The NYU Violets men's basketball team is the
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
team that represents
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
, located in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The team currently competes in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division III
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
as a member of the
University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, M ...
. NYU previously competed as an NCAA
Division I program until 1971, when the team was disbanded due to a budget crisis.
The team was reinstated in 1983 as a Division III program.
[
NYU played in two NCAA Division I Final Fours, and can lay claim to two national championships predating the creation of the NCAA tournament (1920 and 1935). NYU has also had success in the Division III NCAA tournament, including a runner-up finish at the 1994 tournament.
]
Division I history
While a member of Division I, the Violets' basketball team registered a great deal of success. An early member who starred for the team in 1910 and 1911 was Lazarus Joseph
Lazarus Joseph (January 25, 1891 – May 23, 1966) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a New York State Senator from 1934 to 1945, and was the New York City Comptroller from 1946 to ...
(1891–1966), later a NY State Senator and New York City Comptroller
The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...
.
The school's best NCAA tournament result was finishing runner-up to Oklahoma State (then Oklahoma A&M), coached by the legendary Henry Iba
Henry Payne Iba (; August 6, 1904 – January 15, 1993) was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwest Missouri St ...
. at the 1945 NCAA tournament. NYU returned to the Final Four in 1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Jan ...
, losing to Ohio State, whose roster featured Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a p ...
and John Havlicek
John Joseph Havlicek ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons with ...
.
NYU achieved even more success in the years before the advent of the NCAA tournament in 1939. In 1920 NYU won the Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
national championship tournament, led by the Helms Athletic Foundation Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
, Howard Cann
Howard Goodsell Cann (October 11, 1895 – December 18, 1992) was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player. ...
. Cann returned to coach at NYU after graduation, serving as head basketball coach from 1923 to 1958 and leading NYU to notable success. The Violets were undefeated in the 1933–1934 season, posting a 16–0 record.[ After winning the first ten games to start the following season, the school's winning streak was broken in an overtime loss at ]Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
.[ The loss to Yale was the only setback during the 1934–1935 season, during which NYU finished 19–1 and was named the best team in the nation (retrospectively) by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the ]Premo-Porretta Power Poll
The Premo-Porretta Power Poll is a retroactive end-of-year ranking for American college basketball teams competing in the 1895–96 through the 1947–48 seasons.
The Premo-Porretta Polls are intended to serve collectively as a source of informa ...
.[ Finally, the year before the NCAA tournament was created, NYU reached the Final Four at the ]1938 National Invitation Tournament
The 1938 National Invitation Tournament was the 1938 edition of the annual NCAA basketball competition. It was the inaugural National Invitational Tournament and was won by Temple.
Selected teams
Below is a list of the six teams selected for the ...
.[
For the seasons before the ]AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
began ranking college basketball teams in 1949, the Premo-Porretta Poll retrospectively ranks NYU among the final top 5 teams nationally for a number of seasons, including #1 in 1935, #2 in 1909 and 1934, #3 in 1920, #4 in 1921, and #5 in 1930. NYU also appeared in the first AP Poll issued, on January 18, 1949. The school made its final appearance in the Division I AP Poll ranked at #10 on December 24, 1964.
The Violets' most recent post-season accomplishment as a Division I college was finishing as the runner-up to BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
in the 1966 National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament was originated by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association in 1938. Responsibility for its administration was transferred two years later to local colleges, first known as the Metropolitan Intercollegiate ...
. NYU previously also finished as runner-up in the 1948 National Invitation Tournament
The 1948 National Invitation Tournament was the 1948 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Selected teams
Below is a list of the eight teams selected for the tournament. , and in third place in the 1959 National Invitation Tournament
The 1959 National Invitation Tournament was the 1959 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Selected teams
Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament. .[
NYU was a member of the ]Metropolitan New York Conference Membership
Regular season champions Men's basketball
*1934
*1935 DNP
*1936
*1937
*1938
*1939 Long Island
*1940 DNP
*1941 DNP
*1942 DNP
*1943 St. John's
*1944 DNP
*1945 DNP
*1946 /
*1947
*1948
*1949 /
*1950 CCNY ...
from 1933 to 1963, and won four conference titles after the conference officially began sponsoring men's basketball in 1946.
The program was disbanded following a disastrous 5–20 season in 1970–71.[ When NYU ended its program, the Violets were still tied for 14th nationally in Final Four appearances (2), and 28th nationally in all-time appearances at the NCAA Division I tournament (6).
]
Division III history
NYU has once again found success since its reestablishment as a Division III program in 1983.
The school appeared in seven consecutive Division III NCAA basketball tournaments from 1992 to 1998. In 1994 NYU advanced to the Final Four and finished as the national runner-up to Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania.
History
Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 18 ...
. The 1994 team also established a school record by winning 25 games.[
]
Postseason history
Division I NCAA
In their times in Division I, the Violets appeared in the NCAA Tournament six times. Their record was 9–8.
NIT
NYU appeared in 8 NIT Tournaments was 13–11 in the NIT.
Individual accolades
The following NYU players and coaches are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (with induction year):
*Nat Holman
Nat Holman (October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team to NCAA and National Invi ...
(1964)
*Howard Cann
Howard Goodsell Cann (October 11, 1895 – December 18, 1992) was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player. ...
(1968)
*Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. ...
(1973)
*Satch Sanders
Thomas Ernest "Satch" Sanders (born November 8, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played his entire professional career as a power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...
(2011), inducted as a contributor
National and Metro honors
NYU players and coaches have won the following national and regional awards:
''Player honors''
* Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year
The Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year was an annual men's college basketball award given to the most outstanding men′s player in the United States. It was awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation, an organization founded in ...
National player of the year
::Howard Cann
Howard Goodsell Cann (October 11, 1895 – December 18, 1992) was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player. ...
– 1920
* MBWA Haggerty Award __NOTOC__
The Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award is given to the All-New York Metropolitan NCAA Division I men's college basketball player of the year, presented by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) ...
NYC Metro college basketball player of the year
:: Ben Auerbach – 1940
::Sid Tanenbaum
Sidney Harold Tanenbaum (October 8, 1925 – September 4, 1986) was an American professional basketball player. He was twice a consensus first-team All-American (in 1946 and 1947) and twice a Haggerty Award winner (1946 and 1947). He went on to ...
– 1946, 1947
::Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. ...
– 1948
::Satch Sanders
Thomas Ernest "Satch" Sanders (born November 8, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played his entire professional career as a power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...
– 1960
:: Barry Kramer – 1963
''Coaching honors''
*MBWA Division I Coach of the Year
::Howard Cann
Howard Goodsell Cann (October 11, 1895 – December 18, 1992) was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player. ...
– 1948
Conference honors
The University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, M ...
began awarding Conference Player of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year awards when it was founded in 1987.
* Player of the Year
::Adam Crawford – 1994
::Jesse Determann – 1998
::Jason Boone
Jason Gregory Boone (born October 8, 1985) is a retired American professional basketball player.
Career
High School and College
Boone attended Warwick Valley High School from 2001 to 2003. He played 45 games, compiling a total of 725 points ...
– 2006
* Coaching Staff of the Year
:: Joe Nesci – 1993, 1994, 2012
References
External links
*
{{NYU Violets men's basketball navbox