As time moves forward, the 2000-2001 edition of the Transylvania men’s basketball team continues to serve as the standard by which all other Pioneers teams are measured.
Entering that season, the Pioneers encountered the unique situation of having no true home court. With the Pioneers’ longtime venue of McAlister Auditorium torn down to make way for the new Beck Center, the Transylvania basketball team utilized various Bluegrass-area gyms to serve as home base.
Whether those factors or others had a catalyzing effect on the Pioneers, the season became the best in program history, as the Pioneers went 27-1 in their regular season. The stretch of excellence included a team-record 22-game winning streak, along with a #1 national ranking for the latter half of January and all of February.
The 27 wins also set a record for most wins in a season by a Pioneers squad.
The team peaked in the round of 16 in the NAIA tournament, completing a remarkable 27-2 season that also served as the final season for legendary head coach and 2001 NABC Coach of the Year Don Lane, who won 509 games in his career.
The 2000-2001 Pioneers also produced the NAIA National Player of the Year in forward Collier Mills, a native son of Lexington.
The Transylvania men’s basketball program is one that teems with tradition and boasts of decades-long excellence. In the eyes of most, the 2000-2001 squad towers above them all.
