Weber State University Athletics
The 1995 Wildcat team. (left to right): Tracey Thomas, Justin Nielsen, Jimmy DeGraffenried, Jeff Lentfer, Lewis Lofton, Andy Smith, Bryan Emery, Ryan Cuff, Freddie Dawson, Ruben Nembhard, Kirk Smith.
Weber State to celebrate 30th Anniversary of 1995 Wildcat men’s basketball team
1/8/2025 11:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball
At the January 18 home game, Weber State will honor the historic 1995 Wildcat team.
OGDEN - 30 years ago in 1995 Bill Clinton was in the White House, Batman Forever, Apollo 13, and Toy Story were the top movies, ER and Seinfeld were the top TV shows, a gallon of gas cost just over a dollar, and a company named Amazon sold its first book.
And also in 1995, the Weber State men's basketball team put together one of the most successful and historic seasons in Wildcat history. Weber State won the Big Sky regular season title, captured the Big Sky Tournament, and defeated Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, before narrowly losing in the second round.
This year, Weber State will turn back the clock 30 years to honor the 1995 Wildcat men's basketball team, one of the great teams in Wildcat history. The Wildcat team will be honored on its 30th anniversary at the WSU men's basketball home game against Montana State on Saturday, January 18.
Several players and coaches from that team will be in attendance at the game and the team will be recognized and honored at halftime.
A special ticket price for level 2 tickets (rows 8-14) is available for two tickets for just $19.95. That pricing is also available for the January 16 game against Montana.
Under head coach Ron Abegglen, the 1994-95 Wildcat team finished 21-9 overall and were 11-3 in Big Sky play to capture their second-straight regular season title. The Wildcats hosted the Big Sky Tournament that season in Ogden and won two games to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. WSU Hall of Fame member Ruben Nembhard was named the Big Sky Conference MVP, the first Wildcat to win the honor.
Weber State was sent all the way across the country to Tallahassee, Florida for the first round game on March 17, 1995, as a No. 14 seed against No. 3 seed Michigan State, coached by legendary head coach Jud Heathcote.
The Wildcats trailed by nine points at halftime against the Spartans, led by All-American Shawn Respert, but the 'Cats put together a big second-half rally to outscore MSU 42-26 in the second half, en route to a 79-72 win. It was the first win by the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament in 16 years and the first by a team from the Big Sky Conference in 12 years.
Nembhard led the Wildcats with 27 points, DeGraffenreid added 15 points with four 3-pointers and Lofton had 14 points.
The Wildcats then advanced to take on sixth-seeded Georgetown, coached by legendary coach John Thompson and led by sophomore guard Allen Iverson. The low-scoring game was back-and-forth to the end when Iverson missed a 3-pointer and Georgetown's Don Reid tipped in the miss at the buzzer to give the Hoyas a 53-51 win.
While the season ended in a heartbreaking loss, the 1995 Wildcat team will go down as one of the best teams in Weber State's storied history.
Nembhard was named the Big Sky MVP, while DeGraffenried and Kirk Smith also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors that season. Coach Abegglen was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year. Nembhard, DeGraffenried, and Abegglen are all members of the Weber State Hall of Fame. Abegglen passed away in 2018.
Join Weber State in celebrating 30 years since this memorable Wildcat team at the January 18 home game as the Wildcats host Montana State.
And also in 1995, the Weber State men's basketball team put together one of the most successful and historic seasons in Wildcat history. Weber State won the Big Sky regular season title, captured the Big Sky Tournament, and defeated Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, before narrowly losing in the second round.
This year, Weber State will turn back the clock 30 years to honor the 1995 Wildcat men's basketball team, one of the great teams in Wildcat history. The Wildcat team will be honored on its 30th anniversary at the WSU men's basketball home game against Montana State on Saturday, January 18.
Several players and coaches from that team will be in attendance at the game and the team will be recognized and honored at halftime.
A special ticket price for level 2 tickets (rows 8-14) is available for two tickets for just $19.95. That pricing is also available for the January 16 game against Montana.
Under head coach Ron Abegglen, the 1994-95 Wildcat team finished 21-9 overall and were 11-3 in Big Sky play to capture their second-straight regular season title. The Wildcats hosted the Big Sky Tournament that season in Ogden and won two games to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. WSU Hall of Fame member Ruben Nembhard was named the Big Sky Conference MVP, the first Wildcat to win the honor.
Weber State was sent all the way across the country to Tallahassee, Florida for the first round game on March 17, 1995, as a No. 14 seed against No. 3 seed Michigan State, coached by legendary head coach Jud Heathcote.
The Wildcats trailed by nine points at halftime against the Spartans, led by All-American Shawn Respert, but the 'Cats put together a big second-half rally to outscore MSU 42-26 in the second half, en route to a 79-72 win. It was the first win by the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament in 16 years and the first by a team from the Big Sky Conference in 12 years.
Nembhard led the Wildcats with 27 points, DeGraffenreid added 15 points with four 3-pointers and Lofton had 14 points.
The Wildcats then advanced to take on sixth-seeded Georgetown, coached by legendary coach John Thompson and led by sophomore guard Allen Iverson. The low-scoring game was back-and-forth to the end when Iverson missed a 3-pointer and Georgetown's Don Reid tipped in the miss at the buzzer to give the Hoyas a 53-51 win.
While the season ended in a heartbreaking loss, the 1995 Wildcat team will go down as one of the best teams in Weber State's storied history.
Nembhard was named the Big Sky MVP, while DeGraffenried and Kirk Smith also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors that season. Coach Abegglen was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year. Nembhard, DeGraffenried, and Abegglen are all members of the Weber State Hall of Fame. Abegglen passed away in 2018.
Join Weber State in celebrating 30 years since this memorable Wildcat team at the January 18 home game as the Wildcats host Montana State.
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