Local team places 5th in tournament

By Erin Arnold
Staff Writer

Monroe College made history on March 22, finishing in 5th place in the sixteen-team National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ranked 17th nationally coming into the tournament, the Mustangs pulled out their best moves to jump into 5th place.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” said center Kenneth Obukwelu, a sophomore. “We showed people it’s not where you are from, but what you want to be. We believed in each other.”

Overall, the Mustangs won three of their four tournament games, losing only to San Jacinto, Texas in the second round. In the process, they beat out the 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-ranked teams in their division. They ended the season with a 31-3 record, with a 6-1 record in the playoffs.

Sophomore Ryan Williams, a power forward for the team, averaged 21 points and 11.5 rebounds throughout the four tournament games. “I had fun,” he said. “It’s the greatest team I have ever been on. We definitely had our ups and downs throughout the season. We didn’t have a home gym, which was hard, and we had to work to come together as a team, but this is a dream come true.”

The faculty, staff, students, fans, and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. came together to celebrate the team’s triumphant return on Thursday, March 27 at the gymnasium in King Hall on the Monroe campus. Greeted with cheers and handfuls of confetti, the team was welcomed home by enthusiastic well-wishers.

Monroe College President Stephen Jerome thanked all of the fans for attending the games and making the dream happen. He stood up and proudly stated “the one thing everyone who was in Kansas knows is that this is probably the best team!” He stressed the importance of getting a college education and taking advantage of opportunities. “This experience helped build character,” he said. “These players learned to appreciate hard work.”

Mr. Carrion got the crowd going with his chant “Let’s have a cheer for the Mustangs!” He thanked the players for representing the Bronx so well. “Just twenty-five years ago people had given up hope about anything good coming out of the Bronx, but we have to believe that there is promise and potential,” he said. “These guys held their chins up high and said ‘We are from the Bronx. We are winners and we will win!’ They are a reflection of everything we do. They have discipline, focus, and goals. We are proud to welcome them home.”

Roberta Greenberg, dean of students at Monroe, was one of the staff members present for the celebration. “They are terrific guys,” she said of the team. “They have this amazing camaraderie and are all so talented. They work hard in class and on the court.”

Their hard work paid off in this monumental finish, which has raised the bar for future players at Monroe. Sophomore Daniel Moges, a center on the team said the experience felt like being in the Final Four. And his teammate, Mr. Williams, agreed. “We are the lucky ones,” he said.