St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers Men's Basketball
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The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's basketball program represented St. Francis College (SFC) in intercollegiate men's basketball up through the 2022–23 season, which was its last in intercollegiate competition. The team was a member of the Division I
Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...
. From 1971 through the 2021–22 season, they had played in the Daniel J. Lynch '38 Gym in the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex, located on SFC's former
Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...
campus. However, after the 2021–22 school year, SFC closed its Brooklyn Heights campus to move to a new campus on Livingston Street in
Downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City (after Midtown Manhattan, Midtown and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighb ...
. With the new campus lacking any athletic facilities, SFC arranged to use other nearby venues on at least a short-term basis. The Terriers' final game at the Pope Athletic Complex was held on November 19, 2022. From late November 2022 until March 2023, the Terriers played home games at the Activity Resource Center (branded as "The ARC") at
Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. The Terriers have also hosted home games at
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and at the
Barclays Center Barclays Center ( ) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liber ...
. On March 20, 2023, St. Francis College announced that it would end intercollegiate athletics following the spring semester, making the 2022–23 season the program's final season in existence. The St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball program was founded in 1896 and is the oldest collegiate program in New York City. The Terriers have an overall record of 1223–1295, 48.6 W–L%, over a 99-year span from the 1920–1921 to the 2019–2020 season. The program has won 6 regular season championships and has participated in 4 National Invitational Tournaments. In 2010, Glenn Braica was announced as the 17th head coach in the history of the St. Francis Terriers men's basketball program. Braica was previously an assistant under Norm Roberts at St. John's University. Braica has qualified nine times for the NEC tournament and in 2015 led the team to its first post season tournament in 52 years. Braica coached the team until the Terriers final season in 2022-23. The Terriers were one of seven NCAA Division I programs in New York City and in 2011 attending a Terriers game was named one reason to love New York by ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'' in their seventh annual ''Reasons to Love New York 2011'' piece. The Terriers are also one of only four original Division I programs (since 1939) to have never participated in the NCAA tournament. The Terriers have been one win away from participating on three occasions, first in the 2000–01 season, then in the 2002–03 season, and again in the 2014–15 season. Beginning on November 27, 2012, St. Francis College rebranded its Athletics programs from St. Francis (NY) to St. Francis Brooklyn. After the 2022-23 season, St. Francis Brooklyn dropped all intercollegiate athletics, including basketball, from the college after over 120 years of history.


History


Early years (1896–1940)

The St. Francis College's men's basketball program was founded in 1896 and was the oldest collegiate program in New York City. The program had players on the court only 5 years after Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891. The College's first official game came in 1901 against
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
. The Boys from Brooklyn, as they were referred to, finished the 1901 season with a 13–1 mark. From the 1902 to the 1920 season the Terrier basketball records are incomplete. Then from 1920 to 1940 the Terriers compiled a 246–187 record and established themselves as a premier basketball program in New York City, playing their home games in Brooklyn. The Terriers had played as Independents for most of these years, but in 1933 they were a founding member of the now defunct
Metropolitan New York Conference Membership Regular season champions Men's basketball *1934 *1935 DNP *1936 *1937 *1938 *1939 Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into ...
. During this time period the Terriers hosted their home games in their gymnasium at the Butler Street Campus in
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Cobble Hill is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. A small neighborhood comprising 40 blocks,Kenneth T. Jackson, Jackson, Kenneth T., and Kasinitz, Philip. "Cobble Hil ...
or at the 13th Regiment Armory. The Terriers had 6 head coaches during this period, the most successful of which was Rody Cooney. Who in his 9 years at the helm of the program didn't have a single losing season and compiled a 116–77 record. During this period the Terriers also had their first 20-win season. Cooney's 1935-36 team was the first to participate in a post-season tournament. The Terriers were invited to play in the District 1 tryouts at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
for the
1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
.


