Roundup: Wittenberg Basketball Season Draws to a Close

The Wittenberg University Tigers followed a winning formula all season. That formula was a combination of hustle and hard work as the Tigers outrebounded each of their first 27 opponents in 2000-01, held their foes to low shooting percentages from the field and used their depth to wear down other teams in the second half.

Last Friday night in the NCAA Division III sectional semifinal at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, there was no more formula left in the beaker as this time the opponent was too good on the boards, too good on offense and just as deep. The Tigers dropped an 82-66 decision to the Polar Bears before the largest crowd ever to see a game at ONU's Sports Complex and saw their dream season come to an end with a 24-4 overall record.

Wittenberg, regular season champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference, had received an at-large bid to the tournament, received a first-round bye and had moved into what many observers considered the toughest sectional in the country by defeating Maryville College on March 3. But the Polar Bears, the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion which has since moved on to the national semifinals, were too much, jumping on the Tigers with a 10-0 run midway through the first half and maintaining their double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Senior forward Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) closed out his college career by leading the Tigers with 12 points. Senior center Chris Fillmore (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) added 10 points in his final game, while sophomore forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) chipped in with seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

By even the loftiest of standards imposed by a program that has not had a losing season since 1956, the 2000-01 edition of the Wittenberg University Tigers enjoyed tremendous success that Head Coach Bill Brown pointed out could not be overshadowed by the disappointing season-ending loss.

Wittenberg went 24-4 this season and posted an NCAC-best 15-1 mark in regular season play. The team won a pair of in-season tournaments - the Albion Tip-Off Classic in November and the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic in December. Following a loss in the NCAC tournament final against the Wooster Scots, who the Tigers defeated twice during the regular season, Wittenberg rebounded advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in five seasons. The Tigers ended the year ranked No. 4 in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and d3hoops.com national polls.

The senior class of Ryan Taylor, Chris Fillmore, Kyle Krauss and Alex Welp was the heart and soul of the team in 2000-01. As a group, they compiled a sparkling overall four-year record of 80-26. Just as importantly, they led by example, overcoming personal adversities to win with class.

Taylor, the team's leading scorer with more than 16 points per game, earned NCAC Player of the Year honors in 2000-01, becoming just the third Wittenberg player to earn a conference player of the year honor. He concludes his career as Wittenberg's ninth all-time leading scorer with more than 1,400 points.

Brown completed his eighth season at the helm of his alma mater's men's basketball program and ran his Wittenberg record to 180-47, putting him No. 2 on the school's coaching wins list. The NCAC regular season title was the Tigers' fourth in Brown's eight years, and the NCAA Division III tournament appearance was Wittenberg's fifth in that span. Topping things off, Brown was awarded NCAC Coach of the Year for a third time (including one at Kenyon in 1986).