The College of Staten Island recently completed what was their final turn through the City University of New York Athletic Conference in 2019-20, and will be fully integrated into the East Coast Conference with an NCAA Division II schedule in 2020-21.  Leaving behind a tremendous wake as one of the CUNYAC's founding members, day-by-day we will be looking back at each of CSI's programs, notably the CUNYAC Championship teams spanning over 40 years in our spring CUNYAC retrospective entitled, "Remember the Legacy."  This historical look back will chronicle the amazing achievements of CSI athletics programs, complete with championships, milestones, and amazing performances.

Our next sport spotlighted will be Men's Basketball, easily one of the College's most successful programs spanning back even before the days of the College of Staten Island and through the years at Staten Island Community College in the NJCAA.  In one of the CUNYAC's most competitive sports, the Dolphins have collected a total of 15 CUNYAC Championships, including the last two in back-to-back fashion in 2017 & 2018. 

THE START

When the College of Staten Island joined the CUNYAC and NCAA Division III ranks in time for the 1977-78 season there were several things they were looking forward to and one of those things was showcasing their Men's Basketball program at the next level.  One of the region's premier junior college programs, CSI began prep work for their inaugural season with the intentions of carrying that same bravado into the NCAA ranks.  The team by then was in the capable hands of future Hall of Famer Evan Pickman, but for the Division III debut, Angelo Aponte was the school's first head coach, as Pickman stepped away from the team for a lone season to finish the pursuit of his Doctorate Degree.  CSI won six games in their debut season, including three against conference opponents, Hunter College, Baruch College, and Medgar Evers College.  From there, however, Pickman returned and the program has rarely left the top of the CUNYAC standings.

THE FIRSTS
First Game:  November 28, 1977 - CSI hosted Hunter College, falling to the Hawks in overtime, 73-69.
First Win:  December 3, 1977 - At Upsala College, CSI defeated Dominican College, then a Division III school, 84-77.
First Home Win: December 28, 1977 - In the Inaugural Dolphin Holiday Classic, CSI defeated Ramapo College, 81-71.
First Coach:  Angelo Aponte, who served as a one-year replacement to Evan Pickman was who pursuing his Doctorate.  Many years later, Aponte became CSI's Vice President for Finance & Administration and before retirement, served two years as a New York State Senate Secretary.

READY IN NO TIME
For CSI Men's Basketball, one thing was for certain and that was the program wanted to achieve success quickly, and knew they could given their pedigree.  CSI's 6-17 opening campaign may have signaled some growing pains to some, but set against the backdrop of a very competitive northeast region of basketball, it was actually a tremendous foundation that the Dolphins built on from there, and by the time Pickman returned to the sidelines, CSI was humming.  With players like Steve Cunningham and Tony Jackson combining for nearly 35 points and 20 rebounds per game, CSI improved a whopping 13 games in a single year, and went 8-1 during the regular season in CUNYAC play in 1978-79, the lone blemish to Queens College, still a Division III member at the time.

Come tournament time in 1979, CSI won their first-ever Tournament game in the quarterfinal round, defeating Baruch, 82-72.  After skating by Brooklyn College in the semis, CSI had a return date with Queens College for the Championship that year.  This time, the Dolphins were dominant from start to finish, taking a 92-78 win over the Knights, a win that carried an ECAC Postseason bid.  Cunningham was named Most Valuable Player and just like that, CSI had conquered the CUNYAC in men's basketball.

ESTABLISHING A DYNASTY - 1980-1983

The 1979 Championship sent reverberations throughout the CUNYAC.  CSI was now looked at as one of the CUNYAC's marquee programs, but so too were others like Lehman College, City College of New York, and Hunter.  If CSI was to stay on top, they would need to continue to recruit the area's top prospects and play at an extremely high level night in and night out.  Needless to say, CSI delivered.  Like CCNY in the 70's (five Championships), the Dolphins dominated the 1980's.  

It took a stumble to get their footing, however.  CSI was made to forfeit a CUNYAC Postseason Quarterfinal matchup with Hunter College in their quest to repeat as Champs in 1980, and it left the door open for CCNY to reclaim the Championship, even though CSI had taken the Regular Season Championship with a 7-2 record.  Eager to rebound, CSI did so in time for the 1980-81 season, as Tom Johnson's MVP performance and 19+ points per game helped CSI to its first 20 win season, and CSI got past Queens again in the final, 83-72.  The win gave CSI their first entry into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.  In their regional, CSI fell to SUNY-Potsdam, 80-57, before falling in the third-place game to St. Lawrence, 62-60.  Still, the experience made CSI all the better set up for the future.

