On April 7th, Men’s basketball head coach Darren Stratton was presented with the Guardians of the game champion. The honor came a year after Northern Essex finished with back-to-back region 21 finals victories. Coach Stratton received the award at the final four and NBAC (National association of coaches) convention in phoenix.  

Stratton was grateful for the recognition, thanking God, his family, the players, NECC Athletics staff and academic coaches. He cited them for their trust and support for his success. 

“This achievement could not have been accomplished without the overwhelming support of athletics from President Lane Glenn and Vice President Mike McCarthy, they continue to go the extra mile for not only our Men’s Basketball Team but for all our students here at NECC, said Stratton. “More Importantly, I would like to thank my wonderful wife Elizabeth Stratton and my family for the sacrifices they make daily, allowing me to do something I truly love. Lastly, I would like to thank my assistant coaches, managers and all my basketball players. They are the ones that truly deserve this award” Stratton added. 

Expectations were high after coming off the first NJCAA tournament in program history. Stratton’s team lived up to those expectations as They went 30-1 in the regular season, 32-2 overall and captured consecutive region 21 titles. They were the first team in the region to accomplish that feat since Springfield tech in 2003 and 2004. 

The Knights entered the NJCAA tournament in Herkimer, NY as the number two seeded team. They fell to Riverland community college 72-59. Although The Knights fell short of a national NJCAA championship crown, they were 2-0 in the consolation bracket and finished 5th for the second year in a row. 

This was Stratton’s twentieth season as The Knights head coach. During that span he accumulated a record of 320- 206.