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| Photo by Jake Ryan for Redlands athletics |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
When Redlands head coach Eric Bridgeland was coaching at Whitman in 2019, his team was sent to New York for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament.
The team landed at 2:30 a.m. that year. His Bulldogs were expected to touch down at their destination a few hours earlier this time ahead of their opening round game at Tufts against St. Joseph's (Maine).
“We’re landing at 11:30 I think. But we’ll see. Don’t jinx us,” Bridgeland said with a laugh.
All kidding aside, Redlands doesn’t mind that it is one of two teams from the SCIAC going across the country for March Madness. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is the other. The Stags, the champs of the SCIAC, are flying out to New Jersey to play some postseason hoops at Ramapo.
“I’m a little surprised they are sending two teams from the SCIAC to the east coast,” Bridgeland said. “But we are just happy to be traveling. That’s the student-athlete experience of the tournament.”
Senior guard Kendrick Currey is all about the experience. He’s never been to Massachusetts. The furthest he’s traveled east with the Bulldogs is to Ohio for last year’s Great Lakes Invitational in Springfield.
“I’ve never been to Boston. I’m excited about it,” Currey said. “Like coach said, we are just blessed and happy to be traveling for the tournament and getting a chance to continue playing basketball.”
Neither team has gone across the country this year for a game. Redlands comes in at 22-4 and is an at-large selection, earning a tourney bid for the first time since 2013. It faces a Monks squad that is 24-4 and the champion of the GNAC.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is 20-7, earning an auto bid as a conference champ, and is back in the tourney after winning a regional title last season.
As much excitement as there is with playing in the tournament, playing on the road three time zones away from home is no easy task.
Bridgeland said his team spent the beginning of the week preparing for the roughly 3,000-mile trip to Massachusetts before flying out Wednesday after one final practice in its own gym.
“The No. 1 thing is that we have our guys hydrating right now because of the long flight they are going to face,” Bridgeland said Tuesday night.
There are a few keys to focus on, especially with the team arriving late into Massachusetts.
“We want to make sure the guys get a good meal, that they stay hydrated, get a good night of sleep and that we have a good practice the next day,” Bridgeland said.
It can be difficult to call Friday’s showdown with the Monks just another game as it is in the NCAA tourney, but the team is doing its best to treat it that way even while facing a long trip.
“Anytime you get to lock in on basketball, especially in March, this deep in the season, it’s going to be enjoyable,” Currey said. “The fact that we get to travel this far and have a chance to advance, it’s a blessing.”
Redlands lost to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a heartbreaker in the conference semifinal round, losing 89-87 as its 11-game win streak ended. But the Bulldogs’ season was still more than good enough to earn them an NCAA berth and that beats how last year ended. It’s partly why it doesn’t matter to the Bulldogs that their NCAA tourney road has more miles on it than most teams.
“Playing in the tournament is all we dreamed about, and coach told us we’d get here,” Currey said. “Last year we came up short and watched the selection show a little defeated. This year it’s fun being on the other side of things. We get to make a name for ourselves.”
Currey is one of four players averaging in double figures for the Bulldogs, putting up 10.4 points per outing while dishing out 105 assists. He missed the early part of the season with an injury but has played a huge role in Redlands’ success.
“It begins with Kendrick. He’s been a great leader,” Bridgeland said. “We have 10 new players this year and a handful of returners. But we had a lot of injuries. In my 25 years as a head coach I’ve never seen a group come so far on and off the floor. They’ve put the team first and are stars in their roles. That’s a credit to Kendrick and his leadership. I’m so proud of them. They deserve every bit of this.”
The Stags have worked hard for their success as well and won a 72-71 thriller against Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC final to repeat as conference champs. AJ Rohosy won it for the Stags, scoring off a lob pass with 10 seconds left.
Rohosy is a former walk-on at Washington State. The grad student forward is averaging 21.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He and the Stags will battle a Ramapo team that earned an at-large bid. The Roadrunners are 20-7.
While winning is the goal for both teams, especially with such long trips being made to play, the experience matters as well.
“It’s icing on the cake for them to have this experience with everything they’ve sacrificed,” Bridgeland said. “The excitement and travel of the NCAA tournament is what it’s about, and the added exposure for the program. I’m happy the guys get to experience this. They are making memories that will last a lifetime.”
Currey is looking forward to it.
“It’s definitely once in a lifetime with the memories we are about to make,” Currey said. “It’s something we won’t forget for the rest of our lives, especially with the team we have and how close we are as a team. We want to take it all in, have fun, enjoy the moment and play with a purpose.”