FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GNAC Hall of Fame Dinner
set for August 7 in Boston

WINTHROP, Mass. – In preparation for the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Induction on Wednesday, August 7, the GNAC is featuring each of the eight inductees leading up to the event at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan Airport in East Boston, Mass. For the complete spotlight schedule, please see below. 

From the Lasell College men's basketball program, 2009 graduate Jose Guitian was a dominant force for the Lasers on the hardwood.

Guitian put together one of the most storied careers on the hardwood for the Lasers, as the 6-10 Miami native finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,911 points. He is also Lasell men's basketball's leading rebounder with 1,153 boards and leading shot blocker with 187 swats across his stellar four-year career.

The Lasers finished with a 67-45 record and a 49-16 mark in conference play during his time in Newton, Mass., capturing the 2008 GNAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament bid. In addition to being named a two-time All-GNAC First Team selection, Guitian was also named the 2009 GNAC Player of the Year.

His senior year, he ranked fifth in the nation in scoring (24.2) and second in the country in rebounding (13.7). His 2008-09 exploits earned him a spot on the NABC All-Region Second Team as well as D3 Hoops Honorable Mention All-American honors. Guitian was also named one of the 10 finalists nationally for the Jostens Trophy that season, awarded annually to the Division III Basketball Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Lasell Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2017.

That postseason, Guitian had 23 points, 10 boards, six assists, three blocks and three steals in a GNAC Tournament Quarterfinal victory over Norwich, however the Lasers would fall to Emmanuel in the semifinals despite Guitian's 28 points and 17 boards, playing all 50 minutes in the double-overtime loss.

As a junior, the forward averaged 18.6 points and 11.7 rebounds during the regular-season campaign en route to All-GNAC First Team honors. During the Lasers' magical GNAC Tournament run, Guitian averaged 21.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. After posting 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action in the semifinals, he went off for 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in a 86-72 title-game road victory over Emerson. 

Lasell drew Brandeis in the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament, with Guitian registering 16 points and 11 boards in a 80-59 setback. 

As a sophomore, back when Lasell was still a member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), Guitian posted per-game averages of 17.8 points and 11.4 rebounds. His rooke campaign saw him average 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in just 19.8 minutes per contest. 

On top of his dominant post presence, what helped make Guitian vitually unstoppable was his ability to shoot the three. He shot 36.9% (154-417) from beyond the arc during his four-year career, averaging 135 three-point attempts his sophomore, junior and senior years combined.

Interestingly enough, Guitian was a senior during the freshman seasons for Albertus Magnus College's Ray Askew and Johnson & Wales University's Lamonte Thomas, who will also be inducted into the GNAC Hall of Fame on August 7.

The big man led the Lasers to victory against both rookies during the 2008-09 season. In a 90-83 win at Albertus (Jan. 10, 2009), Guitian had 24 points and 17 rebounds against the Falcons and Askew, who contributed 25 points and 13 boards. In a 103-95 victory over JWU (Jan. 27, 2009), Guitian nearly triple-doubled with an absurd 32 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists against the Wildcats, while Thomas went off for 29 points and eight assists.

The festivities on August 7 will begin at 6:00 PM with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 PM and the induction ceremony presentations running from approximately 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn. All eight inductees are expected to be in attendance. 

Info Provided by Lasell Athletics Communications.

Throughout the month of July, the GNAC will spotlight eight Hall inductees on the following dates:
Tues 7/9: Ray Askew, Albertus Magnus College Men's Basketball
Thurs 7/11: Iman (Davis) Barbosa, Emmanuel College Women's Basketball
Tues 7/16: Lamonte Thomas, Johnson & Wales University (RI) Men's Basketball
Thurs 7/18: Jose Guitian, Lasell College Men's Basketball
Tues 7/23: Josh McElroy, Norwich University Men's Soccer
Thurs 7/25: Aaron Dufoe, Rivier University Men's Basketball/Men's Soccer
Tues 7/30: Michael Maguire, Suffolk University Baseball
Thurs 8/1: Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta, Western New England University Softball

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –

2019 HALL of FAME INDUCTEE: Jose Guitian, Lasell Men's Basketball