Farmingdale State prepares for NCAA Division III tournament
Farmingdale State's George Riefenstahl slams for two in the Skyline Conference title game on Feb. 25, 2017. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
George Riefenstahl would like to punctuate his men's college basketball career with a strong finish.
He left the Farmingdale State practice Wednesday filled with optimism about the NCAA Division III Tournament.
“I wanted another shot at the NCAA Tournament,” said Riefenstahl, the Skyline Defensive Player of the Year. “We qualified for the NCAA Tournament in my sophomore season and were knocked out in the first round. Last year, we were upset in our conference playoffs. So, this was it, we needed a big win.”
The 6-8, 200-pound forward made another appearance in the NCAA Tournament possible when he led Farmingdale State to the Skyline Conference title with 17 points and 10 rebounds in an 81-75 win over Yeshiva on Sunday. The win gave the Rams the conference automatic bid into the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
It was Farmingdale State’s second Skyline Conference title in three years. The top-seeded Rams exacted revenge on Yeshiva, the very team that eliminated them in the semifinal round of last year’s conference playoffs in a 77-75 overtime loss.
It was the second win over Yeshiva in a week. FSC beat the Maccabees, 80-78, in the regular season finale to secure the top seed on Feb. 16.
Farmingdale State (20-7) will travel to the University of Rochester and face the No. 20 Yellowjackets (20-5) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The other first-round game features No. 13 Amherst (23-4) versus Rosemont (15-12) at 5:30 p.m. The winners will meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
“This is our deepest team across the board,” said Farmingdale State coach Brendan Twomey, in his sixth season. “Our tri-captains are all seniors and have become excellent leaders. We’re playing with some momentum and a lot of confidence.”
Farmingdale State is on a 10-game win streak, two of those games won in overtime. The Rams are battle tested and looking to make a splash in the NCAA Tournament.
“Two years ago, we led Middlebury, which was the sixth ranked team in the country, at the half,” Twomey said. “We let it slip away in the second half. It was a great experience just to get there. Now the guys want more — it’s more than just qualifying — it’s about winning.”
The one and done in the NCAA Tournament did not sit well with Riefenstahl or the other two seniors, guard Matt Graham (Valley Stream), who averages 15.9 points per game, and guard Ali Mableton (Brentwood, 12 ppg) on the FSC roster. The three are the team tri-captains and have led the Rams to three straight regular season crowns. Graham scored 25 in the conference championship win.
“We play well together, and the team chemistry is there,” said Riefenstahl, who averages 14.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. “We have a lot of experience on the bench and we can do it all. We can get out and run in transition or we can execute our sets.”
Farmingdale State comes in averaging 85 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the field. But to advance, the Rams know defense will be the key to winning. Rochester is an efficient offensive team, shooting 48 percent from the field, led by senior guard Ryan Clamage, who is averaging 16.2 points per game.
“We’ll need some stops on defense,” Twomey said. “We’ve watched enough film on Rochester and they don’t waste opportunities. They’ve had some deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
