The celebration of the Gannon men’s basketball team continued Tuesday as fans and community leaders welcomed back the Division II national champions from Indianapolis.
“Nothing’s better than just watching them celebrate,” said Gannon head coach Easton Bazzoli. “Even watching them right now walk around and having all these people shake their hands—that’s my favorite part.”
Hundreds of Gannon fans packed the Highmark Events Center as the team received an escort from the City of Erie Police and Fire departments back into Erie.
Fans watched as a video recapped the title game performance before the team walked in with the championship trophy.
For longtime fans like Chuck Pora, who has been a statistician for the school since 1969, this was the thrill of a lifetime.
“This is the thrill of a lifetime,” said Pora. “Like coach said, it’s surreal. I didn’t know if I’d ever live long enough to see something like this happen, but it did. This is one of the greatest thrills of my life. I’ve loved Gannon basketball all my life, and here it is—my life is complete.”
Gannon officials, along with City of Erie Mayor Daira Devlin, Erie County Executive Christian Vogel, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, all congratulated and honored the new Division II champions.
Former players like Mel Witherspoon shared in the celebration. A 1968 graduate who played two seasons for the Golden Knights, he left reveling in the historic moment.
“When the team came in and I watched the video—chills. I just got chills,” said Witherspoon.
The players, seated in chairs at center court with the trophy placed on a table just behind them, were still, days later, struggling to put the accomplishment into perspective.
“I think it’s super cool,” said junior guard Mackenzie Morgan. “I don’t think it’s fully set in yet. I’m still in a bit of disbelief.”
As the celebration concluded, fans had the opportunity to pose with the championship trophy and share their admiration with the team, with players expressing how proud they were to represent the city on the national stage.
“I’m starting to really understand what it means—what it means to this community,” said Pace Prosser, the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. “I’m just happy to do it for a place that really cares about it.”