2013-14 Season-in-Review: Men’s Basketball

By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – When the 2013-14 season began, Juniata College men's basketball head coach Greg Curley said, "I don't know what our record will be or where we'll end up, but I know this is going to be a team everyone will be proud of." After 28 games and a second consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III title his preseason prediction held true.

"Our goals from the beginning of the year were simply to become the best team and the best group of teammates that we could become and I think we did that," said Curley. "The way we played in the end of the season – you don't get to that level unless you're all really committed to the same things. You could see it in how they played and in their enthusiasm and willingness to compete for each other."

The Eagles persevered through an up and down season to finish with an overall record of 18-10. In the first month of the season, Juniata won eight consecutive games and captured the 2013 Doc Greene Tournament title and going on the win the 2014 Juniata Holiday Tournament two weeks later.

"Another goal we had was to play our best basketball and be the best team we could be by the end of the year. I don't think there is any question that we reached those goals. I'm really proud of the guys. We wanted to be in a different tournament. We wanted to have that chance to go back to the championship game for a third time and we came up a little bit short, not because of our effort or the type of team we were. It could have ended there, but it didn't and I'm probably more proud of that. It speaks to their character and commitment to each other more than had everything gone the way you hope it to goes."

Top 5 Moments
'Till the end – Buzzer beater sends Juniata over Carnegie Mellon and Nazareth
In the final week of play before the winter holiday, the Eagles hosted regional powerhouse Carnegie Mellon University in a midweek matchup. The Tartans were coming off an upset win over the No. 8 team in the country and had yet to lose a game. Then they ran into Juniata. Senior Kevin Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) broke the tie game on a three pointer with only three tenths of a second left on the clock for the 70-67 victory.

Just two weeks later, the Eagles took on Nazareth College in the Comfort Inn Doc Greene Tournament championship game. Juniata was down eight at halftime and as many as 10-points in the second half before battling back. The last 57 seconds of the game saw three lead changes before senior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall) put in the final layup with one second on the clock for the 57-56 win.

"Those were complete team efforts and against two really good programs and really showed our competitiveness. Any time you win at the end of the game like that – that's what you play for and it's fun to reflect on and know how it feels," said Curley.

Road Warriors – Eagles top Scranton at Scranton in overtime
In Scranton, Pa. for the first Landmark road game of the year, Juniata went into halftime down 10 in a rematch of the 2012-13 league semifinals. The Eagles stormed back to send the game into overtime and earned the win on a last second foul shot by Hays to improve to 11-2 on the year and hand the Royals their second home loss of the season.

"That was a really big game for us," said Curley. "We played really really well and it was a complete team effort. We played well on both ends of the floor against a very good team and program who we have a lot of respect for."

Chips Fall – Prayerful shot sinks Juniata in Selinsgrove
After a hard fought loss to Merchant Marine at home, the Eagles went on the road on the second to last day of the regular season to face Susquehanna. The game would nearly cement the Landmark playoff picture. Over 40 minutes of action there were 23 lead changes. Juniata overcame everyone to earn a two-point lead before Susquehanna tossed up a nearly-half-court-off-balance prayer that drained through the net to give the Crusaders the 59-58 win. Three days later the Eagles traveled to Madison, N.J. and scored the first point of the game against Drew University. There was not one lead change in that game as Juniata downed the Rangers 72-50.

"There's never been a group that I've been around that has had to fight so hard for so long and be so close to winning a championship. I thought that took its toll on us. It would have been really easy for us to fold and blame other things and the guys did not. We went [into Susquehanna] and competed as hard as we possibly could. It came to a last shot that probably you take another 15 times and it doesn't go in. That's kind of how the year broke," said Curley. "Then to come out of that and play our best game of the year at that point when, in many ways, there's nothing to play for, speaks to this strength of character of our guys. I'm very proud of that. They understand that this is about competing and playing together and giving it the best you have."

Home Again – Eagles earn home court advantage in ECAC tournament, defeat Alfred
After waiting through a Landmark tournament they had hoped to be in, Juniata heard the news that it had been selected for the ECAC Southwest region tournament and had earned the right to host Alfred University (AU) in the first round. The Huntingdon faithful came out in mass to support the Eagles and the men on the court did not disappoint. Juniata dominated AU, shooting nearly 50% from the floor and winning nearly every statistical category on the night including points in the paint, points off turnovers, rebounds, and assists.

"Being able to get one more home game for these guys and to end it the way we did where everybody contributed… that was one of our better nights offensively," said Curley.

Champions Prevail – Juniata dominates Hood for second consecutive ECAC championship title
The Eagles played as far as they could in the 2013-14 season. When they stepped onto the court at Bethany College to face Hood College for the ECAC Southwest crown they knew, win or loose, that would be the last game of the season. For the seniors, it would be the last game of their careers at Juniata. From tip-off to final buzzer there was never a doubt that the Eagles would capture their second consecutive championship. Senior Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) had a game-high 24 points and was named tournament MVP. Senior Dimitri Ross (Petersburg, Va./Appomattox Regional Governor's School) had a career-high night as Juniata nailed 17 three pointers and shot over 57% from the floor in the 82-67 victory.

"I've never seen a team here play as well as this team did in the last week of the season. As a coach, that's my goal. That is the best a team I've ever coached has played. To me, that defines what we're trying to be," said Curley. "We constantly talk about not allowing others to set our expectations or define our success. The way we define success is what we saw in the last week of the season. When you step back and look at the season as a whole that's an incredibly successful year. I couldn't be prouder of a group of guys."

The 2013-14 team set a new program record for fewest points allowed in a season. The Eagles only allowed 1,835 points over all 28 games played besting the previous record of 1,974 points allowed in a 25 game season. Scholly, Hays and Stapleton all surpassed the 1,000-point career mark. At the end of the year Hays was named First Team All-Landmark and Scholly garnered Landmark Senior Scholar Athlete honors, chosen from all men's basketball players of senior standing in the conference with a cumulative grade point average above 3.20.

"A lot of the guys in the program would tell you that this was a very difficult year. We were always together and always working hard and committed to what we were doing. That can add to the level of frustration because when you think you know you've paid the price and done things right and that your mindset and values are in line and things still don't go your way it's a tough pill to swallow. But we hung in and kept working together and played our best when we needed to."

The seven seniors of the class of 2014, Stapleton, Kevin Snyder (Indiana, Pa./Indiana), Ross, Pat Cassidy (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg), Scholly, Hays, and Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton), leave behind a program with a new standard for success.

"When you're in the immediacy of the season it's only a 30 foot perspective and when you back up to 3,000 feet and look at what they've accomplished it's really remarkable. When I came here, if you had told me that we would have ever been picked second in our league or be expected to win a championship I probably would have said I don't see that happening and that we'll always be an underdog and have to overcome some things. The seniors redefined the expectations of this program. That doesn't happen," said Curley.

The graduating seniors finish their Juniata careers with more wins, 69, than any other four-year class. They helped the program capture its first ECAC championship as juniors in 2013 and then a second in their final campaign.

"We didn't always have our best nights this year and sometimes didn't look as clean and crisp, but the reality is that we had a chance, in every single game, to win. That doesn't happen no matter how good you are. That level of consistency and commitment to doing the right things is the new bar for our program. It's one that awfully high. It's a huge challenge. Whether we know it or not, the young group has learned from this and they understand where they need to get. These seniors have set a new standard," added Curley. "We always say that there is a standard around here and the team needs to live up to it. Well, that bar was just raised pretty high."

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