Susquehanna University Athletics

Men's Basketball History
The Susquehanna University men’s basketball program is annually among the upper echelon of its conference, routinely contending for championships and often times winning them. The decade of the 1980s was the most successful decade in team history, but even since 1990, Susquehanna has made six NCAA Division III championship appearances, captured a Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division title and won a pair of MAC Northwest Division championships to go with a pair of MAC Commonwealth regular-season crowns as well as two Landmark Conference titles. 

Susquehanna basketball began in 1901 and has seen 27 coaches at the helm, including Amos Alonzo Stagg Jr. Stagg from 1935 to 1951, during which time he also coached the football team, including a six-year co-head coaching stint with his legendary father, Amos Sr. Susquehanna enjoyed several standout seasons during the early 1960s, including a 20-4 campaign in 1962–63 under coach John Barr. The late 1960s featured the explosive offense of Rick Eppehimer ’68, who tallied a school-record 2,548 career points from 1964–68. In 1978, guard Mike Scheib ’78 became only the second non-Division I recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to the nation’s most outstanding senior standing six-feet tall or less. Under the direction of Don Harnum Sr., Susquehanna averaged 16 wins per season during the 1980s and made the playoffs a regular part of its schedule, advancing to postseason play eight times. During that decade, Susquehanna made the NCAA Tournament three times, won the MAC Northern title twice and captured the MAC Northwest championship five times. The 1985–86 team set the school record at the time for wins in a season, finishing at 22-8 while advancing to the Division III quarterfinals behind the standout play of Don Harnum Jr. ’86.

The end of the decade marked the start of perhaps Susquehanna's most enduring legacy as Frank Marcinek began his tenure as head coach prior to the 1989-90 season and remains head coach to this day. In the 1990s, Susquehanna continued to qualify for the postseason tournament with six appearances under Marcinek. The program’s 19-7 record in 1993–94 has the eighth-best winning percentage (.731) in program history. In 2002–03, Susquehanna basketball celebrated its 100th season and the Orange and Maroon returned to the top of the MAC Commonwealth, winning the league’s regular-season title for the first time since 1995–96. Marcinek, who surpassed 300 wins in 2010–11, earned his first conference Coach of the Year award in 2002–03 and repeated the feat in 2008–09, 2014–15 and again in 2015–16. He soared past the 400-career victory plateau in the middle of the 2016–17 season and reached win number 500 during the 2023-24 season. 

The 2014–15 squad finished with an identical record. The 2015–16 squad posted the most wins in a single season (24) and the second-best winning percentage (.828) after going 24-5. Josh Miller was honored at the end of the season as a First Team All-Region selection by the NABC and was selected as the City of Basketball Love (CoBL) Region Player of the Year. The 2016–17 team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and was led by All-American Steven Weidlich. Weidlich was also the Landmark Conference Player of the Year, the Middle Athletic Region Player of the Year and was also an Allstate Good Works Award winner and a finalist for the coveted Jostens Player of the Year award. Despite these honors, it wasn't until 2019-20 that Susquehanna could hang a Landmark Conference championship banner in Houts Gymnasium, finishing first in the regular season standings and defeating Scranton, 86-69, in the championship game. They danced again two years later as the 2021-22 team tied the program record with 24 wins and defeated Drew in the title bout, 76-68. 
 

1961-62 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Clark Mosier			Most Valuable Player and First Team

 

1962-63 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Clark Mosier			First Team
Fred Klittich			Second Team

 

1966-66 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Frank Duncheskie			Second Team
Rick Eppenhimer			Second Team

 

1966-67 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Rick Eppenhimer			First Team

 

1967-68 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Rick Eppenhimer			Firsy Team and Most Valuable Player

 

1970-71 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Ken Freeland			Second Team

 

1973-74 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Dave Long			First Team

 

1974-75 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Dave Long			Second Team

 

1975-76 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mike Schieb			SecondTeam
Dave Long			First Team

 

1976-77 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mike Schieb			Second Team

 

1977-78 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mike Schieb			First Team

 

1979-80 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Rod Brooks			First Team

 

1980-81 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Rod Brooks			First Team

 

1981-82 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Northern Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mark Hutchinson			SecondTeam
Kevin Doty			Second Team
Bob Fisk			Second Team

 

