Greatest Moment No. 7: February 13, 1994
We continue with the announcement of the 10 Greatest Moments in Oglethorpe Athletic history as voted on by Stormy Petrel fans and alumni by revealing Moment No. 7.
Moment No. 7: February 13, 1994
The Oglethorpe University men's basketball team wins the school's first ever Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in dramatic fashion as senior Brian Davis banks in a three-pointer off the glass at the buzzer to stun the Trinity University Tigers in overtime in the Dorough Field House, 72-71.
The Stormy Petrels entered the game against Trinity riding a twelve game winning streak and stood at 18-3 on the season with a perfect 10-0 record in SCAC play. Head Coach Jack Berkshire knew going into the contest against the arch-rival Tigers that an Oglethorpe victory meant clinching the school's first SCAC title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. What he didn't know was the fashion in which the Petrels would do so.
The two teams battled to a stalemate after the first forty minutes and, with the score still tied, the game headed into overtime. The Petrels found themselves in a precarious position, trailing Trinity 71-69 with less than 10 seconds remaining with the Tigers having a man at the free throw line. During a timeout, Coach Berkshire instructed a team that included four future Oglethorpe Hall of Famers - Davis ‘94, Cornell Longino '96, Andy Schutt '96 and Ryan Vickers '98 - how to attack the Tigers following a made or missed free throw.
The free throw was missed and what happened in the next 10 seconds became part of Oglethorpe athletic lore. Davis corralled the rebound and hit guard Tripp Pierson with an outlet pass. Pierson raced up the court but picked up his dribble on the left wing 25 feet from the hoop. As the Trinity defenders swarmed Pierson, he made the only pass he could - to his trailer on the play: Brian Davis. With the clock set to expire and to the surprise of his teammates, Davis rose from the top of the key to attempt the first three-pointer of his career. The shot hurtled towards the basket and to the delight of the Stormy Petrel faithful, caromed off the backboard into the net to give Oglethorpe an improbable 72-71 OT victory and a berth in the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
The Stormy Petrels went on to host their first NCAA Tournament game in school history, a 91-79 loss to Hampden Sydney to finish the season at 20-6 and the champions of the SCAC. Davis led the conference in field goal percentage (.635) for the second straight season and was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player-of-the-Year for his efforts.
The accompanying photo shows the 1993-1994 men's basketball team at their postseason banquet with their championship trophy on full display. Davis is the third man standing on the stairs on the left in glasses behind assistant men's basketball coach at the time, Jim Owen, in the dark golf shirt. Schutt is standing in the center of the photo on the back row in a dark button down shirt and Pierson is standing directly to his left. Longino is standing on the right stairs directly behind Head Coach Berkshire in the suit. Vickers is seated on the second row of the stairs behind Jim Bowling who is holding the championship trophy.
Greatest Moment No. 6 will be announced next Friday, March 12. The number one moment will be announced during Alumni Weekend festivities April 16-18 at the April 17 Stormy Petrel Athletic Buffet being held in the Dorough Field House. For more information about Alumni Weekend or to register, visit www.alumni.oglethorpe.edu.
