1987-88 Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets

Team of Yesteryear, Men’s Basketball

After a season-opening 119-112 setback to Bluefield State
(WV), the Yellow Jackets won 32 straight games, 23 of them by 10 points or more, and reached the NAIA national semifinals under the late iconic head coach Rudy Marisa, a 1996 Washington-Greene County HOF inductee. The win streak, that included a 99-92 road win over 10th-ranked NCAA Div. II California University, led Waynesburg to a fifth straight NAIA District 18 title, which was clinched with an 85-72 win over Westminster. In the NAIA national tournament, the Yellow Jackets defeated Franklin Pierce (NH) (83-72), Minnesota Duluth (68-64), and Dordt (Iowa) (83-66), by an average of 12 points before losing by two points at the buzzer to eventual national champion Grand Canyon (108-106). That game was broadcast live on ESPN with Dick Vitale on the broadcast and the Yellow Jackets overcame a nine-point deficit in the final two minutes before the last second tip-in. Waynesburg scored 100 or more points 12 times that season. Several leaders included three-time All-American junior Darren Walls (734 points), and seniors Harold Hamlin (571 points), and Rob Montgomery (593 points). Fellow seniors point guard Shawn McCallister and Terry Clark rounded out the starting lineup. Other members included Ron Moore, Kevin Lee, Vance Walker, Chris Greene and a host of freshman. The 1987-88 team (32-3) capped an era from 1983-88 when Waynesburg went 131-21 overall and 70-1 at home. The team won a sixth straight NAIA-18 title in 1989. The Yellow Jackets finished 1987-88 ranked second nationally in NAIA. Marisa’s coaching staff consisted of Larry Marshall, Budd Grebb, both deceased, and Ray Natili II.