A Savage Season
Winning has been restored to the ETSU men’s basketball program.
Coming off his first season as coach, Brooks Savage delivered on what he promised during his press conference – bringing excitement back to the program. In his first season as a Division I head coach, Savage led the Blue and Gold to their most wins since 2019-20 and a trip to the Southern Conference Tournament championship game.
“It’s time to get this program back to where we belong and competing for championships and being at the top of the SoCon (Southern Conference),” said Savage at his press conference, where he was named the 19th head coach in program history on March 20, 2023.
With a brand-new coaching staff, 11 new players, and four returners, it didn’t take
the Bucs long to start buying into what Coach Savage and his staff were preaching.
“When you first get the job, you’re selling a dream,” said Savage. “For me, I had
some past experience, but I hadn’t done it as a head coach.”
ETSU finished the 2023-24 regular season with momentum as the Blue and Gold won six of their final 10 SoCon games going into postseason play. On the heels of a 66-65 win over the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG) in front of over 4,400 fans inside Freedom Hall in the regular season finale, the Bucs were primed for a run in the SoCon Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina.
A memorable run is what Buccaneer fans received.
“Coach Savage is starting a good thing in Johnson City, and they are going to be a force in the league.”
Bucky McMillian
Head coach, Samford men‛s basketball
It started with a 98-66 victory over VMI in the opening round – the Bucs’ largest SoCon Tournament win since 1992. With the Bucs advancing to the quarterfinals, it set up a rematch with UNCG, where ETSU took down the No. 2 seed, 73-62, moving the Buccaneers on to the SoCon semifinals. Another familiar foe was ready for ETSU as in-state rival Chattanooga was in the way of making it to Championship Monday. With their backs pinned against the wall, the Bucs put together a win for the ages. Playing its third game in as many days and trailing by 20 with 14 minutes remaining, ETSU put together a monumental comeback, and all-tournament team selection Quimari Peterson forced overtime with a layup at the buzzer. Allen Strothers found Karon Boyd for the go-ahead layup in the closing seconds of overtime, giving the Bucs a thrilling 85-84 win over the Mocs.
Playing in their 13th SoCon Championship game – the first since 2020 – the Bucs took on top-seeded and regular season champion Samford. ETSU went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs and got to within a single point with just over six minutes remaining; however, Samford pulled away late to secure a 76-69 victory. Despite falling short of their goal of capturing a SoCon title, the Bucs were able to gain a lot of positives from the run to build toward the 2024-25 season.
“I think this tournament run puts some validity to that vision I laid out at the beginning
of the season on getting
back to competing for championships,” said Savage.
The Bucs also gained a lot of respect from the Samford Bulldogs.
“Coach Savage and the Bucs are going to cut the nets down here at some point,” said Samford head coach Bucky McMillian. “They play extremely hard and play with a lot of confidence. Coach Savage is starting a good thing in Johnson City, and they are going to be a force in the league.”
By Kevin Brown | Photo by Dakota Hamilton
Read more incredible stories in the Summer 2024 Edition of ETSU Today. #BucsGoBeyond
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