The 2014-15 Emory men’s basketball program continued its ascension up the Division III ladder with the Eagles establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with both on a regional and national level. 

The Eagles closed out the year with an overall record of 22-6 with the win total the second-highest in program history.   After being picked to finish fourth in the conference’s preseason poll, Emory captured the University Athletic Association title, the school’s fourth-ever league crown with a 10-4 record.   The league title enabled Emory to land an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III Tournament, its third straight and fourth-ever trip to the postseason. The Eagles advanced to the Round of 16 after hosting and winning NCAA opening-round games against Spalding University (88-59) and No. 13 Whitworth (85-84), before seeing their season end at eventual national champ UW-Stevens Point.  Emory ended the year ranked No. 7 nationally by D3hoops.com.

Emory opened the season with four straight wins over South Region foes, including a two-point decision at home over Guilford College.  Following a two-point setback at Piedmont College, the Eagles rattled off five straight victories, two of which came against fellow Round of 16 members Bates College (84-65) and Virginia Wesleyan (77-64).   Emory opened league play with a victory at Rochester, snapping a 13-game losing streak on the Yellowjackets’ home floor, then split its next six outings that left it with a 4-3 ledger at the halfway point of the UAA schedule.  The Eagles then closed the regular season with a flourish, capturing six of seven contests that included home wins over then No. 14 Washington University and the University of Chicago.   A 75-63 triumph at Carnegie Mellon on Feb. 22 clinched a share of the conference crown while a decisive 88-69 outcome over Rochester allowed Emory to claim the title outright.

Emory employed a potent scoring attack that led the UAA and ranked 28th in the D-III ranks at 79.7 points per game.  Senior Alex Foster, tabbed as the UAA Player of the Year, topped all conference players in point production tossing in 20.1 points per outing with that mark 30th in the D-III ranks and third on the program’s seasonal chart.  The 6-foot-8 Foster scored in double figures in 26 of the squad’s 28 contests and produced 15 performances of 20 or more points.   Foster closed out his career in the No. 12 position on the program's all-time scoring ladder with 1,097 points.  He notched his 1,000th point on Feb. 20, 2015 , against Case Western Reserve. Foster was recognized for his outstanding play, earning a First Team All-America selection as picked by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) while earning a third-team nod by D3hoops.com.  

Senior Michael Florin ran the Emory offense from his point post and averaged 5.8 assists per game, good for the No. 2 spot on the UAA chart and 13^th in the D-III ranks.  A First Team All-UAA honoree, Florin capped off a fine four-year run in the program in No. 2 position on the school’s all-time chart with 509 assists. 

Emory, the UAA leader with an average of 9.1 three-point field goals per game, boasted a host of players with the ability to hit from beyond the arc.  Foster leads the group with 71 triples,  tying the third-highest seasonal mark in school history,  while junior Will Trawick (59), a Second Team All-UAA pick, sophomore Jonathan Terry (43) and junior Davis Rao (39) all hurting the opposition from distance.  All four ranked among the UAA’s top 14 in three-point percentage.

While its offensive firepower was impressive, Emory’s play on the defensive end of the floor came up big on numerous occasions throughout the year.  Senior Josh Schattie, named the UAA Defensive Player of the Year, topped the league in steals with a 1.9 per-game average and registered 15 games of two or more thefts.   The conference leader with an average of 8.1 steals per outing, the Eagles recorded 10 games of 10 or more thefts which helped them enjoy an edge in the points-off-turnovers category in 16 of the last 17 and in a total of 22 games during the year.

Head coach Jason Zimmerman, along with assistants Chris McHugh, Pete Zaharis and Chad Hixon were recognized by their peers and chosen as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Other noteworthy accomplishments by the 2014-15 team included:

** Pacing the league and standing 38^th among all D-III programs in scoring margin (+10.0), winning a total of 16 contests by double figures.

** Knocking down a school-record 256 three-point field goals.  Emory sank 10 or more triples on 12 occasions including a season-high 15 vs. LaGrange College (Nov. 29), which tied the third-highest game total in school history.

** Leading the UAA with 227 total steals

** Ranking 37^th nationally in three-point field goals per game (9.1 tpg)

** Having a total of five players earn All-UAA recognition

** The team’s 10 wins in UAA action representing the fifth time in the school’s 28-year history that it had posted double-figure win, three of which have come during Zimmerman’s tenure.

** The team’s No. 7 final ranking, the program’s highest-ever year end finish.

** Compiling a 15-1 won-lost mark at the Woodruff PE Center.  At the conclusion of the ’14-15 season, the Eagles had registered a 58-8 record in their last 66 home encounters.  During Zimmerman’s eight-years at the helm of the program, Emory has manufactured a 76-24 slate on its home floor. 

Honors and Awards