Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 1999-00 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball National Championship

From 2000-15, the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team made 10 trips to Branson, Missouri for the NAIA II National Tournament. As a perennial contender, the Eagles got to enjoy the College of the Ozarks and the Branson area numerous times, these are some of those stories…
 

Tournament Hosts
At each national tournament, the NAIA would assign a local business to serve as a host for one of the 32 teams. The Eagles enjoyed great relationships with their hosts, starting with Branson Chamber of Commerce in 2000.

Beginning with the Eagles' national tournament appearance in 2001, the Blue and Gold's honorary coaches were Chris Hamon and Rod Romine from White River Valley Electric. It truly was a partnership made in heaven.

 "I truly think the relationship with Chris and Rod, as well as Rod's wife Brenda, who worked for Branson Schools, was critical," Embry-Riddle Director of Athletics John Phillips said. "It was one of the best parts of the Branson experience. The culture and values of their organization were such a perfect fit for our team and our program. Up close and personal – the original 'Hometown Team.' In the early years, one of the highlights was the potluck lunch we would have at the White River office, where we got to interact with all of their employees. In some ways it was similar to our annual basketball BBQ, because everyone brought something to share. It was like a family reunion every March when we went back to Branson."
 
And several times, the reunion didn't happen only in March. There were several times when the White River folks came to visit the Eagles in Florida. Sometimes those visits occurred in Daytona Beach, and other times, on the road like when Chris took time away from his vacation to travel to Lake Wales and support the Blue and Gold when the Eagles took on Warner Southern.

"We were incredibly fortunate to be partnered with our tournament host White River Electric almost every year we attended," Assistant Coach Chad Keller said. "They were the best you could ask for as they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Chris and Rod, along with their friends and families, became part of our extended basketball family. I wasn't coaching at ERAU until 2004 so I missed a few years of their hospitality, but I was blown away with the effort they put in to hosting us at the highest level each and every year. From meeting us at the airport and transporting us to our hotel to buying us countless team meals during our stays they were incredible. They attended every practice and had coolers waiting for us at the end with as many snacks and drinks that we could ask for. But the best was the gear they provided for us when we arrived. Each member of our travel party was given customized bags, jackets, shirts, etc. every year. They are first class people that we were blessed to be connected with. I truly miss having the opportunity to see them and the memories we created together are some of the best of my coaching career."

White River Valley Electric served as the Eagles' honorary coaches for many games from 2001-15, but the relationships formed over those 15 years will last a lifetime.
 
Tournament Firsts 
The 2000 tournament marked the first NAIA II tournament hosted by the College of the Ozarks, but the Eagle players, coaches and fans experienced many other firsts in Branson that year. The Dixie Stampede was a first-time experience for all in the Eagle contingent who will not soon forget the sights and sounds of 32 men's basketball team screaming and men riding ostriches. On a rare free evening, the Eagles' hosts from the Chamber of Commerce treated the team to an evening at the Jim Stafford show. The showed included Jim Stafford performing on stage with giant sequined feathers attached to his suit and his catch phrase "Don't be chicken when it's time to crow," could be heard among the players throughout their stay in Branson.

On a few occasions, it snowed during the national tournament in Branson, and for a few lifetime Floridians on the team, it was the first time seeing the white stuff. 
 
"I remembered it snowed, just a tiny little flurry," Kyle Mas said. "Quentin (Freeman) had never seen snow and was out in the hotel parking lost like a little kid with his tongue out."
 
Eagles vs. Bobcats 
Following ERAU's national championship run in 2000, the Eagles went 30-3 the following season, earning the No. 1 seed at the national tournament for the first time in program history. Want to guess who the committee matched the Eagles against in their opening game?
 
The College of the Ozarks.
 
The Bobcats were coming off a down year, only 14-14 entering the tournament, but behind their home crowd, C of O gave the top-ranked Eagles everything they could handle as the Eagles escaped, 93-86. Adam Cook scored 36 points for the Bobcats, but a balanced effort for ERAU, led by Heath Fabacher's 18 points pushed the Blue and Gold to the second round.
 
