Having paid its dues, Stony Brook gets its just due

There is a lengthy supporting cast behind Stony Brook’s first bid to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, but the two central figures most responsible are power forward Jameel Warney and coach Steve Pikiell.

It took some time, but both are finally the (happy) face of Stony Brook basketball.

It was years in the making, and it went right down to the point when Stony Brook trailed visiting Vermont by 15 in the second half of Saturday’s America East championship game. It seemed Pikiell would extend his winless streak in the title game to five and Warney, the most talented player in program history, would leave without an appearance in the NCAAs.

“It was more of just doing it for Pikes,’’ said Warney, who powered the 80-74 victory with 43 points, 18-for-22 shooting, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. “I would have survived without a ring. Pikes has been through the dark days of Stony Brook. I wanted to be the first player to help him get to the tournament. That enticed me.’’

Stony Brook made it to the D-III Final Four in the 1977-78 season, but it was not a choice destination when D-I play started in 1999-2000 under former Fordham coach Nick Macarchuk. Growing pains still were apparent when Pikiell took over in 2005-2006.

Pikiell was out to prove that Stony Brook was not a “small private school with a brook running through it. No one was coming to the games. We had a gym that leaked. So to get to the point where you’re playing in championships, that’s unthinkable first and foremost.’’

Pikiell reconciled losing games in the conference tournament as mere building blocks. The Seawolves had to learn to dance. “I knew that was part of the journey. I knew how hard it was to get over the hill,’’ he said. “Everyone’s trying to do it.’’

Vermont coach John Becker said of his counterpart, “Steve Pikiell is a good man and didn’t deserve all this pressure he was under. Jameel is a class act and we’ll be rooting for them in the NCAA Tournament. They were the better team today. Until you’ve walked a mile in our shoes, you don’t really know’’ how difficult it is to win a title.

“It was their turn today, especially the coaching staff that’s been there a long time,’’ Becker said. “I’m glad they don’t have to deal with any of what they’ve had to deal with the last couple years.’’

Pikiell and Warney knew the perception was that the team could not win the big game. “People that say that have never coached in games like that,’’ Pikiell said. “They don’t know how hard it is, so I never worried. I’m a good coach. I built the program here. I’ll put it up against any in the country.’’

Warney heard the negativity, as in “ ‘You can go 30-0, but can you win in March?’ Today, we had everybody that just wanted to be one. We finally got what we deserved. Down by 15 — I don’t want to sound cocky, but we’re the better team. It wasn’t going to be easy, but that’s the thing. We’re on scholarship to do things that aren’t easy, that most people can’t do.’’

Warney — who averaged 30.3 points and 15.3 rebounds and shot 33-for-46 (71.7 percent) from the field in the three America East Tournament games — and Pikiell weren’t always in sync. In his sophomore year, Warney wasn’t necessarily in the best of shape, and Pikiell sent a message by cutting some minutes and not starting him every game. “I was bad and immature and I just felt like it was all about me,’’ Warney said. “That’s just a part of Pikes. He can bring out the best of people. I wanted to be the best player coming out of the school and I wanted to be one of the best players in this conference’s history. I wasn’t on that road my sophomore year.’’

Pikiell said Warney’s brief phase of being off-kilter happens with every player. “Every now and then, you got to get everyone’s attention. It’s a long season,’’ he said. “I needed him to be really mature at a young age. He showed a lot of maturity this whole season. He maybe learned those lessons back then.’’

And this year, Warney and Pikiell and everyone else connected with the program defied their previous odds of March and came away a winner.