If you have not been re-

ceiving game recaps and

recent Stonehill Basket-

ball news and reminders

throughout the year, then

PLEASE SEND US AN

EMAIL or give us a call to

become part of our alum-

ni & friends email list. It

is the quickest and easiest

way to get up to the mi-

nute information on the

team and program!

Follow us on Facebook at

Facebook/Stonehill Men’s Basketball

David McLaughlin Head Basketball Coach Stonehill College 320 Washington St. Easton, MA 02357

Phone: 508-565-1385 Fax: 508-565-1460 E-mail: damclaughlin@stonehill.edu

Stonehill Men’s Basketball

Stay Informed

Stonehill Team Camp

June 23-24, 2012

Stonehill will be hosting a High School Team Camp on June 23rd

and 24th, 2012. The event is a great way for teams to come out

and compete against some great competition from the Northeast

and Canada. Each team will be given a minimum of 4 games

while having the opportunity to be taught by coaches from the

Northeast. If you know of any teams who might be interested,

please have them contact Assistant Coach Chris Kraus at

508-565-1192 or ckraus@stonehill.edu

25-9 Overall Record

2011-2012 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Champions

2011 - 2012 NCAA Tournament - #2 Seed

2011 – 2012 NCAA Northeast Region Tournament Champions

2011 – 2012 NCAA Division 2 Tournament Final Four

The Seniors:

Andre Tongo, Patrick Lee, Sean Lowry

School Record in Wins: 92

2 Northeast 10 Conference Championships

4 NCAA Tournament Appearances

1 NCAA East Regional Championship

1 NCAA Final Four

2011-2012 Year in Review

Stonehill Men’s Basketball

Inside this issue:

Year in Review 1

“Quite a Ride…” 2

Sean Lowry: Elite 89 Recipient

3

NCAA Elite Eight 4

NCAA Regionals 5

Bob Richards 5

“Stonehill Golf Tournament

6

April 15th, 2012 Volume VIII, Issue 4

“Senior Class Acts” 7

Alumni and Friends Newsletter

The Skyhawks were going to be without three players they relied on so heavily during the 2010-11 season – Mike Kernan (12.4 points, 10.6 rebounds), Ivan Almeida (13.1 points, 6.2 re-bounds) and Daniel Heppert (10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) – and had to make up for the de-parture of that trio.

Rather than head into a rebuild-ing mode after losing the top three scorers and three of the four leading rebounders, though, Stonehill put together a season to remember.

For the second time since 2006, the Skyhawks advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Div. 2 tournament, going 25-9 and running off 10 consecutive wins before losing to 12th-ranked Western Washington, 71-66, on Thursday night.

It was quite a ride by a team that returned only two starters, and thanks to the solid program that has been constructed by coach David McLaughlin, Stonehill was able to reload rather than rebuild after losing Kernan, Heppert and Almeida.

The Skyhawks returned to their campus late Friday afternoon after being eliminated by West-ern Washington in Highland Heights, Ky., and Brockton na-tive McLaughlin and his coach-ing staff brought home another selling point to use on the re-cruiting trail.

Two appearances in the Final Four in seven seasons and four consecutive 20-win seasons look rather nice on Stonehill's portfo-lio.

"What it does is it allows you to say, 'You're not just going to compete here with a winning team, you're going to compete here and have a chance to win on a national level,''' said McLaughlin on Saturday. "We're offering you a chance to win a national title. We're offering a chance to compete and do more

than just win a league or have a good season.'' The Skyhawks are on an unprecedented roll since McLaughlin took over the pro-gram on an interim basis in January 2004 at the age of 29.

Stonehill has appeared in five NCAA tournaments in the eight full seasons of McLaughlin's tenure and have won at least 20 games six times.

From 1957 when the NCAA Div. 2 tourney was first held until McLaughlin was hired, Stonehill had gone to the NCAAs just seven times, advancing to the Northeast Regional final in 1998.

