Hall of Fame Interview on WPNR 90.7 FM
Shooting guard Justin Cichon played four years for the Utica College men’s basketball team and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most prolific shooters in the storied history of the basketball program. Cichon, under the leadership of Head Coach Andrew Goodemote, helped guide the Pioneers to 62 wins over the course of four seasons, including three consecutive Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearances.
Cichon captained the 2005-06 Pioneer squad that earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament and advanced as far as the “Sweet 16” after downing Gordon College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the first two rounds. The Pioneers capped the year with a school-record 23 victories and the program’s first-ever bid into the NCAA Tournament. He was a three-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection, earning first team status in his sophomore and senior seasons. He capped off an incredible four-year career with a remarkable senior season, averaging 15.4 points on 48 percent shooting from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc, and a team-best 88 percent from the free-throw line. For his efforts he was named the College’s Dick Miller Award Winner as the top student-athlete.
Cichon finished his career as one of the College’s all-time greats. He is first all-time in games started (108), and minutes played (3,417), while also topping the all-time list in 3-point field goals made (228) and attempted (593). The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard is also second on the all-time scoring list (1,576), second all-time in field goals made (561) and attempted (1270), fourth all-time in steals (167) and free-throw percentage (79.6), and seventh all-time in assists (239).
Cichon started every game in his freshman season, knocking down 52 3-pointers and he also averaged 13.4 points per contest. In his sophomore campaign he netted a career-high 65 3-pointers. Hard work and dedication in the gym helped Cichon improve with each season, culminating in a stellar senior year where he scored a career-high 447 points. As a senior he was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week for the week ending November 20th, after scoring a career-high 39 points in a 90-77 win over SUNYIT on November 19, 2005.
Cichon is originally from nearby New Hartford, NY where he was a stand out for the Spartans basketball program. He will enjoy his Hall of Fame induction with his mother and step father Janice and Fred Greer, his dad and step mother Jim and Donna Cichon, his grandparents Robert and Pauline Stemmer, his two siblings Samantha and Everett Cichon, as well as the entire UC basketball community.
He graduated from UC in 2006 with a degree in Business Management and currently works at Fidelity Investments. He currently resides in Providence, RI.