Golden years (1941–1968)


Joseph Brennan era (1941–47)

Joseph Brennan was the Terriers head coach with the highest winning percentage and he was also elected to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
in 1975. Brennan helped make the Terriers into a popular team during New York City's Basketball glory days of the 1940s and 50s. Due to their popularity the Terriers would play 2 to 3 games a year at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
and the Terriers were one of the few programs hosting Division I games in Brooklyn at the Park Slope Armory, their home court. Brennan's 1941-42 squad averaged 56 points per game, which was quite high during those years. The Terriers also had the first college player to score 20 or more points at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
, Vincent T. Agoglia. He did it twice in the 1941–1942 season, first against LaSalle College of Philadelphia. Brennan ended his head coaching career with a 90–46 (66.2%) record over 7 seasons.


Daniel Lynch era (1948–1968)

The greatest head coach in the program's history was Daniel Lynch. Lynch was a graduate of St. Francis College and played basketball at his
alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
from 1934–38 under head coach Rody Cooney. When Lynch took over in 1948 the Terriers became the first team in the New York City area to have a game televised. The Terriers defeated
Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...
in its inaugural telecast on
WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local market ...
. Lynch is the Terrier head coach with the most wins in the programs history (283). Part of that wins total came during a 6-year span from 1950 to 1956, where Lynch guided the Terriers to five consecutive winning seasons going 121–43. As a tribute, the Terriers home court is in the Daniel Lynch Gymnasium, which is part of the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex. From 1949–1951 the Terriers participated in 4 National Catholic Invitational Tournaments (NCIT). The NCIT was a premier post-season tournament in those years. The Terriers went to the NCIT finals three consecutive times and won the Championship in 1951. Lynch's 1950–51 squad defeated the Seattle University Redhawks 93–79 in the Championship game. Ray Rudzinski scored 26 points, Vernon Stokes scored 22 and Roy Reardon scored 21 points in the NCIT Championship that took place in
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
. The Terriers appeared in the 1955 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, losing in the first round to
Quincy University Quincy University (QU) is a Private college, private Franciscans, Franciscan college in Quincy, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1860, it has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students across five constituent sch ...
. St. Francis first participated in the NAIA District 31 playoffs to qualify for the tournament, in it they defeated St. Peter's (63–55) and Panzer College (80–70). Their record in the tournament is 0–1 and have only made one appearance in their history. Lynch also led the Terriers to 3 NIT appearances (1954, 1956, and 1963). Lynch's 1953–54 squad won the Metropolitan New York Conference regular season championship and were invited to the 1954 NIT where they defeated Louisville in the first round before losing to Holy Cross in the Quarterfinals. The 1955–56 squad also won the Metropolitan New York Conference regular season championship and participated in the 1956 NIT. They went as far as the 3rd-place game where they lost to St. Joseph's to finish in fourth place. The 1955–1956 season was the Terriers best, as Coach Lynch led them to a 21–4 record that ranked them at 13th nationally in the AP polls. The squad included legends Al Innis, Dan Mannix, Walt Adamushko, and Tony D'Elia. The team at one point won 18 straight games and upset Niagara to reach the NIT Semi-Finals, before falling to Dayton. In the 1963 National Invitation Tournament the Terriers were one of 12 teams selected for the tournament. Lynch's team was the 4th best defense in the country and faced the best offense in Miami. St. Francis had the bigger Miami on the ropes with a 66–65 lead with 3:38 to play, led by Jim Raftery who scored 23 points. Yet the Terrires went on to lose 71–70 to Miami which featured future NBA all-star
Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...
. After the Metropolitan New York Conference became defunct in 1963, the Terriers became Independents before joining the Metropolitan Collegiate Conference. The Terriers were a part of the MCC for all four years in which it was active, winning the 1966–67 Conference regular season championship after going 7–2 in conference play. Lynch ended his coaching career with a 283-237 (54.4%) record over a 21-year span. After retiring as the head coach, Lynch became the full-time Athletic Director at St. Francis College, a post he held while he was head coach for several years.


