SEASON RECAP:
Wittenberg University men's basketball team completed the 1999-2000 season with an overall mark of 18-8 which included a third place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season standings. The Tigers defeated Hiram College in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before falling to Wabash College in the semifinals.
After a strong first half of the season which saw the Tigers sprint out to a 14-2 mark, inconsistent play and injuries contributed to a late season slump. The Tigers dropped six of their last ten games and fell out of contention for a regular season league title. Injuries to leading rebounder Kevin Longley and guard Kyle Krauss over the same time period contributed to the Tigers' end-of-the-year woes.
The Tigers strong start to the season, which included an eight-game winning streak, was highlighted by wins over Washington University (MO) and local rival Cedarville College. In addition, the Tigers won their own Wittenberg-Kiwanis Holiday Classic with wins over Case Western Reserve and NAIA scholarship power Marian College (Ind.). The Tigers also began the conference schedule winning their first seven games before their late season slump.
COACH BILL BROWN:
A 1973 Wittenberg graduate, Bill Brown finished his seventh season as the Tigers head coach with a record of 156-43 (.786). His career record of 216-142 (.603) includes one year as interim coach at Wooster and five years at Kenyon. Brown has guided his teams to four NCAA Division III tournament appearances, three NCAC regular season titles and one conference tournament championship. Brown's 1993-94 team made a trip to the NCAA final four and the 1995-96 squad to an Elite Eight appearance.
ALL-NCAC SELECTIONS:
Junior Chris Fillmore (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) was named first team All-NCAC for the first time in his career after averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game for the Tigers.
Earning second team honors for the Tigers was junior Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) and honorable mention honors went to freshman Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler).
TIGER TALES:
Senior Lou Stahl (Cincinnati, Ohio/Glen Este) capped an outstanding career by leading the team in assists and three-point field goals made. He averaged 4.4 assists per game and sank 40 three-point goals. Stahl set the Wittenberg single game mark for made three-point goals in a game by hitting nine against Allegheny. He is the all-time career leader in three-point field goals with 210, games played with 120 and third in assists with 448.
Junior Chris Fillmore (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) was second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. He was 12th in the NCAC in scoring, seventh in rebounding and third in field goal percentage. Fillmore has decided to take advantage of a medical redshirt from his freshman year of college and return for th 2000-2001 season.
Senior Jon Stafford (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) became only the 23rd player in Tiger history to score over 1000 career points. He finished his career with 1,053 points in four years. Stafford was third on the team in scoring this season with 10.0 points a game.
Junior Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) was the team's leading scorer for the second consecutive season with 13.8 points a game. He scored in double figures in all 25 games in which he played. Taylor made 38 three-pointers and was second on the team in free throws with 53.
Sophomore Chad Mossing (Maumee, Ohio/Springfield) was fourth on the team in scoring averaging 8.0 points a game for the Tigers. He was second on the team in three-point field goals with 39.
Freshman Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) led the team in rebounding with 8.3 boards a game and averaged 8.8 points for the Tigers. He led the conference in rebounding most of the year prior to an ankle injury which sidelined him for six games.
IN THE NCAC:
The Tigers finished the 1999-2000 season with a 11-5 conference record and atop several of the team's statistical categories. Wittenberg was first in team defense (66.1) and rebound margin (9.2) and second in defensive field goal percentage (.404).
On offense the Tigers averaged 76.8 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from the three point arc. The Tigers' attacking offensive style enabled them to get to the free throw line for 587 attempts to their opponents 380 attempts.
TIGER TRADITION:
Wittenberg is the winningest Division III basketball program with 1,388 victories and is second in percentage at .703. When compared to all NCAA basketball programs, Wittenberg's winning percentage ranks in front of such powers as Kansas, Duke, Syracuse and UCLA. Wittenberg is the all-time NCAA Division III tournament leader with 19 appearances, 40 victories and six Final Four appearances. The Tigers also have a strong home court tradition of success having achieved a cumulative home record of 460-50 (.902) over the last 42 seasons.
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