Dickinson Men’s basketball finished out their season in the first game of the Centennial Conference playoffs. Sadly, the Red Devils couldn’t come back from a tough first half to pull out a win. However, Dickinson didn’t go down without a fight, outscoring Ursinus in the second half and outperforming their opponent in every category except for Field Goal Percentage. Senior Ryan Robinson was the standout player for the Red Devils, leading the team with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists to end the day. Strong play was also seen from a multitude of other players, most notably from Anthony Goeb and Jack Tierney. Both were instrumental in keeping the Red Devils in the game from until the very end, each scoring 11 points on the day and Tierney having the second highest rebounds with 9. 

Looking back at the season, the Red Devils finished overall 11-13, and 10-8 in their conference. They ended fourth overall in the Centennial Conference. Looking back at the season, Dickinson did not have it easy, having to fight in every game they played. This is a testament to Dickinson’s determination, as in five of their 11 wins over the course of the season were comebacks with the Red Devils being down going into the second half. Even when the cards didn’t fall their way, Dickinson made their opponents play until the very end, never letting them gain a significant lead with 8 of their losses being within 10 points. 

The key to Dickinson’s success was their defense, with 4 players ranking in the top 20 overall in the league for defense. Those players are Chris Bates at 5, Robinson at 10, Tierney at 14, and Drew Haueisen at 20 overall. These rankings are reflected in the season’s statistics, where the Red Devils had the highest steals averaged per game and allowed the least amount of 3 pointers in the league. Also, Dickinson finished third in FG allowed and rebounds averaged per game over the whole season. 

Dickinson’s success this past season wasn’t only because of defense. It is worth noting the 6-game win streak the Red Devils went on in later January through the middle of February. It is during this string of wins that we see the Red Devils determination as three of the six wins had the Red Devils down going into the second half of the game and fighting their way back to be on top. Amazing scoring from Goeb and Robinson contributed to the Red Devils success with Goeb leading the team in three of games with a collective 55 points over the three. Robinson also led the team in 2 with 35 points collectively in those 2 games. 

With an end to Dickinson’s season, it’s natural to look ahead toward next season. The Red Devils will be losing 6 seniors and only gaining 3, making the team a lot younger than they were this past season. With 9 of the teams’ players being underclassmen, many will find themselves in new opportunities in the future. With the loss of Robinson, Bates, and Tierney, there will be an opportunity for underclassmen to step into those vacant roles and find a way to contribute to their team’s future success. We have seen this happen this past season with Goeb and Haueisen majorly contributing to the team. Let’s hope they can lead the rest of their class, improving on the great success they had this past season.  

Dickinson has definitely shown their strength this past season, making them a challenging opponent and a team to never discount. I know that as long as the rising seniors can command a younger team and build on the success of this season that they will be a force to reckon with next year.