Hall of Fame Series: 2001-02 Men’s Basketball Team

Hall of Fame Series: 2001-02 Men’s Basketball Team
Posted: Oct 24, 2019

BOSTON – Over the next few weeks, GoSuffolkRams.com will take a look at the student-athletes and team to be inducted into the Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. Our next installment features a NCAA Division III Tournament team, the 2001-02 men's basketball squad. 

No one person was more important than the other. 

This maxim was the key that triggered the 2001-02 Suffolk men's basketball team to one of the most exciting and memorable seasons in school history. 

Following a 1-3 start, the Rams went 14-9 the rest of the way including a 10-3 ledger against Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) counterparts to claim the regular-season title for the first time in program history.

Top-seeded Suffolk didn't stop there. The glow from the regular-season glory barely had time to dim before the Rams sparked excitement again a week later by defeating Johnson & Wales, 76–71, in the conference crown contest, and the blue–and–gold celebrated as conference championships for the first time.  

After the nets were cut down in Springfield, Massachusetts, Suffolk had its sights on the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Although March Madness ended early – in the first round to Clark University, 84-77 – the memories of getting there and competing will be remembered for lifetimes.  

The senior class – Marc Borghesi, Winston Daley, Jason Luisi and Flynn Pagnam – was the backbone to Suffolk's success. They came from a tradition of excellence and recorded more wins in their careers since their 1974-75 NCAA Suffolk Hall of Fame predecessors.   

The Rams ran opponents out of the building with a suffocating defense and a fast paced offense. During that unforgettable season, Luisi and Daley, both All-GNAC first-team honorees, paced the Rams lethal attack with 16.9 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. 

Luisi, Suffolk's second all-time leading scorer with 1,869 points and 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, led a triplet of 1K Club members on the squad in Daley (1,257 career points) and junior Tom Carey (1,201 career points). 

2001-002 Men's Basketball Team
Marc Borghesi
Tom Carey *
Winston Daley *
Chris Emma 
Chris Fritch
Eric Jenkins ^
Ken Kodys
Jason Luisi *!
Tommy Macca
Flynn Pagnam
Jake Parsons
Chris Tighe

Head Coach - Dennis McHugh
Assistant Coaches - Chris Pearce, James Polino, Paul Zermani

* Captain | ^ Deceased | ! Hall of Famer

The 2019 Hall of Fame Class features seven record setting Rams and one unforgettable team. These honorees join 57 existing Suffolk University Athletic Hall of Fames, including  42 student-athletes, four head coaches, eight teams and three special honorees. 

The 2001-02 Suffolk squad, joins the inaugural 2007 Suffolk Hall of Fame 1974-75 NCAA Tournament Team as the second men's basketball team enshrined in our Hall of Fame. 

The 2019 Suffolk University Athletics Hall of fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Friday, Oct. 25 at Suffolk University's Sarget Hall Atrium and Function Room at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the event can be purchased here.

THE SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
 The Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame will recognize the outstanding achievements of former athletes, coaches and others who have played a most significant role in the history of athletics at our University. 

For a more insider's look on the 2019 Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame Class be on the lookout for the Hall of Fame series, which will be published on GoSuffolkRams.com leading up to the event. Specific publication dates on inductees are below: