CMC75 Moments: 1972 Men's Basketball Takes SCIAC by One Game

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moment, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
1971-72 Men's Basketball Earns SCIAC Championship 

The 1971-72 Claremont-Mudd men's basketball team was locked in a tight battle with Occidental for the SCIAC Championship after dropping the first meeting with the Tigers early in the year. The Stags got their revenge with a convincing 68-54 win in the rematch, and then had some close battles down the stretch before winning the league by just one game. A 75-73 win over La Verne was crucial to keep the Stags in the driver's seat, and that was followed by a 62-57 win over Redlands which put them at 10-1 in the league and secured the program's fourth banner.

Redlands pulled to within 58-57 in the final minute, looking to spoil the Claremont-Mudd championship, but John McKniff hit both ends of a pressure-packed one-and-one to push the lead to three. After a stop, David Wells added two more foul shots to provide the final margin of victory. Rex Huxford led the way for CMS with 23 points on the day, while Jeff Naslund added 13.

Wells, who become the program's head coach just two years later, served as the team captain and earned second-team All-SCIAC honors. Huxford and McKniff were first-team All-SCIAC selections, while Huxford added honorable mention All-America honors to his SCIAC accolades.

John McKniff:

I do remember it being a very tight race with every game critical to our effort to win the championship. We were on a bit of a crusade, because we missed winning the championship the year before, and were frustrated that we would not have three championships in a row. Of critical importance to our success was the return of Rex Huxford to the program after a two year absence.

Reid Dabney:

My fondest memory was learning a ton about basketball (and life, in general) from the seniors on the squad (John, Naslund, Whitham, Huxford and Wells).  I especially remember the end of that second La Verne game which we won by two points when La Verne missed a mid-court buzzer-beater.  Everyone in attendance went crazy and Dave Wells leaped into my arms to celebrate the final.

One of the season's highlights was getting to know Rex Huxford, who was a great guy on top of being an extraordinarily talented basketball player. 

1971-72 CMS Men's Basketball Roster
Head Coach: Ted Ducey
Assistant Coach: Fred Wilding
Reid Dabney (Guard, CMC)
Craig Ducey (Forward, CMC)
Doug Goddard (Guard, CMC)
Brent Hanson (Center, CMC)
Rex Huxford (Forward, CMC)
John McKniff (Center, CMC)
Jeff Naslund (Guard, CMC)
Dave Sherwood (Guard, CMC)
Dave Wells (Guard, CMC)
Cal Whitham (Center, HMC)