Le Moyne College is one of several schools that have made the move to Division I in the past few years. When this was first announced, I had no idea where Le Moyne is, and was surprised to find it is in Syracuse, making it an easy destination during their first year as members of the Northeast Conference. So, after watching Cornell dispatch Penn in the afternoon, I drove about an hour northeast, stopping in at a Texas Roadhouse to watch most of the first half of the Bills playoff win over Pittsburgh. At halftime, I headed over to Le Moyne, parking behind the Henniger Athletics Center.
I tried the doors but they were locked. A gentleman mentioned that we had to walk around to the front, and then asked me where I was from. I told him that I was from New York and he asked why I was visiting Le Moyne. I explained my hobby and added that I was in Cornell earlier that day. Now that Le Moyne is in D1 I have to see them too. He was surprised at my reason for being there, and then revealed that the entire athletics complex was named after his father, Thomas J. Niland Jr., who was the school's first athletics director and built the program from scratch, staying in the position from 1947-90. He was also the first basketball coach, where he spent 25 seasons leading the Dolphins.
Mr. Niland III accompanied me to the ticket desk and kindly paid for my entrance. I asked for a hard ticket, but they do not have any here, which is a shame as the logo (shown above on a water display) is very attractive and would look great on a hard stub. The senior price is $7, a saving of $3 off the regular admission. A big thank you to Mr. Niland III for his generosity.
The Dolphins play on Ted Grant Court in the Le Moyne Events Center, which is really just the gym but is used for other events and has three configurations. It opened in 1962 and has a basketball capacity of 2,637. There is a small hall of fame behind a curtain near the entrance. I took a peek and there was a rather impressive buffet, but the only occupant didn't mind me taking a few pictures (I did not try to sneak any food). There are a lot of trophies, including seven national championships in lacrosse (Division II). There are also profiles of inductees, including an extensive description of the accomplishments of Niland, Jr. Three major league baseball players starred here: Tom Browning, Jim Deshaies, and Josiah Gray, currently with the Nationals.
Le Moyne is a Jesuit school and the Dolphin nickname comes from a religious background, as the dolphin appears on the seal of the Bishop of Syracuse and is a sign of comfort, union, and fraternal charity. All of this information can be found on Wikipedia pages which are more detailed than most pages for D-I schools, revealing the passion that administrators and students have for the school
Inside the gym, both sidelines are completely chairbacks and all seats are general admission. With the Bills playing, attendance was 483, a number I thought low until I did some research and found that it was the high for the season. Enrollment here is just 2,600, but I'd say more than half of the fans on hand were students. There was no band, but a dance team performed a few times during the breaks in the action.
There is a small set of bleachers at one end (view from there above) and the windows above it are covered with dozens of banners commemorating all of the success that the school's various teams achieved over the years. More banners are on the other side as well.
The pennants of all nine NEC schools are on both sides just beneath the banners. You can also see the edge of the scoreboard and I really think the Le Moyne logo is one of the best in college sports.
There is a small concession stand offering basic fare, but having eaten just before, I did not purchase anything.
An interesting touch: the shot clock is white, not the typical black that you see everywhere else.
Overall, Ted Grant Court is a great addition to the D-I basketball landscape. I was amazed by the amount of history for such a small school, and meeting the son of the man who put Le Moyne athletics on the map was certainly fortuitous. Of course, the Syracuse Orange receive all the attention when it comes to college hoops in the area, but don't ignore the Dolphins, who are well worth a visit if you happen to be passing through during basketball season.
The Game
The Sacred Heart Pioneers were visiting with a 2-1 conference record while Le Moyne had split their first two games in the NEC. The Dolphins got off to a quick start, leading 8-0 at the first media timeout.
Naturally, the shutout wouldn't last, but Le Moyne maintained their advantage, leading 19-11 after a three by thAJ Dancler. Then the Pioneers went on a 14-3 run, including three straight treys, to take the lead. Le Moyne's Isaiah Salter was fouled shooting a three and made all of the free throws to tie the game, and the teams traded threes and then layups to remain tied with four minutes left. Sacred Heart was slightly better over those final few ticks and went to the locker room up 37-34.
The second half saw the Pioneers extend their lead to 8, but the Dolphins fought back and a Salter jumper deadlocked things at 52 with 10:46 to go. From there, the visitors scored 7 straight, with Joey Reilly contributing two freebies and a three-pointer, and the lead was pushed to double digits with five minutes remaining. Le Moyne got back within 7 but Sacred Heart used their possessions to milk the clock and the Dolphins could not do much other than foul.
The rest of the game was mostly free throws as Sacred Heart won 80-73. My phone died near the end of the game, so I did not get a picture of the scoreboard.
Le Moyne played a strong game on the offensive glass, taking 16 boards off their misses but their three-point shooting, particularly 4-18 in the second half, doomed them. Reilly led all scorers with 23 points off the bench, including 5-6 from downtown, while Kaiyem Cleary's 19 points and 11 rebounds led the Dolphins. It was a choppy game with 35 fouls called and 42 free throws, a substantial difference from the afternoon affair at Cornell.
Notes
Essentially, Le Moyne replaced St. Francis Brooklyn (who dropped athletics altogether) in the NEC, keeping the conference with nine teams. I still have St. Francis PA and Stonehill to see in this conference.
Next Up
Portland and Seattle for four three games, including the Leafs at Kraken. Check back next week for all the updates on my adventures.
Best,
Sean
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