When Dave DeFerrari was hired as Felician’s head men’s basketball coach in Fall 2009, the veteran members of the team he inherited had a request. They wanted to dedicate the upcoming season to beloved assistant coach Russ Wiebe, who had passed away suddenly a few months earlier.
DeFerrari agreed and went one better. He ordered a patch with Wiebe’s initials to be emblazoned on the team’s new uniforms. With Dr. Wiebe as their guardian angel, the 2009-10 Golden Falcons created a buzz by winning their first seven games.
The success continued as Felician entered conference play. In February, the Golden Falcons earned an in-season NCAA regional ranking for the first time ever. They ultimately posted a 21-6 regular-season record, claming a share of the CACC North Division crown. Felician defeated Dominican College in the first round of the conference tournament. That set the stage for one of the most memorable games in program and league history.
Trailing by 19 points at halftime, 23 early in the second period, and 10 with 3:29 left, Felician forced overtime and topped defending champion Philadelphia University, 90-77, in a semfinal matchup hosted by Caldwell. The next day, the Golden Falcons got past
Goldey-Beacom College, 84-79, for the program’s first CACC title.
After making the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, Felician’s final record was 24-7, still the program’s only 20+ victory season. Junior Devon Young and sophomore Antoine Obery, both already enshried as Felician Hall-of-Famers, were elected to the All-CACC Second Team, and DeFerrari was chosen as the Met Writers D II/III Coach of the Year.
2009-10 Men’s Basketball is the fourth team to enter the Felician Athletics Hall of Fame, preceded by 2000 Men’s Soccer, 2007 Men’s Cross-Country, and 2001 Women’s Soccer.
