McKendree University Athletics

Harry Statham spent 52 seasons as the McKendree head men's basketball coach and in that time, he amassed over 1,122 wins and led the Bearcats to postseason play 40 times, including 15 trips to the NAIA Men's National Championship Tournament, including the 2002-03 team that might the best all-time men's basketball team in school history. 

The 2002-03 team finished the season with a 34-4 overall record and advanced to the NAIA Final Four for the first and only time in the program's illustrious history. The 34 wins are the second most in program history, while the team's .895 winning percentage is also the second-highest in school history. 

During the regular season, the Bearcats earned their first No. 1 ranking in the NAIA poll in December and claimed the regular season American Midwest Conference (AMC) title with an unblemished 10--0 record, which was the first undefeated record in league play in school history. 

In the postseason, McKendree won the AMC Tournament title as they defeated Columbia College, 81-59, in the championship game and then competed in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., where they earned a program-best No. 2 seed. At the NAIA National Tournament, McKendree opened with a 94-81 win over Jarvis Christian, before earning a second round win (105-98) over University of Science and Arts. The win over Science & Arts put the Bearcats into the quarterfinals where they earned a 64-62 win over Olivet Nazarene, before falling 81-58 in the national semifinals to Concordia University of California. 

The Bearcats had three winning streaks of at least 10 games during the 2002-03 season, including a 13 game win streak that spanned from Jan. 30 to the quarterfinal game of the NAIA Tournament on March 29. 

Matt Laur, who averaged 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, was named the NAIA National Player of the Year, while Coach Statham was named both the AMC and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association-NAIA Coach of the Year. Additionally, Coach Statham became the NAIA's all-time leader in career victories with 817 with McKendree's 88-87 home win over Mountain State University on Nov. 15, 2002.