McLaughlin, whose team rallied to beat third-ranked West Liber-ty University last Wednesday, said the support the program receives from the school and the highly competitive Northeast-10 Conference helps the Skyhawks succeed.

"It starts from the top,'' said McLaughlin. "Stonehill has the leadership in place that allows

us to win, wants us to win. And it's the players we bring into this program, too.

"It says a lot about our league, what we've done. You go through a league schedule like ours and survive it. Everyone tries to real-ly get after each other from No-vember. That allows you to play

in the postseason, whether it's the regionals or the Elite 8. It allows you to be competitive.''

The Skyhawks have four scholar-ships available for the 2012-13 season and are losing second-leading scorer Andre Tongo and Patrick Lee, the top rebounder and third-leading scorer.

Starters Brian Hamor (14.3 points) and Jack Cole return along with key reserves Raheem May-Thompson, Sam Markle and Adam Fazzini and Mitch Amelio.

They will be the central figures in the next chapter for a success-ful Stonehill men's basketball program that soared to the na-tional semifinal round again.

"Being able to be in the locker room with them after the (last) game and being able to let them know what I felt and seeing the emotion that was in that locker room, you know how bad the guys wanted to win,'' said McLaughlin.

"I think when we sit back and look back, it's something they'll never, ever forget. They should be very, very proud. And it was great for the Stonehill communi-ty. It showed how proud of a place Stonehill is, how together a place Stonehill is.''

By : Jim Fenton

Brockton Enterprise

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill men's basketball team had quite a ride"

Page 2

“...you're

going to

compete

here and

have a

chance to

win on a

national

level.”

JR Guard Sam Markle

JR Forward Adam Fazzini

Page 7 Volume VIII, Issue 4

Stonehill Golf Tournament

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Easton Country Club

Easton, MA

1:00pm

For more information, please contact

Dave McLaughlin at 508-565-1385 or damclaughlin@stonehill.edu

To sign up and play or donate to the tournament, please visit

http://www.stonehill.edu/x25589.xml

Page 6

Junior Brian Hamor was named MVP of the

East Regional after capping off a third-

straight 20 point out-ing with 16 second half

points tonight. (PHOTO BY Richard

Orr)

Junior Raheem May-Thompson keyed the Stonehill bench that gave the Skyhawks a

huge lift, especially in the first half. (PHOTO

BY Richard Orr)

Sean Lowry: NCAA Elite 89 Award Recipient

Page 3 Volume VIII, Issue 4

Drees Pavilion tonight. The 2012 Division II Elite Eight is being host-ed by Northern Kentucky University at the Bank of Kentucky Center all week.

The Elite 89™, an award founded by

the NCAA, recognizes the true es-

sence of the student-athlete by hon-

oring the individual who has

reached the pinnacle of competition

at the national championship level

in his or her sport, while also

achieving the highest academic

standard among his or her peers.

The Elite 89™ is presented to the

student-athlete with the highest cu-

mulative grade-point average

Stonehill College senior Sean Low-ry (Butler, Pa./Butler) has been named the recipient of the Elite 89™ Award for the 2012 NCAA Di-vision II men's basketball champi-onship. Lowry was presented the award during the pre-tournament banquet for the Elite Eight held at

participating at the finals site for

each of the NCAA's championships.

For more information on the Elite

89™ award winners, log on to

NCAA.com/elite89.

Stonehill College, receiv-ing votes in the NABC Division II poll, dominat-ed the glass and shot over 50-percent from the field, to post a rousing 91-90 victory over No. 3-ranked West Liberty (W.V.) Uni-versity to kick start the 2012 NCAA Division II Elite Eight, hosted by Northern Kentucky Uni-versity, at The Bank of Kentucky Center this af-ternoon.

Stonehill (25-8, 15-7 NE-10), the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament and NCAA East Region champions, advance to tomorrow night's national semifinals where it will battle No. 12-ranked Western Washington Uni-versity at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports and also streamed via http://www.ncaa.comwith links also available through www.stonehillskyhawks.com. Western Washington advanced with a one point win of its own, 64-63, over fifth-ranked Mid-western State University in today's second quarter-final matchup. The na-tional championship game will be played here on Saturday at 1 p.m., and televised by CBS.

