The Rochester College Athletic department announced the signing of Junior College transfer Torey Throop. Throop, a 5'11 guard from Vestaburg, MI, played at Kirtland Community College the past two seasons, and is the first signee for the 2009-2010 class. At Kirtland, Throop was known for his intense play and shooting ability from behind the 3-point line. He averaged over 16 points per game and was named to the MCCAA All-Star team.
Coach Pleasant says of Throop, "Torey is the type of young man that we specifically look for. He comes from a great supportive family and has learned under a great young coach in Ty McGregor". Pleasant added, " He fits right into the mission of Rochester College and will be a great asset to our community both in the classroom and on the court".
Throop will be looked upon to make an immediate impact for the warriors in 09-10. Coach Pleasant said,"Torey was the one recruit that we knew we had to have if we want to make a return trip to our National Championship game next season". Also speaking highly of Torey is his former coach Ty McGregor. " Torey is the epitome of a Student-Athlete, but more important is the fact the he is even a better person! His parents have obviously done a tremendous job of bringing him up the 'right way'." Coach McGregor also added, "As a coach, you just don't go out and get yourself a replacement for Torey. He will definitely be an asset to the Warrior Basketball family and I am excited to know that he has chosen to attend Rochester College to further his academic and athletic career".
Torey will also play Golf for the Warriors and will add good tournament experience for the 09-10 golf season.
09 March 2009
Men
The Rochester College Men's Basketball team returned home disappointed, but proud, after a National Runners-up finish at the 2009 USCAA National Championships. The week began well for the Warriors as they received two honors before the tournament began. Junior Adrian Schaffer was named to the 2009 USCAA All-America team and Senior Robert Fragoso was named to the 2009 USCAA All-America Honorable Mention team. Schaffer and Fragoso received their awards at the tournament banquet on Tuesday (March 3rd) night.
The first game of the tournament put the Warriors up against IU-Northwest. Schaffer would lead the Warriors with 25 points, and sophomore Stephan Henning chipped in 15 points in the win on their way to a 70-57 victory.
Game #2 of the tournament would see the #3 seeded Warriors take on Defending National Champions and #2 seeded Oakwood University. The Warriors would come away with a thrilling 58-56 overtime victory on a Stephan Henning last second shot from 18 feet. Henning led the Warriors the whole game finishing with a team high 17 points. The upset victory would put the Warriors in the Championship game against the #1 seed Talledega College Tornadoes.
The Warriors knew going into the Championship game that they would have to make the game ugly against the more athletic Tornadoes. The game plan was to slow down Talledega by playing a packed in 2-3 Zone. The Warriors were able to hold the high scoring Tornadoes to just 45 points in the game, but were only able to muster 31 points of their own. The game was closer than the 14 point final spread showed. With 8 minutes to go the Warriors closed to within 4 points at 28-24, but Talledega then went on a quick 5-0 run to make the score 33-24. The Warriors, who were not willing to go out without a fight, again closed the gap to 6 points with just over 3 minutes to go with the ball. Unable to convert, the warriors would fall behind as the final score finished at 45-31.
Senior Robert Fragoso was named to the all tournament team as he finished his career with the Warriors along with the rest of the seniors, Tom Webb, Steve McCune, Brian Tsacoumangos, and Steve Stuecher. The Warriors finished with a record of 25-7 and a Runners-up Trophy. The Warriors will have to wait until next season to once again play for a National Championship. Post season workouts await the returning players in the coming weeks.
07 March 2009
Warriors advance to USCAA National Finals
Sophomore Stephan Henning hit the game winning shot with 1.1 seconds left on the clock to claim a 58-56 win over defending USCAA National Champion Oakwood University. The winning shot propeled the Warriors into tonights championship game against #1 seed Talledega College. Henning led the warriors in scoring with 17 points. Tonights game will tip off at 7:15 pm and can be followed at www.uscaahoops.com
01 March 2009
Warriors off to National Championship Tournament
The 2008-2009 Warrior Men's Basketball team finished the regular season with an impressive 23-6 record. The 23 wins is the most regular season wins in recent history. Even with 23 wins, this years team knows it will all be for naught if they don't have a good showing in the USCAA National Tournament, set to begin March 3rd. The Warriors earned the #3 seed in the tournament and will take on # 6 seed Indiana University-Northwest at 1:00 p.m. on the 4th.
