GCSU men "going dancing" for the first time in a dozen years

Image courtesy of the Georgia College Sports Information Department

The Georgia College men's basketball team recently received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division 2 national tournament, much to the delight of the players and coaches who were tuning in to the selection show.

“I am excited for the guys,” said Head Coach Mark Gainous. “The guys deserve to experience the NCAA tournament. They are the ones who show up and do the work. This is the closest team I have ever had the privilege coach and I am extremely proud of them.”

The Bobcats, a No. 6 seed in the Southeast region, will begin tournament play on Saturday against Lincoln Memorial, the third seed. Peach Belt Conference foe Augusta University is set to host the regional after taking home the conference tournament trophy, and the game will be played over in Augusta.

This season, Gainous picked up his 100th win, as well as the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Brandon Thomas, a McDonough native, picked up his second Elite-16 award in his career. This award is given to the player with the highest GPA out of the eight teams in the PBC tournament, and Thomas has a 4.0 GPA. Jordan Thomas, hailing from Conyers, was named to the All-PBC first team yet again. Florida native Wesley Simpson was named to the All- PBC second team .

These are three of eight seniors that led the Bobcats to the sixth spot in the region. 

“It means a lot to me, said Chapin Rierson. “I think being able to make it this year is a little more special with how things happened last year. With thinking we were going to make it last year and coming back this year with the same core guys I thought we had a chip on our shoulder and were able to accomplish the goal we had set since day one. Also, this group of guys and the chemistry we have is unmatched and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.”

This is the first time since the 2009-10 season that Bobcat Basketball have made it to the NCAA tournament.

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