TCNJ seniors preparing for final few games

There was a time this season when the regular season’s final game couldn’t come quick enough.

There were also times when The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team wished it could extend the finale.

Well, good or bad, it’s here and the Lions will end an up and down year with Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Newark.

The start to the season wasn’t the best and yet the Lions (9-15, 8-9 NJAC) hung tough and went 7-4 down the stretch.

One of the reason has been the play and leadership of seniors, Danny Bodine, Jason Larranaga, Olare Oladipo, Naysean Burch, Jose Estevez, Anthony DiCaro, Jim Clemente and Trevor Covey.

“This graduating group will be missed for sure,” said TCNJ coach Matt Goldsmith. “Veterans are what makes a Division 3 program great and without them, it is extremely hard to win. Each one of them has had a big moment in a game but even more important than that, has had a big moment in practice or in the locker room. I cannot wait to see everything they accomplish after graduation.”

But, first there’s Newark and the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs where the Lions have locked up the fifth seed. The league playoffs begin on Saturday.

“We want to take care of business Wednesday,” said Goldsmith. “Once that is done, we will turn towards Saturday. Everyone is 0-0 once playoffs start.’

A fresh new start is a good thing for the Lions. TCNJ won the earlier meeting with the Scarlet Raiders, 59-56, in Ewing and know it’ll be tough in Newark.

“Playing at Rutgers-Newark is always extremely difficult,” Goldsmith declared. “They play a physical brand of defense that is tough to score against. We are looking to continue to build on our improvements over the last few weeks so we can hit the ground running in the NJAC Tournament.”

DiCaro leads the Lions with 12.9 points a game and a team high 24 steals, Pat Higgins gets 11.5 points a game and Bodine averages 11.1 points a game, a team high 5.6 rebounds and a league high 46 blocks.

All have played a major role in the resurgence of The College of New Jersey.

“The biggest difference over the last 11 has been an improved focus on defense, increased communication, and a physicality on the glass that was not there early,” stated Goldsmith. “We are moving the ball well without turning it over. The focus and effort has been better as well.”