Rockville Centre resident recalls being part of Saint Peter's historic NCAA men's basketball tournament run

Saint Peter’s University’s historic run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been described as impossible and improbable. But for Kevin Coyle, a Rockville Centre resident and the team’s director of player personnel and video coordinator, the Peacocks’ success wasn’t as big a shock as it was to the rest of the country.

“We weren’t really surprised,” Coyle said. “We have a lot of good players, and we believe in our system, and it’s just one game.”

The Peacocks became the first No. 15 seed in the tournament’s history to make it to the Elite Eight, putting the “madness” in March Madness this year while becoming American sports fans’ darlings.

Saint Peter’s went 22-12 overall and 14-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, then defeated Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Monmouth to capture the MAAC championship and qualify for the NCAAs. On March 17, Saint Peter’s shocked the sports world by upsetting No. 2 Kentucky, 85-79, in overtime, then went on to topple No. 7 Murray State, 70-60, on March 19 and No. 10 Purdue, 67-64, on March 25 to make it to the Elite Eight, where it ultimately fell to No. 8 North Carolina, 69-49, on March 27, ending its magical run.

“I didn’t know we made history right away, but it was definitely just surreal,” Coyle said. “It doesn’t really hit you until later and you watch ESPN and all that, but when you’re so in the moment, you don’t listen to a lot of the noise outside and you’re locked in and just try to get better for the next game. Looking back now, it’s awesome, and I’ll just try to cherish it.”

Coyle, 28, was born and raised in Rockville Centre, and now owns a home in the village with his fiancee, Krista. At South Side High School, he played guard on the varsity basketball team and helped lead the Cyclones to a county championship in his senior year in 2012.

Coyle’s high school coach, Jerry D’Angelo, who just finished his 20th season as boys’ varsity coach, described Coyle as a very good player, and said he was impressed by how much Coyle’s knowledge of the game has grown since his playing days.

“We are very proud of Kevin,” D’Angelo said. “To see him mature and develop from the player that he was to the person that he is right now is unbelievable. We’re really happy and really proud of him.”

D’Angelo was one of the biggest cheerleaders for Saint Peter’s as it made its historic run. He said he speaks with Coyle at least once a week, and they kept in contact during the tournament as the excitement built with every victory.

“The Kentucky game was the biggest shock to us all,” D’Angelo said, “but when they got to Purdue, my coaching staff, we’re all texting each other and watching the game and saying, ‘Do you think they can do it?’ Kevin, in high school, played a little bit with a chip on his shoulder, was always the kid that was high-energy for us and gave us a lot of effort and skill, and that’s what I saw in Saint Peter’s.”

Coyle said he fondly looks back on the county championship team, and cherished his time with the Cyclones. After high school, he went on to play basketball for several colleges, and graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2016 with a degree in communications and business management. He injured a knee injury his senior year and had to undergo surgery, which forced him off the court, but also led him to discover that he had a passion for player development. 

After he graduated, Coyle went on to play professionally in Malaga, Spain, for Club Baloncesto Deportivo Coin, in the 2018-19 season. In his time there, he said, he learned more about basketball and got a better feel for the game, because there is more passing in the sport overseas than typically seen in the U.S.

He decided to come home after one season, and found out that John Jay College had an opening for an assistant coach. He got the job, and the 2019-20 season was a historic campaign for the Bloodhounds, as the squad went 20-7 overall and 13-1 in their conference. Then, as the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020-21 season, Coyle began taking on more recruiting. Last June he made the move to Saint Peter’s.

As the Peacocks’ postseason run went on, Coyle said, he and the players tried not to get ahead of themselves. “We just wanted to win the game that was in front of us, that was it,” he said. “Our focus was just on the process, and you really just lock in the team that’s right in front of you. Overall, we have one game — if we execute the game plan, anything can happen.”

The Peacocks are now in a state of transition after coach Shaheen Holloway departed for Seton Hall, star player Doug Edert transferred to Bryant University, and more transfers are likely to come. Despite the uncertain future, Coyle said the school showed that a No. 15 seed could overcome expectations.