The last home game in school history for Green Mountain College men’s basketball team was Saturday, Feb. 2, when the Eagles defeated Bryant-Stratton College-Buffalo, 81-53. The win brought Green Mountain’s record to 16-6 this year.
VPR’s Ric Cengeri attended the game and shared his observations on Mitch's Sports Report.
Green Mountain College plays its home games at the Waldron Athletic Center, more affectionately known as the Eagle Dome.
It's wooden-arched roof reminds visitors of UVM's Gutterson Field House and creates a cacophonous venue even when there are only 100 fans in attendance, as was the case for the final game.
GMC alum Mike MacDougall was a shooting guard for the Eagle teams in the late 1990s that won three Mayflower Conference titles in his four years on the team. He attended Saturday's game with his son, Mason, and described his feelings about the program's final home game.
"It is bittersweet, and we'll kind of feel a little bit of a heavy heart today as we watch the final game at the Eagle Dome," said MacDougall as the game was about to begin.
Also in attendance was Crispin White. After graduating from Castleton State (now Castleton University), White was the assistant men's basketball coach at GMC in the late '80s and now is the director of student success at the College of St. Joseph in West Rutland.
White says he has loyalty to all three schools despite being long-time athletic rivals. On the closing of Green Mountain College, White said "it's definitely sad, but definitely from my standpoint, I’m just proud of what’s been accomplished here athletically and academically."
After the victory on Saturday, Green Mountain sophomore guard Tyrell Johnson talked about the closeness of this year's team.
"We have good energy all around," Johnson said. "I think it’s just a group of guys who mesh well together and we kind of just love playing with each other. And knowing that it’s our last few games together, we’re just trying to enjoy every moment we have."
The men's team has five road contests remaining, including Thursday, Feb. 7, at the College of St. Joseph and Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center.
The Green Mountain College women's team plays its final home game at the Eagle Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 12, versus Davis College.
