Syracuse, NY – Onondaga Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Erik Saroney, was announced the NJCAA Region III Coach of the Year on Wednesday afternoon. Sitting on his First Team All-Region Team includes the Lazers starting back court, Tyler Sullivan (Liverpool HS) and Tae Elijah (Henninger HS).
After spending fourteen years as head coach of the boys’ varsity basketball program at Henninger High School, Saroney was named OCC head men’s basketball coach in April 2016. While at Henninger, Saroney accumulated a record of, 238-72, five Section III AA Championships, and seven League Titles.
In Saroney’s inaugural year at the helm of the Lazers basketball program, he has tallied an overall record of, 27-4, remaining undefeated (12-0) until OCC faced NJCAA Division II opponent Niagara County Community College on December 17th.
The Lazers have maintained a top-ten ranking throughout the entire season, and Saroney guided his team to the no.1 slot for two consecutive weeks in the NJCAA Division III National Poll Rankings. After winning the Mid-State Athletic Conference Tournament Championship this past weekend, Onondaga sits as the fifth best team in the country for the second straight week.
Onondaga narrowly escaped Hudson Valley Community College, 97-95, on Tuesday night in the NJCAA Sub-Regional matchup in Allyn Hall. The win secured the top spot in the region for the Lazers. OCC will host the NJCAA Region III Final Four Tournament this weekend.
Two other teams in the NJCAA Region III Tournament are ranked in the nation’s top-ten. Nipping on No.5 Onondaga’s heals is No.6 Herkimer Community College (24-4) and No.7 Mohawk Valley Community College (22-6).
Onondaga will face conference opponent, Corning Community College (20-5) at 5pm in Allyn Hall. The Lazers and Red Barons split their matchups this season with Corning taking the,137-148, scoring edge through two games.
NJCAA Region III Final Four Schedule:
Saturday, March 4th
- 3pm – #2 Herkimer vs. #3 Mohawk Valley
- 5pm – #1 Onondaga vs. #4 Corning
Sunday, March 5th
- 6:30pm – 3pm Winner vs 5pm Winner
Parking: Free parking will be available in Lots 13 and 14. All fans should enter through the main entrance of the SRC Arena and Event Center.
Admission Fees: $5.00 – Adults $3.00 – Children under the age of 12
