Delaware Tech men’s basketball team wins 2022 NJCAA Region 19 Championship
It’s amazing what a change in mindset, a scheduling adjustment, and a group of hardworking coaches and players can do for a basketball program.
Delaware Tech’s 2018-19 men’s basketball season ended with an 0-27 record. This year, the team won the 2022 NJCAA Region 19 Men’s Basketball Championship, scoring an 86-78 victory Feb. 26 over Raritan Valley Community College.
“It’s outstanding, and why it feels so good is because these guys have been through a heck of a lot,” said head coach Richard Rago. “I felt so good for them to not only be in the position to play for a championship, but to win it. Our guys have a lot of heart.”
Delaware Tech entered the region tournament as the second seed and knocked off third-seeded County College of Morris 70-54 on Feb. 24 in front of a raucous home crowd.
Sophomores Rashaan Butler and Tyson Tanner put up two of the best games in their Delaware Tech careers to lead the team. Butler scored 19 points with 12 rebounds against Morris, and posted 26 points and 11 rebounds against Raritan, while Tanner scored 16 points and had 12 rebounds against Morris, and scored 17 points with 20 rebounds against Raritan.
“Tyson was an absolute monster. He was playing on bad ankles, and I knew he had these types of games in him,” Rago said. “Rashaan put two outstanding games together. Some of the baskets he scored were just fantastic.”
Syed Myles, who led the team in scoring all season, had 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the championship game. Rago said freshmen Joey Donnelly and Noah Tran also did some things that wouldn’t show up in a box score. The team suffered major foul trouble in the first half and needed consistent, steady play from both Donnelly and Tran in order to keep the game close at halftime.
The team played the tournament without second-leading scorer Izaiah Credle, who was ineligible due to being ejected in the final game of the regular season. Despite being unable to play, Rago said Credle continued to practice hard and worked with the second team during practice to push the starters.
Freshman Cole Matthews stepped up in Credle’s absence, scoring 11 points against Morris, and recording 9 points and 7 rebounds against Raritan.
The region championship advances Delaware Tech to play in the NJCAA East A & B District Championship Tournament at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 5, at Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, N.Y. Delaware Tech, the No. 4 seed, will play No. 1 seed Niagara County Community College. The championship game will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 6. The winner of the district championship advances to the NJCAA Division II National Championship in Rockford, Ill.
“They’ve worked so hard to do this,” Rago said. “This past month, we’ve played just about every other day leading up to this tournament, and to do what they did under all of these circumstances is absolutely phenomenal. We had a lot of blessings. We’ve had good coaching, and we’ve got a good, tight-knit group of players.”
Rago’s first season as head coach was the winless 2018-19 campaign. He joined Delaware Tech after having been retired for two years from coaching at St. Elizabeth High School for 30 years. He and his coaching staff immediately identified areas of improvement. They set out to have a stronger schedule, they worked to reduce the number of games the team was playing each week to allow them time to study and focus on academics, and they brought in players who were willing to work hard and ready to practice.
“The athletes playing here are Delaware players, and we are winning with Delaware players, and that’s important,” Rago said.
For more information on Delaware Tech athletics, visit dtcc.edu/athletics or follow dtccathletics on Instagram.
