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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the Eckerd College men's basketball program, the 2011-12 campaign was about rising to the occasion to meet lofty expectations and exceeding them on the national stage.
Tabbed to finish second in the Sunshine State Conference preseason standings, the Tritons rolled to a 21-9 overall record in Head Coach
Tom Ryan's 16th season at the helm, just one year removed from making an appearance in the SSC Tournament Championship game.
The Tritons avenged a pair of regular-season defeats against Barry University in the opening round of the SSC Tournament and despite falling against Saint Leo University, were in good position to go dancing on Selection Sunday as the brackets were unveiled.
The Tritons rewarded the NCAA committee's faith as an at-large selection into the Big Dance, earning a No. 7 seed in the South Regional in Huntsville, Ala. In the first-round matchup, Eckerd pulled an upset as a bracket buster against No. 3 West Georgia before giving No. 2 seed Christian Brothers all it could handle in the second round.
Coach Ryan navigated the Tritons through the difficult SSC schedule with an impressive 11-5 league mark. The Tritons were 12-3 on their home floor in the McArthur Center and won 11 of 12 at one point during the middle of the season, including seven straight.
On the way, Coach Ryan earned his 300th career win against Nova Southeastern University and senior
Wayne Sears Jr. reached a rare career milestone by scoring 1,000 career points against the University of Tampa.
Eckerd also handed then-25th ranked Winston Salem State University a 24-point loss, stormed back in a memorable battle against No. 9 West Liberty University and swept rival Rollins College in both meetings in St. Petersburg and Winter Park.
Senior
Lance Kearse did it all. After his well-documented struggle with sickle cell trait was brought to light by the NCAA, he went out and earned Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year honors, NABC First-Team All-South Region accolades and was one of the select few named to play in the Reese's East vs. West All-Star Game held in Kentucky.
Darrien Mack, Sears Jr. and Kearse, all averaged double figures in the scoring column, but the Tritons were well balanced as usual and contributions came from up-and-down the roster, a testament to the squad's depth.
The future remains exceedingly bright for the Eckerd men's basketball program and with the current team already having a taste of qualifying for the national tournament, the hunger and drive will be there in the offseason to get back for another trip in the 2012-13 upcoming season.