=Home court

= The Terriers originally played most of their home games in their gymnasium at their Butler Street Campus, this lasted until 1955. The Terriers were also occasionally invited to play at Madison Square Garden III by Ned Irish, a basketball promoter. Yet, beginning in the late 1940s the Terriers would also host games at the 14th Regiment Armory in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Starting in the 1950-51 season, St. Francis College was banned from the Garden by Ned Irish for scheduling marquee games at the Park Slope Armory. By 1956, the Terriers were exclusively hosting games at the Park Slope Armory since the College was in the process of moving its campus from Butler Street to the current Remsen Street location in
Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...
. The Terriers practices were often interrupted by military drills, and in 1960 the Terriers decided to relocate to the
69th Regiment Armory The 69th Regiment Armory (also known as the 165th Infantry Armory and the Lexington Avenue Armory) is a historic armory for the U.S. Army National Guard at 68 Lexington Avenue, between East 25th and 26th Streets, in the Rose Hill neighborho ...
in Manhattan. The 69th Regiment Armory also provided a larger venue for the Terriers. Occasionally their games could not be played there, again because of military drills, as an alternate the Terriers would host games at Bishop Ford High School in Brooklyn. By 1968, the plans for a new gymnasium of their own at the Remsen Street Campus was in progress. Daniel Lynch was a large proponent of the Terriers having their own basketball court, and by 1971 the Terriers finally had their own gymnasium. The building is referred to as the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex and the basketball gym is named after Daniel Lynch. With SFC noticeably expanding its enrollment in the early 2020s, it outgrew its Remsen Street campus, and moved to a new campus on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn after the 2021–22 school year. The new campus lacks athletic facilities, forcing SFC to move basketball elsewhere. For the immediate future, the Terriers will play at The ARC at
Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
, about 2 miles (3 km) from SFC's new campus in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood.


Dark years (1969–90)

From the 1969–70 season to the 1990–91 season, a span of 22 years, the St. Francis Terriers men's basketball program only had three winning seasons. Two of those came during the tenure of Lou Rossini, who was formerly a head coach for
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...
and Columbia. In the third year of his contract with St. Francis College, it was announced that they would not renew his contract. His team's performance on the court was not the reason and it is believed that differences arose because of the subpar academic performance of the student-athletes. During those 22 years the Terriers went through six head coaches and hit a program low in the 1983–84 season going 2–26 under the tenure of Gene Roberti (1979–84). Bob Valvano (1984-88) took over as the youngest Division I coach in the country at 27 years old, and while the program made slight improvements, winning a conference tournament game for the first time in 1988, there were still no winning seasons. After Valvano, Rich Zvosec took the reins of the Terriers in 1988 and became the youngest Division I coach in the country at age 27. Zvosec produced a winning season 3 years into his tenure going 15–14. The winning season was only the 3rd in 22 years and the first in 11 seasons since Rossini accomplished the feat in 1978–79. Because of this feat, Zvosec was awarded the 1991 NEC Coach of the Year award. Also during this time St. Francis College moved its campus and in 1971 the Terriers settled into a new home at the Pope Physical Education Center. Other transitions during this time included St. Francis joining a new conference in 1981, the
Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...
(then known as the ECAC Metro Conference). From 1968 until 1980, the Terriers played as Division I independents eventually becoming founding members of the Northeast Conference in 1981.


Ron Ganulin era (1991–04)

