Overcoming the odds
Coach Scott Faucher ’13 directs underdog Assumption men to capture NCAA Division II East Regional championship
The odds were long, but Scott Faucher ’13 was not deterred. The head coach of the Assumption University men’s basketball team believed it was possible to win in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The team was thrilled, and relieved, to earn the sixth seed among eight teams in the NCAA Division II East Regional, after the Greyhounds finished 19-8 and lost on a last-second shot in the second round of the highly competitive Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.
“We felt that with our body of work during the season, our preparation and the teams that we had challenged ourselves against, we had a chance to make a run,” said Faucher. “Since the Division II Tournament is regional, we were familiar with our opponents and had a feeling we could play with any of the teams. We hoped we were prepared and playing our best basketball at the right time.”
They were ready. Assumption won three straight games to capture the regional championship and advance to the “Elite Eight.” It marked the team’s first regional title in 50 years.
The Greyhounds’ run ended in the national quarterfinals, where they lost by just nine points to powerhouse Nova Southeastern, which would eventually win the national title.
“They’ve won two of the last three championships and proven themselves as the best team in the country, but I felt that our guys walked away from that game confident that we have the ability to play with the best teams out there,” Faucher explained.
Basketball has been a constant in Faucher’s life. The youngest son of a college basketball coach, he has built a successful and rewarding career through hard work and perseverance.
He grew up around the game, and from the age of five he went from school to the gym, where he watched practices of either his older brothers or his father, who coached at Dartmouth College for nearly 20 seasons.
“Very early on, I knew that there was something about it that I enjoyed, beyond the game and the competition,” Faucher explained. “I witnessed the relationships that my dad formed with his players, who stayed at our house as alums. He built truly connected relationships through the game of basketball.”
After graduating from high school, Faucher went to Kimball Union Academy for a year. Realizing he didn’t have the talent for a prolonged playing career, he founded the Lebanon Longhorns AAU basketball program in central New Hampshire and then spent every weekend coaching three different teams.
“I knew I really enjoyed it and I wanted to coach after my time as a player was over,” he said.
Faucher was recruited to Wheaton by Brian Walmsley, who has coached the Lyons for 28 seasons. “He’s a mentor of mine and did a great job with our teams. We still keep in touch.”
Coach Walmsley was the first of many enduring connections that Faucher has kept from his time in Norton.
“The relationships I made at Wheaton stand out,” he said. Faucher met his wife, Lindsay (Burrows) ’14 on campus, and together they have 18-month-old twins. Lindsay is an art teacher. “My best friends are the guys I met during my first day on campus.”
He also lauded the holistic approach to education at Wheaton, where he took a variety of classes and was encouraged to be well-rounded. “That has helped me professionally, from problem-solving to connecting with people from different backgrounds. I was well-prepared by Wheaton’s liberal arts education.”
Faucher started as an assistant at St. Michael’s and Bowdoin colleges for five seasons before landing a head coaching position at Nichols College. After coaching the Bison to a 28-3 record and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament, he was hired at Assumption University, where he has served as the men’s basketball coach since 2019.
“We try to create an environment where the players feel empowered, like they have ownership over the program,” Faucher said. “I try to help our guys make the most of their experience, to grow as basketball players, as students, and as people, getting better every day to become the best version of themselves.”
With another highly successful season on his résumé, one might be tempted to dream about the next professional opportunity, but Faucher is happy with what he has.
“My career goal has always been to make a living, coaching basketball in a position where people care about athletics, care about basketball, and we’re supported,” he said. “I have that at Assumption. And we’re super excited about that. Our president attended our tournament games in Buffalo and Evansville, Indiana, so I think the administration sees how athletics can help the Assumption community.”