East Tennessee State Buccaneers (2024)

**East Tennessee State Buccaneers**

School Name:	East Tennessee State University
Location:	Johnson City, Tennessee
Arena:	Freedom Hall Civic Center
Capacity:	8,500
Conference:	SoCon
Head coach:	Desmond Oliver

1 External Links
2 History
- 2.1 Division 1 Season-by-season results
- 2.2 The Les Robinson / Alan LeForce Era
- 2.3 The Ed Dechellis Era
- 2.4 The Murry Bartow Era
3 Post-Season History
- 3.1 NCAA Results
- 3.2 NIT Results
- 3.3 CIT Results
4 Team Records
- 4.1 Career leaders
- 4.2 Single game leaders
5 ETSU players in the NBA and ABA
6 External links
7 References

External Links[]

Official athletics site

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are the basketball team that represents East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee. ETSU currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2017. The Buccaneers are coached by 1st-year head coach Desmond Oliver.

History[]

Division 1 Season-by-season results[]

Men's Basketball game at ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Madison Brooks (1948–1973)
1958–1959	Madison Brooks	13-10	5-7	4th
1959–1960	Madison Brooks	9-14	2-10	7th
1960–1961	Madison Brooks	9-15	1-11	7th
1961–1962	Madison Brooks	11-14	3-9	6th
1962–1963	Madison Brooks	14-8	7-5	3rd
1963–1964	Madison Brooks	12-10	8-6	6th
1964–1965	Madison Brooks	6-17	4-10	7th
1965–1966	Madison Brooks	7-14	3-11	7th
1966–1967	Madison Brooks	17-9	8-6	3rd
1967–1968	Madison Brooks	19-8	10-4	1st	NCAA Sweet 16
1968–1969	Madison Brooks	15-11	6-8	5th
1969–1970	Madison Brooks	15-11	8-6	3rd
1970–1971	Madison Brooks	12-12	8-6	4th
1971–1972	Madison Brooks	11-14	6-8	6th
1972–1973	Madison Brooks	9-17	2-12	8th
Madison Brooks:		370-263
Leroy Fisher (1973–1976)
1973–1974	Leroy Fisher	8-18	3-11	8th
1974–1975	Leroy Fisher	9-14	5-9	5th
1975–1976	Leroy Fisher	6-20	4-10	8th
Leroy Fisher:		23-53	12-30
Sonny Smith (1976–1978)
1976–1977	Sonny Smith	12-14	6-8	5th
1977–1978	Sonny Smith	18-9	10-4	2nd
Sonny Smith:		30-23	16-13
Jim Halihan (1978–1982)
1978–1979	Jim Halihan	16-11
1979–1980	Jim Halihan	15-13	8-7	4th
1980–1981	Jim Halihan	13-14	9-7	4th
1981–1982	Jim Halihan	13-15	8-8	4th
Jim Halihan:		57-53	25-22
Barry Dowd (1982–1985)
1982–1983	Barry Dowd	22-9	12-4	3rd	NIT 1st Round
1983–1984	Barry Dowd	9-19	6-10	7th
1984–1985	Barry Dowd	9-18	3-13	9th
Barry Dowd:		40-46	21-27
Les Robinson (1985–1990)
1985–1986	Les Robinson	13-16	8-8	4th
1986–1987	Les Robinson	7-21	3-13	8th
1987–1988	Les Robinson	14-15	9-7	4th
1988–1989	Les Robinson	20-11	7-7	4th	NCAA 1st Round
1989–1990	Les Robinson	27-7	12-2	1st	NCAA 1st Round
Les Robinson:		81-70	39-37
Alan LeForce (1990–1996)
1990–1991	Alan LeForce	28-5	11-3	1st	NCAA 1st Round
1991–1992	Alan LeForce	24-7	12-2	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
1992–1993	Alan LeForce	19-10	12-6	2nd
1993–1994	Alan LeForce	16-14	13-5	2nd
1994–1995	Alan LeForce	14-14	9-5	2nd (North)
1995–1996	Alan LeForce	7-20	3-11	T-5th (North)
Alan LeForce:		108-70	69-36
Ed Dechellis (1996–2003)
1996–1997	Ed Dechellis	7–20	2–11	5th (North)	–
1997–1998	Ed Dechellis	11–16	6–9	T–5th	–
1998–1999	Ed Dechellis	17–11	9–7	3rd (North)	–
1999–2000	Ed Dechellis	14–15	8–8	4th (North)	–
2000–2001	Ed Dechellis	18–10	13–3	1st (North)	–
2001–2002	Ed Dechellis	18–10	11–5	T–1st (North)	–
2002–2003	Ed Dechellis	20–11	11–5	T–1st (North)	NCAA 1st Round
Ed Dechellis:		105–93	60–49
Murry Bartow (2003–present)
2003–2004	Murry Bartow	27–6	15–1	1st (North)	NCAA 1st Round
2004–2005	Murry Bartow	10–19	4–12	5th (North)
2005–2006	Murry Bartow	15–13	12–8	5th
2006–2007	Murry Bartow	24–10	16–2	1st	NIT 1st Round
2007–2008	Murry Bartow	19–13	11–5	T–3rd
2008–2009	Murry Bartow	23–10	14–6	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2009–2010	Murry Bartow	20–15	13–7	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2010–2011	Murry Bartow	24–12	17–5	2nd	CIT Semifinals
Murry Bartow:		127–62	102–46
Total:		941–733
National ChampionConference Regular Season Champion Conference Tournament Champion Conference Regular Season & Conference Tournament ChampionConference Division 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 time 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, long time assistant Alan Leforce took over a veteran team led by Senior Keith "Mister" Jennings. The team was ranked as high as 10th^[1] in the nation during the 1991 season and finished the year 17th in the AP poll and 15th in the Coaches poll.^[2] 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 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 birth 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. 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.