Ron Ganulin's 14 seasons were one of contrasts, but Ganulin helped restore the program to its glory days somewhat. Before joining the Terriers, Ganulin was fresh off the 1990 National Championship as an assistant with the 1989–90 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team. Ganulin's tenure began with several losing seasons, his 1993–94 squad went 1–26 and finished last in the Northeast Conference. Yet by the 1997–98 season Ganulin's squad's began to turn it around stringing together 5 consecutive winning seasons from 1997–2001. Ganulin's 1998–99 team won 20 games, the first time in 43 years that the Terriers had accomplished the feat. Ganulin accumulated 187 wins and was twice named the Northeast Conference's Coach of the Year. Ganulin's tenure at St. Francis include finishing with a .500 or better record in the Northeast Conference eight straight years, at that time the longest active streak in the conference and making the NEC Tournament each of his 14 seasons as head coach. They also reached the NEC semi-finals five times and had two NEC tournament championship game appearances (2001 and 2003). Those Championship game appearances are the closest the Terriers have been to making the NCAA tournament. From 1998 through 2004, St. Francis posted a 78–36 conference record, which was best in the NEC. During that span, Ganulin guided the Terriers to two Northeast Conference regular season championships. Also during Ganulin's tenure St. Francis made their first appearance in a National Tournament since 1963, by being selected to participate in the 2003 NIT Season Tip-Off. The Terriers lost in the first round to
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. The 2003 NIT Tip-off invitation was a product of the Terriers success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Yet Ganulin's accomplishments did not save him from being fired at the end of the 2004–05 season, after posting a 13–15 record.


Brian Nash era (2005–09)

Brian Nash was head coach for 5 seasons, during which time the Terriers lost much of the momentum gained during Ganulin's tenure. Nash's squad's never produced a winning season and missed the NEC Tournament three times in five seasons. Nash compiled a 47–99 record before resigning in 2009.


Glenn Braica era (2010–2023)

On April 29, 2010,
Glenn Braica Glenn Braica (born September 16, 1964) is an American college basketball coach, currently an assistant coach at Fairfield University. He was previously the head coach at St. Francis College from 2010 until the program was cut in 2023. Braica w ...
was announced as the 17th head coach in the history of the St. Francis Terriers men's basketball program. Braica was a former assistant at St. Francis under Ron Ganulin for 15 years and was an assistant at St. John's under Norm Roberts for another 6 years. Braica inherited a depleted team that had not had a winning season in six years and quickly added 5 signings in his first year. This led to a 15–15 record and a berth in the NEC Tournament where they lost in the first round to Central Connecticut 62–64. In his second season, Braica led the Terriers to their second NEC tournament with the 4th seed. They went 15–15 overall and 12–6 in the NEC, their most conference wins since the 2003–04 season and they hosted their first home tournament game since 1997, a 72–80 loss to
Quinnipiac The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connect ...
. Additionally, Braica was selected as the 2012 NEC Jim Phelan coach of the year and as the 2012 NABC District 18 Co-Coach of the Year. After two 15–15 seasons, the Terriers posted their first losing record at 12–18 overall and 8–10 in conference play. St. Francis Brooklyn still qualified for the NEC tournament with the 8th seed and lost to first seed Robert Morris at the Sewall Center 57–75 in the opening round. Prior to the 2013 season, Braica announced that he hired former head coach Ron Ganulin as an assistant. This would be their second stint together, but with Briaca at the helm this time. In
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, the Terriers were selected to participate in the
Maui Invitational Tournament The Maui Invitational is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, ...
as part of the Mainland Bracket for the first time in the programs history. Braica was able to guide his Terriers to a 9–6 non-conference record which was one win shy of being the first NEC team to win 10 non-conference games in a season. Part of this success was the Terriers stingy defense and big road wins against
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, Florida Atlantic and Stony Brook. The Terriers ended the 2013–14 season at 18–14, their first time winning 18 games since the 2001–02 season. The Terriers qualified for the NEC Tournament with the 4th seed and lost to Mount St. Mary's in the opening round. The 2014–15 Terriers for the first time as members of the NEC, were selected as the preseason NEC favorites by league head coaches. The program was also selected to participate in the 3rd annual 2014 Barclays Center Classic. On January 31, 2015, the Terriers gained sole possession of 1st place in the NEC after defeating LIU Brooklyn in the annual Battle of Brooklyn. For St. Francis Brooklyn, it marks being in first place after 10 games since starting 8–2 in the 2003–04 season. That year the Terriers finished 12–6 and shared the NEC regular season title with
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. On February 21, 2015 the Terriers clinched the NEC regular season Championship and recorded their first 20+ win season since the 1998–99 season. The Terriers closed out the regular season at 21–10 overall and 15–3 in conference play. Prior to the beginning of the NEC Tournament, the NEC announced Glenn Braica as the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, Jalen Cannon as the NEC Player of the Year and Amdy Fall as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. In the NEC Tournament, the Terriers defeated LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis (PA) to reach the Championship game, where they lost to Robert Morris. Because of the loss the Terriers didn't receive the NEC's automatic NCAA bid, instead they participated in the 2015 National Invitation Tournament by virtue of having won the NEC regular season championship. It is the programs first NIT postseason appearance since 1963. The Terriers traveled to
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to face the
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and lost 74–84 in the first round of the NIT. The Terriers ended their season at 23–12 overall, tying the programs record for wins in a season last set in 1953–54. From 2015-2017, the Terriers posted three consecutive losing seasons and in the 2016–17 season the Terriers failed to reach the NEC Tournament for the first time in Braica's tenure as head coach. For the 2018-19 season, the Terriers posted a winning record (17–15) and although they were eliminated in the opening round of the 2019 NEC tournament, they were selected to participate in the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. It is the first time the Terriers have been selected to participate in the CIT.


