Meet Division III’s Top Men’s Basketball Team: Inside Montclair State’s Historic Run

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Montclair State University men’s basketball team was simply not supposed to be here.

With the losses of Mike Jackson and Kieran Flanagan, along with the remainder of their graduate class, the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) champion Red Hawks were an unknown heading into the winter.

Instead, Montclair State has shocked the national landscape.

The Red Hawks currently hold an overall record of 22-0, remaining the only undefeated program in all of NCAA Division III men’s basketball. This week’s d3hoops.com ranking has Montclair State ranked first nationally while also leading with 584 points. This is the first time in program history.

But after graduating two cornerstone players, how has Montclair been able to prove everybody wrong by making history? While players like Jacob Morales, Kabrien Goss and Cristian Nicholson have stepped up, assistant coach Sean Rossi believes it’s because the entire team has had the right mentality since day one.

“We’re trying to be the hardest playing team,” said Rossi. “Our practices are harder than our games, so when it comes to game night, we’ve already experienced and [understood] the level of effort we need to play with.”

Montclair State set the tone early in the season, dominating opponents left and right, whether from the NJAC or from outside the confines of the Garden State.

With the wins racking up, there came a time when the Red Hawks began to realize they were in the middle of a historic season. After their 15th straight victory in mid-January, Montclair State broke the program record for best start to a season.

“I think as people started mentioning, bringing it to our attention, that we’re climbing up the top 25 list and we’re X-amount of games away from one of the better starts in school history,” said Rossi.

The Red Hawks have steadily climbed the ranks since beginning the campaign at 23rd in the country. Just last week, after jumping to the third spot in the top 25, Montclair State maintained its belief that number one was an accurate assessment.

When asked if Montclair State should be ranked first in the country, Tsering confirmed: “Yes, no doubt. I don’t think any other team in the country can beat us. And I think we’re the number 1 team.”

Up to this point, no argument can be made against Tsering. The Red Hawks are one of just five teams at all levels of NCAA men’s basketball without a loss.

Breaking the all-time school record earlier this year is not the only history the Red Hawks have looked to make. Montclair State’s 22-game run sits third in longest NJAC winning streaks in men’s basketball history, behind Rowan University in 1993-94 and TCNJ in 1988-89.

However, the Red Hawks have still not let success go to their heads despite being extremely close to the all-time record. Head coach Justin Potts remains laser-focused on tomorrow.

“I think the biggest thing is one game at a time, one practice at a time,” said Potts after a Jan. 24 win over Rutgers-Newark. “When we closed in on the record start to the season, we talked about it a little bit. I think, in the world we live in today, everybody knows everything, so why hide from it? Since then, we’ve kind of moved on, and it’s really just about trying to get better every game, trying to stick to the process of what we need to do.”

Rossi echoed this sentiment.

“I think we gotta keep focusing one day at a time. We gotta focus on day in and day out,” said Rossi. “The reason that we’re talking about [NJAC undefeated streaks] is because we’ve taken it one day at a time.”

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Montclair State may have sent its biggest message of the season on Feb. 7, with a 104-73 routing of Stockton.

The Red Hawks defeated Stockton University by just two points less than a month earlier. Facing a home upset, Montclair State prevailed after two clutch threes by Morales and Goss with under 10 seconds to go. Six points in six seconds salvaged what should have been a loss, instead keeping the streak alive.

The rematch was highly anticipated. A two-hour bus ride to South Jersey — revisiting an open wound, no less — is a tall task. The response: a 29-point halftime lead and the sixth time the Red Hawks crossed the century mark this season. No doubt remains.

However, the bigger picture is not about Stockton; it’s about how Montclair State can finish its history-making season and Tsering wants nothing but titles to end it off.

“First is to win the regular season,” Tsering said. “Then to win the NJAC playoffs, win an NJAC Championship. Then go for the national title. That’s our main goal.”

“I feel like we’re one of the better teams in the country, so I feel like our record is indicative of that,” said Goss on the Red Hawks’ success. “You just gotta keep watching.”

“Keep watching” is exactly what Montclair State fans will be doing as the season hits its home stretch, the team yet to hit the brakes on this unbelievable run. The Red Hawks can clinch the regular-season conference title with their next victory, coming as soon as Feb. 11 against New Jersey City University.

Montclair State is not blinded by its success. Adversity will hit, and perhaps the dreaded first loss is on the horizon. The man at the top of the program, however, will remain even-keeled until the finish line.

“The record is what it is,” said Potts. “You can’t run from it, but to be honest, we really don’t talk about it much… to be part of that is great, but the first [loss] you take is not going to feel too good. So we’re going to keep trying to find a way to get better and get ready for the next target that we’ve got to face.”