Mountain Hawks

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Patriot League (1990-present)
Past Conferences: East Coast
City: Bethlehem, Pa.
Stadium: Stabler Arena

NCAA Tournaments: 5 (1985, 1988, 2004, 2010, 2012)
Championships:
National Championships: None
Conference Tournament Titles: 5 (1985, 1988, 2004, 2010, 2012)
Conference Regular Season Titles: 4 (1970, 1990, 2004, 2010)

Team History

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are a Division I program located in Bethlehem, Pa. Lehigh joined the Patriot League in 1990 as one of its founding members.

Lehigh pulled off one of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest upsets in 2012, upending Duke 75-70 in the round of 64 behind 30 points from C.J. McCollum. It marked just the sixth time a No. 15 seed had beaten a No. 2 seed.
McCollum graduated in 2013 as the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer (2,361). He became the first Lehigh player picked in the NBA Draft when the Portland Trail Blazers selected him 10th overall later that year. The sharpshooting McCollum is now in his 10th NBA season and was named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2016.

Only Daren Queenan, who played for Lehigh from 1984-88, has scored more points than McCollum in program history (2,703). The school retired both players’ numbers, along with Mike Polaha’s.

The Mountain Hawks won a program-record 27 games in 2012, then another 21 the following year. Unfortunately, McCollum’s senior season ended prematurely because of a broken foot, and the Mountain Hawks wound up settling for a College Basketball Invitational berth.

Before the Patriot League, Lehigh competed in the East Coast Conference. Fifteen years after winning the ECC regular season title, Lehigh claimed the league tournament championship to earn its first trip to the Big Dance. The Mountain Hawks lost in the first round, just as they did in 1988, 2004 and 2010.

Promoted to head coach before 2007-08, Brett Reed entered this season with a program-record 246 victories. The Mountain Hawks have made the postseason three times during his tenure. Their odds of returning this year are decent, as they were picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll.

The program’s previous coaches include Anthony Packer, David Duke, Billy Taylor and Fran McCaffrey.

All-Time Records

Points Scored
o Daren Queenan: 2,703
o C.J. McCollum: 2,361
o Tim Kempton: 2,043

Rebounds
o Tim Kempton: 1,095
o Daren Queenan: 1,013
o Dozie Mbonu: 935

Assists
o Kahron Ross: 660
o Mackey McKnight: 578
o Marquis Hall: 566

FAQs

How many 20-win seasons does Lehigh have?
Lehigh has won at least 20 games seven times, most recently in 2018-19 when it went 20-11, including 12-6 in Patriot League play. The school record for wins in a season is 27, set in 2011-12.

What’s the worst season in Lehigh’s history?
Lehigh’s 1996-97 team won only once in Patriot League play and finished 1-26 overall. Its only victory came against Holy Cross.

Who holds Lehigh’s single-season scoring record?
Daren Queenan scored a school-record 882 points in 1987-88. Queenan, a four-time all-conference honoree, has three of the top 10 scoring seasons in program history.