NCAAB Troy Trojans

General Information

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Sun Belt Conference
Past Conferences: Alabama Collegiate Conference, Gulf South Conference, East Coast Conference, Mid-Continent Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference
City: Troy, Alabama
Arena: Trojan Arena
NCAA Tournaments: 2 (2003, 2017)

Championships:

National Championships: None
Conference Titles: 11 (1961, 1962, 1964, 1977, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010)

Team History

The Troy Trojans began play in the 1950-51 season and it didn’t take long for the team to become a pretty good one. After opening with an 8-35 record for the first two seasons, the Trojans went on to post 16 consecutive winning seasons. During the streak, the Trojans competed in the NAIA Tournament for three straight years beginning in 1957. The Trojans made the move to Division II for the 1971-72 season and reached the Division II Tournament in 1976 and 1977.

Don Maestri took over the program in 1982-83 and brought the Trojans back to the Division II Tournament in 1988, 1991, 1992 and 1993, when Troy reached the championship game. Troy made the move to Division I for the 1993-94 season. After winning the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title in 2000 and 2002, the Trojans were able to win the conference and the conference tournament in 2003, which gave the Trojans their first berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans won the regular season conference title in 2004 but were upset in the conference tournament and had to settle for a berth to the NIT.

The Trojans were invited to the CBI in 2009 and the NIT in 2010 and Maestri stepped down after the 2012-13 season with a record of 501–403. Phil Cunningham took over the program and the Trojans had losing records in five of his six seasons, but the team that finished with a winning record was the 2016-17 Trojan team that reached the NCAA Tournament. Scott Cross took over the team for the 2019-20 season and after a couple of ugly seasons, the Trojans went 20-12 in 2021-22 and earned a berth in the CBI.

All-Time Records

• Points Scored

  • Wesley Person, 2,063
  • Jordon Varnado, 1,917
  • Anthony Reed, 1,875

• Rebounds

  • Marvin Sales, 1,318
  • Carl Hollis, 1,124
  • Anthony Reed, 913 

• Assists

  • David Felix, 625
  • Michael Vogler, 473
  • Charles McDonald, 462

FAQs

How Many NCAA Records Did the Trojans Set in Their January 12th, 1992 Victory Over DeVry?

The Trojans set or tied 15 NCAA records in their 258-141 victory over DeVry Institute. The Trojans set an NCAA record for the most points in a half, when they led 123-53 at halftime and broke that record after scoring 135 points in the second half. Among the records set were most points in a game, most field goals attempted, most field goals made, and most 3-pointers made. Troy forced 44 turnovers and there were only three free throws attempted the entire game.

How Long Have Troy Teams Been Called the Trojans? 

In the early 1970s the Troy student body held an election and changed the team name from the Red Wave to the Trojans. The rationale was that Red Wave was too similar to Crimson Tide. It was still better than the original nickname of the Troy teams, which was the Troy State Teachers.

What Were the Trojan Teams Dubbed for Their Willingness to Shoot So Many 3-Pointers?

Under coach Don Maestri, Troy was among the national leaders in 3-pointers attempted for many years. As the school was called Troy State from 1967-2005, many took to calling the team, “Trey State,” which was also used as the headline by one Atlanta paper reporting on the team’s 258-point outburst against DeVry Institute.