Post-Season History[]

ETSU has appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–10. ^[3] ETSU also appeared in the 1983 and 2007 NIT. In 2011 ETSU was invited to the CIT and made it to the semifinals after defeating Furman and Ohio. The Bucs then lost to Iona in the semifinals, 83-80.

NCAA Results[]

Year	Seed	Region	Round	Opponent	Results
1968		Mideast	First Round	Florida State	W 79-69
			Second Round	Ohio State	L 79-72
			Third Place Game	Marquette	L 57-69
1989	#16	Southeast	First Round	#1 Oklahoma	L 72-71
1990	#13	Southeast	First Round	#4 Georgia Tech	L 83-99
1991	#10	Midwest	First Round	#7 Iowa	L 73-76
1992	#14	Southeast	First Round	#3 Arizona	W 87-80
			Second Round	#6 Michigan	L 90-102
2003	#15	East	First Round	#2 Wake Forest	L 73-76
2004	#13	Atlanta Region	First Round	#4 Cincinnati	L 77-80
2009	#16	East	First Round	#1 Pittsburgh	L 62-72
2010	#16	East	First Round	#1 Kentucky	L 71-100

NIT Results[]

Year	Round	Opponent	Results
1983	First Round	Vanderbilt	L 73-79
2007	First Round	Clemson	L 57-64

CIT Results[]

Year	Round	Opponent	Results
2011	First Round	Furman	W 76-63
	Quarterfinals	Ohio	W 82-73
	Semifinals	Iona	L 80-83

Team Records[]

Career leaders[]

Career Scoring Leaders
Seasons	Player	Points
2002-06	Tim Smith	2,302
1988-92	Greg Dennis	2,204
2006-09	Courtney Pigram	2,041
1987-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	1,988
1988-92	Calvin Talford	1,872
1959-61	Tom Chilton	1,801
2007-11	Mike Smith	1,783
1980-83	Troy Mikell	1,684
2000-04	Zakee Wadood	1,382
1967-69	Harley "Skeeter" Swift	1,367

Career Rebound Leaders
Seasons	Player	Rebounds
1965-67	Tommy Woods	1,034
1988-92	Greg Dennis	895
1977-80	Scott Place	825
2000-04	Zakee Wadood	822
2003-07	Brad Nuckles	791
2007-11	Mike Smith	783
2000-04	Jerald Fields	717
1972-74	Ron Mitchell	673
1974-77	Bob Brown	637
1991-94	Trazel Silvers	635