What Might Have Been 
Perhaps one of the biggest 'What If's' in ERAU's postseason history came in 2005. After the Eagles had handled Bluefield in the first round game, ERAU squared off against Walsh (Ohio). The Cavs featured NAIA II National Player of the Year Robert Whaley and built an 11-point second half lead, but the Eagles clawed their way back, tying the game with six minutes left. Walsh led 73-71 with two second left with true freshman and former high school teammate of LeBron James, Corey Jones, at the free throw line. Jones was a 93% free throw shooter during the regular season, so the Eagles chances were slim.
 
Jones missed both free throws and Nick Miller grabbed the rebound on the second, getting the ball to Ryan Exter who heaved a half-court shot. The shot went in. However, the referees had already whistled the game over, ruling that Exter's shot came after the buzzer had gone off.
 
Walsh would go on to win the national title a few days later.
 
In 2010, the Eagles were prepped for another deep tourney run at Keeter Gymnasium. But Nate Menefee and the Evergreen State Geoducks had another idea in the two teams' opening game. The Geoducks jumped on the Eagles early, leading 12-0 before the Eagles even got on the board. ERAU was down 48-35 at halftime and the deficit grew to 16 on a Menefee three-pointer a minute into the second half.
 
And then the Eagles woke up.
 
A quick 8-0 run by the Blue and Gold got the lead down to 53-45, but Evergreen State went back up a dozen at the 15-minute mark.
 
Like they had several times before in Branson, the Eagles fought back, eventually getting to within 70-66. David Butler's layup and a pair of Eric Lorenzi free throws tied the game for the first time since 0-0 and two more freebies from Lorenzi gave the Eagles their first lead of the day.
 
Over the final three minutes both teams went back-and-forth, neither leading by more than one possession. Up two with 30 seconds left, the Eagles were whistled for a foul on Menefee while he was shooting a three, and the Geoduck guard made all three free throws to give his team a one-point lead. Lorenzi came through with a tough bucket in the paint to retake the lead and then a big defensive stop for ERAU gave the Eagles the ball back with seven seconds. Blake Touchard made both his free throws when he was fouled as ERAU took its biggest lead of the game at 80-77. ERAU wisely chose to foul with one second left, preventing the Geoducks from attempting a three to tie the game as the Eagles finished off the incredible second-half comeback for an 80-78 win.
 
ERAU knocked off Bethel (Ind.) in the next round before falling to old nemesis Walsh in the quarterfinals.
 
ERAU's 10^th and final trip to Branson was in 2015 as the Eagles wrapped up their time in the NAIA before beginning the transition to NCAA Division II competition. The 2014-15 team was arguably the best in program history, having gone 32-1 and earning the No. 2 seed in Branson. The Eagles featured DeForest Carter and Dalton Barnes in the backcourt and Cesar Pastrana in the post, all three finished their careers in the top 20 of ERAU's career scoring chart.
 
The Eagles breezed past Friends (Kan.) in their tournament opener, snapping a four-game losing streak at Keeter Gymnasium. Next up was Union (Ky.) and the Eagles used one of their best offensive performances of the year to advance to the quarterfinals. ERAU shot 61 percent from the floor and 53 percent from three-point land as Carter set a career-high with 13 assists.
 
In the quarterfinals, Embry-Riddle pulled away from Southern Oregon in the second half thanks to a huge performance from Pastrana. The Eagle big man scored a game-high 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Eagles won their 35^th game of the year, setting a new program record.
 
The semifinals matched the Eagles with Cornerstone (Mich.) in what many considered the de facto national title game. Cornerstone seemingly couldn't miss from deep, making 14 treys on the night. The Eagles, despite shooting nearly 54 percent from the field, couldn't keep up with the three-point onslaught, falling in their final game in the NAIA, 91-81.
 
In 10 appearances at Keeter, the Eagles went 14-9, advancing to the quarterfinals four times and the semifinals twice.
 
"The trips that we made to Branson, Missouri for the NAIA National Tournament will always be some of my greatest memories," Keller said. "The excitement to earn a bid to compete at year's end meant that you had a successful year as a program. The format of having all 32 teams in one place for a week long tournament was incredibly unique and provided so many incredible opportunities to interact with and watch the best programs in the country compete at the highest level. It was an all you can eat buffet of basketball for seven days. A fan's dream set up with games starting at 8:30 AM and going strong all day. All on the same court."