Termination of intercollegiate athletics (2023)

With the announcement that St. Francis would end sponsorship of intercollegiate athletics, the Terriers' 2022-23 season would be their last. The college cited financial and enrollment concerns stemming from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason behind its decision.


Yearly record

Under Glenn Braica:


Postseason


NCIT results

St. Francis participated in 4 consecutive National Catholic Invitational Tournaments from 1949 to 1952 and won 1 Championship in 1951. Their overall record is 10–3 in their 4 appearances and they made the Finals in three of their four appearances.


NAIA results

The Terriers appeared in the 1955 NAIA men's basketball tournament. St. Francis first participated in the NAIA District 31 playoffs to qualify for the tournament, where they defeated Saint Peter's (63–55) and Panzer College (80–70). Their record in the tournament is 0–1 and have only made one appearance in their history.


NIT results

The Terriers have appeared in four
National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...
s and one NIT Season Tip-Off. Their combined record is 3–5 (0–1, Tip-Off) and they reached the third-place game in 1956, losing to Saint Joseph's and finishing 4th in the tournament. In the 1963 National Invitation Tournament the Terriers were one of 12 teams selected for the tournament. The Terriers who were coached by Daniel Lynch were the 4th best defense in the country and faced the best offense in Miami. St. Francis had the bigger Miami on the ropes with a 66–65 lead with 3:38 to play, led by Jim Raftery who scored 23 points. Yet the Terriers went on to lose 71–70 to Miami which featured future NBA all-star
Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...
.


CIT results

The Terriers appeared in their only CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
under head coach Glenn Braica. In the 2019 tournament, St. Francis Brooklyn faced Hampton, their first game against each other in history. The Terriers lost to Hampton 72–81 in the opening round of the CIT.


Coaches


Rivalry

The fiercest rival of the Terriers are the Long Island University Blackbirds and they have competed since 1928. Beginning in the 1975–76 season the two programs formalized their rivalry with the annual '' Battle of Brooklyn'' game. The name of the annual match-up is in reference to the first major battle of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, the Battle of Brooklyn. The location of the two campuses in the New York City borough of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and their close proximity, less than 1 mile apart, adds to the intensity of the rivalry and is the origin of the rivalry's name. The ''Battle of Brooklyn'' is dedicated to William Lai and Daniel Lynch, former athletic directors at Long Island University and St. Francis College, respectively. At the conclusion of the game the most valuable player is presented with the Lai-Lynch Trophy. As of 2020, St. Francis has a ''Battle'' record of 20–25 against LIU. The annual tournament is held at the host campus and the host alternates annually. The Terriers also compete against Wagner College Seahawks, and it is referred to as ''Battle of the Verrazano'' due to St. Francis College in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
being separated from Wagner College in
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
by the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge ( ; also referred to as the Narrows Bridge, the Verrazzano Bridge, and simply the Verrazzano) is a suspension bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It span ...
. The ''Battle of the Verrazano'' dates back to the 1973–1974 season, but is not as formal as the ''Battle of Brooklyn''. The Terriers also have a rivalry with St. John's University men's basketball program. The Terriers played against St. John's in their inaugural season, 1907, losing to them 12–23. There are published accounts of the Terriers stealing the St. John's mascot. One such instance occurred on March 10, 1941, after a game at Madison Square Garden that saw the Terriers defeat St. John's 55-41. The St. John's mascot was kidnapped and a ransom note was sent, eventually the mascot was recovered. Traditionally, the most valuable player of the game was awarded the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) trophy.


