CMC75 Moments: 1970 Men's Basketball Reaches District Finals in Rebuilding Year

1970 Men's Basketball: Stags 94, Azusa Pacific 82
Stags Shock Top Seed in District Playoffs

The 1969-70 Claremont-Mudd men's basketball team had already had a very successful season heading into the 1970 NAIA playoffs. The Stags bounced back from an 8-16 season in 1968-69, including 4-6 in the SCIAC, to win 19 games and finish 8-2 in league play. An 82-79 win over Occidental gave the Stags a chance at the crown, and a 70-69 win over Redlands and a 63-56 win over Pomona-Pitzer in the season's final week secured a share of the league championship and an NAIA Tournament bid.

The draw was a tough one, though, as the Stags had to face a tough Azusa Pacific team. Claremont-Mudd responded with an outstanding offensive performance, upsetting APU 94-82 to advance through to the second round. Jeff Naslund had a big day with 29 points, while John McKniff added 28 and David Wells had 18.

Nat Baumer was a first-team All-SCIAC selection in 1970, and was an All-District selection as well, while Wells was named to the second team. Wells would become the program's head coach in 1974 and was inducted into the CMS Hall of Fame in 1995, while Baumer join him in the Hall of Fame two years later.

John McKniff:

With a freshman, three sophomores, and a transfer junior coming off a mediocre 1968-69 season nobody, and I do mean nobody, expected us to be a factor in the championship competition. Of the five starters, only two played in the varsity program the year before. Our District Tournament victory over the No. 1, heavily-favored veteran Azusa Pacific squad was something I will never forget. They were a prolific offensive powerhouse, and we had relied on defense all year in our success.

You can see from the score, we found a way to be offensive, and produced the highest scoring game of our season. We had a decent-sized supporting crowd at the game (at Citrus JC), although I remember there were two circumstances that cut the crowd size. The first was a driving rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning. The second was the Joni Mitchell concert at Big Bridges that evening. The lead-in to the Progress Bulletin article reporting on the game said something like the lightning outside the arena was mirrored inside the gym.

The game itself was played at a very high pace. We got off to a good start, and the longer the game went on the more confident we became. By the midpoint in the second half, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to take these guys. Walking out to the car after the game, I barely noticed the pelting rain.

1969-70 Men's Basketball Roster
Head Coach: Ted Ducey
Assistant Coach: Fred Wilding
Nat Baumer (Forward, CMC)
Craig Ducey (Forward, CMC)
Jerry Groff (Forward, HMC)
Tim Johnson (Forward, CMC)
Don Lewis (Guard, CMC)
Syl McClellan (Forward, CMC)
John McKniff (Center, CMC)
Jeff Naslund (Guard, CMC)
Rick Reed (Guard, CMC)
Tom Sayles (Forward, CMC)
Bob Stiles (Guard, CMC)
Greg Weiland (Guard, HMC)
Dave Wells (Guard, CMC)