The Guilford men hope to take care of unfinished business today at the Division III Final Four in Salem, Va.
The Quakers (30-2) are in the national semifinals for the second straight season and will play Williams, Mass. (29-1) at 5 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point (27-4) will play Randolph-Macon (26-6) in the second semifinal at 7 p.m., and today's winners will play for the championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.
A win today will give Guilford a chance at the program's first national title since M.L. Carr, World B. Free and Chuck Taylor led a run to the NAIA championship in 1973.
Last season Coach Tom Palombo's Quakers fell short in the semis, losing 77-58 to Washington-St. Louis. They did win the consolation game over Franklin & Marshall, but third place wasn't much consolation.
"Last year we kind of felt we were the new kids on the block at the Final Four," said guard Rhett Bonner, a senior who averages 14.6 points. "We have a senior-dominated team this year, and we kind of feel like we have some unfinished business, but we know it's not going to be easy."
Guilford qualified for the Final Four with a 90-80 victory over Eastern Mennonite last weekend. The win was its 11th straight since a 90-63 loss to Eastern Mennonite on Feb. 10.
Palombo said that the Quakers are playing their best basketball at the right time, thanks to unselfish play and better defense.
"I think it helps," Palombo said of being in the Final Four last season. "We kind of know what to expect with the community service, the banquets and the media requests that go along with the Final Four."
Bonner isn't Guilford's only veteran. Senior center Tyler Sanborn (6-9, 260) averages 19.6 points and 14.1 rebounds, and senior guard Clay Henson (ninth in school history with 1,700-plus career points) averages 17.9.
Bonner said that he and his teammates have tried not to look ahead to what winning the title would mean.
"For us I just think it would be icing on the cake because the Lord's really blessed us in putting us together to make another run," he said. "Making two Final Fours is unbelievable, but we kind of laid an egg last year…. We want to try and take care of business this time around."
Another thing Palombo has become accustomed to is what the Final Four means to Guilford alumni and fans. He said he has lost count of the number of e-mails and text messages he has received since last weekend.
"I think that everybody is really happy and there's great interest from the Guilford College community," Palombo all. "They all feel a part of this and rightly so…. A lot of folks are proud of what we've done this season."
jdell@wsjournal.com
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