The Emory men’s basketball program continued its ascension up the Division III ladder during the 2013-14 season with the Eagles establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with both on a regional and national level.  Guided by seventh-year head coach Jason Zimmerman, Emory excited its followers with a bevy of memorable moments and accomplishments that won’t soon be forgotten.

The highlight of the campaign was the squad earning the program’s second straight and third-ever berth to the NCAA D-III Tournament.  Emory was the recipient of one of the two first-round byes in the 62-team field and awarded a second-round home game against Centre College, the regular-season and tournament champions of the Southern Athletic Association.   The unranked Eagles treated the Woodruff PE Center faithful to a 72-62 decision over the 19^th-ranked Colonels, sending them on the road to battle No. 1-ranked UW-Stevens Point in the Round of 16.  

Playing before a sellout crowd of 2,512 at Bennett Court, Emory came away with the most significant win in program history, stunning the favored Pointers by rallying from an eight-point deficit with 6:32 left in regulation to claim an intense 76-73 overtime victory.   Senior Jake Davis hit two momentous three-point field goals in that game, his first coming with 21 seconds in regulation that knotted the score at 64-64 which forced the extra session, and the other coming with just five ticks on the clock that snapped a 73-73 deadlock and propelled the Eagles to their first-ever spot in the Elite Eight.  Emory had another formidable challenge awaiting it with No. 3-ranked UW-Whitewater providing the opposition in the battle to see who would advance to the national semifinals.  In that contest, the Eagles scrapped to a 26-25 halftime lead before the Warhawks took over control in the second half en route to posting a 74-51 victory.  UW-Whitewater would go on to win the D-III national title.

Playing the toughest schedule in Division III, which included playing its first seven contests in road/neutral settings, Emory wound up the season with an overall slate of 19-9, a school-record fifth straight winning season.   Included in the team’s effort was a 9-5 won-lost slate in University Athletic Association action that was good for second place.  The Eagles’ showing in conference affairs marked the fifth consecutive campaign that they had compiled a record of .500 or better as well as finishing third or higher.   Over the past five seasons, Emory has fashioned an overall ledger of 93-37 with the victory total representing the highest win total over a five-year stretch for the program, smashing the 75 triumphs that the Eagles turned in from 1987-88 through 1990-92.  In UAA contests, the Eagles have churned out a 45-25 record over the past five years, with the victory total the second highest among league squads in that stretch. 

A summary of the key highlights from 2013-14 follows:

**Earning the program’s second straight and third-ever appearance to the NCAA D-III Tournament.  The Eagles advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

** Posting the program’s fifth consecutive overall winning season, a first in school history, compiling a 19-9 record.

** The team’s 19 wins tying the fourth-highest seasonal total in program history.

** Ending the year ranked 14^th nationally.

** Having the team earn the program’s third-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team with the 76-73 overtime decision at UW-Stevens Point.  All three of Emory’s wins against top-ranked squads have come during Zimmerman’s tenure as head coach.

** Leading the UAA and ranking 23rd^th nationally among D-III programs in scoring offense with an 82.6 points per-game average.  Emory scored 90 or more points on eight occasions during the year and reached the century mark in four contests.

** Establishing a school record with a 79.6 percent showing at the foul line (480-of-603), with that mark leading the UAA and ranking fourth nationally.

**Setting the pace in the UAA in steals average (8.6 spg), with the team’s total of 241 thefts placing 38^th among all D-III programs.

** Knocking down 214 three-point field goals, the third-highest showing in school annals.  Emory converted 10 or more three-point field goals in eight games including an outing of 15 triples, tying the third-highest game total in program history against Case Western (Jan. 19, 2014).

** Standing first in the UAA and holding down the No. 14 spot in the D-III ranks in turnover margin (4.7).

** Topping all league teams and claiming the No. 24 position nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10.5 tpg).  The Eagles turned in 12 contests of single-digit turnovers.

** Having senior Jake Davis capture Second Team All-America honors as chosen by D3hoops.com, the first Eagle to be named All-American since Tim Garrett in 1990.