The Warriors ended the regular season with 13 straight wins. Leading the way for the Warriors has been Junior Adrian Schaffer who has been averaging 14.6 points and 6 rebounds. Senior Steve McCune is averaging 11.6 ppg and Senior Robert Fragoso has been running the PG with pin-point accuracy averaging 6 assists and 4 steals per game. Junior Guard Stephan Henning has had a strong second half of the season as he has lifted his scoring average to 9.4 ppg with 4.7 assists all while shooting 51.9% from the floor. Sophomore Grant Brown has been playing well of late as he has averaged 12.2 ppg in his last 4 games.
You can follow all the Warrior action at www.uscaahoops.com with tournament scores and schedules.
25 February 2009
Warriors survive on the road at Andrews University
The Warriors traveled to Berrien Springs, MI to take on Andrews University to close out the regular season on Tuesday night. The last game of the regular season for the warriors proved to be the toughest test in the second half of the season.
When the game started, it looked as though the Warriors were going to win convincingly as they held Andrews to just 13 points in the first 15 minutes of the 1st half. With 5 minutes left in the half the host team went on a 15-4 run to cut the warrior lead to just 10 points at the half 38-28. The Warriors were able to build the lead with hot shooting from the perimeter as they would make 7 of 11 3-pointers in the first half.
The second half would see a dog fight as the warriors were not able to pull away from the feisty Cardinals. The Cardinals were able to tie the game with 40 seconds left in the game on a lay-up from Sean Thorne. The Warriors would come down on what would be their last possession to see Grant Brown drain the game winning 3 pointer with just 6 seconds left on the warrior shot clock. Andrews, who were out of timeouts, came down and were unable to get a good look at the basket as time would expire.
The Warriors were led by Adrian Schaffer's 25 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Grant Brown who scored 12 points all from behind the 3-point arc. Stephan Henning would finish with 11 points and 4 assists. The Warriors finish the regular season with a 23-6 record marking the 8th consecutive season with 20 or more wins.
Next up for the Warriors is a trip to the USCAA National Tournament which will be held March 3-7 at Penn State University-Fayette in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. You can follow all the action of the Warriors at www.uscaahoops.com
23 February 2009
Warriors end "Home" season with a win over Mustangs
On Saturday the Warriors would host their last home game of the season in a tough USCAA match up with the Mustangs of Marygrove College. Earlier in the season the Warriors traveled to Detroit and came home with a convincing 75-50 win. With the USCAA National Tournament on the horizon, the Warriors knew they would have to make a statement that they are poised and ready for the challenge of the tournament. The Mustangs were coming to make a statement of their own as the two teams could face one another again in the tournament.
Early on in the game the two teams would exchange baskets before the warriors would take control of the game. In the first meeting Adrian Schaffer dominated with 29 points, and would be the focus of the mustang defense this time around. While the Mustangs keyed on Schaffer, Steve McCune would take advantage of the situation by shooting 9 for 9 and scoring 20 points in the first half alone. With that the Warriors were able to take a comfortable lead into the half with a 43-29 advantage.
Coming out for the second half the Warriors knew that they would get the Mustangs best effort. The Mustangs would come out on an 10-2 run to start the second half before they forced a timeout by the Warriors. The timeout proved to be the wake up call the warriors needed as they would build a lead by as much as 28 points mid-way through the half. As the mustangs paid more attention to McCune who finished with 31 points on the game, it was Sophomore Grant Brown that would provide a spark in the second half as he would nail 3 3-pointers in rout to a 17 point performance off the bench. Adrian Schaffer would finish with his 3rd double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The win raises the Warrior season record to 22-6 while the Mustangs fell to 12-13. Next up for the Warriors will be a game at a much improved Andrews University. The last meeting with Andrews, the Warriors came out with a hard earned 68-46 win. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 pm and will mark the end of the regular season before the National Tournament.
