After 51 Straight Defeats, Finally a Victory

NJ Highlanders and fans take their NCAA woes in stride

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 23, 2009 2:03 PM CST

Copied

After 51 Straight Defeats, Finally a Victory — NJIT's Justin Garris and Dan Stonkus try to block a shot by Rutgers' Mike Coburn during a game in 2007. (AP Photo)

After an NCAA record 51-game losing streak, the New Jersey Institute of Technology basketball team finally eked out a win this week. One of the scores of schools who joined the NCAA's top division a few years back thinking "why not us?," NJIT soon answered that question unequivocally: "We don't score enough points," the head coach told the Wall Street Journal.

The Highlanders don't have a lot of fans, aren't turning a profit for the school, and sometimes can't even beat their own second stringers in practice games. But being abysmal (6-77 in Division I) has brought the team much more attention than simply being bad would (ever heard of Furman U?). And NJIT has scholarships to help lure strong-souled recruits.
(More college basketball stories.)

Report an error