Hobart and William Smith Colleges

In this special edition of This Week in Photos, we celebrate the historic first season of Hobart Basketball Head Coach Stefan Thompson 13, who led the Statesmen to the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Mens Basketball Championship and was named East Region Coach of the Year by D3hoops. Although the final four rounds were canceled due to COVID-19, the team advanced for the first time in program history to the Sweet 16. Here, the Statesmen huddle before tipping off against the University of Saint Joseph.

Tucker Lescoe '20 dribbles past his defender. During the Saint Joseph game, he broke Hobarts season record for 3-pointers made, finishing the season with 87. Lescoe was named to the All-East second team by D3hoops.com and the NABC.

Edens Fleurizard '20 snags a rebound. He broke the Hobart career field goal percentage record and ranks sixth in career rebounds.

Patrick Walker '23 fires a bounce pass around a St. Joseph defender.

Hobart has possession of the ball.

Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13 prepares Daniel Cook '23 for the next play. In his first year as head coach, Thompson is one of the youngest head coaches in the country. In comparison, Saint Joseph's head coach Jim Calhoun is a 40-year veteran, Hall of Famer and coached the University of Connecticut to three national championships.

The Statesmen celebrate a 78-74 victory over a then No. 14 Saint Joseph to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

Hobart faces off with Springfield in the second round of the tournament. More than 1,500 fans packed the court during an intense game. Here, Daniel Cook '23 takes possession of the ball.

Jackson Meshanic '22 goes up for a layup. He was eighth in the nation in shooting percentage and earned D3hoops.com All-East third team honors.

In his first season as a head coach, Stefan Thompson '13 guided Hobart to its fifth appearance in the NCAA tournament, the first since 2014.

Jake Preston '20 drives past his defender. Hobart trailed Springfield by 13 points in the second half before rallying for the 1-point win.

Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13 and the Hobart bench rise to their feet in the final seconds of play against Springfield.

In the final two seconds of play, Dan Masino '20 scores the game-winning layup against Springfield. In a postgame interview, Masino said, Coach Thompson called me over and said if they give you an alley, take it and finish it. The belief that the head coach has in you...When I shot it, I knew it was going in.

The Statesmen celebrate a 62-61 victory over Springfield. Although the COVID-19 outbreak would cause the NCAA to cancel the remainder of the tournament, Hobart was slated to play Christopher Newport University in the sectional round.

Dan Masino '22 embraces Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13.

In the postgame press conference, Dan Masino '22, Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13 and Tucker Lescoe '20 describe the leadership and resiliency that led the team to a 23-5 season, matching the program record for most wins set by the 2011-12 Statesmen.