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1980-81 Massachusetts Maritime Men's Basketball Team To Be Inducted Into New England Basketball Hall Of Fame October 9th
Buzzards Bay, Mass. -- The 1980-81 Massachusetts Maritime Academy men's basketball team has been selected for induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with other hoop greats from the region during ceremonies that will take place on Friday, October 9th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The Buccaneers, led by Head Coach and Massachusetts Maritime Hall of Famer Skip Thompson, posted an overall mark of 20-7 during the winter of 1980-81 and shared the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference regular season championship with Salem State College. After notching 18 victories during regular season play, the Buccaneers qualified for the first-ever ECAC Division III New England Men's Basketball Championship as the second seed, where Thompson's squad ousted third-seeded Amherst College by a bucket (64-62) in the semi-finals before besting top-seeded and host Trinity College by a 68-62 margin in the title game.
Massachusetts Maritime started the year with five victories in its first seven contests before ripping off seven straight triumphs in mid-season, including a sweep of then North Adams State (now MCLA) and a two-point win over Salem State (79-77). Thompson's crew posted an 11-3 slate in MASCAC play during the year to share the league crown with the Vikings before taking home the ECAC championship trophy in March 1981.
The Buccaneers were led during that magical season by senior co-captains Mark Dumais, who graduated as the Academy's all-time leading scorer with 2,223 points during his career, and Ed Slein, who was a starting forward for Massachusetts Maritime. Other members of the 1980-81 squad include senior Jamie Watts, juniors John Augulewicz, Michael Cortese and Jack Hughes, sophomores Glenn McKinley (who finished fourth on the Buccaneer career scoring list with 1,450 points), Mike Rogers and Tom Killilea and freshman Tony Rychlec, Brian Melia, Mark Hayden and Peter Thompson. Dumais and Rychlec, who netted 1,479 career points to rank third on the school's career scoring list, join Thompson as members of the team that are enshrined in the Massachusetts Maritime Athletic Hall of Fame.
Thompson was assisted that season by Mike Donovan, who currently serves as the Associate Men's Basketball Coach at Bridgewater State College, and Mark Dunn.
The 2009 New England Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, October 9th at Mohegan Sun Arena at 7:00 p.m. EDT, as the 2002-03 NCAA Division III men's national championship squad from Williams College will join Massachusetts Maritime as the two NCAA men's teams being enshrined on the evening. For tickets and other information on the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, visit www.internationalsport.com/basketball.
