‘Hype Man,’ Swarthmore aim to punch tickets to final

SWARTHMORE » Strath Haven graduate and Swarthmore freshman Peter Foggo didn’t think he’d be playing college basketball. Foggo, who lives a five-minute walk from campus, applied to numerous schools at the request of his mother. When he learned he got into Swarthmore, he decided he would go.

A few conversations with coach Landry Kosmalski convinced him to try out for basketball.

“I thought I’d take shot,” Foggo said.

The same could be said Friday night. Walk-ons don’t often find themselves playing in Division III Sweet 16 games at home. Until Friday, nor did the Garnet. So with 1:59 left in the contest, Foggo, who entered at the 2:14 mark, tried to make a play.

“I caught it in the post,” he explained. “And got my shot punched. I had to do it, though.”

Foggo embraced the moment, and no one could fault him. Swarthmore was well on its way to a 93-63 victory over Plattsburgh State in the latest first of a season full of them...

First Sweet 16, first Elite Eight and first 25win a campaign.

“Growing up, Swarthmore basketball was tough to get involved in,” said Foggo, a guard. “Getting here now, I knew this was a great opportunity.”

The 14th ranked Garnet led wire-to-wire and by as many as 32 in the second half, which allowed Foggo to enter in the first place. But he was already committed to the cause.

“I feel like I live to embody the walk-on character,” he said, “be that hype man.”

He was one of many at Tarble Pavilion. The place was sold out, packed to the gills with students, patrons and the elusive Phineas the Phoenix mascot. This was a special occasion and, as it turned out, an intimidating atmosphere.

The Garnet (25-5) went on a 15-0 run to jump out to a 22-5 early in the first half. The hosts pushed the pace, converting Plattsburgh’s seven first-half turnovers into 11 points. And when the Cardinals (24-5) didn’t turn the ball over, they were missing shots, going just 10-33, including 0-10 from three.

It may have had something to do with a Swarthmore student section that seemed to creep closer to the sideline with each play. That group was led by a young man with half his hair shaved and the other half dyed lime green. It was the Garnet’s night.

It was Zack Yonda’s night in particular. When he drained a three at the 5:48 mark, it gave him 10 points on the evening and 1,500 for his career. Yonda became just the sixth Swarthmore player to reach that plateau.

“We just tried to take it as another game for us,” said Yonda, a Conestoga product. “We were back at home and that added comfort.”

The second half produced more of the same, the Garnet running the Cardinals ragged. Swarthmore led 67-40 when the frustration finally boiled over for Plattsburgh. Jonathan Patron fouled Zac O’Dell on a layup and slammed the scorer’s table on his way back to the bench to pick up a technical. Yonda sank both free throws. O’Dell then added his. Kosmalski beamed often by the bench but insisted he wasn’t comfortable.

“As a coach I never feel that way,” he joked. “I do think credit to our guys, we talked about always trying to be a little bit better. And one of those things playing with a lead, we kind of kept our foot on the pedal. And played like the score was 0-0.”

Swarthmore got scoring from everywhere. Yonda had 19, O’Dell 15, Robbie Walsh 12 and Cam Wiley added 14. They also outrebounded the Cardinals, 40-32.

Now the Garnet have another first in front of them, with only Springfield College, which defeated Hamilton College, 92-90, in overtime in the first game, in the way of a trip to the Division III Final Four. Foggo certainly couldn’t have foreseen this success. Although he hasn’t played much, he’s played his part.

O’Dell gave him a shout-out after recapping his own 15-point, 10-rebound effort: “We practice against two of the best bigs in the country in Alec White and Pete Foggo.”

Yonda didn’t foresee this level of success either, even as he decided to follow Kosmalski’s promise some four years ago that Swarthmore would be good.

“I never envisioned going to the Elite Eight as a senior,” Yonda said. “From my first year to my second year, we got a lot better. It was clear that that growth would keep going up. We got a taste that the sky could be the limit.” SPRINGFIELD 92, HAMILTON 90 » The Continentals were on the line, up three, with just over three seconds to play. They missed both foul shots. The Pride’s Andy McNulty, who finished with 14 points, drilled a three on the other end of the court as time expired. Springfield, after trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, wouldn’t trail again, outscoring No. 13 Hamilton, 11-9 in the overtime period.

The Pride will take on the Swarthmore on Saturday at 7 PM for a spot in the Division III Final Four. Jake Ross led Springfield with 36 points.

Kena Gilmour was outstanding in a losing effort for the Continentals, pouring a game-high 40 points.