1982-83 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Bob Fisk Scott Gabel			First Team First Team

 

1983-84 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Larry Walsh			Second Team
Scott Gabel			First Team

 

1984-85 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Don P. Harnum			First Team

 

1985-86 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Don P. Harnum			First Team
Bruce Merklinger			Second Team

 

1986-87 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Bruce Merklinger			Second Team

 

1988-89 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
J.R. Thatcher			Second Team
Will Ciecierski			Second Team

 

1989-90 All-Middle Atlantic Conference  North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Don McLoughlin Will Ciecierski			First Team Second Team

 

1990-91 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Craig Harper			Second Team
Will Ciercierski			First Team

 

1991-92 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Craig Harper			First Team
Jim Mikolaichick			First Team

   

1992-93 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Tres Wolf			First Team

 

1993-94 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Tres Wolf			First Team

 

1994-95 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Matt Heimbach			Second Team
Chris Houser			First Team

 

1995-96 All-Middle Atlantic Conference North Division
Name	Class	Position	Team
Gerald Ross			First Team and Most Valuable Player

     

1996-97 All-Middle Atlantic Confrenece Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Gerald Ross			Second Team

 

1997-98 All- Middle Atlantic Confrenece Commonweath
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mike Barrette			Second Team
Rob Makarewicz			Second Team
Brad Rausch			Rookie

 

1998-99 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Mike Barrette			Second Team

 

1999-00 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Rob Makarewicz			Second Team

 

2000-01 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Corey Green			Second Team

  

2001-02 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Chris Zimmerman			Second Team

 

2002-03 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Chris Zimmerman			First Team

  

2003-04 All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth
Name	Class	Position	Team
Phil Sander			Second Team
Chris Zimmerman			Second Team

 

2004-05 All-Middle Atlantic Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Bubba Mills			First Team

 

2005-06 All-Middle Atlantic Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Matt Effler			First Team

 

2006-07 All-Middle Atlantic Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Kevin Cuff			First Team
Joel Patch			Second Team

 

2007-08 All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Josh Robinson	Sr.	G	First
Kevin Cuff	Sr.	F	First
Josh Robinson, Player of the Year

 

2008-09  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Joel Patch	Sr.	F	First
Spenser Spencer	Fr.	G	First
Frank Marcinek, Coaching Staff of the Year Joel Patch, Player of the Year Spenser Spencer, Rookie of the Year Bryan Majors, Defensive Player of the Year

 

2009-10  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Spenser Spencer	So.	G	Second
Bryan Majors, Defensive Player of the Year Harvey Pannell, Co-Rookie of the Year

 

2010-11  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Harvey Pannell			Second Team
Rob Estep			Second Team
Harley Sellinger			Rookie of the Year

 

2011-12  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Harley Sellinger			Secon Team
Spenser Spencer			First Team
J.T. Wilson			Second Team

     

2012-13  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Brandon Hedley			Rookie of the Year

 

2013-14  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Harley Sellinger			First Team
Brandon Hedley			Second Team

 

2014-15  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Steven Weidlich			Second Team
Josh Miller			Second Team
Brandon Hedley			Second Team
Frank Marcinek			Coaching Staff of the Year

 

2015-16  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Brandon Hedley			Second Team
Josh Miller			First Team
Steven Weidlich			Second Team
Frank Marcinek			Coaching Staff of the Year

 

2016-17  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Steven Weidlich			Player of the Year and First Team
Ryan Traub			First Team

  

2018-19 All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Dominic Dunn			Second Team

 

2019-20  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Danny Frauenheim			First Team
Matt Lacorte			Second Team
Lukas Yurasits			Second Team
Frank Marcienk			Coaching Staff of the Year

  

2021-22 All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Danny Frauenheim			Player of the Year and First Team
Jay Martin			Defensive Player of the Year and First Team
Dominic Dunn			First Team
Frank Marcinek			Coaching Staff of the Year

 

2022-23  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Howie Rankine			Defensive Player of the year and First Team
Brandon Lavitt			Second Team
Frank Marcinek			Coaching Staff of the Year

 

2023-24  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Marcus Mitchell			Second Team
Steven Ressler			Honorable Mention

 

2024-25  All-Landmark Conference
Name	Class	Position	Team
Billy Anderson			Second Team