It's more than basketball. It's a celebration, 50 years in the making.
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is commemorating its 50th Annual Basketball Tournament by throwing a party. All former Concord and WVIAC players, coaches, cheerleaders and support staffers are invited to the soiree, which will be held on March 6th – the tournament's Championship Saturday -- at the Charleston Civic Center Arena.
Concord basketball alumni wishing to attend the event are requested to register in the upper lobby at the Civic Center starting at 4:00 pm on March 6th. For more details, including how and where to register on the day of the celebration, click here: www.wviac.org/news/2010/1/4/50yrsannouncement.aspx
Any former Mountain Lion men's basketball personnel interested in attending the 50th Anniversary celebration are asked to contact head coach Steve Cox at (304) 384-5330 or coxse@concord.edu.
The 50th Anniversary tournament logo was designed by Jessica Ferguson, a star for Concord for three seasons ending in 2006. Ferguson now operates Color Wheel Graphics in Summerville, WV, and remains involved with Concord as a photographer.
The WVIAC Basketball Tournament is one of the oldest conference tournaments in the nation, going back to 1935.
CONCORD'S MEN'S BASKETBALL: WVIAC HISTORY
The Mountain Lions have won five WVIAC Tournament championships and have been runners-up five times.
Concord claimed its first championship in 1979 – after finishing in 10th place during the regular season. The Mountain Lions defeated Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) 64-52 in the title game.
Concord's second championship came in 1989. The Mountain Lions were the second seed, and defeated top-seeded Wheeling Jesuit 88-86 in the final.
Championship #3 came as the #3 seed in 1991. Concord defeated Salem-Teikyo (now Salem International University) 110-91.
Concord claimed its two most recent titles as a number-five seed. In 1995, Concord claimed the championship with an 82-72 win over Glenville State. In 1997, the Mountain Lions defeated the University of Charleston 71-59.
The Mountain Lions finished as runners-up in 1936, 1941, 1982, 1990 and 1998. Concord also played in the since-discontinued Consolation game in 1965 and 1976.
Concord has had 30 players on WVIAC All-Tournament teams. Eight players earned the honor multiple times and five players won the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
Three Mountain Lions were three-time All-Tournament team members:
Tracy Poindexter (1981, 1982, 1983)
Todd Lusk (1989, 1990, 1991)
Ron Ward (1990, 1991, 1992). Ward was tournament MVP in 1991.
Five players twice made the All-Tournament team, with Kelly Mann earning the MVP in each of his two appearances (1997 & 1998).
Other two-time honorees:
Lewis D'Antoni (1936 & 1937)
Jim McNeish (1940 & 1941)
Julius Lockett (1989 & 1990, including the MVP in '89)
Carl Booker (1995 & 1996)
Jon Griffin (1997 & 1998)
Concord's other tournament MVP's were Will Johnson (now Concord's assistant basketball coach and head golf coach) in 1979, and Thad Breckenridge in 1995.
The other Concord players to be named to the All-Tournament Team were Bill Roney (1936), Paul Adamos (1941), Denver Lowe (1954), Don Mikush (1955), Ted Shepherd (1963), Jim Davidson (1965), Don Van Deusen (1967), Bill Smith (1973), John Hudson (1976), Randy Jennings (1979), Scott Ellis (1982), Scott Goings (1991), Todd Keffer (1992), Jeff Suto (1995), Dan Hicks (1997), James Doyle (1998), Sterling Tate (1998), Tyrone Anderson (2007) and Dannie Parker (2007).
CONCORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: WVIAC HISTORY
The WVIAC Women's Tournament is a more recent event, starting in 1978. The conference did not name a tournament MVP until 1996.
Concord has one championship. In 1987, as the #7 seed, the Lady Lions defeated Glenville State 63-51.
Concord reached the tournament semi-finals in 1990, 2002 and 2007.
Two Lady Lions were two-time All-Tournament honorees:
Karen Browning (1987 & 1990)
Jina Skinner (1991 & 1992)
Concord's other All-Tournament players were Tracy Fletcher (1987), Terri Hurley (1987), Pam Vass (1990), Terri Lovejoy (1995), Crystal Kestner (2002), Shari Walker (2007), current CU assistant coach Jamie Cluesman (2007) and Samm Nester (2008).
