Mount St. Mary's Basketball

College Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Phelan died on Tuesday at the age of 92.  

Mount St. Mary's University, where Phelan spent 49 seasons as head coach, announced he died at home in his sleep:

We are deeply saddened to share that legendary @MountHoops coach Jim Phelan passed away peacefully in his sleep at home last night.

You will be greatly missed Coach! pic.twitter.com/rNyZXXpYno

— Mount Athletics (@MountAthletics) June 16, 2021

Phelan played three seasons at La Salle before becoming the No. 77 overall pick by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1951 NBA draft. 

After playing four games in the NBA and spending time with the Pottstown Packers in the Eastern League, Phelan moved into the coaching ranks. 

Phelan began his coaching career at Mount St. Mary's as an assistant under Bill Clark for the 1953-54 season. The Pennsylvania native was promoted to head coach the following year. He remained with the Mountaineers through the 2002-03 season. 

Over the course of his 49 years at Mount St. Mary's, Phelan won 830 games and the 1962 Division II national championship with a 58-57 victory over Sacramento State. 

The Mountaineers made two appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament under Phelan in 1995 and 1999. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. 

The No. 16-seeded Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers looked fearless throughout the first half of their NCAA tournament contest against No. 1 seed Villanova on Thursday, and the underdogs saved their best bucket of the first half for last.

In the final 30 seconds of the frame, guard Miles Wilson utilized a between-the-legs crossover to free up some space before driving into the lane and hitting a contested layup.

That bucket put Mount St. Mary's up 29-28, but Villanova took a 30-29 advantage into halftime during the first-round matchup.

Mount St. Mary's University has placed men's basketball head coach Robert Burke on paid administrative leave at his request.

The Mountaineers are 7-20 overall and 5-11 in the Northeast Conference. 

Rumors are swirling around the campus. Some say Coach Burke was asked to resign, while others are saying that the leave is about Coach Burke's family. Either way, the second year Head Coach is absent on the sideline, as assistant coach Matt Henry was named the acting head coach.

Aside from on the court problems, the Mount has had trouble off the court. Player involvement with drug use has troubled the basketball program for the last two years.

Here's an excerpt from Mount St. Mary's athletic website:

"Decisions like these are never easy, and certainly more difficult while our season is in progress," said Director of Athletics Lynne Robinson. "We wish Coach Burke well and we are hopeful he is able to resolve these matters quickly."

Acting Head Coach Matt Henry is in second year as an assistant coach for Mount St. Mary's. He had previously spent six seasons at Georgetown under John Thompson III. 

For Burke, this is another bump in the road. He has been coaching since 1988 for UMBC, Loyola Marymount, Siena, Princeton, Georgetown, American and now Mount St. Mary's.

After becoming an assistant there, Robert moved on to Princeton, where he met Coach John Thompson III. The Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament twice during his four year stint there.

After Princeton, Robert Burke stayed with John Thompson III at Georgetown where immediate success was made. Under Burke, the Hoyas posted a 100-36 overall record that included two Big East regular season titles and a Final Four appearance.

He finally got his first collegiate coaching job, taking on the Mountaineers as their 20th head coach in program history.

His future with the Mount is unclear, but a decision should be made before the season ends.

The Mount will probably miss the Northeast Conference Tournament, as only eight of the 12 teams make the tournament. The Mount sits at ninth, two games behind Sacred Heart with only two games remaining.

As this went to press, two teams from the top five remain in the tourney. Coincidentally neither of them come from power conferences.

Forty-one Catholic colleges and universities compete in NCAA Division I basketball—let’s see how they compare in this exclusive and divinely inspired poll, an encyclical sent straight from the Pontiff in the Vatican City.

Records and rankings have been updated to include games played through March 14, “Selection Sunday,” a holy day of obligation for all college hoop fans.

Headed for Hoops Heaven and Postseason Play: The “Saintly 17″

1. Villanova (24-7, NCAA)

2. Xavier (24-8, NCAA)

3. Georgetown (23-10, NCAA)

4. St. Mary’s (26-5, NCAA)

5. Gonzaga (26-6, NCAA)

6. Siena (27-6, NCAA)

7. Marquette (22-11, NCAA)

8. Notre Dame (23-11, NCAA)

9. Dayton (20-12, NIT)

10. Seton Hall (19-12, NIT)

11. St. John’s (17-15, NIT)

12. Portland (21-10, CIT)

13. St. Louis (20-11, CBI)

14. Fairfield (22-10, CIT)

15. Creighton (16-15, CIT)

16. Duquesne (16-15, CBI)

17. Loyola-Marymount (18-15, CIT)

Passing Time in Purgatory

(At least for another year): Boston College, Detroit, Iona, Niagara, St. Peter’s, and Seattle.

Hangin’ in Hoops Hell

Canisus, DePaul, Holy Cross, LaSalle, Loyola (IL), Loyola (MD), Manhattan, Mt. St. Mary’s, Providence, Sacred Heart, St. Bonaventure, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA), St. Joseph’s, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

“Benedict’s Bum”

(Worst Catholic team in America for the 2009-10 hoops season): Fordham (2-26).

Special Thanks go to Rogobob who provides the poll...

It still may be cold in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania, but the temperature will begin to heat up with the Northeast Conference Tournament commencing tonight.

The NEC, the conference that many ignore but shouldn't, utilizes the model that many other one-bid leagues should follow. Instead of rendering the conference season meaningless by playing the tournament at a neutral site, the NEC Tournament includes just eight of its 12 teams, and the games are played at the home sites of the highest seeds.

Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, and Mount St. Mary's are the only teams in the NEC currently having winning seasons. Another nugget to consider when deciding who will win the tournament is that the top four seeds are 32-4 combined in conference home games this season.

Participating Teams and Projected Starting Lineups

No. 1 Quinnipiac: 21-8 overall, 15-3 in NEC; Coached by Tom Moore

PG James Johnson (12.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG), G James Feldeine (17.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG), G Jeremy Baker (9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.3 APG), F Jonathan Cruz (5.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 APG), Justin Rutty (15.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 0.8 APG)

No. 2 Robert Morris : 20-11 overall, 15-3 in NEC; Coached by Mike Rice

PG Velton Jones (8.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.9 APG), G Karon Abraham (12.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.6 APG), G Mezie Nwigwe (8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 APG), F Dallas Green (6.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.8 APG), F Ron Robinson (10.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG)

No. 3 Mount St. Mary's: 15-14 overall, 12-6 in NEC; Coached by Milan Brown

PG Jeremy Goode (14.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.4 APG), G Jean Cajou (9.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 APG), F Kelly Beidler (10.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG), F Shawn Atupem (10.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.4 APG), F Raven Barber (5.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.1 APG)

No. 4 Long Island: 13-16 overall, 11-7 in NEC; Coached by Jim Ferry

PG Jaytornah Wisseh (17.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.7 APG), G David Hicks (9.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.1 APG), G Kyle Johnson (12.1 PPG, 6.6 APG, 1.1 APG), F Kenny Onyechi (8.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.2 APG), F Jamal Olaseware (8.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.7 APG)

No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson: 11-20 overall, 10-8 in NEC; Coached by Greg Vetrone

PG Mike Scott (12.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG), G Sean Baptiste (16.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.1 APG), G Terrence Grier (10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.6 APG), F Alvin Mufunanya (11.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG), F John Galvin (5.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.3 APG)

No. 6 Saint Francis (PA): 11-18 overall, 9-9 in NEC; Coached by Don Friday

PG Chris Johnson (3.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 3.0 APG), G Sorena Orandi (8.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.0 APG), F Devin Sweetney (16.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.2 APG), F Will Felder (9.3, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG), F Kurt Hoffman (4.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.9 APG)