Vs. NEC Opponents


Vs. NYC Division I opponents


Terrier records

Greg Nunn (1997–01) was the first player in the program to record 500 points and 500 assists then Brent Jones (2011–15) joined him in 2015 and soon exceeded him by becoming the first player to record 1,000 points and 500 assists. That same year
Jalen Cannon Jalen Cannon (born May 5, 1993) is an American basketball player who last played for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Serie A2. Cannon is in his seventh season as a professional and second with Derthona Basket. During his collegiate career at St ...
became the first Terrier to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Cannon then became the Northeast Conference all-time leader in rebounds by surpassing 1,033 and the St. Francis Brooklyn all-time scorer by surpassing 1,633 points. Cannon finished with 1,720 points and 1,159 rebounds.


NCAA records

Notable records include Vernon Stokes leading the country in field goal percentage with 59.5% shooting during the 1952–53 season. Ray Minlends 1998–99 record for points in a season was also second in the country that year behind Alvin Young's (Niagara) 728. Ron Arnold's record for steals in a game is the 3rd highest in NCAA history- the record is 13 and he had 11 against Mount St. Mary's. In 1991, Lester James recorded a 69.3% field goal percentage, which is tied for 21st all-time. Jim Paguaga's 120 steals in 1986 is tied for 16th all-time and his steal average that season, 4.29, is 8th all-time.


Accolades


Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

* Joseph Brennan, inducted as a coach in 1975 * Dick Bavetta ('62), inducted as a referee in 2015


All-Americans

*
Jalen Cannon Jalen Cannon (born May 5, 1993) is an American basketball player who last played for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Serie A2. Cannon is in his seventh season as a professional and second with Derthona Basket. During his collegiate career at St ...
('15), 2015 AP Honorable Mention


Northeast Conference (1981–present)


Terriers in professional leagues


NBA

There has been a total of 11 Terriers drafted by NBA teams.


Other leagues

*Gunnar Olafsson ('18), signed with Oviedo CB of the
LEB Oro The Primera FEB, formerly known as LEB or LEB Oro, is the second basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system after the Liga ACB. It is run by the Spanish Basketball Federation, FEB. The FEB leagues are divided into three categorie ...
league in Spain. *Dagur Jonsson, signed with Grindavik of the Icelandic Men's Premier League *Tyreek Jewell ('16), signed with Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta of the
Indonesian Basketball League The Indonesia Basketball League (IBL; ) is the preeminent men's professional basketball league in Indonesia, founded by Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) in 2003. From 2010 to 2015 it was known as the National Basketball League (NBL) ...
. * Chris Hooper ('16), signed with the Reading Rockets of the Division 1
English Basketball League The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a league competition representing semi-professional and amateur basketball clubs from England and Wales. It forms levels 2 to 5 on the British basketball pyramid, in line with the Scottish B ...
. *
Jalen Cannon Jalen Cannon (born May 5, 1993) is an American basketball player who last played for Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Serie A2. Cannon is in his seventh season as a professional and second with Derthona Basket. During his collegiate career at St ...
('15), signed with Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera of the Mexican National Professional Basketball league, the top league of basketball in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. *Ben Mockford ('14), named to Great Britain's senior squad for the
EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...
and signed with Cáceres of the Spanish
LEB Oro The Primera FEB, formerly known as LEB or LEB Oro, is the second basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system after the Liga ACB. It is run by the Spanish Basketball Federation, FEB. The FEB leagues are divided into three categorie ...
league. *Akeem Johnson ('13), signed with Kauhajoen Karhu of the
Korisliiga The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In its current format, each team plays all other teams two times in the regular season, once at home and once away, for a total o ...
, the top league of basketball in Finland. * Stefan Perunicic ('12), signed with Aries Trikala B.C. of the
Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...
. *Akeem Bennett ('11), 1st pick in the 8th round by the Springfield Armor of the
NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
. *Ricky Cadell ('11), signed with
FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...
, of the Portuguese Basketball League. *Alex Harrington ('11), playing with the Lake Michigan Admirals of the Premier Basketball League as of 2013. *Kayode Ayeni ('10), playing with Qatar's Al-Arabi Sports Club as of 2013. *
Tanel Tein Tanel Tein (born 10 January 1978) is an Estonian former professional basketball player. He was named Estonian Player of the Year in 2008. Tein played one season of college basketball for the St. Francis Terriers. Professional career Tein starte ...
('99), Estonian retired professional basketball player. * Richard Lugo, played one season with the Terriers (1996–97) and went on to have a 13-year career in professional basketball.


