The NECC Knights men’s basketball team are region 21 east district champions for the forth year in a row. Information from a press release by Athletic Director Dan Blair details the Knights game on Sunday Mar. first as they defeated Quincy college at the Sport and Fitness Center in a thrilling 68-66 victory. Capped off with a last-minute layup from Alex Johnson to clinch the victory. The team’s strong brotherhood along with their immense skill has led them to this point.
The Knights season was impressive from beginning to end. According to the Knights homepage they finished the season with a final record of 30 wins and 3 losses. This was good for a winning percentage of .909. This high winning percentage was thanks to an immaculate offence. They shot 42.9 percent from the field with a 3-point shooting percentage of 30.5. The Knights won an outstanding 16 games straight; they have not lost since Dec. 13. Their most dominant win of the year came on Nov. 29 when the Knights took down Suffolk Community College by a final score of 110-55 in the NECC Turkey Classic. Their immaculate campaign this year led them to the top seed position in region 21 along with being ranked second nationally, according to the Knights website.
The team credits their great success to the family like bond they share.
“We bond a lot more off the court, we’re always together building up chemistry,” says sophomore Christian Sanders “We came together as a team and started playing for each other.” The team’s brotherhood started off slowly, but over time they became a true unit, sticking together through all their trials.
“At the beginning of the season we didn’t but now we know each other deeply,” says sophomore Yunosuke Matsuda, “We’re always together.”
The strong team dynamic in the locker room has been fostered and defined by their outstanding head coach Darron Stratton.
“His coaching is amazing.” Says Christian, “He helps us a lot of the court, and makes sure our minds are right.” According to the NECC knight’s website Darren has been coaching this team for over 20 seasons. His dedication to the team shows in their play and how they respect each other.
“They’re holding each other accountable and that’s showing on the court,” says coach Darren, “They’re very unselfish. Happy when another succeeds.”
A key factor in the success of the Knights this season has been the play of top offensive performer Alejandro Delgado. According to the NECC Knights homepage the sophomore Delgado is averaging 18.1 points per game over his 32 played this year. His most impressive performance of the season came on Jan. 23 when he put up 32 points against MassBay Community College in only 27 minutes played. “The kid’s gonna be there.” Said coach Stratton about Delgado, “A player that lights up a box score but is extremely unselfish.” Delgado’s strong leadership and team first mentality has bolstered this roster to an impressive performance this season. “He is the heartbeat for this basketball team.” Says coach Stratton.
The Knights success and chemistry this year came to fruition when they clinched the region 21 east district championship. They’ll look to continue this stellar play into the rest of the playoffs as they seek the national championship. According to Dan Blair’s press release the national tournament schedule will be released on the NJCAA network on Wednesday Mar. forth 6 p.m. The tournament is scheduled for Mar. 11th-14th at Herkimer college in New York.
