Image courtesy of Bramblett Group; The FHU Lions claimed victory at the 2024 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, March 26, marking their first ever national championship title.
Kansas City, Missouri – Despite trailing by six points with one minute remaining in the championship game of the 2024 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship, presented by Ballogy, FHU Head Basketball Coach Drew Stutts and the Lions forced a flurry of turnovers and scored the final 10 points of the game to take the Big Red Banner and the championship trophy home to Henderson! They claimed a 71-67 championship victory over the Langston (Oklahoma) University Lions Tuesday night, March 26.
Utilizing phrases such as “Elite is Earned,” “Today is the Day” and “Committed to the Culture,” Stutts said he believes his team lived up to his expectations, saying, “They have just shown so much resilience and so much toughness tonight. The last thing we talked about before we went out of the locker room was ‘the tougher team wins,’ and I think we have proven that throughout the course of this year.”
The Lions (32-4) lived up to a championship game with neither team leading by more than two possessions. Ryley McClaran scored the championship’s first points with a three-pointer at 17:57 before Peyton Law and Hunter Scurlock teamed up to score six unanswered points. A triple by Langston at 13:40 gave LU a lead they would hold on to for more than six minutes before Chase Fiddler joined Scurlock with layups to give the FHU Lions a 23-22 lead.
Langston (35-2) would begin to hit late jumpers before ending the first half on a 8-1 run to end the first half of the championship game leading 40-31.
Langston stormed out of the locker room to enter the second half with four unanswered points to jump out to their largest lead of the game at 46-33. Quan Lax took advantage of a Langston turnover with a fast break layup to spark a 6-0 run for the Lions. Lax bucketed a jumper before Law’s layup at 10:16 pulled FHU within three points. At 9:09, Geraldo Lane drove into the paint on a fast break where he scored the bucket and then drew a foul. JJ Wheat’s jumper at 8:04 completed the comeback and knotted the game 50-50 with 8:04 remaining in regulation.
Fifteen of the next 19 points came from the teams trading trips to the free-throw line until Langston bucketed a three-pointer with 3:42 remaining. That began a seven-point run that put LU on top 66-60 with 1:55 left.
Trailing by six points with one minute in regulation, Lax coolly sank a set of free throws before Lane stole the ball from Langston, then was fouled during a layup. Finding themselves not down by one point with 40 ticks on the clock, Law flew through the air to disrupt a deep inbound pass, giving it to Wheat; Wheat was then fouled with the chance to tie or potentially take a lead. Wheat made the first free throw to knot the game before hitting the second to give FHU a 68-67 lead with 35 seconds. A quick run down the court saw a layup attempt by Langston, but again Wheat was there. Wheat recorded the block and went coast-to-coast to bucket a layup to give the Lions a 70-67 lead with 12 ticks. An attempt to tie the game fell short, and after a foul on the rebound attempt, Law’s free throw clinched the Lion’s quest for the national title with the 71-67 championship win.
Derek Wiesemann, an FHU alumnus from 2011 and Kansas City native, makes as many trips to watch the Lions in his hometown as possible. “This means so much to the school. It’s been a long time coming as there have been some really good teams in the past. This makes a lot of people proud – not just the ones who have worn the jersey – but everybody.”
The Lions of FHU shot 47% from the floor while their opponents ended with a 42% mark from the floor. Despite being out-rebounded 39-27, Freed-Hardeman forced 19 Langston turnovers and turned those into 24 points.
“We are extremely proud,” beamed Freed-Hardeman University President David R. Shannon. “Any team that wins the national championship has to have a lot of grit, a lot of skill and great coaching. And we get to see that at Freed-Hardeman.”
Lax finished the year with a 15-point effort primarily going 9-13 from the charity stripe. Scurlock followed a rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards. Law helped out with 10 points. Scurlock also led the team with five assists and four blocks.
“This is a huge accomplishment for Coach Stutts and the team and a great day for Freed-Hardeman athletics and the Freed-Hardeman family,” FHU Athletic Director Jonathan Estes said. “The mission is to utilize your God-given abilities to His glory, and I think these guys did that.”
Making the All-Tournament team were FHU starters Lax, Scurlock and Wheat. Wheat was honored with the Charles Stevenson Hustle Award, while Scurlock ended his FHU career being named as the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
“It’s a good way to end, and it’s been worth every bit of the ride,” said Scurlock reflecting on his five-year career.
The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson and Memphis, FHU offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. More information is available at fhu.edu.
