NORSE MEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY TIMELINE 1997-98 • NKU must replace the scoring, rebounding, shooting and passing of Paul Cluxton, LaRon Moore and Shannon Minor. Those three players led the Norse to three straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and two regional championships. They also combined for 4,591 career points.
• Kentucky Wesleyan knocks off NKU in the GLVC Tournament semifinals, 111-70, at Evansville, Ind., in Roberts Stadium. The loss ends NKU’s season with a 16-12 record, and the Norse do not make the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 1994.
1999-2000
• The Norse jump out to a 15-3 record, including wins over LeMoyne-Owen, Quincy and Southern Indiana. Newcomers Scott Marston, Brian Lawhon and Adam Norwell make immediate impacts, as does redshirt freshman Craig Conley.
• NKU, expected to challenge for the GLVC title, begins the season by winning 17 of its first 19 games and being ranked as high as No. 6 nationally. During that stretch, the Norse give head coach Ken Shields his 200th career victory with a 77-47 win over Emporia State on Dec. 18, 1999, at Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Craig Sanders scores 22 points to lead NKU.
• Cliff Clinton scores 20 points and grabs 19 rebounds as NKU holds Brian Lawhon off Central State, 68-64, on Feb. 9, 1998, at Wilberforce, Ohio.
• On March 10, 2000, NKU defeats Northern Michigan, 89-57, in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Owensboro, Ky. • The next day, Kentucky Wesleyan ends NKU’s season with a 66-62 victory. Scott Marston leads the Norse with 17 points.
• On March 24, 1998, NKU plays host to Indianapolis in the first round of the inaugural GLVC Tournament. The Norse defeat the Greyhounds, 85-76, behind Clinton’s 24 points and 12 rebounds. • In the GLVC Tournament semifinals at Owensboro, Ky., Southern Indiana edges NKU, 79-78. Conley and Todd Clark each score 24 points for the Norse. A week later, NKU makes its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, also held at Owensboro, Ky. The Norse defeat Ferris State in the opening round, but Southern Indiana knocks off NKU in the regional semifinals. • Brian Lawhon is named GLVC Freshman of the Year. He is the first NKU men’s basketball player to receive the honor.
1998-99 • On Dec. 22, 1998, Brian Lawhon hits a school-record 11 3-pointers as NKU rallies past Kentucky State, 96-93, in overtime in Regents Hall. Lawhon’s 11 treys breaks the previous record of 10 held by Paul Cluxton.
Craig Sanders drives against Kentucky Wesleyan during the 2001 GLVC Tournament.
2012-13 NKU Norse Basketball Guide
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