Being considered the underdog is nothing new for the representatives of We Are D3.
They hope to provide new meaning of Aftershocks, as they play the top-seeded Wichita State alumni in Wichita’s own super regional. This group of former Division III basketball players are on a mission to show that there is talent up and down collegiate athletics.
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Current Roster:
- Adam Fravert (Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
- Buzz Anthony (Randolph-Macon)
- Cedric Harris (Centenary)
- Dimitrius Underwood (Texas-Dallas)
- Jacob Bates (Centre College)
- Jordan Robinson (North Park)
- Joshua Treadwell (Rutgers-Newark, Essex Country Community College, & Coppin State)
- Malik Lorquet (UMass Boston)
- Marcus Azor (UMass Dartmouth)
- Philip Flory (Seton Hall & Wisconsin Stevens Point)
- Riley Hayes (Catholic University)
- Ty Nichols (Keene State)
Coaching Staff:
- Mike Rejniak (GM, Head Coach)
- David Clark (Asst. Coach)
- Jason Harris (Asst. Coach)
- Soloman Neuhaus (Asst. Coach)
Region:
- Wichita, Kansas
Team MVP: Buzz Anthony
Anthony recently finished a career at DIII power Randolph-Macon where he earned all sorts of accolades. He started all 131 games over five years and 15.2 points per game overall. Anthony won Player of the Year in his conference four times and D3hoops.com’s National Player of the Year in his graduate season. He has played a year overseas in Germany since graduating.
At 5’11, Anthony is a rather undersized guard but makes up for it with a full bag on offense and disruptive on-ball defense. Look out for him to utilize the pick-and-roll game, where he can attack downhill and is an accurate spot-up shooter. Also, do not be surprised to see Anthony share ball-handling duties with Marcus Azor, allowing him to showcase his intelligence as a cutter.
Make-or-break Player: Riley Hayes
The guards on We Are D3 have the pedigree but a major concern is the front court. Hayes is the tallest player on the roster at 6-8 and just one of two players over 6-5.
He has been a double-double machine throughout his career, first at Catholic, and most recently for CB Moron in Spain. Hayes’ abilities to be an offensive presence in the paint and to clear the boards would be the only way We Are D3 has a chance to knock off the top dogs.
Team Outlook
Do not let the 0-4 historical TBT record fool you; this team has shown they could put up a fight. In 2021, for example, We Are D3 had a halftime lead over a top seed in Team Challenge ALS, hanging in there before eventually going cold in the Elam Ending portion.
As I said, Hayes will have to assert his size, but what is perhaps equally important is the guards simply shooting the lights out. Last year’s effort saw We Are D3 shoot just 28% from the field in a blowout loss. They will need to be on the right side of variance to change their fortunes.
Look for an offensive strategy predicated on spacing the floor and high volumes of three-point attempts for We Are D3.
Featured image courtesy: Coppin State Athletics