Emma Woods
Contributing Writer
“The Winningest NCAA Team of the 2000’s.” “The Winningest Coach of Wooster.” That is the backdrop to the Wooster men’s basketball program and that is the title that Coach Steve Moore carries with him.
The Scots entered this season with a lot of uncertainty. The team chemistry was not automatic. They are a young team made up of five freshman, five sophomores, two juniors and three seniors. The loss of three key seniors through graduation last year forced the team to start the year with a new and untested lineup.
“It wasn’t easy at first,” said sophomore guard Spencer Williams, who had to transition from point guard to shooting guard.
“We went through some tough losses, some bad losses, but in the end a lot of those things just bring you together.”
Under the leadership of Moore, the head coach for the past 28 seasons, and Assistant Coach Doug Cline, assistant to Moore for the past 20 years, the team soon began to hit their stride.
And what a stride it was. The team tied for first in the North Coast Atlantic Conference with a record of 15-3 while finishing with an overall record of 24-8. In a barn-burner of a game against the defending NCAC champs, Ohio Wesleyan University, the Scots trailed by one point in the closing seconds.
With just seven-tenths of a second left, Williams was fouled. The young sophomore calmly stepped to the line and drilled both free throws, catapulting the Scots to a 91-90 victory. This game tied up Wooster and OWU in NCAC standings, and both teams carried on to become co-champions of the NCAC, Wooster’s 16th Championship win since 1992.
The Scots, however, were not finished with just the co-championship and had their sights set on the NCAA tournament. “The goal from the beginning with our team is always to play in the national tournament,” said Moore.
With the title — and the pressure — of “winningest” on their backs Wooster entered the tournament.
In the first round they encountered Lancaster Bible College, beating them handily 96-83. In the second round the Scots faced Endicott College. A nail-biter, the team came back from an 11 point deficit to win in overtime 91-83. This propelled the team to the Sweet 16 and up against Oswego State College.
This was one of the toughest games the Scots had all year. With 4.8 seconds left, Junior Dan Fanelly clinched the win for the Scots with two free throws, an apparent trend for the team, making the final score 66-65. This landed the Scots back into the Elite Eight, for the first time since 2011.
Unfortunately, this is where the Scots’ NCAA journey ended, falling to No. 4-ranked Christopher Newport University. However disappointing this loss may have been, Moore believes it was a successful season, and believes his players should think so too.
“As time goes along the players will get over that disappointment of not reaching the final four and they’ll have really good memories of the season, and … of the accomplishments that the team made.”
With the season now over, thoughts immediately go to next year and the upcoming season. The team is graduating three seniors, center Josh Kipfer, guard Chris Logsdon and forward Alex Lalonde. This will be a huge hit for the Scots, as these players have been the backbone of the team for the past four years.
“Some of the other players are going to have to step up and provide the leadership that we are losing with the graduation of those three guys,” said Moore. “But I think our returning players are capable and I am looking forward to them establishing themselves in those leadership roles.”
The Final Four may have barely eluded them this year, but this has only acted as motivation for next year. Both the team and the community built around them have their sights set on another successful season. Moore hopes his team is prepared for the hard work ahead of them
“Already there are high hopes, pretty high expectations for next year’s team, both within the team and the players, and also by the fans,” said Moore. “With that said, I think our players must realize that those good things will not happen without hard work and improvement. I really hope that our guys are motivated to have really good offseasons, and improve even in the offseason.”
The Scots are no stranger to these expectations however. In fact, they seem to thrive off them. This is the tradition that Moore and Cline have created at Wooster over the past 28 years. This narrative of “winningest” could act as a weight to some teams, burdening them with pressure, but at Wooster, it is a motivator.
Behind the leadership of legends like Moore and Cline, the team knows they will continue in this tradition. Williams summed up the feelings of the team: “We trust them, respect them. They’ll lead the way.”