When the curtain closed on the 2012-13 season, the Emory men’s basketball team could reflect on a job well done with the squad reaching heights it hadn’t experienced in over 20 years.  Sixth-year head coach Jason Zimmerman saw the fruits of the team’s labor bear many outstanding accomplishments with the Eagles continuing their ascent in the Division III basketball ranks.

The highlight of the campaign was the squad earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament, the first by the Eagles since the 1990 season.  Not only did Emory garner a berth in the postseason, it hosted and captured a first-round game with a decisive 77-56 triumph over Randolph College, sending the club into the Round of 32.  The trip to the NCAAs was set up in part by Emory earning a piece of the University Athletic Association title, the first time since 1990 that the program had walked away with a conference crown.

Emory wound up the season with an overall slate of 20-7, the third time in school history and second in the past three years that it had reached the 20-win plateau.  Included in the team’s effort was a 10-4 won-lost slate in league action that deadlocked it with the University of Rochester and Washington University for the top spot.   Emory entered the final regular-season contest tied for second place with Wash U., one game behind UR.  Playing before a large and energy-filled home crowd, Emory battled its way to the co-championship when it defeated No. 13 Rochester, 72-54.   

The Eagles’ showing in conference affairs marked the fourth consecutive campaign that they had compiled a record of .500 or better, a first in school history.   Over the past four seasons Emory has fashioned an overall ledger of 74-28 with the victory total representing the highest win total over a four-year stretch for the program, surpassing the 66 triumphs that the Eagles turned in from 1987-88 through 1990-91.  In UAA contests, the Eagles have churned out a 36-20 record over the past four years, tying them for the second-highest win total among league squads in that stretch. 

In addition to the information mentioned above, other key highlights from 2012-13 were:

** Posting the program’s fourth consecutive overall winning season, a first in school history.

** The team’s 20 wins tying the 2010-11 squad for the second-highest season win total in school history.

** The 10 victories in UAA action tying the third-highest win total in Eagle annals and representing the fourth time that an Emory team had earned double-digit wins.

** Leading the UAA and ranking 16^th nationally among D-III programs in scoring offense with an 81.4 points per-game average.

** Topping the UAA and holding down the No. 6 position nationally in scoring margin (+14.0).

** Finishing 25^th nationally in free throw percentage (.744).

** Tying for the top spot in the league and standing 39^th nationally and third on the school’s season chart in field goal shooting, connecting on 47.2 percent (815-of-1728) of its attempts.

**Setting the pace among UAA teams and ranking 47^th on the national scene with a 9.6 steals-per-game average, the fifth-best mark in school history.

** Knocking down a total of 211 three-point field goals, the third-highest showing in school history, while its 7.8 triples per game was 49^th nationally.

** Recording 104 blocked shots, tying the second-highest seasonal effort in school history.

** Sinking 17 three-point field goals in a game vs. Piedmont (Dec. 8, 2012), the second-highest game mark in school history, just one of tying the record.

** Cracking the 100-point mark in games vs. Piedmont (109-70 win) and Case Western (106-87 win).

**Registering the program’s second-ever win over a No. 1 team with a 91-82 overtime decision over then top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan (Dec. 30, 2012).

** Seeing two of its players earn, Jake Davis and Alex Greven, earn First Team All-UAA honors while Michael Friedberg was tabbed as a second-team choice.  Davis also earned second-team acclaim on the All-South District Team as chosen by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

** Having Jason Zimmerman chosen as the South District Division III Coach of the Year by the NABC.  In addition, Zimmerman was the recipient of the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Whack Hyder Coach of the Year Award, while garnering UAA Coaching Staff of the Year along with assistants Chris Murphy and Pete Zaharis.

** Finishing with a 12-2 record in games played at the Woodruff PE Center.  Since the 2010-11 season, the Eagles have manufactured an impressive 35-4 won-lost ledger (.897) in home contests.

Junior Jake Davis continued his reputation as one of the top performers both in the UAA and South Region, leading the team and ranking second among UAA players in scoring with his 18.2 points-per-game average good for 56^th place nationally.   A double-figure scorer in 24 of the 25 contests he saw action in, Davis notched 20 or more points on 12 occasions and ended up either leading or sharing for team scoring honors in 14 contests.   His 454 total points made him the most prolific junior scorer in program history and ranked sixth on the school's seasonal list.  The 6-foot-5 Davis ranked among the top 12 in the league in both rebounding (12^th, 5.3 rpg) and field goal shooting (11^th, .504) while holding down the No. 4 position in free throw shooting, connecting on 86.1 percent (62-of-72) from the stripe.  In a January 11 game vs. Washington University, Davis recorded his 1,000^th career point in his 60^th career contest, becoming the fastest player in school history to reach that mark.   Through three seasons of action as an Eagle, he stands as the program’s No. 7 all-time leading scorer with 1,261 points and is second in career scoring average (16.8 ppg).

Senior Michael Friedberg was a consistent performer whose play on the glass and shot-blocking prowess gave the Eagles numerous lifts.  Friedberg, 6-foot-6, wound up the year as the team leader in rebounding with a 6.9 per-game showing that placed fifth among UAA cagers.  He led or shared for team rebounding honors on 13 occasions including eight of the Eagles’ last nine games.  His 181 caroms were good for 12^th on the school’s season list and he capped off his career ranked fourth all-time at Emory with 560 boards.   Friedberg paced the club and the conference, while ranking 24^th nationally in the D-III ranks, in blocked shots (2.3 bpg), and his 61 rejections were the second most in school history.   Career-wise, he ranks as Emory’s all-time leader with 190 blocks and he holds the second-, third- and fourth-highest season marks in that category.

Sophomore Michael Florin assumed the point-guard duties and played a key role in the smooth running of the Emory offense.  The 6-foot Florin landed honorable mention All-UAA recognition after leading the conference and ranking 14^th in Division III with a 5.9 per-game showing in assists.  His 158 assists represented the third-highest seasonal mark in school history while his average placed fourth. Florin topped the league and was seventh nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.98) and bettered that effort with a 3.3 mark in conference action.  His 31.9 minutes per game were second only to Alex Greven (33.0 mpg), and he concluded the season fifth on the team in scoring (7.4 ppg) and third with 40 steals with his 1.5 per-game effort in that category good for fifth place on the UAA chart.

Junior McPherson Moore gave the program a boost following his transfer from Georgia Tech University.  The 6-foot-2 Moore garnered honorable mention All-UAA recognition after appearing in all 27 games, 22 as a starter, and finishing third on the team and 14^th in the UAA in scoring with an 11.8 points-per-game showing.  A double-figure scorer in 16 contests, he ended the year shooting 51.8 percent from the field (116-of-224) with that performance ranking seventh in the league.   Moore kept opposing defenses on their toes with his team-high 44.9 percent effort (35-of-78) from three-point range, good for fifth place in the conference.   He established a school record with 44 straight makes form the foul line, topping the previous standard of 38 held by Austin Claunch.