Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball

Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball
2024–25 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team
University	Le Moyne College
First season	1948–49; 76 years ago
All-time record	1,089–860 (.559) through 2024–25 season
Athletic director	Phil Brown
Head coach	Nate Champion (5th season)
Conference	NEC
Location	DeWitt, New York
Arena	Le Moyne Events Center (capacity: 2,000)
Nickname	Dolphins (official) Unofficial The Green & Gold Heightsmen Nilandmen (1948–1973)
Student section	Mad Hatters (1976–1983) Roundball Rowdies (1997) Fin Bin (1999–2001)
Colors	Green and gold
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
Division II: 2018
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
Division II: 1959, 1964, 2018
NCAA tournament round of 32
Division II: 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1988, 2018
NCAA tournament appearances
Division II: 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1988, 1996, 1997, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference tournament champions
Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA): 1960 Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC): 1988 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC): 1996 Northeast-10 Conference (NE10): 1997, 2018
Conference regular season champions
MECAA: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973 MECC: 1984, 1988 NE10: 2017, 2018, 2020
Conference division champions
NE10 Southwest Division: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Notes

The Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of Le Moyne College. The Dolphins compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Northeast Conference and are currently coached by Nate Champion. The Dolphins have played their home games on Ted Grant Court at the Le Moyne Events Center in DeWitt, New York since 1962.

The Dolphins are currently transitioning to Division I and are ineligible to participate in NCAA-sponsored postseason play, including the NCAA tournament, until the 2026–27 season, assuming they meet the revised criteria under January 2025 NCAA legislation to have their four-year transition period reduced to three years and apply to the NCAA to do so.

History

Birth of a program (1948–1958)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1948–1958)

The Dolphins' first varsity basketball game was a home game at the State Fair Coliseum against Siena on December 7, 1948, a 41–39 loss for Le Moyne. The opening game against Siena had been treated by Le Moyne's student body as not simply the debut of the Dolphins as a basketball team but as the first game of what was expected to become a heated rivalry. In anticipation of the game, "BEAT SIENA!" was emblazoned across the front page of the school newspaper. A pep rally was held the night before the Siena game and attended by the team, the head coach, the athletics moderator, Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J., and, of course, the cheerleaders.

Le Moyne's first head coach and athletic director was Tommy Niland, who mentored the varsity basketball team for 25 years, until 1973. Niland remained at Le Moyne after his coaching career ended, continuing in his role as the athletic director until his retirement in 1990. Le Moyne's athletics center is named in his honor.

Le Moyne's first victory came on the road at the Geneva Armory against Hobart on December 10, 1948. Dave Lozo scored 13 points, and team captain Don Savage added 11, as Le Moyne cruised to a 50–37 victory.

During the first three years of its varsity basketball program, Le Moyne was led on the court by Don Savage. Savage had appeared in Le Moyne College's first ever intercollegiate contest on December 4, 1947, a 62–57 overtime victory for the freshman basketball team at Utica. More than 400 Le Moyne students made the trip to see the game. Savage had eight points in that game, while Dave Lozo had a game-high 18 for the Dolphin Cubs. Joe Boehm served as captain of that freshman team, which went 16–4 and was coached by Tommy Niland in an effort to build the basketball program from the ground up. Niland pulled double duty, serving as coach of both the varsity and freshman teams through the end of the 1949–50 season.

The challenge faced by Le Moyne during its inaugural varsity season was unique. The Dolphins were not simply a first-year basketball team; Le Moyne College was a second-year institution. Therefore, the Dolphins were composed entirely of sophomores and faced teams with experienced juniors and seniors in every game.

In June 1950, Le Moyne became a charter member of the Eastern Catholic Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (ECIAC). After only one season, the ECIAC ceased publicizing itself as a conference and became an association of its member schools with no basketball champion crowned, leaving Le Moyne an independent again for 1951–52.

In June 1955, Le Moyne became a charter member of the new Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA).

The Dolphins produced seven winning campaigns and only two losing records in the first 10 seasons of their varsity program. They made their first postseason appearance in only their second season with no seniors on the roster at the 1950 Utica Optimist Club Invitational Tournament and took the title. Le Moyne followed up by repeating as champions in Utica in 1951 and 1952.

The Dolphins participated in the prestigious National Catholic Invitational Tournament (NCIT) in both 1951 and 1952. At the 1951 tournament, Le Moyne defeated archrival Siena, ranked no. 18 in the AP major program poll, on the Indians' home floor, the Dolphins' first victory over a ranked major program. Le Moyne finished third in the 1951 tournament and reached the quarterfinals in 1952.

The Dolphins had 25 wins over University Division/major programs during their first decade, three of which came against opponents ranked in the AP major program poll. Their record against such foes was 25–49, including 3–4 versus ranked teams.

Don Savage was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in 1951, and, as of 2025, he is the only former Dolphin to play in the NBA. Savage was selected as the most valuable player of the 1950 and 1951 Utica Optimist Club tournaments and named to the 1951 NCIT all-tournament team. He ended his collegiate career as Le Moyne's all-time leading scorer with 1,341 points in three varsity seasons. Dick Kenyon, who played varsity basketball for four years, surpassed Savage's career total in 1956, finishing with 1,378 points.

Glory era (1958–1969)

First two NCAA tournament berths (1958–1960)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1958–1960)

The 1958–59 season marked the start of a golden era for Le Moyne Dolphins basketball. They appeared in seven of the 11 NCAA College Division tournaments between 1959 and 1969, reaching the Sweet 16 in 1959 and 1964.

The Dolphins were co-champions of the MECAA and made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1959, ranked no. 20 nationally in the small college coaches poll. The Dolphins reached the Sweet 16, where they lost at Saint Michael's to finish the season 18–6. Junior Dick Lynch was unanimously named to the NCAA tournament All-Regional team and was also named to the All-MECAA first team for the second straight year. Senior Bob Hollembaek made the All-MECAA second team, and sophomore Chuck Sammons earned honorable mention. Dolphins head coach Tommy Niland was unanimously selected as 1959 MECAA coach of the year. Lynch also earned honorable mention on the Catholic All-America team.

The Dolphins won the MECAA championship outright and made their second straight NCAA tournament appearance in 1960. They lost the regional semifinal game to Saint Anselm and the regional third-place game to Assumption to finish 13–5. Le Moyne's head coach, Tommy Niland, was unanimously chosen as 1960 MECAA coach of the year. Niland was also named Catholic small college coach of the year. Dick Lynch was named a MECAA All-Star, a first-team Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) small college All-Star and a second-team Catholic small college All-Star. John Caveny and Bill Stanley were both named All-MECAA second team. The 1959–60 Dolphins were inducted into the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame as a team in 2011.

MECAA tournament title and an on-campus home (1960–1963)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1960–1963)

The MECA organized an in-season tournament in December 1960, hosted by Saint Peter's. The Dolphins defeated the host Peacocks, Iona and Long Island to win the tournament title. Bill Stanley had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the final and was named the tournament most valuable player.

The Dolphins had their 22-game home winning streak snapped by Saint Anselm, losing, 83–68, on January 6, 1961. The Dolphins' previous home loss had been a 65–50 drubbing at the hands of St. Bonaventure on February 5, 1958. In early January, Le Moyne was ranked no. 13 in the country among all Catholic schools. This ranking included both University Division and College Division institutions. However, the Dolphins fell out of the rankings after the loss to Saint Anselm.

Bill Stanley grabbed 22 rebounds to break his own program record and scored a game-high 24 points in the Dolphins 73–69 loss at Buffalo State on February 2, 1961.

The losses of Bill Stanley, the team's leading scorer and rebounder at the time of his injury, and Chris Pitman, a key rotation player off the bench, was too much for the Dolphin to overcome down the stretch, and they lost four of their final six games, finishing 16–7 in collegiate contests. Stanley was unanimously named a 1961 MECAA All-Star. John Caveny and Tom Burns were named second-team MECAA All-Stars.

The Dolphins were 13–9 overall and 4–1 in MECAA play in 1961–62, winning their third conference championship. Bill Stanley was the 1962 MECAA most valuable player and Tommy Niland was the conference's coach of the year. It was the first time a Le Moyne player had earned a conference MVP award and the third MECAA coach of the year honor for Niland. It was Stanley's second straight MECAA All-Star selection. John Caveny was named to the MECAA All-Star second team.

The Dolphins' first game in their new Le Moyne Athletic Center was a 43–41 victory over archrival Siena on December 1, 1962.

The Dolphins suffered through a mid-season slump and finished the 1962–63 season with a 12–10 record in collegiate contests. Mickey Flynn was named All-MECAA first team.

Three straight NCAA tournament bids (1963–1966)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1963–1966)

The Dolphins returned to the NCAA tournament in 1964, for the first time in four years. They entered the tournament as MECAA champions with a 4–1 league record and 17–5 overall and winners of five straight and 14 of their previous 15 games. The Dolphins had two victories over University Division opponents. Le Moyne met Youngstown State, ranked no. 6 nationally in the Associated Press College Division poll at the time, in the regional semifinals. Le Moyne's stifling defense, fierce rebounding and hot shooting by Gary DeYulia led to a six-point burst in just a minute and a half that put them ahead, 54–44, with 4:08 to play, and the Dolphins were not challenged the rest of the way. DeYulia shot 10 for 15 and had a game-high 20 points. As a team, the Dolphins shot 57% from the floor, while their zone defense limited the Penguins to 39% shooting.

The Dolphins met Akron, the region's host in the Mideast Regional Final Sweet 16 game. The Zips scored early and often. Meanwhile, it took six and a half minutes for the Dolphins to put their first points on the board. Akron dominated the game wire to wire, winning by a score of 62–38. Akron's defense frustrated Le Moyne's top scorer Gary DeYulia, who finished with six points on 2-for-15 shooting. Le Moyne's Tom Cooney was named to the All-Regional team. Cooney had 24 points in the two tournament games.

Tommy Niland was named 1964 MECAA coach of the year, the fourth time he was so honored. Gary DeYulia was named All-MECAA first team, and Tom Cooney was selected for the second team. DeYulia was also named an ECAC All-Star.

In April 1964, Le Moyne College announced that it would sponsor and participate in a four-team Christmas invitational basketball tournament to take place on December 29 and 30. The Dolphins won the tournament, and Gary DeYulia was named most valuable player.

Gerry Glose came off the bench to score 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting to lead the Dolphins to a 61–51 victory at Clarkson on February 24, 1965. Gary DeYulia, slowed by a calf injury, had 18 points for Le Moyne, who won their 15th straight game and improved to 17–2 on the season.

The Dolphins accepted a bid to host the Northeast Regionals of the 1965 NCAA College Division tournament. Aside from the Dolphins' stellar record, the selection committee cited the outstanding support shown by both students and area residents for the Dolphins at recent games as well as during the Christmas tournament. Le Moyne head coach Tommy Niland was named tournament director for the regional.

The Dolphins won their second straight MECAA championship with a 4–1 league record and entered the NCAA tournament 18–3, including 3–0 against University Division opponents. However, Assumption executed a suffocating defensive effort, frustrating the Dolphins and kncoking them out of the tournament, 76–58. Le Moyne trailed by 16 at halftime and spent most of the game in foul trouble. The Dolphins' leading scorer, Gary DeYulia, scored Le Moyne's first four points on a layup and a jump shot but was shut down by the Greyhounds the rest of the way, finishing with just four points. Dan Frawley had a double-double for Le Moyne with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

In the regional third-place game, Gary DeYulia's steal and transition basket capped a run that gave the Dolphins a 53–51 lead and thrilled the crowd in the Le Moyne Athletic Center. Hartwick responded immediately with a run of their own to go ahead by 64–56. Le Moyne fought back, led by Eric Pitman and Dick Martyns and had the ball down by two points with 31 seconds to play. However, DeYulia's shot at the buzzer fell short, and the Warriors held on for a 70–68 victory. DeYulia and Tom Mullen led the Dolphins with 17 points each. Mullen also grabbed nine rebounds. Gerry Glose scored 10 points and had nine rebounds for the Dolphins.

Gary DeYulia was named a 1965 ECAC first-team All-Star. He also received honorable mention for the 1965 Little All-America team. DeYulia was also honored as first-team All-MECAA, and Tom Mullen was named to the second team. Tommy Niland won his fifth MECAA coach of the year award.

In the final of their 1965 Christmas tournament, the Dolphins met Hartwick, a team that had beaten them twice during the previous season, including a game at the Le Moyne Athletic Center in the NCAA tournament. With just 24 seconds to play, Dan Parham, who had a game-high 19 points and was named tournament MVP, was fouled with the score tied at 51. Parham missed the first free throw but made the second to give Hartwick a 52–51 lead. Gary DeYulia's shot from the left of the key was off the mark, but he snatched his own rebound near the foul line and hit a jump shot with one second on the clock to give the Dolphins a 53–52 victory. Tom Mullen led Le Moyne with 15 points, and DeYulia added 13.

For the second straight season, the Dolphins hosted NCAA tournament regional games in 1966. Le Moyne entered the tournament 14–5, including two wins against University Division opponents, but lost their first-round game to Philadelphia Textile, 83–61. Gary DeYulia led the Dolphins with 26 points. Le Moyne salvaged their consolation game against Potsdam State, 86–63. DeYulia had 25 points in the consolation game, giving him 51 for the two tournament games, and was named a Northeast Region Section B All-Star.

After the tournament, the Dolphins closed the regular-season with an 88–72 home victory over Siena to finish 16–6. Gary DeYulia had a game-high 23 points in his final collegiate contest. DeYulia finished his career with 1,212 points, second on Le Moyne' all-time scoring list.

Gary DeYulia was named 1966 MECAA player of the year. Tom Mullen was selected second-team all-MECAA. DeYulia was also named to the first-team small Catholic college all-America squad and to the small college all-America team and received honorable mention on the Little All-America squad.

A rebuilding year and two more NCAA tournament berths (1966–1969)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1966–1969)

After struggling through an 11–10 season in 1966–67, the Dolphins regained their form and, led by captain Gerry McDermott, went 14–8 in 1967–68, including a trip to the NCAA tournament.

With Gerry McDermott slowed by an injury and able to play only limited minutes, Buffalo State used their size advantage to control the boards and defeat the Dolphins, 83–66, in the first round of the tournament. Le Moyne struggled throughout the game to get good looks at the basket against taller defenders. Tom Downey managed to score 13 points. John Zych was the only other Dolphin to reach double figures with 10 points. McDermott finished with eight points.

Northeastern hit 23 of 34 free-throw attempts compared with only 6 for 11 by the Dolphins, and the Huskies won the consolation game of the Northeast Region's Section B, 67–54. Each team had 44 rebounds, and Le Moyne had 24 field goals, while Northeastern had only 22. However, the Dolphins were unable to defend the larger Huskies without fouling. Senior Dave Cary came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points for Le Moyne. Earl Eichelberger had 10 rebounds. Tom Downey was held to four points. Gerry McDermott exacerbated his left heel injury in the Buffalo State game and did not play.

Gerry McDermott was named to the second team of the 1968 NCAA District 2 College Division All-Stars.

The Dolphins were 4–1 in MECAA play in 1968–69, and shared the conference championship with Saint Peter's.

The Dolphins were invited to the NCAA tournament in 1969, for the second straight season and fifth time in six years and selected to host the East Regional tournament games. Matt Fallis had been suffering from an ankle injury but was able to play in the Dolphins' first-round game against Montclair State and finished with 12 points. Chuck Brady had 14 points in the first half, and the Dolphins had a 43–40 lead at intermission after a back and forth opening stanza which saw each team lead by as many as seven points. The Indians opened the second half with a three-point play to tie the game at 43. With the score tied at 58, Montclair State went on a 12–2 run to take a 10-point lead as the Dolphins' shooting went cold. Le Moyne got no closer than six points down, until Brady's midcourt shot went through the hoop at the final buzzer, as the Indians held on for an 81–77 win. Brady scored a game-high 24 points.

The Dolphins jumped all over Albany State (NY) in the regional third-place game, building a 44–30 halftime lead and stretching it to a 20-point advantage early in the second half. However, the Great Danes fought back, led by Rich Margison, who scored 24 second-half points on 10-for-13 shooting. Le Moyne had a 70–66 lead in the final minute, but two baskets by Margison, the second with 20 seconds to play, tied the game at 70. A Margison free throw with three seconds left gave Albany State the win, 71–70. Bob Bradley scored 24 points for the Dolphins and was named to the East Region all-tournament team. The Dolphins finished the season 15–8. They were 13–6 against College Division opponents and 2–2 versus University Division foes.

Tom Downey was named to the 1969 All-East Region first team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Coach Niland's final years (1969–1973)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1969–1973)

The Dolphins' 1969–70 season featured the debut of Phil Harlow, who would later become Le Moyne's all-time career scoring leader while still a junior.

After NCAA tournament bids in each of the previous two seasons, expectations were high, and the Dolphins were ranked no. 1 among Upstate New York small college teams in pre-season polling conducted by the Upstate Sports Information Directors Council. However, after a loss at Buffalo on February 21, dropped the Dolphins to 7–10 on the season, the team needed wins in its final four games to finish with a winning record. Victories over Ithaca, Saint Michael's, Cortland State, and Siena gave the Dolphins a four-game winning streak to close the season at 11–10. It was the 12th consecutive winning season and 18th straight non-losing season for the Dolphins. However, this was the first season since the NCAA split into the University Division and the College Division in 1956, in which the Dolphins failed to earn a victory over a University Division opponent. Le Moyne was 11–6 against College Division teams and 0–4 versus University Division foes.

The Dolphins finished the 1970–71 season 9–12, their first losing record since 1951–52. Le Moyne was 1–4 against University Division opponents and 8–8 versus College Division foes.

Phil Harlow became Le Moyne's all-time leading career scorer on March 4, 1972. The Dolphins rebounded from their losing season the previous year and finished 13–10.

On November 16, 1972, Le Moyne announced that Tommy Niland would resign as head coach at the end of the 1972–73 season but would continue in his role as athletic director. Niland cited a desire to spend more time with his family as a reason for his decision. The school said a successor would be named by the end of December. On December 19, Le Moyne announced that assistant coach Tom Cooney would succeed Niland. Cooney played for three seasons on Le Moyne's varsity team and was captain as a senior during the 1963–64 season, during which the Dolphins were MECAA champions and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA College Division tournament. Prior to becoming Niland's assistant, Cooney was the head coach at St. Vincent de Paul High School in Syracuse for three seasons.

The Dolphins defeated St. Francis (NY) on February 6, 1973, improving to 9–5 overall and completing their conference slate with a perfect 5–0 record. The MECAA championship was the Dolphins' seventh league title.

Tommy Niland closed his coaching career with a 65–61 loss at archrival Siena on March 3, 1973. The Dolphins were 13–9 overall in his final season, and as of 2025, his 324 wins and seven NCAA tournament appearances both remain the most ever by a Le Moyne head coach. Phil Harlow scored 29 points in his final collegiate game to finish as Le Moyne's all-time leading scorer with 1,823 points.

Tom Cooney takes the reins (1973–1979)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1973–1979)

Le Moyne became a Division II institution, when the College Division was split in 1973.

New head coach Tom Cooney's inaugural recruiting class included 6'5" Pete Hogan and 6'7" John Lauer, both of whom would ultimately finish their careers in the top six among Le Moyne's all-time career scorers.

Tom Cooney earned his first head coaching victory in his second game at the helm, a 76–74 upset at Potsdam State on December 4, 1973. Le Moyne used a full-court press to stage a comeback from a seven-point second-half deficit. John Ferraro, who scored 16 points to lead the Dolphins, hit a pair of free throws on a one-and-one opportunity to break a 74–74 tie with 29 seconds remaining and provide the winning margin.

Senior co-captain Rick May became the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and also became the first Le Moyne player to record 1,000 career rebounds during the 1973–74 season.

