2010-11 MEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP

The 2010-11 edition of the Emory men’s basketball program enjoyed a breakout season that featured numerous highlights both on a team and individual basis.  The foundation laid in previous seasons by head coach Jason Zimmerman paid  dividends with the squad garnering recognition on league, regional and national levels.

For the record, the Eagles chalked up an overall record of 20-5, the second-winningest season in school annals.  The team’s victory total represented just the second 20-win effort by an Emory team and the first since 1989-90 (25-4).  In addition, the team continued its climb up the University Athletic Association ladder, battling to an 11-3 slate that represented the second-highest win count in school history.  Picked to finish fifth in the UAA Preseason Poll, Emory recorded its best showing in the league since 1990 (1^st) when it finished runner-up to Rochester.  The Eagles came away with a 4-3 performance in conference road games, the most wins on enemy courts since 2000-01.  Included in the four league road victories were wins at Washington University and the University of Chicago (Jan. 14 & 16, 2011), just the fourth time in UAA history that a team had posted a sweep on the ‘Midwest Trip.’ Combined with the 2009-10 club’s final mark of 15-10, Emory notched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since a three-year stretch dating from 1987-88 through 1989-90.

In addition to its final win total, other high points from 2010-11 included the following:

** Racking up the highest total of home wins in school history, outscoring the opposition by a 90.5-77.0 per-game margin, en route to finishing with a 13-1 record at the Woodruff PE Center.

** Staring out with a 7-0 record for just the third time in school history and first since the 2002-03 season.

** Earning the program’s first-ever inclusion to the D3hoops.com top 25 Poll since it was initiated in 1999-2000 when it was ranked 24^th on Dec. 25 and 23^rd on Dec. 12.  The Eagles ended the regular season ranked 27^th among Division III squads.

** Ranking first among UAA Teams and 14^th nationally in scoring offense with the team’s 83.6 points per game mark the third-highest average in school history.  The Eagles also topped the league in scoring for conference games (83.1 ppg).

** Leading the UAA and ranking second nationally with a school-record 79.0 percent mark (458-of-580) from the foul line.

** Topping the UAA with a school-record 8.8 three-point field goals per game, good for 15^th place nationally.  The Eagles set a school seasonal record with 219 treys. 

** Leading the UAA and holding down the No. 33 spot nationally in scoring margin (+9.4)   The Eagles posted 11 victories of 10 or more points, six of those coming in UAA affairs.

**Leading the UAA and ranking 42^nd nationally in the always important category of turnover ratio (+3.28).

** Leading the UAA with a 7.7 steals per-game average.

** Compiling a 7-2 record in the month of January, just the sixth time in school history that the Eagles had chalked up seven or more wins in a month. 

** Seeing one of its players earn First Team All-UAA acclaim while two others garnered second-team recognition, one of whom was also tabbed as the league’s Rookie of the Year.

** Having two players, Alex Greven and Alex Gulotta earn spots on the Capital One Academic All-District First Team. 

Junior Austin Claunch continued to demonstrate outstanding leadership skills as well as heady floor play and brought home First Team All-UAA honors for the second straight year. Also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-South Region Second Team, Claunch topped both the team and UAA, and ranked third nationally, with a school seasonal mark of 7.4 assists per game.  In addition to his assists average, he paced the league in steals (1.9 spg), free throw percentage (.875), minutes (36.4 mpg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.0).  His free throw percentage effort placed sixth on Emory's seasonal list and was 22nd nationally.  He was named by the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association as the Division III Player of the Year and his  total of 186 assists established an Emory seasonal record.

Sophomore Alex Greven emerged was a valuable contributor and, like Claunch, started all 25 games.  No. 2 on the squad and No. 8 among UAA players in scoring (14.5 ppg), Greven brought home Second Team All-UAA kudos.  A double-figure scorer in 20 games, including four performances of 20 or more points, Greven was a Georgia Basketball Coaches Association Second Team All-State pick. His 31-point outburst against Methodist (Dec. 4) in an 88-82 victory enabled him to claim UAA Player of the Week honors and was the  first time since Dec. 15, 2007, that an Emory player (Spiros Ferderigos) had reached the 30-point plateau. Finally, he placed second on the club, fourth on the UAA chart and 74^th nationally in free throw percentage (.833).

Jake Davis made a huge impact on the fortunes of the ’10-11 team, playing in all 25 games, three as a starter, and finished third on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.5 rpg) en route to Second Team All-UAA honors.  The 6-foot-5 Davis became the first Emory cager to earn UAA Rookie of the Year honors after leading all league freshmen in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage (.830). A Second Team All-State honoree as selected by the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association, Davis posted 18 outings of double-figure scoring and his 332 points represented the third-highest total ever turned in by an Emory freshman.

Alex Gulotta burst on the scene his junior year and gave the Eagles’ offense a big lift as one of the Division III’s most dangerous outside shooters.  The 6-foot-1 marksman nabbed Honorable Mention All-UAA status after ranking third in the league and 10^th nationally with a 45.8 percent mark from three-point range.  He knocked down 71 from beyond the arc, the third-highest mark in school history, and his 2.8 makes per game from distance topped the loop and stood 38^th nationwide.  The owner of 14 double-figure scoring affairs, among his many highlights was tying the Eagles’ single-game standard with eight treys against Guilford.

Julien Williams closed out a four-year career by earning Honorable Mention All-UAA acclaim, starting in all 25 games and averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing with his rebounding effort good for third place on the team.  The 6-foot-2 Williams enjoyed a strong second half of the season, scoring in double figures in nine of his last 11 games, and concluded the conference portion of the schedule shooting 57.4 percent from the floor, good for first place on the team and fourth on the league ladder.  Career-wise, he appeared in 97 games, 86 as a starter, and grabbed a total of 470 rebounds, good for 13^th place all-time at Emory.