Arguably the most interesting part of the men’s basketball season so far occurred not on the courts, but rather on the road.
On its way to play division one Brown University, the Hornet’s team bus was involved in a multi-vehicle car accident on I-93 south in Canterberry, N.H. No players were injured, but it created quite an inconvenience, forcing the game to be pushed back from a 5 p.m. start time to a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
“Yeah it was just kind of a strange spot in the road where there was a lot of ice and snow, and we came around a bend where we couldn’t really see too far ahead of us,” said Krupinski.
“The bus driver did a very good job hitting the breaks and minimizing the impact, because it could’ve been worse. And then coming back with the new bus, the battery was dead, we had to wait around until midnight and got back at 4 a.m. Then the next day we had to play Middlebury. It’s a good story now, but it’s not something I want to repeat.”
Several bursts of snow were dancing around New England at the time of the bus crash, and one of those bands moved through the New Hampshire area around the same time as the crash.
“I think everybody was a little stunned, we were surprised it happened. We were fine physically, there were just a few minor injuries (outside the bus). It was a first time for everyone being in a bus accident, I don’t think anyone has ever been in a bus accident. Thank god everyone was OK.”
After the team finally arrived at Brown, things didn’t get a whole lot better, as the Hornets lost to the Bears by a final score of 88-55.
Several Hornets hail from Central Falls, R.I. near the city of Providence, where Brown University lies. Rhode Island supporters who braved the snow to see their hometown heroes in action greeted Rob Alers, George Carle, and Antonio Mena with open arms.