By Jerry Durney and Daniel Supraner
There are many players who have sparked the imagination of Florida Institute of Technology men’s basketball. Be it the old Percy Hedgecock High School, now the Clemente Center. But little is said about this day, like Robert Schuel’s Canadian quintet. ’92, Astley Smith ’91, Mike Smith ’91, ’11 MS, Peter Walcott ’95 and Dwight Walton ’91.
Together, the Maple Leaf Five created the most successful era in program history from 1988 to 1995: three seasons with 20 wins, two NCAA tournament appearances (first in program history, first in history) and the very first Sunshine State Conference Regular Season Championship.
Before arriving in Melbourne in the fall of 1987, the Panthers had no win for eight consecutive seasons and have never won more than four conference plays since joining SSC in 1981.
Dwight Walton ’91
Walton, the future Olympic athlete for the Canadian national team, moved to the Florida Institute of Technology after a season at the University of Siena. Usually he had to compete in the 1987/88 season before starting the three seasons in Crimson and Gray. However, Panther’s then head coach Tom Foliad Sr. thought Dwight’s hometown needed more talent, so he went on his precious transfer for confirmation.
“Coach Foliard asked me if there were any other Montreal players like me,” said Walton. “The funny story is that he came to Montreal. He was the only trainer with about 20 guys in the gym. We put a chair on the sidelines for him and he saw 20 players go there. He asked me to come and said, “Dwight, I like him, him and him,” and those people were Brother Smith and Garfield Glasgow.
When Walton wore a red shirt, the rise of the Panthers began during the 1987-88 campaign. The team is led by Tom Foliad Jr., who will be inducted into the Florida Institute of Technology Hall of Fame. ’89 and Of which Kelly In 1990 he won the most 18 games in more than 10 years and set a record in the tournament for the first time. Astley Smith’s 13 points per game was enough to win the SSC All-Freshman Team Honor and All-SSC Nonorable Mention.
During the season, Foliad Senior went looking for Astley’s younger brother, Mike. His first experience of the Florida Institute of Technology and the surrounding area it offers was during his recruiting visit in February 1988, when the Panthers defeated Tampa for the first time in program history. 68-63.
“The game I was playing sold out quick to see how busy the gym was, all the fraternities and all the people that were there,” said Mike Smith. “Not only because my brother and Dwight were there, but also because of the school atmosphere at the time, I thought, ‘Yes, I want to go here.'”
Walton joined the team in the 1988/89 season, quickly influencing them, averaging 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds in the game, earning the honor of First Team All-SSC and the honor of NABC Third Team All- America deserved. The income made him the first All-America in the program. Along with Kelly, Brother Smith, Robert Schuel, and Point Guard Ray Paproky, the rest of the SSC noted that the Florida Institute of Technology is now very realistic.
Mike Smith ’91
The high point in programming history may have been on December 29-30, 1988, when Hedgecock Jim hosted the Florida Today / McDonnell Douglas Holiday Classic.
The Panthers cruised on the first night until John Calipari’s Massachusetts team won 106-87. After 742 career wins, six final four trips, a national championship at college level and a head coach mission at the NBA, Thursday evening in Melbourne is firmly anchored in the memory of the legendary coach. I am.
“A few years later, I was attending a NABC Foundation event and was seated at a table over a place in Crispy,” recalls Foliad Jr. “I went to his table.” Coach, nice to meet you. I don’t know if you remember me, but I went to the Florida Institute of Technology. I don’t know if you came here and remembered. I do not know, we will hit you. “He said,” Do you remember? You had all of these Canadians! “
One night, Panthers from the Big East Conference enrolled at Boston University. The team consists of Dana Barros, an All-Big East sniper who has become an All-Star in the NBA’s 14-year career.
“He put his son Kevin, who is neither the fastest nor the tallest man, on him,” recalls Mike Smith. ?? “And the goal is not to score double-digit points for others. ”
Barros was successful, but the Eagles needed his productive score to keep them playing against the Panthers at the enthusiastic Hedgecock Gym. The game was decided in the final seconds when Kelly pocketed a pair of free throws to complete the Florida Institute of Technology’s 77-75 win.