The Dolphins finished the 1973–74 season 14–10, on a four-game winning streak and with victories in seven of their final eight games. The Dolphins were 4–5 against teams that secured bids to the 1974 NCAA Division II tournament and 2–2 versus Division I foes.

After starting the 1974–75 season 0–4 and 3–8, the Dolphins rebounded to finish 14–11 and earned three victories over Division I opponents.

Jene Grey, who would finish his career as Le Moyne's second leading career scorer and rebounder, made his collegiate debut in the 1975–76 season. The Dolphins started the campaign 0–4, before defeating Cortland State in December. Le Moyne did not win a road game until February, starting the season 0–7, and Cortland State was the Dolphins' victim again.

Despite the troubling start to the season, the Dolphins earned a home win against Gannon, ranked no. 4 in the NCAA Division II poll and defeated Division I Iona, their 60th all-time victory over a Division I/major program.

Junior Pete Hogan became the 10th Le Moyne player to surpass 1,000 career points during the 1975–76 season.

The Dolphins won their season finale, 81–77, over Siena on March 4, 1976, to even their record at 12–12. John Lauer had a double-double for the Le Moyne and became the 11th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. This was Siena's final game as a Division II program. The Indians' move to Division I for the 1976–77 season meant Le Moyne would not play their long-time archrival again until December 1987.

John Lauer was named to the 1976 ECAC Division II all-conference team. Dolphins freshman Jene Grey received honorable mention. Lauer was also named second-team Division II All-New York State.

New rules that were effective for the 1976–77 season required Division I teams to schedule at least 75% of their games against Division I opponents. As Division I teams, it became impractical for St. Francis (NY) and Siena to remain in the MECAA. Also effective for the 1976–77 season was a rule requiring conferences that were members of the NCAA to either have all their members be part of the same NCAA division or to divide the conference in a manner to separate conference members by NCAA division. The remaining members of the MECAA were three Division II teams and one Division III team. Therefore, the MECAA was dissolved, and Le Moyne began competing as an independent. The Dolphins won seven MECAA championships in their 21 seasons in the league.

Despite Siena's move to Division I, there were plans for Siena to play at Le Moyne on January 15, 1977, and for the Dolphins to continue their series with their archrivals, reduced to one game per season. However, Siena notified Le Moyne in September 1976, that it would be unable to keep its commitment for that date. Le Moyne had no open dates on which a game with Siena could be scheduled. As a result, the two teams did not meet during the 1976–77 season, ending their annual series which started with the first varsity game Le Moyne played on December 7, 1948.

John Lauer, Pete Hogan and Jene Grey all missed time during the 1976–77 season due to injuries or illness. Nevertheless, the Dolphins went 4–0 against Division I opponents. The Dolphins were 12–6 in mid February and on the short list of teams under consideration for an NCAA tournament berth.

The Dolphins suffered a crushing loss at Buffalo State on February 19, that appeared to dash their hopes for an NCAA tournament bid. In contrast to the Dolphins' glittering results against Division I opponents, the loss dropped Le Moyne to 2–5 versus Division II foes with just three games remaining on their schedule, one at Division I Iona and two against Division III teams. The Dolphins' overall record stood at 13–7, and Le Moyne was running out of opportunities to impress the NCAA tournament selectors.

The Dolphins' originally scheduled game at Iona was cancelled, in order for the Gaels to comply with the maximum game limit required to be eligible for the ECAC Metro tournament. Since the NCAA tournament selectors anticipated making a final decision on February 27, and the Dolphins would not play again until March 1, their 14–7 record would be the basis on which their fate rested.

The Dolphins were not selected to play in the 1977 NCAA tournament, much to the dismay of athletic director Tommy Niland who noted that Le Moyne had embarrassed one the teams that received a bid, alluding to Le Moyne's 11-point victory over Assumption. Niland also indicated that he believed the selection committee had failed to choose the 32 best Division II teams in the country. Instead, regional selectors protected teams within their region, resulting in teams with as many as 11 losses getting invitations.

The Dolphins won their season finale, 79–56, over Alfred on senior night at the Henninger Athletic Center. All five graduating seniors from head coach Tom Cooney's first recruiting class started the game for Le Moyne. John Lauer scored a game-high 19 points and finished his collegiate career fourth on Le Moyne's all-time scoring list. Pete Hogan had 10 points and finished as the sixth-highest scorer in Dolphins history. The Dolphins finished the 1976–77 season 15–7 and a perfect 11–0 at home. Six of Le Moyne's seven road losses, one of which was decided in overtime, were by five points or fewer. The only loss the Dolphins suffered by more than five points was a 13-point setback at Hartwick, which were ranked no. 8 in the NCAA Division II poll at the time.

After dropping their season opener at Boston College, the Dolphins turned their attention to their first-ever meeting with Syracuse, their neighbor only four miles away, who were ranked no. 12 in the AP Division I poll on December 2, 1977. The schools had a three-year agreement to meet annually. Syracuse used their size and quickness advantages to defeat Le Moyne, 90–62. Jene Grey scored 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Dolphins.

The Dolphins' record reached its peak at 12–9 following a season-high five-game winning streak, but they lost four of their final five contests to finish the 1977–78 season 13–13. Jene Grey ranked 21st in Division II in scoring average and seventh in rebounds per game for the season.

With the Dolphins' record at 10–7 on February 11, 1979, head coach Tom Cooney informed his players that he was resigning effective at the end of the season. Cooney cited a desire to spend more time with his family and his dislike for recruiting and the travel associated with it.

Riding a three-game winning streak, the Dolphins entered their February 20, 1979 game at Hartwick, ranked no. 8 in the Division II poll, with a résumé that included a 12–7 record and a home win over Hartwick earlier in the season. With five games remaining on Le Moyne's schedule, this matchup with a ranked opponent represented a precious opportunity to impress NCAA tournament selectors. However, a 14–0 second-half Hartwick run put the game away for the Warriors. Jene Grey scored 27 points to lead the Dolphins. Despite the loss, Le Moyne remained under consideration for a tournament bid.

The Dolphins' final home game of the 1978–79 season was played on February 26, at the Onondaga County War Memorial against Syracuse, ranked no. 6 in the AP Division I poll. After Le Moyne took an early 6–0 lead, the Orangemen surged and took control of the game, defeating the Dolphins, 92–60. Jene Grey had a game-high 28 points for Le Moyne, who fell to 14–9. During halftime, Le Moyne athletic director Tommy Niland announced that Mike Lee would take over as the Dolphins' head coach at the conclusion of the season.

The NCAA tournament selectors filled the final spots in the bracket on February 27, and the Dolphins did not receive a berth. The Dolphins lost their season finale, finishing 14–10. Jene Grey had game highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds to finish with career totals of 1,729 points and 969 rebounds, both second in program history. Tom Cooney finished his head coaching career 82–63.

An Orangeman leads the Green and Gold (1979–1983)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1979–1983)

Mike Lee, a former three-year starter and captain of the Syracuse Orangemen, led the Dolphins to their worst record in program history at 6–19 in 1979–80, his first season as head coach. Le Moyne followed up with an even worse record at 5–21 the following season.

Mike Lee's Dolphins improved in his third and fourth seasons, and he led Le Moyne to a winning record in his final campaign. Players recruited by Lee, including Wright Lassiter, Paul Galvin and Bobby Chestnut, would go on to play key roles on more successful Dolphin teams after Lee's departure.

Mike McDermott scored 24 points to become the 14th player in program history to score 1,000 points for his career in the Dolphins' 69–68 home loss against Bloomsburg State, ranked no. 11 in the Division II poll at the time, on February 10, 1982.

John Beilein era (1983–1992)

Building a tournament team (1983–1988)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1983–1988)

John Beilein in 2008

The Dolphins joined the Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC) in John Beilein's first season and went undefeated in league play to win the conference regular-season championship. However, Le Moyne lost their MECC tournament semifinal game and were not selected for an at-large bid to the 1984 NCAA tournament. The 1983–84 season marked the first time in program history that the Dolphins won 20 games.

Scott Hicks and Pete Jerebko, both of whom would become Le Moyne Hall of Famers, arrived as freshmen in 1984. Despite a solid 19-win campaign in 1984–85, the Dolphins failed to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. Wright Lassiter had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Dolphins and passed the 1,000 career points mark in Le Moyne's 78–75 double overtime loss to Philadelphia Textile on January 11, 1985. Bobby Chestnut scored 10 points to join Lassier in the 1,000-point club in the Dolphins' 74–62 loss at C.W. Post on January 27. Lassiter and Chestnut were named second-team All-MECC for the 1984–85 season. Lassiter was the league's leading rebounder at 9.7 per game. Pete Jerebko was named the MECC's all-freshmen team. He was second in the conference in field-goal percentage at 61.9%, trailing teammate James Henderson, who hit at a 62.1% clip.

After a losing season marred by injuries, illness and suspensions, despite James Henderson reaching 1,000 career points and Pete Jerebko and Walter Hill being named 1986 second-team MECC All-Stars, Le Moyne bounced back with their second 20-win season in 1986–87. However, after falling in the MECC tournament, Le Moyne was not selected for an at-large bid to the 1987 NCAA tournament. Hill and Scott Hicks were named 1987 first-team all-MECC. James Henderson was named to the second team. Jerebko scored 14 points and became the 20th player in program history with 1,000 career points in the Dolphins' 97–82 loss at St. Michael's on February 7, 1987.

Len Rauch, who would go on to finish his college career as Le Moyne's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, arrived for his freshmen season in 1987. Scott Hicks, Pete Jerebko and Rauch led the Dolphins to the regular-season co-championship of the MECC, the conference tournament title and a berth in the 1988 NCAA tournament.

After more than 11 years since the last meeting between the teams, the Dolphins renewed their rivalry with Division I Siena on December 5, 1987. The Indians raced to an early 12-point lead, but Le Moyne responded with a run to tie the game with a minute to play before the break. Siena scored six points in the final minute of the half to take a 45–39 lead at intermission. The Dolphins remained within striking distance and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but Pete Jerebko's three-point attempt was off the mark, and Le Moyne suffered a difficult road loss, 75–70. Freshman Len Rauch led the Dolphins with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Scott Hicks scored 12 points for Le Moyne, surpassing 1,000 points for his career.

Following a 78–71 road win at Philadelphia Textile, which improved the Dolphins' record to 17–4 overall and 6–1 in MECC play, Le Moyne was ranked no. 16 in the NCAA Division II poll on February 15, 1988. It was the Dolphins' first appearance in a major poll since finishing the 1964–65 season no. 14 in the United Press International (UPI) small college coaches' poll.

The Dolphins lost in the first round of the 1988 NCAA tournament to California (PA) but rebounded to defeat Kutztown in the regional third-place game.

The team's 24 wins in 1987–88 were the most in program history up to that point. John Beilein was named 1988 MECC coach of the year. Pete Jerebko was selected as MECC player of the year and senior of the year. Len Rauch was MECC freshman of the year. Scott Hicks joined Jerebko on all-MECC first team. Rauch was second-team all-MECC. The 1987–88 Dolphins were inducted into the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame as a team in 2017.

Sustained winning and Len Rauch (1988–1992)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1988–1992)

On December 3, 1988, Siena visited Le Moyne for the first time since March 4, 1976. Despite a 26-point and 13-rebound performance by Len Rauch, Siena overwhelmed the Dolphins, 91–52.

Len Rauch had a triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in the Dolphins' 96–80 home romp over Adelphi on January 27, 1989.

The Dolphins' man-to-man defense generated transition opportunities, and Le Moyne claimed a 26–12 lead midway through the first half of their January 31 home game against Gannon, ranked no. 12 in Division II. The Golden Knights used their size advantage to cut Le Moyne's lead to four points in the second half, but the Dolphins responded with an 18–9 run that put them ahead, 66–53, with 8:35 to play. Le Moyne stopped driving to the basket and tried to milk the clock, but the Dolphins went cold from the perimeter. They had only one field goal over the final 5:45 of the game. That basket was scored by Russell Barnes with 15 seconds remaining and gave the Dolphins an 85–79 lead, icing the game. Barnes and Len Rauch each had a double-double for Le Moyne. Barnes finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Rauch scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Julius Edwards guarded Gannon's leading scorer, Chris Hollan, holding him to just 5-for-12 shooting from the floor, and scored 25 points to lead the Dolphins.

After 18 straight losses versus Division I opponents, a streak that began in 1977, Le Moyne got 22 points from Andy Bechtle and overcame a five-point deficit with just over 10 minutes to play to defeat Army, 77–70, on February 7, 1989, at West Point. The win was Le Moyne's 65th all-time over a Division I/major program, and it would ultimately prove to be the final time Le Moyne defeated a Division I team as a Division II program.

Len Rauch had a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, leading the Dolphins to their fifth straight win, 94–73, over Buffalo on February 22. Seniors Dave Niland and Steve Lauer left the floor in their final regular-season home game to a rousing ovation with 57 seconds remaining.

The Dolphins were dominated in their 1989 MECC quarterfinal game at Pace, losing 79–61 on March 4. Andy Bechtle scored 13 points to lead Le Moyne. The Dolphins finished the season 15–12.

Len Rauch was named 1989 MECC sophomore of the year. Rauch was also named to the Division II All-East team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The 1989–90 season was the last under the leadership of Tommy Niland, Le Moyne's athletic director since 1947, and the head basketball coach for the program's first 25 varsity seasons. In January 1990, long-time Le Moyne baseball coach Dick Rockwell was chosen as Niland's successor.

Russell Barnes scored 15 points, reaching 1,000 for his collegiate career, in the Dolphins' 97–83 home victory over Saint Rose on February 21, 1990. Le Moyne stars Len Rauch, the team's leading scorer, and Julius Edwards were suspended by head coach John Beilein for disciplinary reasons. Freshman John Haas started in place of Edwards and responded with 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor, including 2 for 3 from three-point range, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot in his first collegiate start.

The Dolphins got 30 points from Tom Herhusky and defeated Mercyhurst, 81–67, on February 24. Len Rauch and Julius Edwards returned to the lineup after being suspended for the previous game. Rauch started at center, and Edwards came off the bench with John Haas starting at shooting guard. Haas scored four points, and Edwards had eight. Rauch scored only six points but had eight rebounds and nine assists.

The Dolphins fell behind by five points with 4:16 to play in their MECC semifinal game at Gannon on March 9, 1990, on an off-balance three-pointer by Chris Hollan with one second left on the shot clock and were unable to recover, falling, 55–53. Len Rauch scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Le Moyne, and Tom Herhusky added 16 points. The Dolphins also lost the tournament third-place game and finished their season 17–12.

Len Rauch was named 1990 first-team All-MECC, and Tom Herhusky was named to the second team.

Tom Herhusky scored 23 points to lead the Dolphins to a 105–81 victory over St. Lawrence on February 12, 1991. With 1:47 remaining in the first half, Len Rauch grabbed the 1,029th carom of his career and became Le Moyne's all-time leading career rebouder. The action was halted momentarily as Rauch held the game ball and posed for a photo with Dolphins head coach John Beilein. Rauch finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Len Rauch had a triple-double with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Dolphins to a 95–71 victory over Mercyhurst in their regular-season home finale on February 23, 1991.

Len Rauch became Le Moyne's all-time leading career scorer, and the Dolphins clinched the no. 3 seed in their conference tournament and home-court advantage for their MECC quarterfinal game with an 80–65 victory at Buffalo on March 2, 1991. Tom Herhusky scored 30 points to lead Le Moyne. Rauch finished with 25 points to bring his career total to 1,826. The Dolphins held the Bulls scoreless for three minutes late in the second half to break open a close game.

Tom Herhusky scored 20 points, and Len Rauch had a double-double with 16 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, as the Dolphins cruised to an 86–58 victory over Mercyhurst in the MECC quarterfinals on March 5, 1991. Christian Buchholz added 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals for Le Moyne. Rauch passed the 500-career-assist threshold in the contest.

The Dolphins could not overcome a six-minute scoreless stretch in the first half and fell to Pace, 87–68, in the MECC semifinals on March 8, 1991. John Haas scored 17 points to lead Le Moyne, and Len Rauch finished with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Dolphins completed their season the following day with an 86–84 overtime loss to Gannon in the tournament consolation game. Haas was named to the all-tournament team. Le Moyne finished the season 19–10.

Len Rauch was named third-team Division II All-America, the first player in program history to be named an All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and All-East District II second team. Rauch was also 1991 MECC player of the year and first-team All-MECC. Joe Girard was MECC rookie of the year. Tom Herhusky was second-team All-MECC.

Future Le Moyne Athletic Hall of Famer Mike Montesano, a 6'3" guard from McQuaid Jesuit High School, who was seventh-team All-New York State and averaged 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists arrived on campus in 1991.

Following the dissolution of the MECC, the Dolphins played the 1991–92 season as an independent and committed to join the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 1992.

Once it was clear that Le Moyne was out of contention for an NCAA tournament berth, head coach John Beilein gave more playing time to his younger players, and senior co-captain Tom Herhusky lost his starting role. The lineup adjustment proved successful, and the Dolphins closed their season on February 29, 1992, with a 66–64 home victory over Mercyhurst, their seventh consecutive win. After the Lakers went on a late 8–0 run to take a 64–61 lead, Herhusky, who had 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting in his final collegiate game, tied the contest with a three-pointer. Mercyhurst's next possession produced a pair of missed free throws, and John Haas, who finished with 10 points, hit a driving layup at the buzzer to win the game for Le Moyne. Dan Sandel had seven points and 17 rebounds for the Dolphins, who finished the season 15–11.

Mike Montesano was named 1992 ECAC Division II co-rookie of the year.

On April 9, 1992, John Beilein stepped down as head coach of the Dolphins to take the same position at Canisius, a team he had followed as a child. In nine years at Le Moyne, Beilein finished 163–94. His .634 winning percentage was the best for any Dolphins head coach up to that point.

Hicks is first Dolphin to play and coach in NCAA tournament (1992–1997)

Main article: History of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball (1992–1997)

Le Moyne hired Scott Hicks as their new head coach on May 22, 1992. Hicks was 26 years old at the time, and was the youngest men's basketball head coach across the NCAA's three divisions during his first two seasons at the helm.

After playing the 1991–92 season as an independent, Le Moyne joined the NECC in 1992.

Chris Granozio and Don Familo, both 1986 Le Moyne graduates, replaced Peter Stoyan calling Dolphins games on the radio in 1992. Granozio handled play-by-play, and Familo provided the color on WVOA-FM. As of 2025, Granozio and Familo remain the radio voices of Dolphins basketball.

The Dolphins ventured a bit more than three miles to take on Division I Syracuse, ranked no. 13 in the AP poll, in a battle of unbeatens on December 21, 1992. Syracuse paid Le Moyne about $15,000, which represented 40% of the basketball budget for the season. Syracuse cruised to a 102–71 win. Point guard John Haas finished with 14 points, seven assists and three steals for Le Moyne. Center Martin Janson led the Dolphins with 17 points and eight rebounds. Lawrence Moten led the Orangemen with 16 points and 12 rebounds, including nine off the offensive boards. John Wallace added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Mike Hopkins finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for Syracuse.

John Haas became the 22nd Dolphin to reach 1,000 career points in Le Moyne's 100–75 win at Division III Mount Saint Mary (NY) on February 9, 1993. Four days later, Haas recorded his 500th career assist in the Dolphins' 109–93 home victory over New Haven.

In February 1993, Le Moyne earned back-to-back victories over Gannon and New Hampshire College, both of which were ranked in the NCAA Division II poll.

The Dolphins 1992–93 season ended with a 75–73 loss to no. 2 seed Franklin Pierce, ranked no. 16 in the NCAA Division II poll, in the NECC semifinals. Le Moyne was ahead, 73–67, with 1:22 to play. However, the Ravens ended the game on an 8–0 run to claim the victory. Le Moyne finished the season 18–10.

