Eddie Williams has carried the Panthers a long way but he's playing in front of a lot of empty seats in Woodruff writes sports reporter Tony Zachariadis photo by Brian Ballweg

At many universities, particularly those with a relatively small student body, the athletic department has the unenviable role of trying to "put the school on the map." While on a trip to Indianapolis over intercession, it became clear to me that the Adelphi University athletic department has flourished in this role.

Indianapolis is listed as the United States' twelfth largest city. However, unless you are there on a business trip or to attend a sporting event - which is why I was there - isn't much to do. While trying to pass the time on the afternoon that I arrived in Indy, I came across a business card for the NCAA Hall of Champions, which was located roughly 200 feet from my hotel. That the location of such a building happened to be in Indianapolis didn't come as much of a surprise, as the city is the self proclaimed "Amateur Sports Capital of the World."

The first things that I noticed upon entering the Hall of Champions were the huge banners hanging from the rafters. Surprisingly, included among these banners was one for Adelphi University. I proceeded to wander throughout the museum and came to a section limited to the great champions of collegiate athletics. There were great accolades for perennial powerhouse programs: UCLA and Duke basketball, University of Miami and Nebraska football, University of Iowa wrestling, and Adelphi University Division II Lacrosse.

To the average observer, it would appear that Adelphi has no business being mentioned in the same breath with these other widely known schools. In terms of dominance in specific sports, though, the continued success of the Adelphi Lacrosse program, which has played in the Division II National Championship game six out of the last eight seasons, places Adelphi on an even keel with these other college sports forces. I'm sure that if you polled 100 natives of Indianapolis, they would have no idea that Adelphi University even existed, much less where it existed. That would all change if they were to go to the NCAA Hall of Champions, where it is unmistakable that the Adelphi University Lacrosse program has indeed put the school on the map.

Basketball, too!

Although the lacrosse program deserves tremendous accolades, it is becoming more and more evident that both the men's and women's basketball teams are poised to further expose Adelphi University to the national audience. Last year, the name Adelphi was featured by CNN/Sports Illustrated (CNNSI) and arguably the world's most distinguished daily newspaper, the New York Times, as Ryan McCormack and the men's basketball team attempted to do something

that even the Duke Blue Devils cannot claim to have done: complete an undefeated season. While the team's attempt came up just short and McCormack graduated, this year's team has not missed a beat.

The 2001-2002 version of Adelphi Men's basketball seems prepared to use last season's trip to the Elite Eight as a stepping stone to greater things, despite the departure of the Division II Player of the Year, McCormack. The team's 19-1 record and sixth ranking in the Division II poll indicate that those with any ideas that Adelphi would take a step back this year were highly incorrect. Coach Jim Ferry has a new McCormack on his roster, in Ryan's brother Thomas, but there are other players making names for themselves as well.

Senior Kendell Craig, the team's most dangerous outside shooting threat, was the team's go-to-guy entering the season, but there remained concerns over who would score the points that McCormack had consistently posted. Junior Wayne Nelson, who showed glimpses of his talent last season, has seized this opportunity, averaging more than 17 points a game and Senior Eddie Williams, the NYCAC Preseason Player of the Year, dominates the interior night-in and night-out. Add into the mix the maturation of Senior Richie Edwards, junior Tony Kellman and sophomore Dwayne Thompson and it is clear that this year's team is more than capable of repeating and exceeding last season's tournament run.

A couple of months back, I stated that this year's Adelphi Women's Basketball team could be a very special team, and possibly better than the men's team. Well, the men's team has set the standard extremely high, but the women's team is making me look like a genius. Despite being the lone undefeated team in Division II women's basketball, they are only ranked eighteen in the national poll. However, this ranking is the first ranking for the team in school history, and their 20-0 record has already set the team record for wins in a season. The coaching of Kim Barnes-Arico and the play of the squad have people whispering about the prospect of an undefeated season. These women epitomize the word "team," as nine players average more than ten minutes per game and five women average at least ten points per game. Any player is capable of carrying the team on a given night, making it impossible for opposing teams to focus on shutting down one player. With this tremendous depth, they have the ability to be very special, and take another step in highlighting Adelphi's place on the map.