Despite major injuries hampering the team currently, Roadrunner Men's Basketball Coach Brandon Williams is nonetheless seeing a steady improvement among his players.
The proof was presented Saturday when the Runners slipped by Williamson College of the Trades, 70-63, in the consolation game of the Roadrunner Classic to finish third overall in the tournament.
The win was the Runners' third in their past four games. It also capped off a tourament in which Williams' youthful club turned in a respectable tournament after dropping their opener in a tight battle vs. Ocean County College.
RCSJ kept it all together despite missing star players Anthony Colon and Josh Randall to minor injuries in the tournament.
"It's all coming together and we expect to continue seeing improvement," said Williams. "We hope to be competitive within the conference and region once Big Josh (Randall) and Anthony (Colon) return."
Keyshaun Sanders, who was named to the All-Tournament team, stepped in to score 27 points while teammates Nate Taylor (13 points) and Chris Racobaldo (11) also hit double figures.
The triumph required a comeback, and the Runners were up to the challenge. Williamson Trade rolled out to a pair of 10-point leads, the first at 17-6, before the Runners battled back to take a slim 33-30 halftime lead. The Runners extended the advantage to 14 points in the second half, but held off a late Williamson rally to tuck away the win at 70-63.
"We had a respectable tournament against some good teams," said Williams. "We went 1-1 vs. Ocean and Williamson, and we certainly had a chance to win the Ocean game. Again, we're heading in the right direction."
Next up for the 3-5 Roadrunners is Thaddeus Stevens College on Tuesday, December 5 in a 7 pm tipoff in Deptford, NJ.
Day One Results
The Roadrunner Men's Basketball team fell to Ocean County College, 87-75, in the semifinal round of the Roadrunner Classic Friday, snapping a two-game win streak. The Vikings advance to the championship round Saturday to play Manor College.
Leading the Runners' scoring attack was forward Chris Racobaldo, who pumped in a game-high 25 points. The two teams battled to a 37=37 halftime tie. but the Vikings took control early in the second half, jumping out to 10-point leads on three different occaions. Racobaldo drained a three-point shot to put RCSJ to within one -point in the final four minutes, but OCC pulled away after that.
In the other semifinal, Manor College rolled past Williamson College of the Trades, 78-45.
Tournament Preview - ROADRUNNER CLASSIC
Watch all the games live CLICK HERE!
Friday, December 1, 2023
Roadrunner Classic Semifinal 1 -- Manor College vs Williamson College of the Trades
FINAL -- Manor College 78, Williamson College 45
Roadrunner Classic Semifinal 2 -- RCSJ-Gloucester vs Ocean CC
Roadrunner Women's Basketball Showcase - RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Ocean CC, 12 noon
Roadrunner Classic Consolation, 2:30 pm Consolation Game
Roadrunner Classic Championship, 4:30 pm Championship Game
The Roadrunner Classic started in 1981 and has been played in most years since. Below is a record of the team champions, runner-up and tournament Most Valuable Player.
Year |
Champion |
Runner Up |
Most Valuable Player |
1981 | Gloucester County College | Fashion Institute | Charles Johnson GCC |
1982 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Anthony Chennault GCC |
1983 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Frank Brown GCC |
1984 | No Tournament | - | - |
1985 | Gloucester County College | Gloucester CC | Jacq Adgers GCC |
1986 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Brian Cooper GCC |
1987 | Gloucester County College | Camden CC | Bryant Watson GCC |
1988 | Gloucester County College | Camden CC | Willard Mack GCC |
1989 | Gloucester County College | Burlington CC | Carl Lancaster GCC |
1990 | Delaware Tech-Stanton | Gloucester CC | Lonnie McCoy DTS |
1991 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Damon Reid GCC |
1992 | Penn-State Delco Delaware | TCC | Dave Myer PSD |
1993 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Derrik Millhouse GCC |
1994 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Derrik Millhouse GCC |
1995 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Rob Rone GCC |
1996 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Richard Rivers GCC |
1997 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Bobby Woolfolk GCC |
1998 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Gregory Cannon GCC |
1999 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Wykeen Kelly GCC |
2000 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Charles Bostic GCC |
2001 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery- Rockville | Timothy Rawls GCC |
2002 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Ricardo Good GCC |
2003 | No Tournament | - | - |
2004 | Gloucester County College | Philadelphia CC | LaDerrick McKinstry GCC |
2005 | Gloucester County College | Philadelphia CC | Mike McDonald GCC |
2006 | Montgomery-Rockville | Gloucester County College |
Herbie Spellman MCR |
2007 | Gloucester County College | Globe Tech | Shyheem Satchell GCC |
2008 | Essex CC | Gloucester County College | Allen Weathers ECC |
2009 | Burlington CC | Tompkins-Cortland CC | Rashon Bellinger, Burlington CC |
2010 | Burlington CC | Bergen CC | JD Holloway, Burlington CC |
2011 | Bergen CC | Burlington CC | Zach Anderson, Bergen CC |
2012 | Burlington CC | Gloucester CC | Chris Thompson, Burlington CC |
2013 | Gloucester County College | Burlington CC | Nick Lawson, GCC |
2014 | Rowan-Gloucester | Burlington CC | Adonius Melvins, RCGC |
2015 | Rowan-Burlington | Rowan-Gloucester | Marcus Bonnick, RCBC |
2016 | Williamson College of the Trades? | Rowan-Burlington | Kevin Whitfield, Williamson |
2017 | Rowan-Gloucester | Rowan-Burlington | Chris Lyons, RCGC |
2018 | Rowan-Gloucester | Williamson College of the Trades | Ja'Zere Noel, RCGC |
2019 | Valley Forge MC | Williamson College of the Trades | Jayquan Williams, Valley Forge MC |
2020 | No Tournament | ||
2021 | Montgomery CCC (PA) | Manor College | Matt Compass |
2022 | No Champion | ||
2023 | Manor College (PA) | Ocean County College |
Rowan College Men's Basketball Champions
1981 | Jeff Tucker |
1984 | Trevor Gordon |
1989 | Willard Mack |
1994 | Marvin Stinson |
1997 | Spernser Poulson |
1998 | Rashaan Ames |
1999 | Wykeen Kelly |
2000 | Wykeen Kelly |
2001 | Tim Rawls |
2004 | David Watson |
2007 | Kyle Wakefield |