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Local products Stauffer, Coolahan instrumental in Babson’s run to D-III title

03/29/2017, 9:45am EDT
By Rich Flanagan

C.B. East grad David Stauffer (above) helped Babson to a D-III National Championship. (Photo: Keith Lucas/Babson Athletics)

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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Babson College’s run to the 2017 Division III national championship began two years ago.

The Beavers were making their first trip to the Final Four in school history but just getting there had been the culmination of their season. The impressive run from the Massachusetts school ended with a twenty-point loss to Augustana due to having no prior experience of playing in a game of that magnitude before wore on the Beavers, leading to a disheartening exit from the NCAA Tournament.

The road to the national championship was vindication that Babson was ready to play on the biggest stage and also ready for the added pressure of playing against the best teams in the nation. After being ranked as high as No. 1 in the country for nine weeks in the regular season, the Beavers again advanced to the Final Four despite trailing in every game of the tournament.

After overcoming a 25-point deficit to defeat Whitman, they again met Augustana but this time with the national title on the line. The Beavers (31-2) downed the national powerhouse, 79-78 on March 18 and in the process claimed the school's first national championship.

The class of 2017 was the most instrumental part of Babson’s ascension to the top of the college basketball landscape, particularly D-III Player of the Year Joey Flannery (2,620 career points, eighth most in D-III history), Isaiah Nelson, Matthew Droney and David Stauffer.

Stauffer, a York native who moved to Bucks County and graduated from C.B. East, felt having learned from the disappointment of the 2015 Final Four fueled his fellow seniors and ensured they were more prepared this time around.

“This one was different. We were so comfortable by the time we got to that final game,” Stauffer said. “A lot of teams that go to the tournament and accept being in this spot. That’s how we were my sophomore year when we went to the Final Four. This time was nothing like that.”

Stauffer’s emergence may have been one of the biggest keys to Babson’s success but you will not find that success indicated in the box score. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward played in 79 career games, including 56 over his last two years, while averaging 2.5 ppg with the Beavers.

But his emotional intensity was indicative of why the run to the title so impressive.

Head coach Stephen Brennan, the NABC D-III Coach of the Year, noted how much Stauffer has meant to helping the program reach the pinnacle of D-III college basketball.

“David has been the emotional leader of our team for the last two years. If anyone has watched us over the last two years, our bench was always into every game,” Brennan said. “When we needed a lift, whether he was on the court or the bench, David has been phenomenal not only at being ready in the game in what he needs to do by helping the team win on the court but also in providing energy off of it.”

“I think that’s a really unique gift he possesses. He’s a master of it and I think it goes unnoticed.”

Together, Stauffer and his senior class have won 103 games in their four years, the most in school history. Two Final Fours, one Sweet 16 appearance and, of course, a national championship to cap it all off has made this senior class the most decorated during Brennan’s tenure.

Even more impressive was the team’s resiliency during this run. While they did trail in every game during the NCAA Tournament, the Beavers finished the season 26-0 in games when leading with five minutes to go in regulation. They were a seasoned team able to finish games late and having Stauffer to help spur a run or two with his energy also helps a team that was ranked in the top 50 in both scoring offense and defense. Brennan said his team wanted to pick up where it left off in 2015.

“Two years ago, we talked about the fact that we were a Final Four team. This year, we never really talked about the Final Four or spend a lot of time on it,” Brennan said. “This team had a really different set of expectations and really didn’t surprise people. As far as what it meant to us as a team, we looked at this as unfinished business.”


Babson celebrates its first-ever national championship. (Photo: Keith Lucas/Babson Athletics)

Stauffer & Co. have put Babson on the map but with their careers over they will pass the torch to the juniors and underclassmen. One of those underclassmen looking to carry that torch is freshman Jack Coolahan (Holy Ghost Prep).

After being selected BAL All-League First-Team in the Independence Conference on a team that had won the District 1 AAA title, Coolahan, a 6-4, 185-pound guard, appeared in nine games including two during the NCAA Tournament and averaged 1.8 ppg in his first year. Coolahan had been a part of a major championship at the high school level but winning a national title in the Beavers was something he never expected he would be a part of in his life.

“It was really exciting to go through that process because I had never really been part of something like that before. It makes me hungry to get back there all of the years after,” Coolahan said. “At Babson, it’s all focused on team play and [ours] is a family. It wasn’t really an adjustment for me. I’m really excited for the next couple of years to play in a winning system.”

Like Stauffer, Coolahan’s impact doesn’t show up in any statistical category but he was an indispensable member of this year’s team, pushing teammates in practice and keeping them loose on the sidelines. Brennan thinks he’ll continue to be that for years to come.

“Jack fits in with what we talk about: he’s a really bright person, puts a lot of time into his team and a really good shooter,” Brenna said. “He has a role of this team and has earned this team’s respect. He keeps us all loose. It’s amazing how much guys look for him in practice and he does the same in games.”

As Stauffer’s tremendous run with the Beavers comes to an end, Coolahan’s is just beginning and looking to build on a national championship can be a daunting task for any young player. The freshman’s main focus is to improve his game in hopes of keeping the winning tradition at Babson going, first and foremost.

“We had six seniors so they were a pretty big part of our team. We have a couple of starters returning but we will be looking to a lot of young players,” Coolahan said. “I’m just looking to have a good offseason to be able to do a lot and help the team keep winning.”

This senior class established a culture and foundation under Brennan and players like Coolahan will be looking to continue what players like Stauffer accomplished. The senior feels they have the right mindset and work ethic to do that.

“When I came in with the seniors who built this program and with the mindset that we adopted to win a national championship, I see our juniors adopting that. Obviously winning a national championship will help [the team] recruit more talent but coaches know the types of players they want here.”


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