Career Assist Leaders
Seasons	Player	Assists
1987-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	983
2002-06	Tim Smith	508
2006-09	Courtney Pigram	416
1980-83	Marc Quesenberry	363
1984-87	Carniel Manuel	322
2009-Present	Adam Sollazzo	272
1997-99	Greg Stephens	265
2007-11	Mike Smith	245
1995-99	Kyle Keeton	240
1983-86	Wes Stallings	239

Career Steals Leaders
Seasons	Player	Steals
1987-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	334
2002-06	Tim Smith	313
2000-04	Zakee Wadood	246
2006-09	Courtney Pigram	232
1991-94	Trazel Silvers	183
2000-04	Jerald Fields	167
2007-11	Mike Smith	146
1988-91	Alvin West	134
1995-99	Kyle Keeton	132
1999-03	Ryan Lawson	129
1989-92	Calvin Talford	127

Career Blocks Leaders
Seasons	Player	Blocks
2000-04	Zakee Wadood	182
1988-92	Greg Dennis	174
2000-04	Jerald Fields	167
2003-07	Brad Nuckles	158
2008-Present	Isiah Brown	141
2005-08	Andrew Reed	84
1993-96	Justin McClellan	83
1993-96	Phil Powe	78
1991-92	Rodney English	71
2008-09	Greg Hamlin	69
1988-92	Marty Story	69

Career FG% Leaders (min 200 Made)
Seasons	Player	FG%
1993-96	Phil Powe	.638
1974-77	Bob Brown	.623
1974-75	Morris Tampa	.611
1983-86	Calvin Cannady	.610
2005-06	Dillion Sneed	.598
1991-92	Rodney English	.570
2000-04	Jerald Fields	.567
1980-83	Troy Mikell	.552
1987-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	.549
2008-09	Kevin Tiggs	.536

Single game leaders[]

Most Points in a game
Date	Player	Points	Opponent
2/5/1961	Tom Chilton	52	Austin Peay
2/24/1961	Tom Chilton	47	Western Kentucky
2/16/2002	Dimeco Childress	42	Western Carolina
2/26/1960	Tom Chilton	42	Middle Tennessee
2/26/2005	Tim Smith	41	Georgia Southern

Most Rebounds in a game
Date	Player	Rebounds	Opponent
1964-65	Tommy Woods	38	Middle Tennessee
1956-57	Herb Weaver	32	Milligan College
1954-65	Tommy Woods	32	East Carolina
1956-57	Herb Weaver	31	Kentucky Wesleyan
1954-55	Dick Creech	30	Middle Tennessee

Most Assists in a game
Date	Player	Assists	Opponent
1990-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	19	Appalachian State
2/24/2007	Courtney Pigram	18	Mercer University
1990-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	18	The Citadel
1990-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	16	VMI
1990-91	Keith "Mister" Jennings	15	Chattanooga

All stats are from the 2010-2011 media guide and are updated through the 2010-2011 basketball season.

ETSU players in the NBA and ABA[]

3 players from ETSU have played in the NBA & ABA ^[4] and a total of 8 players have been drafted.^[5]

Tommy Woods 1968 ^[6]

Skeeter Swift 1970 to 1974 ^[7]

Keith "Mister" Jennings 1993 to 1995 ^[8]

External links[]

References[]

↑ "Division I Records". National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/D1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/SOUC/1991.html
↑ http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/history/_/team1/5858
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/colleges.cgi?college=etennst
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.cgi?college=etennst
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/woodsto01.html
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/swiftsk01.html
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jennike01.html

FAQs

What is East Tennessee State University ranked? ›

East Tennessee State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #320. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,674; out-of-state tuition and fees are $13,484. Located in Johnson City, East Tennessee State University attracts many local commuters.

Why did ETSU drop football? ›

In 2003, ETSU decided to discontinue the football team due to financial reasons.

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Is East Tennessee State University a HBCU? ›

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is not historically considered an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). HBCUs in the United States are institutions that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African American community.