Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers men's basketball

The Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers men's basketball team represents Kentucky Wesleyan College, a private college located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Panthers compete in the NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), They have won the NCAA Division II tournament eight times, most recently in 2001.[2]

Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers
UniversityKentucky Wesleyan College
Head coachDrew Cooper (3rd season)
ConferenceG-MAC
LocationOwensboro, Kentucky
ArenaSportscenter
(Capacity: 5,500)
NicknamePanthers
ColorsWesleyan purple and medium gray[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament champions
1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001
NCAA tournament runner-up
1957, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1957, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
NCAA tournament appearances
1957, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017
Conference tournament champions
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2016, 2017
Conference regular season champions
1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2016, 2017

Joel Utley was the "voice of the Panthers" from 1962 to 2022[3] (including all eight championships), broadcasting a play-by-play of all Wesleyan basketball games on local Owensboro radio station WBIO.

Conference play

Kentucky Wesleyan is a charter member of the G-MAC (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) that will begin active competition in the 2013–2014 academic season with 8 current NCAA Division II members and one institution transitioning from the NAIA, giving the NCAA D 2 conference 9 members in its first season of full activation.[4] KWC will leave the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 2012–13 academic season. Its basketball team frequently represented the GLVC in the NCAA Division II tournament, winning four national championships in basketball while members of the GLVC. After coming off NCAA probation, the Panthers finished 13–14 in the 2007 season, and participated in the NCAA Division 2 tournament for five straight seasons from 2008 to 2012, and were Regional Runners Up in the 2012 season.[5]

Division II Championship appearances

The Panthers advanced to the Division II championship game six consecutive years (1998–2003), winning in 1999 and 2001; the team later forfeited its 2003 runner-up status after it was revealed they had let two ineligible transfer players play.[6]

In addition, they won six other championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, and 1990) and were runners-up in 1957. Overall, Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA Division II National Men's Basketball Championships, which is the most by any NCAA Division II School.

Notable players

Retired numbers

Eight Panthers have had their numbers retired. Seven players and team physician Dr. William McManus:[7]

Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers retired numbers
No. Player
10Rod Drake
22Dallas Thornton
23Corey Crowder
24Dwight Higgs
29Dr. William McManus
45Kelly Coleman
50George Tinsley
75Fairce Woods

Three Kentucky Wesleyan basketball players played in the American Basketball Association: George Tinsley, Sam Smith, and Dallas Thornton. One Kentucky Wesleyan basketball player has played in the National Basketball Association: Corey Crowder. Crowder played two seasons in the NBA for the Utah Jazz (1991–1992) and the San Antonio Spurs (1994–1995) and later played 14 seasons in Italy, Spain, France and Israel. He was a key member of the 1990 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Crowder was a three-time All-American performer, newcomer of the year in the GLVC, two-time GLVC "Player of the Year" and the 1991 NABC "Player of The Year" in Division II, which helped get him elected to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2002. Dazmond Starke 2012–2013, led the NCAA Division II in Field goal % with 67.4%.

Panthers in international leagues

History
Overall
Years of basketball105
First season1907
Head coaches (all-time)21
All Games
All-time record1582–780
20+ win seasons34
30+ win seasons6
Home Games
Owensboro Sports Center?-?
Winchester, Kentucky?-?
Great Lakes Valley Conference Games
GLVC Record430–157
GLVC regular season championships16 (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2010)
GLVC tournament championships(1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2010)
NCAA Division II Tournament
NCAA Div II Appearances38
NCAA W-L record98–32
Regional Final/Sweet Sixteen25 (1957, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003*, 2012)
Elite Eight20 (1957, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003*)
Fourth Place1 (1971)
Third Place3 (1960, 1967, 1982)
Final Four2 (1984, 1985)
Runner-up5 (1957, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003*
NCAA Championships8 (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001)
*VACATED

