Dan Briand knows where his Anna Maria College program stands in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference pecking order.
“When you get into that championship setting, it’s usually going to be Johnson & Wales or Saint Joseph’s (of Maine),” said Briand, whose AMCATS went 18-10 overall and 9-3 in GNAC play to win its first-ever regular-season conference title in 2021. In the end, they lost back-to-back championship round games against Johnson & Wales.
“We’ve played them both tough and won games during the regular season since I’ve been here. Those conference games have a different intensity, especially in our league, but it’s a whole different level when everything’s at stake and you have to eliminate them.”
The AMCATS hope that the 2022 season marks a next step. They’re ready, now knowing what it takes to get there following a first championship-level experience.
