Cumberland, Md. (February 25, 2021) -- Garrett College men's basketball last night defeated Allegany College of Maryland 107-100 on the road at Bob Kirk Arena in a thrilling double overtime game. With the win, Lakers head coach Dennis Gibson recorded his 700th career victory.
"To have 700 wins at this level of play and in our location just shows the commitment from players, assistant coaches, fellow coaches, and friends of the Lakers over all these years," Gibson said. "I can't name everyone here, [but] I hope they read this and know that without them this never happens. So 700 wins goes to a lot more people than me."
The Lakers remain undefeated at 3-0 and are back on the court Sunday at home against Region XX foe Westmoreland. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
"It is very rewarding to accomplish this milestone with this team and the threat of a COVID shutdown looming constantly," Gibson said. "Coaching at this level is tough and this team deserves recognition for the sacrifices they have made in order to play. Coaching guys like Cam [Selders], Malik [Whitaker], D'monte [Brown], and our new guys is why we do this. We started in September with 18 guys and still have 17 of them, and added one international player that could not come in the fall. To me that speaks volumes of the support we have from our coaches such as coach Jeff Hoffman, coach Reverend Acord and coach Jon Hegeman, as well as our athletic staff."
Gibson began his coaching career at Garrett in 1978, serving six years as an assistant, while working at his family's business, and completing his undergraduate degree at West Virginia University.
In 1985, he accepted the head coach position and has been at the helm ever since, leading the Lakers to a 700-395 (.639) overall record, with three trips to the NJCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, two Region XX titles, and a Maryland Juco Conference championship.
Gibson was elected to the NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Lakers first Region XX championship under Gibson came during the 1994-1995 season, as his team also captured the Maryland Juco Tournament title. That same season, Garrett finished sixth at the NJCAA National Tournament.
Garrett won its first Division I Region XX championship in 2002-2003 and returned to the NJCAA National Tournament during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Gibson spent many years as the Lakers assistant athletic director, and was promoted to athletic director in 2012.
Gibson did not play basketball in high school, however, he earned a spot on Garrett's first team his freshman year and was a starter as a sophomore, helping the Lakers to a 17-9 record.
Gibson attended Bridgewater College (Virginia) after graduating from Garrett, where he earned Second Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors.
After college, Gibson played a short time with the Baltimore Metros of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
Gibson and his wife Kerry reside in McHenry, Maryland. All three of their children, Jeseca, Kory, and Matthew, are Garrett College graduates.
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About the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (www.mdjuco.org and 443-840-1751)
The Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (Maryland JUCO) exists to govern and conduct championships for the conference's 16 varsity sports. Chartered in the late 1960s, the conference is composed of 16 Maryland community colleges that compete in a variety of varsity intercollegiate athletics. Maryland JUCO oversees and promotes programs dedicated to academic and athletic goals of its diverse institutions, while enhancing opportunities for balanced intercollegiate athletic programming. The conference provides organizational structure for its membership while strengthening commitments to their students and communities. In accordance with the philosophy of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the conference operates under the highest standards of integrity, equity and sportsmanship.
Each season, Maryland JUCO verifies the eligibility of all its student athletes, schedules, and statistics for statewide competition. To help foster the best academic and athletic experience for student athletes, the Maryland JUCO relies heavily on the work of its sports liaisons, coaches associations and the Maryland JUCO Advisory Council.
The Maryland JUCO does not coordinate NJCAA national or regional standings, statistics or schedules. Visit www.njcaa.org for national standings, statistics and/or schedules.
