By Nathan Mayberg
LOCH SHELDRAKE — February 10, 2004 – The Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) men’s basketball team used its quickness and rebounding prowess to put away Kingsborough Community College, 94-73, on Saturday at Paul Gerry Fieldhouse.
While the Generals had no problem with “The Wave” in the Region XV contest, the fans in attendance witnessed a standout talent from Kingsborough CC. Pierre Narcisse led all scorers with 26 points. He caused havoc on the boards, the passing lanes, and some of the Generals’ ballhandlers.
Kingsborough Coach Hassan Duncombe said that NCAA Division I schools like Hartford and Hofstra have shown interest in Narcisse – not to mention plenty of Division II schools who are also trying to pull him away. Narcisse is second in the country in rebounding and fourth in scoring among National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III players.
SCCC (18-4) pulled away from Kingsborough (13-7) early. The Generals were up 20-11 with 11:30 left until Duncombe almost single-handedly brought his team back. The Wave closed the gap to just 30-27 towards the end of the first half.
However, the Generals picked up their game in the second half. They took over the offensive and defensive glass, caused turnovers and were seemingly unstoppable in their transition game. Kingsborough could not prevent an unending series of fast-break layups by the Generals in the second 20 minutes of play.
SCCC earned the victory despite missing two of its top players. Darren Sykes, who is averaging 26 points a game this year, is suffering from a bad back. He is day-to-day, according to SCCC Coach Chris DePew. The Generals’ second-leading scorer, Gary Jones, is out with a broken foot. He is expected to be back in time for the NJCAA Region XV Tournament play, which begins on Friday, February 27 and will be hosted by SCCC.
Leading the Generals’ offense versus Kingsborough was Wayne Coward, who came off the bench to score 22 points. Joseph McLeod recorded 20 points, including two thunderous slam dunks. Dante Griggs added a double-double, netting 16 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.
“Players on the bench stepped up and gave me quality minutes,” DePew said. “It was a complete team effort tonight. I am very proud of the effort they gave me. It is a testament to the hard work these guys have been putting in all year.”
Duncombe said his squad “played a tough team.”
“We didn’t come to play,” he added. “We gave up a lot of transition baskets off of turnovers. Joe McLeod played a great game. He is a tough inside player.”
Speaking of his own talented player, Duncombe noted that Narcisse “is a tremendous player.”
“He has done it all for us this year,” Duncombe said. “He would have to get serious recognition as regional player of the year.”
Duncombe also remarked that Narcisse, who is from Brooklyn, is only in his first year of organized basketball and is getting better.