# High Point Panthers men's basketball

The High Point Panthers men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents High Point University in High Point, North Carolina in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Big South Conference. They will make their first ever appearance to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2025.

## History

The team, under the name High Point College, began play in the 1927–28 season with coach J.P. Boylin. The first game was on December 10, 1927, in a 37–35 win over the Carolina Night Hawks. The team went on to a 14–4 record. Boylin served as coach for three seasons and finished with a 39–16 record. He was followed by two seasons of coach Julian Beall who had two consecutive losing seasons and finished with a 16–21 record. The team began playing as part of the North State Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSC) in 1930.

### First Virgil Yow stint

Virgil Yow, a multisport star at High Point College, was hired as the third coach for the team in 1932. After hovering around the .500 mark, for his first two seasons, the team went 18–4 in his third year and in the following year went 20–4 defeating Wake Forest along the way and winning the 1936 NSC men's basketball tournament 49–39 over Lenoir–Rhyne.
The program began playing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with the founding of the NAIA men's basketball championship in 1937. The team first made the NAIA tournament in 1939.
In 1944, during the height of World War II, the college was facing a male student shortage and thus had difficulty filling the basketball roster. Yow recruited female student Nancy Isenhour to play on the team and she became the first woman to play on a collegiate men's basketball team. Following the 1944–45 season, Yow left the school after 13 seasons, two conference championships, and two NAIA tournament appearances, to coach the Hanes Hosiery AAU women's team.

### Ralph James and Bob Davis eras

Ralph James was hired as the football and basketball coach in 1945. James had previously played for Wake Forrest and served as head coach for Western Carolina in both football and basketball. He finished with a record of 81–45. Bob Davis was hired in 1950. Davis won two conference titles in three years. Davis left High Point after three seasons to coach at Georgetown College and eventually Auburn.

### Second Virgil Yow stint

Following eight years coaching women's basketball and three AAU national titles, Yow returned to High Point. He coached nine more seasons before retiring with a record of 342–215.

### Tom Quinn

Tom Quinn was announced as the head coach in 1962, coming from Newberry College and had previously won the Conference Carolinas title. He served in the capacity for four years compiling a record of 95–22. His teams made the NAIA tournament twice and won the Conference Carolinas tournament twice. He left to be the coach of East Carolina.

### Jerry Steele tenure

Jerry Steele was hired in 1972 as the 10th head coach of the team. Steele had previously served as head coach of the professional ABA team the Carolina Cougars. He coached at High Point for 32 years, from 1972 to 2003. He won eight conference titles, made one appearance in the NAIA tournament.
Beginning in the 1993–94 academic year, the school and conference began transitioning to NCAA Division II. During his last decade, Steele earned two trips to the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament. The team left Conference Carolinas in 1997 and joined the Big South Conference in 1999 and transitioned to NCAA Division I. His record at High Point was 493–412, making him the winningest coach in program history. Steele retired after the end of the 2002–03 season.

### Bart Lundy

Bart Lundy who had taken Queens (NC) to the 2003 NCAA Division II Final Four, was hired to be the head coach. He went on to coach six seasons, compiling a record of 96–87, and leaving in 2009.

### Scott Cherry

Scott Cherry was hired as coach on March 26, 2009. In his fourth year, the team won the Big South north division, earning them a spot in the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, this was the school's first postseason appearance since joining NCAA Division I. The following year, he again led the Panthers to a Big South north division championship, and the regular season championship, another program first. The Panthers were invited to the 2014 National Invitation Tournament, losing in the first round to Minnesota. Cherry led High Point to the best start in school history in 2014–15 campaign, starting the season 14–3. They qualified for the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Cherry mutually agreed to part ways with the school in 2018.

### Tubby Smith and G. G. Smith

Former High Point player and 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship coach with Kentucky, Tubby Smith, was hired to be the team's head coach after having been fired by Memphis a few weeks prior. Additionally, a new arena was announced for the school. Smith never had a winning record in his five seasons and resigned in favor of his son G. G. Smith. His son was fired the season after.

### Alan Huss era

Alan Huss was hired on March 27, 2023. He won the Big South regular season title in his first season.In Huss'es second season the team won the Big South Conference Tournament and secured their first NCAA Tournament berth.

## Coaches

| Coach | Years | Overall record |
| J.P. Boylin | 1927–1931 | 39–16 |
| Julian Beall | 1931–1932 | 16–21 |
| Virgil Yow | 1932–1945 | 211–103 |
| Ralph James | 1945–1950 | 81–45 |
| Bob Davis | 1950–1953 | 56–36 |
| Virgil Yow | 1953–1962 | 131–112 |
| Tom Quinn | 1962–1966 | 95–22 |
| Bob Vaughn | 1966–1971 | 75–67 |
| J.D. Barnett | 1971–1972 | 13–16 |
| Jerry Steele | 1972–2003 | 493–412 |
| Bart Lundy | 2003–2009 | 96–87 |
| Scott Cherry | 2009–2018 | 146–134 |
| Tubby Smith | 2018–2022 | 41–75 |
| G. G. Smith | 2022–2023 | 17–20 |
| Alan Huss | 2023–present | 56–14 |
| Head coaches | Head coaches | 14 |

## Notable players

* Tubby Smith (born 1951), coached several Division I basketball programs and won the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
* Gene Littles (born 1943), played for High Point College from 1965-1969. Records for points, field goals, and free throws still stand. Drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1969 NBA draft and by the Dallas Chaparrals in the 1969 ABA Draft. Played 5 seasons with the Carolina Cougars and 1 season with the Kentucky Colonels.
* Arizona Reid (born 1986), Israeli National League basketball player
* John Brown III (born 1992), French National League and EuroLeague basketball player

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I

The Panthers will make their first appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2025 | | | |

### NCAA Division II tournament results

The Panthers have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament two times. Their combined record is 2–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1996 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals | Presbyterian Queens (NC) | W 76–67 L 70–81 |
| 1997 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals | Pittsburgh–Johnstown Salem International | W 94–92 $^{OT}$ L 82–91 |

### NIT results

The Panthers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their record is 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2014 | First round | Minnesota | L 81–88 |
| 2016 | First round | South Carolina | L 66–88 |

### CIT results

The Panthers have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their record is 1–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2013 | First round | UC Irvine | L 71–80 |
| 2015 | First round Second Round | Maryland Eastern Shore Eastern Kentucky | W 70–64 L 65–66 |

### NAIA tournament results

The Panthers have appeared in the NAIA tournament seven times. Their combined record is 7–7.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1939 | First round | Peru State | L 46–55 |
| 1942 | First round Second Round | Yankton Central Missouri State | W 44–37 L 40–59 |
| 1946 | First round | Houston | L 34–63 |
| 1964 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Ferris State Georgia Southern Emporia State | W 86–70 W 85–76 L 78–90 |
| 1965 | First round Second Round | California Western Winston–Salem State | W 79–57 L 62–78 |
| 1969 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Missouri–Saint Louis Whittier Eastern New Mexico | W 102–90 W 100–82 L 73–77 |
| 1979 | First round Second Round | Oregon Tech Briar Cliff | W 91–62 L 65–76 |