** Seeing Jake Davis and senior McPherson Moore rank as the UAA’s top-scoring tandem with the pair averaging 39.1 points per game en route to both of them earning First Team All-UAA recognition. 

** Having Jason Zimmerman establish the program record for most wins by a head coach.  Zimmerman set the record with his 104^th triumph in the Eagles’ 82-74 win at the University of Chicago on Feb. 7, 2014.  Earlier in the season, he notched his 100^th win following a 77-54 decision over Rochester (Jan. 11) in the UAA opener.  In addition, Zimmerman was named by D3hoops.com as the South Region Coach of the Year and was selected as one of 12 finalists for the 2013-14 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Award.

** Finishing with an 8-3 record in games played at the Woodruff PE Center.  Since the 2010-11 season, the Eagles have manufactured an impressive 43-7 won-lost ledger (.860) in home contests.

Jake Davis had a year to remember, setting school season marks in scoring (609 pts.),  scoring average (22.6 ppg) and free throws (168) in becoming the school’s first All-American since 1990.  The 6-foot-5 Davis landed his third First Team All-UAA berth, becoming just the fourth player ever in the program to earn that distinction, after leading the league in scoring while placing among the conference’s top 10 in four categories.   One of Division III’s premier offensive performers, he notched double-figure scoring in 26 of his 27 contests and generated 16 outings of 20 or more points, including five performances of 30 or more points.  Emory’s top scorer in 16 affairs, his career-high 36 points against Washington University (Feb. 9) tied the fourth-highest individual total in school history.   Career-wise, he finished No. 2 on Emory’s all-time lists in points (1,870), scoring average (18.3 ppg), field goals (671) and free throws (409).  Most importantly, Emory compiled an overall record of 78-27 during his four-year career, making him the winningest player in school annals.

McPherson Moore added to the Emory offensive arsenal with his 16.5 points-per-game average second on the Eagles’ score sheet and fourth in the UAA.  The 6-foot-2 Moore brought home First Team All-UAA acclaim after starting 21 of Emory’s 28 games and registering double-digit scoring in 24 contests, including 11 performances of 20 or more points.  One of the conference’s most lethal long-range shooters, Moore drained a team-high 60 three-point field goals, good for eighth place on the school’s seasonal chart, and his 42.3 percent (60-of-142) effort from beyond the arc slotted him the No. 7 spot on the UAA ladder. Moore rattled off 20 or more points in five straight games (Feb. 14 through Mar. 1), becoming the first Emory cager to accomplish that feat since Jeff Hall (Nov. 22 – Dec. 6, 2005).   He concluded his two-year career at Emory in the No. 1 position on the Eagles’ all-time list in three-point shooting with a 43.2 percent effort and was sixth in scoring average (14.2 ppg). 

Junior guard Michael Florin ran the Emory offense with precision, dishing out a total of 155 assists (fourth on school’s seasonal chart) while his 5.5 assists per outing was good for the No. 2 position among UAA players, 24^th in Division III and fifth on the school’s seasonal list.  The 6-foot Florin landed honorable mention All-UAA recognition for the second straight campaign after logging a team-high 31.9 minutes per game (fourth in the UAA), and leading the conference and placing 27^th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.6).  He concluded the season fourth on the squad in scoring (9.8 ppg) and his 41 steals led the team while his 1.5 thefts per game was good for sixth place in the league.

Junior Alex Foster emerged as a key weapon for the Eagles during the second half of the season, coming through with 13 of his 14 double-figure scoring performances over the final 17 games of the campaign.  The recipient of honorable mention All-UAA kudos, the 6-foot-7 Foster shined during league play, averaging 13.3 points along with a team-high 6.3 rebounds per UAA contest that ranked seventh in the conference.  In addition, Foster connected on 92.1 percent of his free throw attempts (35-of-38) in league outings, the UAA’s second-highest mark.   In overall play, he was third on the team with a 10.3 per-game scoring average and second in rebounding (5.4 rpg).