In 1981-82, CSI had one of, if not the best season in CUNYAC history.  Guided by standouts like Johnson, Nat Harris, Gregg Whitehead and Gerry Koenig, the Dolphins went 25-4 overall, finishing 12-1 in CUNYAC play.  CSI started 11-0, and later took their first win ever against Division I neighbor Wagner College, 75-69.  CSI would rip through the CUNYAC Tournament to become only the third CUNYAC team to win a back-to-back title, taking down Baruch, 83-77.  Again, CSI went to the NCAA Regional, defeating the University at Buffalo, 64-53.  The win sent them to the NCAA Regional Championship, against their CUNYAC-rivals, Brooklyn College.  Brooklyn was CSI's only CUNYAC defeat during the regular season, and on the big stage, they got the better of CSI again, defeating the Dolphins, 60-57.

Defending back-to-back titles, CSI added big pieces in Tony Petosa and Ron Chase in 1982-83, and didn't miss a beat.  CSI posted yet another 20+ win season, winning 21 games and ripping through the CUNYAC to the tune of a 9-2 record.  Come tournament time, CSI posted a heavy-handed win over John Jay, but missed a trip to the NCAA Championship, gaining a berth into the ECAC Championship instead, ultimately falling in the second round to Jersey City State.

THE AT-LARGE SEASON - 1983-84
In 1982-83, the Dolphins won a CUNYAC Championship but a tough field and the lack of an automatic berth denied them entry to the national tournament, and the opposite was true in 1983-84.  It was clear from the regular season that CSI was at the top of the heap in the CUNYAC during the season, what would be coach Evan Pickman's last.  The Dolphins ran through the CUNYAC to a 13-1 record, and were an amazing 22-2 going into the CUNYAC Tournament.  Despite beating Lehman College during the regular season, however, their luck ran out against the Lancers in the Final, falling, 70-61.  The loss, however, did not damper CSI's chances of making the NCAA Tournament, and they were still able to earn the elusive bid, and made it stand up with a 63-52 win over St. Lawrence in the opening round, putting them in the NCAA Regional Championship for the second time in the last three years.  Again, however, CSI was stymied, falling to Nazareth College, 74-68, finishing their season 25-4.  The year would finalize Pickman's CSI coaching record at 127-42, landing him into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012.

CONTINUING THE DOMINANCE - 1984-1989
CSI's absence from the top of the CUNYAC lasted just the one year, as CSI regained the CUNYAC Championship in both 1984-85, and 1985-86.  Future Head Coach Petosa, Chase and Cyrus Deas combined during the 1984-85 season to help rookie coach Thomas Keenan to a 20-9 season and a win over Lehman in the Final.  Another ECAC berth ensued this time out with CSI advancing to the second round of play.  The following year, CSI again had a season for the ages, posting a 25-6 overall record in 1985-86, a mark that included the CUNYAC's first ever undefeated14-0 regular season, the CUNYAC's last undefeated campaign until 2008-09.  CSI completed the run with an overtime win in the CUNYAC Semifinals over York College, before a three-point win over CCNY in the Final.

The Dolphins found themselves in the CUNYAC Final in each of the next three years.  In 1986-87, CSI relinquished the title, finishing 18-10, but the team rebounded for a pair of huge campaigns that saw Championships again in 1988 and 1989.  Rob Roesch only spent two years at CSI, but was an All-American thanks to a pair of tremendous seasons that saw him average well over 20 points and 13 rebounds per game over the stretch.  Roesch was a CUNYAC MVP both seasons, both under new coach Howie Ruppert.  CSI finished 21-9 and scored a 72-69 win over Hunter in the Final in 1988.  The NCAA Tournament followed, as it did in 1989, when CSI went 24-7 and scored a national tournament win over Alfred University following a win over Lehman in the CUNYAC Championship, their eighth in 12 years as a NCAA Division III program.

