Spring 1998

Men's basketball makes it four seasons in a row

Head Coach Jim Shaw and the Engineer men's basketball team completed their fourth straight winning season in 1998, with a record of 13-12. The Engineers tied for third place in their final season in the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference, compiling a league record of 7-5.

The 1997-98 season marked the first time in 50 years that the Engineers played their home games away from Shook Fieldhouse, as the team enjoyed the comforts of the beautiful new Hulbert Arena in the Sports and Recreation Center. The new gymnasium had its share of special moments in its first season, including the Engineers' most thrilling victory of the season - a 75-74 buzzer-beating win over defending NCAA Division III national champion Illinois Wesleyan University. The win exacted some revenge for the Engineers, who were knocked out of the 1997 NCAA III Tournament by Illinois Wesleyan - ironically, a one-point victory on the Titans' home floor.

Junior guard Bryan Egli became the first Rose-Hulman player to win an ICAC scoring title, leading the league with his 21.6 points per game average in conference games. Egli, a first-team all-ICAC and second-team all-region player, finished his junior year with 1,142 career points - tied for the 14th highest total in the school's history.

Joining Egli on the first team all-conference squad was junior center Sam Johnson. Junior guard Joe Puthoff was an honorable mention all-league pick.