By Michael Kelley ’14

Photo by Kate Cherney ’15/ The Lafayette

Guard Tony Johnson ’13 was dribbling up the court with under 10 seconds left. The Leopards were down one.

They needed a basket. The game and the season were on the line. Johnson quickly made a defender fall over, which left Jim Mower ‘12 wide open on the wing. Mower received the pass and put up the shot.

Nothing but nylon. Leopards lead by two with 0.6 seconds left and went on to pull off the upset victory, winning 73-71.

“It felt good from the start,” Mower said. “Definitely the most exciting game I have been a part of.”

These are recollections from the 2011 Patriot League semifinal against American University, a game that this year’s basketball senior class calls the most memorable moment of their time here on College Hill.

“Once I saw Jim shoot, I started to move towards the boards and once I saw it go in, I raised my hands like a field goal and said ‘later American’,” Ryan Willen ‘12 said.

The scene on the bench was just as electrifying.

“I was sitting at the end of the bench and I was too nervous to stand up,” Andy Moore ‘12 said. “I just couldn’t believe it. We hadn’t beaten American in our time here.”

“You never see that natural joy out of Coach O’ [Hanlon] so the whole moment was pretty priceless,” co-captain Rob Delaney ‘12 said.

“Once that shot went in I jumped on the court and started yelling at the American player,” J.D. Pelham ‘12 said. “It was an unbelievable game.”

“I was surprised J.D. didn’t get a technical,” Delaney said, laughing.

“Jim was telling us all to shut up after the shot when we went up to give him hi-fives, even though there was only 0.6 seconds left on the clock,” Nick Petkovich ’12 said. Mower apparently did not want to jinx the victory.

His shot propelled the team to their second straight Patriot League Championship game appearance. Even their eventual 72-57 loss to Bucknell failed to dim the memory of their triumph over American.

Bucknell not only ended their season once again this past Saturday, but also the seniors careers, when they defeated the Leopards 79-52. Delaney, Moore, Mower, Pelham, Petkovich and Willen will all be graduating in the spring and will have to hand off the torch to the next generation of Lafayette Basketball. The senior class won 53 games in four years and made two Patriot League Championship game appearances.

Self-named ‘The Solid’ from the Marshawn Lynch YouTube video in which the NFL running back describes himself as “too solid”, the group utilized their different personalities to create a tight bond. Ripping on each other began immediately, especially since the class was from different areas around the country. The east coast guys consist of Delaney from Westfield, NJ, Mower from Harleysville, PA, Pelham out of Cary, NC, and Petkovich from Leesburg, VA. The Western guys are Willen and Moore, hailing from Cape Girardeau, MO and Austin, TX respectively.

“I remember the first day, Ryan wore a Dwight Howard jersey with cargo shorts,” Delaney said, laughing. “He hasn’t worn it since. He wasn’t used to people talking smack. The southern guys weren’t as used to it as me, Nick and Jim were.”

“Sophomore year, we all lived in the basement of McKeen so I think that’s the year when we got the closest,” Pelham said.

The group has spent countless hours together over their four years. “We eat meals together, come up a few weeks early each year, and for interim,” Willen said. “Lots of male bonding time.” Each summer, the group spends a weekend at Delaney’s Jersey beach house.

Now the final season is over and life after graduation looms. Mower is going to take a year off and decide whether or not to play basketball overseas, possibly in England where he would be able to receive his master’s degree. Willenplans to take a year off and then go to medical school. Pelham is currently looking for a job. Petkovich has a job at a medical supply company in Virginia. Moore plans to move back to Austin and work there and Delaney recently accepted a job at Accenture, a consulting company in New York.

They know that life without each other will be different for sure. “It’s taken a lot of work to get to hanging out with other people socially,” Delaney said, laughing. “Its really just been these guys.”