The history of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball from 1983 to 1988 includes the first five years of the head coaching reign of John Beilein. The Dolphins joined the Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC) in Beilein's first season and went undefeated in league play to win the conference regular-season championship. However, Le Moyne failed to win the MECC tournament and were not selected for an at-large bid to the 1984 NCAA tournament. The 1983–84 season marked the first time in program history that Le Moyne won 20 games. Scott Hicks and Pete Jerebko, both of whom would become Le Moyne Hall of Famers, arrived as freshmen in 1984. Despite a solid 19-win campaign in 1984–85, the Dolphins failed to earn an at-large berth to the tournament. After a losing season marred by injuries, illness and suspensions, Le Moyne bounced back with their second 20-win season in 1986–87. However, after falling in the MECC tournament, Le Moyne was not selected for an at-large bid to the 1987 NCAA tournament. Len Rauch, who would go on to finish his college career as Le Moyne's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, arrived for his freshman season in 1987. Hicks, Jerebko and Rauch led the Dolphins to the regular-season co-championship of the MECC, the conference tournament title and a berth in the 1988 NCAA tournament. Le Moyne finished with a program-best 24–6 record in 1987–88, and that season's team was later enshrined in the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Conference title and 20 wins in Beilein's debut (1983–1984) After a month-long search, Le Moyne hired John Beilein as the Dolphins' new head coach to replace Mike Lee. Beilein had been the head coach at Division III Nazareth the previous season and posted a 20–6 record. Prior to his one year at Nazareth, Beilein had coached Erie Community College for four years. Beilein was the nephew of Le Moyne athletic director Tommy Niland, who insisted that his candidacy for the job had been judged independently. Beilein was also known to Le Moyne president Rev. Frank R. Haig, S.J., who was president of Wheeling College while Beilein was a student there. Le Moyne received about 50 applications for the job and conducted interviews with seven candidates. Beilein's initial contract term was three years.
The Dolphins became one of six charter members of the MECC in 1983, and remained a member of that conference, until it dissolved in 1991. The league did not play a full round-robin schedule during its inaugural season, but there were plans to do so starting with the 1984–85 campaign. The MECC staged postseason championship tournaments, but the winner did not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament until 1986. The MECC's other five charter members were Adelphi, Gannon, Philadelphia Textile, Saint Michael's and St. John Fisher. Le Moyne athletic director Tommy Niland was the MECC's first president.
At the time John Beilein was hired as head coach, the Dolphins had three verbal commitments from recruits, Jim Walser, Bill Smolinski and James Henderson, and Beilein wanted to bring all of them into the program. All three players ultimately enrolled at Le Moyne.
Dolphins assistant coach Bob Kawa left Le Moyne to become the head coach at Onondaga Community College. The Dolphins hired Tony Smarrelli and Mike Cordovano as new assistant coaches. Smarrelli had been head coach at Nottingham High School, where his teams made deep runs in the state tournament in each of his four seasons, winning once. Cordovano was 21–4 the previous season as head coach at Bishop Turner High School.
Preseason practices for the 1983–84 season started on October 15, 1983. The Dolphins lost co-captains Joe Nowak and John Miranda to graduation. Seniors Paul Galvin, Mark Prechtl, Jimmy Bova and Mike Leithead, juniors Bobby Chestnut and Wright Lassiter and sophomores Brent Loggins, Erick Piscopo and Terry Heller all returned. Junior Don Murcko was not sufficiently recovered from a knee injury he suffered in a January 1983 car accident and missed the entire season. Four freshmen were added to the team. James Henderson, 6'7", from Linton High School was expected to be the starting center. Bill Smolinski from Solvay High School became the team's tallest player at 6'10". Jim Walser was a 6'3" swingman who played at nearby Bishop Ludden. Walter Hill was a quick 5'10" guard from Gonzaga in Washington, D.C. Galvin, Leithead and Lassiter were named tri-captains.
In John Beilein's debut as Le Moyne's head coach, the Dolphins overcame a first-half deficit and won at Oswego State, 76–58, on November 18. Bobby Chestnut scored 17 points to lead the Dolphins. Freshman James Henderson scored 10 points, grabbed a team-high six rebounds and blocked three shots.
After a road win at Cortland State, the Dolphins were beaten by Assumption, 76–57, in the opening game of the New Hampshire College Basketball Tournament on November 27. James Henderson scored a game-high 18 points for Le Moyne. The Dolphins defeated Plymouth State in the third-place game the following evening. Henderson scored 25 points to lead Le Moyne. Wright Lassiter and freshman Jim Walser had eight rebounds each. Lassiter added 10 points, and Walser scored seven. The Dolphins improved to 3–1 on the season.
