Men’s Basketball Team that Played in NCAA Final to Reunite
The 2008-09 Stockton University men’s basketball team advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Several members of the team will reunite for a scrimmage on Saturday, Jan. 4 as part of the Stockton Classic.
Galloway, N.J. – A reunion of one of the best teams in Stockton University history highlights a busy men’s basketball weekend at the Sports Center.
The 2008-09 Ospreys team that advanced to the final of the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament will reunite for a friendly scrimmage at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, as part of the inaugural Stockton Classic. The Classic is a two-day tournament on Jan. 2 and 3 featuring Stockton, Rowan, Christopher Newport and Widener universities. All Stockton basketball alumni have been invited to the event.
Santini Lancioni was the starting point guard on the 2008-09 squad that reached the NCAA championship game and set a school record with 30 victories.
The classic begins at 3 p.m. Friday as Stockton (4-4) will face Widener (2-6) in a matchup of coaches who grew up together in Ocean City and were high school basketball teammates at Ocean City High School and St. Augustine Prep.
“Chris Carideo (Widener’s coach) and I are as close as they come,” said Stockton coach Scott Bittner. “Our families even got together for brunch in Manhattan the other day. But the preparation isn’t much different as it is with anyone else, other than many of the things our teams are doing we bounced off each other in the offseason.”
Rowan vs. Christopher Newport will follow at 5 p.m. Rowan heads into the Classic with a 2-8 record, but the Profs have won their last two games against New Jersey Athletic Conference teams Kean and William Paterson. Newport is 9-3 and just on the outside of the d3hoops.com Top 25 rankings.
Saturday’s activities begin with an 11 a.m. scrimmage featuring members of the 2008-09 Stockton team that lost 61-52 to Washington (Missouri) in the NCAA Division III final. That team finished with a 30-3 record and was undefeated at home (16-0). All Stockton University basketball alumni have been invited to the scrimmage and the Classic games afterward.
“I have heard that most of the 2009 team will be here,” Bittner said. “Along with seeing guys from that team, I am also really excited to see many of our former players that will take part in the alumni day. There are guys that I really haven’t seen much of since they have graduated, so I am really looking forward to catching up with many of them.”
This year’s Stockton team will then face Christopher Newport at 2 p.m., followed by Rowan vs. Widener at 4 p.m. Admission to the alumni game and all games during the weekend are free.
While Stockton and Rowan won’t play each other at the Sports Center during the Classic, the rivals will meet in Galloway on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Stockton Foundation is hosting an alumni basketball reception for that game from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sports Center. A $5+ donation reserves alumni seating and includes complimentary snacks with a cash bar (beer and wine). Click here to register for that game.
Before hosting the classic, the men’s basketball team will travel to Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, to play in the Albright Double Tree Holiday Tournament. The Ospreys will play John Carroll University at 4 p.m. Monday and either Albright or Pittsburgh-Greensburg at 2 or 4 p.m. Tuesday.
