Podiatry School Wins National Hoops Tourney (We’re No. 1!)

As college students and alumni around the nation prepare for the annual NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament, students at Samuel Merritt University (SMU) already have a national championship to celebrate.

For the first time in the 23-year history of the event, SMU’s California School of Podiatric Medicine (CSPM) won the annual – and much smaller – national basketball tournament among the country’s nine podiatric medicine universities.

In late February, the team from SMU (pictured at right) played a two-day tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, and defeated Temple University 84-40 in the championship game.

“Our game was similar to the Golden State Warriors,” said shooting guard Ryan Sherick, Class of 2017. “The majority of our guys could drain three pointers. We passed a lot. We played defense, we played fast, and we played smart.”

The championship run shocked the rest of the podiatric medicine education world, as a CSPM team had never won a title in tournament history.

This year, however, the team went undefeated and the average margin of victory was more than 40 points. In the final contest against Temple, and with CSPM leading by 44, the referees showed mercy and halted the game two minutes into the fourth quarter.

“We probably had the home court advantage,” said Abhin Kumar, Class of 2017. “A lot of our parents, family and friends made the trip to support us.”

While Kumar’s parents drove from their home in Detroit, another classmate’s family flew in from Hawaii.

The team and their entourage won’t have to travel at all next year – the tournament will be hosted by CSPM, and university officials are already seeking facilities, sponsors, and alumni support.

The same eight-member squad will also return intact, as all are still eligible to play.

“We’re all very proud how our team brought the big championship home to Oakland,” said Timothy Dutra, assistant professor at CSPM. “We look forward to hosting our guests next year – and defending our championship.”

Photo: From R to L: Lance Reeves, Lowell Tong, Austin Vonacek, Logan Mitchell, Abhin Kumar, Brian Kuklok, Lance Hopkins, Ryan Sherick