On Jan. 14 the Stags men’s basketball team was 1-4 in the MAAC conference and were looking at the possibility of finishing the season with the most losses in school history. That day was when Michael Van Schaick, the senior guard from Glens Falls, NY, stepped up and became he team’s leader.
Van Schaick was already establishing himself as a key player, scoring 23 points against Loyola (Ill.) and 20 against Canisius earlier in the season. Van Schaick had been working on his shot in practice and was praised by Head Coach Ed Cooley as a hard worker and a team leader.
Against Iona on Jan. 14 he scored 16 points, including 4-for-9 on three pointers. Then he returned home to the Glen Falls area to play his final game at Siena and scored 27 points, a career high in a 72-67 victory that jumpstarted the Stags on a seven game winning streak that was the longest since the 1980s.
Van Schaick scored over ten points in 19 of the last 20 games. In his final game, in the MAAC playoffs against Loyola (MD) he scored 24 points, but it was not enough.
Cooley said that he felt bad for Van Schaick, but hopes that he can learn from the experience and carry it throughout his life.
“I couldn’t ask for a better senior to come in as a first year coach. I feel bad for him, but that was a great learning experience for him,” Cooley said. “Work hard and great things will happen for him. I just hope when he becomes a CEO, he remembers me.”
“He definitely went out like a senior should,” said sophomore guard Jonathan Han. “He is a great player and I wish him the best. Hopefully he can go play ball somewhere or come back and help us out next year. He is a great guy and he deserves all the credit for this season going this way.”
Losing two top scorers in Terrance Todd and DeWitt Maxwell heading into the season, Cooley was nervous about who would score, with an inexperienced team. Noone could have expected Van Schaick to do what he did.
Next year the Stags will need a similar player to step up and Jonathan Han hopes he can be that player. He said following the game that he plans to work hard and try to lead the young team farther next year, saying he never wants to feel like he did after the Loyola loss again.
If Van Schaick could come out of nowhere like he did, Han or someone else could as well. The team will be talented next season, but it has a large hole to replace in Van Schaick.
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