somebody mentioned something recently, and I didn’t even realize it has been 25 years already. Time goes by so fast.”

Many of the Knights had the chance to reunite with their teammates when the Gannon athletic hall of fame inducted the team in January 2010.

With a little less hair albeit.

“The thing that struck me was that all these young boys had become mature men,” Chapman said.

While the 1986-87 season is a distant memory for those who lived it, Chapman sees it every time he turns on a game.

Chapman, who is retired and lives in Reading, Pa., still considers himself a fan.

“(Gannon) is probably in a bit more challenging conference now,” he said. “The great thing about basketball is that it’s emotionally draining, and the players are flawed just like everybody else, so you are able to really connect with them when they’re on the floor.”

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu