men's basketball special

TheMetropolitanBasketballSpecialEdition

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Runners’ Road for Title

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Congratulations

from

Birthdays • Celebrations • PartiesConferences • Meetings

on a spectacular season

TheMetropolitan BasketballSpecialEdition 4.11.2013 3

Table of Contents Pages 4-5

Season timelinePage 6

NCAA Division II championship game

Page 7Watch party

Season recapPages 8-9

Championship photosPage 11

Q&A with Coach ClarkPages 12-13

The Roadrunners

Staff List

Photo CreditsCover: Senior Jonathan Morse and the Roadrunners sign autographs during the NCAA 75th Year Anniversary April 5 at the Georgia World Congress Complex. By Ryan Borthick: Scott LentzPages 8-9: Left page-top left: Sophomore forward/center Nicholas Kay gets worked by Drury de-fender Lonnie Boga (left) and Cameron Adams April 7.Left page-bottom left: Metro players snap photos during the Final Four game April 6.Right page-top right: Junior guard Brandon Jefferson snaps a photo April 6Right page-top right: Senior forward/center Jonathan Morse fi nishes a one-handed dunk.By Rachel FuenzalidaRight page-bottom left: Coach Derrick Clark talks to the Roadrunners.Right page-middle left: Metro State fi ghts for a rebound.Right page-bottom right: Metro guard Mitch McCarron defends against Drury April 7.By Ryan Borthick Pages 12-13: Combination of photographers

Staff ListStaff ListEditor-in-chief

Brian T. McGinn • [email protected]

Lead editor/ Page designerKayla Whitney • [email protected]

ReportersAngelita Foster • [email protected] Sanelli • [email protected]

Photo editorRyan Borthick • [email protected]

PhotographersCos Lindstrom-Furutani • [email protected]

Scott Lentz • [email protected] Poston • [email protected] Davis • [email protected]

Rachel FuenzalidaHeather Newman • [email protected]

Copy editorsKate Rigot • [email protected]

Caitlin Sievers • [email protected] Work • [email protected]

Director of Student MediaSteve Haigh • [email protected]

Assistant Director of Student MediaMarlena Hartz • [email protected]

Administrative Assistant of Student MediaElizabeth Norberg • [email protected]

Production Manager of Student MediaKathleen Jewby • kjewby@ msudenver.edu

This basketball issue is a special edition of The Metropolitan. The Metropolitan is produced by and for the students of Metropolitan State University of Denver and serves the Auraria Campus. The Metropolitan is supported by advertising

revenue and student fees and is published every Thursday during the academic year and monthly during the summer semester. Opinions expressed within do

not necessarily refl ect those of MSU Denver or its advertisers.

4 4.11.2013 BasketballSpecialEdition TheMetropolitan

Dec. 1

Jan. 18

Jan. 19

Feb. 22

March 9

March 19

T h r o u g h t h e s e a s o n


March 19

March 28March 30

April 7

Dec. 1: No. 3 Metro wins fi rst RMAC game at home 88-65 over Regis University.Photo by Cosme Lindstrom-Furutani: Senior guard Deme-trius Miller soars in for a basket.

Jan. 18: No. 2 Metro beats No. 13 Adams State University at home 88-71.Photo by Ryan Borthick: Sophomore forward/center Nicho-las Kay reaches for a basket.

Jan. 19: Metro wins 71-65 over No. 17 Fort Lewis College and moves to No. 1.Photo by Ryan Borthick: Senior forward/center Jonathan Morse tries to reclaim the ball.

Feb. 22: No. 17 Fort Lewis College snaps Metro’s 22-game winning streak and drops them to No. 2 after fi ve consecu-tive weeks at No. 1. The game’s score was 61-54.Photo courtesy of Metro Athletic Department: Sophomore forward/center Nicholas Kay moves in the paint.

March 9: No. 4 Metro defeats No. 22 Fort Lewis College 61-60 to win the RMAC title and the right to host the South Central Regional tournament.Photo by Scott Lentz: Senior forward/center Jonathan Morse jumps at the tipoff.

March 19: No. 3 Metro defeats No. 23 St. Mary’s (Texas) 78-70 for the South Central Region championship and heads to the NCAA Elite Eight.Photo by Philip Poston: The Roadrunners hoist the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championship trophy.

March 28: No. 3 Metro rolls over Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 78-65 to advance to NCAA Final Four.Photo courtesy of Rachel Fuenzalida: Junior guard Bran-don Jefferson splits two Franklin Pierce defenders.

March 30: No. 3 Metro ends No. 1 West Liberty’s (W. Va.) season 83-76 and advances to the Division II champion-ship game in Atlanta, Ga.Photo by Cosme Lindstrom-Furutani: The Roadrunners celebrate after defeating West Liberty in the Final Four.

April 7: No. 3 Metro loses to No. 7 Drury University (Mo.) 74-73 in the national title game in Atlanta, Ga. Photo by Ryan Borthick: Sophomore guard Mitch McCarron sprints down the court.

March 9: No. 4 Metro defeats No. 22 Fort Lewis College 61-60 to win the RMAC title and the right to host the South Central Regional tournament.Photo by Scott Lentz: Senior forward/center Jonathan Morse jumps at the tipoff.

March 19: No. 3 Metro defeats No. 23 St. Mary’s (Texas)

The big games


Roadrunners fight to final buzzerAfter six months and 36 games, it all came down to 22.8

seconds. Metro men’s basketball had a stellar 32-3 season, but

ended it as runners-up with a 74-73 loss to No. 7 Drury Univer-sity (Mo.) in the NCAA Division II national championship April 7 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Senior guard Demetrius Miller started the game off in championship fashion, sinking one from outside the arc — putting the Roadrunners up 3-0 in the first minute of play and sending the crowd of nearly 7,800 into a frenzy.

It looked like it might be a game of threes when Panthers sophomore guard Drake Patterson responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. Then, Metro sophomore guard Mitch McCarron added three, putting the Runners up 10-6, only to be answered by Panthers senior guard Alex Hall with an outside shot of his own, making it a one-point game in the first four minutes.

Junior guard Brandon Jefferson then scored 10 points for the Roadrunners in a two-minute period. He maneuvered through traffic and put up a fade-away jumper with 9:08 left in the first half, putting his team up 20-17. Then, he was fouled and sunk both free-throws. Jefferson made his next two from outside the arc. The Roadrunners were up 30-22 with less than six minutes remaining in the half.

The first half ended with a 3-pointer from Panthers senior guard Brandon Lockhart, but the Roadrunners headed to the locker room up 39-27.

Metro seemed to control the first half of the game with their trademark defense. They outrebounded the Panthers 39-27, had 12 steals, and converted the turnovers into 19 points.

The Panthers opened the second half when Hall hit a three in the first 15 seconds and led his team on a 21-10 run. Hall hit another three from outside the arc with 9:20 left in the game and gave the Panthers a 59-58 lead.

The Panthers’ lead was brief, as Metro sophomore forward/center Nicholas Kay put in a quick layup to regain the lead.

The Roadrunners led by six with 3:51 left, but the Pan-thers’ defense held them from scoring and forced two turn-overs. The Runners were up 73-69 with 3:19 left to play, when sophomore forward Cameron Adams scored for the Panthers, making it a one-point game.

The Roadrunners’ Miller fouled out with 2:09 left. Ad-ams went to the free-throw line at the minute mark and had a chance to put the Panthers up. He missed both shots, but redeemed himself by making one of the next two from the line.

Jefferson — an 80 percent free throw shooter — and Kay — a 78 percent shooter — both had chances to seal the win for the Roadrunners at the charity stripe, but missed. TheDrury’s Hall grabbed the rebound off of Kay’s miss, fell to the floor and drew the foul. Hall hit both of his free throws, putting the Panthers up 74-73.

The Roadrunners made a last run, with 22.8 seconds on the clock. McCarron missed a baseline layup with four seconds left, and ran out of time on a second attempt to score.

Metro didn’t leave the paint as champions, but they played with high energy and put up an incredible fight right up until the final buzzer rang.

Angelita [email protected]

Top: Junior guard Brandon Jefferson can’t get off a final shot before the final buzzer in the championship game. Photo courtesy of MSU Denver alumna Rachel FuenzalidaBottom: Sophomore guard Mitch McCarron and forward/center Jonathan Morse sprint down the court during the NCAA Division II championship game.Photo by Ryan Borthick • [email protected]


While the Roadrunners battled it out in Atlanta, Brooklyn’s at the Pepsi Center was fi lled with red, blue and spirit at the watch party.

Fans packed the bar and grill to support their men’s basketball team, which was defeated by Drury University in the NCAA Division II national title game April 7.

The game marks the Roadrunners’ fourth attempt to claim the cham-pionship and second time as the runners-up for the national title. Metro entered the game ranked No. 3, while Drury was ranked No. 7. Metro held the board for almost the entire game, until the last few minutes when the

Panthers clawed their way to the 74-73 win.The watch party was put on by Brooklyn’s and the MSU Denver Alumni

Association to allow fans who couldn’t make it to Atlanta to support the Roadrunners from home.

“This was amazing,” said Gini Mennenga, the offi ce manager of the Alumni Association, who helped run the event. “We had over 200 people here, we cheered on a great team, watched an amazing game, and we should all be very proud.”

The Alumni Association handed out red and blue beads and pompoms to decorate the bar and grill with Roadrunner pride. A raffl e was also held, and winners received MSU Denver swag.

Although the Roadrunners didn’t take home the national title, their fans at home still cheered them on the whole way.

Stories by Kayla [email protected]

Fans fi ll Brooklyn’s with basketball pride

Top left: A fan at the watch party cheers for the Roadrunners. Brian T. McGinn • [email protected] right: Alumnus Jon Boraz shows he still has school spirit. Kayla Whitney • [email protected]

When teams compete for a national title, it’s usually for all or nothing. But ending up No. 2 nationally is a huge achievement in itself.

The men’s basketball team had a spectacular season, and though they didn’t come home from the NCAA Division II game against Drury University (Mo.) with the championship trophey, they broke many team records and ended the season with several achievements through the hoop.

According to the team’s statistics on gometrostate.com, this season Metro had the best start in school history, going 22-0 until Feb. 22, when they were defeated by Fort Lewis. The Roadrunners came back with a vengeance March 9 and beat Fort Lewis to earn the RMAC title. Third-year head coach Derrick Clark was named NAMC South Central Region coach of the year and RMAC coach of the year.

Three players were named fi rst team academic all-RMAC — Mitch Mc-Carron, Jonathan Morse and Nicholas Kay. Morse ended the season with 15 honors, and reached 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds, making him the fi rst player in school history to reach 1,000 rebounds. He was also the fi fth player in RMAC history to achieve 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.

This season also marked Metro’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Divi-sion II championship game in the school’s history. The men’s basketball team has advanced to the NCAA tournament 15 times in the past 16 years, which is the most of any Division II school.

1999In the 1999 NCAA Division II national championship game, Metro fi n-

ished as the runner-up. They lost 75-60 to Kentucky Wesleyan College.

2000Metro got their revenge against KWC in 2000. The Roadrunners won

97-79 in the NCAA Division II national championship game, their fi rst national title.

2002Déjà vu hit as Metro beat KWC once again in 2002 for their second

Division II championship title. Metro defeated the Panthers 80-72.

2013Speaking of déjà vu, this year’s game against Drury was the Roadrun-

ners’ fourth confrontation with a pack of panthers on the paint. Although KWC and Drury are different schools, their mascots share the same intimi-dating claws and fangs that attempted to de-feather the Roadrunners for the championship title. This season, the black beast got the best of the bird, leaving Metro one point short of a national title, 74-73.

Record-breaking season

Record-breaking

Congratulates the roadrunners

FOR AN AMAZING 2013 SEASON.

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Men’s basketball head coach Derrick Clark had a nice wrap-up to his third season as head coach with the Roadrunners.

He was named the 2013 Schelde North American/Division II Bulletin coach of the year, and guided his team to a 32-3 season and a shot at the NCAA Division II national championship. Clark was also named the 2012-13 NABC South Central Region coach of the year and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference coach of the year.

Clark was an assistant coach for Mike Dunlap (now the head coach of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats) when the Roadrunners won the national title in 2000 and 2002. In 2011-12, his second season Clark brought the Roadrunners back to the Elite Eight for the first time since Dunlap’s 2005 team. Clark and Dunlap are the only two head coaches to take the Roadrun-ners to an NCAA tournament in their first two seasons.

The Metropolitan caught up with Clark to talk about the season and the athletic history and tradition at MSU Denver.

The Metropolitan: What was it like for you when you were hired as the head coach after being an assistant coach here for eight years?Derrick Clark: It was always the natural evolution for me to be back here because I have such a great relationship with Joan McDermott, our great athletic director. I always kept that relationship. Even when I was gone for five years, we stayed in close touch, and when the opportunity presented itself to come back, I jumped at it. This is a place that is close to my heart.

MET: What was it like to work with Dunlap? What did you learn from him?DC: I don’t know if you have enough tape for me to tell you what I’ve learned from him and all the lessons I’ve learned. One of the greatest things I have learned from Coach is preparation, and I always prepare for the moment. I’ve been preparing for this thing here for 13 years as an assistant — to have an opportunity to run my own program, and not only my own program, but a program with the prestige and the history here at Metro State. He always preached “be ready for your moment,” and how you prepare for the moment is you just continue to get better. You study the game, pay attention to players and how to handle them — so that’s what I have taken from him.

MET: Where did your passion for defensive play come from? Were you a defensive player yourself?DC: Yes. I excelled at defending because I took great pride in doing it. To me, defense is about pride. It’s almost a primal thing of “you against I” – I am trying to stop you from doing something you want to do. As a competi-tor, you embrace that. I always thought of myself as a defensive guy. I’m not telling you I’m the most talented, but you could depend on me to give a great effort on the defensive side of it. It’s about pride, and not wanting to get scored on, that will trigger something in you as a competitor. Coaches you will speak to at this level, at any level, the common denominator is competition. That’s all defense is about.

MET: Have you ever seen yourself, or have you ever thought about, moving up to coach at the Division I level?DC: I’m a more [of an] “in the moment” kind of guy. I want to do a great job where I am at now. When you speak back to that competition part, do you measure yourself against that higher standard? Sure you do. I would never get wrapped up in that, because then I wouldn’t do a good job.

MET: Can you talk about your experience here in Atlanta and what it’s like to have so much support here?DC: I think it’s awesome. When you get a special opportunity like playing for a national championship, it’s only as good as the people you share it with. To me, the priorities in my life are my family, and that’s why I drive myself as hard as I do, because I want them to be proud of me. And, I want to provide for them in the best way possible. This is a special situation in our lives, for the players, and for myself, and I want to share that with my family. My wife is getting a little bit of recognition for this thing, but it’s never enough – for being a great mother, for being a great wife, a great support system – that’s my assistant coach. So, for me to be able to share this with my family, it’s their moment as much as mine. I want them to just enjoy it.

Angelita [email protected]


Clark reflects on season and profession

Men’s basketball coach Derrick Clark in Atlanta before the Roadrunners went up against Drury University (Mo.) for the NCAA Division II championship title. Photo by Ryan Borthick • [email protected]


Year /Major

GP -FT% - 3PT% - PPG - PTS

#1Height Weight

Jamal McClerkin

6’2” 200

Junior/Communication

Year/Major

#3Height Weight

Brandon Jefferson

5’9” 175

Junior/Sports Industry Operations

Year /Major

#4Height Weight

Nicholas Kay

6’8” 220

Sophomore/Biology

Year/Major

#5Height Weight

Derrick January

6’6” 180

Senior/Sports Industry Operations

Year /Major

#10Height Weight

Mitch McCarron

6’3” 215

Sophomore/Sports Industry Operations

Year /Major

#15Height Weight

Eric Rayer

6’1” 165

Freshman/Business Marketing

12 4.11.2013

34 - .519 - .5 - 2.4 - 83


35 - .799 - .48 - 14.8 - 519


34 - .772 - .37 - 10.7 - 365


32 - .611 - .00 - 2.2 - 69


35 - .781 - .508 - 13.2 - 461


20 - .571 - .143 - .6 - 11

Forward/center Guard

Guard Guard

Guard

TheRoadrunners

Guard


Year/Major

#20Height Weight

DeShawn Phenix

6’5” 205

Sophomore/Sports Industry Operations

Year /Major

#21Height Weight

Tyler Cooper

6’3” 195


Year /Major

#22Height Weight

Sam Porter

6’5” 205

Sophomore/Aviation Operation

Year /Major

#23Height Weight

Jourdon Hunter

6’0” 165

Freshman/Industrial Design

Year /Major

#24Height Weight

Demetrius Miller

6’1” 185


Year /Major

#33Height Weight

Luka Djurisic

6’6” 195

Freshman/Economics

Year/Major

#44Height Weight

Jonathan Morse

6’8” 245

Senior/Biology


27 - .632 - .00 - 2.7 - 74


35 - .571 - .4 - 2.6 - 90


23 - .75 - .333 - .9 - 20


22 - .727 - .318 - 2.6 - 57


35 - .783 - .398 - 13.8 - 483


16 - .222 - .00 - .8 - 12


35 - .724 - .00 - 14.6 - 510

Forward Guard

Guard

Guard

Forward

Guard

Forward/center

TheRoadrunners

WAY TO GOROADRUNNERS

NCAA DIVISION II RUNNERS-UP

WAY TO GOWAY TO GOROADRUNNERSROADRUNNERS



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ROADRUNNERSON A SEASON WORTH CHEERING ABOUT

Roadrunners. Then. Now. Forever.msudenver.edu/alumni

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