1946–47 Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball team

1946–47 Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball
National champions
Conference Independent
Ranking
Coaches No. N/A
AP No. N/A
1946–47 record 27–3
Head coach Alvin "Doggie" Julian
Assistant coach Albert Riopel

The 1946–47 Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball team represented The College of the Holy Cross in NCAA competition in the 1946–47 season. The Crusaders, behind coach Alvin "Doggie" Julian, NCAA tournament MVP George Kaftan, star Joe Mullaney and a freshman point guard named Bob Cousy, beat Oklahoma at Madison Square Garden to win the NCAA championship.[1] The team entered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as the last seed in the 8-team tournament. In the first match, Holy Cross defeated the United States Naval Academy in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden by a score of 55 to 47. Mullaney led the team in scoring with 18 points, mostly in part to Navy coach Ben Carnevale's decision to have his players back off from Mullaney, who was reputed as being more of a playmaker than a shooter.[2] In the semi-final match, Holy Cross faced the City College of New York (CCNY), coached by Nat Holman, one of the game's earliest innovators. The Crusaders, led by Kaftan's 30-point game, easily defeated the Beavers 60–45.[3] In the championship game, Holy Cross faced the University of Oklahoma, behind coach Bruce Drake, in another sold-out game at Madison Square Garden. Kaftan followed up the semi-final match with 18 points in the title game, leading the Crusaders to a 58–47 victory against the Sooners.[3] Holy Cross became the first college from the New England area to win a national college basketball title.The Crusaders finished the 1947 season with 23 straight wins. Afterward, 35,000 people watched a parade in the team's honor on Holy Cross Day in Worcester. Future NBA legend Cousy was named AP and UP player of the year, and George Kaftan was voted to the all-decade team of the 1940s by the NCAA in 1989.

NCAA tournament results

  Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                           
     Holy Cross 55  
   Navy 47  
     Holy Cross 60  
     CCNY 45  
   CCNY 70
     Wisconsin 56  
       Holy Cross 58
     Oklahoma 47
     Texas 42  
   Wyoming 40  
     Texas 54 Third place
     Oklahoma 55  
   Oklahoma 56  CCNY 50
     Oregon State 54    Texas 54

Source[4]

Awards and honors

References

  1. http://sportslifer.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/once-upon-a-time-holy-cross-was-king-of-hoops/ Once Upon a Time, Holy Cross Was King of Hoops
  2. Reynolds, p51.
  3. 1 2 Reynolds, p52.
  4. "1947 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". All-time NCAA Tournament brackets. databaseSports.com. 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2010.

External links

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