Two coaches and a player are reliving Bryant's March Madness dream
CLEVELAND — Phil Martelli Jr., Chris Cole and Josh Ozabor all share something in common at Rocket Arena this week.
Two coaches and a veteran forward are the three holdovers from the first time Bryant reached the NCAA Tournament in its Division I program history. That was in 2022, another trip to Ohio that ended in defeat against Wright State.
The Bulldogs are in the proper 64-team field on this occasion instead of grappling for one of the No. 16 seeds available at the First Four in Dayton. They had a chance to enjoy a full week of preparation before taking on Michigan State in a scheduled 10 p.m. tip Friday night.
“It’s been amazing,” Ozabor said. “Both of them have been the best coaches we could ask for.”
Martelli served as associate head coach while Cole was an assistant coach on a Bryant team that rolled its way through the Northeast Conference. They’ve each climbed a step on the professional ladder over the last two years, with Martelli succeeding Jared Grasso as head coach in 2023-24 and Cole named associate head coach prior to this 2024-25 season.
“It’s mostly the team dynamic,” Cole said prior to Thursday’s open practice session. “And this time we’re not a 16 seed. It was kind of weird going to Dayton, and then Wright State was across the street.”
That first group of Bulldogs rode the premier scoring duo in the nation to program history. Peter Kiss and Charles Pride dominated opponents while surrounded by a cast of teammates who filled in the gaps. This has been a more widespread approach — starters Earl Timberlake, Rafael Pinzon, Barry Evans, Keyshawn Mitchell and Connor Withers are all capable of taking a lead role on any given night.
“This is great,” Martelli said at the podium Thursday. “Being in this tournament, being on this stage, is great. And the way these guys have handled themselves from that day in June until now, they deserve to have great.
“I'm really proud of them. Really happy for them that they got that.”
Bryant (23-11) punished the competition in the America East over three months, including three double-digit home victories in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs have won 17 of their last 19 after a challenging nonconference performance that included blowout road defeats against St. John’s and Grand Canyon, tight home losses to Siena and Brown and a two-point setback against Fordham on a neutral court at Mohegan Sun.
“Pete and Chuck were our main guys,” Ozabor said. “People were in roles — a great supporting cast. Now we have so many dudes.”
Timberlake was the league Player of the Year and Pinzon joined him on the all-conference first team. Evans was named Newcomer of the Year and earned a place on the second team. Their bond was honed through grueling summer workouts, sessions in which Timberlake drove his teammates to match his high standard of everyday work.
“That’s when [Martelli] turned to us and said, ‘We’ve got something special,' " Cole said. “We all knew it.”
It was a different story the previous season. Grasso resigned in the midst of an indefinite leave from the school, offering Martelli little time to prepare after being elevated to acting head coach. His fourth game was a 95-79 loss at Boston University, and a following trip to Florida Atlantic had Bryant set to take on a top-10 team in the polls coming off a Final Four appearance.
“I think he started to doubt himself,” Cole said. “We have a close relationship — I saw it. He didn’t show it to the kids. But at that time, after BU, I told him we were going to be alL right.”
The Bulldogs sprung a 61-52 shocker against the Owls and went on to rip off a 5-0 start in conference play. They were injury-riddled down the stretch and fell at UMass Lowell in the league tournament semifinals, but the building blocks were in place. Bryant added Evans via the transfer portal from St. Bonaventure and built a strong unit ready to tackle the Spartans (27-6) in the South Region.
“I think just how much they care — not just as players but as human beings,” Ozabor said. “They ask if you’re OK, how you’re doing, did we eat enough, our mentality. That’s before basketball at all.
“How much work they put into it and how much they care, they’re always going to go there.”
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Two coaches and a player are reliving Bryant's March Madness dream
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