Bartolotta's Groundbreaking Season Ends

(After IR-Reykjavik's final regular season game in Reykjavik, Iceland. From left to right: former MIT hooper Brandon Suarez '09, former player and current assistant coach Bill Johnson '10, former player Paul Burkard '10, former player and current pro Jimmy Bartolotta '09, former MIT Lacrosse player Brian Coffey '09, and former MIT football player and Academic All-American Tommy Franklin '09)

Former MIT standout Jimmy Bartolotta and his team, IR-Reykjavik, fell to Keflavik in overtime, 95-90, last night in the final game of the Icelandic Express League quarterfinal series. Bartolotta, playing through an injury he suffered in the last regular game of the season, scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting for IR.

Bartolotta, who holds a Management Science degree, a Physics degree, and an Economics minor from MIT, ends his season in Iceland as one of the top players in the league, averaging 21.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 54.4% from the field, a staggering 47.6% from three, and 87.9% from the free-throw line. Prior to Bartolotta's joining of the team, IR was sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 3-7 record. After coming off the bench in his first game, Bartolotta quickly established the team chemistry needed for IR to make the playoffs, leading IR to an 8-5 record during his time.

Tech Hoops caught up with Jimmy after his game: "My time [in Iceland] was an absolutely amazing experience. IR is a fantastic organization, from the coaching staff and management to the players who I became so close with. I had some great memories here, and believe IR will be a powerhouse in the Express League for years to come."

Jimmy then went on to talk about how is experience at MIT prepared him for professional basketball: "Much of my success so far is undoubtedly credited to the lessons learned while at MIT and with Coach Anderson. Coach A taught me to push myself to my mental and physical limit, and then push a little harder. The discipline and work ethic I developed is truly paying off now."

Bartolotta travels back to his hometown of Littleton, Colorado before he and his agent weigh the offers he has lined up for next season.

Bartolotta Leads in Playoff Run

Former MIT star and National Player of the Year Jimmy Bartolotta lead his team, IR-Reykjavik, to victory in the Icelandic Express League quarterfinals last night. Despite a grueling foot injury he suffered two games ago, Bartolotta dropped 18 points along with 7 assists in the 106-89 win over 3rd place Keflavik.

Bartolotta is currently 4th in scoring in the Express League, averaging 22.2 points per game. IR plays Keflavik again in the best-of-3 series tomorrow, March 23rd. The winner advances to the semi-finals and will face off with KR-Reykjavik, who finished 2nd in the league with a 16-6 record.

Box Score

Tashman Named All-Northeast Region by D3Hoops.com

MIT sophomore forward Will Tashman was named to the All-Northeast Region Fourth-Team by D3Hoops.com.

The full list of honorees can be found at D3Hoops.com.

Bartolotta Named Eurobasket.com Player of the Week

For his tremendous performance last week for IR Reykjavik, former MIT star Jimmy Bartolotta has been named the Eurobasket.com Player of the Week.

You can read more at Eurobasket.com.

Bartolotta Pours in 33, IR Dismantles KR

Former MIT standout Jimmy Bartolotta again led his team, IR Reykjavik, in scoring this evening, pouring in 33 points en route to a 124-96 route of 2nd-ranked KR. Since entering the starting lineup for IR, the team has gone 7-2 with Bartolotta, after a 3-9 start prior to his arrival. Over that span, the team has gone from 2nd-to-last to 6th in the league standings, and are in good condition to make the postseason.

Bartolotta is averaging a team best 23 ppg and 50% three point shooting. IR closes out the regular season this coming Thursday, in a match-up with Fjölnir. In attendance will be current MIT assistant Billy Johnson, as he cheers on his former teammate in his first visit to Iceland. Coach Johnson has plenty of experience cheering on Bartolotta from their four years together on the MIT squad, as both entered MIT in the 2005-06 season.

MIT Unable to Maintain Momentum, Fall to Rochester

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
Despite holding Rochester scoreless the opening 6.5 minutes of the contest, and leading 25-20 at the half, MIT fell to Rochester in the second round of the NCAA tourney this evening, 60-52. The Engineers got off to a hot defensive start, leading by as many as 10 early, but seemingly ran out of gas in the second half.

Leading the Engineers was senior forward Eric Zuk, who scored a season-high 15 points, in his last collegiate game. Will Tashman was also solid with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Mitch Kates contributed 14 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Full game recap and boxscore can be found at the official MIT Athletics website.

MIT closes out the season with their 3rd straight 20-win season, and 4th in 6 seasons. They return everyone except the aforementioned Zuk, and therefore should be contenders for the NEWMAC championship and on the national scene once again next season.

MIT Defeats Ithaca Behind Super Sophs

Image Courtesy of Dawn Anderson
MIT surged past Ithaca in the final minutes, capturing an 82-78 win this evening in Ithaca, NY, over the host Bombers. MIT trailed by 4 points with 5 minutes remaining, but a Jamie Karraker 3 followed by a Will Tashman bucket put the Engineers on top with 3:14 to play. The teams would trade baskets over the next 2.5 minutes, until a layup by Ithaca put the Bombers ahead by 1 with 41 seconds to play. On MIT's next possession, the Engineers would recapture the lead behind a strong take from Mitchell Kates. MIT would then hit their FTs down the stretch to close out the game.

MIT was led by their sophomore trifecta of Karraker, Kates, and Tashman. Kates and Karraker were the high scorers for MIT with 25 points a piece. In addition to his scoring tally, Kates also dished out 7 assists, had 4 steals, and 4 boards. Tashman had his third consecutive post-season double-double with 16 points and 10 boards, in addition to 5 assists. Also playing strong for MIT was Billy Bender, who added 12 points and 8 boards. MIT had a season low 5 turnovers, while forcing 12, and shot 93% from the FT line.

Ithaca led by as many as 10 points in the first half, before a furious run by MIT, led by 8 points from Kates and two 3s from Karraker, tied the game at 46 at the half. MIT would come out of the break hot, building an 8 point lead over the first 7 minutes of the half, but Ithaca would not quit. A 16-4 run over the next 8 minutes would give the Bombers the lead back, but then MIT would go on their run to close out the game and take the win.

Full game recap and boxscore can be found at the official MIT Athletics website.

MIT advances to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament to face Rochester, the UAA champions this season. The game will also be played in Ithaca, NY. Tip is schedule for 7:00 PM, with audio available for the game.

NCAA Opener vs. Ithaca to be Audio Webcast

Tonight's NCAA opening round game at Ithaca College will be audio webcast at the following link:

Ithaca College Audio Webcast

More information about the game can be found at the official MIT Athletics website.

Tashman, Kates Named to All-Conference Squads

The NEWMAC all-conference selections were announced today and MIT earned a pair of awards. Sophomore forward Will Tashman was named 1st Team All-NEWMAC, after averaging 13.8 ppg and a league-best 8.9 rpg. Classmate Mitchell Kates was named to the 2nd team, averaging 15.3 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.2 spg, and a league-best 1.6 A/TO ratio.


The full announcement can be found here.

MIT Will Travel to Ithaca for Opening Round

The Division III NCAA brackets were released this afternoon, and MIT was selected to travel to Ithaca to play the hosts of that pod in the first round.

The full bracket can be found here.

In similar news, MIT moved into the final NE regional rankings, checking in at #11.