SAN FRANCISCO – A new program wins record, the team's longest winning streak, and two of the biggest wins in program history were just a few of the highlights of the 2017-18 men's basketball season.

"I'm very proud of this great group of young men," said head coach Julius Barnes. "They displayed a great deal of resilience, mental toughness and were always ready to face the next challenge head on. The chemistry, camaraderie and selflessness that they exhibited on a daily basis contributed to the success that we were able to experience."
 
Academy of Art provided a glimpse of what the rest of the season would hold when, in the season opener, they posted a 17-0 run to come from behind and senior guard Kendall Brown scored a game-high, 20 points. Despite falling to SF State by a mere, seven points, the Urban Knights' resiliency was a theme that was portrayed throughout the entirety of the season.
 
ART U picked up their first win on November 25 when they defeated Missouri S&T 70-50 in their final non-conference matchup. The contest was won by all-around play as three Knights scored double-digit points. The same style of play was utilized in their next game, the PacWest opener at Azusa Pacific. The Knights played an impressive opening half, holding one of the PacWest powerhouses to a 30.4 field goal percentage and built themselves a 14-point, 39-25 lead with 18 minutes remaining in the second half. However, the roles reversed in the second period as the Cougars came from behind to win 74-57.
 
ART U picked up their first conference victory two games later when they faced Notre Dame de Namur. In fact, the Urban Knights came away with three wins in their next four contests as they also won the following matchup against Holy Names and another close contest at Fresno Pacific.
 
Academy of Art continued their most successful stretch of the season of six wins in eight games when they set a new program record with three-consecutive PacWest victories. Their streak was capped with a 16-point comeback with less than 10 minutes to play in a rematch with Holy Names at home. The game ended in dramatic fashion, starting with junior guard Zuri Williams making two free throws to tie the game with 37.2 seconds remaining. Then, the Knights forced the Hawks to commit a shot-clock violation which returned the possession to ART U. Brown was fouled attempting a 3-pointer, but with the game on the line, he made all three attempts from the charity stripe with 1.2 seconds on the clock to give his team the 69-66 victory.
 
As the season headed into its final two weeks, ART U began their stretch run. It all began with one of the biggest wins in the team's history: a 67-66 win over Hawaii Pacific on February 12. To begin the second half, HPU quickly pulled out to a 14-point lead, but that was their largest advantage as the Urban Knights' run to victory began at that moment. ART U chipped away at the lead throughout the period and although the Sharks pulled out to a 7-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, it did not last long as freshman guard Stefan Milivojevic led the team on a historic run. Whenever HPU looked to pull away, the Skobanja, Serbia native brought the Knights right back into it with a clutch 3-pointer. At the 7:19 mark, his triple brought ART U to within four points and with 4:17 to play, his trey slashed the deficit to just three. After Academy of Art forced HPU to miss a long 3-pointer, Milivojevic snagged the rebound and was the next Urban Knight to score as his layup with 3:14 on the clock brought ART U back to within one point.
 
With 1:23 remaining, senior guard Uchenna Okeneme's jumper from the top of the paint hit the bottom of the net to give the Urban Knights their first lead since the game's opening minutes. Both sides traded 2-point field goals with less than 45 seconds remaining including a layup from junior center Cameron Niven which preserved their 1-point lead. In the biggest moment of the game, all 300 fans rose to their feet as Hawaii Pacific lined up to inbound the ball from underneath the basket with 11 seconds on the clock. As HPU looked for an open man, the Urban Knights' defenders flew around the court, looking to prevent an easy shot. The ball eventually found Hawaii Pacific's Niksha Federico who was forced to take an off-balanced, 3-point attempt. The air stood still inside Kezar Pavilion as the ball soared towards the basket, but as the shot came down, it bounced off of the front iron and into a scrum of Knights and Sharks alike. It was junior guard Cole Morgan who managed to come down with the rebound and as he took the ball up the court, the buzzer sounded to end the game. The entirety of ART U's bench vacated their seats and they all met in the middle of the court, cheering and hugging one another as their come-from-behind victory had been realized. Not only did the victory break the program-record for single-season wins (10), but it also kept the Knights' hopes alive in their race down the stretch for the final spot in the PacWest Conference Tournament.
 
