Men's basketball season ends with pride
James Oswald
Issue date: 3/26/09 Section: Sports
Although the best season in Capital men's basketball history ended without a national championship, there are plenty of accomplishments they can be proud of.
The Crusaders reached several milestones as a team during the 2008-09 season; the most noteworthy is setting a school-record for most wins in a season with 26 and a perfect 15-0 record at home.
The record for most victories in a season is an exclamation point on an incredible three-year run for the program that includes two OAC regular-season titles, three consecutive NCAA tournament berths and a combined 69 wins during that time.
This season, Capital hosted an NCAA tournament game for the second straight year and advanced to the sectional round of the tournament for the second time in the program's history.
Along with all of the team achievements, there were several individual feats as well.
Head Coach Damon Goodwin was named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, and his players also piled up the accolades in the record-breaking season.
Senior guard Nate Stahl will leave Capital as the most decorated player in program history.
Stahl was selected to the All-OAC First Team for three consecutive seasons and was the conference player of the year the past two.
Stahl was also named the Great Lakes Region Player of the year and was a First Team All-American. His career points total makes him the second leading scorer in Capital history.
Joining Stahl on the All-OAC First Team was his backcourt mate, senior guard Ryan Wood.
Wood was also a Great Lakes Region Second Team pick and both players are members of the 1,000 point club for their careers.
All of the on-court accomplishments are great, but even more impressive is the Crusaders' commitment to excellence in the classroom.
Wood and Senior Casey Brown were All-OAC academic honorees, while senior Jake Fanning was an Honorable Mention pick. Goodwin made note of his team's dedication to academics.
"They take great pride in doing well academically," Goodwin said. "I'm very proud to be associated with this group of young men."
The most compelling moment of the season likely came in an NCAA second round game March 7th against Wooster in The Capital Center.
After Wooster tied the score with nine seconds to play, sophomore guard D.J. Frazier went the length of the floor to score the game-winning basket with a second to play to send the Crusaders to the round of 16.
According to Goodwin, the seven members of the class of '09 were a well-rounded group that will be tough to replace.
"All seven players have brought something unique to our program," Goodwin said.
Losing nearly 80% of the offensive production will hurt, but Goodwin is already looking forward to next seasons challenge.
"We have already named our captains for next season," Goodwin said. "I have great confidence in our returning players' ability and their hard work."
joswald@capital.edu
The Crusaders reached several milestones as a team during the 2008-09 season; the most noteworthy is setting a school-record for most wins in a season with 26 and a perfect 15-0 record at home.
The record for most victories in a season is an exclamation point on an incredible three-year run for the program that includes two OAC regular-season titles, three consecutive NCAA tournament berths and a combined 69 wins during that time.
This season, Capital hosted an NCAA tournament game for the second straight year and advanced to the sectional round of the tournament for the second time in the program's history.
Along with all of the team achievements, there were several individual feats as well.
Head Coach Damon Goodwin was named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, and his players also piled up the accolades in the record-breaking season.
Senior guard Nate Stahl will leave Capital as the most decorated player in program history.
Stahl was selected to the All-OAC First Team for three consecutive seasons and was the conference player of the year the past two.
Stahl was also named the Great Lakes Region Player of the year and was a First Team All-American. His career points total makes him the second leading scorer in Capital history.
Joining Stahl on the All-OAC First Team was his backcourt mate, senior guard Ryan Wood.
Wood was also a Great Lakes Region Second Team pick and both players are members of the 1,000 point club for their careers.
All of the on-court accomplishments are great, but even more impressive is the Crusaders' commitment to excellence in the classroom.
Wood and Senior Casey Brown were All-OAC academic honorees, while senior Jake Fanning was an Honorable Mention pick. Goodwin made note of his team's dedication to academics.
"They take great pride in doing well academically," Goodwin said. "I'm very proud to be associated with this group of young men."
The most compelling moment of the season likely came in an NCAA second round game March 7th against Wooster in The Capital Center.
After Wooster tied the score with nine seconds to play, sophomore guard D.J. Frazier went the length of the floor to score the game-winning basket with a second to play to send the Crusaders to the round of 16.
According to Goodwin, the seven members of the class of '09 were a well-rounded group that will be tough to replace.
"All seven players have brought something unique to our program," Goodwin said.
Losing nearly 80% of the offensive production will hurt, but Goodwin is already looking forward to next seasons challenge.
"We have already named our captains for next season," Goodwin said. "I have great confidence in our returning players' ability and their hard work."
joswald@capital.edu
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