East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball

Last updated
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
men's basketball
Basketball current event.svg 2024–25 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team
East Tennessee State Buccaneers logo.svg
University East Tennessee State University
First season1918;107 years ago (1918)
All-time record1,381–1,096 (.558)
Head coach Brooks Savage (2nd season)
Conference SoCon
Location Johnson City, Tennessee
Arena Freedom Hall Civic Center
(capacity: 6,149)
Nickname Buccaneers
ColorsNavy blue and gold [1]
   
Uniforms
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Home
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Away
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Alternate
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1957*, 1968
NCAA tournament appearances
1957*, 1968, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2017
Conference tournament champions
1968, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2020
Conference regular-season champions
1968, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2017, 2020
Conference division regular-season champions
2003

* at Division II level

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represents East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in men's college basketball. East Tennessee State is coached by Brooks Savage and currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2017. In March 2020 the Buccaneers won the SoCon championship.

Contents

History

Conference affiliations

Notes
  1. East Tennessee State joined the OVC for all sports except basketball in the 1957–58 school year.
  2. East Tennessee State joined the SoCon for all sports except basketball in the 1978–79 school year.

Season-by-season results

Statistics overview
SeasonCoachOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Madison Brooks (1948–1973)
1957–1958Madison Brooks 7–18
1958–1959Madison Brooks 13–105–74th
1959–1960Madison Brooks 9–142–107th
1960–1961Madison Brooks 9–151–117th
1961–1962Madison Brooks 11–143–96th
1962–1963Madison Brooks 14–87–53rd
1963–1964Madison Brooks 12–108–66th
1964–1965Madison Brooks 6–174–107th
1965–1966Madison Brooks 7–143–117th
1966–1967Madison Brooks 17–98–63rd
1967–1968Madison Brooks 19–810–41st NCAA Sweet 16
1968–1969Madison Brooks 15–116–85th
1969–1970Madison Brooks 15–118–63rd
1970–1971Madison Brooks 12–128–64th
1971–1972Madison Brooks 11–146–86th
1972–1973Madison Brooks 9–172–128th
Madison Brooks:377–281
Leroy Fisher (1973–1976)
1973–1974Leroy Fisher 8–183–118th
1974–1975Leroy Fisher 9–145–95th
1975–1976Leroy Fisher 6–204–108th
Leroy Fisher:23–5312–30
Sonny Smith (1976–1978)
1976–1977Sonny Smith 12–146–85th
1977–1978Sonny Smith 18–910–42nd
Sonny Smith:30–2316–13
Jim Halihan (1978–1982)
1978–1979Jim Halihan 16–111-5?9th?
1979–1980Jim Halihan 15–138–74th
1980–1981Jim Halihan 13–149–74th
1981–1982Jim Halihan 13–158–84th
Jim Halihan:57–5326–27
Barry Dowd (1982–1985)
1982–1983Barry Dowd 22–912–43rd NIT 1st Round
1983–1984Barry Dowd 9–196–107th
1984–1985Barry Dowd 9–183–139th
Barry Dowd:40–4621–27
Les Robinson (1985–1990)
1985–1986Les Robinson 13–168–84th
1986–1987Les Robinson 7–213–138th
1987–1988Les Robinson 14–159–74th
1988–1989Les Robinson 20–117–74th NCAA 1st Round
1989–1990Les Robinson 27–712–21st NCAA 1st Round
Les Robinson:81–7039–37
Alan LeForce (1990–1996)
1990–1991Alan LeForce 28–511–31st NCAA 1st Round
1991–1992Alan LeForce 24–712–21st NCAA 2nd Round
1992–1993Alan LeForce 19–1012–62nd
1993–1994Alan LeForce 16–1413–52nd
1994–1995Alan LeForce 14–149–52nd (North)
1995–1996Alan LeForce 7–203–11T-5th (North)
Alan LeForce:108–7060–32
Ed DeChellis (1996–2003)
1996–1997Ed DeChellis 7–202–115th (North)
1997–1998Ed DeChellis 11–166–9T–5th
1998–1999Ed DeChellis 17–119–73rd (North)
1999–2000Ed DeChellis 14–158–84th (North)
2000–2001Ed DeChellis 18–1013–31st (North)
2001–2002Ed DeChellis 18–1011–5T–1st (North)
2002–2003Ed DeChellis 20–1111–5T–1st (North) NCAA 1st Round
Ed DeChellis:105–9360–49
Murry Bartow (2003–2015)
2003–2004Murry Bartow 27–615–11st (North) NCAA 1st Round
2004–2005Murry Bartow 10–194–125th (North)
2005–2006Murry Bartow 15–1312–85th
2006–2007Murry Bartow 24–1016–21st NIT 1st Round
2007–2008Murry Bartow 19–1311–5T–3rd
2008–2009Murry Bartow 23–1014–6T–2nd NCAA 1st Round
2009–2010Murry Bartow 20–1513–7T–2nd NCAA 1st Round
2010–2011Murry Bartow 24–1216–42nd CIT Semifinals
2011–2012Murry Bartow 17–1310–8T-4th
2012–2013Murry Bartow 10–228–10T–7th
2013–2014Murry Bartow 19–1610–84th CIT 2nd Round
2014–2015Murry Bartow 16–148–105th
Murry Bartow:224–169127–81
Steve Forbes (2015–2020)
2015–2016Steve Forbes 24–1214–42nd Vegas 16 Semifinals
2016–2017Steve Forbes 27–814–4T–1st NCAA 1st Round
2017–2018Steve Forbes 25–914–42nd
2018–2019Steve Forbes 24–1013–5T–3rd CIT 1st Round
2019–2020Steve Forbes 30–416–21st NCAA Tournament canceled due to COVID-19
Steve Forbes:130–4371–19
Jason Shay (2020–2021)
2020–2021Jason Shay 13–128–75th
Jason Shay:13–128–7
Desmond Oliver (2021–2023)
2021–2022Desmond Oliver 15-177-118th
2022–2023Desmond Oliver 12-208-10T–5th
Desmond Oliver:27-3715-21
Brooks Savage (2023–present)
2024-2025Brooks Savage 19-168-107th
2023-2024Brooks Savage 19-1312-6T–3rd
Brooks Savage:38-2920-16
Total:1,381–1,096

