Back to No. 1

After finishing its regular season with the best record in the country, Salem CC returns to No. 1 in JUCO Division III basketball rankings

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC men’s basketball team heads into postseason play back as the No. 1 team in the country.

The Mighty Oaks were returned to the top spot in the JUCO Division III rankings after completing their regular season with the best record in the country (29-1).

They jumped Dallas College Richland (now No. 4) and Riverland CC (now No. 5).

‘Ii’s a good selling point for recruits,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We already had the target, it’s not really a bigger one because we’ve been that all year long. It’s just good. It looks good on paper. It looks good to these guys who worked all year for it.”

The Mighty Oaks held the top spot for six weeks before falling to No. 3 after suffering their only loss of the season at Brookdale, ironically a game whose prep was interrupted by a snowstorm.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Green said. “Even if we’ve got to go outside we’re going to practice. Snow, weather, we’ve got to do it.”

Since the loss, however, they have nailed down the overall No. 1 seed in the upcoming Region XIX tournament and will open postseason play Wednesday or Thursday with a home game against Ocean CC, a team they put 100 on twice during the season.

“I think they responded well, I think they responded well in that game as well,” Green said. “There were a couple games I didn’t think we looked as sharp, but I think the last two or three were like we’re probably supposed to look.”

A win over Ocean will send the Mighty Oaks to Northampton CC Saturday to play either Camden or No. 8 Montgomery for an automatic bid to the national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y.

The No. 1 ranking also will make it difficult to deny them one of four at-large bids to the nationals if they lose along the way.

“It gives people something to think about,” Green said. “That’s another thing that’s the beauty of ending the No. 1 team. It gives the committee something to think about regardless of what happens.

“It’s a tiny bit of security. It also allows you if you go ahead and win the championship you’ve gotta be pretty much the No. 1 overall seed.”

JUCO DIVISION III RANKINGS
1. SALEM CC (29-1), 2. Northern Essex (27-3), 3. Dallas-Eastfield (20-8), 4. Dallas-Richland (20-8), 5. Riverland (26-2), 6. Dallas-North Lake (19-10), 7. Dutchess (23-4), 8. Montgomery County (19-4), 9. Northampton (24-4), 10. Ridgewater (20-5), 11. Virginia Peninsula (21-6), 12. North Country (24-3), 13. Genesee (20-7), 14. Union (22-8), 15. Herkimer (18-6).

Also receiving votes: Brookdale, Anoka-Ramsey, Joilet.