Mike Montesano was named 1993 second-team All-NECC. Dan Sandel finished 11th in rebounding in Division II for the season with an average of 10.5 per game. The Dolphins were second in free-throw shooting in Division II, connecting on 75.6% of their charity tosses.

A cloud of uncertaintly hung over the Dolphins as the 1993–94 season was about to begin. Le Moyne announced that six unnamed male athletes would be suspended from competition for gambling on major college sporting events. The identity of the student-athletes involved remained confidential; before the start of the season, even head coach Scott Hicks was not told whether any of his players were involved. Le Moyne conducted its own investigation and determined the length of each suspension based on the extent of the student-athlete's involvement in gambling activities. Dr. Michael W. Yost, Le Moyne's vice president for student life, said that, while the conduct was disappointing, the cooperation of the students was outstanding. In addition to the suspensions, the student-athletes would participate in educational activities and receive counseling. Since NCAA rules require that student-athletes who gamble on major college sports automatically lose their athletic eligibility, Le Moyne had to apply for reinstatement of the six athletes. The NCAA approved Le Moyne's remediation plan and granted reinstatement to all six.

The Dolphins opened their season at Saint Rose on November 19, and made the trip without Mike Montesano and Adam Stockwell. Head coach Scott Hicks would say nothing more than that they were suspended for violating team policy, but it appeared likely that Montesano and Stockwell were two of the six student-athletes suspended for gambling. Joe Girard scored 21 points to lead Le Moyne in a 65–63 defeat.

After serving a four-game suspension and missing three more contests with mononucleosis, Adam Stockwell returned to the lineup in the Dolphins' wire-to-wire 79–63 win at Keene State on January 4, 1994. Dan Sandel scored 22 points and snatched 12 rebounds to lead Le Moyne. Stockwell finished with 11 points. The Dolphins improved to 4–4 overall and 1–0 in NECC play.

Mike Montesano made his season debut after serving an eight-game suspension in the Dolphins' 68–65 loss at Franklin Pierce on January 5, 1994. Dan Sandel scored a game-high 19 points for Le Moyne. Montesano finished with six points.

The Dolphins recorded a 94–85 home win over New Hampshire College, ranked no. 8 in the NCAA Division II poll, on January 12, 1994. Dan Sandel had a double-double for the 10th straight game with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Three Dolphins players surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone in February 1994. Senior Joe Girard became the 24th player in Le Moyne program history to do so in the Dolphins' 92–71 home win over St. Lawrence on February 2, 1994. Senior Dan Sandel accomlished the feat in the Dolphins' 86–80 victory at Sacred Heart on February 6, 1994. Junior Mike Montesano scored 24 points and joined the club in Le Moyne's 100–67 home win over New Haven.

After their first home loss of the campaign in their regular-season finale against Southern Connecticut State on February 26, 1994, the Dolphins finished third in the NECC with a league record of 11–5. Le Moyne hosted Massachusetts Lowell, a team they had beaten easily twice during the regular season, in a NECC quarterfinal game on March 1. The Dolphins were confused by the changing zone defenses used by the Chiefs and held to 36% shooting from the field and 33% from three-point range, well short of their 40% accuracy from beyond the arc entering the game. Le Moyne committed 21 turnovers, even though Lowell did not press often. The Chiefs closed the game on a 12–2 run and secured an 87–79 overtime victory, bringing the Dolphins' season to an abrupt end, having lost two straight at home and four of their last five games.

Dan Sandel finished his collegiate career with 896 rebounds, fourth in Le Moyne program history, and 1,138 points. Joe Girard ended his career as the Dolphins' all-time leader in three-point field goals with 289.

Dan Sandel was named 1994 first-team All-NECC and Mike Montesano was named to the second team. Joe Girard was named 1994 first-team District I Academic All-America in February and National Academic All-America in March 1994.

In their final game before 1994–95 conference play began, the Dolphins fell, 94–54, at Syracuse, ranked no. 11 in the Division I AP poll. Mike Montesano had a game-high 22 points for Le Moyne. Adam Stockwell added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore center John Henches battled the bigger Orangemen and finished with six points, five rebounds and an assist. Rob Atene did not score for the Dolphins but had four assists and a steal. This was the final regulation game Le Moyne played against a Division I team, until they reclassified to Division I in 2023. All future games in the Dolphins' Division II era versus Division I opponents were exhibition games for Le Moyne. Throughout Le Moyne's history as a small college/College Division/Division II program, the Dolphins finished 65–111 (.369) versus major program/University Division/Division I opponents.

The Dolphins dropped their final two regular season league games to finish with a 9–7 conference record, tied for third place with Massachusetts Lowell in 1994–95. Since the teams had identical records versus each conference opponent, a coin flip was needed to determine the no. 3 seed. Massachusetts Lowell won the coin flip, and Le Moyne was the no. 4 seed in the conference tournament.

Mike Montesano scored 35 points to lead the Dolphins to a 102–76 home win over no. 5 seed Southern Connecticut State in the NECC quarterfinals on February 26, 1994. His performance made Montesano the first Dolphins player to score 600 points in a single season in program history.

No. 1 seed New Hampshire College led wire to wire and delighted their home crowd, defeating the Dolphins 98–86 in the NECC semifinals on March 1, 1994. Senior Mike Montesano scored 20 points to lead Le Moyne. He fouled out in the closing seconds for the first time all season and left the floor to a standing ovation from the Penmen fans. Montesano finished the campaign with 646 points, a Le Moyne program record. His 1,759 career points made him the Dolphins' third all-time leading scorer. The Dolphins finished 16–12. Montesano was named to the All-Tournament team.

Mike Montesano was named 1995 first-team All-NECC. He was also named second-team Division II All-District for the Northeast Region. Montesano was selected as a second-team Division II All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was the first player in Le Moyne program history to make the second team.

Le Moyne announced, in June 1995, that the school's athletic programs would move to the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) starting with the 1996–97 academic year.

Adam Stockwell became the 27th Dolphin to reach 1,000 career points in Le Moyne's 74–62 win at Stony Brook on January 3, 1996. Stockwell had 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals in the game.

The Dolphins hosted New Hampshire College, ranked no. 18 in the NCAA Division II poll, on January 21, 1996. When starting point guard Rob Atene fouled out with 3:42 to play, Le Moyne led, 67–64. Keith Moyer, who had not yet scored in the game, answered the call to fill in for Atene and ran the offense while scoring six points in the closing minutes to secure a 77–69 victory. Freshman center John Tomsich proved to be a difficult matchup for the undersized Penmen. He finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, two assists, four blocked shots and a steal. Adam Stockwell scored 21 points and dished out six assists to lead the Dolphins. Dan Drews added 18 points and seven rebounds for Le Moyne, which improved to 12–3 overall and 9–2 in NECC play.

Adam Stockwell scored 33 points to lead the Dolphins to an 84–70 victory at Hobart on January 31, 1996. Freshman John Tomsich set a new single-season program record with his 63rd blocked shot of the campaign. He finished the game with three points and five blocks. Dan Drews had a double-double for Le Moyne with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Dave Ingram scored 18 points off the bench. The Dolphins' sixth straight win improved their record to 16–3.

The Dolphins defeated Stony Brook, 62–50, in their final home game of the regular season and in their NECC finale on February 17, 1996. Adam Stockwell scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists for Le Moyne. Dan Drews had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Dolphins escaped their NECC semifinal game against Albany (NY) with a 76–73 overtime victory over the Great Danes, whom they had beaten twice during the regular season. Adam Stockwell logged 43 minutes and finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals. Dan Drews had 24 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals. Rob Atene added four points and seven assists, and John Tomsich had six points and two blocked shots.

Leading by three points with 15 minutes to play, the Dolphins went on a 13–3 run to break the game open and defeated New Hampshire College, 81–68, in the NECC semifinals on March 1, 1996. Adam Stockwell scored 25 points to lead Le Moyne, and Dan Drews added 16 points and six rebounds.

The Dolphins surged ahead of Southern Connecticut State in the final 10 minutes of the NECC final on March 2, 1996, and hit eight straight free throws in the final five minutes to defeat the Owls, 77–73, and win the conference title, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Dave Ingram scored 19 points and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Dan Drews had 22 points and eight rebounds for Le Moyne, and Rob Atene added 11 points and seven assists. The Dolphins improved to 24–5 on the season, matching the highest win total in program history, previously achieved in 1987–88.

The Dolphins were seeded no. 5 in the NCAA tournament's Northeast Region and matched with no. 4 seed Franklin Pierce, ranked no. 17 in the Division II poll, in a first-round game played in Loudonville, New York. Le Moyne shot only 34% from the floor, while allowing the Ravens to shoot 55% and suffered an 83–53 loss on March 8. Adam Stockwell scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Dolphins. Dan Drews was limited to nine points and three rebounds by the bigger Ravens. Stockwell finished his collegiate career with 1,458 points and 498 rebounds. Drews finished with 992 points, 485 rebounds and 45 blocked shots.

Adam Stockwell was named 1996 first-team All-NECC, and Dan Drews received All-NECC honorable mention. Stockwell was also named first-team District I Academic All-American, first-team All-ECAC Division II North and All-Northeast Region as selected by coaches and sports information directors.

The Dolphins earned a 63–53 victory in their inaugural NE10 conference game at Quinnipiac on December 7, 1996. Freshman Michael Culley scored 16 points, shooting 5 for 8 from three-point range, to lead Le Moyne. Freshman Rashaan Bute added 14 points, shooting 6 for 8 from the floor.

The Dolphins lost at Division III Hobart, 79–66, on January 29, 1997. It was the fourth straight defeat for Le Moyne and the first loss against a Division III, NAIA or NCCAA program since December 28, 1990. The Dolphins had won 24 straight games against such opponents. John Tomsich scored 17 points to lead Le Moyne before fouling out. The Dolphins dropped to 7–11 on the season.

With their injured starting point guard, Rob Atene, missing his fourth straight game, the Dolphins fell behind at home by 13 points in the first half but bounced back with a 22–0 run and upset Bryant, ranked no. 18 in Division II, 82–71 on February 4, 1997. The win ended Le Moyne's five-game losing streak, the longest under the five-year tenure of head coach Scott Hicks. The Dolphins' most recent five-game losing streak had been between December 30, 1988 and January 14, 1989. John Tomsich came off the bench for the first time this season and responded with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Keith Moyer, starting in place of Atene, had nine points, eight rebounds and six assists and was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the closing minutes. Freshman Jesse Potter had nine points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Le Moyne. The Dolphins improved to 8–12 overall and 5–7 in NE10 play.

In their final regular-season game, the Dolphins clinched a berth in the NE10 tournament with an 80–64 home win over Bentley on February 22, 1997. Le Moyne never trailed in the game and used a 9–0 run to break a tie in the first half, remaining in control the rest of the way. John Henches scored 14 points to lead Le Moyne. John Tomsich added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Rob Atene, playing his final home game, finished with eight points, eight rebounds and a game-high six assists. Le Moyne finished the regular season 10–16 overall and 7–11 in NE10 play, earning the no. 7 seed in the conference tournament.

John Tomsich found Dave Ingram with a back-door pass for a layup with four minutes to play, sparking an 8–0 run in the Dolphins' NE10 quarterfinal game at no. 2 seed Assumption on February 24, 1997. The basket gave Le Moyne a one-point lead, and the run allowed the Dolphins to secure a 72–66 victory. Tomsich finished with a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds, four steals and one block. Ingram had four points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Michael Culley had 16 points and six rebounds and shot 4 for 8 from three-point range for the Dolphins. John Henches added nine points and six rebounds, and Rob Atene had 12 points and four steals.

The Dolphins met no. 3 seed Saint Anselm in their NE10 semifinal game. Senior Dave Ingram extended his collegiate career by scoring Le Moyne's final eight points of regulation. His contested triple from the left elbow tied the game with 2.7 seconds left and sent it to overtime. Senior Rob Atene hit four straight free throws to give the Dolphins an eight-point lead with 35.1 seconds to play. After the Hawks hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to five points, they fouled freshman Michael Culley, an 80% free-three shooter. Culley missed both shots, and Saint Anselm hit another triple to get within two points. Jesse Potter, a 67% free-throw shooter, was fouled and hit both charity tosses to put the Dolphins ahead, 77–73, with less than 15 seconds left. The Hawks hit another three-pointer at the final buzzer, and Le Moyne held on for a 77–76 win. Ingram finished with 15 points off the bench. Atene had 15 points and six assists. Potter's two late free throws were his only points of the game, but he also grabbed 11 rebounds. John Tomsich scored 25 points and snatched 13 rebounds to lead the Dolphins.

In the NE10 final on March 1, 1997, no. 4 seed Bryant, which had upset Saint Michael's in the semifinals, took a 42–41 lead with 13:36 to play. The Dolphins pushed ahead with a 12–6 run over the next eight minutes. The run started with a John Tomsich basket and continued with a Rob Atene steal and fast-break layup. With the Dolphins protecting a six-point lead, Atene scored on a 10-foot turnaround jump shot and then stole the ball and scored on a layup to give Le Moyne a 61–51 lead with 4:22 remaining. The Dolphins went on to a 72–61 victory, and Atene was the tournament's most valuable player. Atene had a double-double with 11 points, 10 assists and two steals, both of which came at pivotal moments. Despite extended stretches on the bench due to foul trouble, Tomsich also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Jesse Potter gave Le Moyne three players with double-doubles. He finished with a game-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Dave Ingram and Bryan Menar held Bryant's All-NE10 guard Noel Watson to 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Ingram added eight points.

The NE10 champion Dolphins, making their second straight NCAA tournament appearance, were given the no. 6 seed in the Northeast Regionals of the 1997 tournament, and matched against no. 3 seed Saint Rose, ranked no. 11 in Division II, in the first round. Le Moyne was the only club in the field of 48 teams with a losing record. The Dolphins got out of the gate with an early 9–2 lead and were ahead, 40–38, at the break, despite John Tomsich spending much of the first half in foul trouble. After Tomsich was called for his fourth foul three minutes into the second half, the Golden Knights pounded the ball inside and went on a 21–0 run, getting 18 of those points on layups and dunks. Le Moyne was unable to recover and fell, 92–76. Senior Rob Atene scored 19 points to lead the Dolphins and added eight assists and two steals in his final collegiate game. Michael Culley scored 18 points on six three-pointers and added a team-high nine rebounds. Jesse Potter finished with six points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Le Moyne. The Dolphins finished the season 13–17, the first losing campaign for head coach Scott Hicks and the first for the program since the 1985–86 season.

In May 1997, Scott Hicks resigned as the Dolphins' head coach to take the head coaching job at Albany State (NY), which was planning to transition to Division I. Hicks was 87–56 in his five years at Le Moyne.

Dave Paulsen brings a new approach (1997–2000)

Dave Paulsen

On June 18, 1997, Le Moyne introduced Dave Paulsen as the Dolphins' new head coach, replacing the departed Scott Hicks. Paulsen, 32 years old at the time, had been the head coach at St. Lawrence the previous three seasons with a record of 50–28 and was named Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association coach of the year in each of the previous two campaigns. Assistant coaches Gallagher Driscoll and Sean McDonnell committed to remain on Paulsen's staff. Jim "Duke" McGrath, a Le Moyne alumnus from the class of 1962, joined the staff as a volunteer assistant coach. McGrath played on the Dolphins' 1958–59 freshman team but never played on the varsity squad. He played varsity baseball at Le Moyne for two seasons and was the team's co-captain during his senior year. McGrath had a successful 23-year career as a high school basketball coach. Tobin Anderson was also added to the staff as an assistant coach.

The Dolphins went on a foreign tour to London between August 9 and 19, 1997. Le Moyne played three teams from the British Basketball League, losing all three games, and earned a win against an amateur club team. Only returning players and not any newly recruited players were permitted by NCAA rules to make the trip.

Redshirt senior Bryan Menar and seniors Keith Moyer and Mike Ondrejko, a walk-on, returned for the 1997–98 season. John Henches had a year of eligibility remaining due to a medical redshirt, but he graduated and left the program. Also returning were juniors John Tomsich and Kevin Moyer, a walk-on, and sophomores Rashaan Bute, Michael Culley, Brett Doody and Jesse Potter. New to the team were sophomore walk-ons Shannon Flood, a 6'1" guard and Terry Pudney and freshmen A.J. Warren, a 6'1" swingman, Jakub Hrabovský, a 6'6" forward from the Czech Republic, and guard Ronald Garura. Menar, Keith Moyer and Tomsich were named tri-captains. First-year head coach Dave Paulsen planned to change the team's defensive approach from primarily zone to man-to-man and install a motion offense instead of running set plays. The players were receptive to the changes. Menar, who was a member of the committee that selected the new head coach, praised Paulsen's confidence, noting that was an important trait in a leader.

In an early-season battle of unbeatens, the Dolphins staged a furious rally to overcome an 18-point deficit with eight minutes to play at Assumption on November 29, 1997, and sent the game to overtime. Jesse Potter split a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to force the extra session. However, the Greyhounds dominated the overtime period and rescued a 105–92 victory. Freshman A.J. Warren keyed the comeback, scoring 12 of his career high 23 points during the final eight minutes of regulation, and added six steals. Keith Moyer scored 10 points and matched Le Moyne's program record with 13 assists. John Tomsich had 23 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and six blocked shots, becoming the Dolphins' all-time leader in career blocks with 158. Michael Culley scored 18 points, all of them coming on six triples. Potter finished with 10 points. Le Moyne fell to 4–1 overall and 1–1 in NE10 play.

John Tomsich recorded his third straight 20-point double-double to lead the Dolphins to a 73–63 home victory over Saint Michael's, ranked no. 16 in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll, on December 3. Tomsich had 16 points in the first half as Le Moyne built a 15-point lead at intermission. The Purple Knights made the game tighter in the second half, as the Dolphins struggled at the free-throw line, shooting 10 for 20, after they had been 8 for 12 in the first half. Tomsich finished with 20 points and 14 boards. Keith Moyer added 17 points and nine assists for Le Moyne, who improved to 5–2 overall and 2–2 in NE10 play.

John Tomsich scored 32 points in the Dolphins' 85–81 loss at Stonehill on January 5, 1998. Tomsich achieved his total despite fouling out of the game and committing six turnovers. Jesse Potter added four points, 13 rebounds, two steals and a block, and Keith Moyer had five points, eight assists and a block for Le Moyne, who fell to 8–3 overall and 4–3 in NE10 play.

Following the Dolphins' January 10 home game against Quinnipiac, head coach Dave Paulsen commented, "I told the guys that it's the mark of a good team to get an ugly win, and for that I was proud of them." Keith and Kevin Moyer and Jesse Potter all played through the flu. The game featured 54 personal fouls, and John Tomsich was called for his fourth two minutes into the second half. Senior walk-on Mike Ondrejko came off the bench and kept the game close with Tomsich sitting out in foul trouble. He scored eight points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, five of them off the offensive glass. When Tomsich returned to the floor with 5:57 to play, he was well rested and put his inside game on display. His basket with 1:56 remaining gave Le Moyne a 67–65 lead. After the Braves tied the score, Tomsich responded with another bucket to put the Dolphins ahead, 69–67, with 1:26 to go. A minute later, Tomsich sank a pair of free throws to ice a 71–67 victory for Le Moyne. Tomsich finished with 15 points, and Keith Moyer scored two points and dished nine assists for the Dolphins, who improved to 10–3 overall and 6–3 in NE10 play.

