After Sam Walker and his Lion squad had the enormous success of the 2004-2005 season, Lion Basketball appeared to be in a rut regarding postseason play.

From the 2006-2014 seasons, Walker and his program had done quite a lot. They had 5 winning seasons, 2 second place LSC North finishes, 5 third place finishes and a 141-111 overall record. IN 2013, despite a rough 14-15 record, Walker broke the program record for most wins, getting his 202nd win, breaking the record by the great Jim Gudger that season. However, the Lions were in the middle a rebuilding period, and it was time to get back to the winning ways of Lion Basketball.

The 2014 season saw the Lions narrowly miss the NCAA Tournament with a 19-9 record and a third place finish, but the 2015 season would be where The Lions would turn it around, collect some hardware, and go back to the dance that every team wants to be invited to at the end of the season.

The start of the season was terrific at 9-2, but the Lone Star Conference was tough in those days in basketball. West Texas A&M, Tarleton State, Angelo State, and TAMUC were all top programs in the nation and getting out of the conference would be tough. Getting to the tournament would take either winning the tournament or getting an at large bid, something the Lions had not had luck in getting previously.

After a 6-3 run to push their record into the teens, the Lions headed into the teeth of the LSC, where they dropped games to Angelo State, Tarleton, and Midwestern State, but overall finished strong. It got them third place in the conference with a 9-5 , meaning they would have a somewhat favorable seeding in the tournament in Allen, TX.

In the LSC quarterfinals, TAMUC got the hat trick by beating West Texas A&M 3 times in the same season and sending the Buffs home with a 79-64 score. In the LSC Semis, nobody was giving the Lions a chance. They had lost both matchups, one a heartbreaker by 4 at home and a blowout loss to the 7th ranked Texans. Walker had his team prepared as they fought hard, hit key shots, and delivered a nail biting 53-51 upset win over the Texans. It set them up with Angelo State, coached by future Texas Tech, Texas, and Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard, a team they had split the season series with to that point. It was simple, win the conferenc tournament, and they would go dancing for the first time in a decade.

The Lions jumped out in front and played 2 strong halves of basketball, hitting key shot after key shot and defeating the Rams 68-61, punching their ticket to the NCAA Division II Dance. It was also the first conference tournament championship in ten years. Everyone from Coach Sam Walker, to AD Tim McMurray, and President Dan Jones got a peice of the net to cut down and hoisted the trophy to take home and get ready.

Tarleton State hosted the South Central Regionals, and this time the Lions ran into a much better prepared Angelo State team. The game was still close, but Walker’s Lions missed key shots at key times, and the Lions went home after the first round, with a 24-8 overall record, their best in a decade.

Though it was a tough way to finish the season, it was a preview of future Division II success to come, and it was proof that Walker still had that magic in him to coach championship basketball.

2014-2015 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions Basketball

Lone Star Conference Tournament Champions

NCAA Division II First Round