The Panthers finished their regular season 22: 6 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Mike Smith was named SSC Freshman of the Year and Seawell is part of the All Freshman team.
The following year, from 1989 to 1990, the Panthers were 25-2 in the regular season and 11-1 in conference play. This earned us our share of the SSC Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history.
Astley Smith ’91
Walton and Astley Smith on the first team All-SSC, Kelly on the second team, Folliard Sr. was named SSC Assistant Coach of the Year. Walton also won the NABC Third Team All-American honor for the second year in a row.
The Panthers returned to the NCAA tournament for their maiden win in the South Atlantic Semi-Finals, defeating Norfolk (73-63). The Florida Institute of Technology later fell from Sweet 16 to More House, 81-77.
In the 1990-91 season, the Panthers were led by Walton with 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, winning a regular season 20-5, the First Team All SSC honor for the third time in a row, and NABC for the third Times in a row year. Won the honor of All American. This time to the second team. He remains the only panther to have won multiple US awards. Astley Smith founded the All-SSC Second Team, where he won the All-Conference in honor of all four seasons in Melbourne, while his brother Mike won the Honorable Mention.
The Panthers reached the SSC tournament finals for the first time, but were eventually returned to Big Dance after losing to Florida Southern in a championship game.
There have been many changes since the 1990/91 season. The brothers Walton and Smith have graduated and Tom Foliad Sr. has retired as a coach. He was taken over by Andy Russo, who experienced successful Division I-level coaching in Louisiana Tech and Washington. He also got help from the security guard in north Montreal, Peter Walcott. From day one in Melbourne, Peter knew he was known for his support.
“When I got down there it was,” Oh, are you a new Canadian? Are you as good as Dwight, Mikey and Astley? “Said Walcott.
Walcott averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in a four-year career that never missed a game. He won SSC Freshman of the Year after the 1991-1992 season and was named First Team All SSC for each of the following three seasons. Walcott and Walton are the only Panthers to win three first-team honor.
Over the years, the Maple Leaf Five legacy has been recognized more and more. Walton assumed his office in the Florida Institute of Technology Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, he was inducted into the SSC Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was inducted into the SSC Hall of Fame. The 1989-90 team was inducted into the Florida Institute of Technology’s Sportens Hall of Fame in 2015, and Walcott joined them in February 2020.
Thirty years later, the lessons students learned at the Florida Institute of Technology are still popular with them in a variety of professions today.
“I run a health center and coordinate everyone from nurses to security to transportation,” said Mike Smith. “One of the things Foliad really taught me was to adapt to the situation. Looking back at our game against Boston University and his philosophy of beating them. Don’t fight the inevitable. Realize and pay attention to what you can control. I take a close look at this in my life and focus on it. “
Don’t fight the inevitable. Know what you can control and take care of it.
Mike Smith recalls the lessons Senior Coach Tom Foliad learned as a member of the men’s basketball team.
“It’s about the strength of defense, the passion of life and the love of the game that Director Foliad taught us,” said Walton, assistant coach at Concordia University in Montreal, today. “He was strict, but at the same time he was also a player-coach. Overall, great attention to detail, he allowed his player to play, but also wanted something specific from you. “
“My time at the Florida Institute of Technology was helping you move forward,” said Walcott, now a data processor with the Leicester B. Pearson Board of Education in Quebec. Said. “At some point I knew that I had to be the driving force. Our program enabled me to develop this inner strength. “
It wasn’t just the lessons on the pitch that bothered the players. Life on campus has also helped expand the world of athletes.
“The greatest thing anyone can learn to play team sports and go to college outside of their city is to fill the void,” said the Lakeshore General Hospital House near Montreal. Astry Smith, who currently works in the husbandry department, said. “Our team consisted of people from Africa and Yugoslavia, so at the Florida Institute of Technology I could meet and experience a lot of people from all over the world. Depending on the job, people from all disciplines. The Florida Institute of Technology helped me with this. ”
Peter Walcott ’95
For more information on the history and achievements of Maple Leaf Five, please visit: FloridaTechSports.com.
This work was featured in the Florida Institute of Technology’s Spring 2021 issue.
