By Daisy DeCoster

2022 was always going to be a special year for Saint Peter’s University.  Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has been engaged in a yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary, with projects and events centered around the sesquicentennial theme of “opportunities for generations.” May 2021 through July 2022 also marks the “Ignatian Year,” the 500th anniversary of the conversion of the founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a further occasion for celebration and reflection on our institutional history and identity. So this March, as the Saint Peter’s University men’s basketball team stole headlines and shocked sports fans around the country, it all seemed a bit like divine providence, like part of a greater plan. 2022 is our year!

Faculty, staff, and students gathered in front of the O'Toole Library on March 15 to cheer the Peacocks men's basketball team as they depart for Indianapolis to face Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Librarians and library staff were swept into March madness as soon as the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team won the MAAC tournament by defeating Monmouth University in a thrilling game held at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The Peacocks were going to the big dance! Just making the tournament felt like a win for our small program, but what were our chances against one of college basketball’s “blue bloods,” the #2 seed Kentucky Wildcats?  The oddsmakers had Saint Peter’s losing by 18 points. Most of the library staff were around when Saint Peter’s made the tournament in 2011, losing to Purdue by 22 points in the first round.  Could this year, this very special year, be any different?

Left: Senior, KC Ndefo and Library Director, Daisy DeCoster. KC visited the library for research instruction two days after defeating Murray State in the NCAA tournament!

Right: Librarian, Scott Kushner with library regulars and sophomores, Fousseyni Drame and Hassan Drame.

On March 15, students, faculty, and staff stood outside the O’Toole Library at noon to cheer the men’s basketball team as they walked from the Yanitelli Center to their bus on Montgomery Avenue, waiting to transport them to Newark airport then off to Indianapolis to face Kentucky in the first round. The game was thrilling, and we were glued to our televisions. When the score was tied at halftime, university president Eugene Cornacchia, who was at the game, tweeted a picture of a medallion with hands clasped in prayer, asking “Do you believe?” We did! Having witnessed these student-athletes in the library and on the court, we were familiar with their tenacity and their selfless, tough-minded approach to the task at hand. So when the game was over and the sports world seemed in shock and disbelief, we were proud as Peacocks! The madness continued in Indianapolis, as Saint Peter’s defeated the 7th seed Murray State by 10 points. The Peacocks had made history as the first MAAC conference team to make the Sweet Sixteen, and the next game would be held 90 miles away from campus, in Philadelphia.

Library technician, Gilbert Monyancha celebrates the Peacock's success at a University Open House on March 27.

Librarians and library staff participated in campus watch parties and were on campus to welcome the Peacocks back to the Run Baby Run arena on Sunday, March 20. We were also happy to welcome our student-athletes back to the library, as they returned to classes and schoolwork in the days prior to their Sweet Sixteen trip to Philly. KC Ndefo, Hassan Drame, and Fousseyni Drame were especially gracious, taking a moment from their academic pursuits to snap photos with giddy librarians. (“Thanks for watching the games,” Ndefo said humbly.) And once again faculty, staff, and students stood outside the library on a brisk spring afternoon, to cheer the team on as they walked to the awaiting bus. The #3 seed Purdue Boilermakers were favored to beat Saint Peter’s by 13 points, but once again the odds didn’t seem to matter as the undersized Peacocks persisted with pesky defense and great playmaking by coach Shaheen Holloway. This time, unlike in Indianapolis, the stands seemed to brim with Peacocks fans, not just a strong contingency of Saint Peter’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni but many others who were now rooting for the underdogs from Jersey City. The fans would not be disappointed.  The Peacocks made history that day, as the first 15 seed to ever emerge from the Sweet Sixteen to advance to the Elite Eight.

If you’re familiar with the madness of March, you know that midnight is always looming, and all Cinderella stories come to end leaving us stunned and deflated but still amazed at the spectacle and magic of the big dance. Had that all been real? As Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop remarked after the Peacocks’ loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, “Today’s game changes very little for us.  We couldn’t be prouder of the Peacocks men’s basketball team. You showed the best of our city to the world, and we love you for that.” On April 1, Jersey City formally celebrated this amazing NCAA tournament run with a parade where players and coaches were awarded keys to the city. It was a terrific celebration of a special group of men who achieved a truly historic accomplishment in a very special year for Saint Peter’s University. 

Daisy DeCoster is the Director of the Theresa and Edward O'Toole Library at Saint Peter's University.