Lewisburg, Pa. ? Chris Niesz stood before his teammates prior to Bucknell’s final regular-season game at Sojka Pavilion.
It was Senior Day.
This time, it was just that. Niesz is the only senior on coach Pat Flannery’ s 13-man roster.
The normally quiet and reserved forward took the opportunity to relay the significance of the remaining games for him.
The New Jersey resident also pointed out how much he’s enjoyed this season’s team.
“We’ve done a lot of cool things together,” Niesz said. “This is the closest team I’ve been a part of.”
Niesz then nailed the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give Bucknell a one-point win over visiting Colgate.
“I don’t think I could have ever dreamed up an ending like that,” Niesz admitted.
The end has not come yet for Niesz, as Bucknell won three Patriot League tournament games to grab its first title and an NCAA berth.
“That shot,” sophomore center Chris McNaughton said, “gave us the momentum we needed going into the tournament. If we would have lost that game, it would have stayed with us.”
Bucknell (22-9) plays Kansas (23-6) in the first round of the Oklahoma City subregional Friday at the Ford Center. Tip-off is 9:40 p.m.
Niesz has been a major part of the Bison’s recent surge.
With sophomore starting forward John Clark all but shut down for the season with a foot injury, Niesz was quick o realize his expanded role.
“Chris became our primary option (off the bench),” Flannery said. “Him knowing he was going to play more really helped his confidence.”
Niesz had a season-high 10 points in the game against Colgate, which kept intact Bucknell’s two-year unbeaten run at home against league foes.
The 6-foot-8 forward had 11 points two games later in the league semifinal against American and had eight in the final at Holy Cross.
“Coach Flannery came to me in the middle of year with John’s injury getting worse and worse,” Niesz recalled. “He told me that I was going to be a big part of this team, that we wouldn’t be going anywhere without me.
“I took that to heart.”
With such a laid-back attitude and quiet demeanor, it is easy to mistake Niesz for not having the heart of a champion.
He has rarely showed emotion throughout his career, though he raised his fist in celebration seconds after the buzzer against Colgate.
Niesz is, however, the team’s hardest worker.
Prior to a workout Monday, most of the players were lounging in the locker room talking about the college coaches who were fired that day.
Someone asked during a quiet moment, “Is Niesz out there (on the floor)?”
He was.
Teammates say he is first on the floor and one of the last to leave every day.
A role player who has had spot starts since his sophomore season, Niesz seemed to enjoy being in the back seat with others taking the focus and
credit for success.
But his closest friends on the team say he’s become more vocal when it involves basketball and has a real sense of humor off the court.
“He’s really stepped out of his box,” junior co-captain Charles Lee said.
Niesz, who roomed with (the transferred) Antario Glover as a freshman and shared an off-campus house with graduated Matt Quinn and Roland Webber
through last year, lives in that house alone this year.
However, junior co-captain Kevin Bettencourt said, “he spends a lot of time on our couch.”
Lee, Bettencourt and junior Tarik Viaer-McClymont share a living area in The Gateways. Niesz is the fourth wheel, but the main player in the team’s Texas Hold ‘Em poker games.
“He’s got that poker face, man,” Lee said.
For three-plus years, that was the only face Bucknell fans were privy to.
With his college career coming to a close and the chance to have a significant impact on how things play out, Niesz has gone all-in.
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