After a win at Merrimack on January 18, the Dolphins completed the sweep of a rare back-to-back home-and-home set with a 62–61 victory three days later. The Warriors scored the first 10 points of the second half to open an 11-point lead, but Le Moyne responded with a 24–4 run and held a nine-point edge with six minutes to play. Merrimack used a 15–6 spurt to tie the score at 61 in the final minute. John Tomsich was fouled with three seconds to play. He missed the first free throw but made the second. Jesse Potter stole a Merrimack pass to secure the win for the Dolphins. Tomsich finished with a game-high 21 points, 10 of them during Le Moyne's second-half run. Potter had four points and 10 rebounds, and Keth Moyer scored seven points and dished eight assists for the Dolphins, who improved to 12–4 overall and 8–4 in NE10 play.

The Dolphins avenged an early-season road loss with a convincing 91–79 home victory over first-place Assumption on January 24. After the Greyhounds took an early 10–3 lead, Le Moyne pushed ahead by the midpoint of the first half and built a nine-point lead by intermission. Assumption cut the lead to four points, holding the Dolphins without a field goal for the first 2:30 of the second stanza. Le Moyne responded with a 10–3 spurt, sparked by an A.J. Warren basket that broke the field-goal drought, and controlled the game the rest of the way. Warren had a career-high 28 points on 13-for-20 shooting from the floor. Walk-on junior guard Kevin Moyer came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points and was matched by John Tomsich, who had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Keith Moyer added 12 points and six assists for the Dolphins, who improved to 13–4 overall and 9–4 in NE10 play, 1+1⁄2 games behind Assumption in the standings.

John Tomsich and Keith Moyer each had a double-double in the Dolphins' 96–86 home win over Bentley on January 25. Tomsich finished with a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Moyer had 12 points and a program record-tying 14 assists. Le Moyne led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but the hot-shooting Falcons got within three points with 1:27 to play. A layup by Tomsich with 1:02 left put the game away. Michael Culley added 20 points for the Dolphins, who improved to 14–4 overall and 10–4 in NE10 play.

John Tomsich was named NE10 player of the week for his performances in the three home games against Merrimack, Assumption and Bentley.

John Tomsich scored the game's opening basket, surpassing 1,000 career points, in the Dolphins' January 28 home tilt against Hobart. Le Moyne led by as many as 30 points, and their starters played sparingly in the second half of a 78–60 Dolphins victory. Tomsich finished with 16 points, shooting 8 for 8 from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds in only 23 minutes. Michael Culley had 17 points, and Keith Moyer added two points and nine assists for Le Moyne, which won their fifth straight game.

After trailing by five points at halftime at American International on February 1, the Dolphins battled back in the second half and had possession, facing a one-point deficit in the final seconds. Keith Moyer was fouled shooting a three-pointer and awarded three free throws with no time left on the clock. Moyer missed the first two tosses but made the third and sent the game to overtime. Le Moyne dominated the extra session and earned an 86–76 victory. John Tomsich led the Dolphins with 35 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Moyer finished with 14 points and four assists. Le Moyne improved to 16–5 overall and 11–5 in NE10 play.

Stonehill, ranked no. 21 in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll, visited the Dolphins on February 9, in a battle for first place in the NE10. Le Moyne's defense frustrated the Chieftains in the first half, and the Dolphins built a 38–30 lead at the break. Stonehill's shooting improved in the second half, and they ended up 37% from the floor for the game. The Chieftains tied the score at 60, but an A.J. Warren layup but Le Moyne back in front. After Stonehill got within a point at 66–65, the Dolphins responded with a 7–2 spurt that included a Warren basket inside, Keith Moyer finding John Tomsich for a layup and a Michael Culley three-pointer. Le Moyne controlled the rest of the game, securing an 84–73 victory and first place in the conference. Tomsich finished with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Moyer had five points and nine assists, and Culley added 15 points. The Dolphins improved to 18–5 overall and 13–5 in NE10 play.

Despite a 31-point, 12-rebound effort from John Tomsich, the Dolphins lost, 87–82, at NAIA Division I Roberts Wesleyan on February 11. The Raiders built their lead as large as 15 points in the first half. Le Moyne got back into the game and tied the score at 69 but could not push in front. Keith Moyer missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game with five seconds to play. Roberts Wesleyan then hit a pair fo free throws to seal their victory. The Raiders improved to 10–16 with the win, which likely damaged Le Moyne's chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

After taking a 29–27 lead at halftime of their February 14 game at Pace, the Dolphins collapsed in the second half, getting outscored, 69–34, and lost, 96–63. The Setters finished the game shooting 52% from the field. John Tomsich scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Le Moyne. Keith Moyer added 12 points and six assists. The loss dropped the Dolphins out of first place with an overall record of 18–7 and a league mark of 13–6.

The Dolphins finished tied for second place in the NE10 and were the no. 3 seed in the 1998 NE10 tournament and hosted no. 6 seed Saint Michael's in a quartefinal game on February 23. Le Moyne entered the game having lost two of their final three regular-season games, but the Dolphins were well rested, having not played since eight days earlier. Le Moyne's man-to-man defense held the Purple Knights to 38% shooting in the first half and triggered runs of 12–2 and 17–4, allowing the Dolphins to take a 50–33 lead at the intermisson. Saint Michael's improved their shooting in the second half and appeared on the verge of getting back into the game on several occasions. However, each time the Purple Knights got close, Keith and Kevin Moyer responded to quash the rally. After Saint Michael's cut the lead to 64–52, the Moyer brothers each hit a triple during a 6–2 spurt that pushed the lead back to 16 points. The Purple Knights went on a 10–2 run to get within 10 points at 76–66. The Moyer brothers responded by scoring the game's next four points on a drive to the basket by Kevin and a pair fo free throws by Keith. Saint Michael's made one final push and got within 10 points with three minutes to go. Keith Moyer sparked a 5–2 spurt with a pair of free throws and a three-point play that put the game out of reach. The Moyer brothers finished 17 for 17 from the free throw line, and Keith was 11 for 11. John Tomsich had a double-double for Le Moyne wth 29 points and 10 rebounds. Keith Moyer had a career-high 23 points and dished six assists, and Michael Culley added 20 points for the Dolphins. Walk-on Kevin Moyer finished with 16 points, playing 26 minutes off the bench. The win, Le Moyne's 20th of the season, improved the Dolphins' home record to 16–0 in 1997–98, and was their 17th straight victory at the Henninger Athletic Center dating back to the 1996–97 campaign.

The Dolphins visited no. 2 seed Assumption for their NE10 semifinal game on February 25. Midway through the second half of a tight game, Mike Ondrejko's layup cut the Greyhounds' lead to 67–63. Assumption then embarked on a 17–4 run and controlled the rest of the game, earning a 102–84 win. Although the Dolphins held opponents to 40.2% field-goal shooting during the season, ranking among the leaders in Division II and the best in the NE10, the Greyhounds shot 48% from the floor and 42% from beyond the arc. Junior tri-captain John Tomsich had his 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds for Le Moyne. Senior tri-captain and point guard Keith Moyer finished with seven points and seven assists in his final collegiate game. Ondrejko, a walk-on senior, had four points. Moyer's brother Kevin, a walk-on junior, had 16 points. Redshirt senior tri-captain Bryan Menar scored two points. The Dolphins finished the season 20–8, reaching the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in the 50-year history of the program, all of which occurred during the most recent 15 seasons.

John Tomsich was named first-team All-NE10 and to the Division II All-Northeast Region team. Keith Moyer led the NE10 in assists per game with 7.7, which ranked him seventh in Division II.

Effective for the 1998–99 academic year, Le Moyne instituted a random drug testing program for all student-athletes. Le Moyne planned to apply for membership in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and transition to Division I, where drug testing was required. The baseball team had been competing in Division I since 1987, and the women's lacrosse team moved to Division I in 1998.

The Dolphins lost Keith Moyer, their starting point guard, Bryan Menar and Mike Ondrejko to graduation in 1998. John Tomsich and now former walk-on Kevin Moyer returned for their senior seasons along with juniors Michael Culley, Jesse Potter, Rashaan Bute and walk-on Shannon Flood and sophomore Jakub Hrabovský. Alex Harris, a 6'9" junior transfer forward from Division I American was new to the team. Harris was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team in 1997. Freshman Steve Vega, a 5'7" guard, was expected to get significant playing time backing up Kevin Moyer at the point. He averaged 33.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game at Avon High School in Ohio. Tom Patton, a 6'0" guard who averaged 18.5 points per game as a high school senior in Cleveland was also new to the team. Nick Redhead, a 5'11" walk-on freshman guard from Paul V. Moore High School, was a first-team all-league selection as a high school senior. After playing his freshman season at Le Moyne, A.J. Warren transferred to New Jersey Tech. Tomsich and Moyer were named co-captains.

The Dolphins led their November 19, 1998 season opener by two points after a sluggush first half, but their shooting heated up in the second stanza, and they earned a 65–54 home victory over Glenville State. John Tomsich scored 31 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead Le Moyne. Tomsich played the entire 40 minutes and held Glenville State's Terry Clark, who entered the game averaging 32 points per contest, to 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Kevin Moyer had 12 points and five assists in his first game as the Dolphins' starting point guard. Steve Vega did not score but had five assists in his collegiate debut.

The Dolphins' 18-game home winning streak was on the line, when they trailed East Stroudsburg, 69–62, wth 4:24 to play on November 21. Le Moyne responded with a 10–0 run over the next four minutes and led, 72–69, with 10 seconds left. The Dolphins elected to foul Ro Trachtman to prevent a three-point attempt, and he hit both free throws to cut the lead to one point. The Warriors immediately fouled John Tomsish, who split a pair of charity tosses to put Le Moyne ahead, 73–71. East Stroudsburg then ran a play for Trachtman, who was 11th in Division II in three-point percentage the previous season, and he hit a triple at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 74–73 victory, ending the Dolphins' home winning treak. Tomsich scored 27 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked two shots to lead Le Moyne, and Kevin Moyer added 12 points and five assists.

John Tomsich was named NE10 player of the week for his performances against Glenville State and East Stroudsburg.

With John Tomsich sidelined with a sprained ankle he suffered in practice, Alex Harris scored 24 points and snatched nine rebounds to lead the Dolphins to a 73–55 home win over Bentley on December 5. Le Moyne held the Falcons to 32% shooting from the field and to their lowest scoring output in 12 years. Kevin Moyer scored 10 points and dished five assists, and Jesse Potter added nine points and five assists for the Dolphins, who improved to 3–2 overall and 1–1 in NE10 play.

Michael Culley scored 28 points, shooting 8 for 10 from three-point range, to lead the Dolphins to a 90–68 victory over Lincoln Memorial in the opener of the AmeriHost Tournament, hosted by Ashland University on December 29. The Dolphins held the Railsplitters to 23% shooting in the first half to take an 18-point lead at the break. All 11 players on Le Moyne's roster scored in the game. John Tomsich scored 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the floor and grabbed five rebounds. Kevin Moyer had four points and dished 11 assists. Freshman Tom Patton recorded four points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Dolphins had 34 assists on their 38 made field goals. Le Moyne improved to 6–3 on the season.

The following evenning, Ashland raced to an early 12-point lead before a late first-half run by the Dolphins tied the score at intermission. The Eagles had the lead in the closing seconds, and a missed three-pointer by Michael Culley, whom Ashland held to just five points, ended the drama in a 60–56 win for the Eagles, giving the hosts the tournament title. John Tomsich scored 16 points for Le Moyne before fouling out with 3:45 to play. Kevin Moyer finished with 11 points and five assists, and Jesse Potter added 10 points and 13 rebounds. Culley and Tomsich were named to the all-tournament team.

Michael Culley scored 27 points to lead the Dolphins to a 91–62 victory over Queens (NY) in the opening game of the Doc Jacobs Classic, a showcase event hosted by Saint Michael's on January 2, 1999. Le Moyne dominated the first half, building a 27-point lead at the break. Ke,vin Moyer and Steve Vega each dished nine assists for Le Moyne. Moyer added eight points, and Vega scored three. John Tomsich recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds to post a double-double. Rahaan Bute came off the bench for Le Moyne to score nine points, grab eight rebounds and block three shots.

The following day, Nick Redhead scored a game-high 19 points, 16 of them in the second half, to lead the Dolphins to a 93–43 victory over Southern Vermont at the Doc Jacobs Classic. Le Moyne held the Mountaineers to 24% chooting fro the floor in the first half and built a 21-point lead at intermission. The Dolphins shared the classic championship with Saint Michael's, which also went 2–0. Redhead shot 5 for 6 from three-point range. Rashaan Bute scored five points and grabbed nine rebounds for Le Moyne. Steve Vega had a team-high five assists. John Tomsich and Michael Culley were named to the all-classic team. The Dolphins improved to 8–4 on the season.

With the team's best outside shooter and second-leading scorer, Michael Culley, sidelined by the flu, Kevin Moyer stepped up and hit a triple with seven seconds left in double overtime to lead the Dolphins to an 88–85 victory at Pace, ranked no. 1 in the Northeast Region, on January 6. Moyer finished with a career-high 23 points and dished 11 assists. Hisfree throws with 29 seconds left in the first overtime extended the game. John Tomsich set new career highs with 36 points and 20 rebounds. Le Moyne improved to 9–4 overall and 4–1 in NE10 play with their third straigt win.

The Dolphins played their second straight double overtime game on January 9, at Merrimack. Kevin Moyer set another career high with 31 points and dished nine assists. Moyer's three-pointer with 18 seconds to play in regulation forced overtime. Le Moyne had the lead late in the first overtime but conceded a basket in the closing seconds. The Warriors seized control of the game in the second extra session and earned a 110–102 victory. John Tomsich finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Dolphins before fouling out. Michael Culley returned from his bout with the flu and scored 19 points, shooting 5 for 12 from three-point range.

Kevin Moyer scored 29 points and dished nine assists, leading the Dolphins to an 85–83 upset victory at Saint Anselm, ranked no. 15 in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll, on January 11. John Tomsich added 12 points and nine rebounds for Le Moyne. This was the final game of eight consecutive contests, five of them true road games, the Dolphins played away from home. Le Moyne went 34 days between home games and spent about 40 hours traveling 2,820 miles to play games in six different states. The Dolphins won five of the eight games on the road trip.

For the second straight game, the Dolphins survived a flat and sloppy performance in a home tilt and were rescued by John Tomsich on January 18. Tomsich scored 39 points, the most by a Le Moyne player in 28 years, and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 73–63 victory over Bryant. Tomisch was 11 for 18 from the field. The rest of the team shot 10 for 29 (34%). Kevin Moyer shot 2 for 7 and finished with four points and nine assists. Michael Culley was 1 for 5 from the floor and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line, recording 10 points. The Dolphins reached a season-high 12 games above .500 at 12–5 overall and 7–2 in NE10 play.

After Saint Michael's lost at Pace on January 20, the Dolphins and Purple Knights were tied for first place in the NE10 with 7–2 league records. However, Le Moyne fell out of first place with a 67–62 upset loss on January 23, at American International, who had entered the game with a 1–8 record in NE10 play. John Tomsich scored 22 points and snatched 13 rebounds, and Kevin Moyer had four points and 10 assists for the Dolphins.

John Tomisich was named NE10 and ECAC North player of the week for his performances against Bryant and American International.

The Dolphins capitalized on their opportunity to regain a share of first place with a 75–73 home victory over Saint Michael's on January 27. A late first-half rally by the Purple Knights cut Le Moyne's 11-point lead to three points at the break, setting up a tight second half. After Saint Michael's moved in front, 48–47, with 12:24 to play, the Dolphins responded with a 16–7 spurt, getting scoring from Jakub Hrabovský, John Tomsich, Kevin Moyer and Jesse Potter, to claim an eight-point lead with 6:27 remaining. The Purple Knights relied on their pressure defense, which forced 19 Le Moyne turnovers, to make a final push and got within 72–71 with 16 seconds left. Moyer hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three points. The Dolphins defended the three-point line aggressively, forcing Saint Michael's to drive to the basket, making the score 74–73. Tomsich made one of two from the charity stripe with three seconds left and then stole a pass on the Purple Knights' final possession, sealing the Dolphins' win. Tomsich finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Jesse Potter played the entire 40 minutes and scored 12 points, but his defense on Todd Roberts was most notable. Roberts entered the game averaging 18.5 points per contest. Potter defended him the entire game and held him without a shot attempt in the first half. Roberts scored only four points, shooting 2 for 5 from the field. Moyer finished with 14 points and five assists, but he struggled at times against the full-court pressure defense. Freshmen Steve Vega, Tom Patton and Nick Redhead each performed well spelling Moyer at the point. Vega finished with four points, all of them scored late as Saint Michael's was making their final push. The win improved the Dolphins' overall record to 13–6 and put them into a first-place tie with Saint Michael's at 8–3 in NE10 play.

The Dolphins had a 65–59 lead with 5:20 to play in their February 1 game at Stonehill. However, the Chieftains closed the game on a 17–8 run and earned a 76–73 win, ending their six-game losing streak and handing Le Moyne their second straight loss, which knocked the Dolphins out of a first-place tie. John Tomsich scored 36 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists for Le Moyne. Tomsich shot 14 for 20 from the field; the rest of the team shot 14 for 41 (34%). The Dolphins committed 17 turnovers in the game. Le Moyne fell to 13–8 overall and 8–5 in NE10 play, tied for third place in the league.

Playing at home in their regular-season finale, the Dolphins were locked into a tight game with Pace, the top ranked team in the Northeast Region, on February 19. After just over 13 minutes had elapsed in the game, starting forward Alex Harris suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his left knee. Harris had logged eight minutes and already grabbed seven rebounds in the game. He was, however, having a bad shooting night, having missed all six of his shots from the floor. The loss of the inside presence and depth Harris provided was quickly evident. The Setters' late first-half spurt gave them a five-point lead at the break. Less than four minutes into the second half, Pace had expanded their lead to 15 points. Le Moyne never got closer than eight points down the rest of the way, and the Setters earned an 85–72 victory. This was the final home game in the collegiate careers of senior co-captains John Tomsich and Kevin Moyer. Tomsich scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished three assists. He became the third player in program history to surpass 1,000 career rebounds. Moyer notched 13 points before fouling out. He was bothered by Pace's full-court press, committing eight of the Dolphins' 21 turnovers, which led to 28 points for the Setters. The loss was the seventh straight for Le Moyne, dropping them to 8–10 in NE10 play, tied for sixth place in the league. Just 21 days earlier, they took the court tied for first place. The Dolphins won the tiebreaker for the no. 6 seed in the conference tournament.

The Dolphins' epic collapse concluded with their eighth straight loss despite a valiant effort in the NE10 quarterfinals at no. 3 seed Saint Michael's on February 22. Despite John Tomsich being slowed by flu-like symptoms, Le Moyne managed a 10-point lead with 9:48 to play. The Purple Knights went on a run and flipped the game, moving ahead, 60–55, in the final minutes. Tom Patton responded for Le Moyne with two straight baskets, and the Dolphins trailed, 60–59, with 44 seconds to play. Le Moyne got a stop on the defensive end, and Kevin Moyer put up a running bank shot with three seconds to play that bounced off the rim. Saint Michael's controlled the rebound and hit one of two free throws. The Purple Knights then stole Le Moyne's length-of-the-court pass, securing a 61–59 victory. Saint Michael's leading scorer Todd Roberts was held scoreless by the fierce guarding of Jesse Potter and Jakub Hrabovský. He shot 0 of 6 from the floor and 0 for 3 from the free-throw line. Patton scored 13 points to lead the Dolphins. Tomsich was limited to six points on 2-for-10 shooting from the floor, eight rebounds and four assists in his final collegiate game. He finished his career with 1,760 points, third in program history, and 1,015 rebounds, also third all-time. Moyer ended his career with eight points, four assists and four steals in his final game. Potter had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Dolphins finished their season 13–14 overall. The season-ending losing streak was the longest for Le Moyne since dropping 13 straight during the 1980–81 season.

