Hall of Fame
The 1998-99 and 1999-00 men's basketball teams brought national attention to Lafayette athletics, capturing consecutive Patriot League titles while earning NCAA Tournament berths. For the 1998-99 squad, it marked the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1957. Brian Ehlers '00 hit a buzzer beater to top Colgate in the Patriot League semifinal and Lafayette followed with a 67-63 win in the final over Bucknell in Kirby Sports Center before a national television audience. Lafayette went on to face Miami at the FleetCenter in Boston, Mass. in the NCAA First Round.
Ehlers was named the Patriot League Player of the Year and Patriot League Tournament MVP, joining Ted Cole '99 as an all-conference selection. Fran O'Hanlon grabbed Patriot League Coach of the Year honors and Ehlers and Tim Bieg '01 were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The 1999-00 squad was a prohibitive favorite entering the season, returning Stefan Ciosici '00 and Ehlers, both of whom had previously been conference players of the year. The team set a program record for wins with a 24-7 mark. Hosting the Patriot League Tournament, Lafayette beat Lehigh 66-60 in the semifinal and then ran away to an 87-61 victory over Navy in the championship game. Lafayette went on to play Temple in Buffalo, N.Y. in the NCAA First Round.
Ehlers won his second straight player of the year honor while Ciosici was named Tournament MVP. The duo also garnered All-Patriot League honors and would later be inducted into the Maroon Club Hall of Fame in succeeding years. Ehlers, Ciosici, Bieg and Tyson Whitfield '01 secured spots on the All-Patriot League Tournament Team. Lafayette finished 15th in the nation in three-point percentage and 20th in winning percentage. The team was 12-1 at Kirby Sports Center, winning 18 of its final 20 games overall before the NCAA Tournament. The class of 2000 finished 43-14 in conference play (38-7 from 1998-2000) and was 76-41 overall (65-23 from 1998-00), playing a starring role in John Feinstein's best-selling book, The Last Amateurs.
