Led by head coach Donald Brady, Shoreline Community College’s Men’s Basketball team has won the title of 2016-17 North Region Champions. The win marks just the fourth time in the history of Shoreline the Men’s Basketball the team has brought home the North Region title. The most recent prior title win was in 2010.
The Phins secured the championship title with an eight-game winning streak that propelled the team from fifth to first place in the North Region. Brady attributes the come-from-behind streak to a team focused on working together.
“We had a lot of new blood this year with athletes who hadn’t played together before,” said Brady. “So it’s really a testament to their dedication and sportsmanship that they were able to find a groove with each other quickly enough to pull off that impressive winning streak and earn the title.”
Winning the North Region championship was the highlight of a season already filled with bright spots. For the North Region, Brady was named coach of the year, sophomore Abdul Mohamed was named defensive player of the year, sophomore Dana Abe was named player of the year, and the team itself won the title of best defensive team.
For Brady, who is in his third year as head coach, the victories are particularly gratifying.
“This season has really been a lot of fun,” said Brady. “Last year’s freshmen were really the first recruiting class that myself and the other coaches brought on so it was fun to watch them grow as athletes and as a team and follow them all the way to the championships.”
Brady hopes the successes can continue and that this season marks a new chapter for the Phins.
“Our goal is to create a culture of consistency with our basketball program,” said Brady. “We want to be known as a successful program that not only makes it to the championship tournament every year but also gets our players to four-year schools with 100% success. This year put us back on the map and hopefully we can keep it going.”
With their title as North Region champions secured, the Phins will move on to the post-season and the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) championships. The NWAC tournament is a 16-team, single elimination tournament with teams from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
First up in post-season play, the Phins will take on Mt. Hood Community College this Thurs., March 9 at 8 p.m. at Everett Community College. Come on out to cheer our Phins on to victory.
Interested in learning about being a student-athlete at Shoreline? Read more about Shoreline’s athletics.