VMI Keydets

VMI Keydets
General Information
NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Southern Conference
Past Conferences: Big South Conference
City: Lexington, Virginia
Arena: Cameron Hall
NCAA Tournaments: 3 (1964, 1976, 1977)
Championships
National Championships : 0
Conference Titles : 2 (1976, 1977)
Team History
The Virginia Military Institute Keydets have a long basketball tradition, first beginning play in the 1908-09 season. VMI played as an independent before joining the 22-team Southern Conference for the 1925-26 season. The Southern Conference looked much different then, with the likes of Kentucky and North Carolina. VMI remained in the Southern Conference until the 2002-03 season, when the Keydets joined the Big South Conference. The Keydets returned to the Southern Conference for the 2014-15 season.
VMI had some success in the early years, but by the time the 1940s rolled around, VMI was bad. Really bad. Between the 1943-44 and 1952-53 seasons, VMI had a 26-145 record. The Keydets had a few better seasons but never finished higher than .500. In 1964, the Keydets were the unlikely winners of the Southern Conference Tournament, earning the team’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, VMI quickly fell back into old habits and went 18-31 over the next three seasons.
Bill Blair became head coach in 1972-73 and in his fourth year led the Keydets to the conference tournament title and another trip to the NCAA Tournament. Blair left for Colorado the following season and new coach Charlie Schmaus led the team to a 26-4 record and a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1976-77, but, once again, VMI fell apart and went 1-25 in 1981-82 when Schmaus was shown the door.
The Keydets were invited to play in the CIT in 2014, where they advanced to the semifinals, and VMI competed in the CBI in 2022, where they were bounced by UNC Wilmington in the first round.
VMI Keydets All-Time Records
Points Scored
Reggie Williams, 2,556
Gay Elmore, 2,422
Ron Carter, 2,228
Rebounds
Dave Montgomery, 1,068
Stan Okoye, 963
Bill Ralph 919
Assists
Richard Little, 608
Rodney Glasgow, 530
Mike Huffman, 480