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

The Les Robinson / Alan LeForce era

Commonly referred to as "The Glory Days" of ETSU basketball, between 1989 and 1992, ETSU won 4 straight Southern Conference titles while compiling 99 wins. During this 4-year period ETSU had wins over prestigious programs such as Arizona, NC State (3 times), Wake Forest, Cincinnati, BYU, Xavier, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Tennessee (twice) and Memphis. ETSU also suffered their most famous loss when they lost by 1 point to top ranked Oklahoma as a 16th seed in the 1989 NCAA tournament.

When Les Robinson left for NC State after the 1990 season, longtime assistant Alan LeForce took over a veteran team led by Senior Keith "Mister" Jennings. The team was ranked as high as 10th [2] in the nation during the 1991 season and finished the year 17th in the AP poll and 15th in the Coaches poll. [3] In the 1992 NCAA tournament ETSU upset the Arizona Wildcats in the opening round, but eventually fell in the second round to the Michigan Wolverines and the Fab Five.

The Buccaneers went into steep decline after that, bottoming out with a 7–20 record in 1995-96. LeForce resigned after the season.

The Ed Dechellis era

In 1996 Ed Dechellis replaced Alan Leforce who resigned after the 1995–1996 season. In 2001 Dechellis led ETSU to their first regular season conference title since the 91–92 season. In 2003 Dechellis helped ETSU win their first Southern Conference Tournament title and first NCAA berth since 1992. ETSU faced Wake Forest University in the first round where they lost in the final seconds 73–76 after having a chance to win the game with the last shot. After the 2003 season Dechellis left for Penn State.

Dechellis complied 105–93 record at ETSU but is mostly remembered for bringing prominence back to the ETSU basketball program that had struggled after the 1993 season.

The Murry Bartow era

In 2003 ETSU hired Murry Bartow after Ed Dechellis took the head coaching position at Penn State. Bartow took over a senior led team that won 27 games and nearly went undefeated in conference play in his first season; additionally, ETSU won their second straight Southern Conference Tournament and headed back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. ETSU had another close call in the 2004 NCAA tournament when they lost to Cincinnati 77–80 in the closing seconds, much like the Wake Forest game the previous year.

In the 2005–2006 season ETSU left the Southern Conference to join the Atlantic Sun Conference after the school dropped football. During his time in the Atlantic Sun ETSU has received 4 postseason bids. Back to Back NCAA tournaments in 2009 and 2010, the NIT in 2007 and the CIT in 2011. The Buccaneers rejoined the Southern Conference as part of reinstating football in 2016. After 12 years, an overall record of 224–169 (with a record of 16–14, 8–10 in SoCon play in the 2014–15 season), and three NCAA appearances at East Tennessee State, Bartow was fired due a five-season tournament drought with declining team performance. [4]

The Steve Forbes era

After Murry Bartow was fired, Steve Forbes became the 16th head coach in ETSU's 95-year history on March 30, 2015. He served two seasons as an assistant coach at Wichita State Shockers men's basketball where he helped take the Shockers to the Sweet 16 the past season before taking the ETSU job. Forbes' recruiting ties and his extensive background as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level – which included a five-year stop at the University of Tennessee – made him a perfect fit for ETSU, according to ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Richard Sander. [5] In five seasons at ETSU, Forbes tallied at least 24 wins each year. The 2017 team shared the Southern Conference regular season title and won the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville to represent the league in the NCAA tournament. Forbes led the team to another conference regular season championship in 2019-20 and a school record 30 wins. On April 30, 2020, Forbes left ETSU to accept the head coaching job at Wake Forest. [6]

Jason Shay

On May 7, 2020, a week after Forbes departed for Wake Forest, ETSU assistant coach Jason Shay was named the 17th head coach of the program. [7] In the 2020–21 season, Shay led the Buccaneers to a 13–12 overall record and an appearance in the semifinals of the 2021 Southern Conference Tournament. On March 30, 2021, Shay decided to resign after one season as head coach. [8]

The Desmond Oliver era

Six days after Jason Shay resigned, University of Tennessee assistant coach Desmond Oliver was named the 18th head coach of the program on April 5, 2021. [9]

Desmond Oliver was let go on March 10, 2023. Dr. Richard Sander, ETSU's Athletic Director, stated “I met with Coach Oliver today, and we discussed the program is not meeting the expectations of the Athletics Department. We feel that parting ways is the best thing for our men's basketball program and our student-athletes. We wish Coach Oliver the best in his future endeavors.”

