1972 NIT TEAM davidson in niT foR fiRsT TiMe As a young coach, Terry Holland was outspoken and optimistic about his outlook for his Davidson basketball teams. Before the start of Davidson’s 1971-72 season, Holland was quoted, “Our returning veterans, Eric Minkin, Joe Sutter and John Pecorak can give us the leadership and experience we need to go with the youthful enthusiasm of the sophomores. As coaches we feel this combination is capable of 20 wins and an NCAA berth.” Holland’s prediction came within a game of being correct. Davidson ended the season 19-9 and 8-2 in the Southern Conference regular season, which put the Wildcats atop the league standings. After beating Appalachian State, 87-77, in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, the Wildcats lost a heartbreaker in the semifinals to East Carolina, 81-77, thereby losing out on an NCAA trip. It was an interesting season for Holland and his Wildcats. In his third year as Davidson’s head coach, the former Wildcat star player and assistant coach welcomed back a roster of one senior, two juniors and 10 sophomores. Freshmen were ineligible for varsity play, so this
Terry Holland led Davidson to its first NIT appearance in 1972 after the Wildcats suffered an 81-77 setback to East Carolina in the SoCon Tournament semifinals.
represented one of the youngest teams in major college basketball. Sutter, a 6-7 junior, averaged 15.9 points and 7.6 rebounds the previous season when the Wildcats finished 15-11. Minkin averaged 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and Pecorak scored 7.4 points a game and pulled 6.4 rebounds. The most ballyhooed of the sophomores was John Falconi, who averaged 25.5 points for the Davidson freshman team. “We expect him to do equally well against varsity competition,” Holland said. Falconi didn’t disappoint anyone in red and black, as he led the ’Cats in scoring at 16.1 points a game. Davidson proved to be an extremely hard team to guard as a balanced attack resulted in five players averaging double digits in points: Falconi led followed by Sutter (15.7), John Pecorak (11.5), Minkin (11.5), sophomore Mike Sorrentino (10.9). Sophomore T. Jay Pecorak (John’s brother) averaged 9.6 points a game. While the team’s goal was the conference tournament championship and an Eric Minkin averaged nearly 11 points and eight boards a game for Terry Holland’s automatic berth in the
NCAA Tournament, Davidson was invited to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in the school’s history. It should be understood that in this era the NIT was almost as prestigious as the NCAA Tournament. In fact, in the late 1960s, coach Al McGuire of Marquette turned down an NCAA bid to accept one to the NIT. Davidson went to New York to play in Madison Square Garden, maybe the most famous building in the world for basketball. The opponent was Syracuse, which defeated Davidson in a squeaker, 81-77. Falconi led the Davidson scorers with 21 points while Minkin hauled down 13 rebounds. New Yorkers Falconi and Sorrentino were thrilled with the chance to play in New York and the storied Garden. Sutter missed the NIT as he kept an earlier commitment to take part in a foreign exchange program in Mexico. davidson vs. syracuse March 18, 1972, new york, n.y. — Madison square Garden davidson J. Pecorak Sorrentino Gadaire Falconi T.J. Pecorak Minkin ToTals syRaCuse Wadach Lee Dooms DuVal Kohls Stundis Wichman ToTals
second consecutive postseason team.
116
2009-10
DAV I D S O N
BA S K E T BA L L
f f c g g
f f c g g
fG-a
fT-a
1-7 5-14 6-9 10-23 6-14 3-6 31-73
4-5 3-4 2-5 1-3 3-6 2-2 15-25
fG-a
fT-a
2-6 9-15 3-9 8-20 7-21 1-4 1-1 31-76
1-1 4-5 4-8 2-5 8-9 0-0 0-0 19-28
R
Pf
a
TP
3 2 2 8 11 13 39
2 4 5 4 4 1 20
2 11 0 2 3 1 19
6 13 14 21 15 8 77
R
Pf
a
TP
11 12 16 6 2 6 0 53
5 3 2 2 5 2 0 19
4 1 0 4 5 0 0 14
5 22 10 18 22 2 2 81