 

RETURNING TO THE TOP
In time for the 1989-90 season, CSI had given the reigns of the program over to Petosa, who took the position side-by-side with Assistant Coach Matty White, but after the departure of a great senior class and a rebuilding effort, it did take some time for the Dolphins to return to prominence.  For the next five seasons, CSI found themselves near the middle of the standings, and fell to below .500 in four of those seasons.  In 1994-95, CSI regained their footing, posting their first 20-win season since 1989, falling to a juggernaut Hunter team in the CUNYAC Semifinals, but advancing to the NCAA Tournament via an at-large bid.  

The 1995-96 season then saw the emergence of point guard John Cali, who torched the conference for 16.1 points per game, and it was good enough for a 22-6 season, and CSI's first trip to the CUNYAC Championship in seven years, a 66-62 win over York College.  A supporting cast of Brian Gasper, Chris Kelly, and Bill Felci ushered in CSI's second-straight national tournament qualifier as well, and just like that, CSI was seemingly back at the top of the CUNYAC and would be for more years to come.

STAYING ON TOP

CSI continued its dominating run through the ensuing years.  In 1996-97, CSI won 20 more games but were upset early in the CUNYAC Tournament and in 1997-98, the Dolphins managed to make it to the CUNYAC Semifinals, but fell short again, putting the focus on the 1998-99 season, a redshirt senior campaign for Cali that saw players like David Paul, Kassim Nesbitt, Eric Andres, and Champ Albano enter the fold.  This time, CSI came full circle, overcoming a 6-9 start to finish 10-2 and capture the program's 10th CUNYAC title, again against York, 61-53.

Over the next two years, CSI amassed 35 wins, but the Championship proved elusive, and in 2001, the Dolphins were devastated in a Championship loss against host CCNY that denied them of an NCAA Tournament berth.  It put a ton of pressure on a huge senior class to get to the title in 2001-02.  The team left little to doubt.  CSI burst to 22 wins, Paul broke the school's all-time scoring record, and CSI took a 59-57 thriller from Medgar Evers to return to the pinnacle.  The team was afforded a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, hosting Clark University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  It was also the year that the Dolphins retired their first numbers in program history, commemorating the lives of Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson and Tom Hannafin, who perished in the attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11.  The Tribute to Heroes ceremony early in the season would usher in the Tournament of Heroes the following year, and remains a highlight of the Sports & Recreation Center.

THE DROUGHT - 2002-2011

The thought of just a handful of years passing between basketball CUNYAC Championships was unheard of before 2001-02, but CSI would face a tough road over a decade following the championship campaign in 2002.  The winning basketball did not stop.  In fact, CSI finished below .500 only twice over the next decade and posted five 15+ win seasons from 2002-2011, but Championships proved elusive.  Three times the Dolphins reached the pinnacle, all three times falling in the title game, one just as tough as the next.  In 2004-05, The Dolphins fell to an upstart New York City Technical side that has since folded their program, spoiling the senior year of then leading scorer in CSI history Michael Stewart.  Two years later, in 2006-07, CSI seemed in control late in the CUNYAC Final against their rivals of York, only to be beaten on a half-court buzzer-beater, 56-54.

Despite the setbacks, CSI was building a winner.  A dismal, 6-20, campaign in 2008-09 yielded the recruit of Jordan Young to the team and as his career progressed, CSI added pieces like Dale Taranto, Matt Van Manen, Bloochy Magloire, and junior transfer T.J. Tibbs for what would end up to be a tremendous run unparalleled in CSI history.

In 2010-11, the Dolphins got their swagger back indeed.  The team collected 17 wins in total and found themselves back in the CUNYAC Championship.  CSI thought they had exorcized their demons, but alas, the Dolphins failed to get over the hump again, falling to Medgar Evers, 62-56, in the title game, icing the Dolphins out of the national tournament stage.

THE DANCE - 2011-12

The Dolphins only had one goal in 2011-12, and it was to end their decade-long CUNYAC drought and showcase on the national stage.  Head Coach Tony Petosa put together one of the most competitive schedules in CSI history, and the mettle would serve the Dolphins well down the stretch.  CSI entered the CUNYAC Tournament winners of 14 in a row, and powered through Brooklyn and Baruch before holding on at the buzzer in an 82-81 win over defending-champion Medgar Evers, punching their ticket to the NCAA Championship Tournament.  

