Shane Regan played all 40 minutes of the Maroons' second-round win vs. Otterbein, and 36 minutes in the round of 16 vs. Gustavus Adolphus. Chicago athletics photo

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

Entering this season, Chicago’s expectations were high.

The Maroons returned six of their top eight players from a team that made an NCAA Tournament for the first time in 17 years and finished 18-8.

Those hopes went even higher after Shane Regan and Nick Roper joined the program as graduate student transfers. The duo’s results were immediate. Regan leads the team in scoring at 19.4 points per game, while Roper is second (15.3).

However, in addition to welcoming two preseason All-American ballers to the rotation, Chicago was excited to add more experience to its roster. Regan guided Wesleyan to last year’s national semifinals, while Roper helped Illinois Wesleyan reach the Sweet 16.

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The Maroons (24-4) are using that experience as an advantage as it prepares to takes on Mary Washington (27-3) in the Elite Eight on Thursday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“It’s super special to get back there. Fort Wayne is the mecca of D-III basketball. To get a chance to go out there with a new team again, I feel very fortunate,” Regan said. “I’ll definitely be comfortable out there, having played in the venue and going throughout that experience already. There’s a level of comfort, but I am just as excited as I was last year.”

Last year, Regan scored 17 points as Wesleyan dropped a 73-69 decision to Trinity in the semifinals. The Bantams went on to beat New York University, 64-60, to claim the championship. Regan believes this group could get the job done, but stressed to his teammates that they can’t get caught looking ahead. That’s a message he’s relayed all postseason.

“It’s really important to remember that every team in this tournament is a very good team,” he said. “You could find yourself looking by teams, but we never did that. We were extremely locked in from the start with our first game against Penn State-Behrend.

“Everyone really cares and plays their roles amazingly. We’ve been able to have some success, so far, but it’s only getting harder. We have to really embrace this challenge on a big stage.”

Likewise, Roper enjoyed a pair of NCAA Tournament victories last season with the Titans. They beat Bethany Lutheran and St. John’s, but dropped a 72-65 decision to UW-La Crosse.

“It’s amazing to be where we are,” he said. “It’ll be my first time in Fort Wayne and I am super excited to experience it with this group. It’s been great to continue practicing together. There are hundreds of teams that wish they were in our position. I am grateful we are one of the few teams that gets to keep playing.”

Roper echoed Regan’s message that every team in the NCAA Tournament is formidable.

“Shane has made it a little farther than I have, but the best advice I can give is to take it one practice at a time, one lift at a time, one game at a time and, when we’re in a game, one play at a time,” he said. “Every team that’s in the Tournament deserves to be there and is a tough matchup.

“These guys had a little bit of experience of their own, though, They made it to the Tournament last year. Them having that experience as well has been a big help. Coming in here, Eamonn (Kenah) and Joe (Berry) are the main leaders on the court. Shane and I just do our best to add to what those players give and support the team in any way we can.”

Adding two prominent players is nice, but it comes with some sacrifice, too. Coach Mike McGrath said his players put the team first.

Nick Roper is shooting 57 percent from the floor for the Maroons. Chicago athletics photo

“I had a lot of confidence in both Nick and Shane as I got to know them in the process of finding where they wanted to be. There wasn’t a lot of uncertainly about what they’d bring to the table,” he said. “At the same time, I had a lot of confidence in the current group and their ability to integrate Shen and Nick into the team. They have done it well.

“Everybody on our team has had to subvert themselves and put their egos aside. There are so many guys on our team that could be individually more successful. There were guys returning that probably were targeting all-conference accolades or main scoring roles. We have guys coming off the bench who maybe thought it’d be their turn to start. We have guys who are not playing a lot who thought they’d have bigger roles. Everybody had to step aside to put the group first. I can’t say enough about how impressive Nick and Shane were in doing that as well as the rest of our group.

“The character of these guys and their priorities and why they play is important. In college basketball, the landscape has changed pretty significantly. These guys do it for their team and university more than for any individual achievements. I am proud to be part of a group that still displays that every day and as well as these guys do.”

While most of the players didn’t enter the year with much NCAA Tournament experience, Regan knows they bring a veteran presence now. That was on display when the team had to rally early and then hold off Gustavus Adolphus, 93-92, last weekend to advance.

“The composure piece has really shown itself. Gustavus had gone up 14-15 points on us early. It’s easy to collapse when that happens, especially with a younger team like we have. But, we had great composure. We acknowledge basketball is a game of runs and ups and downs. We know that, if we stay together, we always have a chance to win; we have full belief in ourselves,” Regan said. “These guys really embraced Nick and me as though we’ve been here four years with them. That was very necessary to achieve something like that we have done so far.”