No. 7 Central Connecticut State: 12-17 overall, 9-9 in NEC; Coached by Howie Dickenman

PG Devan Bailey (2.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.5 APG), G Shemik Thompson (13.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.3 APG), G Robby Ptacek (11.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG), F Joe Efese (5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG. 0.4 APG), F Markeys Deans (8.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.0 APG)

No. 8 Monmouth: 12-18 overall, 8-10 in NEC; Coached by Dave Calloway

PG James Hett (4.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.6 APG), G Whitney Coleman (10.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.1 APG), G Justin Sofman (7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.8 APG), F Travis Taylor (18.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.5 APG), F Ed Waite (8.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 APG)

Predictions

Quinnipiac Versus Monmouth

Quinnipiac leads the conference in scoring and is paced by Feldeine, who possesses the greatest looking jump shot in the NEC. While Feldeine is the outside scoring threat, the Bobcats also posess an inside presence in Rutty, the NEC Player of the Year. Rutty leads the NEC in rebounding and is ranked 13th in Division I.

Monmouth's Taylor is the leading scorer among the players involved in the tournament. Point guard Hett ranks first in the NEC in assist/turnover ratio and third in assists.

Monmouth has lost three games in a row and looks to have peaked back in January. In the two previous matchups this season, Quinnipiac won both games by a total of 31 points. In the Atlantic Sun Tournament, the eight seed defeated the one seed. However, that event is not occurring in the NEC—Quinnipiac wins.

Robert Morris Versus Central Connecticut State 

Robert Morris is the defending NEC Tournament champion. This year's version of the Colonials is paced by Abraham, the NEC Freshman of the Year. The combination of Abraham and point guard Jones have more than made up for the season-ending injury to spunky guard Jimmy Langhurst.

With star scorer Ken Horton missing the entire season with a hip injury, Central Connecticut State has only averaged 61.1 points per game this year, the lowest of any tournament team. Although most of the offensive numbers look dismal, the Blue Devils are a strong free throw shooting team.

Central Connecticut State has won three games in a row, but Robert Morris will play composed with three senior starters. At times, Robert Morris struggles to score points, but not nearly as badly as the Blue Devils—Robert Morris wins.

Mount St. Mary's Versus St. Francis (PA)

Having won 10 games in a row, Mount St. Mary's is the hottest team in the tournament. Point guard Goode is the fastest player in the NEC and a master of the pick-and-roll. His teammate at guard, Cajou, was surprisingly passed over as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year despite guarding the opponent's best player every game. Beidler and Will Holland are scoring threats from the outside, and the mid-season arrival of Barber gave the assistance inside that Atupem needed.

Sweetney has recently become the seventh Saint Francis player to reach the 1,500- point plateau. This fifth-year senior is the only double-digit scorer on the Red Flash, but he is surrounded by up-and-coming freshmen Felder, Johnson, and Anthony Ervin.

Having not reached the NEC Tournament since the 2004-05 season, the Red Flash is the feel-good story of the conference. However, the players may not be feeling well going up against an experienced team that has only lost one conference game at home all season long. It is hard to find a reason to pick an underdog that lost to Wagner in its last game—the Mount wins.

Long Island Versus Fairleigh Dickinson

Do-everything senior guard Wisseh has kept Long Island afloat while promising sophomore Julian Boyd was out for the season with a heart ailment. Freshmen Onyechi and Olaseware give the Blackbirds an strong inside game to build around in the tournament and in the future.

It is amazing that Fairleigh Dickinson has made it this far after starting the season 1-12. This is the Knights first appearance in the tournament in three years. Baptiste leads a guard-oriented offense that often struggles with defensive rebounding.

Baptiste missed the last two games for Fairleigh Dickinson but is expected to start today for the Knights. That fact alone will probably not be enough for the Knights to defeat the Blackbirds at home—Long Island prevails.

Semifinal And Championship Predictions

The semifinals will take place Mar. 7, and the championship game is set for Mar. 10 at 7:00 pm on ESPN2.

