Centenary College Basketball: A Brief History

Centenary college basketball A Brief History provides an overview of the college’s Basketball Program from its early days to its present-day success.

The Early Years: Pre-NCAA

Centenary college basketball dates back to 1907, just two years after the school’s founding. The first team was coached by Robert L. Butt, who led the team to a 7-2 record. In those early years, Centenary was a powerhouse, posting winning records in 15 of its first 18 seasons. Unfortunately, the team did not have much success in post-season play, failing to win a single game in three NCAA tournament appearances and losing in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times.

The success of those early teams paved the way for Centenary to join the newly formed NCAA Division I in 1957. The Gents were led by legendary coach A.L. Williams, who had previously led Louisiana State University (LSU) to a National Championship in 1953. Under Williams, Centenary enjoyed its most successful stretch in program history, making four NCAA Tournament appearances and reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 1960. The Gents also won the Gulf States conference tournament four times during Williams’ tenure.

The NCAA Era

Centenary College of Louisiana has a long and storied Basketball History The program began in 1908, and the team enjoyed great success in the early years, winning numerous conference championships In the 1930s, under the leadership of legendary coach Larrystimitrius Brown, the team became a national powerhouse, appearing in four consecutive NCAA tournaments.

However, success on the court was not matched by success in the classroom, and by the late 1960s Centenary was facing serious financial difficulties. In an effort to save money the college dropped its Basketball Program from Division I to Division III in 1971. The move proved to be short-lived, as Centenary was unable to compete with its Division III rivals and quickly dropped down to Division II.

The current era of Centenary basketball began in 1988, when Head Coach Dave Rice took over the program. Rice led the team to three consecutive conference championships and two NCAA tournament appearances before departing for UNLV in 1992. His successor, Mike Dailey, also had success on the court, leading the team to two more conference championships and another NCAA tournament appearance.

In 2001, Centenary made the move to Division I, joining the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as The Summit League). The college has struggled since making the jump to Division I, posting a winning record only once in fifteen years. However, there have been some bright spots, including an upset win over then-ranked #9 UNLV in 2009 and a trip to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2012.

The Post-NCAA Era

The Centenary College basketball team has a long and storied history, dating back to the early days of the sport. The team has seen many changes over the years, including a stint in the NCAA Division I tournament and several conference championships.

In recent years the team has struggled to find success, but they continue to strive for greatness. The following is a brief history of the Centenary College Basketball team

The Early Years
Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith and it quickly became popular at colleges and universities across the United States Centenary College was one of the early adopters of the sport, fielding their first team in 1897.

The team enjoyed early success, winning their first game against rival Tulane University They would go on to win their first conference championship in 1901.

The Post-NCAA Era
In recent years Centenary College has competed as an independent school, not affiliated with any conference or NCAA regulatory body. This has been a challenge for the team, as they are not eligible for postseason play or national rankings.

Despite these challenges, the team continues to work hard and compete at a high level. They have continued to win conference championships and produce talented players who go on to successful careers in Professional Basketball

The Centenary College Basketball Program Today

The Centenary College Basketball program has a long and storied history. Founded in 1808, Centenary is the oldest college in Louisiana and one of the oldest colleges west of the Mississippi River. The college’s basketball team has a tradition of excellence, having won four National Championships and appearing in the NCAA tournament seven times. The team is currently a Division I member of the Southland Conference

The current head coach of the Centenary College men’s Basketball team is Greg Gary. Coach Gary was hired in April of 2017 and is entering his second season at the helm of the program. Under his leadership, the team has seen a resurgence, posting a winning record in his first season and qualifying for the conference tournament The future is bright for Centenary basketball and we hope to see continued success under Coach Gary’s leadership.

The Centenary College basketball team of the Future

The Centenary College basketball team has a long and storied history. The team has been around for over 100 years, and in that time, they have had some great seasons. The team has won conference championships and made it to the NCAA Tournament In recent years the team has struggled, but the future looks bright. The team has a new coach and some young talented players. The Centenary College basketball team is a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The Centenary college basketball Rivalry with LSU

Centenary College and Louisiana State University have a long-standing basketball rivalry The two schools first played each other in 1906, and the rivalry has been renewed every year since 1925. The game is typically played during the college’s winter break, and is one of the most anticipated games of the season for both schools.

The rivalry began when Centenary College was founded in 1825 as the state’s first college. LSU was not founded until 1853, but quickly rose to prominence as one of the state’s leading educational institutions. The two schools competed in a variety of sports, but it wasn’t until 1906 that they first met on the basketball court

The early years of the rivalry were dominated by Centenary College, which won 14 of the first 20 games between the two schools. However, LSU began to gain an edge in the late 1920s and won 19 of 20 games between 1929 and 1948. Centenary College rebounded in the 1950s and 1960s, winning 11 of 15 games between 1951 and 1966.

