Coach Phelan has put together a fine program in the shadows of the nation’s capital and this year will be no different.  The Mount as the fans call their beloved Catholic University, because it was built on a Mountain of course, has long been a Division Two power under the always formal wearing Phelan but they have just recently moved up with the Big Dogs and things are not so easy on that porch.  These dogs did have fight in them and showed that they belong.  The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers battled their way to a solid finish in the Northeast conference and were that close from breaking the magical .500 barrier in their first season in D-1.  Phelan teaches young men how to be productive members of the world not just great basketball players and this shows with they way they handle themselves on and off the court.  A team not blessed with an inordinate amount of talent can still compete because they play the game right.  Don’t get me wrong, Phelan has brought in some talented kids but with a front line that went six four, six four and six three no matter how talented you are there is going to be problems matching up even in a conference not known for it’s size in the Northeast.  Phelan teaches the old school methods of discipline and defense and he is not afraid to let his players know what they are doing wrong (or right) on and off the court.  Still, the Mountaineers (dang what an original name) played a tough schedule and showed that they could indeed compete at this level and if Phelan stays around for a few more year who knows how far up the college basketball mountain this team will climb?  

There are some talented players on this team and perhaps the most athletically gifted is senior swing man Fred Carter.  The Mad Dog puts the shooting in shooting guard though because of the lack of height on this team he was usually playing the three. Carter usually follows up a make with a big fist bump which he actually started after a game winner as a Sophomore in a big win in Philly.  This Philly native was a big time get for Phelan as he is by far the best athlete this program has ever had.  Carter never met a shot he did not like and the further out the better.  In the game against LaSalle he actually took 33 shots.  He is an offensive force but is not as he is labeled- just a gunner-though he obviously loves to shoot.  He can rebound and will even pass the ball on occasion.  At six foot three he played primarily wing on this team but because he is such a great leaper he was counted on to help on the boards which he did to tune of almost six boards a game.  Defense was never his thing but being on a Phelan team you better guard somebody or you will not be in the lineup.  And one thing Mad Dog loves is playing for Phelan.  Phelan recruited Carter from Philadelphia and Carter would be the first to admit if he Phelan would not have brought him to the Mount his life could have went down an entirely different path.  Coming to the Mount was not all cake and ice cream for Mad Dog.  Carter was the first African-American athlete not only to play basketball but to even be enrolled at Mount St. Mary’s.  He is just so recognized for his long range bombing and his articulate but ferocious verbage that we sometimes do not see the complete player nor the history of a man.  Mad Dog is a star and will be playing somewhere on a team at the next level next season.  The path he is now on will almost for sure take this kid to great heights even if he does end up on a bad team in the pros because one thing Carter can do is find the positive in whatever situation he is put in. 

Senior forward Jack Sullivan may not have got the ESPN highlights that Carter did but was the true star and leader of this team.  He without question had the most productive season for the Mountaineers.  Sullivan is a consistent force on the offensive end.  He was the go to guy and led the team in scoring and rebounding though at six four he plays just as much outside as he does in the paint. Sullivan has tremendous hops and a great first step and uses them to his advantage.  His running hooks are unstoppable and the Sullivan legend is huge in the Baltimore area.  No one has the all-around offensive game as this kid and if he wants could be a star at the next level.  He play more like a true win with his long range shots but can dominate the paint as well.  To put it into comparison he shot over 50 percent from the field while the free-wheeling Carter barely shot 40 and he still outscored Mad Dog.  This DC native came to the Mount with high expectations but no one would have expected how great he would become.  Sullivan is the greatest player ever to play in the DC area and when Wilt the Stilt and Elgin Baylor came to some of pickup games this city is famous for Sullivan more than held his own.  You might not have heard of Jack Sullivan but you should have!  He is that good.  

The third part of the might Mountaineer Seniors triumvirate is John O’Reilly. O’Reilly (No C) did not get near the attention of his compadres but was every bit as important to the success of this program over the last four years.  Another Philly native who was a guard in high school and Phelan did not even recruit, O’Reilly actually started his career at LaSalle.  He did not like playing behind Gola and company and actually joined an Industrial league.  He put on some weight and this thick six four man became a post.  Phelan heard about him tearing up the I-league and offered him a scholarship to his tiny paradise on the hill and O’Reilly quickly accepted.  From the day he stepped on campus O’Reilly became the man on this campus.  With his guard skills he quickly challenged everyone on the team to one on one games which with his bulk and competitiveness soon became apparent no one could beat him.  Phelan put him at post for which he dominated against lesser competition but moving up to D-One would be a different story.  He would have to guard players much bigger than him but this did not bother the supremely confident O’Reilly.  To put it bluntly this kid will do whatever it takes on the court to succeed and he has a complete game to make sure he does.  O’Reilly got to wear the C on his uniform and he deserved the role of captain with his toughness and leadership.  He only earned honorable mention all-league honors primarily due to his missing four after falling down going for a board against Saint Francis.  This was surprising to Phelan as he did not think Cal Naughton Jr er O’Reilly could even get off the floor.  The importance of this big man showed over the time he missed as the Mountaineers dropped all four games and three of them were not even close to lesser competition.  To show his toughness he came back for the stretch run though the ensuing injury to his back was so bad he had to have someone tie his shoes for him before the games.  O’Reilly did not score or board like he did before but he gave the team a huge lift as they won six of their last seven and became even more of a distributor.  With his guard skills O’Reilly might be the best ‘hockey’ passing big man in the league as he averaged two assists a game but set up so many others.  How good was his boarding before the injury?  He got 24 against LaSalle as he played like a guy who had been rejected by a loved one.  O’Reilly ended up having a great career on the Mount and though he does not get the recognition of his buddies Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard he was the glue that held this team together. 