17 February 2009
Warriors tame the Wolves 80-71
The Rochester College Men's basketball team hosted the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolves Monday afternoon and were able to come away with an 80-71 win. The win raised the warriors record to 21-6 on the season, while the wolves would drop to 5-21.
The first half was an intense battle that would not allow either team to take a commanding lead until late, when the warriors were able to build a 12 lead going into halftime 39-27. The visiting wolves shot a better percentage (46.4%) than the warriors (45.7%). The difference was that the warriors forced the wolves into 11 first half turnovers resulting in 14 points for Rochester.
The second half would see the warriors shoot even worse from the field (37.5%) to the wolves (48.6%), but again, it was the warriors defense that would keep the wolves at Bay. The 12 point lead at the half proved to be a big enough cushion for the warriors as the wolves would them 44-41. The Warriors were led by Adrian Schaffer who scored 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, followed by Stephan Henning who poured in 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting. Senior Steve McCune would contribute 12 points and Freshman Dramell Hogan would score 7 points and a game high 10 rebounds. Robert Fragoso would control the tempo of the game scoring 8 points and dishing out a game high 9 assists.
The warriors are off until Saturday when they play Marygrove College in a re-match game. The warriors won the first match-up at Marygrove 75-50 in an intense game. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm at Oakland Christian High School and will mark the last home game of the season for the warriors.
16 February 2009
Men
The Rochester College Men's basketball team will host the University of Michigan-Dearborn today at 3:00 pm. The game will be held at Oakland Christian High School. All Fans are asked to park in the lower west parking lot to attend the game.
09 February 2009
Warriors pick up hard fought win at home
The Rochester College Warriors played host to visiting Andrews University on Monday night, coming away with a hard earned 68-46 win. The win raises the Warrior record to 19-6 on the season.
Andrews University came in with a fired up team and they were able to jump out to an early 6-0 lead before a warrior time out. After the time out the warriors were able to get on the score board and go on a 10-2 run to take the lead at 10-8 with just over 14 minutes left in the 1st half. Andrews University was not going to call it quits as they would battle the warriors toe-to-toe. The visitors knotted the score up at 25 apiece before the warriors would score in the final seconds of the 1st half to take a 27-25 advantage as time expired. The persistent visitors from Andrews shot a stellar 52.4% from the field, while the warriors shot just 45.8% from the field.
When the second half began the warriors came out with a new desire in their eyes as they would outscore Andrews 41-21 in the second half. The warriors shot a blazing 68% from the floor in the half while holding Andrews to just 33.3% from the floor. The Warrior defensive pressure would force Andrews into 23 turnovers for the game.
The Warriors were led by Adrian Schaffer II with his first double-double of the season as he tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Dramell Hogan would come off of the bench to record a career high 16 points, followed by Stephan Hennings with15 points and Steve McCune's 13 points. Senior Rob Fragoso would control the Warriors offensive tempo with 10 assists. Andrews University was led by Sean Thorne who led all scorers with 30 points.
Next up for the Warriors will be a home game on Saturday when they play host to Great Lakes Christian College. The game will be played at Oakland Christian High school at 3:00 pm. That game will also be senior day as the Warrior seniors will be honored for their contributions to the Rochester College community and the Warrior basketball program. Come on out as the seniors will be honored before the game begins.
03 February 2009
Men
The USCAA has announced that Rochester College Men's Basketball team member Adrian Schaffer II is the national player of the week. Schaffer led the warriors to two big wins last week. Against Kuyper College Adrian scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Against USCAA rival Marygrove College Schaffer tallied 29 points and 8 rebounds. He is the first Warrior to claim this award this season.
