Taking a Look Back: The Start of Men's Basketball

PAXTON, MA: Taking a Look Back will start at the beginning when the first men's basketball team was formed here at Anna Maria. Make sure to tune in every Thursday to see the next piece of Anna Maria's athletic history. 

It was the late 70s, 1978, to be exact, when Anna Maria College assembled their first men's basketball program. In the first year, the team consisted of nine student-athletes with five contests to play. The newly installed program showed its age when they dropped all five games that season. The closest score came against Bradford College, with the AMCATS falling 59-46. Some other schools on the schedule were Annhurst College and Becker Jr. College. The leading scorer that year for Anna Maria was Philip George, who netted 64 points and averaged 12.8 points per game. Let's also not forget another piece of history; that the 78-79 season was eight years before the three-point line made its debut in college basketball.

The 1979-1980 season saw an increase in interest as the roster grew to thirteen student-athletes. That year also saw a dramatic increase in games on the schedule, going from five to sixteen contests. While playing that schedule, the team experienced the first win in program history against Salve Regina. It would also be the year that marked the team's first season above .500. The AMCATS tallied ten wins and suffered just six losses behind a trio of athletes who scored more than 200 points each. Freshman Barry Coonan led the squad with 257 points, only outscoring a fellow newcomer by just two. Mark Jones was the other freshman completing the season with 255 points. The final piece of the trio was Alton Button, who scored 204 points. 

In just one year, the Anna Maria men's basketball program went from losing to Annhurst college by scores of 108-23, 66-50 to defeating them not once but twice 95-50 and 74-67. Those student-athletes helped open the door for future generations of winning seasons and personal accolades for many AMCATS. 

To see more of men's basketball history, you can view the team's archives HERE. 

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