Region XV Men’s Basketball Tournament Preview

The #3 Panthers head into the competition as the #1 seed

By: By Andrew Capitelli (BMCC Sports Information)

Men's Basketball | 2/26/2015 10:55:00 AM

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NEW YORK, NY| After earning its first CUNY Athletic Conference Community College title since 2007 on Friday, the Borough of Manhattan Community College men's basketball team turns its attention to its next challenge: the NJCAA Region XV D-III Tournament. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NJCAA D-III National Championship (Mar. 12-14 at Sullivan County Community College) and the Panthers, the #1 seed in the tournament, arrive as the favorites.

The tournament, set to run from Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 1 at Suffolk County Community College's Ammerman Campus in Selden, NY, will showcase one of the nation's strongest regions, with powerhouses Nassau Community College, Sullivan County Community College, LaGuardia Community College and Bronx Community College all vying with the Panthers for a regional championship.

BMCC—riding a 12-game winning streak—arrives as the #3 team in the nation, but are not the only side to receive national recognition this season. Sullivan has appeared in the poll every week this year, peaking at #3 and currently sitting at #13. Nassau was the preseason #8 ranked school, but after falling out of the rankings for three months, the Lions returned this week at #15. LaGuardia finished just outside the top 10 for three consecutive weeks in December.

So all signs point to this tournament being wide open and very exciting. The Panthers will face #8 seeded Rockland Community College in the quarterfinal round on Friday, February 27 at 5:00 PM. BMCC won both meetings this season; the first coming on the road on November 18 (80-75) and the second at home on January 22 (85-68).

Semifinal round Sat., Feb 28 at 5:00 PM & 7:15 PM; Final on Sun., Mar. 1 at 2:30 PM

But Rockland enters the tournament having won six of its last seven matches, earning victories over LaGuardia, Sullivan and Hostos Commuity College over that span. Nassau topped Rockland 89-59 at home on February 17.

The Lions, the #2 seed, will play host Suffolk, the #7 seed, in Friday's night cap at 7:15 PM, which is sure to be a tightly contested affair between the fierce rivals.

#4 LaGuardia will get Quarterfinal Friday started at 12:45 when they play #5 Bronx in a rematch of their CUNYAC semifinal clash that took place last Wednesday. Bronx earned the 72-64 win in an exciting, up-tempo contest. The Broncos would go on to lose to BMCC in the final.

#3 Sullivan and #6 Hostos will follow at 2:45 PM.

Players to Watch

Sullivan will be powered by their backcourt which features Region XV's two leading scorers. TJ Johnson (19.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG) and Isaiah Cosbert (18.0 PPG, 3.9 APG) shoot close to 50% combined on average and are guaranteed to find a way to score points.

Suffolk's Vincent Abbondola (G; 17.6 PPG) and Nassau's Jaleel Charles (C; 16.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG) enter the tournament as Long Island's top two players, but Bronx's Brian Berrios (G; 17.0 PPG) and LaGuardia's David Noel (F; 16.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG) will ensure the outer boroughs are represented well.

Not to be out-done, BMCC brings CUNYAC Player of the Year Kenneth Coar (F; 12.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG) and CUNY All-Stars Joseph Ojo (G; 12.8 PPG, 3.8 APG) and Elijah Bryant (G; 14.9 PPG, 3.0 APG) to the competition and will need the trio, along with the other 11 members of the team, to shine if they're to claim what should be one of the most competitive Region XV tournaments in recent memory.

The semifinal round will take place on Saturday, February 28 at 5:00 PM and 7:15 PM. The final will be played at 2:30 PM on Sunday, March 1.

As always, check back on BMCCAthletics.com for the latest news and developments surrounding the BMCC Panthers. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @BMCCAthletics for up-to-the-minute stories and in-game updates.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Elijah Bryant: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#44 Kenneth Coar: F; 6' 6"; Freshman

#11 Joseph Ojo: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Elijah Bryant
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#44 Kenneth Coar
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: F

#11 Joseph Ojo
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

Players Mentioned

#3 Elijah Bryant

#44 Kenneth Coar

#11 Joseph Ojo

Players Mentioned

#3 Elijah Bryant

#44 Kenneth Coar

#11 Joseph Ojo