Gannon men’s basketball, led by Seneca Valley grad Easton Bazzoli, wins NCAA DII championship
A Seneca Valley product has turned a Division II program into a national champion.
2013 Raiders grad Easton Bazzoli and the Gannon University men’s basketball team are NCAA champions for the first time after blowing out Lander University (S.C.) Sunday afternoon 84-61.
It is Bazzoli’s second season leading the Golden Knights (34-3) after he spent six years as an assistant coach at DII Union University (Tenn.) and another as an assistant at Gannon under then-head coach Jordan Fee.
“The university deserves it, they care. We have unique people in Erie, Pennsylvania, and these guys get the opportunity to represent all of them,” Bazzoli said after the game on the CBS broadcast. “They get to put Gannon on the map a little bit bigger, and these guys deserve.”
Freshman guard Pace Prosser led the Knights with a monster game of 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals. They forced 13 steals and 15 turnovers in this one.
“Pace Prosser is the best player in the country, and he’s got the best team in the country behind him,” Bazzoli said. “That’s the best player in the country right there.”
Mackenzie Morgan had 13, Mackenzie Morgan scored 12 points and Lucas Morgan added 11.
The Knights had one of the most potent offenses in DII this season, scoring 100 points or more in 13 games. They did not crack that number in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis, against Lander (30-5) but thoroughly dominated from start to finish.
Gannon has made 28 NCAA tournament appearances and seven regional championships. The championship game appearance was its second.