John Tomisch was named NE10 defensive player of the year and first-team All-NE10. Tomsich also repeated as first-team Division II All-Northeast Region and was named a second-team Division II All-American. Tomisch ranked seventh in Division II in blocked shots with 264. Kevin Moyer's 179 assists were the fifth best single-season total in program history.

The Dolphins lost co-captains John Tomsich and Kevin Moyer to graduation in 1999. All nine of the other players on the previous season's roster returned, including seniors Michael Culley, Jesse Potter, Rashaan Bute and walk-on Shannon Flood, junior Jakub Hrabovský, and sophomores Tom Patton, Steve Vega and walk-on Nick Redhead. Dwayne Pean, a 6'0" guard from Goldsboro, North Carolina was the first recruit to sign a letter of intent for the 1999–2000 season. Other new freshmen included Kyle Chapman, a 6'5" guard who was from Willingboro, New Jersey and played at Wardlaw-Hartridge, Myles Howard, a 6'6" forward from Nottingham High School, Jamar Hubbard, a 6'5" shooting guard from Penn Hills in Pittsburgh and Chip James, a 6'3" guard from Springboro, Ohio. Brett Barnard, a 6'8" forward from Frankfort, New York, arrived on campus but redshirted his freshman year. Culley, Potter and Flood were named tri-captains. Dolphins assistant coach Tobin Anderson left the staff to become the head coach at Clarkson. Jonathan Tsipis joined the staff as an assistant coach.

In October 1999, the Dolphins began participating in the Dream to Read program. Players visited classrooms of local elementary schools, engaged with the students, encouraging them to read, and read a book aloud to them. The effort was organized by Le Moyne's new assistant coach, Jonathan Tsipis.

The Dolphins launched their season with a 74–69 win over host Westminster (PA) in the opening round of the Buzz Ridl Classic on November 19, 1999. Jesse Potter had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Le Moyne. Potter's consecutive baskets broke a tie in the final six minutes, giving the Dolphins a lead they would not relinquish. Steve Vega scored eight points and dished four assists for Le Moyne. He sank three of four free throws in the final 15 seconds to put the game out of reach. Freshman Myles Howard had 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in his collegiate debut.

The following evening, the Dolphins upset California (PA), ranked no. 11 in the NCAA Division II Bulletin preseason poll, 75–65 in overtime, to win the Buzz Ridl Classic. The Vulcans expanded their 12-point halftime lead to 17, before Le Moyne stormed back. Freshman Dwayne Pean converted a three-point play with 32 seconds to play that knotted the score and forced the extra session. The Dolphins dominated play after regulation, outscoring California, 14–4, getting seven of their 14 points from freshman Kyle Chapman. Myles Howard led Le Moyne with a game-high 24 points and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Pean finished with 10 points and four assists, and Chapman had nine points.

Myles Howard was named NE10 newcomer of the week for each of the season's first three weeks.

After three straight road losses, the Dolphins returned home to host Mansfield, ranked no. 1 in the East Region of Division II, on December 20. Le Moyne trailed, 24–23, when they got a spark from Michael Culley, who was playing through a hairline fracture in his foot and a degenerative disc in his back. Culley hit a three-pointer to put the Dolphins in front, grabbed the defensive rebound on the other end of the floor and sank another triple to give Le Moyne a five-point lead. The Dolphins held the Mountaineers to 10 points over the final 10 minutes of the half and closed the stanza on a 9–2 run. Kyle Chapman powered the late burst with a three-pointer, immediately followed by a steal and a transition layup. Le Moyne was on top, 47–34, at the break. The Dolphins' lead grew as large as 20 points in the second half, and Mansfield got no closer than seven points down, falling 94–83. Le Moyne was 10 for 10 from the free-throw line in the closing minutes. Jesse Potter hit six of them, and Dwayne Pean drained the other four. Chapman and Tom Patton shared the duty of guarding Tom Harvey, who was averaging more than 20 points per game. They limited Harvey to just seven points and no field goals. Potter had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Chapman scored a game- and career-high 26 points. Jakub Hrabovský shot 7 for 7 from the floor, finishing with 16 points, also a career high. Pean, the third Dolphin to register a new career high, had 13 points, and Patton scored seven markers. Le Moyne improved to 4–4 on the season. Chapman earned NE10 co-player of the week honors for the performance.

Le Moyne hosted a multi-team event for the first time in six years on December 29 and 30. The event was an unbracketed showcase promoted as the inaugural Holiday Inn Invitational. During warmups of the Dolphins' showcase against Southampton, ranked no. 4 in the Northeast Region of Division II, the Colonials gathered at the center-court logo, and their center, Mark Person, shouted, "This is our house!" as his teammates jumped up and down, clapping their hands. The Dolphins sat quietly on their bench and watched. The game was tight, until Michael Culley came off the bench and drained three triples in just over two minutes, putting Le Moyne ahead, 27–19. The Dolphins' full-court press led to eight first-half steals, and Le Moyne's lead swelled to 17 points. After a Southampton run cut their deficit to nine points, Kyle Chapman blocked a shot, picked up the loose ball and navigated his way through Colonial defenders for a transtion layup, then converting a three-point play. The Dolphins led, 55–42, at intermission. Southampton got no closer than six points down in the second half, and a quick six-point scoring spurt by Chapman in the closing minutes put away a 101–87 win for Le Moyne. Six Dolphins scored in double figures, led by Chapman with 19 points, Tom Patton with 17, Culley with 14, Jakub Hrabovský with 12 and Alex Harris with 11 markers.

The following evening, Jakub Hrabovský scored 22 points to lead the Dolphins to a 96–91 victory over Roberts Wesleyan and a share of the invitational championship. Saint Michael's also went 2–0 in the event. Hrabovský was named the invitational's most valuable player. Alex Harris, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the 1999 NE10 quarterfinals, had an ecouraging performance with a season-high 19 points and seven rebounds, while battling the Raiders' collection of strong frontcourt players. Steve Vega had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists for Le Moyne, and Kyle Chapman added 15 points. The Dolphins improved to 6–4 with their third straight win.

Michael Culley surpassed 1,000 career points in the Dolphins' 74–66 loss in their NE10 home opener against Pace on January 6, 2000. Le Moyne fell behind by 12 points but rallied late in the first half and trailed by seven at the break. The Dolphins got within two points in the second half, but the Setters responded with five points in under a minute and controlled the game the rest of the way. Although Le Moyne successfully slowed Pace's high-octane offense, which was averaging nearly 100 points per game, the Dolphins shot only 43% from the floor. Le Moyne's frustration was evident, when Kyle Chapman threw an errant inbounds pass that was caught by Dolphins head coach Dave Paulsen, who hurled it toward the gym exit. The ball was retrieved by Dolphins sports information director Mike Donlin, who returned it to the court. Myles Howard and Steve Vega each scored 14 points to lead Le Moyne, who fell to 6–5 overall and 0–4 in NE10 play.

Two days after setting a new mark for most points allowed in a home game in a 105–77 loss to Merrimack, the Dolphins surrendered even more points and suffered the worst home loss in program history, 108–66, to Saint Anselm on January 10. The Hawks built a 54–27 halftime lead on the strength of 55% shooting from the floor, 50% accuracy from three-point range and a 24–15 rebounding advantage in the first half. Nick Redhead scored 13 points off the bench to lead Le Moyne, and Jesse Potter added 12 points and six rebounds. The loss was the 13th straight in conference regular-season play and third straight overall for the Dolphins, who fell to 6–7 overall and 0–6 in NE10 play.

Jesse Potter was named to the NE10 weekly honor roll for his performances in Le Moyne's losses at Stonehill and Bryant on January 15 and 17. Potter averaged 18 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the two contests and had a career-high 24 points against Stonehill.

The Dolphins ended losing streaks of five games overall, 15 straight in conference regular-season play and 16 in a row against NE10 foes with a 74–71 home win on January 22, against American International, the team with the best overall record in the league. Le Moyne's most recent win against an NE10 opponent had been at home against Saint Michael's on January 27, 1999, a victory that put the Dolphins into a first-place tie in the league. Le Moyne had a 10-point lead with 1:34 to play, but the Yellow Jackets created late drama, hitting a flurry of three-pointers to cut the deficit to two points with 29 seconds left. Steve Vega was fouled two seconds later and hit both free throws. After an American International empty possession, the Dolphins hit another free throw to extend the lead to five points. The Yellow Jackets scored from the lane with 12 seconds left and fouled freshman Chip James, who missed both free throws. However, James stole the ball, preventing American International from getting off a shot. Jesse Potter led Le Moyne with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Vega finished with 16 points. The Dolphins improved to 7–9 overall and 1–8 in NE10 play.

The Dolphins were officially eliminated from contention for a berth in the NE10 tournament after an 82–67 loss at Merrimack on February 7. Kyle Chapman scored 21 points for Le Moyne, who fell to 8–14 overall and 1–13 in NE10 play. The loss was the 10th in 12 games and fifth straight in conference play for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins lost their season finale, 90–82, at home to Saint Michael's on February 23. Michael Culley had a team-high 17 points in his final collegiate game. He finished as Le Moyne's all-time leader in career three-point field goals with 305. Fellow senior tri-captain Jesse Potter closed his career with 16 points. Walk-on senior tri-captain Shannon Flood attempted only one shot and did not score. Le Moyne's two other seniors, Alex Harris and Rashaan Bute, had eight and four points, respectively. Despite the setback, the Dolphins shot 65% (13 for 20) from three-point range. The loss was the third straight for the Dolphins and their 13th in 16 games, leaving them 9–17 overall and 2–16 in NE10 play, last in the conference standings.

On July 4, 2000, Dolphins head coach Dave Paulsen resigned to take the head coaching position at his alma mater, Division III Williams. Athletic director Dick Rockwell said he hoped to have a new head coach in place by mid-August. Paulsen was 42–39 in his three seasons at Le Moyne. He had recently signed a three-year contract extension.

Steve Evans era (2000–2015)

Le Moyne introduced Steve Evans as their new men's basketball head coach on August 4, 2000, replacing the departed Dave Paulsen. Evans had previously served as a Dolphins assistant under Scott Hicks from 1994 to 1996. He left Le Moyne for an assistant coach position at Division I Siena. After three years, he moved on to Northwestern, where he worked as an assistant during the 1999–2000 season. While working as a part-time assistant at Le Moyne, Evans was elected as the youngest city council member in the history of the city of Rome, New York. Evans, 29 years old at the time of his hiring, was a four-year starter and senior-year captain at Union (NY) and graduated from the school in 1994.

There were about 60 applicants for the vacant head coaching position. Once the search committee narrowed the field to five candidates, they were all interviewed at Le Moyne on August 1. Aside from Steve Evans, the four other finalists were Le Moyne assistant Sean McDonnell, Kevin Broderick, who was the head coach at Oswego State and endorsed by former Dolphins head coach John Beilein, Tom Spanbauer, head coach at Cortland State, and Walt Townes, an assistant at Rutgers.

The Dolphins lost five seniors to graduation in 2000. Juniors Steve Vega and Tom Patton, sophomores Kyle Chapman and Jamar Hubbard and redshirt freshman Brett Barnard all returned for the 2000–01 season. Five players decided to leave the team at the end of the previous season. Jakub Hrabovský returned to his native Czech Republic for an eduational opportunity, leaving Le Moyne with no seniors. Dwayne Pean and Chip James left to be closer to their homes. Myles Howard withdrew from Le Moyne with plans to pursue a football career. Nick Redhead transferred to Clarkson. Former head coach Dave Paulsen knew early on that the Dolphins would need a large recruiting class. Rob Thorpe, a 5'11" point guard from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, made a verbal commitment to play at Le Moyne in September 1999. Brendan Bayly, a 6'10" center from Averill Park, and Al Drechsler, a 6'7" small forward from Greece Athena, also committed during the fall of 1999. Chris Henry, a 6'4" forward from Fayetteville–Manlius, signed in May 2000. Henry averaged 18 points and eight rebounds as a high school senior and was third-team All-Central New York. Jason Coleman, a 6'1" point guard from Bishop Maginn High School, who was first-team All-Greater Albany, signed in the spring along with Jamie McArdle, a 6'6" small forward, who was third-team All-Greater Rochester. Rashad Richards, a 6'4" forward from Corcoran, who was first-team All-Central New York, averaging 19.2 points, 15 rebounds and two assists per game as a high school senior, signed with the Dolphins in May, but redshirted his freshman year. Brian Robertson, a 6'4" shooting guard, was the final freshman to sign. Le Moyne was the youngest team in the NCAA during the 2000–01 season. Chris Jacobs, formerly an administrative assistant at Northwestern, and Jeff "Spud" Collins, formerly an assistant at Archbishop Alter High School, in Kettering, Ohio, joined the staff as assistant coaches.

Head coach Steve Evans planned to play a pressing, up-tempo style and use a deep rotation with every player on the roster getting significant playing time. Evans expected that good conditioning and keeping players fresh would give the Dolphins an advantage in the closing minutes of games. Le Moyne, with a roster comprising nine freshmen (one who redshirted the previous season), two sophomores and two juniors, was picked to finish last in a preseason poll of the league's coaches.

The Dolphins opened their season with a 91–70 loss to Binghamton, then a transitioning Division I team, in the opener of the Susse Chalet Bryant Basketball Classic on November 18. Le Moyne trailed by only five points at the break but surrendered a 14–4 run midway through the second half. The Dolphins were outrebounded, 43–20. Kyle Champman and Brett Barnard each scored 12 points to lead Le Moyne. Steve Vega added six points and three assists for Le Moyne.

The following day, the Dolphins earned the first career win for head coach Steve Evans with a 93–83 victory over Puerto Rico–Río Piedras in the consolation game of the Bryant tournament. Kyle Chapman scored 24 points to lead Le Moyne. The Dolphins improved their rebounding and had a 45–40 advantage on the boards. Jamie McArdle and Brenda Bayly each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, and McArdle added 14 points. Steve Vega had 10 points and five assists.

The Dolphins suffered a 51-point defeat, the worst in program history, at Saint Anselm, 117–66, on November 26, 2000. The 117 points Le Moyne allowed was the most in program history. The Dolphins were held to 29% shooting from the field and were led by Tom Patton and Jamie McArdle, who scored 12 points each.

The Dolphins played their home opener on November 29, at the Onondaga County War Memorial, their first home game there since the 1978–79 season, as part of the festivities for the Tribute to Danny Biasone, the leading advocate for the shot clock, which the NBA ultimately adopted, while Biasone was the owner of the Syracuse Nationals. The event was organized by former Nationals star Dolph Schayes and attended by several of his former teammates, including Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the NBA. Biasone and Tommy Niland, longtime Dolphins head coach, were good friends, and Biasone willed to Le Moyne the actual shot clock he used for a 1954 demonstration for NBA officials. Le Moyne kept the shot clock and other Biasone memorabilia on display in the Danny Biasone Room inside the Henninger Athletic Center. The Dolphins lost the game to Bentley, 104–75. Tom Patton scored 17 points to lead Le Moyne. Jason Coleman had 13 points and six rebounds, and Brendan Bayly added seven points and six rebounds. Kyle Chapman chipped in four points and nine assists for the Dolphins, who fell to 1–3 overall and 0–2 in NE10 play.

The Dolphins' streak of four straight wins against ranked Division II opponents ended with a 95–83 home loss to Saint Michael's, ranked no. 25 in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll on December 9. In comparison with their recent blowout losses, Le Moyne's performance was encouraging. The Dolphins kept the game close, until the Purple Knights went on a run with about 13 minutes to play. During two spurts that consumed nine minutes, Saint Michael's outscored Le Moyne, 28–5. The Dolphins had a 78–67 advantage over the remaining 31 minutes of play. Brett Barnard scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Le Moyne. Steve Vega also had 17 points for the Dolphins. Jason Coleman added six points and five assists. Le Moyne's most recent loss against a ranked Division II opponent had been in the 1997 NCAA tournament. The loss was the fifth straight for the Dolphins, all against conference opponents, dropping them to 1–6 overall and 0–5 in NE10 play.

Le Moyne hosted the Holiday Inn Carrier Circle Classic on December 29 and 30. In the opening round, the Dolphins defeated Southern Vermont, 96–66. Le Moyne held the Mountaineers to 34% shooting from the floor. Kyle Chapman led six Dolphins in double figures with 13 points. Brett Barnard scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Chris Henry added 10 points and six rebounds.

In the tournament final, the Dolphins' defense overwhelmed Hartwick, and Le Moyne cruised to a 90–65 victory. The Dolphins held the Hawks to 34% shooting from the field and blocked 13 Hartwick shots. With the score tied at 15, Le Moyne went on a 40–13 run that culminated with scoring the first 14 points of the second half, putting the game out of reach. Jamie McArdle scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, earning tournament most valuable player honors. Rob Thorpe scored two points and had a game-high seven assists for the Dolphins. Kyle Chapman and Brett Barnard joined McArdle on the all-tournament team. Chapman had 11 points, and Barnard scored nine in the final.

Freshman point guard Jason Coleman caught an outlet pass off a missed New Hampshire College free throw, drove to the basket and converted a three-point play to give the Dolphins a 73–70 lead with three seconds to play at Ted Grant Court on January 22, 2001. Coleman then stole the Penmen's inbounds pass and secured a victory that ended Le Moyne's seven-game losing streak. The Dolphins had a seven-point lead in the second half but fell behind by four with six minutes to play. Le Moyne battled back and tied the score at 65 with 3:30 remaining, and neither team led by more than two points, until Coleman's free throw in the closing seconds. Kyle Chapman scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Dolphins in his return from a two-game absence with the flu. Coleman finished with 10 points and six assists. Le Moyne improved to 4–13 overall and 1–12 in NE10 play.

After a double overtime loss to Assumption in which Le Moyne had three-point leads in the final minute of both regulation and the first overtime, the Dolphins called a players only meeting led by sophomore Kyle Chapman. Le Moyne raced to a 16–2 lead in their February 13 home game against American International and built their advantage to 19 points in the second half. The Yellow Jackets battled back, cutting the deficit to five points with a minute to play. The Dolphins went 8 for 10 from the free-throw line down the stretch to secure an 81–70 victory, ending their five-game losing streak. Chapman led the way with his first double-double of the season, scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing four assists. The Dolphins improved to 5–18 overall and 2–17 in NE10 play.

The Dolphins wrapped up their season with an 80–66 home loss to Southern Connecticut on February 21. Tom Patton scored 15 points to lead Le Moyne. Jamie McArdle added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Jason Coleman had nine points and seven assists for Le Moyne. The Dolphins finished 5–21 overall and 2–20, last place in the NE10. The Dolphins' record matched that of the 1980–81 season for the worst in program history.

Although it was an exhibition game, the Dolphins nevertheless attracted national attention when they defeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on November 3, 2009. Syracuse was ranked no. 25 in the preseason AP poll at the time. However, Christopher Johnson's three-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining gave Division II Le Moyne an 82–79 road victory over a Division I national power. Syracuse had finished the previous season 28–10, ranked no. 13 in Division I, and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Once the season started, the Orange recovered. They were 2009–10 Big East Conference regular-season champions and reached the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA tournament.

Despite an exit from the 2014 NE10 tournament in the semifinals, Le Moyne received and at-large NCAA tournament bid. As the 6th seed in the East Region, the Dolphins were defeated by Saint Anselm. Le Moyne finished the 2013–14 season 17–12.

Coach Patrick Beilein and three straight NCAA tournaments

Patrick Beilein, son of John Beilein, who coached the Dolphins from 1983 to 1992, took the head coaching reins in 2015. After a losing record in his first season, Beilein produced an era of success for Le Moyne basketball with three straight NCAA tournament appearances. Beilein made his debut as the Dolphins' head coach in an exhibition game against Michigan, coached by his father, at the Crisler Center. More than 70 members of the Beilein clan traveled from around the country to attend the game, which Michigan won, 74–52.

