MC's 1974-75 NCAA tournament team to be commemorated Saturday on men's basketball Alumni Day

Jan. 13 2005
MARIETTA , Ohio - On Saturday (Jan. 15) the Marietta College men’s basketball team plays host to Baldwin-Wallace in a 3 p.m. Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match-up on Fenton Court. Coach Doug Foote and his team will showcase their new Fun n’ Gun system against one of the top teams in the OAC and in front of the former Pioneers in attendance, including many from the 1974-75 NCAA tournament team, for the third annual MC Men’s Basketball Alumni Day.

The 2005 Pioneers enter the week with the fifth highest scoring average in Division III (98.7 ppg) and the fourth most 3-point field goals mad per game (13.7). The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 20 in this week’s D3hoops.com poll and will be looking to bounce back from a 70-68 loss to No. 3 John Carroll Wednesday.

The day’s activities will get under way at 9 a.m. with registration in Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers will once again host their Captains’ Breakfast in the Board of Trustees Conference Room in Ban Johnson Arena at 10 a.m.

Following the breakfast, Coach Foote will host Inside MC Basketball, where there will be the opportunity to meet the 2004-05 coaching staff, learn more about this season’s team and get the game plan against the Yellow Jackets.

At 1 p.m., former Pioneers will take the floor for the Alumni Game. Light food and beverages will be served in the Board of Trustees Conference Room at 2:30 p.m., leading up to the 3 p.m. tip-off of the varsity game.

The 1974-74 NCAA Tournament Team will be recognized at halftime. A social hour (5:30 p.m.) and dinner (6:30 p.m.) will follow the game, along with a reception for all basketball alumni, family and friends (8:30 p.m.) at Spagna’s Restaurant, 301 Gilman St. (Harmar Village). There will be a cash bar.

30 years ago, this group of young men captured the OAC regular season title and finished runners-up in the NCAA Tournament, which was hosted by Marietta College. This squad is the only MC team to earn a bid to the NCAA basketball tournament in its 100 years of basketball history and the last to capture an OAC title.

The 1974-75 team finished 19-4 and was led by fourth year head coach Phil Roach, who earned OAC and Ohio Coach of the Year honors for leading MC to a 19-4 record, which was the best in the state of Ohio that year and best at MC in 20 years; the league’s regular season crown with an 11-2 record; a host birth in the first ever NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional Tournament in which Marietta took runner-up honors and a string of 12 home court victories.

Senior co-captain Chuck Robinson was the leading scorer with a 15.2-point average. The first team All-OAC selection also averaged a team-high 3.8 assists to go along with 3.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Jeff Faloba, a second team All-OAC honoree, averaged a double-double, 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, while junior Art Clark, an OAC honorable mention selection, pitched in 12.1 points and 9.7 boards per game for coach Roach’s team.

Also playing a major role in the team’s success were senior co-captain Alex Couladis, junior Dennis Dronzek and sophomore Burt Edwards. Couladis, the team’s sixth man, averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game off the bench. Dronzek contributed 9.4 points and dished out 3.4 assists per contest, while Edwards, who averaged 7.3 points per game, helped lead a defense that set a new school record by allowing just 62.2 points per game. The squad also broke the school record for field goal percentage, knocking down 45.1% of its shots.

Over 2,000 fans used to flock to Ban Johnson Arena to catch a glimpse of this team in hopes to leave with a lasting memory. These athletes did not disappoint and the memories they left continue to sit fresh in the minds of those that saw them play. Saturday is your chance to see these men once again, as coach Roach and many of the players will be at Fenton Court for Alumni Day.

The 1974-75 team was the last MC squad to win an OAC title and only to earn a birth in the NCAA tournament