Aerial shot of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Harry Fodder: Meet East Tennessee State University
Monday, March 13, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Some fun facts about UF's first-round NCAA Tournament opponent .
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — So it'll be East Tennessee State vs. Florida in Thursday's first-round play of the NCAA East Region in Orlando. Raise your hand if you know the obvious connection between the two schools. ETSU is located in Johnson City, Tenn., the city that gave the Gators none other than the guy whose name is now on the UF football stadium. Steve Spurrier, out of Johnson City Science Hill High, never even considered staying home to play football at the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers ran the single wing. He came to Florida because the Gators threw the ball.
And now Johnson City and UF will cross paths again.
Raise your hand if you know who the "ABC" ("Ambassador Ball Coach") will be rooting for. Never mind.
Here's a look at East Tennessee State:
About ETSU
Location: Johnson City, Tenn.
Founded: 1911 (Originally as a K-12 school, then became a college in 1925)
Enrollment: 14,500 (est.)
Division I Sports: 17
Nickname: Buccaneers
Mascot: "Bucky"
Colors: Blue and Gold
Conference: Southern
About the Buccaneers
Coach: Steve Forbes (51-19 in two seasons; 28-8 in SoCon)
2016-17 record: 25-7
Scouting report: The Bucs, who have started the same lineup (all upperclassmen) for all but two games, had a season-ending RPI of 53, which rated better than eight Southeastern Conference teams and just one spot behind Georgia, which wound up in the NIT. ... They average nearly 80 points per game (79.9) and are one of the best shooting teams in the nation, ranking 13th in field-goal percentage (.491), third in 3-point percentage (.383) and third in free throws attempted (24.7 pg). ETSU also fouls a lot (21.2 pg), which illustrates its aggressive style on the defensive end. ... Guard T.J. Cromer (6-3, 195, Sr.) averaged 19.1 points while shooting 45.4 percent from the floor and 40.4 from the 3-point line, with a staggering 103 treys on the season (that's 32 more makes from deep than KeVaughn Allen, UF's best 3-point shooter). ... Backcourt mate Desonta Bradford (6-4, 190, Jr.) added 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds, while hitting 47.4 from the floor and 35.4 from 3. ... The Bucs go 6-9 and 6-8 in the front court, with their most productive big being Tevin Glass (6-8, 220, Sr.), who averaged 8.9 points and 6.2 boards.
NCAA appearances (10): 1968, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2017.
Round of 32: 1968, 1992
Sweet 16: 1968
Greatest player in school history: Keith "Mister" Jennings was a 1991 second-team All-American and winner of the Naismith Award as the nation's best player under 6 feet after leading the country in 3-point shooting at 59 percent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Golden State Warriors and played in the NBA for three seasons.
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NCAA highlight: The year after Jennings left, the 14th-seed Buccaneers ousted 3-seed Arizona 87-80 in first-round tournament play at Atlanta. ETSU went 13-for-25 from the 3-point line and were in command the entire game, with the Wildcats — behind the backcourt of future NBA players Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves — getting to within four inside a minute remaining before the Bucs put the game away.
NCAA heartbreak: As a No. 16-seed in the 1989 tournament, ETSU threw one of the all-time No. 1-seed scares at Oklahoma before falling 72-71 at Memorial Gym in Nashville. The Buccaneers, with Jennings at the point, had a 17-point first-half lead, but the Sooners got 28 points from All-American Stacy King and another 15 from Mookie Blaylock to avoid an upset for the ages. The Sooners didn't take the lead until the final 1:31 of the game.
Did you know? ETSU was the proving ground for a couple high-profile coaches from a few decades back. Sonny Smith left the Buccaneers in 1978 to coach at Auburn, where he eventually tutored Charles Barkley. In 1989, Les Robinson left ETSU to take over for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State.
Notable Alumni
Donnie Abraham, cornerback Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.
Barry Bales, bass player and vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Timothy Busfield, actor and director.
Kenny Chesney, four-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.
Besse Cooper, oldest person in the world from June 2011-December 2012 at 116 years at death.
Patrick Cronin, actor.
Neil Cusack, 1974 Boston Marathon winner.
Earl Ferrell, St. Louis Cardinals running back (1982-89).
J.C. Snead, PGA Tour golfer.
Mike Smith, defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Players Mentioned
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