After the score was tied at halftime, the Dolphins pulled away from Ithaca in their December 1 home opener, beating the Bombers, 69–50. Bobby Chestnut, James Henderson and Paul Galvin each scored 12 points to lead Le Moyne. After Ithaca guard Tony Jackson scored 14 first-half points, Chestnut defended him in the second half, holding him to only four markers. Henderson and Wright Lassiter each had five rebounds, and Paul Galvin dished out 10 assists. The Dolphins improved their record to 4–1.
Le Moyne hosted the Matt's Premium Classic in January 1984, the first in-season tournament played at the Henninger Athletic Center since the 1975 Le Moyne Christmas Invitational. The Dolphins entered their opening round game 6–2, having not played for a month due to exam and semester breaks. With Wright Lassiter on the bench with four fouls in the second half, Le Moyne went on a 10–2 run, keyed by two transition baskets by Erick Piscopo, that gave them a 12-point lead. The Dolphins went on to defeat Concordia (NY), 78–61. Bobby Chestnut and James Henderson each scored 16 points to lead Le Moyne. Henderson shot 8-for-9 from the floor while Chestnut was good on four of five attempts. Despite his foul trouble, Lassiter grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and added eight points. Paul Galvin had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Piscopo finished with six points.
The following evening, Mansfield won the tournament title, beating Le Moyne, 85–58. Wright Lassiter had a double-double for the Dolphins with 13 points and 10 rebounds. James Henderson also scored 13 points for Le Moyne. Henderson and Bobby Chestnut were named to the all-tournament team. The loss dropped the Dolphins to 7–3.
The Dolphins hosted Gannon in their first MECC game on January 28, and Jimmy Bova scored 20 points, shooting 8 for 15 from the floor, to lead them to a 55–50 wire-to-wire victory. Le Moyne built double-digit leads in each half and allowed them to shrink to three points. However, the Dolphins responded with Bova's outside shooting and the strong inside game of James Henderson and Wright Lassiter, who finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Le Moyne improved to 11–5 with the win.
The Dolphins established themselves as contenders for an NCAA tournament berth with a 72–70 home victory over Philadelphia Textile, ranked no. 12 in Division II, on February 4. Le Moyne used an aggressive interior defense, getting seven blocked shots from James Henderson, Bill Smolinski and Wright Lassiter, to build a 13-point lead with 10 minutes to play. However, fouls began to mount. Henderson fouled out with 4:27 on the clock. Lassiter drew his fourth foul with two and a half minutes to play. Philadelphia Textile took advantage, hitting 23 of 24 second-half free throws and pressing on the defensive end to get back into the game. Free throws in the final minute by Paul Galvin and Lassiter kept the Dolphins from falling behind, but Philadelphia Textile tied the game at 70 with 24 seconds to go. Jimmy Bova's 15-foot jump shot with three seconds left put Le Moyne back into the lead and secured the victory. The Dolphins' fifth straight win improved their record to 14–5 overall and 3–0 in MECC play.
The Dolphins completed a perfect 5–0 MECC season, winning their regular-season finale, 64–55, at home over Saint Michael's on February 25. The Purple Knights made a late charge, cutting Le Moyne's 15-point lead to six with less than three minutes to play. However, senior Paul Galvin, who appeared distracted much of the night, after learning his parents had been in a car accident, hit four clutch free throws that iced the game. Galvin finished with 10 points. Senior Jimmy Bova, playing his final collegiate home game, shot 4 for 12 from the floor and finished with eight points. Wright Lassiter scored 14 points to lead the Dolphins, who improved to 19–7 overall and kept their hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament alive. Although the MECC tournament winner was not entitled to an automatic bid, it was widely thought that at least one MECC team would likely receive an invitation.
The top-seeded Dolphins led their March 2 MECC semifinal game against Adelphi at the Hammermill Center by eight points at halftime but allowed their lead to slip away, falling behind on a three-point play by Steve Pollack, who finished with a game-high 24 points, with 50 seconds to play. The Panthers held on for a 58–57 victory, likely extinguishing Le Moyne's NCAA tournament hopes. Paul Galvin scored 22 points to lead the Dolphins, and Jimmy Bova finished with 17.
The Dolphins met Philadelphia Textile, ranked no. 16 in Division II, the following evening, one day before the final at-large selections for the NCAA tournament were to be announced. With the score tied at 38 midway through the second half, the Dolphins seized control, closing the game on a 36–22 run over the final 9:56, to claim third-place in the MECC tournament with a 74–60 victory. James Henderson scored 23 points to lead the Dolphins, and Bobby Chestnut finished with 20.
Despite the win over a ranked opponent in their final game, the Dolphins were not selected for the 1984 NCAA tournament. However, their 20–7 overall mark set a new program record for wins in a season, and they were the inaugural MECC regular-season champions with an undefeated 5–0 record.
Hicks and Jerebko arrive (1984–1985)