Last season HVCC went through the entire regular season undefeated, led by current Division I Binghamton University point guard Tiki Maybe, but came up short in the regional playoffs. But this year the Vikings finished the regular season with a 27-2 overall record and finished conference play with a 16-0 record en route to winning the crown. "I think we came together as a team quick, and most people thought we wouldn’t do that because this is a brand-new team from last year—not one returning player," said Dalton.
After earning the top seed in the Region III tournament, the Vikings earned a first-round bye automatically, which advanced them into the quarter finals, where they squared off with Onondaga and came away with a 83-55 victory. The win sent them into the semifinals, where they played Jefferson. Against Onondaga, Ian and Dalton both had big time games, leading the team to the win. Dalton, who played for Columbia-Greene last season before transferring to HVCC, finished with a game high 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Ian finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. After his game high in points, Dalton was quick to point out it was a team effort to help HVCC this year. "Not one player on our team is selfish. We don’t have any superstars, and we all play equal."
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Ian Austin-Michaud
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In the Final Four contest, the Vikings came away with a 65-57 win—led again by the Austin-Michaud brothers—that advanced them to the finals. Ian led the way with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Dalton chipped in with a double-double of his own: 10 points and 12 rebounds. |
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Dalton Austin-Michaud |
After playing on back-to-back days, the Vikings got ready to face a stiff challenge in the form of Finger Lakes. Down by five at the half, the Vikings came firing back, scoring 37 second-half points en route to a 59-56 win and the NJCAA Region III Division III title. For the third time in the tournament, it was again the Michauds stepping up. Ian led HVCC with 16 points and 9 boards, while Dalton finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
"Winning the region is the biggest accomplishment of my life," said Dalton. "Having my grandfather at every game cheering me on and making him proud of me was the main reason for me that we did and I did so far. He passed on Halloween, and that made it more personal for me to win region and go onto nationals."
With the trio of wins in three days, Hudson Valley now moves into the NJCAA National Championship Tournament which tips off Thursday, March 12, at Delhi. Both brothers have high hopes for the national tournament. "The goal for nationals is to win it all," said Ian. "We feel confident in what we do and how we play," he added.
"I know that my teammates will never forget this season, because it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Dalton. "I’m going to do my best to win this title and bring it back home for the community."
At the National Championship Tournament, Hudson Valley will be led by a trio of All-Region and All-Conference players. Ramel Alexander was named first team All-Region and All-Conference, while both the Michaud brothers were named to Second Team All-Region and All-Conference teams.
On the season, Ian played in 33 games for HVCC, starting in 32 of them. The older of the brothers averaged 9.3 points per game this season while shooting just over 40 percent from the field, 25 percent from beyond the arc, and over 75 percent from the free-throw line. On the boards, Ian snagged an impressive 300 rebounds this season—good for an average of 9.1 a game—with 119 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end.
Despite playing forward for the Vikings, Ian also led the team in assists and tied for the team lead in assists per game at 3.2. On the defensive side Ian recorded 60 steals, second on the team and 26 blocks, also second on the team.
Dalton played in 31 games this year while starting 30 and averaged 10.5 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field, 20 percent from three, and just over 58 percent from the free-throw line. On the boards Dalton finished second to his brother in total rebounds and rebound average, finishing with 7.7 boards a game while also dishing out 3.1 assists per game. On defense Dalton snagged 40 steals this year while blocking 8 shots, but more impressive: of the 58 charges taken this year by the Vikings, 44 of them were by Dalton.
"The season was incredible. Obviously having success in a season is a great thing, but doing it with teammates you care about and enjoy being around makes it that much better. Having an extra year to play with Dalton is something that we’ll never forget."