Retired numbers

The St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball program has honored only two former players, Denis McDermott and Alvin Inniss, by retiring their numbers. McDermott was the first Terrier to have his number retired. He graduated as the career leading scorer (fourth all-time as of 2019–20) in the programs history and was drafted by the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
in 1974. McDermott also has the program's highest scoring average at 21.3 points per game over 74 career games. In his senior year, McDermott averaged a double-double per game with 23.8 points and 10.8 rebounds. The second Terrier to have his number retired was Alvin Inniss, on February 1, 2020. Innis played from 1954–58, his teams compiled a 64–35 record and participated in the 1955 NAIA men's basketball tournament and the
1956 National Invitation Tournament The 1956 National Invitation Tournament was the 1956 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.
. Prior to McDermott becoming the career leading scorer, Innis held the title with 1,503 points. Innis continues to be the Terriers' all-time leading rebounder with 1,667 career rebounds.


Notable games

*On February 11, 1939, St. Francis College won the first double-overtime game in Madison Square Garden history against Manhattan College, 53–49. *On February 2, 1952, St. Francis participated in and won New York City's first ever quadruple overtime basketball game (professional or collegiate) against Seton Hall, 82–70. *On March 6, 1954, the Terriers upset 20th ranked Louisville in the opening round of the 1954 NIT, with 16,259 spectators in attendance at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. *On March 17, 1956, Al Inniss set the St. Francis single-game rebounding record with 37 against Lafayette in the first round of the
1956 National Invitation Tournament The 1956 National Invitation Tournament was the 1956 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.
. That season the Terriers went as far as the semifinals in the NIT, finishing 4th. The 37 rebounds are still a Madison Square Garden and National Invitational Tournament record for most rebounds in a college game. *On January 10, 1970, John Conforti made 20 field goals and scored 45 points against
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
, both are Terrier records. *On March 5, 2001, St. Francis was 14 minutes away from the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament. They were facing Monmouth in the Championship game of the 2001 NEC tournament and enjoying a 20-point lead, when it unraveled and they ended up losing 64–67 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. *On February 22, 2003, the Terriers hosted the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at The Pope for the annual ''Battle of Brooklyn'' and both teams set a NEC record for points in a game. The match-up went into double overtime and featured 282 points, with St. Francis winning 142–140. *On November 8, 2013, St. Francis Brooklyn defeated defending ACC tournament champions Miami (FL) 66–62 in overtime. It marked the programs first win against an ACC opponent. *On March 10, 2015, St. Francis Brooklyn was 3 points short of their first NCAA tournament. They were facing Robert Morris down 63–66 with 13 seconds left. With 11 seconds Robert Morris fouled on a 3-point shot attempt, but the Terriers missed all three free-throws.


Notable players


1,000 point club


References


External links

* {{St. Francis College