Hall of Fame
The 1986-87 men's basketball team was one of the most successful Cadet hoop teams ever. The team posted a 21-5 record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for just the second time.
The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 20-4 regular season record and was ranked in the top 20 in the nation.
Trademarked by their intensity and pressure defense, the Cadets ranked among the national leaders in scoring and saw six players finish the season with double-figure scoring averages.
Led by senior forward Kelvin Jenkins, who was named to the All-America team with a 16.9 point-per-game scoring average, the Cadets also saw Chris Fenerty, Andre Woods, Kyle Green, John Cornelio and Wendell Moore average better than 10 points per contest.
Scott Brooks, Frank Harte, Basheer Ilyas, Dave Hickey, Tony Slabacheski, Andy Chase, Darwin Lewis and Dan Middleton rounded out the club.
With a 16-8 record and an ECAC playoff berth the season before, the Cadets were poised to strike in 1986-87.
Led by coach Ed Hockenbury, the Cadets blended their talents well. "We were the epitome of a team," said Brooks. "We had great chemistry. We got along with each other, we hung out together, and we had a lot of fun."
"We had a great blend of underclassmen and veterans," said Jenkins. "Some of our scrimmages were tougher than some of our games."
The Cadets did have a few close calls during the season, edging Plattsburgh, 88-87, and perennial power Colby, 110-105, in double overtime.
"Everyone knew their role," said Brooks. "Kelvin was a pure scorer, and a great rebounder, and he got a lot of second chance points. John Cornelio was a pure shooter. We had guys who played defense, guys who rebounded, guys who distributed the ball."
"Coach Hock brought it all together for us," said Jenkins, who co-captained the team with Slabacheski. "We blended together, and played hard. Everybody did what was asked of them."
The team advanced to the NCAA tournament for just the second time in history. The Cadets drew Clark University in the first round. While staying close throughout the first half, Clark, the eventual NCAA Runners-Up, opened up the lead early in the second half to defeat the Cadets.
Norwich bounced back the second night of the tournament to defeat North Adams in the consolation game, 89-70, the first win for Norwich in an NCAA Tournament game.
"I think (that we played well against North Adams) is a reflection on Hock," said Brooks. "He spoke to us after the Clark game and before North Adams, about having a sense of pride, in ourselves, our team, and in the school. When he spoke, we listened and there were a lot of lessons learned."
