The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 226 is Hampton basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Hampton basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 6
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 15.3
- Bids per season: 0.19
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 1
- Conference Players of the Year: 2
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 4
- Conference tournament titles: 6
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Hampton basketball
Playing in the MEAC since joining Division I in 1995, Hampton saw so much early success they ended up joining the Big South, and now the CAA. The Pirates have made six NCAA Tournaments, all between 2001 and 2016, as one of the better mid-major runs, especially as an HBCU and a smaller program overall.
At the start of their time in DI, head coach Steve Merfield replaced Byron Samuels and brought Hampton to huge heights right away. They won the MEAC regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back seasons in 2000-01 and 2001-02. But the 2001 tourney appearance proved to be one of the best upsets of all time. As a 15-seed and just their sixth season in Division I, Hampton knocked off 2-seed Iowa State. That team, led by Tarvis Williams, has gone down in HBCU hoops history.
Bobby Collins replaced Merfield, who left for Evansville, and kept the Hampton brand as one of the best in the MEAC, with another tourney bid in 2006. Collins resigned a couple of days after, and in three seasons under Kevin Nickelberry, they started to fade off. But Edward Joyner was hired in 2009 and really built Hampton back up, with two regular season titles and three conference tournament titles in a 15-year stretch. In two seasons under Ivan Thomas, Hampton has gone 30-35 as a middle-of-the-road CAA team
While the program has gone through many changes, they’ve still got a record nearly at .500 all-time.
But the most famous Hampton player came long before they went DI. Rick Mahorn, who played in over 1,100 NBA games, was on the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons and was known for his tough, physical play. He averaged over 20 PPG at Hampton in the NAIA.
Obviously, play in the mid-major conferences varies, but Hampton clearly had a great run for a few decades, no matter their conference’s identity.