Tritons showing they belong with run to Elite Eight

Rollins College captured the Sunshine State Conference regular-season basketball championship, and Florida Southern won the league tournament.

But it is Eckerd College that has the last laugh.

The Tritons, who finished third in the conference during the regular season and were bounced in the SSC tourney semifinals by Florida Southern, still are playing after advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Eckerd (25-6) won the South Region by defeating Morehouse College, SSC rival Rollins and Henderson State in Winter Park.

The Tritons will play Queens College of North Carolina at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lakeland Center. By the weekend, a champion will be crowned.

Eckerd never has qualified for the Elite Eight, let alone won a Division II national championship.

"It's special that we could win it where our fans could see it," point guard Kendrick Wilson said.

Wilson was the South Region's most valuable player after averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. Junior Sharrod McCree, a Boca Ciega High graduate, chipped in 20 points against Henderson State and averaged 16.3 in the tournament.

"They're one of the best rebounding teams in the country," Henderson State coach Rand Chappell said after his team lost 85-75 to the Tritons.

Eckerd has been on the verge of making this kind of run all season.

It had impressive wins over Florida Southern and Rollins, and did not play poorly -- beating Tampa 86-48 and losing 77-68 to the Mocs- in the Sunshine State Conference tourney.

Still, Eckerd had to hold its breath to see if it would get in the tournament. The Tritons received an at-large bid.

Eckerd led the league in scoring at 76.3 points per game, so the offense is there.

McCree averages 14.3 points. Cerwin Thompson, who made the All-Region team, scores 11.4 per outing. And Anthony Washington averages 10.4.

Thompson is the Tritons' leading rebounder with nine a game.

With McCree scoring from the outside and Washington and Thompson handling things on the inside, Eckerd is tough to match up against.

"We've never been past the semifinal round," said coach Tom Ryan, in his seventh season with the Tritons. "We're excited that we had the chance and we were able to make the most of it."

If Eckerd posts a victory Wednesday, it will play Thursday night at 8:30 against the winner of the Northeastern State/Nebraska-Kearney game.

The championship is 1 p.m. Saturday.

TWO COACHES OUT: Eckerd's Siggi Nagele has resigned as the women's soccer coach.

Nagele started the program from scratch and recently completed his sixth season. The Tritons were 7-10-2 in the fall and fourth in the conference at 5-5-2.

A replacement has not been announced.

St.Petersburg College has not renewed the contract of volleyball coach Teresa McLamb.

McLamb guided the Titans one season. They were 18-20 and earned a berth in the junior college state tournament. They lost in the first round to Pasco-Hernando Community College and Manatee Junior College.

The search for a replacement continues.

ECKERD BASEBALL: Conference play is around the corner for the Tritons.

They are 19-14 and have a game at Tampa on Friday. A doubleheader Saturday opens their league schedule.

Joe Milbury is leading Eckerd in batting with a .380 average. Josh Beauregard and Nick Byrd are hitting .366 and .308, respectively.

Andre Steele is the top pitcher with a 3-1 record in five starts and a 3.41 ERA. Eric Cansetrari is 3-2 with a 4.76 ERA.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright