Every program has a time period gone by that serves as its gold standard for which future teams strive to match and even surpass. For Slippery Rock men’s basketball, that era is the four-season period between 1987 and 1991. 

The Rock won 78 games over those four seasons, earned two NCAA Tournament bids, was routinely ranked among the top 25 teams in Division II and qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament on four occasions during a period when only six teams played in the tournament.

A common misconception among people with only a vague understanding of the program during that time, is that all of the success is solely because of the talents of Myron Brown. After all, Brown was arguably the most dominant player in PSAC history with a conference record 2,619 career points to go along with ranking third in steals (133) at The Rock, sixth in assists (299), and 10th in rebounds (760). 

While there’s no doubt Brown, who went on to play in the NBA, is the centerpiece to SRU’s dynasty of the late 80s and early 90s, history is littered with star players on bad teams that never won. A team doesn’t win 67 percent of its games and reach the levels of success that Slippery Rock did during that time without a well-rounded cast of fellow great players and a coaching staff that put those players in a position to thrive. 

For this week’s “Throwback Thursday” feature, we’ll be taking a look at the Slippery Rock men’s basketball program’s historic run from 1987 to 1991.

Assembling the Staff

Bob Barlett became head coach of the Slippery Rock men’s basketball team prior to the 1985-86 season at the age of 36. It was a homecoming for Barlett, who starred at SRU as a player for three seasons (1966-69). 

Following his playing career Barlett, who was a two-time All-PSAC honoree at SRU, quickly shot up the coaching ranks in western Pennsylvania. After a one-year stint as the head coach of Greenville High School, Barlett moved on to Moniteau High School and proceeded to guide the Warriors to 172 wins and a pair of conference titles over the next nine seasons.

Barlett began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach for three years at nearby Westminster College. His final stop prior to returning to SRU was at Butler County Community College, where he led BC3 to state titles in two of his three seasons in charge of the program. 

Barlett inherited a Slippery Rock program that went 8-17 the previous year and despite moments of success had ultimately suffered losing seasons in four of the seven years prior to his arrival with a combined record of just 71-105 (.403). 

As is the case for the majority of coaches that take over a struggling program, Barlett’s early seasons at Slippery Rock were spent re-building the culture and installing his own philosophy while the team slowly shaped into his vision.

Prior to his second season in 1986-87, Barlett added an integral piece to the program with the hiring of assistant coach Bob “Posey” Rhoads, who came to SRU after spending two seasons as the head coach of Thiel College. Rhoads, who was credited to being a driving force behind SRU’s high-powered offense, served as Barlett’s lead assistant for the next eight seasons. 

Brown emphasized to the Butler Eagle years later just how important of a role that Rhoads played in his development.

“He prepared me,” said Brown. “He did everything you could imagine in terms of preparation… He knew it would make me a better player. Every offensive move I had was because of Pose. I would not have been drafted if it wasn't for the work he did with me.”

Phil Wimer, a former assistant at Carnegie Mellon University and long-time teacher at Lincoln High School, joined Barlett and Rhoads on the bench prior to the 1988-89 campaign to complete a coaching staff that would go on to lead Slippery Rock to some of the best years in program history. 

“I was able to grow as a coach over the years because of the people I worked with,” Barlett told the Butler Eagle prior to his induction into the Butler County Hall of Fame in 2012. “I coached under great people and had great coaches as assistants. No coach is strong in every aspect of the game. When I had a question or a problem in basketball, there was always someone I could go to who had the answer.”

1987-88:  Laying the Foundation for Success

After seven and eight-win years to start his tenure, Barlett’s program really started to turn the corner in 1987-88 as The Rock improved to 14-14 and qualified for the PSAC Tournament for the first time in five years thanks in no small part to the top recruiting class ever assembled at SRU.

First there was Brown, a 6-3 “do-it-all” guard out of Sto-Rox High School. Described by Barlett in the preseason as the team’s most talented guard, Brown more than lived up to expectations early on in his career by averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 49.6 percent from the field as a rookie.   

Then there was point guard C. Russell. An all-state honoree and the Northern Virginia Player of the Year as a senior at Warren County High School, Russell came to Slippery Rock known for his floor vision, quick first step and reliable jump shot. Those skills smoothly translated to the college game as Russell appeared in all 28 games during his freshman year, finishing the season leading The Rock in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (2.6 spg) in addition to scoring 8.6 points per game. 

Barlett also added a pair of transfers in Bill Johnson (St. Augustine’s) and Jeff Loughry (Butler County Community College). After having to sit out the first semester due to transfer rules, Johnson came on strong to provide Slippery Rock with 10.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg. 

The final signee of The Rock’s recruiting class was 6-6 forward Kevin Jones. The Cleveland, Ohio native earned significant playing time as a freshman (20.3 minutes per game) by impressing coaches with his tremendous hustle and determination in the paint. Jones, who had the longest arms on the roster, compiled per game averages of 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and just under one block per game.

While the stellar recruiting class gave The Rock a noticeable boost from the previous season, that’s not to say the returners from 1986-87 were devoid of talent. All-PSAC honoree senior Curt Williams nearly averaged a double-double in his final season at 18.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg and junior Shannon Pullium produced 4.4 assists per game while chipping in 6.3 ppg in 27 starts. 

Nine of Slippery Rock’s 14 losses in 1987-88 were by nine points or less including two losses against Division I teams, a one-point defeat versus No. 19 California (Pa.) and a six-point double overtime loss against Lock Haven in the PSAC Tournament. 

With 11 players returning in 1988-89, it was clear that the foundation for a run of success had been paved. 

1988-89: A Foreshadowing of Things to Come

The Rock successfully pulled off the always-tough move from a young upstart team to serious contenders in 1988-89. 

SRU concluded the year with an 18-10 overall record, an 8-4 mark in league contests and another trip to the PSAC Tournament. The 18 wins were the most for The Rock in the last 15 years and its conference win total was a high point for the program since 1977-78.

Slippery Rock won eight of its first 10 games and regrouped from a midseason slump to end the season by coming away victorious in nine of the final 12 games of the year, which included a 78-74 upset of No. 18 Lock Haven in the regular season finale to head into the PSAC Tournament with an 18-9 record. However, SRU’s season came to an end a week later when Lock Haven avenged the earlier defeat with a 110-95 victory in the conference tournament.

The 1988-89 season featured an offensive explosion at The Rock as SRU averaged 85.6 points per game, its highest team average since 1971-72. 

Now in their second year with the program, the majority of the 1987-88 recruiting class shouldered the offensive load. The combination of Brown, Jones, Johnson and Russell averaged 61.5 ppg with Johnson pulling down 8.2 boards per game, Jones blocking 42 shots and Russell dishing out 113 assists.

SRU received veteran leadership from its senior team captains Pullium and Todd Baker. Pullium started 25 games, scored 10.0 ppg and led The Rock with 86 steals. Baker battled back from a knee injury that limited him to just nine games the prior year to start 27 games and pull down 6.4 rpg. 

As one would imagine with a roster stacked with returners, cracking a spot in the rotation was no easy accomplishment in 1988-89, but young point guard Bob McConnell managed to do just that. A product of Grove City High School, McConnell appeared in 20 games and played 12.0 minutes per game despite having the outstanding lead guard duo of Pullium and Russell ahead of him. 

1989-90: Time to Thrive

After two years of continuous improvement, it was now clear that Slippery Rock wouldn’t be catching anyone off guard and more than likely would get everyone’s best shot in what was at the time the best Division II basketball conference in the country.

Barlett employed a seven-man rotation in 1989-90 featuring veterans Johnson, Brown, Jones, Russell, McConnell and Richard Nagy as well as newcomer Rob Wilson, a 6-4, 220-pound junior college All-American out of Ohio Valley Business College and native of Warrensville, Ohio.

While SRU started the 1989-90 campaign with a modest 5-3 record it quickly turned the season around with the greatest streak in program history. Starting with a 108-76 victory over Pitt-Bradford, Slippery Rock rattled off 16 straight wins.

The Rock entered the national rankings as the 18th-ranked team in the country six games into its winning streak. SRU steadily climbed the rankings as its winning streak continued from 18th to 14th to 13th to ninth to sixth to fourth and finally all the way up to second in the nation following its 96-65 victory against California that ended the regular season and gave The Rock a perfect conference record and a PSAC West regular season title.

However, the postseason proved to be unkind to The Rock as East Stroudsburg ended the winning streak when it narrowly edged out SRU, 103-102, in the PSAC semifinals. The conference tournament upset was followed by tight losses to ESU (99-98) and CW Post (84-79) in the NCAA Tournament, thus ending Slippery Rock’s year with a record of 23-6. 

SRU’s offense continued to soar to new heights with a PSAC-best 90.4 ppg on the year. 

Johnson averaged a double-double of 20.9 points and 10.8 rebounds as a senior on the way to being the first player in program history to be named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Barlett was recognized as the PSAC Coach of the Year and Brown, who led the team in scoring with 24.4 ppg, was named to the All-PSAC West first team to round out SRU’s award winners. 

Wilson (10.9) and Jones (10.7) were The Rock’s other top scorers. Russell averaged 6.8 assists while McConnell came off the bench in all 29 games as Russell’s backup to run the offense with 4.4 assists per game of his own.

While The Rock faced the unenviable task of having to replace a departing Johnson, Barlett still brought back the majority of his major contributors to set up a proper swan song for the era.

1990-91: One Final Run

On the heels of the greatest season in program history, Slippery Rock entered 1990-91 with a lofty national ranking and the enormous expectations that come with it. The pressure of the season was not lost on Barlett.

“Sometimes I think it’s easier to come out of the pack to the top than to be on top and stay there,” Barlett said during the preseason. “We were selected sixth in the nation and number one in our league for the year. Expectations are very high.”

SRU combated the expectations with a core returning group of starters Brown, Jones, Russell and Wilson with McConnell once again serving as the sixth man. The Rock’s starting lineup was topped off by the addition of St. Bonaventure transfer Donald Burnett, a dynamic offensive talent from Meadville, Pennsylvania. Those six men accounted for 92 percent of the team’s minutes played.

Slippery Rock quickly proved it deserved to be mentioned among the top teams in the nation when it opened the year by winning nine of its first 11 games. SRU’s average margin of victory during the opening part of the year was 36.1 points and its only two losses came to a pair of Division I teams in Western Michigan and Ball State.

While another perfect conference record was not in the cards, Slippery Rock still had a relatively easy time in PSAC competition during the regular season, finishing with an 8-4 record and once again qualifying for the PSAC Tournament.

Slippery Rock cruised to a pair of home victories over Edinboro (88-72) and East Stroudsburg (77-63) in the opening rounds of the PSAC tournament, but lost a double overtime heartbreaker to Shippensburg, 76-75, in the PSAC championship game. 

Despite the loss, Slippery Rock earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the third seed in the East Region. However, another close loss ended The Rock’s season when CW Post eliminated SRU from the NCAA Tournament via a 70-66 victory. Slippery Rock went on to beat Shippensburg, 119-101, in a consolation game to finish the year 23-9.

Brown earned the fourth All-America honor of his career and was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year following a season in which he averaged 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Russell, who averaged 9.4 ppg, 7.3 apg and 3.3 spg, joined Brown on the All-PSAC squad as a second team choice.

Jones and Wilson also wrapped up their stellar careers with fine senior seasons. The pair combined to average 29.2 points and 16.3 rebounds per game with Jones also blocking a then-program record 68 shots. 

Just as advertised, Burnett was an offensive presence in his first season at The Rock with 60 made 3-pointers and a 16.8 ppg scoring average. McConnell again came off the bench to dish out 5.3 assists per game.

The final run of the core of the Slippery Rock roster saw the team finish the season scoring 94.3 points per game, an average that still stands as the top single-season mark in program history. 

Postscript

Names of the central figures over the four-year stretch still live on today in the annals of Slippery Rock history. 

Barlett left Slippery Rock prior to the 1994 season with 124 victories, the fourth most in program history.

Sadly, beloved assistant coach Posey Rhoads died of cancer on April 18, 2013 at the age of 63. He was remembered fondly by both coaches and players alike. More than 500 people attended his funeral. 

“He's touched us all,” said Barlett during Rhoads' funeral. “Today we should be celebrating the time we had with Pose. What a great human being. I can just tell you how proud I am to be his friend.”

Brown went on to be drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 34th pick in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft. He enjoyed a 15-year career as a professional basketball player across the NBA, CBA, ABA, USBL and in the Italian Basketball League. As previously mentioned, Brown is The Rock’s all-time leading scorer in addition to ranking in the top-10 at SRU in career assists, steals and rebounds and is one of the few players from a PSAC school to ever reach the NBA.

Russell, a 2018 SRU Hall of Fame inductee, is The Rock’s all-time leader in both assists (686) and steals (338). He is also eighth in 3-pointers made (101) and 15th in points (1,137). Jones still stands as SRU’s career blocks leader (184) while his 1,421 points and 728 rebounds rank sixth and 14th in program history, respectively. 

Johnson made the most of his three years of eligibility at The Rock as he ranks 12th in points (1,200), 15th in blocks (57) and 18th in rebounds (700).

McConnell and Baker are second (513) and eighth (282) in assists at SRU. Pullium ranks second in career steals behind Russell with 213 takeaways and third in assists at 399. Despite playing just two seasons at The Rock, Burnett is 12th in 3-pointers made all-time with 83. 

The 78 victories Slippery Rock achieved over this historic period are the third-highest four-year win total in program history. The number of victories is all the more impressive considering Barlett’s approach to non-conference scheduling in which he would have SRU play the top teams in the region, and anyone else for that matter, regardless of division. All told, Slippery Rock played 11 Division I opponents in regular season bouts from 1987-91.

Slippery Rock’s back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 1989-90 and 1990-91 are unprecedented in SRU basketball’s 108-year history and The Rock’s 23-win seasons in those two years are tied for the most wins in a single-season at The Rock along with the 1972-73 and 2012-13 teams.

MEMBERS OF THE MEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM (1987-91)
Will Anderson: 1990-91
Todd Baker: 1987-88, 88-89
Paul Blackburn: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90, 90-91
Myron Brown: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90, 90-91
Dan Burke: 1987-88
Donald Burnett: 1990-91
Derek Gaus: 1990-91
Paolo Ghisletta: 1990-91
Irvin Glaze: 1987-88
Rak Hetherington: 1990-91
Bill Johnson: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90
Kevin Jones: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90, 90-91
Mike Jones: 1989-90
Bob Kerr: 1990-91
Ray Kinder: 1989-90
Steve Kmetz: 1989-90, 90-91
Terrell Lindsey: 1990-91
Jeff Loughry: 1987-88, 88-89
Darrin Mayes: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90
Bob McConnell: 1988-89, 89-90, 90-91
Rick Nagy: 1988-89, 89-90
Richard Newell: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90
Joe Palacz: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90
Andrew Parkinson: 1988-89
Shannon Pullium: 1987-88, 88-89
C. Russell: 1987-88, 88-89, 89-90, 90-91
Curt Williams: 1987-88
Rob Wilson: 1989-90, 90-91

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