Six Bison Standouts Named to PL 25th Anniversary Men's Basketball Team

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell Men's Basketball has been one of the most successful and consistent programs throughout the Patriot League's 25-year history. The Bison have captured four Patriot League Tournament championships and played in the league championship game a record 10 times, they have more league victories (236) than any other team, and in 2005 they became the first Patriot League team to win an NCAA Tournament game. On Monday, six outstanding student-athletes who contributed to so much of that success were named to the Patriot League's 25th Anniversary Team.

Patrick King '92, Mike Bright '93, Charles Lee '06, Chris McNaughton '07, Mike Muscala '13 and Cameron Ayers '14 represent Bucknell on the 25-man squad. The six honorees are the most in the league, with Holy Cross next with four selections.

Bucknell's honorees combined for 8,915 points, six Patriot League Player of the Year awards, 17 All-Patriot League citations and four Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades.

King was an incredible success story during the early years of the Patriot League. A true walk-on who developed through Bucknell's junior varsity program, King was a starting forward as a junior and senior on some of coach Charlie Woollum's best teams. He finished his career with 1,007 points – all but eight coming in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

King earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors as a junior after shooting a school-record 67.0 percent from the field and averaging 12.5 points per game. In his final season, he averaged 20.3 points per game, which is the fifth-highest single-season average in school history, and he was named Patriot League Player of the Year. King's career field-goal percentage of .638 also remains the program record, and his 205 made free throws in 1991-92 is also still a school record.

King was an Academic All-American as a senior, and he was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. He went on to have a successful professional career in his native Germany and later became a player agent in Germany.

One year younger than King, Bright was an outstanding multi-dimensional player for the high-scoring Bison teams of that era. Known for his high-flying dunks as well as his deadly 3-point shooting, Bright graduated as the third-highest scoring player in school history with 1,670 points (he now ranks fourth). He was the 1993 Patriot League Player of the Year after leading Bucknell to a 23-6 record and the regular-season title, and he was a two-time All-Patriot League selection.

Bright is still Bucknell's career steals leader with 286, and his 834 career rebounds rank eighth all-time. He graduated as Bucknell's career leader in 3-point field goals with 206 (he now ranks No. 4), and in 1993 he shot an amazing 9-for-10 from 3-point range in a win over Loyola (Md.). Bright was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Lee and McNaughton were two of the catalysts on Pat Flannery's great Bison teams of 2004-05 and 2005-06. Those squads captured the nation's attention with a string of high-profile wins, most notably the 2005 NCAA Tournament victory over Kansas, which was the first NCAA win in Bucknell and Patriot League history.

Lee was a wing player on those teams. He was the Patriot League Player of the Year as a senior in 2006, and he earned Patriot League Tournament MVP honors after Bucknell's championships in both 2005 and 2006. He was a three-time All-Patriot League selection who graduated with 1,147 career points.

Lee averaged 12.5 points per game as a junior and 13.2 as a senior. He ranks fifth on Bucknell's all-time steals list with 167 and is also a member of the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club. He scored 15 points in the historic NCAA win over Kansas, and then one year later he tallied 24 points in another NCAA first-round victory over Arkansas.

Following graduation, Lee was the final cut of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2006 training camp. He then played professionally in Europe for several years before getting into coaching. He returned to Bucknell as an assistant coach under Dave Paulsen for two seasons before moving on to his current assistant coach position with the Atlanta Hawks.

McNaughton was one of the most dominant centers in league history. The 6'11” native of Germany was a force in the low post for the Bison, and he graduated with 1,529 points, which are seventh-most in team history. He was a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and three-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

McNaughton will surely be remembered for hitting what most consider the most famous shot in the history of Bucknell Basketball. His jump-hook in the lane with 10 seconds remaining gave the Bison a 64-63 lead on Kansas, and two defensive stops later, that held up as the winning bucket. McNaughton had 14 points on 6-fot-7 shooting in that game, and then in the second round he had 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting in a close loss to Wisconsin.

Muscala was another dominant center for the Bison, and he parlayed a brilliant four years of college basketball into a burgeoning NBA career. Muscala is Bucknell's all-time leading scorer and only 2,000-point scorer (2,036), and he is the program's No. 2 rebounder with 1,093. He is the only player in Patriot League history and just 108 in NCAA history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Muscala piled up many honors while leading the Bison to three straight Patriot League regular-season titles, along with tournament championships and NCAA appearances in 2011 and 2013. He became just the second four-time All-Patriot League selection in conference history, and he was the league's Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2013. As a senior, he was one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Award, given to the national player of the year, and he was named a Lute Olson All-American, a Senior CLASS All-American and an Academic All-American that season.

In addition to capturing his second Patriot League MVP award in 2013, he was also named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, giving him an unprecedented trifecta. Muscala was a three-time NABC All-District honoree, and he played in the Reese's Division I All-Star game during Final Four weekend. A few weeks later, he was selected in the second round (44th overall) of the NBA Draft, and he just finished his second season as a backup forward and center with the Atlanta Hawks. Muscala played very well down the stretch for the Eastern Conference champion Hawks this past season, and he hit a clutch game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of a second-round series game against Washington.

Ayers was a teammate of Muscala's for three seasons, and he is the youngest member of the 25th Anniversary Team. Ayers was the Patriot League Player of the Year as a senior in 2013-14 and a three-time All-Patriot League selection.

Ayers ranks eighth on Bucknell's all-time scoring list with 1,526 career points, and he was a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American as a senior. He connected on 201 career 3-pointers while shooting 41.2 percent from the arc, and he was also an 83.1 percent free-throw shooter.

Ayers was a key reserve as a freshman on Bucknell's 2011 Patriot League championship squad that played Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament, and he was entrenched as a starting guard on the 2012 team that beat Arizona in the NIT and the 2013 team that returned to the NCAAs and played Butler in the Round of 64.

Ayers has also played professionally since graduation. He spent last season in the NBA D-League.

The 25th Anniversary Team members are listed below by school, with seasons representing the athlete's years of competition in the Patriot League. Each school that participates in men's basketball selected 25 players in the voting for the 25th Anniversary Team, and could not vote for its own student-athletes.

American: Derrick Mercer (2005-09); Garrison Carr (2005-09); Patrick Doctor (2001-02)

Army West Point: Mark Lueking (1992-96)

Bucknell: Mike Muscala (2009-13); Charles Lee (2002-06); Chris McNaughton (2003-07); Mike Bright (1990-93); Patrick King (1990-92); Cameron Ayers (2010-14)

Colgate: Adonal Foyle (1994-97); Tucker Neale (1992-95); Pat Campolieta (1998-02)

Holy Cross: Rob Feaster (1991-95); Kevin Hamilton (2002-06); Keith Simmons (2003-07); Tim Szatko (1999-03)

Lafayette: Brian Ehlers (1996-00); Stefan Ciosici (1995-00)

Lehigh: C.J. McCollum (2009-13); Bob Krizansky (1990-92); Austen Rowland (2003-04)

Navy: Greg Sprink (2004-08); Hassan Booker (1994-98)

Fordham: Damon Lopez (1990-91)