2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Final Four
Marietta College Pioneers
vs.
Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets
Friday – March 18 – 5:00 pm
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Final Four – Where Legends Rise
March 17, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
Tomorrow, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Marietta College Pioneers’ men’s basketball team will play possibly the biggest basketball game in school history. For many players on this team, it will be the biggest game of their basketball careers. Their goal is to advance to play an even more important game on Saturday.
To achieve that goal, Marietta must defeat an outstanding basketball team. There is no mistaking the significance of tomorrow’s national semifinal. The survivor of a battle between the #1 and #2 ranked Division III basketball teams in the country will play for a national championship. Nothing should be lost on the importance of this moment. Savor it, absorb it, and feed off of it.
For five young men, they will never have this opportunity again. Jason Ellis, Lukas Isaly, Mason Lydic, Tim Kreeger, and Ryan Reidy will all step forward tomorrow. This is a group of big-game players ready for the biggest game of their college basketball careers. These five tremendous student/athletes still have some unfinished business ahead of them. Marietta has ridden the backs of these talented players at points throughout the season.
But this weekend in Indiana, there could be a sort of “coming out party”. The underclassmen on this Pioneer team have been tremendous. Each one has played a valuable role in Marietta’s 2021-2022 success. Every member of this team has been an integral key in helping the Pioneers get to where they are now. The next generation of Pioneers will have an opportunity to help their senior teammates go out as champions. They will also begin to build their own legacy.
No one should be surprised if one of Marietta’s senior leaders steps forward with a monster game. They’ve done it before. They expect nothing less than a maximum effort every time they step on the court. But a victory tomorrow will be a team achievement. They all are. Someone must step forward and accept the challenge. Marietta’s seniors will do their part. But don’t be surprised if one or more players from “the next generation” of great Pioneer basketball players leaps onto the national spotlight.
If the next generation of Pioneer superstars emerge, and the senior leaders play up to their capabilities, the Marietta College men’s basketball team will bring home the most coveted banner in small college basketball. No matter what happens tomorrow, Ban Johnson Arena will proudly welcome home its team.
However, this Marietta College basketball team has a date with destiny. There’s an NCAA Division III Men’s Championship waiting for them. This team is good enough. Now, all they have to do is go out on the court tomorrow and prove it. It’s a time when the ashes will fall, but the “Legends Will Rise”.
The Word Jester is not employed by Marietta College, and is not affiliated with the Ohio Athletic Conference or D3 Hoops.com
The opinions expressed in this article are the exclusive viewpoints of the author.
They do not reflect the points of view, policies, or principles of any outside agency or organization.
