The 2009-10 Emory men's basketball  team continued its steady improvement, turning in a noteworthy campaign that saw the team and individual players turn in many highlights.  

Third-year head coach Jason Zimmerman saw his squad finish with an overall mark of 15-10 which represented the Eagles' first winning campaign since 2004-05.  In addition, the team's 7-7 won-lost slate in University Athletic Association play was the best showing in league play since 2000-01 as was its third-place finish.  Emory, picked for eighth place in the UAA Preseason Coahes' Poll, battled to three league road wins, the best effort by the program since 2000-01 (4-3), and when the Eagles topped NYU (Jan. 22) and Brandeis (Jan. 24) on the the road, it represented the first time since Jan. 24-26, 2003, that the Eagles had notched back-to-back league road triumphs on enemy courts.

In addition to its final win total, other high points from 2009-10 included the following:

** Leading the UAA and ranking 18th nationally with a 39.5 percent average in three-point field goal percentage. 

** Setting a school seasonal record with 208 three-point field goals.

** Leading the UAA and ranking 19th nationally with an average of 8.3 three-point field goals per game.

**Pacing all conference clubs with a 76.2 points per-game average, good for 67th position on the national scene.

** Establishing a school seasonal record with an average of just 11.5 turnovers per game, good for 13th place nationally.

** Earning votes in the Jan. 26 & Feb. 2 D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, the first time since Nov. 28, 2004, that an Emory team had been recognized.

** Compiling a 7-2 record in the month of January, just the fifth time that the Eagles had chalked up seven or more wins in a month and the first time since 1993.

** Connecting on 73.8 percent of its attempts from the foul line, second in the UAA and the third-highest showing in school history.

** Seeing one of its players earn All-UAA First Team recognition while two others garnered honorable-mention status.

** Enjoying the school's second-best 17-game start at 13-4 while its 5-1 slate through six UAA contests also was the second-best effort in league affairs.

Sophomore Austin Claunch came into his own, running the Emory offense with the skill of a long-time veteran from his point guard post.  The 5-foot-9 Claunch landed All-UAA First Team honors after ranking among the league's top 10 performers in six statistical categories.  A starter in all 25 games, he topped the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and established a school seasonal record with 151 assists.  His 6.0 per-game effort in assists also set an Emory mark and placed him 10th nationally among D-III cagers.  Claunch paced the league  and was No. 5 nationally with a glittering 90.4 percent  showing from the free throw line, the third-best effort in school annals. A double-figure scorer on 19 occasions, he tossed in a team-high 12.6 points while logging a league-high 36.0 minutes per contest.

Senior Daniel Curtin enjoyed a  solid final campaign, averaging a career-high 10.6 points per game, good for the No. 2 spot on the team, en route to All-UAA honorable mention recognition.  A starter in all 25 contests, he continued his reputation as one the league's top long-range shooters, setting the club standard with 39 three-point field goals while his career-high 43.8 percent (39-of-89) effort from beyond the arc was second both on the team and in the UAA. A double-figure scorer in 11 games, he connected on a career-best 47.3 percent of his field goal attempts, good for 15th position on the UAA ladder.  Career-wise, Curtin finished No. 8 on the school's all-time list with 122 three-point field goals and was ninth on the  Eagles' career chart in three-point field goal percentage (.370).

Two other seniors who figured prominently in the team's fortunes were Chad Hixon and Anthony Fernandez.  The 6-foot-3 Hixon started 23 of the 24 games he saw action in and tied for third on the club's scoresheet (8.5 ppg), while his team-high 6.3 per-game mark in rebounding ranked seventh among UAA players.  An All-UAA honorable mention pick, the second-year performer averaged 28.8 minutes per playing stint, second highest on the squad, and stood as Emory's top rebounder on 13 occasions.  Hixon, played in a total of 49 affairs as an Eagle and finished eighth on the school's career list in rebound average (6.2 rpg). Fernandez, who started a total of 37 games as a sophomore and junior, gave the Eagles' numerous lifts off the bench on 2009-10, averaging 17.5 minutes and 7.3 points per outing.  Fernandez scored in double digits in eight games and either led or shared for the team's scoring lead in three games.   Fernandez closed out his college career in 15th place on Emory's all-time scoring (886 pts) list and was 16th in rebounding (368). 

A host of underclassmen made their presence known and will be looking for bigger and better things in 2010-11.  Some of those returnees include Julien Williams (8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg),  Alex Greven (8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg), Corey Spraggins (5.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg),  Alex Gulotta (5.6 ppg, 36 3-pt FGs) and Michael Friedberg (5.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg).