Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball
Men's basketball program at Louisiana Tech University
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The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball program, nicknamed the Dunkin' Dogs, represents intercollegiate men's basketball at Louisiana Tech University.[3] The program competes in the Sun Belt Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and plays home games at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana. Talvin Hester is in his fourth season as the Bulldogs' head coach. The Bulldogs have appeared five times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 1991.
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 | |||||
| University | Louisiana Tech University | ||||
| First season | 1909–10; 117 years ago | ||||
| Head coach | Talvin Hester (4th season) | ||||
| Location | Ruston, Louisiana | ||||
| Arena | Thomas Assembly Center (capacity: 8,000) | ||||
| Conference | Sun Belt | ||||
| Nickname | Dunkin' Dogs | ||||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||||
| Student section | The Kennel | ||||
| All-time record | 1,494–1,096 (.577)[2] | ||||
| NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||||
| 1967*, 1985 | |||||
| NCAA Division I tournament appearances | |||||
| 1967*, 1971*, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991 | |||||
| Conference tournament champions | |||||
| Southland: 1984, 1985, 1987 American South: 1988, 1989, 1991 | |||||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||||
| LSIAA: 1910 SIAA: 1927, 1928, 1934 Louisiana Intercollegiate: 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948 Gulf States: 1953, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1971 Southland: 1976, 1985, 1987 American South: 1988, 1990 Sun Belt: 1992, 1999 WAC: 2013 C-USA: 2014, 2015 | |||||
| Conference division champions | |||||
| 2021 | |||||
| Uniforms | |||||
| |||||
* at Division II level | |||||
History
Conference affiliations
- 1925–1939: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1939–1948: Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference
- 1948–1971: Gulf States Conference
- 1971–1987: Southland Conference
- 1987–1991: American South Conference
- 1991–2001: Sun Belt Conference
- 2001–2013: Western Athletic Conference
- 2013–2026: Conference USA
- 2026–present: Sun Belt Conference
Championships
Conference regular season championships
| Season | Conference | Record | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909–10 | Louisiana State Intercollegiate Athletic Association | N/A | Percy S. Prince |
| 1926–27 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Robert S. Wynn | |
| 1927–28 | |||
| 1933–34 | Hal Lee | ||
| 1941–42 | Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference | Cecil Crowley | |
| 1945–46 | |||
| 1946–47 | |||
| 1947–48 | |||
| 1952–53 | Gulf States Conference | ||
| 1954–55 | |||
| 1958–59 | |||
| 1963–64 | |||
| 1966–67 | 11–1 | Scotty Robertson | |
| 1969–70 | 9–3 | ||
| 1970–71 | 10–0 | ||
| 1975–76 | Southland Conference | 9–1 | Emmett Hendricks |
| 1984–85 | 11–1 | Andy Russo | |
| 1986–87 | 9–1 | Tommy Joe Eagles | |
| 1987–88 | American South Conference | 7–3 | |
| 1989–90 | 8–2 | Jerry Loyd | |
| 1991–92 | Sun Belt Conference | 13–3 | |
| 1998–99 | 10–4 | Keith Richard | |
| 2012–13 | Western Athletic Conference | 16–2 | Michael White |
| 2013–14 | Conference USA | 13–3 | |
| 2014–15 | Conference USA | 15–3 | |
| 2020–21 | Conference USA (West) | 12–4 | Eric Konkol |
Conference tournament championships
| Year | Conference | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Most Valuable Player | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Southland | Louisiana Tech | 68–65 | Lamar | Willie Simmons | Beaumont Civic Center; Beaumont, Texas |
| 1985 | Southland | Louisiana Tech | 70–69 | Lamar | Jerry Everett | Thomas Assembly Center; Ruston, Louisiana |
| 1987 | Southland | Louisiana Tech | 58–51 | Arkansas State | Robert Godbolt | Thomas Assembly Center; Ruston, Louisiana |
| 1988 | American South | Louisiana Tech | 69–66 | New Orleans | Montagne Center; Beaumont, Texas | |
| 1989 | American South | Louisiana Tech | 84–62 | New Orleans | Cajundome; Lafayette, Louisiana | |
| 1991 | American South | Louisiana Tech | 61–56 | New Orleans | Lakefront Arena; New Orleans, Louisiana |
Postseason
NCAA Division I Tournament results
The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament five times. Their combined record is 4–5.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | #10 | Round of 48 Round of 32 | #7 Fresno State #2 Houston | W 66–56 L 69–77 |
| 1985 | #5 | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | #12 Pittsburgh #4 Ohio State #1 Oklahoma | W 78–54 W 79–67 L 84–86 |
| 1987 | #14 | Round of 64 | #3 DePaul | L 62–76 |
| 1989 | #9 | Round of 64 Round of 32 | #8 La Salle #1 Oklahoma | W 83–74 L 81–124 |
| 1991 | #12 | Round of 64 | #5 Wake Forest | L 65–71 |
NCAA Division II Tournament results
The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament two times. Their combined record is 2–2.
NIT results
Louisiana Tech has appeared in ten National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 15–10.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place | Northern Arizona McNeese State Providence Ohio State Florida | W 67–61 W 77–61 W 64–63 L 66–79 W 67–62 |
| 1988 | First round Second Round | Arkansas–Little Rock Connecticut | W 66–56 L 59–65 |
| 1990 | First round | Vanderbilt | L 90–98OT |
| 1992 | First round | New Mexico | L 84–90 |
| 2002 | Opening Round First round Second Round | Louisiana–Lafayette Vanderbilt Villanova | W 83–63 W 83–68 L 64–67 |
| 2006 | First round | Clemson | L 53–69 |
| 2013 | First round Second Round | Florida State Southern Miss | W 71–66 L 52–63 |
| 2014 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Iona Georgia Florida State | W 89–88 W 79–71 L 75–78 |
| 2015 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Central Michigan Texas A&M Temple | W 89–79 W 84–72 L 59–77 |
| 2021 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place | Ole Miss Western Kentucky Mississippi State Colorado State | W 70–61 W 72–65 L 62–84 W 76–74 |
Vegas 16 results
The Bulldogs have appeared in one Vegas 16. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Quarterfinals | East Tennessee State | L 83–88 |
CIT results
Louisiana Tech has appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Their combined record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | First round Quarterfinals | Southern Miss Missouri State | W 66–57 L 40–69 |
NAIA tournament results
The Bulldogs have appeared in the NAIA tournament four times. Their combined record is 1–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | First round | Texas Tech | L 47–59 |
| 1946 | First round | Eastern Washington State | L 44–66 |
| 1953 | First round | Hamline | L 80–89 |
| 1955 | First round Second Round | Coe Steubenville | W 94–65 L 65–90 |
Home venues
Men's Gymnasium (1925-1952)
The Men's Gymnasium was located on Mayfield Avenue, directly north of the northwest corner of Hale Hall and across the street from the eventual site of Memorial Gymnasium. It was located north of the original Tech Stadium football field, and was demolished around 1984 to create more parking adjacent to Hale Hall.[4]
Memorial Gymnasium (1952–1982)
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In 1952, Memorial Gymnasium was a 4,800-seat gymnasium constructed on the Louisiana Tech University campus in Ruston to serve as the home of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team. Today Memorial Gym serves as a practice facility for the basketball team.
Thomas Assembly Center (1982–present)
The Thomas Assembly Center is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Ruston, Louisiana. The arena, named for its benefactor and businessman Samuel M. Thomas, is home to the Division I NCAA Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs men's basketball team.
Traditions
Dunkin' Dogs
The Dunkin' Dogs nickname emerged during the 1982–83 season led by Karl Malone and Willie Simmons making highlight reel dunks. The tradition has continued through time as the current Dunkin' Dogs led by Raheem Appleby, Michale Kyser, and Alex Hamilton have made several dunks featured nationally on ESPN's SportsCenter Top Plays and Fox Sports Live's The 1.
Hoop Troop
Hoop Troop is the official basketball pep band at Louisiana Tech University. The Hoop Troop performs at most men's basketball home games and travels to select road basketball games. The band also usually travels to all post-season games played by the Bulldogs, and is known nationally as one of the best basketball bands in college basketball. In the 2005 post-season, the Hoop Troop was featured in a Sports Illustrated's College Edition article, "65 Things We Want to See During March Madness" in which states, "30) The Louisiana Tech pep band, a.k.a. the Hoop Troop, the funniest band in the land."[5] The Hoop Troop was the only basketball band to be listed.
Players
Basketball Hall of Fame
- Leon Barmore, 2003
- Karl Malone, 2010
Retired numbers
| No. | Player | Tenure | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Leon Barmore | 1965–1967 | [6] |
| 24 | Paul Millsap | 2003–2006 | |
| 32 | Karl Malone | 1982–1985 | |
| 44 | Jackie Moreland | 1957–1960 |
All-Americans
- Jackie Moreland – 1958, 1959, 1960
- Ray Germany – 1959, 1960
- Mike Green – 1971, 1972, 1973
- Mike McConathy – 1976
- Karl Malone – 1983, 1984, 1985
- Randy White – 1989
Conference Player of the Year
- Jackie Moreland – 1960
- Mike Green – 1973
- Mike McConathy – 1976
- Karl Malone – 1983
- Randy White – 1988, 1989
- Ron Ellis – 1992
- Gerrod Henderson – 2000
- Speedy Smith – 2015
- Alex Hamilton – 2016
Conference Freshman of the Year
- Antonio Meeking - 2000 (Sun Belt)
- Paul Millsap - 2004 (WAC)
- Raheem Appleby - 2012 (WAC)
- DaQuan Bracey - 2017 (C-USA)
- Kenneth Lofton, Jr. - 2021 (C-USA)
Leading scorers
| Rank | Player | Years played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Green | 1969–1973 | 2,340 |
| 2 | Mike McConathy | 1973–1977 | 2,033 |
| 3 | Alex Hamilton | 2012–2016 | 1,986 |
| 4 | Randy White | 1985–1989 | 1,947 |
| 5 | Anthony Dade | 1988–1992 | 1,867 |
| 6 | Gerrod Henderson | 1998–2002 | 1,829 |
| 7 | Raheem Appleby | 2011–2015 | 1,770 |
| 8 | Karl Malone | 1982–1985 | 1,716 |
| 9 | Paul Millsap | 2003–2006 | 1,708 |
| 10 | Kyle Gibson | 2006–2010 | 1,677 |
NBA draftees
The Bulldogs have had 14 players selected in the NBA draft, including 4 first round picks. Twice the Bulldogs have had multiple players taken in the same draft year (1985 and 1992).
