West Hartford to Proclaim April 28 "Hartford Men's Basketball Day" in Ceremony
Slated to partake in the ceremony are West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor and Hartford Men's Basketball Head Coach John Gallagher, the winningest coach in program history. Other speakers include Speaker of the House Matt Ritter.
Supporters of the men's basketball team are invited to join the Hawks as they celebrate one of the biggest achievements in University of Hartford history. RSVPs are not necessary to attend the ceremony.
The Hawks are coming off an historic campaign in 2021 that saw the program win its first-ever America East Conference Championship, earning the league's automatic berth to the Big Dance. Hartford made its NCAA Tournament debut against top-seeded Baylor — the eventual National Champion — in the First Round.
Finishing the conference slate with an 8-6 record, the Hawks' memorable postseason journey began with a win over ninth-seeded Binghamton followed by a quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded UAlbany. After knocking off second-seeded Vermont — the league's preseason favorite — on the Catamounts' home court in the semifinals, Hartford defeated No. 6 UMass Lowell in West Hartford to become the lowest seed in conference history to win the America East Championship.
Hartford, which went 15-9 overall in 2020-21, finished with the best winning percentage in the 37-year Division I history of the program (.625).