Chatting Hoops with Kevin Garst, Dee Vick, and Tony Shaver
FOREST, Va. --- In the 10th edition of the ODAC 40 features, we head about an hour east of the ODAC office to Hampden-Sydney to talk about a historic men's basketball team. The 1998-99 Tigers made a run all the way to the national championship game and finished as the Division III runner-up after a double-overtime thriller against Wisconsin-Platteville.
Three individuals integral to that team joined Brad Bankston and J.J. Nekoloff to reminisce about H-SC's journey back to the Salem Civic Center. Two-time team defensive player of the year Kevin Garst, now the head coach at Salem High School, is joined by two members of the 1998-99 coaching staff. Dee Vick, the current H-SC head coach, and then head coach and now William & Mary mentor Tony Shaver complemented Garst in providing a complete view of that Tigers' team.
Watch and listen to the feature
Hampden-Sydney went 29-3 on the way to finishing as the national runner-up in 1998-99. The Tigers punched their NCAA Tournament tickets by winning the third of three straight ODAC titles. After receiving a bye thru the first round, H-SC took down fellow ODAC member Randolph-Macon, 74-65, in round two. Then the Tigers toppled a pair of teams from Ohio beginning with the College of Wooster by a 74-66 decision in the sectional semifinals. John Carroll was next on the list as H-SC won, 68-51, to grab one of four spots in Salem.
Connecticut College didn't have much luck against the Tigers in the national semifinals as H-SC pounced for a 74-58 win. UW-Platteville joined Hampden-Sydney in the title game with a 75-51 victory over William Paterson (N.J.). The title matchup culiminated in just the fourth national championship game that required overtime to decide...in this case two extra periods. UW-P proved the victor via a 76-75 score. There has not been another overtime game to determine the Division III national champion in 18 subsequent contests.
For more on the ODAC, the visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
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The conclusion of the 2015-16 athletic seasons etched 40 years of competition in the ODAC into the history books. In celebration of the accomplishments of conference member teams, coaches, and athletes, the ODAC will feature key milestones throughout the first 40 years of the conference. Each school has submitted a selection of top events, moments, tenures, and performances. The features developed by the ODAC will take several forms -- some audio interviews, others with video content, photo albums, and other pertinent items. All current 14 full-time member institutions will be featured throughout the season.