Eastern Florida State College honors 1999-2000 state championship basketball team
In 2000, Brevard Community College, now Eastern Florida State College, won the NJCAA men's basketball state championship after defeating Okaloosa-Walton.
On Jan. 22, the team was honored at halftime of a Titans home game in Melbourne against Florida State College at Jacksonville.
"It's still surreal," Sam Santiago said. "I still can't believe that they guys are here and that we even had this opportunity to do it."
Santiago was joined by teammates Marshall Sanders, Tim Phillips, Joe Gordon and former assistant coach Robert Worthington.
The 1999-2000 Brevard Community College team was a juggernaut. They did not lose a conference game (12-0) and finished the season with a 29-7 record.
The team defeated Okaloosa-Walton 66-62 in the final to claim the NJCAA Region VIII State Tournament title and advanced to the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament for the second time in school history.
"It was a fantastic team, obviously the record speaks for itself," Worthington said. "We had very competitive practices, but our competition in practice prepared us for our season. I think that is what carried us through and allowed us to have the success that we did."
Along with the competitive nature of the team, Sanders said the bond the team had also made them special.
"We all got along and meshed well," he said. "We had no one ego tripping, which made good chemistry for the team on and off the court."
The chemistry the team built proved to be beneficial as they went through the season.
The championship title ended up being historic for the program, but throughout the season their focus each game was to remember to stick together.
"I don't think any of us thought that far ahead, we had aspirations for sure but at the start of the season we were just trying to come together as a group," Phillips said.
With the team being honored years later, Gordon said he will always remember what made this team so special.
"These guys were so talented," he said. "They were talented, they were hungry and they wanted to win and that is what made us special."
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: EFSC honors 1999-2000 men's state championship basketball team