The Dolphins were hardly finished.  The team was named as a host institution for only the second time in history, hosting Ithaca College in the opening round.  Powered by Bloochy Magloire's 26 points, the Dolphins cruised to a 98-73 win over the Bombers.  The next day, CSI would host Rhode Island College, and the Dolphins got a program-best postseason record 40 points from Tibbs in a 77-67 victory, sending CSI to the Sweet 16 for the first and only time in school history.  At Franklin & Marshall College, CSI fell into a big hole in their last game against MIT, ultimately falling, 83-67, ending the storybook run.  The season, however, cemented CSI's standing as one of the region's all-time greatest teams.

KINGS OF THE COURT - 2012-20
CSI stayed atop the conference in the years that followed.  In 2012-13, the Dolphins rode the MVP performance of Magloire to score an 80-74 win over John Jay College, and a return trip to the national stage, suffering a tough loss to Catholic University.

As great as the previous two seasons were, CSI's finest was perhaps the 2013-14 season that followed.  With Magloire a senior along with Van Manen and Jonathan Chadwick-Myers, CSI's team, which also boasted Will Fonseca and Frank Schettino, pummeled through the regular season, posting a monstrous, 28-3, campaign, rebounding from a 1-2 start to open the season.  The Dolphins, however, were ill-fated.  They fell into a gaping hole to start the CUNYAC Championship, and despite a great comeback effort, fell short, 87-84, to a York College team that would later vacate the Championship due to NCAA infractions.  To add insult to injured feelings, the NCAA inexplicably denied CSI of an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, easily making CSI one of Division III's all-time greatest teams to get shut out of Tournament play.  A solemn CSI unit rebounded in time to win the College their first Men's Basketball ECAC Championship in 27 years.  On the same night the Dolphins defeated Kean University in the ECAC Final, Magloire set the CSI school scoring record, still standing at 1,822 points.

CSI's frustrations against York continued the following year.  On their home floor, CSI lost a CUNYAC Quarterfinal game to the Cardinals, but again rebounded, taking down three-straight higher seeds to win another ECAC Championship, capping it with an 84-80, double-overtime, win over NYU, powered by Fonseca's MVP performance.

After an 18-win 2015-16 campaign, CSI again approached 2016-17 with high hopes, centered around Schettino's senior year.  Schettino would break school records in assists and steals, championing CSI to a 77-66 winner over CCNY for CSI's 14th overall title, capping a 21-win season and return trip to the NCAA's.  At the conclusion of the year, Tony Petosa capped an amazing career as Head Coach, resigning from his position with CSI atop the conference again.

The Dolphins then turned the 2017-18 installment over to former Dolphin, T.J. Tibbs, whose added duties of Camps & Clinics Coordinator made him the first full-time Head Coach of the program.  With the graduation of Schettino and Khaleeq Baum, and with Petosa's departure, CSI was selected to finish 5th in the Preseason CUNYAC Coaches Poll in 2017-18, and that proved plenty of motivation for CSI.  Under an amazing campaign from Christian Taylor and newcomer Adeola Latunji, The Dolphins raced to a 12-4 conference mark and in the Championship Tournament, overcame a regionally ranked Lehman College team to score an improbable upset, downing the Lightning, 77-75.  At the NCAA National Championship the following week at Cabrini University, CSI kept pace but were foiled on a buzzer-beater, 88-86.
Proving the season wasn't a mirage, the Dolphins duplicated the effort a year ago, getting to the Final yet again in the CUNYAC, and again were a buzzer-beater away from claiming a championship, falling to Baruch College, 76-74.

In time for their NCAA Division II debut, the Dolphins turned the page in 2019-20 towards the future.  The program underwent their first losing season since 2009 this past season, but it was against the backdrop of a rigorous Division II schedule, getting prepared for the future.  If their time in the ECC and Division II is anything like their storied time in the CUNYAC and Division III, then the future is certainly bright for the men's basketball program moving forward.

REMEMBER THE LEGACY
First Season:  1977-78
All-Time Record: 759-435 (.636) 
All-Time CUNYAC Record:  405-130 (.757)
CUNYAC Postseason Championships: 15 - 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018
Hall of Famers:  Ira Sweet (2012), Evan Pickman (2012), John Cali (2012), Robert Roesch (2014), David Paul (2016), Michael Stewart (2018)


Cover Photo from left to right: Rob Roesch, Bloochy Magloire, Frank Schettino