Only six teams receive a berth into the Conference Tournament and Academy of Art found themselves in seventh place behind Chaminade with three games remaining. After defeating Notre Dame de Namur in their next contest to collect the season sweep against the Argos, ART U fell in a heartbreaker at Fresno Pacific five days later. After seemingly dropping out of postseason contention, the Urban Knights received help when Chaminade fell to UH Hilo that same night. Now, with one game remaining for both teams, the Urban Knights faced a scenario in which they must defeat Concordia (fifth in the PacWest) and have the Silverswords lose to Azusa Pacific.
 
ART U took care of business on their part in the most dramatic way possible, a 2-overtime victory over CUI which went down in the books as the biggest win in men's basketball's 10-year history. Despite battling throughout the first half on senior day, the Urban Knights faced nearly insurmountable odds when the Eagles took a 12-point lead to open the second period. However, a 7-point ART U run highlighted by five points from Milivojevic sparked a comeback. With 32 seconds remaining, Brown once again found the game in his hands, but he nailed two free throws to tie the contest, ending regulation and sending the game to overtime. The Knights seemingly delivered the final blow when junior guard Cobe Williams scored a 3-pointer with just seconds left. However, the PacWest's fourth-best shooter, JT Roach, tied it back up for Concordia with a triple of his own with two seconds remaining. Now in second overtime, ART U entered unfamiliar territory as it was the first time that the program had ever reached a second set of extra minutes. Unfazed, the Urban Knights immediately jumped out to a 2-point lead thanks to another Okeneme layup in the paint. The Eagles pulled even thanks to a pair of free throws which sparked yet another tightly contested period. Heading into the final minute, Academy of Art held a 3-point, 75-72 lead, but a late triple from Roach tied things up once again. This time, Brown delivered arguably the biggest shot of his career, a two-point dagger with three seconds left which secured the 81-79 triumph.
 
With the win, all eyes turned to Chaminade's contest at home against Azusa Pacific (tied for third in conference) later that evening as an APU win would send Academy of Art to the PacWest Tournament for the first time in program history. However, with ART U's postseason fate in their hands, the Cougars could not come away victorious. As a result, Chaminade and Academy of Art finished the season with the same conference record (11-9). However, CUH held the edge in the tiebreaker over the Urban Knights as the Silverswords defeated ART U in their one and only contest on January 15.
 
Throughout the season, Academy of Art was led by its two seniors: Brown and Okeneme. Brown's statistical prowess was rewarded with a selection to the All-PacWest Second Team. In his second and final season with the Urban Knights, Brown was ART U's biggest offensive contributor, averaging 16.0 points per game which was the fifth-highest average in the conference. Furthermore, he averaged: 5.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 32.3 minutes per game. The Corona, Calif. native posted double-digit points in 22 of his 26 games-played and was named to the 2017 PacWest/CCAA Challenge All-Tournament Team in their first tournament of the season. Brown also ranks amongst the all-time ART U leaders in several categories as well: in just two years, Kendall scored 616 points which is the ninth-most points in ART U history and his .436 career field goal percentage is tied for seventh all-time. Meanwhile, Okeneme started all 25 games for ART U this season, averaging 7.3 points per game and 2.2 rebounds along with a team-high, 24 minutes. Also, with 22 steals this season, he became the all-time leader with 104 in his 4-year career.

"I'm so appreciative of our seniors and their contributions to our men's basketball program and the university," said Barnes. "Although they had different leadership styles, both were very effective in making sure that we were ready to compete at a high level. Last summer, Kendall committed to getting into the best shape possible. His determination and hard work resulted in being recognized as an all-conference performer and also the memorable shot against Concordia. Uchenna, a 4-year letterman, did a fantastic job of leading for us. He never complained and always gave everything he had. Those traits definitely rubbed off on his teammates. We are appreciative of their leadership and experience."
 
For a look at the comprehensive, 2017-18 men's basketball statistics, click here.
 
Looking ahead to the 2018-19 season, the future looks bright for ART U as they will see 14 returners on the floor looking to improve upon the program's most successful season.

"I am excited for the future of ART U basketball," said Barnes. "With a large contingent of returners and the student-athletes that we've targeted, we will definitely look to build on the relative success that we experienced this year. The large roster should keep things competitive and allow us to get better individually and collectively as we aim to compete for a shot at the PacWest title."