In 2016–17, the Dolphins won the NE10 Southwest Division title and had the best regular-season record in the entire conference. Despite being upset in the NE10 tournament semifinals, Le Moyne's 22–6 record was good enough to secure an at-large berth as the no. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament, hosting the first three rounds. However, the Dolphins suffered a first-round loss to Merrimack, 72–68, in overtime in front of the home crowd. For his efforts, Beilein was named 2017 NE10 coach of the year.

Le Moyne's 2017–18 season was perhaps the best in program history by all measures. They achieved a new high in wins with 27, won the NE10 Southwest Division title, had the best conference record of any NE10 team, won the conference tournament and secured a no. 1 seed and hosting rights at the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. The Dolphins were an astounding 18–2 in conference play and entered the NE10 tournament with a 21–6 record and blitzed their way to the title. They defeated Stonehill by 39 points in the quarterfinals and topped Merrimack, 83–55, in the semifinals. The title game was a 69–63 victory over Northeast Division champion Saint Anselm. Le Moyne's Isaiah Eisendorf was named tournament MVP. Coach Beilein collected his second straight NE10 coach of the year award.

Playing at home in the NCAA tournament, Le Moyne scored victories over Jefferson, Saint Rose and Bloomfield. The Elite Eight was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the Dolphins fell to West Texas A&M, 87–73. Entering the NCAA tournament, Le Moyne was ranked no. 24 nationally in the season's final Division II coaches poll.

Le Moyne won another NE10 Southwest Division title in 2018–19. The Dolphins were upset at home in the conference tournament semifinals by Merrimack, 84–77, in overtime. Nevertheless, Le Moyne's 18–10 record earned them the no. 3 seed in the East Region at the NCAA tournament. The Dolphins were matched up in the first round with St. Thomas Aquinas, coached by former Le Moyne assistant coach, Tobin Anderson. After the Dolphins built a 19-point lead, the Spartans staged a furious comeback to earn a 61–59 victory and eliminate Le Moyne from the tournament. After the season, Beirlein left Le Moyne to become the head coach at Division I Niagara.

Nate Champion era

Nate Champion, a Le Moyne alumnus, was hired as the new head coach in 2019. The Dolphins won their fourth straight NE10 Southwest Division title and had the best NE10 regular-season conference record in Champion's first season. Le Moyne bowed out at home in the NE10 tournament quarterfinals to New Haven, 75–73. Champion was named NE10 coach of the year, the third straight season the award had been won by a Le Moyne coach. The 2020 NCAA tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reclassification to Division I

Main article: 2023–24 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team

In April 2022, Le Moyne College president Linda LeMura revealed that the school had hired a consultant to assess the feasibility of reclassifying to Division I and had begun internal discussions regarding the potential impact. In September 2022, a social media post of a sports journalist indicated that the decision to move to Division I had been made, but no official announcement would come from Le Moyne, until it had officially been invited to join a conference.

Northeast Conference logo in Le Moyne colors

On May 10, 2023, Le Moyne announced that the school would begin a transition to Division I, joining the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Dolphins officially became a Division I program and a member of the NEC on July 1.

As a team transitioning from Division II, Le Moyne will not be eligible to participate in the NCAA Division I tournament until 2028, since there is a required four-year transition period. However, effective for the 2023–24 academic year, NEC teams transitioning from Division II became eligible to participate in the NEC tournament during the entirety of their transition periods. Prior to the conference's rule change, NEC teams were eligible for the conference tournament only during their third and fourth transition years. As a result, Le Moyne became eligible for the 2024 NEC tournament.

Darrick Jones Jr. hit a three-pointer from the top of the key early in the Dolphins' season opener at Georgetown for Le Moyne's first points scored as a Division I program on November 7, 2023. Ball State transfer Kaiyem Cleary led the Dolphins with 11 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds. Georgetown used a 9–2 run to take a 12–5 lead early in the game. The Hoyas extended the lead with an 8–0 run that made the score 20–7. After a brief flurry led by Jones, Trent Mosquera and Mike DePersia got the Dolphins within single digits at 28–19, the Hoyas closed the first half with a 19–4 run that gave them a 47–23 halftime lead on their way to a 94–57 victory. Jones and Luke Sutherland each contributed nine points for Le Moyne in the losing cause.

Le Moyne used first-half runs of 16–2 and 20–2 to build a 47–15 lead and never looked back on their way to a 105–46 victory, their first as a Division I program, over Division III SUNY Canton in their 2023–24 home opener on November 13, 2023. Five Dolphins had double-figure scoring games led by Kaiyem Cleary with 21 points. Cleary shot 8 for 10 from the field, while adding seven rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes. The Dolphins shot 32 for 37 on two-point field goals for the game, including 15 for 16 in the first half.

Le Moyne recorded its first victory over a Division I opponent as a Division I program, an 80–70 win at Cal State Northridge on November 21, 2023, in their opening game of the Golden State Hoops Jam, a multi-team event sponsored by Pacific. Luke Sutherland led the Dolphins with 24 points and five rebounds. Le Moyne started five graduate students for the first time in the program's history, and they responded by sprinting to an 11–4 lead to start the game. After Le Moyne fell behind, 15–12, Mike DePersia (eight points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals for the game) sparked a 19–2 run with a pull-up jump shot. The Matadors could not get closer than three points behind the rest of the way. The Dolphins closed out the game with strong free-throw shooting, finishing the game 31 for 34 from the charity stripe.

Kaiyem Cleary scored 43 points on January 27, 2024, to break Le Moyne's single-game individual scoring record, first set on January 7, 1955, and the Dolphins cruised to an 87–74 victory over LIU. Cleary's 43 points were the most scored by a player in regulation and the third most scored by a player in a single game up to that point in the Division I season. Cleary was 14 for 25 from the floor, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc, and shot 9 for 9 from the free-throw line. He also led Le Moyne in rebounds with seven and had a pair of blocked shots. With Le Moyne trailing, 46–45, early in the second half, Cleary scored 13 points over six and a half minutes to spark a decisive 20–4 run that put the Dolphins ahead, 65–50.

Kaiyem Cleary scored with 45 seconds left in regulation to tie up Le Moyne's home game with Central Connecticut on February 15. After the Blue Devils took a one-point lead in overtime, the Dolphins scored the final six points of the extra session, including a baseline jump shot by Cleary with 1:24 to play that gave Le Moyne the lead for good. Cleary finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. With the win, Le Moyne clinched a berth in the NEC tournament.

Entering the final day of the regular season, Le Moyne had the opportunity to earn the no. 4 seed in the NEC tournament and home-court advantage in the NEC quarterfinals with a win. If the Dolphins were to lose, the no. 4 seed would go to the winner of the regular-season finale between Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner scheduled for the same day.

Le Moyne claimed the no. 4 seed in the NEC tournament and home-court advantage in the NEC quarterfinals with a 74–58 win at Saint Francis on March 2. Luke Sutherland led the Dolphins with 22 points, shooting 8 for 10 from the field and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, seven rebounds, a career-high eight assists, two blocked shots and one steal. After the Red Flash took a 3–0 lead, Le Moyne went on a 10–0 run, keyed by five points from Nate McClure, and led the rest of the way.

Kaiyem Cleary was named first-team All-NEC. Luke Sutherland was named to the all-conference second team.

Powered by Luke Sutherland's 22 points, Le Moyne cruised to an 82–61 wire-to-wire victory over Fairleigh Dickinson in the program's Division I postseason debut on March 6. The Dolphins opened the game with three three-pointers to take a 9–0 lead just 1:45 into the contest.

After Le Moyne jumped out to an early 13–4 lead in the NEC semifinals on March 9, Merrimack's defense got the Warriors back into the game, and a 19–3 run in the later part of the first half helped them build a 28–20 lead at intermission. The Dolphins cut the deficit to three with 14:47 to play on a put-back by Kaiyem Cleary. The teams traded three-pointers over the next three minutes, until Samba Diallo's layups on consecutive possessions extended Merrimack's lead to seven points. The Dolphins responded with a 6–2 run to get within three points at 40–37 with 8:14 to play. An 8–2 Warriors run gave them a nine-point lead with 6:45 on the clock, but Le Moyne responded with a pair of three-pointers by Luke Sutherland to pull within three again with 5:42 to play. After each team had two empty possessions over the next two minutes, Bryan Etumnu was fouled on a layup and completed the three-point play, sparking a 9–2 Merrimack run that put the game away. The Warriors' 61–51 victory ended the Dolphins' inaugural Division I season. Sutherland had 23 points and eight rebounds for Le Moyne, and he was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team.

Season-by-season results

For complete season-by-season results, see List of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball seasons.

In 76 completed seasons through 2023–24, the Dolphins have finished with a winning record 50 times, a losing record 22 times and a .500 record four times.

Coaches

See also: List of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball head coaches

There have been nine head coaches in the history of Le Moyne men's basketball. The program has played 1,949 games across 76 seasons from the program's inaugural 1948–49 campaign through the end of the 2024–25 season.

Tommy Niland had the longest tenure at Le Moyne, coaching for 25 seasons, and is the all-time leader in games coached (534) and wins (324) at the school.

Patrick Beilein has the highest winning percentage among Le Moyne head coaches with a 77–41 (.653) record over four seasons from 2015 to 2019.

The current head coach is Nate Champion, who played for the Dolphins from 2010 to 2014.

Postseason results

NCAA Division II

During their time in NCAA Division II, the Dolphins were selected to play in the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 14 times. They had a combined record of 7–18.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1959	Regional Semifinals	Williams	W 72–66
	Sweet 16	Saint Michael's	L 70–71
1960	Regional Semifinals	St. Anselm	L 75–108
	Regional Third Place	Assumption	L 68–94
1964	Regional Semifinals	Youngstown State	W 64–53
	Sweet 16	Akron	L 38–62
1965	Regional Semifinals	Assumption	L 58–76
	Regional Third Place	Hartwick	L 68–70
1966	First Round	Philadelphia Textile	L 61–83
	Regional Consolation	Potsdam State	W 86–63
1968	First Round	Buffalo State	L 66–83
	Regional Consolation	Northeastern	L 54–67
1969	Regional Semifinals	Montclair State	L 75–79
	Regional Third Place	Albany State (NY)	L 70–71
1988	Regional Semifinals	California (PA)	L 88–91
	Regional Third Place	Kutztown	W 89–81
1996	First Round	Franklin Pierce	L 53–83
1997	First Round	Saint Rose	L 76–92
2014	First Round	Saint Anselm	L 62–73
2017	First Round	Merrimack	L 68–72OT
2018	First Round	Jefferson	W 75–57
	Regional Semifinals	Saint Rose	W 67–63
	Sweet 16	Bloomfield	W 75–59
	Elite Eight	West Texas A&M	L 73–87
2019	First Round	St. Thomas Aquinas	L 59–61

National Catholic Invitational Tournament

The Dolphins participated in the National Catholic Invitational Tournament twice. They had a combined record of 4–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1951	First Round	Saint Michael's	W 95–57
	Quarterfinals	Siena	W 57–53
	Semifinals	St. Francis (NY)	L 66–84
	Third Place	Mount St. Mary's	W 63–61
1952	First Round	Providence	W 67–63
	Quarterfinals	St. Francis (NY)	L 61–75

Utica Optimist Club Invitational Tournament

The Dolphins participated in the Utica Optimist Club Invitational Tournament three times. They had a combined record of 6–0, winning the tournament each time they participated.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1950	Semifinals	Brockport State	W 67–60
	Final	Utica	W 59–57
1951	Semifinals	Utica	W 86–69
	Final	Hartwick	W 86–65
1952	Semifinals	Utica	W 72–42
	Final	Hartwick	W 72–61

NCAA tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the Division II tournament with the 1988 edition.

Years →	'88	'96	'97	'14	'17	'18	'19	'20
Seeds →	3	5	6	6	1	1	3	5

Note

Between 1958 and 1987, the NCAA chose eight or nine schools as hosts for the College Division/Division II regionals. These teams played their regional semifinal games and (if they won) their regional final (Sweet 16) games at home during years the tournament included 32 teams. In some years, there were 36 teams with seven regions having four teams and one region having eight teams. In eight-team regions, the host school might have played as many as three tournament games at home, if it was designated as being in the section given home-court advantage for the regional final. A host school effectively had the privileges of what would later be identified as a no. 1 seed. However, factors such as availability and quality of facilities, expected fan support and travel arrangements entered into the choice of a host school. By the 1980s, the four teams in each region, including the top seed, each submitted competing bids to the NCAA for the right to host, which meant the fourth-seeded team in the region could be selected to play at home. In addition, teams generally played in regions that reflected the locations of the schools. Therefore, if the two best teams in the College Division or Division II were near each other, it is likely only one of them would be selected to host. Thus, the hosts were not necessarily the top eight teams. Nevertheless, Le Moyne was one of the eight host schools for the 1965 and 1969 NCAA tournaments.

The 1966 NCAA tournament included 36 schools, four more than the previous season. Seven of the eight regions had four teams as had previously been the norm. The Northeast Region had eight teams divided into two sections. Le Moyne was selected to host the four games in Section B of the Northeast Region. However, as of the time Le Moyne was chosen as a host, the Dolphins had not yet been extended a bid to play in the tournament. Le Moyne agreed to host regardless of whether it was participating. The Section A winner had the right to host the regional final, meaning Le Moyne, which ultimately did receive a tournament bid, would have played the regional final on the road had they advanced that far. This effectively treated Le Moyne as the no. 2 seed in the region. However, none of the no. 2 seeds in the other seven regions played at home. Since Le Moyne was placed in an eight-team region, it would have needed to win one more game than all 28 teams in four-team regions to reach the national quarterfinals, which makes the extra game similar to a play-in game such as the First Four in the present-day Division I tournament.

Games against higher-division opponents

Starting with Le Moyne's inaugural 1948–49 season through the end of the 1955–56 campaign, the final season before the NCAA split into the University Division and the College Division, the Dolphins were classified by the Associated Press (AP) as a small-college (non-major) program. During that time, Le Moyne played 59 games against major programs, as classified by the AP. The results of such games are shown in the table below.

Date	Opponent	Result	Le Moyne record
December 7, 1948	Siena	Loss, 41−39	0−1
January 29, 1949	at Siena	Loss, 53−31	0−2
December 14, 1949	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 50−48	0−3
December 16, 1949	St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 78−68	0−4
January 13, 1950	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 51−44	0−5
February 18, 1950	John Carroll	Win, 78−67	1−5
November 23, 1950	at Siena	Loss, 70−682OT	1−6
November 29, 1950	at Niagara	Loss, 86−61	1−7
December 2, 1950	at Seton Hall	Loss, 63−53	1−8
December 5, 1950	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 56−47	1−9
December 30, 1950	Siena	Win, 53−47	2−9
March 14, 1951	at #18 Siena†	Win, 57−53	3−9
March 16, 1951	St. Francis (NY)‡	Loss, 84−66	3−10
November 22, 1951	at Siena	Loss, 62−41	3−11
December 5, 1951	at Seton Hall	Loss, 55−48	3−12
December 7, 1951	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 56−51	3−13
December 15, 1951	at #15 Villanova	Loss, 59−48	3−14
January 18, 1952	#11 Siena	Win, 53−51	4−14
January 28, 1952	Manhattan	Loss, 79−71	4−15
February 1, 1952	Boston College	Loss, 74−58	4−16
February 26, 1952	at Canisius	Loss, 74−58	4−17
March 17, 1952	St. Francis (NY)††	Loss, 75−61	4−18
November 27, 1952	at Siena	Loss, 53−49	4−19
December 13, 1952	at Niagara	Loss, 70−67	4−20
December 19, 1952	John Carroll	Win, 72−65	5−20
December 30, 1952	Loyola of Los Angeles	Win, 79−74	6−20
January 3, 1953	at #2 Seton Hall	Loss, 75−52	6−21
January 10, 1953	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 67−56	6−22
January 23, 1953	#20 Manhattan	Loss, 63−57	6−23
January 26, 1953	Georgetown	Loss, 89−67	6−24
January 30, 1953	Boston College	Win, 64−59	7−24
February 24, 1953	Siena	Win, 68−65	8−24
February 28, 1953	at Villanova	Loss, 62−57	8−25
December 2, 1953	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 67−57	8−26
December 5, 1953	at Siena	Win, 60−40	9−26
December 12, 1953	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58−52	9−27
January 29, 1954	Manhattan	Loss, 67−63	9−28
February 5, 1954	Boston College	Win, 77−63	10−28
February 22, 1954	at Villanova	Loss, 62−48	10−29
March 6, 1954	Siena	Loss, 63−55	10−30
December 7, 1954	at #8 Niagara	Loss, 81−57	10−31
December 11, 1954	#20 Western Kentucky State	Win, 77−75	11−31
January 1, 1955	at Siena	Win, 64−60	12−31
January 7, 1955	Saint Joseph's	Win, 94−83	13−31
January 28, 1955	Manhattan	Loss, 72−65	13−32
January 31, 1955	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58−52	13−33
February 4, 1955	Boston College‡‡	Win, 82−73	14−33
February 22, 1955	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 73−69OT	14−34
February 26, 1955	at Villanova	Loss, 73−44	14−35
March 5, 1955	Siena	Win, 78−62	15−35
December 1, 1955	at Siena	Win 78−71	16−35
December 21, 1955	Iona†††	Win, 93−70	17−35
January 4, 1956	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 80−70	17−36
January 10, 1956	at Niagara	Loss, 81−72	17−37
February 3, 1956	Boston College‡‡‡	Win, 92−76	18−37
February 4, 1956	Manhattan	Loss, 94−72	18−38
February 17, 1956	Iona	Win, 90−82	19−38
February 22, 1956	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 81−61	19−39
March 2, 1956	Siena	Win, 82−59	20−39
Home	13−14
Road	4−23
Neutral	3−2
Ranked opponents  • Home  • Road	3–4 2–1 1–3
(#) Ranking per AP major-program poll † National Catholic Invitational Tournament quarterfinal played on Siena's home court ‡ National Catholic Invitational Tournament semifinal played in Albany, New York †† National Catholic Invitational Tournament quarterfinal played in Troy, New York ‡‡ Game played in Rochester, New York ††† Game played in Quantico, Virginia ‡‡‡ Game played in Auburn, New York

On several occasions, the Dolphins, playing as a College Division or Division II team, recorded victories over University Division or Division I teams. Le Moyne played 58 such games, going 29–29, and won at least one in each of their first 13 seasons as a College Division program, beginning with the NCAA's split into divisions for the 1956–57 season through the end of the 1968–69 season. Details of games played against Division I/University Division opponents are shown in the table below.

