March Madness – one of the most exciting times of the year for any sports fan. This year’s NCAA Tournament capped off what was one of the most exciting years in recent college basketball history. From all the massive upsets to the thrilling buzzer beaters, this season was jam packed with excitement. March Madness fully lived up to the hype, and it saw Rick Pitino lead his Louisville Cardinals to basketball immortality as the team rallied behind Kevin Ware, who suffered a gruesome knee injury earlier in the tournament, and ultimately cut down the nets in Atlanta by overcoming the stingy Michigan Wolverines squad led by consensus player of the year Trey Burke.
The NCAA Tournament consists of all Division I men’s basketball teams, but let’s not forgot about the solid season the Baruch Bearcats of the Division III CUNYAC (City University of New York Athletic Conference) had this past season. Overall, it was a year I am sure first year head coach John Alesi was pleased with. Alesi himself played on the Baruch Men’s Basketball team from 2000-2003, where he was a critical piece to Baruch’s first and only CUNYAC Championship in 2000. Following graduation, Alesi served several stints as an assistant coach with the Division I University of Pittsburgh, Hofstra University, and Manhattan College before coming back home to Baurch.
Coach Alesi plans on bringing another CUNYAC Championship banner to his alma matter, but this year the Bearcats came up a bit a short. The team finished with a record of 17-11, but an impressive 11-4 conference record. There were certainly many positives to take away from the year as the Bearcats got off to a strong start winning five of its first six games, and the team later went on a seven-game winning streak towards the end of the campaign. In addition, John Alesi’s team swept the season series from Hunter College in both “Battle of Lexington” games. However, Baruch eventually fell short of its goal in the semifinals of the CUNYAC Tournament losing to John Jay. The Bearcats should not hold their heads down though, as they have a very bright future ahead. This season’s team was fairly young, featuring only two seniors, and the expectations are going to be sky high next season as the squad will be returning several team leaders including Granville Gittens and Joshua Vital. I recently had the chance to catch up with freshman guard Ryan Markoe, asking him a few questions about his first year on the squad and the team’s future expectations:
Q: How would you assess your first year on the team?
A: It was great getting to know my new teammates. I didn’t really play much, which was fine with me because I got to watch the game and see what adjustments I would need to make in order to get more playing time.
Q: How has the transition been from the high school to the college game?
A: The biggest transition has been the speed of the game — making quicker moves and decisions. Other than that, basketball still comes down to the fundamentals and as long as you know them, you’ll be in good shape.
Q: What is a normal practice like?
A: We go over plays, and practice a variety of skills, such as shooting, in our drills.
Q: Why did you chose to play basketball here at Baruch?
A: It’s a great business school with a good reputation, and I wanted to major in something business-related. The school also has a pretty good reputation when it comes to athletics so my decision wasn’t difficult.
Q: What are your expectations for yourself and the teams next season?
A: As a young team, we had some pretty good success this year. I hope that we can win the conference tournament next year, and personally I hope to develop my game even further.
