The USCAA announced its selections for the 2014
National Basketball Tournaments on Wednesday afternoon, and for the first time
in the history of Berkeley College Athletics, all three basketball teams were chosen
and will have the opportunity to compete for National championships. The
tournament will be hosted by Penn State Fayette, and all games will take place
in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
On the men’s side – Berkeley College (NJ) – currently
boasting an overall record of 16-10 on the 2013-2014 campaign – drew the No. 7
seed in the tournament. The Knights will square off against the No. 10 seeded
Roaring Lions of Penn State Fayette on Wednesday evening at 8:00pm. The Roaring
Lions have a current mark of 13-14 on the year. Berkeley College (NJ) Head
Coach Anthony Calabrese was very pleased to see his team get an opportunity to
compete for the USCAA National crown.
“It is very gratifying for us as a team to have a
chance to compete for a National championship,” Calabrese said. “We have a very
motivated and confident group of young men who have worked tremendously hard
this season to get this opportunity, and it’s terrific to see their hard work
pay off. I feel that our guys are physically and mentally ready for the
challenge that this tournament presents.”
The winner of the Berkeley College (NJ) vs. Penn State Fayette
contest will advance to play No. 2 seeded Penn State York at 2:00pm on Thursday
afternoon.
Berkeley College (NY) – with an overall record of 14-9 –
drew the No. 9 seed in the tournament. The Knights – who were the Hudson Valley
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions the previous three seasons before
falling in the semifinal round of that tournament this season – will match up
against No. 8 seeded Penn State Beaver on Wednesday at 6:00pm. Knights Head Coach Chris Christiansen
spoke about his team getting selected to compete in the tournament.
“Any time you see the diligent efforts of your
student-athletes get rewarded in this fashion, you can’t help but feel excited
for them,” Christiansen said. “All last week and early this week, our guys were
extremely anxious to see if they would have this opportunity, and now that we
are in, we’re planning on giving it our best shot.”
The team that emerges victorious in the Berkeley
College (NY)-Penn State Beaver contest will take on No. 1 seeded Central Maine
C.C. on Thursday evening at 5:30pm.
The Lady Knights – who were the 2012-2013 National
Basketball Tournament runners-up, have drawn the No. 4 seed in this year’s
tournament with an overall record of 13-6. Berkeley College will face off
against the No. 5 seeded Penn State Beaver on Thursday evening at 9:30pm. Penn
State Beaver is 18-10 thus far on the season. Lady Knights Head Coach Sharod
Tomlinson believes his team is very motivated by last year’s loss in the USCAA
title game.
“Our team comes into this year’s tournament with
tremendous experience following last year’s trip to the National championship
game,” Tomlinson said. “I feel that playing a team the caliber of Penn State
Beaver will be a nice litmus test for us, as we pride ourselves on being a
strong squad defensively, and they pride themselves on scoring points in
bunches. It should be an interesting game.
The winner of the Berkeley College-Penn State Beaver game
will face the winner of the matchup between No. 1 seeded Central Maine C.C. and
No. 8 seeded Warren Wilson College on Friday evening at 9:00pm.
To follow the Knights and Lady Knights in their quest
for a National Championship, visit the USCAA website – www.theUSCAA.com. Live statistics and live
video streaming will be available for select games. Recaps of all Berkeley
College contests will be available by the Knights’ athletics website at http://berkeleycollege.edu/athletics/.