Another trio of seniors Bob Sutor, Bob Riley (no O) and Sal Angelo were the guys doing the dirty work underneath so these ‘other guys’ could cut loose.  Angelo is more of a banger for the first half of the year was the first guy off the bench up front.  He is limited however due to size but is a little more offensive than his buddies. They all three though are there to cause havoc in the trenches.  Sutor also got some quality minutes up front because of his penchant for rebounding and is a solid defender.  Riley came on late especially with the injuries and unlike his compadres has some real size.   Sophomore Steve Rossignoli came up big when he got a chance to play as he is consistent on both ends down low.  He played much more as the season progressed but was really stuck on JV of his year on the Mount.

The perimeter positions next to Carter were the hardest for Coach Phelan to decide on.   Sophomore Paul Edwards got most of the early starts and was the type of competitor any Coach would love.  Edwards was a true wing and was a fine complement to the offensive minded Carter.   A high school legend in Baltimore Edwards (with his brother Darryle who is also on the roster here) led his team an undefeated season and high national ranking.  At six five Edwards is a terrific defender who easily led the team in steals and can also board.  He acquiesced scoring this year to Carter and company but should score more as this becomes his team next season.  Edwards is unselfish to a fault as he is also a terrific passer who like all Mountaineers plays the game the way it is supposed to be played.  Edwards had a chance to play at a higher level school but he and his brother wanted to come play for the great Phelan to learn the game from the master.  He, like O’Reilly, missed some games with a nagging little injury but came back strong for the stretch run.  Phelan kept him into the rotation due to his smarts and desire and he produced some huge games off the bench down the stretch.   His brother, who is more of a post player, could start next year after sitting behind all of those seniors and do not think that this duo will not continue to great history that is Mountaineer basketball.  The Mount is in good hands with these two around but Phelan has to find some more D-One type talent to keep this program moving forward.   Mad ways up to the next level.  Another Sophomore Durelle Lewis. is also in the mix for the point guard.   Lewis is a born leader who can score as well and is the favorite to start at the two with a few players moving off from the Mount to the greener pastures below. 

Coach Phelan had plenty of options and offense off the bench in the backcourt.  Seniors Louis Grillo, Ted Kachnowski, Pete Clark and Ed Pfeiffer Juniors John Novey and Michael Cataline and sophomores Jim Rowe and Jay Bruchak will all be competing for time. Clark was at one point a star here but has slipped since the team moved up to another level as he wasn’t ready for that kind of speed.  Phelan likes to use a lot of perimeter players and has relied on undersized studs who would have been D-1 type players who slipped through the cracks.  Novey is one of those.  Most of these guys are workmanlike players who can do something well like shooting.  Carter may be the Mad Dog but Kachnowski is the Unabomber and can really let it fly as can Grillo and Pfeiffer.  One of these guy could start but all will get their shot under Phelan.  Cataline and Rowe might have the best chance of starting but as you can see there will be many bodies playing for this legendary program and Coach.  

Midway through the season on the Mount Senior John O’Reilly’s Mom decided he needed a little good luck charm to sit next to him when he was on the bench.  The Mountaineers were coming off a terrible stretch where they lost six in a row including a very depressing lost at Central Connecticut State where the boys had their own personal back of the bus team meeting.  They were motivated to turn things around but needed some inspiration.  Enter Clancy the Cobbler, a four inch Leprechaun who became the team’s most important bench player.  The Mount came alive and suddenly everyone in Emittsburg was Irish.  The Mountaineers won their last seven regular season games and their first tourney game

The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers have a legend on the coaching bench.  Jim Phelan can take a group of average ballplayers and show them how to become something special with a little dedication and discipline.  This is a brave new world though as he has moved up from D-2 which this program was dominant to D-1 and though the Northeast is not the Big East, there are some great players and teams in this league.   Pheland will have to find some more size and athleticism to compete at this level but he will find his type of player.  He always does.  And no matter if this NCAA division the Mountaineers are battling in one thing is for sure, Phelan will be there on the sidelines in a bow tie and Mount St. Mary’s will be in the mix for another conference title.