Hoisting the national trophy is what players and their universities dream of, and that dream came true for the Gannon Golden Knights on Easter Sunday.
Already local billboards are up and NCAA championship gear is for sale online to help celebrate the DII men’s basketball champs.
Gannon University President Walter Iwanenko was sporting a the championship T-shirt and hat when he talked with Erie News Now on Zoom from Indianapolis. He said the entire community and Gannon fan base is proud. “The sense of pride in the team and these young men and the coaches– our athletics program, as president – it’s been incredible – it really has been overwhelming,” Iwanenko said.
Iwanenko credited second year coach Easton Bazzoli for building a championship team, and credited himself with the decision to hire the young coach. “I said it was second best decision because I married my wife first and then I hired Easton so I’ve got two good decisions that paid off,” he said laughing.
And he credited in his words, a coach of character for recruiting athletes of character. “They recruit a certain type of player, a player that knows what they’re committing to, a player that is going to be strong academically as well as their performance on the court and it shows. He’s got some really great young men on this team.”
Coaches and players they hope to keep. “So our focus for the future of the program is to have conversations with coaches and players about retaining everybody that we can so we can make another run next year.”
For now he wants the team and community to savor the DII title. Gannon will open the doors of the Highmark Events Center at 4 pm on Tuesday, for an anticipated 4:30 pm welcome home event. “I’d like to have everybody into the Highmark Events Center to celebrate the victory and then we’ll plan a series of events afterwards, so fans and folks who would like to meet the guys and congratulate them will have that opportunity,”Iwanenko said.
Gannon sent this information out to the university community:
Doors will open at 4 p.m. — come early, bring your energy, and help us pack the Highmark to give our champions the welcome they deserve.
The celebration will include a brief program followed by an opportunity to mingle with the team, take photos, and see the national championship trophy up close.
Please note that merchandise will not be available for purchase at the event. However, NCAA championship gear is currently available online. Click here. We also anticipate launching an expanded selection of championship merchandise as early as Tuesday, April 7 — stay tuned for more details in a separate email.