Well-balanced Fairmont State seeks DII men's basketball title

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - When Jerrod Calhoun arrived in Fairmont, W. Va., before the start of the 2012-13 season to coach Fairmont State, he spoke the words of many young, hungry college coaches who have a vision to help a program reach heights never seen before.

Calhoun talked about bringing a national championship to Fairmont State. It was an ambitious goal. After all, he inherited a team that was coming off an 8-19 season in the 2011-12 school year.

“We really believed it,” Calhoun said. “I think a lot of people laughed at us because they won eight games.”

DII Men's Basketball Championship: Bracket | Semi-finals recap

In Calhoun’s first season, Fairmont State went 23-9 in 2012-13 and has won 20 or more games in each of his first five seasons.

From the outside, it looks like a classic rag to riches story for the Falcons, who will play for its first NCAA Division II national title at 3 p.m. ET Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon against Northwest Missouri State.

Calhoun knows a lot of hard work from a lot of people have made Saturday’s opportunity come to fruition.

“It is a group effort,” Calhoun said. “This is not a one-man show. This is not your Calhoun Show. It is about the players. This is about a community. To build something, you have to have people involved. This community got involved. We did it the right way. We upgraded our facilities. Our administration has been great.”

And finally, it takes players who believe in the process and believe in each other. The Falcons definitely showed their belief in each other in their quarterfinal win over Rollins and semifinal victory against Bellarmine.

In each game, Fairmont encountered foul trouble to key starters and each time somebody stepped up. In the 79-68 win against Bellarmine, junior D’Ondre Stockman came off ...

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