Oliver had finished the second year of a five-year contract, the first 20-loss season for ETSU in a decade. [10]

The Brooks Savage era

Brooks Savage was named the 19th head coach of ETSU men's basketball on March 20, 2023. [11]

Postseason

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament ten times. Their combined record is 2–11. They also qualified for the 2020 NCAA tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
1968 First round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd-place game
Florida State
Ohio State
Marquette
W 79–69
L 72–79
L 57–69
1989 #16First round#1 OklahomaL 71–72
1990 #13First round#4 Georgia TechL 83–99
1991 #10First round#7 IowaL 73–76
1992 #14First round
Second Round
#3 Arizona
#6 Michigan
W 87–80
L 90–102
2003 #15First round#2 Wake ForestL 73–76
2004 #13First round#4 CincinnatiL 77–80
2009 #16First round#1 PittsburghL 62–72
2010 #16First round#1 KentuckyL 71–100
2017 #13First round#4 FloridaL 65–80

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament one time. Their record is 1–1.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1957 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Centenary
Kentucky Wesleyan
W 62–61
L 73–84

NAIA tournament results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the NAIA Tournament three times. Their combined record is 0–3.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1953 First roundArizona StateL 79–81
1954 First roundSouthwest Missouri StateL 72–77
1956 First roundGustavus AdolphusL 60–80

NIT results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their combined record is 0–2.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1983 First roundVanderbiltL 73–79
2007 First roundClemsonL 57–64

Vegas 16 results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the Vegas 16 one time. Their record is 1–1.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2016 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Louisiana Tech
Oakland
W 88–83
L 81–104

CIT results

The Buccaneers have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) three times. Their combined record is 3–3.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2011 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Furman
Ohio
Iona
W 76–63
W 82–73
L 80–83
2014 First round
Second Round
Chattanooga
Towson
W 79–66
L 77–83
2019 First roundGreen BayL 94–102

Retired numbers

ETSU has retired four jersey numbers.

East Tennessee State Buccaneers retired numbers
No.PlayerCareer
5 Tim Smith 2002–2006
11Greg Dennis1987–1992
22 Keith "Mister" Jennings 1987–1991
Tommy Woods 1963–1967
24Calvin Talford1988–1992

Team records

Record home crowds

Top 8 all-time home crowds to attend an ETSU basketball game in Johnson City.

RankAttendanceEventDate
112,884 Chattanooga vs. ETSUFeb. 4, 1991
212,240 NC State vs. ETSUDec. 29, 1990
312,208 VMI vs. ETSUFeb. 25, 1991
411,341 Southern Mississippi vs. ETSUDec. 7, 1991
511,189 Appalachian State vs. ETSUFeb. 1, 1992
610,727Chattanooga vs. ETSUJan. 20, 1992
710,607Appalachian State vs. ETSUJan. 5, 1991
810,475Appalachian State vs. ETSUFeb. 17, 1990

ETSU players in the NBA and ABA

3 players from ETSU have played in the NBA & ABA [12] and a total of 8 players have been drafted. [13] [14] [15] [16]

PlayerDraft YearCareer
Tommy Woods Undrafted1967-1968
Skeeter Swift 19691969–1974
Keith "Mister" Jennings Undrafted1992–1995

References

  1. East Tennessee State University Brand Guidelines . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  3. "1990–91 Southern Conference Season Summary | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  4. Bartow, Murry (March 13, 2015). "ETSU announces Bartow will not return for 2015–16 season". Etsubucs.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  5. Steve Forbes. "Steve Forbes – Men's Basketball Coaches – Official Site of East Tennessee State Athletics". Etsubucs.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  6. Borzello, Jeff (April 30, 2020). "Wake Forest names Steve Forbes its basketball coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. "East Tennessee State promotes Jason Shay to replace Steve Forbes". ESPN . Associated Press. May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  8. "East Tennessee State's Jason Shay resigns as men's basketball coach after one season". ESPN . Associated Press. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  9. "Desmond Oliver Named ETSU Men's Basketball Head Coach". etsubucs.com. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. "Oliver out as ETSU basketball coach". johnsoncitypress.com. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. "Brooks Savage named ETSU men's basketball head coach". etsubucs.com. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. "NBA & ABA Players Who Attended East Tennessee State University". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  13. "NBA Draft Picks From East Tennessee State University". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  14. "Tommy Woods NBA & ABA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  15. "Skeeter Swift NBA & ABA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  16. "Keith Jennings NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-07-23.