Top row, left to right: Dameian Winns, Seiya Inoue, Roderick Haynes, Jason Angoy and Tommy Vaughn
Bottom row, left to right: Derrick Evans and Tirik Hall (Photo by Lilach Assayag)
On Feb.10, the DCCC Phantoms men’s basketball team battled The Lehigh Carbon Cougars in the opening round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference playoffs.
The Phantoms were 30 seconds away from winning the game, until the unthinkable happened.
“Theoretically we had the game won,” said Andrew Johnson, director of Wellness, Athletics and Recreation at DCCC.
With under a minute to go in the game, the Phantoms had a six point lead against their opponent. The Phantoms committed numerous turnovers, which turned into points for Lehigh Carbon.
The final score was 78-76 Lehigh Carbon.
“Everybody cried,” said communications major Tirik Hall 19, guard for the Phantoms.
The Phantoms had lost the playoffs game to the same team that they had beaten the week before by 15 points in the regular season.
The playoff loss to Lehigh Carbon was described by the Phantoms as disappointing and upsetting, players said.
“It was a difficult season we lost seven games by at least two points,” said Tommy Vaughn, head coach of the Phantoms.
Under the coaching of Vaughn, the Phantoms have reached the playoffs for the third time in the last four years.
Since Vaughn’s arrival, the team has made significant progress from years past. The team finished this past season with a record of 7 wins and 11 losses.
Though their season ended in defeat, it seems the Phantoms are eager to make it further in the playoffs next year. Vaughn said he is proud of his team and commends them for all their hard work.
“This has been my most talented team,” Vaughn said.
Johnson described the team as having an up-tempo and aggressive style of play. “When the coach got them on the same page defensively, they were a great team to watch,” Johnson said.
Having a good defense is something that Vaughn stresses constantly to his players. “Defense is what’s going to get us to the championship no matter what,” Vaughn said.“ A defensively tough team is what they want to be known for.”
Vaughn explained that this year’s team had a good core of players who did what was asked of them and more.
Vaughn likes to nickname his players according to how they perform on the basketball court. Derrick Evans, the starting point guard, was given the nickname “Superstar.”
Evans earned all conference honors for this past season and reached a milestone for the Phantoms when he scored a total of 1,003 points during the season.
This is the first time in two years the Phantoms have had a player in the 1000 point club.
Evans also averaged 19.6 points per game along with 5.4 assist and 11.3 rebounds and led the Phantoms with 37 minutes played per game.
“Iron Man” Hall is another player who did what was asked of him, Vaughn said, because for most games Hall guarded players who were taller and bigger than himself.
Hall’s statistics included a 9 point per game average along with 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals.
Roderick Haynes is nicknamed “The Sniper” for his sound shooting ability. Haynes led the team in total 3 pointers made, with 27.
A basketball team benefits from players who hustle, and the Phantoms hustler is Jason Angoy, Vaughn said. Angoy was appropriately given the nickname “The Hustler” because he was all over the court doing what he could to help his team, Vaughn added.
Last but not least is “The Warrior” Seiya Inoue. Inoue is the kind of player who gets right back up, if knocked down, Vaughn explained. Inoue’s effort earned him the honor of being named an All-Star.
Two players for the Phantoms are gaining attention from transfer schools. Derrick Evans and Roderick Haynes both want to pursue basketball when they leave DCCC.
Evans is considering Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Shippensburg University. Haynes has Penn State Brandywine and Trinity College as options.
Next fall, the DCCC men’s basketball team will face another 18-game season, with hopes of making it back to the EPCC playoffs.
Any students interested in playing sports for DCCC should stop by Room 2516 or e-mail Andrew Johnson at ajohnson76@dccc.edu. or call 610-359-5047.
