The 2002-03 men's basketball season at Mary Washington College promised to be one of the best in school history, with all five starters returning, including three seniors who had played extensively for three years. Add in a talented group of newcomers, and the Eagles knew from the start that they had all the ingredients for a special season.
Even those lofty expectations seemed modest after a 24-5 season that saw the Eagles win the Capital Athletic Conference championship, defeat Division One Virginia Military Institute, and advance to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
The Eagles, who were ranked nationally throughout the season, began the season by defeating nationally ranked Cabrini College, a 2002 NCAA Tournament
team. After a loss, MWC reeled off a school record ten wins, including CAC wins over Marymount University and York College of PA, the historic 60-56 win at VMI, and the Emory & Henry College Tournament championship. Perhaps most impressive is that seven of the Eagles' first ten wins came away from Goolrick Gymnasium, one of the best home courts in the region. The Eagles finished 11-1 at home in 2002-03, often before overflow crowds.
After a loss at Catholic in the second game back from semester break, head coach Rod Wood's Eagles then won another five straight, all against CAC opponents. Included in that streak were home wins over St. Mary's College and Gallaudet University, a decisive win at Salisbury University, and a thrilling, come-from-behind win at home against Goucher College. The streak reached five with a 29-point win over York College on alumni day, as the Eagles cracked the 100-point plateau in a 101-72 victory.
The next three game stretch saw the Eagles get upset at Marymount University and escape with a victory at Villa Julie. The third game that week, a loss to Catholic, was perhaps the toughest of the regular season, as MWC overcame an eight point halftime deficit to regain the lead in the final minutes, only to
fall by a narrow 62-58 margin. Fortunately for the Eagles it would also be their last loss of the regular season.
Mary Washington closed the regular season with a four-game winning streak, including conference road wins at Gallaudet, Goucher, and St. Mary's, as well as a 20-point home win on senior day over Salisbury. The Eagles entered the CAC Tournament as the second seed, but had to play three games in four days entering the tourney.
MWC downed St. Mary's, 82-69, in the first round of the CAC Tournament, and then downed Goucher, 75-61, before a raucous crowd at Goolrick to advance to the CAC Championship game for the first time.
The Eagles visited Catholic University with the conference title on the line, and after nearly letting a nine-point second half lead evaporate, held on for a historic 70-68 win for the CAC championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament before a crowd of several thousand fans, many of whom made the trip from Fredericksburg.
Coach Wood's Eagles visited Alvemia College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and fell to the host Crusaders, 58-53, closing the most successful chapter in MWC basketball history. Among the many highlights from the season, several stand out. Senior forward Dan Dupras earned All-CAC honors for the third
straight season, and became the eleventh player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau, a mark he passed in the season opening win over Cabrini College. Dupras finishes his career in fourth place in career scoring at MWC, with 1,350 points. Classmate Brett Lively joined Dupras in the 1,000-point club in the regular season home finale against Salisbury, as he connected on three straight shots in the second half to become the twelfth member in school history to
surpass the benchmark.
Junior Evan Fowler emerged as one of the best point guards in the nation, ranking in the top ten in all of Division III in assists all season. His increased offensive output gave the Eagles five outside shooting threats, along with Dupras, Lively, junior Erik Rodriguez, and sophomore transfer Jon Hurd. Senior Cris Hairston's scoring, rebounding, and athleticism made him one of the top players in the conference. An All-CAC pick, Hairston's showstopping slam dunks kept Eagle fans in a frenzy in every game.
One characteristic that separated the 2002-03 team from others at MWC was the outstanding depth that the Eagles possessed. In addition to Rodriguez, who ranked among CAC leaders in three-point shooting, MWC could turn to talented reserves such as Kevin Moore, Ian Sumers, Mike Mattson, Paul Monica and Mike Moore to not only hold leads, but extend them with the starters on the bench. Also impressive was the Eagles depth, as every starter averaged between 8.5 and 12.6 PPG, and eight players averaged double figures in minutes played.