LOOKING BACK AT A CHAMPION WITH CHARACTER
August 8, 2007

FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship in 2006.  A season removed from that magical run, the Rams accomplishment seems even more impressive.  The Rams were the lowest seed ever to win what many consider the toughest basketball tournament in the country to win, they did so in dramatic fashion, and perhaps most impressively, all five starters have received their degree from Texas Wesleyan.

The NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is a 32-team bracket that is decided on one floor in the course of seven short days.  That mean’s round-the clock basketball for the early rounds and also means that a team must over come the fatigue of five games against very good teams in order to win.  The 27th seeded Rams did just that defeating Union University, Oklahoma Christian University, Carroll University, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Oklahoma City University with their only day off coming in preparation for the title game.

Of course that championship game has quickly become legend amongst Texas Wesleyan fans.  Senior guard Ben Hunt (Bendigo, Australia) scored a career-high 34 points.  In the second half, he scored 21 of the team’s 31 points including the game-winning three that touched the net with 0.2 seconds showing on the clock and clinched the 67-65 win over heavily favored Oklahoma City.

The starting five featured three seniors and two juniors.  Seniors Brad Schilder (Burleson, TX) and Scott Reasoner (Fort Worth, TX) both graduated on time that spring.  Hunt delayed his graduation when he got the opportunity to play with the Dallas Mavericks in the Summer Pro League in Los Angeles, CA, and then signed a two-year contract with the Perth Wildcats in his native Australia’s National Basketball League.

In the spring of 2007, Hunt walked across the stage at Texas Wesleyan along with his teammates Nino Etienne (Panama City, Panama) and National Tournament MVP Evan Patterson (Cedar Hill, TX).

Albert Talley (Cleburne, TX) who logged invaluable minutes during the championship run had graduated and was working toward his MBA during the 2005-06 season.  All-American Khayri McKinney (Del Rio, TX), as well as Brandon Livingston (Everman, TX), and Muhammad Abdullah (Atlanta, GA) are all continuing toward their degree as well.

The 2005-06 Rams were the epitome of the “student-athlete,” and their accomplishments in the classroom reflect the efforts of an outstanding coaching staff.  After the title game, head coach Terry Waldrop told the team, “This does not change who any of you were yesterday, but it shows everyone else that if you do things the right way, plan, prepare, and work hard, there is a great reward out there.”

While Waldrop acknowledged the significance that graduating all five starters holds for his program, he noted that more importantly “it is a great thing for those kids.”