Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2017
- Class:
- 2007
Chris McNaughton was the center on the historic 2005 and 2006 men's basketball championship teams, and his game-winning jump-hook with 10.5 seconds left in the 64-63 NCAA Tournament victory over Kansas remains one of the most iconic plays in the history of Bucknell Athletics.
Most Bison fans vividly remember their whereabouts on the night of March 18, 2008, when McNaughton's shot in the middle of the paint vanquished mighty Kansas in Oklahoma City. It was a landmark win, not only because it was the first in an NCAA Tournament in Bucknell and Patriot League history, but because it shined a much-deserved national spotlight on a storied program.
While the Kansas shot was a momentous occasion, to define McNaughton's career by one single play would be selling him short. In reality, he was a difference-maker from the day he set foot on campus. As a 6’11” center with a game polished in the German club system, he jumped into the starting lineup four games into his freshman season and never came out.
McNaughton was a member of the Patriot League All-Rookie Team in 2003-04, then earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of his final three seasons. He was also a three-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year who majored in electrical engineering while starring on the hardwood.
McNaughton's 1,529 career points ranked sixth at the time of his graduation. His .598 career field-goal percentage ranked No. 2 in school history, behind only fellow Hall-of-Famer Patrick King. McNaughton's .664 field-goal percentage in 2003-04 also ranked second all-time, and he shot 66.9 percent from the field over his final 13 career postseason games.
McNaughton was known for his big games against major-conference opponents. He scored 29 points against fourth-ranked Villanova, 17 in a win at No. 7 Pittsburgh, 15 and 10 rebounds in a win at No. 17 Syracuse, 23 points against Wisconsin in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and 22 against Northwestern early in his freshman year.
A Christy Mathewson Award winner and a member of the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team, McNaughton went on to have a 10-year professional career in his native Germany, including a stint on the German National Team.
(Hall of Fame Class of 2017)