The rivalry took on new importance in 1975 when LSU joined the Centenary Conference (now known as the American Athletic Conference). The Conference Tournament was held at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center from 1977 to 1980, with Centenary winning three straight titles. The two schools continued to compete for conference supremacy in the 1980s and 1990s, with LSU winning six conference titles and Centenary winning five.

The rivalry took on a new dimension in 2000 when Centenary joined Division I of the NCAA. The two schools have met every year since then, with LSU winning all 17 games. The most recent meeting was held on December 28, 2016, with LSU coming out on top by a score of 92-64.

The Centenary college basketball Rivalry with Tulane

The Centenary College basketball team has a long-standing rivalry with the team from Tulane University. The two schools are located in the same city, New Orleans, and both have strong basketball programs The rivalry began in the early 1900s and has been renewed each year since then.

The two teams first met on the court in February of 1909, with Tulane winning that game by a score of 24-21. The two teams would meet again the following year, with Centenary winning that game by a score of 22-17. The rivalry continued for many years, with each team winning their fair share of games.

In recent years, Tulane has had the upper hand in the rivalry, winning the last six meetings between the two teams. The most recent meeting between the two teams was in February of 2020, with Tulane winning by a score of 85-77.

Despite Tulane’s recent success in the rivalry, Centenary remains hopeful that they can turn things around and start winning again. Both teams have strong basketball programs and are always looking to improve. It should be an exciting next few years for the Centenary College Basketball team as they continue their rivalry with Tulane University.

The Centenary college basketball Rivalry with Rice

The Centenary college basketball Rivalry with Rice University is one of the most storied rivalries in college basketball The two schools have been competing against each other since 1913 and the rivalry is still going strong today. The two schools are located just a few miles apart in Houston, Texas and the fans of both teams are some of the most passionate in all of college basketball

The rivalry really took off in the early 1920s when both teams were consistently ranked near the top of the national polls. The two teams met in the 1923 NCAA Tournament with Centenary coming out on top, but it was Rice that would have the last laugh. The Owls won four straight games against Centenary from 1924 to 1927 before the Gents finally got back on track with a win in 1928.

The two teams met again in the 1929 NCAA tournament with Rice coming out on top again, but this time it was Centenary that would have the last laugh. The Gents won four straight games against Rice from 1930 to 1933 to take control of the rivalry.

Both teams had great success in the 1940s and 1950s with each team winning multiple conference championships. The two teams met in the 1951 NCAA Tournament with Rice coming out on top again, but this time it was Centenary that would have the last laugh once more. The Gents won five straight games against Rice from 1952 to 1956 to take a commanding lead in the all-time series.

The 1960s were relatively quiet for both teams as they both went through some rebuilding years, but the rivalry heated up again in the 1970s. Both teams enjoyed success in the 1970s with each team winning multiple conference championships and making multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament The two teams met eight times during this decade with each team winning four games apiece.

The 1980s were dominated by Centenary as they won eight straight games against Rice from 1980 to 1987. The 1990s were relatively even as both teams had their moments of success, but it wasCentenary that would end up winning nine out of ten games against Rice from 1990to 1999.

This decade has been dominated by Rice as they have won nine out of ten games against Centenary since 2010. The only loss came in 2013 when Centenary pulled off a stunning upset over then-ranked No. 1 Rice team 68-54.

The Centenary College Basketball Rivalry with SMU

Centenary College and Southern Methodist University (SMU) had a long-standing basketball rivalry that began in 1915 and lasted until the two schools stopped playing each other in 1959. The rivalry was one of the most intense in the West Conference with the two teams often contending for the Conference Championship

The two teams first met on the basketball court in 1915, with Centenary winning 22-21. They would go on to play each other nearly every year for the next 44 years. In total, they played each other 74 times, with Centenary winning 37 of those games.

The rivalry came to an end in 1959 when SMU refused to play Centenary in a game that was scheduled to take place at SMU’s Moody Coliseum. The reason given was that Centenary’s team was not competitive enough. This proved to be the final straw for the already strained relationship between the two schools, and they have not played each other since.

The centenary-SMU rivalry was one of the most intense and longest-running rivalries in West Conference history.

The Centenary College Basketball Rivalry with TCU

In the early years of college basketball there was no greater rivalry than the one between Centenary College and TCU. The two schools met every year from 1922 to 1951, with Centenary holding a commanding lead in the series.

The rivalry began to heat up in the early 1930s, when both teams were consistently ranked in the top 25. The first meeting between the two schools was a men’s game in 1923, which Centenary won handily.

However, it was the women’s teams that really set the tone for the rivalry. In 1933, Centenary’s women’s team defeated TCU in the first ever women’s college basketball game played west of the Mississippi River. The game was so controversial that it made national headlines.

The two schools continued to dominate college basketball in the years that followed, with multiple national championships between them. However, by the 1950s, both schools had begun to experience financial problems. In 1951, they decided to disband their Basketball Programs entirely.

Despite not playing each other for nearly 70 years, the rivalry between Centenary and TCU is still alive and well today. Every year, fans of both schools come together to celebrate their shared history and love of basketball.