In a matchup that pitted the nation's top offense in West Liberty, who came into the game averaging a Division II best 102.8 points per game, against the top remaining defense in the country (and ranked fourth overall) in Stonehill, who allows just 58.7 points per game, of-

fense won out, but it was the defensive team that was able to make key stops in the closing minutes and knock down big shots and advance.

Seniors Andre Tongo and Patrick Lee provided huge leadership to key

Stonehill's tenth-straight win. Tongo made 8-of-16 shots from the field, in-cluding 3-for-8 from three-point range, while con-verting 5-of-8 free-throws for a team-high 24 points (16 first half) to go with nine rebounds and a ca-reer-best six steals. Lee finished with 14 points, aided by 6-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.

Freshman Jack Cole had a big game inside with a season-high 15 points as he was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 4-for-4 at the line with seven re-bounds. Junior Raheem May-Thompson added 14 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from the

line to go with seven boards (four offensive), three assists and a steal. Classmate Brian Hamor chipped in with seven points and six assists, while sophomore Mitch Amelio provided another spark off the bench by burying 3-of-4 threes for nine points.

Stonehill shot 53.8-percent (14-for-26) from the field in the second half to finish at 50.8% (30-for-59) for the contest. The Skyhawks buried 10-of-19 (52.6%) three-pointers, including 5-for-7 (71.4%) in the opening half, and dominated the glass with a 39-29 margin, including 15 offensive rebounds, that resulted in a 16-7 Stonehill break on second chance points.

Stonehill has reached the

Final Four for the second

time in program history,

matching the feat accom-

plished by the 2006 squad

that made the first Elite

Eight appearance in pro-

gram history. The

Skyhawks were defeated

by eventual National

Champions Winona State

University in the 2006

semifinals, 83-73.

ELITE EIGHT: Stonehill Stuns #3 West Liberty to Reach Final Four, 91-90

Page 4

JR Guard Brian Hamor

JR Forward Raheem May-Thompson

SR Guard Andre Tongo

FR Forward Jack Cole JR Guard Sam Markle

Former Stonehill Sports Information Director (SID), Bob Richards died on March 7 after a brave battle with a variety of health issues. Bob joined the College in 1985 and retired in 2000. Whether serving the Athletics pro-gram, teaching journalism, or advising The Summit, Bob lived for the Stonehill cause and, in the process, became a beloved mentor to countless alumni. The men’s basket-ball team would like to thank Bob for his support and dedication over the year. You will be missed!

Thoughts from Pat Boen, Class of ‘89

Bob Richards was the most caring and generous person that I ever met at Stonehill. Bob was always there after a practice or a game to talk and he was always a supportive listener. He knew when to pick you up and give you support, maybe it was making you laugh or buying you a sandwich at the deli! He would do anything for the Stonehill athletes. I remember Bob tell-ing the team if they would come over and do his landscaping, he would buy us a team meal. We would always get a great meal with Bob and his Mother, and I’m not sure if anyone ever lifted a rake or shovel (maybe the Cronin brothers!). Bob knew we were college kids and a free meal meant the world to us! I’m glad I had the opportunity to be with Bob and support him in his last year’s as he had always done for us. Rest in peace Bob, we miss you!

In Appreciation: Robert Richards: 1942 - 2012

Page 5 Volume VIII, Issue 4

Stonehill Basketball Ireland Tour May 22 - June 2, 2012

This is a unique opportunity to travel to Ireland to compete, to tour, and to experience the Irish culture. Stonehill's "study abroad" program is an

incredible experience that many students take advantage of during their four years.

Sample of the Trip…

Tourist stops in Galway, Cork, Dublin

Full day Tour to Cliffs of Moher/Aran Isles

Games against local club and professional teams

For more information and to donate, please visit http://www.stonehill.edu/basketballinireland.xml