Season-by-season results

The following is a list of Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers men's basketball seasons, with records and notable accomplishments [8]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
V.I. Moore (Independent) (1907–1910)
1906–07 V.I. Moore 0–1
1907–08 V.I. Moore 0–1
1908–09 V.I. Moore 2–1
1909–10 V.I. Moore 5–3
V.I. Moore: 7–6
Unknown (Independent) (1910–1916)
1910–11 Kentucky Wesleyan 4–1
1911–12 Kentucky Wesleyan N/A
1912–13 Kentucky Wesleyan N/A
1913–14 Kentucky Wesleyan 0–6
1914–15 Kentucky Wesleyan 2–1
1915–16 Kentucky Wesleyan 0–6
Unknown: 6–14
John Cobb (Independent) (1916–1917)
1916–17 John Cobb 5–1
John Cobb: 5–1
Unknown (Independent) (1917–1919)
1917–18 Kentucky Wesleyan 6–7
1918–19 Kentucky Wesleyan 0–7
Unknown: 6–14
William E. Arnold (Independent) (1919–1920)
1919–20 William E. Arnold 11–3
William E. Arnold: 11–3
Jesse Sibley (Independent) (1920–1922)
1920–21 Jesse Sibley 7–7
1921–22 Jesse Sibley 5–4
Jesse Sibley: 12–11
Basil Hayden (Independent) (1922–1923)
1922–23 Basil Hayden 8–1
Basil Hayden: 8–1
L.G. Mansfield (Independent) (1923–1924)
1923–24 L.G. Mansfield 10–6
L.G. Mansfield: 10–6
C.A. Webb (Independent) (1924–1928)
1924–25 C.A. Webb 13–5
1925–26 C.A. Webb 17–6
1926–27 C.A. Webb 9–6
C.A. Webb: 39–17
E.R. Miller (Independent) (1927–1928)
1927–28 E.R. Miller 6–12
E.R. Miller: 6–12
Walter "Rip" Van Winkle (Independent) (1928–1932)
1928–29 Walter "Rip" Van Winkle 14–7
1929–30 Walter "Rip" Van Winkle 17–9
1930–31 Walter "Rip" Van Winkle 12–7
1931–32 Walter "Rip" Van Winkle 6–11
Walter "Rip" Van Winkle: 49–34
George Ditto (Independent) (1932–1941)
1932–33 George Ditto 8–9
1933–34 George Ditto 4–12
1934–35 George Ditto 8–9
1935–36 George Ditto 8–13
1936–37 George Ditto 8–8
1937–38 George Ditto 8–9
1938–39 George Ditto 3–13
1939–40 George Ditto 3–12
1940–41 George Ditto 9–7
George Ditto: 59-92
Arthur Gullette (Independent) (1941–1942)
1941–42 Arthur Gullette 10–9
Arthur Gullette: 10–9
Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent) (1942–1957)
1942–43 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 9–5
1943–44 Robert "Bullet" Wilson N/A
1944–45 Robert "Bullet" Wilson N/A
1945–46 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 8–10
1946–47 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 11–9
1947–48 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 13–12
1948–49 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 13–14
1949–50 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 13–10
1950–51 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 16–7
1951–52 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 16–7
1952–53 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 12–10
1953–54 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 17–10
1954–55 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 14–10
1955–56 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 18–4
1956–57 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 16–12NCAA Div II Runner-up
Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent, Division 1) (1957–1958)
1957–58 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 14–10
Robert "Bullet" Wilson (Independent, Division 2) (1958–1959)
1958–59 Robert "Bullet" Wilson 14–11
Robert "Bullet" Wilson: 204–141
T. L. Plain (Independent) (1959–1963)
1959–60 T. L. Plain 18–11NCAA Div II Third Place
1960–61 T. L. Plain 15–8NCAA Div II first round
1961–62 T. L. Plain 21–4
1962–63 T. L. Plain 9–11
T.L. Plain: 63–34
Guy R. Strong (Independent) (1963–1967)
1963–64 Guy R. Strong 15–8NCAA Div II first round
1964–65 Guy R. Strong 9–12
1965–66 Guy R. Strong 24–6NCAA Div II Champion
1966–67 Guy R. Strong 25–4NCAA Div II Third Place
Guy R. Strong: 73–30
Bob Daniels (Independent) (1967–1972)
1967–68 Bob Daniels 28–3NCAA Div II Champion
1968–69 Bob Daniels 28–5NCAA Div II Champion
1969–70 Bob Daniels 18–10NCAA Div II Regional Final
1970–71 Bob Daniels 22–8NCAA Div II Fourth Place
1971–72 Bob Daniels 17–10NCAA Div II Round of 32
Bob Daniels: 110–36
Bob Jones (Independent) (1972–1978)
1972–73 Bob Jones 24–6NCAA Div II Champion
1973–74 Bob Jones 20–6NCAA Div II Regional Final
1974–75 Bob Jones 12–13
1975–76 Bob Jones 14–11
1976–77 Bob Jones 11–14
1977–78 Bob Jones 14–11
Bob Jones (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1978–1980)
1978–79 Bob Jones 12–142–65th
1979–80 Bob Jones 12–154–64th
Bob Jones: 119–906–12
Mike Pollio (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1980–1985)
1980–81 Mike Pollio 16–127–42nd
1981–82 Mike Pollio 27–59–32ndNCAA Div II Third Place
1982–83 Mike Pollio 22–810–21stNCAA Div II Regional Final
1983–84 Mike Pollio 28–310–21stNCAA Div II Third Place
1984–85 Mike Pollio 24–710–41st-TNCAA Div II Third Place
Mike Pollio: 117–3546–15
Wayne Chapman (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1985–1990)
1985–86 Wayne Chapman 22–812–42ndNCAA Div II first round
1986–87 Wayne Chapman 28–513–31stNCAA Div II Champion
1987–88 Wayne Chapman 23–712–41st-TNCAA Div II Regional Final
1988–89 Wayne Chapman 24–713–31stNCAA Div II Elite Eight
1989–90 Wayne Chapman 31–216–21stNCAA Div II Champion
Wayne Chapman: 128–2966–16
Wayne Boultinghouse (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1990–1996)
1990–91 Wayne Boultinghouse 22–814–41st-TNCAA Div II first round
1991–92 Wayne Boultinghouse 23–813–51st-TNCAA Div II Elite Eight
1992–93 Wayne Boultinghouse 21–613–53rd
1993–94 Wayne Boultinghouse 23–713–52ndNCAA Div II Regional semifinal
1994–95 Wayne Boultinghouse 23–616–21st-TNCAA Div II first round
1995–96 Wayne Boultinghouse 17–1013–74th
Wayne Boultinghouse: 129–4582–28
Ray Harper (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1996–2005)
1996–97 Ray Harper 21–814–65th
1997–98 Ray Harper 30–317–21stNCAA Div II Runner-up
1998–99 Ray Harper 35–220–21stNCAA Div II Champion
1999–00 Ray Harper 31–318–21stNCAA Div II Runner-up
2000–01 Ray Harper 30–317–32ndNCAA Div II Champion
2001–02 Ray Harper 0-3
31–3***		19–11stNCAA Div II Runner-up
2002–03 Ray Harper 0-4
26–3***'		18–2***1st***NCAA Div II Runner-up***
2003–04 Ray Harper 2-8
22–8***		14–6***3rd***NCAA Div II first round***
2004–05 Ray Harper 0-0
15–12***		9–116th
Ray Harper: 150-34
249–46***		146–35***
Todd Lee (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (2005–2013)
2005–06 Todd Lee 7–194–1512th
2006–07 Todd Lee 13–146–1312th
2007–08 Todd Lee 28–814–53rdNCAA Div II first round
2008–09 Todd Lee 19–911–75thNCAA Div II first round
2009–10 Todd Lee 29–516–21stNCAA Div II first round
2010–11 Todd Lee 19–1010–85thNCAA Div II first round
2011–12 Todd Lee 23–812–66thNCAA Div II Regional Final
2012–13 Todd Lee 20–811–77th
Todd Lee: 154–8184–63
Happy Osborne (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) (2013–2017)
2013–14 Happy Osborne 22-912-22nd
2014–15 Happy Osborne 22-810-42nd
2015–16 Happy Osborne 27-411-11stNCAA Div II first round
2016–17 Happy Osborne 28-312-01stNCAA Div II first round
2017–18 Happy Osborne

