An Amazing Season, Men’s Basketball Recognized

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State men’s basketball team has already had a historical season in their 2003-2004 campaign. A month later, they’re still being recognized for it.Mike Loughlin, Nick Pelotte, Anthony Oglesby and Andreas Pope were all recognized by the New Hampshire Men’s Basketball Coaches Association this past week for their tremendous season, while Pelotte and Oglesby earned additional regional honors for their efforts. These four, alongside several other notable Panther players, led Plymouth State to a school-best 24 wins and their second NCAA tournament-berth in history.Pelotte’s impressive career at Plymouth State earned several recognitions this year. In addition to being named an NHMBCA First Team All-Star, the junior guard was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Northeast Region Second Team, D3hoops.com Northeast Region Third Team and was an ECAC All-New England Honorable Mention. The Panthers’ leading scorer the past two seasons, Pelotte averaged a conference-best 18.2 points this year, including 33 against Amherst in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. In three seasons, Pelotte is already among the top scorers in Plymouth State history, putting up nearly a thousand points in two years and averaging of 15.6 points per game for his career.Joining Pelotte as a First Team All-Star is Oglesby, who was also the Co-MVP. In addition to his NHMBCA honors, the junior forward was named to the ECAC All-New England second team. A regular threat anywhere on the court, Oglesby’s 24-point, 18-rebound performance against Amherst helped him finish just shy of a season double-double, averaging 14.6 points and 9.9 boards while starting all 30 games for the Panthers. The Panthers’ leader in several categories, Oglesby also topped the Little East and registered among national leaders in rebounds and steals. In two seasons since transferring to Plymouth State, Oglesby has racked up 888 points and 556 boards, and is one point shy of reaching the thousand-point plateau for his three-year collegiate career.Loughlin, a senior guard, was selected to the NHMBCA Second Team for his efforts as one of Plymouth State’s tri-captains this season. One of only two Panthers to start in all 30 games this season, Loughlin averaged a career-best 12.2 points, while leading the team in three-pointers (76) and three-point shooting percentage (.400). A constant threat at the free-throw line, Loughlin also led the Little East in free throw percentage (.846). Loughlin finishes his Plymouth State career with 877 points, averaging 10.5 points per game over his final three seasons.The final player to be recognized for his efforts this season was Andreas Pope, who was named the NHMBCA Rookie of the Year for a dominant performance in his first season with Plymouth State. Despite clocking in at under 20 minutes per game, the freshman forward averaged 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds this season, including an LEC-best .611 field goal percentage. Only 6’1″, Pope used a tremendous vertical leap to register 24 blocks and several dunks throughout the 2003-04 campaign. Already with a good deal of experience under his belt, Pope should only get better with more playing time available to him next season.With three recognized stars and several veterans expected to return, it looks like Plymouth may be in for another great campaign.