Flashback Friday looks at the top moments from the 2015-16 athletic year at the College of Staten Island. We continue the countdown this week with a tremendous come-from-behind performance from the CSI Men’s Basketball team when they defeated Colby College in November, 98-92, in overtime. The Dolphins trailed by as many as 29 points in the second half, unleashing a comeback for the ages behind point guard Frank Schettino, who scored 33 points in the second half and overtime to finish with 43 in total, good for the highest single game point total by a CSI player in its history.
#8 – Men’s Basketball puts up monster comeback behind Schettino over Colby College
Date: November 20, 2015
Who: CSI Men’s Basketball Team
Where: Harrington Auditorium – Worcester, MA
What Happened: Three days earlier the College of Staten Island men’s basketball team had defeated nationally-ranked Stockton University to introduce the 2015-16 season, so excitement was high when the Dolphins took on Colby College for the opening leg of the WPI Tip-Off Tournament in Worcester, MA. It was the Mules, however, that got the early upper hand, shooting 61% in the first half that included a blistering 11-14 from the arc (79%), taking a 51-33 lead going into the locker room. CSI needed the break but it didn’t seem to effect Colby as they raced out to an early run in the second and soon saw their lead balloon to 62-33 with a hair over 17 minutes to play. That’s when CSI, under the strong shooting of Frank Schettino and an improved call to defense, started to turn the tide. The senior scored 24 second half points, just three less than the entire Colby squad, and the Dolphins held the Mules to just 27% shooting with 14 turnovers in the game’s final 16 minutes. Still, it was just enough to force a 78-78 tie going into overtime. There, CSI held a thin one-point lead before Schettino went on a personal seven-point tear to put enough distance between the sides so that CSI was able to score a 98-92 stunner. Schettino would finalize with 43 points on 14-26 shooting, for a new CSI single game record. The total eclipsed that of Cyrus Deas’ mark of 42 against Medgar Evers College set back in 1985.
Q&A…with Frank Schettino
Going into the tournament you guys had just come off a big win against nationally-ranked Stockton. How motivated was the team going into that game? After beating Stockton we knew what this team was capable of. We were very motivated and after a big win like that it gave us a lot of confidence.
The team didn’t play badly in the first half but it seemed like Colby couldn’t miss. They shot 60% at the half and they were up by 18 at the break. What was said during the locker room? In the first half they couldn’t miss. We thought we played fairly well but the score didn’t reflect that. At halftime we just said to keep playing hard, keep chipping away and don’t force anything. We knew they couldn’t shoot any better than they already did.
Colby went on an 11-0 run to start the 2nd half and took a 62-33 lead. As a player in that scenario, when you look up at the scoreboard and see that, what are you thinking? After Colby went up by about 30 points it was very disappointing. Everyone’s heads were down and we had no energy. Looking up at the scoreboard it’s embarrassing and as a team we had to do something about it. We just kept saying play hard and let’s see what can happen.
You hit your first of 24 2nd half points with 16 minutes left. At what point do you feel yourself heating up and recognize that what you are doing is working? We were struggling and we needed someone or something to go right. I started attacking the rim and hit a couple of shots in a row and we started cutting down the lead. I just wanted to keep attacking and I knew something good will come out of it.
The team rolled out a great run and with 40 seconds left you hit the game-tying three sending the game to overtime from there. You played the whole second half and now you are getting close to records. Do you even think about that stuff at the time? The play to tie the game with the three was an insane sequence. Colby went on a fast break and had a layup to almost finish the game and Will (Fonseca) came out of nowhere to block it. I recovered it and knocked down the three. Insane momentum swing. I had no idea about any records and especially in a time like that and in moments like that, I’m not thinking about anything but the game.
Then overtime comes and at one point you score seven straight points and you put the team up for good. Did you even know the record was in sight at that point, did you recognize the magnitude of what just happened and what you guys had accomplished? Once overtime started we knew we had them. We had great possessions and capped them off with buckets. At the time I had no idea about any records and was not worried about any records, we just needed to win the game. After the game it took us a couple of minutes to realize what we had just done. The locker room was all smiles. It was one of the best comebacks I have ever seen.
CSI Basketball has had an incredible history through many decades. What’s it like knowing you hold one of the biggest records in its history? Have you ever scored 43 points in a game before? Was it one of your finest performances of all-time going back to high school? To hold one of the biggest records in school history is such an honor and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches sticking behind me. That game was by far the best performance I ever had in my life. People on my team said it’s the best performance they ever seen by an individual. The only other time I ever scored in the 40’s was in seventh grade but this college game, and the way we won, will be one of the best moments in my life.
Other Highlights
CSI Feature Story
Game Boxscore
Staten Island Advance Article
WPI Article
 points in the game. |
 record books with 43 points. |
 game shooting 8-11. |