Date	Opponent	Result	Le Moyne record
December 1, 1956	at Siena	Win, 74–41	1−0
January 3, 1957	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 82–62	1−1
January 19, 1957	Siena	Win, 68–59	2−1
February 2, 1957	Manhattan	Loss, 81–71	2−2
February 9, 1957	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 77–71	3−2
February 16, 1957	at Iona	Loss, 76–72	3−3
February 20, 1957	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 69–61	3−4
December 10, 1957	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58–46	3−5
December 21, 1957	at Siena	Loss, 78–72	3−6
December 27, 1957	Saint Francis (PA)†	Loss, 70–51	3−7
February 5, 1958	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 65–50	3−8
February 14, 1958	Iona	Win, 64–44	4−8
February 22, 1958	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 86–73	4−9
March 1, 1958	Siena	Win, 58–50	5−9
March 5, 1958	at Saint Joseph's	Loss, 69–68	5−10
December 1, 1958	at Villanova	Loss, 83–67	5−11
December 20, 1958	at Siena	Win, 66–65OT	6−11
January 31, 1959	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 74–61	7−11
February 14, 1959	at Iona	Loss, 58–54	7−12
February 28, 1959	Siena	Win, 60–59	8−12
December 7, 1959	at Siena	Win, 60–46	9−12
December 12, 1959	at Niagara	Loss, 62–57	9−13
February 5, 1960	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 77–66	10−13
February 13, 1960	Iona	Win, 59–44	11−13
February 27, 1960	Siena	Win, 61–48	12−13
December 28, 1960	Iona‡	Win, 90–60	13−13
January 28, 1961	at Iona	Loss, 68–63	13−14
February 23, 1961	at Providence	Loss, 80–50	13−15
January 27, 1962	Iona	Win, 61–58OT	14−15
February 5, 1962	Providence	Loss, 53–46	14−16
February 10, 1962	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 73–69	15−16
January 20, 1963	at Niagara	Loss, 68–54	15−17
February 2, 1963	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 65–64OT	16−17
February 9, 1963	at Iona	Loss, 57–51	16−18
December 7, 1963	at Niagara	Loss, 66–53	16−19
January 11, 1964	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 58–54	17−19
February 1, 1964	Iona	Win, 74–56	18−19
January 9, 1965	at Iona	Win, 67–64	19−19
January 27, 1965	Saint Peter's	Win, 75–55	20−19
February 6, 1965	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 53–46	21−19
January 29, 1966	Iona	Win, 83–71	22−19
February 4, 1966	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 92–72	22−20
February 5, 1966	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 75–71OT	23−20
December 28, 1966	Maine	Win, 85–74	24−20
December 29, 1966	Iona	Loss, 59–45	24−21
January 4, 1967	Saint Peter's	Loss, 87–73	24−22
January 28, 1967	at Iona	Loss, 65–48	24−23
February 11, 1967	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 73–62	25−23
December 7, 1967	Iona	Loss, 58–57	25−24
December 28, 1967	Vermont	Win, 95–72	26−24
December 29, 1967	Bucknell	Win, 78–74OT	27−24
January 5, 1968	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 114–75	27−25
January 6, 1968	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 72–64	27−26
January 25, 1968	Boston College	Loss, 90–61	27−27
December 3, 1968	Saint Peter's	Win, 81–80	28−27
December 5, 1968	at Boston College	Loss, 86–66	28−28
January 4, 1969	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 80–75	29−28
January 30, 1969	at Iona	Loss, 68–59	29−29
December 20, 1969	Boston College	Loss, 75–56	29−30
January 2, 1970	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 105–83	29−31
January 3, 1970	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 90–69	29−32
February 14, 1970	Iona	Loss, 89–81	29−33
December 5, 1970	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 68–62	30−33
December 16, 1970	at Boston College	Loss, 105–68	30−34
December 30, 1970	Lafayette	Loss, 89–75	30−35
January 30, 1971	at Iona	Loss, 67–65	30−36
February 16, 1971	Saint Peter's	Loss, 85–53	30−37
December 4, 1971	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 85–79	30−38
December 18, 1971	Boston College	Loss, 81–67	30−39
December 29, 1971	New Hampshire	Win, 61–58	31−39
February 9, 1972	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 103–82	31−40
February 26, 1972	Iona	Win, 90–883OT	32−40
January 17, 1973	at Iona	Win, 60–58	33−40
February 6, 1973	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 83–76	34−40
February 20, 1973	at Boston College	Loss, 88–68	34−41
January 3, 1974	Boston College	Loss, 94–75	34−42
January 5, 1974	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 95–76	34−43
February 20, 1974	at Buffalo	Win, 103–97	35−43
February 23, 1974	Iona	Win, 79–74	36−43
December 4, 1974	at Boston College	Loss, 113–66	36−44
December 9, 1974	Canisius	Loss, 56–53	36−45
January 14, 1975	at Iona	Win, 65–58	37−45
February 5, 1975	Buffalo	Win, 83–77OT	38−45
February 15, 1975	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 79–64	39−45
December 3, 1975	at Boston College	Loss, 87–72	39−46
February 4, 1976	at Buffalo	Loss, 86–75	39−47
February 14, 1976	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 76–66	39−48
February 21, 1976	Iona	Win, 89–88	40−48
January 12, 1977	Boston College	Win, 89–79	41−48
January 22, 1977	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 74–66	42−48
February 12, 1977	at Canisius	Win, 61–58	43−48
February 16, 1977	Buffalo	Win, 97–87OT	44−48
November 27, 1977	at Boston College	Loss, 90–70	44−49
December 2, 1977	at #12 Syracuse	Loss, 90–62	44−50
December 3, 1977	Rhode Island††	Loss, 84–57	44−51
January 21, 1978	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 86–72	44−52
December 3, 1978	Boston College	Loss, 83–70	44−53
January 13, 1979	St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 87–78	44−54
February 26, 1979	#6 Syracuse‡‡	Loss, 92–60	44−55
December 2, 1979	at Boston College	Loss, 86–57	44−56
December 7, 1979	at #11 Syracuse	Loss, 107–61	44−57
December 8, 1979	Hofstra††	Loss, 75–64	44−58
December 8, 1981	at Utica	Loss, 53–49	44−59
February 2, 1983	Utica	Loss, 60–59OT	44−60
December 10, 1983	at Seton Hall	Loss, 87–76	44−61
February 20, 1984	at Utica	Loss, 55–50	44−62
December 8, 1984	at Seton Hall	Loss, 62–52	44−63
December 7, 1985	at Seton Hall	Loss, 74–39	44−64
December 5, 1987	at Siena	Loss, 75–70	44−65
December 3, 1988	Siena	Loss, 91–52	44−66
February 7, 1989	at Army	Win, 77–70	45−66
February 26, 1990	at Siena	Loss, 90–76	45−67
February 14, 1991	Siena	Loss, 88–75	45−68
December 4, 1991	at Siena	Loss, 81–62	45−69
December 22, 1992	at #13 Syracuse	Loss, 102–71	45−70
December 28, 1992	at Siena	Loss, 83–56	45−71
December 29, 1994	at #11 Syracuse	Loss, 94–54	45−72
November 18, 2000	vs. Binghamton	Loss, 91–70	45−73
Home	31−21
Road	13−48
Neutral	1−4
Ranked opponents  • Home  • Road	0–5 0–1 0–4
(#) Ranking per AP Division I poll † Game played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania ‡ Game played in Jersey City, New Jersey †† Game played on neutral floor in Syracuse, New York ‡‡ Le Moyne home game played at Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York

Rivalry with Siena

Le Moyne–Siena

Le Moyne Dolphins Siena Saints
Sport	Men's basketball
Location	Upstate New York
First meeting	December 7, 1948 Siena 41, Le Moyne 39
Latest meeting	December 28, 1992 Siena 83, Le Moyne 56
Statistics
Meetings total	62
All-time series	Le Moyne leads, 39–23
Largest victory	Siena, 91–52 (December 3, 1988)
Longest win streak	Le Moyne, 8 (March 1, 1958 – December 9, 1961)
Current win streak	Siena, 6

Before the Dolphins had ever played a varsity basketball game, Siena was identified as Le Moyne's chief rival. "BEAT SIENA!" was the front-page headline of the school newspaper on November 24, 1948, 13 days before the Dolphins' inaugural varsity game, scheduled to be played at home against Siena. A pep rally was held the night before the game and attended by the team, the head coach, the athletic director and, of course, the cheerleaders. Those organizing the rally had someone dressed as an Indian, Siena's team nickname at the time, appear to be tossed into the bonfire and burned. The rivalry was acknowledged by Siena shortly after the teams began playing, perhaps, in part, because the teams met in the 1951 National Catholic Invitational Tournament (NCIT).

Siena won the first-ever matchup, 41–39, on December 7, 1948, and went on to take the first five games between the teams, the fourth and fifth of which went to overtime, before Le Moyne broke through with a win at home followed by another victory in the NCIT, which was played on Siena's home court.

On March 5, 1955, in Syracuse, a fistfight between Le Moyne's Dan Cavellier and Siena's Tim Hill with two minutes to play in the game between the two teams resulted in the ejection of both players.

In preparation for the Dolphins' December 1, 1956 season opener at Siena, a 20-car motorcade from Syracuse to Albany was organized to transport Le Moyne supporters to the game, and plans were made to have a Le Moyne cheerleader dressed as a deceased Siena Indian and carried into the arena in a funeral procession with the pep band playing a dirge.

Despite the heated rivalry between the two schools, when Siena head coach Dan Cunha resigned after the 1959–60 season, Le Moyne head coach Tommy Niland remarked that he regarded Cunha as a very good friend who was a fine coach and would be hard to replace. Cunha withdrew his resignation in July 1960, and was 1961 MECAA coach of the year.

After Le Moyne's Gary DeYulia felt he was unnecessarily shoved out of bounds in the NCAA tournament-bound Dolphins' regular-season finale in DeWitt against Siena on February 28, 1965, a brief melee broke out between the rival teams, and a Siena player was promptly slammed to the floor by a Dolphin. It appeared it might spread into the stands where the Siena fans were sitting, but cooler heads quickly prevailed. The behavior of the Le Moyne players and fans in connection with the melee was criticized in Siena's school newspaper.

After 21 seasons as Siena's head basketball coach, Dan Cunha resigned for a second time in July 1965. Four months later, Cunha was hired as Le Moyne's new dean of men, a position with no athletic duties.

In 1976, Siena reclassified to Division I, while Le Moyne remained a Division II program. Despite Siena's move, there were plans for Siena to play at Le Moyne on January 15, 1977, and for the Dolphins to continue their series with their archrivals, reduced to one game per season. However, Siena notified Le Moyne in September 1976, that it would be unable to keep its commitment for that date. Le Moyne had no open dates on which a game with Siena could be scheduled. As a result, the two teams did not meet during the 1976–77 season, ending their annual series which started in the 1948–49 season, with the first varsity game Le Moyne ever played. The teams did not meet again for 11 years.

Le Moyne and Siena played one game annually between the 1987–88 and 1992–93 seasons, and Siena won all six of those contests. Le Moyne's 2023 reclassification to Division I creates the possibility that this rivalry may be rekindled. It has been 32 years since the teams last met in an official game. The Dolphins defeated Siena, 73–71, in an exhibition game in November 2017, at Loudonville.

Le Moyne victories

Siena victories

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	December 7, 1948	Geddes	Siena	41–39
2	January 29, 1949	Loudonville	Siena	53–31
3	November 24, 1949	Albany	Siena	46–31
4	February 15, 1950	Geddes	Siena	60–56OT
5	November 23, 1950	Albany	Siena	70–682OT
6	December 30, 1950	Geddes	Le Moyne	53–47
7	March 14, 1951	Albany†	Le Moyne	57–53
8	November 22, 1951	Albany	Siena	62–41
9	January 18, 1952	Syracuse	Le Moyne	53–51
10	November 27, 1952	Albany	Siena	53–49
11	February 24, 1953	Syracuse	Le Moyne	68–65
12	December 5, 1953	Albany	Le Moyne	60–40
13	March 6, 1954	Syracuse	Siena	63–55
14	January 1, 1955	Albany	Le Moyne	64–60
15	March 5, 1955	Syracuse	Le Moyne	78–62
16	December 1, 1955	Albany	Le Moyne	78–71
17	March 2, 1956	Syracuse	Le Moyne	82–59
18	December 1, 1956	Albany	Le Moyne	74–41
19	January 19, 1957	Syracuse	Le Moyne	68–59
20	December 21, 1957	Albany	Siena	78–72
21	March 1, 1958	Syracuse	Le Moyne	58–50
22	December 20, 1958	Albany	Le Moyne	66–65OT
23	February 28, 1959	Syracuse	Le Moyne	60–59
24	December 7, 1959	Albany	Le Moyne	60–46
25	February 27, 1960	Syracuse	Le Moyne	61–48
26	December 10, 1960	Loudonville	Le Moyne	49–45
27	February 25, 1961	Syracuse	Le Moyne	48–45
28	December 9, 1961	Loudonville	Le Moyne	56–48
29	February 24, 1962	Syracuse	Siena	64–57
30	December 1, 1962	DeWitt	Le Moyne	43–41
31	February 16, 1963	Loudonville	Siena	50–49
32	February 8, 1964	Loudonville	Le Moyne	54–46
33	January 30, 1965	Loudonville	Le Moyne	70–65
34	February 28, 1965	DeWitt	Le Moyne	58–48
35	January 8, 1966	Loudonville	Le Moyne	85–74
36	March 5, 1966	DeWitt	Le Moyne	88–72
37	January 14, 1967	Loudonville	Le Moyne	65–63
38	March 4, 1967	DeWitt	Siena	61–60
39	December 16, 1967	Loudonville	Le Moyne	101–89
40	March 2, 1968	DeWitt	Le Moyne	82–70
41	December 19, 1968	DeWitt	Le Moyne	92–73
42	March 1, 1969	Loudonville	Le Moyne	85–74
43	January 21, 1970	Loudonville	Le Moyne	87–74
44	March 7, 1970	DeWitt	Le Moyne	84–77
45	January 20, 1971	DeWitt	Le Moyne	82–57
46	March 6, 1971	Albany	Siena	77–72
47	January 29, 1972	Loudonville	Le Moyne	72–67
48	March 4, 1972	DeWitt	Le Moyne	74–70
49	January 27, 1973	DeWitt	Le Moyne	87–72
50	March 3, 1973	Albany	Siena	65–61
51	January 26, 1974	Albany	Siena	101–79
52	March 2, 1974	DeWitt	Le Moyne	87–81
53	January 25, 1975	DeWitt	Le Moyne	73–67
54	March 1, 1975	Loudonville	Siena	92–74
55	January 24, 1976	Loudonville	Siena	79–68
56	March 4, 1976	DeWitt	Le Moyne	81–77
57	December 5, 1987	Loudonville	Siena	75–70
58	December 3, 1988	DeWitt	Siena	91–52
59	February 26, 1990	Loudonville	Siena	90–76
60	February 14, 1991	DeWitt	Siena	88–75
61	December 4, 1991	Loudonville	Siena	81–62
62	December 28, 1992	Loudonville	Siena	83–56
Series: Le Moyne leads 39–23
† = National Catholic Invitational Tournament Source:

In-season multi-team events hosted by Le Moyne

In 1964, Le Moyne began hosting an annual four-team Christmas invitational tournament. It was held each December through 1975, except for 1972. Le Moyne hosted tournaments in January 1984 and January and December 1985, branded as the Matt's Premium Classic for sponsorship reasons. Tournaments hosted by Le Moyne in December 1986 through 1990, were branded as the Coca-Cola Classic. The 1991 through 1993 tournaments were called the Coca-Cola/Holiday Inn Carrier Circle Classic. After a five-year hiatus, a new multi-team showcase event branded the Holiday Inn Invitational was hosted by Le Moyne in 1999. The tournament format returned in 2000, and the event was called the Holiday Inn Carrier Circle Classic. The 2001 tournament was called the Le Moyne Holiday Tournament. Results of these events are shown below.

1964

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		81
						Oswego State		64
	Oswego State		59								Le Moyne		68
	Buffalo		88								Saint Michael's		66
						Buffalo		86
						Saint Michael's		93

Gary DeYulia of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

1965

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		84
						Kenyon		73
	Kenyon		72								Le Moyne		53
	Southwest Texas State		97								Hartwick		52
						Hartwick		81
						Southwest Texas State		63

Dan Parham of Hartwick was named most valuable player.

1966

References:

	Third Place December 29					Semifinals December 28					Championship December 29
						Le Moyne		85
						Maine		74
	Maine		67								Le Moyne		45
	Lafayette		62								Iona		59
						Iona		66
						Lafayette		58

Bob La Russo of Iona was named most valuable player.

The All-Tournament team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Bob La Russo, Iona
• Bob McMahon, Iona
• Gerry McDermott, Le Moyne
• Terry Carr, Maine
• Bob Kiriloff, Lafayette

1967

References:

Third Place December 29

Semifinals December 28

Championship December 29

Le Moyne

95

Vermont

74

Vermont

66

Le Moyne

78OT

St. Francis (NY)

72

Bucknell

74

Bucknell

84

St. Francis (NY)

81

Gerry McDermott of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The All-Tournament team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Gerry McDermott, Le Moyne
• Ed Farver, Bucknell
• Tom Schneider, Bucknell
• Doug Smith, St. Francis (NY)
• Dave Lapointe, Vermont

1968

References:

	Third Place December 28					Semifinals December 27					Championship December 28
						Le Moyne		101
						Steubenville		81
	Steubenville		43								Le Moyne		81
	Saint Michael's		62								Wagner		91
						Wagner		67
						Saint Michael's		62

Ray Hodge of Wagner was named most valuable player.

The tournament All-Star team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Ray Hodge, Wagner
• Bill Wolfe, Wagner
• Chuck Brady, Le Moyne
• Jay Cody, Saint Michael's
• Pat Mulligan, Steubenville

1969

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		69
						Albany State (GA)		82
	Le Moyne		103								Albany State (GA)		83
	Hartwick		79								Assumption		99
						Assumption		107
						Hartwick		91

Jake Jones of Assumption was named most valuable player.

The tournament All-Star team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Jake Jones, Assumption
• Sam Small, Assumption
• Serge DeBari, Assumption
• Clarence Ellis, Albany State (GA)
• Phil Harlow, Le Moyne

1970

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		78
						Hobart		71
	Hobart		57								Le Moyne		75
	Boston University		63								Lafayette		89
						Lafayette		86
						Boston University		61

Tracy Tripucka of Lafayette was named most valuable player.

