1969–70 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1969–70 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State College during the 1969–70 NCAA University Division basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats were led by second-year head coach Phil Johnson and played their home games on campus at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah. They were 19–7 in the regular season and 12–3 in conference play.[1]

1969–70 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record19–8 (12–3 Big Sky)
Head coach
Assistant coachGene Visscher
Home arenaWildcat Gym
Seasons
1969–70 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Weber State 12 3   .800 19 8   .704
Idaho State 11 4   .733 14 11   .560
Gonzaga 7 8   .467 10 16   .385
Idaho 6 9   .400 10 15   .400
Montana 5 10   .333 8 18   .308
Montana State 4 11   .267 4 22   .154

The conference tournament was six years away, and for the third consecutive season, Weber State won the Big Sky title and played in the 25-team NCAA tournament. In the West regional at nearby Provo, they met Jerry Tarkanian's Long Beach State 49ers in the first round and lost by 19 points.[2][3]

Junior forward Willie Sojourner was a unanimous selection to the all-conference team, joined by senior guard Sessions Harlan.[4] Sojourner was an honorable mention AP All-American twice and was All-Big Sky for three consecutive seasons.

After the following season, Johnson became an assistant in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls under Dick Motta, whom he had played for in high school in Idaho and coached under at Weber.[5]

Postseason result

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Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
NCAA tournament
Sat, March 7*
7:05 pm
vs. Long Beach State
First round
L 73–92  19–8
Smith Fieldhouse (10,500)
Provo, Utah
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain time.

References

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  1. ^ "Big Sky final standings". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). March 9, 1970. p. 15.
  2. ^ "Long Beach routs Weber". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 8, 1970. p. 2, sports.
  3. ^ Ferguson, George (March 9, 1970). "Weber: thud!". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 6B.
  4. ^ "Sojourner top choice in Big Sky". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 12, 1970. p. 12.
  5. ^ Deford, Frank (October 25, 1971). "Beware, Little Big Man is here". Sports Illustrated. p. 46.
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