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Elgin CC a win away from NJCAA National Tournament

The Elgin Community College men's basketball team is headed into some uncharted waters and the Spartans couldn't be any more thrilled to take the plunge.

ECC finds itself one victory away from its first trip to NJCAA Division III nationals. A Spartans win Saturday at home against Region XII champion Lorain County Community College (Ohio) in the District II championship game will send them to the national quarterfinals in Rochester, Minn., starting March 16.

ECC recently won its first Region IV title with a 3-point victory over defending national champion Rock Valley College.

"ECC has been doubted on by a lot of people," said Spartans forward Juwan Stewart, a Larkin graduate. "We have shown a lot of people that we can do a lot of things that they thought we couldn't do."

Tenth-year ECC head coach Reed Nosbisch, the 2016-2017 Region IV Division III men's coach of the year, labels his players as "tough," and said that's one trait that has continued to push the Spartans to previously unreached heights.

"The two years prior to this we had talented teams," he said. "I said this the first day this year, last year's team was very good and everything they did was pretty. This team is not about how good it looks, it's about pounding it out against the teams we've played."

ECC has been paced by Region IV tournament MVP Homer Denson, who checks in at 6-8 and 240 pounds. Denson, who went to Chicago Von Stueben High School and brings with him a studious and interesting story. Denson is 25 years old and already has a college degree from DePaul.

"He walked into our gym a year and a half ago having never played college basketball," said Nosbisch, a Larkin graduate who played at ECC."He couldn't find employment in his field and wanted to continue to take classes in the computer field."

Denson, who posted a 4.0 grade-point average in the fall at ECC, is friends with Spartans leading scorer Chris Benjamin (North Park University), who suffered a knee injury in the Region IV semifinals in the first half and is out the rest of the season.

ECC rallied around the loss of its leading scorer, winning both the region semifinal contest and the region final against the defending national champions.

"From Day 1 they had the goal of winning the Region IV title," said Nosbisch. "They have met all the expectations. It's been a total team effort this season. All 15 guys have had a hand in it. They say the first group is only as good as the second group makes them. We have a deep group. Each guy has been on the floor at least 12 game this season.

ECC (28-5) won the conference title in a league where it is the only school that does not offer athletic scholarships of any type (ECC dropped athletic scholarships this season and moved from Division II to Division III in NJCAA).

"We started the season beating Kankakee, which is a full-fledged scholarship program," said Nosbisch. "Then we lost to Joliet and 48 hours later lost to Rock Valley, the same team we beat in the region championship and the same team that has won two of the last three national titles and won the last four region titles."

ECC also has been bolstered by the play of Larkin alum Charles Sanders (Region IV all-tournament selection) and Huntley product Connor Boesch.

"We play together like a family," ECC guard Jordan Anderson (Bartlett High School) said. "We play hard and smart and together and play like a team should. We do what we need to do and everybody does their part. We all have roles on the team and we do them to the best of our ability."

Nosbisch lauded the support the men's program has received this season and encouraged area fans to head to the Spartan Events Center Saturday.

"As I always like to say, admission is free," he said. "The support we've received has been phenomenal from former players, families of players, the school and people in the local community. It's been a great ride and it's a ride that we want to continue."

Anderson said ECC doesn't need to change anything Saturday night.

"We have to keep doing what we do and that's play hard smart and together," he said. "If we do that we will shock a lot more people."

Stewart added: "We're going to keep playing the way we are playing and push the ball and never give up."

Lorain County brings a 17-11 mark into Saturday's game. ECC is ranked No. 4 in the country in the most recent NJCAA Division III poll.

Elgin Community College's Homer Denson has helped the Spartans win the Region IV title for the first time. Photo courtesy Elgin Community College
Elgin Community College's Jordan Anderson, a Bartlett grad, has helped the Spartans win the Region IV title for the first time. Photo courtesy Elgin Community College
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