When D.J. Rivera steps on the floor in the Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday night, the only constant of his environment that will carry over from the regular season will be the presence of his family and his mother, Michelle Rivera.

“My family goes everywhere I play. They never miss a game,” Rivera said. “Especially my mom, she’s never missed a game my whole life.”

Michelle Rivera, a Philadelphia native, made the three-hour trip from her home in Philadelphia to the Events Center on Saturday to watch Rivera and the Bearcats clinch an America East men’s basketball championship, the first in Binghamton school history. She was shown on ESPN2, which carried the game, and told Pipe Dream after the game of her excitement watching her son receive the Reggie Lewis Championship Most Outstanding Player award for the tournament’s most outstanding player.

“I’m very proud because I know he worked really, really hard,” Michelle Rivera said. “I know he’s really enjoying this. It’s just beautiful to see things come together for him and the team and coach Broadus.”

D.J. Rivera, who led the America East in scoring this year, made light of the fact that he was not named All-Conference First Team in Saturday’s post-game press conference. Rivera’s exclusion is seen by some as a protest that he was able to play in his first year at Binghamton after transferring from another NCAA school, which is normally against NCAA rules, but Rivera received a hardship waiver.

“As a parent it is hard to watch, but when you see the bigger picture, and you see the bigger plan, you just don’t worry about it,” Michelle Rivera said. “Just stay positive and keep moving forward.”

D.J. Rivera has been to the NCAA Tournament before, with St. Joseph’s in 2008.

“It was a good experience there, but I’m happy where I am now,” D.J. Rivera said.