In the NEC, the lowest remaining seed plays at the highest remaining seed. Under my scenario, Long Island faces Quinnipiac, and Mount St. Mary's plays at Robert Morris.

An advantage of being the No. 1 seed in this tournament is that there is a drop-off in quality behind the top three teams. Quinnipiac will probably not be tested until the finals.

Robert Morris has lost two of its last three games, including defeats to both Quinnipiac and Mount St. Mary's. This fact either shows that the Colonials cannot defeat the best teams in the NEC right now or that Robert Morris will use those games as motivation to win the championship.

I am going with the former. The Mountaineers have the momentum, and the Colonials are too dependent on a freshman for key baskets.

If Mount St. Mary's faces Quinnipiac in the championship game, I will choose the Mountaineers. The Bobcats may have the two best players in the league in Rutty and Feldeine, but I have more confidence in Goode performing the best in clutch situations. 

The Mount may have only defeated mediocre teams on the road during its current winning streak, but right now, it doesn't seem to matter where the Mountaineers play. Mount St. Mary's will be dancing because Goode is just too good when it matters most.

Photo Credit: Rushthecourt.net

The Bracketbuster weekend ended with as much fanfare as when it began - which wasn't much.

Butler Bulldogs seemed to have cemented a berth in the NCAA tournament by virtue of their 70-53 win over Siena, who really have no other option than to win their conference tournament.

Northern Iowa Panthers took care of business against Old Dominion, whose stock certainly would have risen with another big road win. Now, the Monarchs look as though they will need to win their conference tourney as well to guarantee a ticket to the big dance.

William and Mary Tribe got trounced by Iona, lots of home teams won, some conferences - like the Horizon, for example - showed how "down" they really are, and really not a lot of noise was made.

Wichita State was one of the few teams to have a shot at improving their tourney status but fell to Utah State by 10. It was the Aggies 12th win in row and improved their overall mark to 22-6. Stew Morrill is one of the most underrated coaches in the game as his teams always find a way to reload and compete in the WAC.

Weekend Winners

Conference games outside of the bracketbusters had much more appeal. Ohio State continued its charge to the top of the Big Ten by defeating Michigan State at East Lansing, to move one-half game behind Purdue.

Pittsburgh continued its march to the top of the Big East, winning their fifth straight game (four in conference) by beating Villa Nova, who suddenly doesn't seem like a number one seed.

The Florida Gators kept their tenuous hopes alive with a road win at Mississippi, while Marquette continued to improve its stock by winning at Cincinnati.

And, finally, the UTEP Miners maintained their one-game lead over Memphis with a big road win at Tulsa. The Miners improved to 11-1 in the competitive Conference USA, while Tulsa fell to a disappointing 8-5. Is it possible that more than one berth could be coming out of here?

Weekend Flops

The Dayton Flyers, pre-season picks by many to win the A-10, were dealt a blow to their tournament chances with a loss at Duquesne. The Flyers now sit at 7-5, 7th in the league.

Charlotte 49ers continued to fade as well, getting hammered by Xavier at home. What once might have been a 6-bid league is beginning to look more like a three-bid league. And hey, didn't anyone tell Rick Majerus that St. Louis was supposed to finish 10th this year?

After a very nice run, creating optimism and hope for the basketball program never before experienced at South Florida, the Bulls came crashing down to earth, getting pasted by St. John's at home. What slim chances the Bulls had for an NCAA experience are probably gone.

Small Conference Teams to Like

Wofford Terriers (Southern) - Winners of 14 of their last 15 games, the Terriers have played a decent non-conference schedule and are 21-8 overall. Potential three or four seeds beware.

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (Northeast) - Though they have a losing record (13-14), the Mountaineers have won eight straight after starting 2-6 in league play. They can't finish higher than 3rd but a home date with league-leader Robert Morris may suggest more about their NCAA aspirations.