New Jersey City University Athletics

The first team ever elected to the Athletics Hall of Fame by the new Veteran’s Committee is also the first NJCU men’s basketball team to reach the NCAA Division III Final Four. It will become the second men’s team ever elected to the Hall of Fame.
 
Legendary coach Charlie Brown, already the first individual enshrined in the Hall of Fame three times, will be inducted now for a fourth time. He led the Gothics to a 24-8 overall record including a 15-3 mark in the NJAC and his first of five NJAC championships. His team averaged 90.6 points per game and scored 100+ points in a game nine times—a single-season school record—including four consecutive games.
In the NCAA Tournament, then Jersey City State defeated Roanoke (67-61), Upsala (69-64) and Southeastern Massachusetts (83-69 at Saint Peter’s) to advance to the Final Four in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Perhaps the closest NJCU ever came to winning a national championship, JCSC lost to eventual national champion and undefeated Potsdam State in a heartbreaker, 91-89, in the national semifinals and fell in the third-place game to Nebraska Wesleyan (97-93).
 
The team included current Hall of Famers Dwayne West and Steve Wilder and 1900-point scorer Johnny Mayers. Additionally, team members included Leon Banks, Jack Cipriano, Dennis Goodson, Darren Love, Joe Macchi, Dennis Mayes, John Mercier, Rodney Rowland, Todd Schwartzman, Frank Taylor, and brothers Derrick Watkins, and Reggie Watkins. Brown was assisted by coaches Donald Copeland, Todd Meyer and John Stallworth.
 

• Head Coach: Charles Brown `65 (M.A. `85)
• Assistant Coach: Donald Copeland
• Assistant Coach: Todd Meyer
• Assistant Coach: John Stallworth
• Leon Banks `86
• Jack Cipriano
• Dennis Goodson `88
• Darren Love `89
• Joe Macchi `92
• Dennis Mayes
• Johnny Mayers
• John Mercier `89
• Rodney Rowland
• Todd Schwartzman `88
• Frank Taylor `87
• Derrick Watkins `88
• Reggie Watkins 
• Dwayne West `87
• Steve Wilder `96