Tim Anderlonis’ sophomore season with the Cabrini men’s basketball program in 1997-98 was a special one. The Cavaliers had just captured the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) crown one season prior and the team’s core was returning.
Also, his junior season would mark the inaugural campaign played in the state-of-the-art newly-built Dixon Center. Anderlonis and the Cavaliers realized there was a responsibility to send the Holy Spirit Gymnasium out on a high note.
“We knew that that season was going to be the last in the Holy Spirit Gymnasium,” Anderlonis said. “There was no way we were going to retire that building without winning another PAC championship.”
That Cabrini squad lived up to its expectation, dropping Alvernia College (now University) in the title game, 81-70, to win its second consecutive PAC championship and sixth straight overall.
“John Drummond caught an alley-oop dunk the second half that made the place go crazy,” Anderlonis said. “We never looked back. Coach Dzik got to cut down the last nets ever that gym. I always remember that game.”
That’s one of several highlights from Anderlonis’ Cavaliers’ tenure. Anderlonis helped the Blue & White to two PAC titles, two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 72 victories during his career.
Anderlonis ranks third all-time in scoring with 1,362 career points. He lists ninth all-time with 249 career assists and 153 career steals. Anderlonis was a four-time All-PAC honoree and was selected a finalist for the Jostens Trophy in 2000, awarded to the most outstanding Division III player in the country.
However, Anderlonis points to one thing that always stood above his personal accomplishments – being a part of a winning tradition with the Cabrini men’s basketball program.
“I think more important to me than the championships and the NCAA Tournament appearances was just being a winner,” Anderlonis said. “Being a part of Cabrini basketball meant something and we always had a target on our backs. I loved the challenge of being the best and fighting for everything we achieved.”
Anderlonis played each of his four seasons under head coach John Dzik, a 2010 inductee into the Cabrini Athletic Hall of Fame. With Dzik on the sideline, Anderlonis always knew the Cavaliers had the advantage.
“I was always reassured during my playing days that I had Coach Dzik on the sidelines,” Anderlonis said. “He has always been a great teacher and mentor, but I think the best quality that he had is his loyalty. He showed this dedication in all the years he spent at Cabrini and in all the time that I have been fortunate enough to know him.”
Cabrini College has long lived the words “Service Beyond One’s Self” – Beneficium Supra Seipsum. Its mission “welcomes learners of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds, and prepares them to become engaged citizens of the world.” You would be hard-pressed to find a better example than Tim Anderlonis.
Major Timothy Anderlonis has served in the U.S. Marine Corps since his graduation from Cabrini in 2000. Currently, he is serving at Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand Province of southern Afghanistan.
