East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball
2023–24 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team
UniversityEast Tennessee State University
First season1918
All-time record1,350–1,063 (.559)
Head coachBrooks Savage (1st season)
ConferenceSoCon
LocationJohnson City, Tennessee
ArenaFreedom Hall Civic Center
(Capacity: 6,149)
NicknameBuccaneers
ColorsNavy blue and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1968
NCAA tournament round of 32
1992
NCAA tournament appearances
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, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2017, 2020

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.

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
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Madison Brooks (1948–1973)
1957–1958 Madison Brooks 7–18
1958–1959 Madison Brooks 13–105–74th
1959–1960 Madison Brooks 9–142–107th
1960–1961 Madison Brooks 9–151–117th
1961–1962 Madison Brooks 11–143–96th
1962–1963 Madison Brooks 14–87–53rd
1963–1964 Madison Brooks 12–108–66th
1964–1965 Madison Brooks 6–174–107th
1965–1966 Madison Brooks 7–143–117th
1966–1967 Madison Brooks 17–98–63rd
1967–1968 Madison Brooks 19–810–41stNCAA Sweet 16
1968–1969 Madison Brooks 15–116–85th
1969–1970 Madison Brooks 15–118–63rd
1970–1971 Madison Brooks 12–128–64th
1971–1972 Madison Brooks 11–146–86th
1972–1973 Madison Brooks 9–172–128th
Madison Brooks: 377–281
Leroy Fisher (1973–1976)
1973–1974 Leroy Fisher 8–183–118th
1974–1975 Leroy Fisher 9–145–95th
1975–1976 Leroy Fisher 6–204–108th
Leroy Fisher: 23–5312–30
Sonny Smith (1976–1978)
1976–1977 Sonny Smith 12–146–85th
1977–1978 Sonny Smith 18–910–42nd
Sonny Smith: 30–2316–13
Jim Halihan (1978–1982)
1978–1979 Jim Halihan 16–111-5?9th?
1979–1980 Jim Halihan 15–138–74th
1980–1981 Jim Halihan 13–149–74th
1981–1982 Jim Halihan 13–158–84th
Jim Halihan: 57–5326–27
Barry Dowd (1982–1985)
1982–1983 Barry Dowd 22–912–43rdNIT 1st Round
1983–1984 Barry Dowd 9–196–107th
1984–1985 Barry Dowd 9–183–139th
Barry Dowd: 40–4621–27
Les Robinson (1985–1990)
1985–1986 Les Robinson 13–168–84th
1986–1987 Les Robinson 7–213–138th
1987–1988 Les Robinson 14–159–74th
1988–1989 Les Robinson 20–117–74thNCAA 1st Round
1989–1990 Les Robinson 27–712–21stNCAA 1st Round
Les Robinson: 81–7039–37
Alan LeForce (1990–1996)
1990–1991 Alan LeForce 28–511–31stNCAA 1st Round
1991–1992 Alan LeForce 24–712–21stNCAA 2nd Round
1992–1993 Alan LeForce 19–1012–62nd
1993–1994 Alan LeForce 16–1413–52nd
1994–1995 Alan LeForce 14–149–52nd (North)
1995–1996 Alan LeForce 7–203–11T-5th (North)
Alan LeForce: 108–7060–32
Ed DeChellis (1996–2003)
1996–1997 Ed DeChellis 7–202–115th (North)–
1997–1998 Ed DeChellis 11–166–9T–5th–
1998–1999 Ed DeChellis 17–119–73rd (North)–
1999–2000 Ed DeChellis 14–158–84th (North)–
2000–2001 Ed DeChellis 18–1013–31st (North)–
2001–2002 Ed DeChellis 18–1011–5T–1st (North)–
2002–2003 Ed DeChellis 20–1111–5T–1st (North)NCAA 1st Round
Ed DeChellis: 105–9360–49
Murry Bartow (2003–2015)
2003–2004 Murry Bartow 27–615–11st (North)NCAA 1st Round
2004–2005 Murry Bartow 10–194–125th (North)
2005–2006 Murry Bartow 15–1312–85th
2006–2007 Murry Bartow 24–1016–21stNIT 1st Round
2007–2008 Murry Bartow 19–1311–5T–3rd
2008–2009 Murry Bartow 23–1014–6T–2ndNCAA 1st Round
2009–2010 Murry Bartow 20–1513–7T–2ndNCAA 1st Round
2010–2011 Murry Bartow 24–1216–42ndCIT Semifinals
2011–2012 Murry Bartow 17–1310–8T-4th
2012–2013 Murry Bartow 10–228–10T–7th
2013–2014 Murry Bartow 19–1610–84thCIT 2nd Round
2014–2015 Murry Bartow 16–148–105th
Murry Bartow: 224–169127–81
Steve Forbes (2015–2020)
2015–2016 Steve Forbes 24–1214–42nd
2016–2017 Steve Forbes 27–814–4T–1stNCAA 1st Round
2017–2018 Steve Forbes 25–914–42nd
2018–2019 Steve Forbes 24–1013–5T–3rdCIT 1st Round
2019–2020 Steve Forbes 30–416–21st NCAA Tournament canceled due to COVID-19
Steve Forbes: 130–4371–19
Jason Shay (2020–2021)
2020–2021 Jason Shay 13–128–75th
Jason Shay: 13–128–7
Desmond Oliver (2021–2023)
2021–2022 Desmond Oliver 15-177-118th
2022–2023 Desmond Oliver 12-208-10T–5th
Desmond Oliver: 27-3715-21
Brooks Savage (2023–present)
2023-2024 Brooks Savage
Brooks Savage:
Total:1,362–1,083

      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.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1968First 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.

Year Round Opponent Result
1957Regional 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.

Year Round Opponent Result
1953First roundArizona StateL 79–81
1954First roundSouthwest Missouri StateL 72–77
1956First roundGustavus AdolphusL 60–80

NIT results

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

Year Round Opponent Result
1983First roundVanderbiltL 73–79
2007First roundClemsonL 57–64

Vegas 16 results

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

Year Round Opponent Result
2016Quarterfinals
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.

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

Team records

Record home crowds

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

Rank Attendance Event Date
112,884Chattanooga vs. ETSUFeb. 4, 1991
212,240NC State vs. ETSUDec. 29, 1990
312,208VMI vs. ETSUFeb. 25, 1991
411,341Southern Mississippi vs. ETSUDec. 7, 1991
511,189Appalachian 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]

Player Draft Year Career
Tommy WoodsUndrafted1967-1968
Skeeter Swift19691969–1974
Keith "Mister" JenningsUndrafted1992–1995

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.
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