The last to do it: 2001 USU basketball team
2001 was quite the year. George W. Bush became president, the first iPod had just been released, Jessica Alba was all the rage and The Lord of the Rings was selling out theaters across the country. The Utah State University men’s basketball team also won its last NCAA Tournament game. With so much excitement surrounding this year’s basketball team, it’s easy to fast forward to the end of the season and think about the big dance. While all we can do is wait, it’s time to reminisce and take a walk down memory lane.
This 2001 Aggie team had an all-around fantastic year. Head Coach Stew Morrill was at the helm in the third of his lengthy 17-year career at USU. Finishing the year, the Aggies sat at 28-6, which is quite amazing when looking at who was on the team. Each victory was earned by committee, as Shawn Daniels and Logan’s own Tony Brown led the team in scoring, each with just 11 points per game. While they weren’t blowing people away with their scoring, they won through efficiency, shooting just under 50 percent from the field, and making 39 percent of their three-point attempts. Entering the tournament 27-5, it took a last-second shot by Tony Brown to send the game into overtime against fifth-seeded Ohio State, a contest they eventually pulled off a 77-68 victory.
Zak Larsen Tony Brown drives the ball against Pacifica’s David Bunts in the Spectrum.
The years surrounding the 2001 season weren’t all that different. In the 1999-00 season, they finished with the same 28-6 record, except they went undefeated in conference play. Once the tournament came, they lost to Connecticut in the first round. This was the season that set the Aggies up for success. Their core of Daniels, Brown and Rock now had tournament experience that they used to make the following season possible. The 2001-02 season took a bit of a dip. Tony Brown did his best, putting up a career high of 14.9 points per game. Desmond Penigar even joined the show before leaving for the NBA and playing a handful of games for the Orlando Magic. But after the 2001 tournament, nothing had really been the same.
So, what has happened to the team that was able to accomplish something that hasn’t been replicated for 19 years?
For the hometown hero that made it possible, Tony Brown has stayed in the valley and was inducted into the Aggie Hall of Fame in 2018. Shawn Daniels kept his basketball career alive in stints with several different NBA D-League teams. In 2012, the National Basketball League of Canada held its inaugural season with Daniels helping his team win the league’s first championship.
While the other players have quietly gone on to live their lives, Utah State still looks to follow in their footsteps. Will this year’s Aggies be able pull it off and be even better? The team thinks so, as well as everyone else who voted for them to secure the Mountain West Conference once again. It’s time for the Aggies to make school history.
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