- Sophomore guard Darren McCrillis uses his ball control to draw a foul from an Arkansas Tech defender. McCrillis' ball handling skills and clutch three-point shooting helped lead the Bisons throughout the season. The men's basketball team overcame several obstacles en route to a 1611 record, Harding's best mark since moving up to NCAA Division II play in 1997. An 8-8 record in Gulf South Conference games was good enough for fourth place in the West Division and a spot in the conference tournament, held in Tupelo, Miss. The Bisons qualified for the tournament in just their second year in the GSC, but Valdosta State made Harding's stay a short one, living up to its No. 1 seed with a 95-73 victory. "It's been a lot of fun, but they were such a tough team," senior Datron Wilson said. "It's sad that it had to end this way." The season got off to a shaky start when four team members were suspended from school for rule violations in the fall. This left the team shorthanded until several of the suspended players returned in the spring. A strong nonconference run, which included a competitive game against Division I Louisiana Tech in November, earned the Bisons a brief stay in the Division II South Region Top 10. But the Bisons couldn't get a break once conference play started in January, as six of their eight GSC losses were by five points or less. "There's been a lot of times during the year that they could have checked it in and given it up," coach Jeff Morgan said. "They've battled all year." Due to the close games, the Bisons needed a win in their final regularseason contest to qualify for the tournament. The team responded with a come-from-behind 79-76 victory over Arkansas Tech in front of a schoolrecord crowd of 3,245. 270 athletics "[The Rhodes Rowdies] are so much a part of the team," Morgan said. "People talk about crowds being the 'sixth man.' They are more than that." Despite the lopsided tournament loss, junior Aaron Farley said the postseason experience will help the team next season. "It was the first time we've been in a tournament in a while, and ... this ought to make us hungry," he said. Farley, who scored 28 points against Tech, was named to the All-GSC First Team for the second year in a row. With only Wilson graduating, the Bisons will look to improve on their 16-11 mark next year. -Ryan Cook Sophomore Chad Ware takes the ball to the basket in an important game against Delta State. Ware finished the game with eight points and four rebounds. IJlD!l !l Photo by Daniel Dubois
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