The warriors will travel to Lansing tonight to take on Great Lakes Christian College. This will be their first game since beating Marygrove a week ago. Game time tonight is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
28 January 2009
Warriors roll to win #15 in a tough road game
On Tuesday night the Warrior men's basketball team traveled to Detroit to take on USCAA rival Marygrove College. The game had USCAA National Tournament implications as the #3 ranked Warriors faced a must win situation against the #10 ranked Mustangs. The warriors would come home with a 75-50 victory. The mustangs grabbed the early momentum as they jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. A quick timeout by Head Coach Garth Pleasant began the turn-a-round for the Warriors. After the timeout the warriors were able to get back into the game. The rest of the half would see several lead changes, with the warriors able to carry a 30-27 lead into the half. Rochester would shoot 42.9% from the field in the first half while holding Marygrove to just 39.3% shooting.
The second half would see an eventual surge by the warriors that was lead by Adrian Schaffer, who had a career high 29 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the field. As a team the warriors picked up the intensity on the defensive end forcing Marygrove into 16 turnovers and just 40% shooting from the floor. The Warriors on the other hand would only turn the ball over 10 times, while shooting 61.5% from the field. Also reaching double digits in scoring were Steve McCune (11 pts 8 rebounds), Robert Fragoso (11pts 9 assists), and Stephan Henning (13 pts). Tom Webb would finish with a season high 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the 3 point line.
The win raises the warrior overall record to 15-6, while Marygrove would fall to 6-12 on the season. The Warriors will have a whole week off before their next game when they travel to Lansing to take on Great Lakes Christian on February 3rd.
19 January 2009
Warriors pick up win #13 on the season
The Rochester College Warrior men hosted the Warriors of World Harvest Bible College on Saturday and came away with a convincing 85-62 victory. The win raises the RC Warrior record to 13 wins and 6 loses. RC came out with an aggressive game plan that included a full court press. Early steals for RC led to easy baskets as the warriors started the game on a 10-0 before World Harvest called a timeout to regroup. With their continued pressure defense the RC Warriors were able to build a 44-34 halftime lead. The RC Warriors were able to shoot a stellar 54.5% Field Goal percentage while forcing 9 turnovers for World Harvest.
The second half saw the RC Warriors continue their hot shooting 50% from the field. The RC Warriors had a balanced scoring attack led by Adrian Schaffer II and Steve McCune, who had 20 points apiece. Schaffer missed a double-double by just 1 rebound, finishing the game with 9 rebounds. Stephan Henning provided 15 points for the Warriors. The RC Warrior guards (Henning, Fragoso, and Webb) controlled the game dishing out a combined 20 assists and 10 steals and 25 points, with only 4 turnovers.
The Warriors will host Kuyper College on Wednesday, January 21st as the second half of a double header with the womens team at Oakland Christian High School. The women will start 6:00 pm followed by the men's game at 8:00 pm.
12 January 2009
Warrior men roll to a 100-53 victory
Despite the bad weather and poor traveling conditions, the men's basketball team hosted Ohio State University-Marion on Saturday. With the game in question of being played due to a winter storm, the Scarlet Wave battled the roads and arrived in time to play the game.
The warriors were thankful that the Scarlet Wave arrived, yet they were not gracious hosts as the men rolled to a 100-53 win. The victory raises the season record to 11 wins and 6 loses. Four warriors reached double figures, led by Adrian Schaffer (17pts), Grant Brown (14pts), Steve McCune (12pts) and Dramell Hogan (10pts). In his first Varsity action on the season Freshman Dramell Hogan provided a double-double for the warriors with 14 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. The warriors shot a blistering 52% from the floor (42 of 81) and out rebounded the Scarlet Wave 54-28.
The game was the first for the Warriors since December 17th when they lost 58-78 to NCAA Division 2 St. Joseph's College from Indiana. The next game for the warriors will be Jan. 14, when they travel to Lambton College from Canada. The warriors faced the Lambton Lions earlier in the season and came away with a convincing 91-54 win on Homecoming. The warriors will have a significant challenge as they will go into the game without two of their leading scorers. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
08 January 2009
January 10th game time moved
The men's basketball game against Ohio State-Marion has been moved to 4:30 pm Saturday at Oakland Christian High School. Oakland Christian High School is located at 3075 Shimmons Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.
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