Jason Mays (Interim)

15-169-118th
Happy Osborne: 102-2845-7
Jason Mays: 12-129-11
Drew Cooper (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) (2018–present)
2018–19 Drew Cooper 10-168-129th
2019–20 Drew Cooper 13-169-96th
2020–21 Drew Cooper 10-69-54th
2021–22 Drew Cooper 14-149-117th
2022–23 Drew Cooper 15-1411-98th
Drew Cooper: 62-6646-46
Total:1630-853-1

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

  • *** 20 wins & 5 losses were vacated from the 2003–04 season and for the 2002–03 season the school had to vacate their NCAA Tournament Appearance, the 5 games of the NCAA tournament, (including their NCAA Div II Runner-Up), along with the GLVC regular season championship.

References
  1. "ATHLETIC IDENTITY GUIDELINES" (PDF). Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  2. "DII Men's Basketball Championship History". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  3. Ford, Mel. "Joel Utley retires after 61 years as the Voice of the Panthers". Owensboro Radio. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. "Home". g-macsports.com.
  5. "Men's Basketball".
  6. "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kentucky Wesleyan Forfeits an Honor". The New York Times. August 7, 2003. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  7. Kentucky Wesleyan Men’s Basketball Record Book (PDF), 2018 Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers Men’s Basketball Record Book”, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Page 31.
  8. https://kwcpanthers.com/documents/2022/6/21/Men_s_Basketball_Record_Book.pdf
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