With a powerful blend of experience, youth, and a bevy of three point shooters, the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team continued the most successful era in the program’s history in 2006-07, with a 16-10 record, and advancement to the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals. Along the way, the Eagles saw senior guard Mike Lee become just the second player in school history to surpass 1,500 points, senior Justin Baker eclipse the 1,000 point mark, and the team defeat eventual NCAA Tournament participants Messiah College, Hood College, and Catholic University.
UMW made at least 15 three point baskets in eight different games, shattering the school mark with 22 (in 40 attempts) in a 100-59 win over Goucher College in February. The Eagles ranked fourth in all of NCAA Division III with 12.5 three pointers per game.
The season opened with an impressive 83-76 win over eventual NCAA Tournament team Messiah College, and then a buzzer-beating win at Dickinson College on a three by A.J. Fitzgerald as time expired. The Eagles continued their extended string of away games with wins at North Carolina Wesleyan College, 85-79, and Marymount University, 73-64, in the CAC opener, before opening the home slate with an impressive 76-60 win over Hood College.
The Eagles then took to the road once again, downing York College in CAC action at the new Grumbacher Center in the closing seconds with free throws by sophomore Matt Hale icing the contest. After falling at Shenandoah University, the Eagles rebounded to top McDaniel College on the road, 76-64. The team’s annual holiday trip was based in Daytona Beach, Florida this winter, and the Eagles split two contests, falling at nationally-ranked NAIA power Embry-Riddle University before topping Allegheny College, 68-61, to move the team’s record to 8-2 as the calendar turned to 2007.
UMW kicked off the new year with a bang, netting 18 three pointers in a 100-66 win at Frostburg State University, marking the first time in eight years that the Eagles netted at least 100 in a road contest. After falling at Salisbury in CAC play, the Eagles topped Gallaudet University and Goucher. A road loss at St. Mary’s interrupted the win streak, but UMW rebounded to defeat Catholic University, 54-46, at Goolrick to remain in first place in the league standings.
With Lee playing with a stress fracture in his foot, the Eagles dropped three straight, including a four-point loss to Marymount and a controversial overtime one point loss at Hood. The Eagles righted the ship with three straight wins to put themselves in the thick of the CAC race, and opened the CAC Tournament with another victory at York, 78-76, setting up another clash, perhaps for the final time, between UMW and Catholic.
With the Cardinals and Goucher leaving the CAC after 2006-07, the final meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals proved to be a classic, with the Cardinals winning by two, 69-67, ending the Eagles’ season with a 16-10 mark, and extending the success that the program has enjoyed over the past five years.
Baker, who was named All-CAC as well as first team CoSIDA Academic All-District, led the team with 14.2 PPG, 8.3 rebounds per game, and also dished out a team-high 102 assists. He earned another great honor by being selected as one of 10 finalists for the Jostens Trophy, given to the nation’s top Division III player.
Lee finished his outstanding career as the second highest scorer in school history, with 1,564 points, and broke all of the school’s three-point shooting marks. Classmate A.J. Fitzgerald, a three-year starter at point guard, also culminated an excellent career by netting 10.2 PPG, including a team-high 68 three pointers. Sophomore transfer Matt Hale showed flashes of brilliance, as he sank the game winning free throws at York, and scored 9.9 PPG, scoring on 46.2% of his three-point attempts.
Freshman Ben Stokes connected on 23-44 three point attempts, promising future success as well. Forwards Kiernan Whitworth and Jon Pierce proved to be very consistent players in the post for the Eagles, with the versatility to defend in the interior, post up, and score on the perimeter as well. Pierce scored 10.9 PPG, and Whitworth added 9.3 PPG, making six Eagles scorers of nine or more points per contest.
Freshmen Kevin Kitching and Billy Mitchell played significant minutes as well, and look to be the foundation of future Eagle success. Despite often being outmanned depth-wise and height-wise, the most obvious trait of this team was its heart. Despite the lack of a true post game, the Eagles grabbed exactly the same number of rebounds as its opponents in 2006-07 (35.4 per game), with only six players playing more than 10 minutes per game. The intense preseason and in-season workouts proved to make the squad tougher and in better shape than most opponents, which led to victories.