# The Citadel Bulldogs basketball

The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team represents The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina in the sport of men's college basketball. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Southern Conference South Division. Ed Conroy is in his second stint as the head coach, having previously held the position from 2006–2010.
The team has never won a regular season or Southern Conference men's basketball tournament championship or participated in the NCAA Tournament. Following Northwestern's 2017 NCAA Tournament bid, they are one of four schools playing Division I basketball at the time of the first NCAA basketball tournament to have never made an NCAA Tournament. The team has made one postseason appearance, playing in the 2009 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, falling in the first round to eventual champion Old Dominion. In 1927 the Bulldogs claimed the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament title, defeating Mercer for their only conference championship. In their history of SoCon play, they have reached past the quarterfinals just once, doing so when they went to the conference tournament final in 1959 and lost to West Virginia.
Notably, the Citadel is one of only two Division I schools that do not sponsor women's basketball. The other is fellow Southern Conference member and senior military college: VMI.

## Facilities

The Bulldogs play their home games at the on-campus McAlister Field House, a 6,000 seat arena formerly known as The Armory. The arena was heavily renovated in 1989. During the summer of 2011, The Citadel completed additional renovations to the Field House, building a new floor and revamping the Bulldogs locker room. Since the 1989 renovations, the Bulldogs have played before full capacity on three occasions: Duke (1991), South Carolina (1997), and College of Charleston (1999). Like all Citadel athletic teams, the Bulldogs utilize strength and conditioning, medical, and video spaces in Seignious Hall.

## Notable Bulldogs

* Regan Truesdale - Two-time Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
* Art Musselman - played in the shadow of Jerry West for three years
* Pat Conroy - author famous, in part, for chronicling his life as a Citadel basketball player in the novels My Losing Season and The Lords of Discipline.

## Honored jerseys

The Citadel created the honored jersey in 2009, beginning with Les Robinson. Banners hang in McAlister Field House for each honored jersey. Since Robinson, four additional jerseys have been added. Pat Conroy's jersey was honored most recently, on February 3, 2018.
The Citadel Bulldogs retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Career | Year Honored |
| 3 | Jake Burrows | 1938–1940 | 2012 |
| 22 | Pat Conroy | 1963–1967 | 2018 |
| 33 | Art Musselman | 1957–1960 | 2010 |
| 33 | Regan Truesdale | 1982–1985 | 2011 |
| C | Les Robinson | 1974–1985 | 2009 |

## Coaches

Below is a list of all coaches at The Citadel and their records through the 2020–21 season.
| Coach | Career | Record | Conference Record |
| Not Available | 1900–01 | 0–1 | No Conference |
| J. G. Briggs | 1912–13 | 2–3 |
| Darl Buse | 1913–14 | 6–1 |
| Hans Kangeter | 1914–16 | 9–4 |
| Harvey O'Brien | 1916–18 | 6–2 |
| C. F. Myers | 1918–25 | 52–27 | 7–9 |
| Locke Brown | 1925–26 | 10–6 | 4–1 |
| Benny Blatt | 1926–30 | 52–22 | 8–4 |
| Johnny Douglas | 1930–33 | 18–31 | 1–3 |
| Charlie Willard | 1933–35 | 13–16 | 0–0 |
| Rock Norman | 1935–40 | 45–32 | 16–14 |
| Ben Parker | 1939–41 | 6–16 | 4–13 |
| Ben Clemons | 1941–42, 1943–44 | 4–5 | 2–8 |
| Bo Sherman | 1942–43 | 8–6 | 5–3 |
| Ernest Wehman | 1944–45 | 9–5 | 8–4 |
| Eugene Clark | 1945–46 | 8–10 | 2–6 |
| Whitey Piro | 1946–47 | 4–11 | 0–10 |
| Bernard O'Neil | 1947–52 | 28–71 | 9–47 |
| Leo Zack | 1952–54 | 5–33 | 1–18 |
| Jim Browning | 1954–55 | 1–18 | 0–10 |
| Hank Witt | 1955–56 | 2–19 | 0–10 |
| Norm Sloan | 1956–60 | 57–38 | 33–19 |
| Mel Thompson | 1960–67 | 67–97 | 35–46 |
| Dick Campbell | 1967–71 | 45–54 | 21–27 |
| George Hill | 1971–74 | 33–42 | 11–18 |
| Les Robinson | 1974–85 | 132–162 | 61–99 |
| Randy Nesbit | 1985–92 | 76–121 | 32–72 |
| Pat Dennis | 1992–2006 | 158–233 | 72–146 |
| Ed Conroy | 2006–10, 2022–present | 49–76 | 29–47 |
| Chuck Driesell | 2010–2015 | 42–113 | 22–66 |
| Duggar Baucom | 2015–2022 | 77–136 | 27–97 |

## Rivalries

The primary Bulldog rivals, as in other sports, are VMI, Furman, and College of Charleston. The Citadel also has historical rivalries with other schools within the state. The Bulldogs' records versus each rival are listed below, through the 2020–21 season.

### Records vs rivals

| Opponent | Record | Pct. | Last Victory | Streak |
| College of Charleston | 40–57 | .412 | 2009–10 | L10 |
| Furman | 87–128 | .405 | 2017–18 | L6 |
| VMI | 59–57 | .509 | 2020–21 | W1 |

### Records vs conference rivals

    Excludes Furman and VMI, listed above
    East Tennessee State, Mercer and VMI become SoCon members in basketball for the 2014 season.
| Opponent | Record | Pct. | Last Victory | Streak |
| Chattanooga | 19–68 | .218 | 2020–21 | L1 |
| East Tennessee State | 18–48 | .273 | 2020–21 | W1 |
| Mercer | 7–20 | .259 | 2018–19 | L4 |
| Samford | 12–13 | .480 | 2018–19 | L3 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9–33 | .214 | 2014–15 | L16 |
| Western Carolina | 38–44 | .463 | 2020–21 | W2 |
| Wofford | 50–62 | .446 | 2020–21 | L1 |

### Records vs in-state rivals

    Division 1, non-SoCon only
| Opponent | Record | Pct. | Last Victory | Streak |
| Charleston Southern | 19–17 | .528 | 2008–09 | L4 |
| Clemson | 23–60 | .277 | 1978–79 | L16 |
| Coastal Carolina | 4–6 | .400 | 2001–02 | L2 |
| Presbyterian | 49–24 | .671 | 2020–21 | W2 |
| South Carolina | 24–76 | .240 | 1988–89 | L13 |
| South Carolina State | 8–3 | .727 | 2010–11 | W1 |
| USC Upstate | 4–0 | 1.000 | 2016–17 | W4 |
| Winthrop | 4–4 | .500 | 1997–98 | L2 |

## Notable seasons

* 1926–27 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team - first and only Conference Tournament championship
* 1966–67 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team - Chronicled in Pat Conroy's My Losing Season
* 1978–79 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team - first 20 win season
* 2008–09 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team - second 20 win season; first postseason appearance