HAMBURG, N.Y. – The 2016-17 men's basketball team makes the program's seventh consecutive AMCC post-season appearance and ninth overall since Hilbert joined the AMCC in the 2004-05 season.    

Head coach Rob deGrandpre has guided his Hawks to their sixth consecutive winning season after 15 seasons at Hilbert.  This year's squad at 15-10 matched the 2011-12 team who started the run.  From 2012-13 through last year, Hilbert posted four consecutive 20+ win seasons and has battled in the championship title game the last three seasons.

This year, Hilbert finished with their lowest seed heading into the play-offs, after earning the #1 seed (2012-13 and 2015-16), the 3rd seed (2013-14) or the 4th seed (2005-06, 2006-07, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2014-15)

#5 Hilbert will travel to #4 Penn State Altoona for the 7pm tip Wednesday February 22.  The other 1st Round play-off game that night is #6 Pitt-Bradford  at #3 La Roche.   The winners of the 1st Round games advance to the Championship weekend which will be hosted by Medaille College. 

On Saturday, February 25, #1 Medaille will host either Hilbert or Altoona at 1pm.  #2 Penn State Behrend will square off against the winner of the Bradford/La Roche game at 3:30pm.

The AMCC Championship title game is set for 1pm Sunday, February 26 in the Sullivan Center.

Fans can stay follow the results of the 2017 AMCC Men's Championship Tournament by clicking (HERE).

News and Notes:

Twice this season, Altoona (13-12, 12-6) had Hilbert's (15-10, 11-7) number.  The Lions stormed back and claimed an 84-83 last-second victory over Hilbert in Pa. and then earned a nine-point win in Hamburg.

Hilbert held an 11-point lead (76-65) with 3:22 left in the game December 2.  The Hawks went 7-for-10 at the foul line as the Lions roared back late in the game.  Altoona forced an 83-83 tie with twenty-seconds left and secured the victory from the foul line with 0:03 on the game clock.  Derrek Carman and Nicholas Parucki led the Hilbert charge with 20 and 19 points, respectively.   They also combined for 16 of Hilbert's 36 team rebounds.   The Hawks shot 40.6% from the field and made 28-of-37 free throws.  Altoona's Ishimeal Nance and Jordan Smith were the one-two punch for the Lions.  Nance led with 19 points and Smith added 17.  They went 15-for-22 from the field but only took one 3-pointer between the two of them.  Altoona was better from the floor (47.7%) but not any better at the foul line (18/28).

Then on January 20th, Altoona hit their first jumper in the Hafner Recreation Center and never relinquished the lead after that.  The Lions claimed an 87-78 road win thanks to their field goal percentage (50%) while Hilbert had to chase the entire game and finished with a 41.2 percent  effort from the floor.  Jalen Smith led with 23 points (4 shots from downtown) and Derrek Carman added 15.  The Lions' Jordan Smith went 11-for-14, all inside the lane, posting 23 points, and Anton Lucas added 22, several in transition scores off the bounce.

The Hawks are led in scoring by Jalen Smith who averages 20.0 points per game.  He has gone back and forth between 1st and 2nd in the league and currently sits at #2 just slightly behind #1 who averages 20.2 points per game.   Smith jumped to #3 in the league with a 42.9 percent 3-point field goal shooting touch.  The junior guard is ranked multiple times in several different offensive categories in Division III national stats.  His 3-point field goal percentage, noted earlier, ranks him #27 and his 3.13 3-point field goals per game ranks him #37.

Smith is in position to move to #3 in Hilbert's All Time list for 3-point field goals, in only his third season of competition.  He has amassed 197 made 3-pointers and needs six more to jump to #3 with 203.  He is currently tied at #5 in 3-point field goal attempts and has a career .410 3-point percentage average (#3).

Without a strong play-maker on the floor, the Hawks would struggle.  Freshman point guard Hunter Martineau is the only Hilbert player to start all 25 games this season.  He also leads the league in assists per game (6.0) and assist to turnover ratio (2.5).  Martineau lifts Hilbert with 6.9 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. Martineau is ranked #16 in Division III in total assists (150) and #18 in assists per game. 

Sophomore forward Nicholas Parucki is second on the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) and ranks 3rd in the league with an impressive 55.5 field goal percentage and 80th in Division III.  Junior forward Derrek Carman is ranked second in the league with 7.6 rebounds, trails his teammate at #4 in field goal percentage (54.0) and chips in 11.8 points per game.

Senior Kirkland Ottey lifts the Hawks with energy and great defensive effort.  The off guard contributes 10.9 points per game and ranks #5 in the AMCC with a 42.2% 3-point field goal rate.