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Members of the Dribbling Seamen pose after winning the CUI Title. From left:
Quinton Sampson-Wood, Ryan Albers, Isaiah Acfalle, McKenna Cardinal,
Sean Szarnych, Nick Anderson, Caleb Wragge, and Nick Tate.
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The Dribbling Seamen defeated "Witness" 74-63 in the CUI championship on Sunday, earning the first league championship in franchise history.
The squad won the coveted championship T-Shirts by outscoring a "Witness" team that had advanced to the finals earlier in the night.
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| Sean Szarnych, #47 |
"It feels good to be champions," said captain Sean Szarnych while fighting tears. "This is what I play for. I've reached the pinnacle."
Szarnych finished with nine points while teammates Ryan Albers and Caleb Wragge added 19 and 14 respectively. Nick Tate hit several clutch shots in the second half including some big three-point shots.
With the Seamen up by three with under 10 minutes to play, the Seamen ran into their turning point. A "Witness" player took and missed a shot and called an obvious foul on the play. However, "Witness" got the rebound and went back after a score. Because the foul was called, the team had to come back down, erasing the score and did not convert. The Seamen took advantage of what could have been a one point game but wasn't and took off the rest of the way.
"Hey put this in your blog," said Wragge. "It feels good to be a big expletiving deal on Clarke's campus."
Wragge fought through a major ankle injury to be able to play in the game.
"When I founded this franchise, this is what I had in mind," said Wragge. "Last year wasn't what we wanted. We got her done this year. Expletiving right we got her done."
Although the Seamen will be focusing on enjoying their first title for a while, starting tonight and into tomorrow by wearing their championship shirts to classes, the end of a season calls for questions about next season. Some contracts have expired and there are big free agent names on the market.
Albers, Tate, and McKenna Cardinal are all free agents starting Monday, December 1 which is the beginning of the free agent signing period. Isaiah Acfalle, Nick Anderson, and Quinton Sampson-Wood have a mutual option that needs to be picked up by both parties before returning to the squad.
On the market are several players who were key components to other teams in the 2014 CUI league. Matt Gagner is one player who has publicly expressed interest in joining the Seamen, but the Seamen are holding their options open by sending scouts to area high school games to lure undecided high school seniors to attend Clarke to play Intramural Basketball.
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| Will Kevin Fitzgibbons return? |
"I hope they consider me to be on the team next year," said Gagner. "I led the league in rebounds with 20 per game."
Additionally, the team will likely look to return their defensive wonder from 2013, Kevin Fitzgibbons, after his several months in Fiji, Canada.
Although the future in the free agent market looks murky, Szarnych in Wragge are locked in with one and two more years on their contract respectively. Neither player is linked in any trade talk, but if the Seamen struggle next season, General Manager Wragge may consider shipping Szarnych off for draft picks since he will only have one year left.
Key pieces may be on the move, but for now, the team stays put.
"I can't express enough the love I have for these men. Also McKenna," said Szarnych. "We may not all get to play together again, but for this week, we are still a family."
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| Nick Tate, CUI Finals MVP |
After the game, Tate was named 2014 CUI Finals MVP for his incredibly clutch performance that not only wowed his teammates, but his opponents and fans as well.
"He really had it tonight," said Wragge about Tate. We don't win this game without him. He stepped his expletive up to another expletiving level tonight. He was deadly in the paint, beyond the arc, at the point. He was like a expletiving magician."
Tate will undoubtedly use the honor to get a better contract, whether it be from the Seamen or another suitor, in 2015.
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| Ethan Wragge's brother, Caleb |
Wragge reflected back on the past and what brought him and his team to this moment.
"I was the team," said Wragge. "Nothing makes you realize that this is a team game until you get a expletiving crippling injury and realize that you have teammates who also play. It was awesome to see. But expletive my ankle hurts. Expletive."
The Naval Intramural Academy would like to thank you for reading this season, despite a late season hiatus due to some Google issues. We appreciate your readership and hope you continue to follow the team.
Dribble on, Seamen. Dribble on.
