For each of the ten years the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference has been in existence, a men’s basketball champion has been crowned. In 1999, Gwynedd-Mercy felt the thrill of cutting down the nets. It was Alvernia in 2000 that ran down the court jumping in all their glory after being crowned the best team in the PAC. Unfortunately for the rest, those are the only two schools to withstand the incredible wrath of Cabrini’s men’s basketball team, the owners of an unprecedented eight PAC titles – eight out of ten isn’t bad.
After winning six consecutive PAC championships from 1993 to 1998, the streak was put on hold for two years. In good measure, coach John Dzik and the men played it tough in ’99 and ’00 but passed the torch to avoid talk of conspiracy theory. Ten in a row would be sure to raise some eyebrows.
After defeating Alvernia for the PAC this year, as they did last, the men’s team entered the NCAA tournament as the 11 seed in the Atlantic. The Cavs upset no. 7 Kings Point and no. 4 William Patterson on their way to face Elizabethtown in the Sweet 16. Despite that loss, the men played among the top 16 teams in the nation, a thought almost unfathomable considering we are seated atop a hill in Radnor, PA.
Flashing back to last spring sports season, however, all teams but the golf team, which is becoming more competitive each year, captured the 2000-01 PAC championship. Maybe we are supposed to be the kings and queens of the hill after all. If Cabrini is not the best of the best, then the best doesn’t exist. Good luck trying to name another college or university that boasts so many championships over such a stretch of time.
After an enduring season, the men’s basketball team ranked 25 in the nation in the final polls, and the spring sports season is just underway with experienced athletes leading championship squads onto the field with heads held high.
This editorial was chosen by a vote of 12 to 3
