All in the Colonel family
Eastern names All-Century team
Langdon Barnes
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Sports
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"It was a great atmosphere," Head Coach Jeff Neubauer said. "The environment was everything you would want in a college basketball game. It was a great place to be at that night."
A total of 15 players were chosen to the team consisting of six guards and nine forwards/centers over the past century.
To be considered for the All-Century Team players must have met at least one of the following criteria: Enshrinement in the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame, first or second team All-OVC honors or All-American honors.
The All-Century Team consists of the following: Jack Adams (1952-56), John Allen (1990-94), Jim Baechtold (1948-52), Eddie Bodkin (1963-66), George Bryant (1968-72), Michael Haney (2001-05), Fred Lewis (1944-46), Chuck Mrazovich (1946-50), Antonio Parries (1982-87), Mike Rose (2005-09), Garfield Smith (1965-68), Mike Smith (1988-92), James "Turk" Tillman (1978-80), Bobby Washington (1966-69), and Matt Witt (2002-06). The Head Coach for the team is Paul McBrayer (1946-62).
McBrayer is the All-Time Winningest Coach is Eastern history with 219 victories. McBrayer led the Colonels to two NCAA tournament appearances (1953, 1959) and had his 1949-50 team ranked 11 in the nation in the final poll. The arena inside Alumni Coliseum was dedicated as the "Paul S. McBrayer Arena" in 1989. McBrayer is a member of EKU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Eastern has won six Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles (1952-53, 1958-59, 1960-61, 1964-65, 1971-72 and 1978-79), five OVC tournament titles (1950, 1955, 1979, 2005, and 2007) and advanced to seven NCAA tournaments (1953, 1959, 1965, 1972, 1979, 2005 and 2007).
A game no Colonel fan will ever forget is the 2005 NCAA tournament opening round game against the University of Kentucky.
Matt Witt led the Colonels with 21 points and hit a late three to cut the Wildcat lead to 64-59 with under 4:00 left.
Eastern ended up losing the game 72-64 but earned respect throughout the nation by taking the 7th ranked team, which included four future NBA players, down to the wire.
"My greatest experience at EKU was making the NCAA tourney," Witt said. "Playing in the RCA dome against Kentucky was an amazing experience."
Witt is the Colonels all-time leading scorer with 1,832 points. He also has the most three-point field goals made with 283.
"Making the All-Century team means a lot because of the great tradition of EKU basketball. Of all the great players over the years that I have played with and the players before me here, being named to this is great," Witt said.
Eastern has had 28 players who have played professional basketball.
Forward Eddie Bodkin was drafted in the third round of the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Guard George Bryant was drafted by the NBA's Buffalo Braves and the ABA's Utah Stars. Two-Time All-American Fred Lewis won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1947. Witt and Mike Rose both play ball overseas taking their combined 3,595 career points with them.
The Colonels have now 1,110 victories in their history. Jeff Neubauer has been in charge for 82 of those wins.
"This is something I will always be able to look back on and have that forever," Witt said.
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