The tournament All-Star team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Tracy Tripucka, Lafayette
• Ron Moyer, Lafayette
• Jay Mottola, Lafayette
• Phil Harlow, Le Moyne
• Dan Brandt, Le Moyne

1971

References:

	Third Place December 29					Semifinals December 28					Championship December 29
						Le Moyne		95
						Alfred		56
	Alfred		51								Le Moyne		61
	Ohio Wesleyan		75								New Hampshire		58
						New Hampshire		60
						Ohio Wesleyan		57

Phil Harlow of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The tournament All-Star team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Phil Harlow, Le Moyne
• Rick May, Le Moyne
• Dave Pemberton, New Hampshire
• Erie Feragne, New Hampshire
• Jackie Brown, Ohio Wesleyan

1973

References:

	Third Place December 29					Semifinals December 28					Championship December 29
						Le Moyne		95
						Hamilton		68
	Hamilton		78								Le Moyne		74
	Catholic		90								Potsdam State		78
						Potsdam State		72
						Catholic		62

Ted Bence of Potsdam State was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Ted Bence, Potsdam State
• Mike Deane, Potsdam State
• Bob Braunitzer, Le Moyne
• Rick May, Le Moyne
• Mark Badger, Hamilton

1974

References:

	Third Place December 28					Semifinals December 27					Championship December 28
						Le Moyne		78
						Muhlenberg		68
	Muhlenberg		86								Le Moyne		57
	Saint Michael's		92								Hartwick		69
						Hartwick		100
						Saint Michael's		70

Reggie Rothwell of Hartwick was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Reggie Rothwell, Hartwick
• Bill Martin, Hartwick
• Pete Hogan, Le Moyne
• John Lauer, Le Moyne
• Ken Johnson, Saint Michael's

1975

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		91
						Lincoln (PA)		68
	Lincoln (PA)		69								Le Moyne		81
	Quinnipiac		74								Bloomsburg State		69
						Bloomsburg State		90
						Quinnipiac		80

John Lauer of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• John Lauer, Le Moyne
• Gary Jackson, Le Moyne
• Jerry Radocha, Bloomsburg State
• Harold Driver, Quinnipiac
• Isaac Cahoe, Lincoln (PA)

1984

References:

	Third Place January 11					Semifinals January 10					Championship January 11
						Le Moyne		78
						Concordia (NY)		61
	Concordia (NY)		70								Le Moyne		58
	C.W. Post		79								Mansfield		85
						Mansfield		56
						C.W. Post		55

Craig Cooley of Mansfield was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Craig Cooley, Mansfield
• Gerard Conyers, Mansfield
• James Henderson, Le Moyne
• Bobby Chestnut, Le Moyne
• Mike Clark, C.W. Post
• Keith Brown, Concordia (NY)

January 1985

References:

	Third Place January 5					Semifinals January 4					Championship January 5
						Le Moyne		56
						Queens		50
	Queens		64								Le Moyne		65
	Quinnipiac		63								Clarion		55
						Clarion		61
						Quinnipiac		57

Wright Lassiter of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

December 1985

References:

	Third Place December 14					Semifinals December 13					Championship December 14
						Le Moyne		83
						Pace		48
	Pace		57								Le Moyne		74
	C.W. Post		81								Slippery Rock		67
						Slippery Rock		75
						C.W. Post		64

1986

References:

	Third Place December 13					Semifinals December 12					Championship December 13
						Le Moyne		78
						Bloomfield		56
	Bloomfield		59								Le Moyne		74
	Lock Haven		82								Mount St. Mary's		75
						Mount St. Mary's		95
						Lock Haven		90

Paul Edwards of Mount St. Mary's was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Paul Edwards, Mount St. Mary's
• Mark Scallion, Mount St. Mary's
• John Moore, Mount St. Mary's
• James Henderson, Le Moyne
• Scott Hicks, Le Moyne
• Jeff Null, Lock Haven

1987

References:

	Third Place December 12					Semifinals December 11					Championship December 12
						Le Moyne		87
						Southampton		77
	Southampton		56								Le Moyne		92
	Mansfield		85								Keene State		60
						Keene State		91
						Mansfield		84

Pete Jerebko of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Pete Jerebko, Le Moyne
• Scott Hicks, Le Moyne
• Russell Barnes, Le Moyne
• Steve Kaufman, Keene State
• Garrett Broderick, Mansfield
• Daryl Cambrelen, Southampton

1988

References:

	Third Place December 10					Semifinals December 9					Championship December 10
						Le Moyne		84
						Dowling		70
	Dowling		71								Le Moyne		65
	Lowell		90								Cheyney		64
						Cheyney		69
						Lowell		52

1989

References:

	Third Place December 9					Semifinals December 8					Championship December 9
						Le Moyne		87
						Davis & Elkins		34
	Davis & Elkins		79								Le Moyne		80
	California (PA)		100								Sacred Heart		72
						Sacred Heart		83
						California (PA)		67

Len Rauch of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Len Rauch, Le Moyne
• Julius Edwards, Le Moyne
• Todd Williams, Sacred Heart
• Sean Williams, Sacred Heart
• Timmy Brown, California (PA)

1990

References:

	Third Place December 8					Semifinals December 7					Championship December 8
						Le Moyne		81
						Southampton		67
	Southampton		74								Le Moyne		72
	Wheeling Jesuit		62								West Chester		65
						West Chester		84
						Wheeling Jesuit		66

Tom Herhusky of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Tom Herhusky, Le Moyne
• Len Rauch, Le Moyne
• Jon Traywick, West Chester
• Jasen Holness, Southampton
• Dave Ealy, Wheeling Jesuit

1991

References:

	Third Place December 7					Semifinals December 6					Championship December 7
						Le Moyne		90
						Queens		50
	Queens		69								Le Moyne		92
	Keene State		56								Mansfield		69
						Mansfield		76
						Keene State		64

Tom Herhusky of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Tom Herhusky, Le Moyne
• John Haas, Le Moyne
• Barry Page, Mansfield
• Cory Wright, Queens
• Brian Nash, Keene State

1992

References:

	Third Place December 12					Semifinals December 11					Championship December 12
						Le Moyne		84
						Hilbert		51
	Hilbert		76								Le Moyne		90
	Kutztown		67								Pitt-Johnstown		75
						Pitt-Johnstown		84
						Kutztown		83

Mike Montesano of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Mike Montesano, Le Moyne
• Christian Buchholz, Le Moyne
• Derrick Myers, Pitt-Johnstown
• Kareem Allen, Hilbert
• Lock Jennings, Kutztown

1993

References:

	Third Place December 11					Semifinals December 10					Championship December 11
						Le Moyne		97
						Mount Saint Mary (NY)		56
	Mount Saint Mary (NY)		72								Le Moyne		90
	RPI		85								Mercyhurst		81
						Mercyhurst		79
						RPI		74

Dan Sandel of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Dan Sandel, Le Moyne
• Andre Dearing, Le Moyne
• Joe Girard, Le Moyne
• Rashe Reviere, Mercyhurst
• Mauro Oliva, RPI

1999

References:

	December 29
	Saint Michael's	85
	Roberts Wesleyan	69

	December 29
	Le Moyne	101
	Southampton	87

	December 30
	Saint Michael's	94
	Southampton	74

	December 30
	Le Moyne	96
	Roberts Wesleyan	91

Jakub Hrabovský of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

2000

References:

	Third Place December 30					Semifinals December 29					Championship December 30
						Le Moyne		96
						Southern Vermont		66
	Southern Vermont		58								Le Moyne		90
	Roberts Wesleyan		85								Hartwick		65
						Hartwick		83
						Roberts Wesleyan		75

Jamie McArdle of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Jamie McArdle, Le Moyne
• Brett Barnard, Le Moyne
• Kyle Chapman, Le Moyne
• Josh Brown, Hartwick
• David Orr, Hartwick
• Jamie Dell, Roberts Wesleyan

2001

References:

	Third Place December 29					Semifinals December 28					Championship December 29
						Le Moyne		70
						Alfred		55
	Alfred		77								Le Moyne		86
	Mercy		66								Roberts Wesleyan		78
						Roberts Wesleyan		92
						Mercy		75

Flagan Prince of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The all-tournament team included:

• Flagan Prince, Le Moyne
• Brett Barnard, Le Moyne
• Rob Thorpe, Le Moyne
• James Floyd, Roberts Wesleyan
• Joe Rebisz, Roberts Wesleyan
• E.J. Docteur, Alfred

Honorees

Le Moyne has 43 men's basketball players, coaches and contributors honored in the Le Moyne Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition, two of Le Moyne's men's basketball teams have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Honored players

Name	Years	Awards and achievements
Joe Boehm	1947–51	Captain of inaugural 1947–48 freshman team; served as the first arena announcer in the Le Moyne Events Center from 1962 through at least 1976
John Caveny	1959–62	Captain of the 1961–62 team, second-team 1961 MECAA All Star
Tom Cooney	1961–64	1964 Le Moyne College Athlete of the Year; co-captain and starting point guard on 1964 NCAA tournament team at 5'8"; head coach from 1973 to 1979
Gary DeYulia	1963–66	All-MECAA, All-ECAC, First Team Catholic College All-American, Honorable Mention College All-American, played in three NCAA tournaments
Bob Dietz	1953–56	Scored 1,085 career points
Tom Downey	1967–70	All-ECAC; starting point guard on 1968 and 1969 NCAA tournament teams; selected All-ECAC College Division East in 1968, All-ECAC College Division in 1969 and 1970, and honorable mention College Division All-American in 1969; captain of 1969–70 team
Laurence Ekperigin	2006–10	Le Moyne's career scoring and rebounding leader with 1,966 points and 1,171 rebounds; the only Le Moyne player named first team all-conference in three consecutive seasons
Tom Fletcher	1975–79	Excellent ball handler, who averaged almost 10 points and four rebounds per game; also pitched for Le Moyne's baseball team
Paul Galvin	1980–84	Le Moyne's all-time leader in career assists with 602
Jene Grey	1975–79	1,729 points and 969 rebounds for his career, both of which ranked him second in program history at the time his collegiate career ended; co-captain during both his junior and senior seasons
Don Guido	1968–69	Elected primarily for his accomplishments in baseball; played varsity basketball as a sophomore on the 1969 NCAA tournament team
Phil Harlow	1969–73	Regarded by many as the best player in program history; team captain for three years; ended his career as the program's all-time leading career scorer; scored 41 points on February 18, 1971, to match the program's single-game record; second-team New York State College Division All-Star in 1971 and 1972 1972 ECAC Division II All-Star; named first-team District II All-Star by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. honorable mention for the College Division All-New York State team
James Henderson	1983–87	1,554 points, 722 rebounds and 118 blocked shots for his career
Scott Hicks	1984–88	1988 Rev. John J. O'Brien Award for Le Moyne College Male Athlete of the Year, All-MECC, All-Northeast Region, Co-Captain, had 1,470 points, 627 rebounds, 320 assists and 178 steals for his career, head coach from 1992 to 1997
Billy Jenkins	1950–53	Scored 1,063 points in three varsity seasons
Pete Jerebko	1984–88	1988 MECC Player of the Year, co-captain of 1987–88 team, 1,736 points, 731 rebounds and 117 steals for his career
Dick Kenyon	1952–56	1,378 career points in four varsity seasons
Wright Lassiter	1981–85	1985 Rev. J.J. O'Brien Male Senior Athlete Achievement Award, 1,260 points and 895 rebounds for his career
John Lauer	1973–77	Quiet leader who was also a prolific scorer and rebounder; known to his teammates as "Cakes", was team captain as a senior in 1976–77; finished his career as the program's fourth all-time career scorer
Dave Lozo	1947–51	Scored 1,100 points for his career
Dick Lynch	1957–60	1,150 career points
Ronnie Mack	1954–57	1956–57 team captain; 1957 Le Moyne College Athlete of the Year
Rick May	1970–74	Left the program as its all-time leading rebounder with 1,028, scored 1,224 points for his career, averaged a double-double over his career
Mike Montesano	1991–95	1995 Division II All-American, scored 1,759 points for his career, set program single-season point scoring record with 646 in 1994–95
Tom Mullen	1963–66	Played in two NCAA tournaments, 1965 and 1966 All-MECAA, led Le Moyne in rebounding 1964–65 and 1965–66, MECAA leading scorer in 1965–66, 1966 ECAC All-Star
Dick Myers	1961–64	Starter on 1964 NCAA tournament team
Flagan Prince	2001–03	2003 All-NE10 First Team, 2003 NABC All-America Honorable Mention, led team in scoring and rebounding in both of his seasons
Len Rauch	1987–91	1991 MECC Player of the Year, four-time All-MECC Team, career totals of 1,876 points, 1,151 rebounds and 509 assists
Dick Reddington	1956–57	Le Moyne College Athletic Achievement Award; elected primarily for his accomplishments as goalkeeper on the soccer team from 1956–59; appeared in games for the varsity basketball team as a sophomore, when the team was shorthanded due to injuries
Don Savage	1947–51	Three years as varsity team captain, including the 1950–51 team that had a historic turnaround from an 0–5 start to capture third place in the National Catholic Invitational Tournament, Le Moyne's first significant postseason appearance
Bill Stanley	1959–62	1961 MECAA All-Star, averaged over 10 rebounds per game at 6'2"
Adam Stockwell	1992–96	Captain and leading scorer for 1995–96 team that went to NCAA tournament, Division II All-America Honorable Mention, averaged 21.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for his senior season
John Tomsich	1995–99	1999 Rev. J.J. O’Brien Senior Athlete Award, 1999 NABC All-America Second Team, led team in scoring each of his last three seasons, career totals of 1,760 points and 1,015 rebounds, left program as leader in career blocked shots with 264, averaged 21.1 points and 11.7 rebounds as a senior, played in two NCAA tournaments
Ralph Yahn	1961–64	Co-captain and leading rebounder on 1964 NCAA tournament team

Honored coaches

Names	Years	Awards and achievements
John Beilein	1983–1992	1988 NCAA tournament appearance, 1988 MECC Coach of the Year, 1984 and 1988 MECC regular-season titles, 1988 MECC tournament title
Jim "Duke" McGrath	1958–1998	Played on 1958–59 freshman team, graduated in class of 1962, and went on to a storied career as a high school basketball coach; was serving Le Moyne as volunteer assistant coach as of 1998, the time of his Hall of Fame induction
Tommy Niland	1947–1990	Le Moyne's first varsity head coach, first freshman team head coach and first athletic director, coached varsity team for 25 seasons, program's all-time leader in wins as a head coach with 324 and NCAA tournament appearances with seven, also served Le Moyne as varsity baseball head coach

Others honored

Name	Years	Notes
1959–60 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team	1959–60	Earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, finishing with a 13–5 record, won Le Moyne's first MECAA championship
1987–88 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team	1987–88	Earned Le Moyne's first berth in an NCAA tournament in 19 years, finishing with a 24–6 record, a new high win total for the program, won MECC regular-season and tournament championships
Don Familo	1992–present	Color commentator for Le Moyne basketball radio and video streaming broadcasts
Chris Granozio	1992–present	Play-by-play commentator for Le Moyne basketball radio and video streaming broadcasts
John "Doc" Joiner	1977–2015	Le Moyne employee for 38 years; first athletic trainer from 1977 to 1986; also served as building supervisor for the recreation center, Le Moyne's first athletic equipment manager, transportation coordinator and volunteer strength coach
Claude "Red" Parton	1950–55, 1956–57	Play-by-play commentator for Le Moyne basketball radio broadcasts
Dick Rockwell	1969–2009	Inducted in 1988, for his accomplishments as Le Moyne's bseball coach; served as athletic director from 1990 to 2009
Bernie Quinn	1947–51	First team manager, including manager of the 1947–48 freshman team, business manager for Le Moyne Athletic Association from 1949 to 1951; served as the first timekeeper in the Le Moyne Events Center from 1962 through at least 1987

Awards

Conference Coaches of the Year

• Tommy Niland – 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965
• John Beilein – 1988
• Patrick Beilein – 2017, 2018
• Nate Champion – 2020

Conference Players of the Year

• Bill Stanley – 1962
• Gary DeYulia – 1966
• Pete Jerebko – 1988
• Len Rauch – 1991
• Laurence Ekperigin – 2009

Conference Freshmen/Rookies of the Year

• Len Rauch – 1988
• Joe Girard – 1991
• Mike Montesano – 1992
• Trent Morgan – 2005

Conference tournament MVPs

• Bill Stanley – 1960
• Pete Jerebko – 1988
• Dave Ingram – 1996
• Rob Atene – 1997
• Isaiah Eisendorf – 2018

Postseason tournament Most Outstanding Players

• Don Savage – 1950, 1951
• Bill Jenkins – 1952

Note

Dolphins playing professionally

Dolphins in the NBA

Dolphins playing in or drafted by the NBA
NBA draft selections
Total players selected:	7
No. 1 picks:	0
Lottery picks:	0
First round:	0
Appeared in NBA games:	1

Name	Height	Weight (lb)	Hometown	High school	Draft year	Round	NBA team	Played in NBA
John Caveny	6'0"	180	Syracuse, New York	St. John the Evangelist High School	1962	12th	St. Louis
Jene Grey	6'4"	190	Brooklyn, New York	Sidney High School	1979	7th	San Diego
Bill Jenkins	6'0"	180	Syracuse, New York	St. Vincent de Paul High School	1953	6th	Syracuse
Dick Kenyon	6'3"	170	Syracuse, New York	East Syracuse High School	1956	12th	Syracuse
Dick Lynch	6'4"	175	Fayetteville, New York	Manlius High School	1960	8th	Syracuse
Chuck Sammons	6'3"	200	Syracuse, New York	St. Vincent de Paul High School	1961	11th	Syracuse
Don Savage	6'3"	205	Manlius, New York	Manlius Military Academy	1951	2nd	Syracuse	Y
Note

Dolphins currently playing overseas

As of January 29, 2025, three former Le Moyne players are currently playing professionally overseas.

Le Moyne seasons	Player	Hometown	Team	League
2023–24	Kaiyem Cleary	Manchester, England	Hyères-Toulon	LNB Pro B
2015–16 to 2017–18	Tyquan Rolon	Syracuse, New York	Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski	Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK)
2021–22 to 2023–24	Luke Sutherland	Syracuse, New York	Landstede Hammers	BNXT League

Facilities

The Le Moyne Dolphins have played home games in five different venues, since the inception of the program, and have an all-time home record of 639–282. Le Moyne's home record by venue through the end of the 2024–25 season is summarized as follows:

Venue	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Pct.
State Fair Coliseum	1948–49 to 1950–51	15	8	.652
Onondaga County War Memorial	1951–52, 1955–56 to 1956–57	13	13	.500
North Syracuse High School	1951–52	2	1	.667
West Jefferson Street Armory	1952–53 to 1954–55, 1957–58 to 1961–62	57	17	.770
Ted Grant Court at the Le Moyne Events Center	1962–63 to present	552	243	.694
Totals	1948–49 to 2024–25	639	282	.694
Notes

State Fair Coliseum (1948–1951)

Toyota Coliseum in 2021.

The Dolphins' first home venue was the State Fair Coliseum, now known as the Toyota Coliseum, at 581 State Fair Boulevard in Geddes, New York, which they shared with the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA and the Syracuse Orangemen. The Nationals had played in the Coliseum from the franchise's inception in 1946. The Orangemen moved into the Coliseum in 1947, after their on-campus gymnasium was destroyed by fire. The arena had a seating capacity of 7,500 for basketball.

Onondaga County War Memorial (1951–1952, 1955–1957)

Onondaga County War Memorial in 1954.

The Dolphins, along with the Nationals and the Orangemen, moved into the new Onondaga County War Memorial, now known as the Upstate Medical University Arena, at 800 South State Street in Syracuse for the 1951–52 season. The arena had a seating capacity for basketball of 7,200.

After one season at the War Memorial, Le Moyne moved their home games to the West Jefferson Street Armory in 1952. They returned to the War Memorial for the 1955–56 season, when they reached an agreement with the Syracuse Orangemen to have both schools schedule their home games as doubleheaders. Le Moyne withdrew from the agreement after the 1956–57 season and returned to the Armory.

North Syracuse High School (1951–1952)

The Dolphins changed their primary home venue from the State Fair Coliseum to the new Onondaga County War Memorial for the 1951–52 season. Since the War Memorial was not available for all scheduled home games, North Syracuse High School's gymnasium, located at 205 South Main Street in North Syracuse, was used to host three of Le Moyne's games, including their home opener and home finale, as an alternate venue. The gym had a seating capacity of 600 for basketball.

North Syracuse High School moved to a new building in 1955, and the building that formerly housed the school became Main Street Elementary School. As of 2025, the building houses the North Syracuse Early Education Program.

West Jefferson Street Armory (1952–1955, 1957–1962)

West Jefferson Street Armory depicted on a 1908 postcard.

The Dolphins moved their home games to the West Jefferson Street Armory at 236 West Jefferson Street in Syracuse for the 1952–53 season. After three seasons at the Armory, Le Moyne returned to the War Memorial for two seasons. The Dolphins moved their home games back to the Armory for the 1957–58 season, and played their home games at the venue until their on-campus fieldhouse was built in 1962. The Armory's seating capacity was 3,000.

The Armory building now houses the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology.

Le Moyne Events Center (1962–present)

The Le Moyne Dolphins presently play their home games on Ted Grant Court in the 2,637-seat Le Moyne Events Center; the seating capacity for basketball reported to the NCAA is 2,000.

Ground was broken on construction of the Events Center in March 1961, nd the arena opened on December 1, 1962, with a varsity basketball game featuring Le Moyne versus archrival Siena. The varsity game against Siena was the nightcap of a doubleheader that opened with Le Moyne's freshman team defeating Powelson Business Institute, 65–47. The arena underwent a significant renovation in 2016, and reopened on October 12 of that year.

The Events Center hosted regional games of the 1965, 1966, 1969 and 2018 NCAA College Division/Division II tournaments.

External links

• Le Moyne Dolphins Men's Basketball official website