His team had just lost to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Milan Brown, saluting his team, his seniors and his fans, was already looking toward next year.

"I told the guys, 'the hardest thing about being successful is continue to be successful,'" Brown said after his Mountaineers lost to North Carolina in the opening round of the East Regional in Raleigh -- after beating Coppin State in the play-in game in Dayton.

Brown's team (19-15) clearly was no match for the Tar Heels, but that didn't make this appearance by the champions of the Northeast Conference any less special.

And when it was over, Brown met with his players on the floor, allowing them to soak up the atmosphere a bit longer. Later, he bid farewell to Chris Vann and Jason Loughry, the only seniors on a team that finished fourth in the NEC and won the conference tournament by beating Nos. 5, 1 and then 3.

The Mount loses only one vital player -- an important one in guard Chris Vann -- as Brown brings back a strong group for next season, when MSM comes back as the surprise conference champions.

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