By Pete Janny
There were a lot of empty seats at games in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center just two seasons ago, when Grant Billmeier took over a massive rebuilding project at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. A lot has happened since then for the Highlanders, who were blessed to have Tariq Francis leave his eternal mark before departing for Rutgers this past offseason after two seasons in Newark.
But even with their ex-star no longer around, head coach Grant Billmeier has had to adapt on the fly, trusting a “out with old, in with the new” mentality, which has made the last two disappointing seasons feel like a distant past.
Even after falling at home to UAlbany, 81-63, on Thursday evening, NJIT dropped to an impressive 15-3 overall with a 10-3 mark in America East play. That would’ve looked like a horrible typo only a few months ago, but today it speaks volumes of the impact Billmeier has made with his high expectations and championship pedigree.
“It’s a really connected group,” a positive Billmeier said after the defeat on Thursday. “Opponents have had to gameplan for everyone in our starting line-up, and we’ve been good offensively and with rebounding up until tonight.”
Freshman guard David Bolden has had to step up in the wake of Francis’s departure and has been a fearless presence for this upstart operation.
Bolden, like the rest of his teammates, struggled to find a rhythm in Thursday night’s second half that was dictated by UAlbany from start to finish. But before going cold, the Highlanders strutted their offensive talents in a first half during which Bolden showed off his range and junior guard Sebastian Robinson terrorized the Great Danes to the tune of 17 points throughout the opening 20 minutes of action. The Highlanders built a 10-point lead at halftime and seemed destined to cruise to their seventh straight win before Amir Lindsey and the Great Danes emphatically spoiled those plans with their stellar execution coming out of the break.
Despite the stellar record, the road to this point has been far from easy for the Highlanders, who have had to grow up fast after having to play without Robinson and UMKC transfer Melvyn Ebonkoli early on due to injuries. Both have proven invaluable to the team’s success, with their production and leadership, joining forces with a group of guys who have impressed their coach since the 72-61 opening-night win at Fordham.
“To go in there and win easily versus an Atlantic 10 program with a new coach, and without two of your horses, obviously gives your coach a lot of confidence,” Billmeier said of the steady belief in his young Highlanders. “It showed that we had a chance to have a really competitive season.”
It still took time to fully gel, considering things were further tested by a challenging non-conference schedule. A loss at Butler on December 22nd sank the Highlanders to 4-9 at the time. Since then, Billmeier and Co. have rattled off 11 wins in their last 15 games, including a stretch of six straight wins before the loss to UAlbany. If NJIT wins all three of its remaining regular-season games, it will be crowned America East Regular Season Champions against all odds. The season finale versus UMBC on March 3rd looms large with the Terriers currently a half-game ahead of the Highlanders for first place. That rematch in Newark will come after UMBC won the first match-up 87-74 last month.
NJIT hasn’t been crowned regular-season champions since winning the now-defunct Great West Conference back in 2013. Never have the Highlanders appeared in an NCAA Tournament game since first becoming eligible for the Big Dance as a member of Division I back in 2009. NJIT is set to host at least a quarterfinal match-up when the America East Playoffs kick off on March 7th.
“We tell our guys and remind them why we’ve had success,” Billmeier said. “It’s about being a connected group who plays extremely hard, and it’s a constant reinforcement for us. We show our guys on film that when we play at the level we can, why we are winning.”