2006-2007 Season Wrap-Up

2005-2006 Wrap-Up
2004-2005 Season Wrap-Up

Another basketball season has come and gone for the University of the Cumberlands, and this season was a very difficult one. Carrying over from a disappointing end to last season, the Patriots started the season unranked in the NAIA Pre-season polls.

The Patriots fell to a 0-3 start after losing their first three games to Tennessee Temple and falling short of victories in the Freed-Hardeman Classic facing off against Freed-Hardeman and Lambuth University. The Patriots came home to host the University of the Cumberlands Invitational Tournament; a tournament the Patriots had been the Champions of for 9 years. The Brescia Bearcats ended the Patriots Championship run with a 9 point victory.

After the loss against Brescia, hope was beginning to dwindle for a winning season, but the Patriots began to turn things around. The Patriots won three games until they faced off against nationally ranked Mountain State at Mountain State. The Patriots were defeated with a score of 65-82, but then went on an eight game winning streak. During the winning streak, the Patriots faced off against #11 ranked Mountain State at home and in overtime defeated Mountain State with a final score of 91-86.

After the long winning streak, the Patriots headed into Conference play with high hopes, but the Patriots were defeated in the first three games of play. It seemed as though the end of the year was going to be like the beginning, but once again the Patriots turned it around. Georgetown College was the only Conference team to defeat the Patriots both times they faced off.

The Patriots then headed into MSC Tournament play. In the first round of play, the Patriots faced off against Campbellsville University and pulled off a victory by one point in the final seconds of the game. This win gave the Patriots a NAIA ranking of #11, the biggest jump in the rankings. In the Championship game, the Patriots were defeated by Georgetown with a one point game.

Although the Patriots fell short of a MSC Championship, they had the ticket to Kansas City, MO. During the first round of play, the Patriots took on Oklahoma Baptist and fell by five points to come home early.

Coach Don Butcher commented about the season stating, "We had a rough start and a very tough ending, but the season was successful and a good learning experience for the younger guys. Our seniors stepped it up and I give them full credit for the success. The team knew changes had to be made to win games and to make it to the big tournament and the seniors made the changes that needed to be made and got it right."

The Patriots will be losing four great seniors, and Butcher commented about each one saying, “Sam Brown ( Cleveland, TX) is one of the best players I've ever coached. I believe he had his best season and over achieved in every way possible. Chris Simmons ( St. Louis, MO) had a very good season. He stepped his game up and attacked the boards very well. Darnell Howell ( Chicago, IL) had a very good year and added major points to the board in very crucial situations. Finally, Ryan Williams ( West Liberty, KY) had a lot of playing time this season, and he stepped it up and played his heart out."

Leading the Patriots was Brown who finished the season averaging 16.3 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, a total of 129 assists, and 38 steals; Howell finished the season averaging 14.7 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, a total of 86 assists, and 51 steals; Mike Gibson averaged 10.9 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, a total of 20 assists, and 6 blocks; and freshman Chad Byron shined averaging 8.7 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, 87 total assists, and 11 steals.

The Patriots also racked up on awards this season not only from the Mid-South Conference, but also from the NAIA. Sam Brown received 3rd team NAIA All American as well as All Conference Player. Brown also received MSC Player of the Week 3 times during the season. Ryan Williams picked up All American Scholar Athlete and Academic All Conference Player. Darnell Howell received All Conference Player and MSC Player of the Week once during the season. Junior Mike Gibson also received MSC Honorable Mention for the Patriots.

The 3-Pt statistics by the Patriots shocked Coach Butcher and the nation. Butcher commented, “I knew we could shoot the ball, but I didn’t know we were ranked #1 in the nation. We didn’t just look to three’s to win games, but we are a very good shooting team, so if the shot was there they knew to take it.” The Patriots finished the season on top and were ranked #1 in the nation for 3-Pt percentage at 44.3% and 3-Pters made per game at 10.452. The Patriots proved their shooting ability early on and were consistent throughout the season. Before heading into conference play, the Patriots also had a better 3-Pt percentage than any NCAA team at 46%.

Although the Patriots lost very talented players, Coach Butcher is excited about next season to see how well the returning players and newcomers perform. The team is young, but Butcher expects a lot from them, “They did great this season, and next year they will be a young team but they have a chance to do very well."

Returning for the Patriots, Mike Gibson ( Chicago, IL); Leslie Delk ( Brownsville, TN); Eric Staten (Corpus Christie, TX); Luke Fitzgerald ( Cleveland, OH); Dustin Fothergill ( Somerset, KY), and Chad Byron ( Louisville, KY).

The season didn't end as well as the Patriots hoped, but the expectations for next season are still very high.