KUTZTOWN, Pa. (March 1, 2011) – One by one seniors Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area), Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) and Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson) slowly walked off the sacred Keystone Arena basketball court for the final time as Golden Bears to rousing ovations from the crowd. They did all they could to try and extend their careers and the Kutztown University men's basketball season.
Unfortunately, for the senior triumvirate their combined 35-point performance wasn't enough as Kutztown dropped an 83-70 decision to East Stroudsburg in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) quarterfinal game Tuesday night. (BOXSCORE)
Gray led the Golden Bears with 19 points. He was one of four players to reach double figures for Kutztown, which finished its season with a 16-11 record. Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) added 15 points. Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) scored 11 points and Johnson ended his career with a 10-point performance.
“I'll remember the winning and the people around Kutztown,” Gray said. “It was a good experience playing here. Every time, I put this uniform on, I always tried to give it everything I had and leave it on the floor. Today, I felt we competed, but there were small things we didn't do today, which made the difference.”
The Warriors (16-11) used a 12-2 run in the final 3 minutes, 24 seconds of the first half and held off a Golden Bear rally to advance to the PSAC semifinals where they will meet Indiana, Pa Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Cheyney will play Slippery Rock in the first semifinal at IUP beginning at 5:30 p.m. It was ESU's first road playoff win since 1990. East Stroudsburg rode the career-high 26 point effort of Duane Johnson to win for the first time at Keystone Arena since 2004.
As each senior member of the Golden Bears headed to the bench, they all stopped and hugged head coach Bernie Driscoll. Johnson slapped hands with all of his teammates. Coffey did the same thing. Although the trio was disappointed that their amazing careers concluded, they looked back with pride of being part of a winning tradition that should continue. All three players became better basketball players and grew as men during their time as a Golden Bear.
“Playing for Kutztown helped me become a better player and a stronger leader,” Johnson said. “Coach named me captain this year and I had to step up and be a role model. It made me mature and I liked it. I feel we had a good season; it just hurts because I believed we could've gone further.”
The biggest reason why Kutztown won't be gathering for practice anymore this season is because ESU grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and forced 12 Kutztown turnovers in the opening half, which ended with the Warriors leading, 36-31. Although Kutztown's deficit grew to 41-31 in the opening 46 seconds of the second half, the Golden Bears displayed their fighting spirit.
Led by Gray, who drained some deep jumpers, and Coffey, who had the play of the game, Kutztown pulled to within, 51-50, with 9 minutes, 32 seconds remaining following a Brennan layup. That would be as close as KU would get as the Warriors gradually pulled away and regained control.
Moments before Brennan's basket, Coffey left the packed house with an indelible memory when he pulled off a move straight from an AND-1 mix-tape. Coming down on a fast break, Coffey drove straight at an ESU defender and when he lunged for the ball, Coffey unleashed a wicked crossover move that would've made Allen Iverson blush. Then he threaded a beautiful pass to Jermaine Jackson (Blandon, PA/Reading), who dunked.
“At that point, I wasn't thinking because I knew we had to get something going to get the crowd into the game,” Coffey said of his you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it move. “Jermaine was able to dunk the ball and that gave us some life, but unfortunately, we were unable to get over the hump. We worked hard on and off the court and we accomplished a lot as a team during my time here, so I am disappointed with this result, but I am thankful for the time I spent representing Kutztown.”
After playing supporting roles last season as Kutztown won 23 games and participated in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament, more was expected from the Johnson, Gray and Coffey this season and they handled the increased expectations. They all enjoyed shining moments this season. Coffey and Gray were shooting stars at times. With each beat of his heart, Johnson's chest-pounding with his fist was his signature. That always energized the Golden Bears.
Kutztown suffered some unfortunate breaks, bumps and bruises during the season. Driscoll had to blend a roster that featured several new players from last season. Despite everything, the Golden Bears had a lot to be proud of. They posted their ninth straight winning season, were in contention for the PSAC East regular season crown until the final week of the season, and won their first five conference contests for the first time under Driscoll.
Johnson enjoyed the time spent together with his teammates on and off the court. He was a two-time PSAC East Player of the Week this season. Johnson scored in double figures 23 times and recorded nine double-doubles. He finished the season by reaching double figures in Kutztown's last 12 games.
“I will remember this team and coach,” Johnson said. “You don't become friends with everybody on the team. We all joked with each other and were close off the court. That's going to be what I will remember and the winning and losing. Even though we lost tonight, it was as a team. That gives you a little comfort.”
Gray and Coffey enjoyed the season of a lifetime two years when the Golden Bears won a school record 28 games and advanced to the Sweet 16. Gray ended his KU career with 911 points and 159 3-pointers.
“I have a lot of great memories playing for Kutztown that I can't just name one,” Coffey said. “You put so much time and effort in becoming the best player and best team you can be. It's hard walking off the floor for the last time. Playing basketball at a high level, getting a quality education and making friends for life is something I will never forget.”
--KU--