| Year | Round | Pick | Overall pick | Player | NBA club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Jackie Moreland | Detroit Pistons |
| 1967 | 15 | 10 | 148 | Rich Peek | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1970 | 6 | 5 | 90 | Charlie Bishop | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1973 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Mike Green | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1977 | 4 | 13 | 79 | Mike McConathy | Chicago Bulls |
| 1979 | 2 | 17 | 39 | Victor King | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984 | 6 | 19 | 135 | Rennie Bailey | Detroit Pistons |
| 1985 | 4 | 6 | 76 | Willie Simmons | Sacramento Kings |
| 1985 | 1 | 13 | 13 | Karl Malone | Utah Jazz |
| 1989 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Randy White | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1992 | 2 | 22 | 49 | Ron Ellis | Phoenix Suns |
| 1992 | 2 | 2 | 29 | P. J. Brown | New Jersey Nets |
| 2004 | 2 | 17 | 47 | Paul Millsap | Utah Jazz |
| 2010 | 2 | 21 | 51 | Magnum Rolle | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2020 | 2 | 29 | 59 | Jalen Harris | Toronto Raptors |
Other Bulldogs in the NBA
Other Bulldogs overseas
- Kyle Gibson (born 1987) - Hapoel Galil Elyon of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Alex Hamilton (born 1993) - Hapoel Eilat in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Michale Kyser (born 1991) - Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Coaches
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Games | Win | Loss | Pct. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percy S. Prince | 1909–1911 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | LSIAA regular season champions (1910) |
| Ralph C. Kenney | 1925–1926 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | |
| Robert S. Wynn | 1926–1931 | 5 | 116 | 61 | 55 | .526 | SIAA regular season champions (1927, 1928) |
| Hal Lee | 1931–1934 | 3 | 43 | 24 | 19 | .558 | |
| Eddie McLane | 1934–1936 | 2 | 38 | 26 | 12 | .684 | SIAA regular season champions (1934) |
| Herb Duggins | 1936–1940 | 4 | 73 | 27 | 46 | .370 | |
| Cecil Crowley | 1940–1942, 1945–1964 | 21 | 490 | 269 | 221 | .549 | Gulf States Coach of the Year (1953, 1955, 1964) Gulf States regular season champions (1953, 1955) Louisiana Intercollegiate regular season champions (1942, 1946, 1947, 1948) |
| Joe Aillet | 1944–1945 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | .294 | |
| Scotty Robertson | 1964–1974 | 10 | 247 | 161 | 86 | .652 | Gulf States Coach of the Year (1967, 1971) Gulf States regular season champions (1964, 1967, 1970, 1971) |
| Emmett Hendricks | 1974–1977 | 3 | 77 | 40 | 37 | .519 | Southland Coach of the Year (1975, 1976) |
| J.D. Barnett | 1977–1979 | 2 | 52 | 23 | 29 | .442 | Southland Coach of the Year (1979) |
| Andy Russo | 1979–1985 | 6 | 177 | 122 | 55 | .689 | Southland Coach of the Year (1983, 1985) |
| Tommy Joe Eagles | 1985–1989 | 4 | 127 | 87 | 40 | .685 | Southland Coach of the Year (1987, 1988) |
| Jerry Loyd | 1989–1994 | 5 | 145 | 73 | 72 | .503 | American South regular season champions (1988, 1990) Sun Belt regular season champions (1992) |
| Jim Wooldridge | 1994–1998 | 4 | 111 | 52 | 59 | .468 | |
| Keith Richard | 1998–2007 | 9 | 267 | 150 | 117 | .562 | Sun Belt Coach of the Year (1999) Sun Belt regular season champions (1999) |
| Kerry Rupp | 2007–2011 | 4 | 130 | 57 | 73 | .438 | |
| Michael White | 2011–2015 | 4 | 141 | 101 | 40 | .716 | C-USA Coach of the Year (2013, 2015) C-USA regular season champions (2014, 2015) WAC regular season champions (2013) |
| Eric Konkol | 2015–2022 | 7 | 228 | 153 | 75 | .671 | C-USA Coach of the Year (2021) C-USA Conference Division Season Champions (2021) |
| Talvin Hester | 2022–Present | 3 | 97 | 57 | 40 | .588 | |
| Total | 99 | 2,565 | 1,476 | 1,089 | .575 | ||
| 1942–1943, 1943–1944: Basketball discontinued due to World War II | |||||||
