SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art men's basketball once again made an impressive postseason run in the 2024-25 campaign, reaching the Pacific West Conference Tournament for the sixth straight year while setting numerous team program records in the process. 

"Looking back at the season, there were many highlights and successes," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "From wins over NCAA Tournament teams Chico State and Biola twice to getting the program's first win at Azusa Pacific in 13 years, there are many great moments that we will not forget. However, falling short of reaching our goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament stings at the moment because there were many opportunities to capture a few more wins to achieve it. What stands out about this group was how connected they were. In my six years, this team's chemistry was the best ART U has had and it will set the standard going forward. When looking at the ART U record book, this team will be found throughout it. I will miss coaching this respective group of guys and the passion and energy they brought on a daily basis."

The CCAA/PacWest Challenge is what started this campaign off for ART U, and it began on a high note as the squad picked up their first win of the season on Nov. 8 against SF State, besting the Gators 76-70 before closing the season-opening tournament out with a contest with Sonoma State. Against SF State, senior forward Isaiah Williams produced a 24-point performance on offense, his eventual second-best of the campaign.

Hosting the eventual #3 seed in the West Region in Chico State by the season's end, ART U handled the Wildcats by putting up the third-most points in a game in program history, taking down the visiting squad 105-81 on Nov. 16. After two tough contests on the road with No. 16 Saint Martin's on Nov. 21 and Western Oregon on Nov. 23, the Knights closed out their road trip with a 66-62 triumph over Stanislaus State.

Back at Kezar Pavilion for the next five contests, ART U went on to win four of their next five, starting the homestand with back-to-back wins over Simon Fraser on Nov. 29 and Vanguard on Dec. 5 with the second opening PacWest Conference play. After hosting Point Loma on Dec. 7, the squad picked up two more home wins against Fresno Pacific on Dec. 13 and Chaminade on Dec. 21.

Heading down south for a pair of contests, ART U started the new year off by defeating Biola 82-67 on Jan. 2 before their second matchup of the campaign with PLNU on Jan. 4. The Knights closed out this road trip with a contest with Jessup on Jan. 8 before returning home and finding revenge after a 85-77 defeat of the Warriors on Jan. 18.

Less than 48 hours later on Jan. 25, ART U traveled to the central valley to hold FPU to the lowest total they gave up all season long, taking down the Sunbirds 66-48 in their first of four games on the road. Back in the Bay Area, Menlo would be the next on ART U's schedule, and in a 91-89 overtime thriller, the Knights would once again come out on top after a redshirt junior Donovan Vickers game-winner with less than two seconds remaining would push his squad ahead for the win.

Two island contests followed with ART U taking on UH Hilo on Jan. 30 and Chaminade on Feb. 1, and a split would be the end result after the squad enjoyed a 72-66 triumph over the Vulcans. A four-game homestand followed thereafter, and the Knights added two wins to their record against Dominican on Feb. 5 and Menlo on Feb. 8 before taking on UC Santa Cruz on Feb. 11 and Westmont on Feb. 15. ART U swept Dominican in the regular season after taking down the Penguins on Feb. 17, and split their next two after hosting HPU for ALS Awareness Day on Feb. 20 and UH Hilo on Senior Night on Feb. 24. 

Closing out the regular season on the road in Southern California, the Knights' penultimate game saw a close result against Concordia on Feb. 27 before ending the regular season on a high note with a season-high 15 points from junior forward Damarcies Moore, defeating Azusa Pacific with an 84-60 final score on Mar. 1.

Kicking the PacWest Tournament off against the #6 seed in Westmont on Mar. 6, #3 seed Academy of Art battled with the Warriors in the Quarterfinal contest. After facing a deficit at the break, ART U took off in the final 10 minutes of the game to create a double-digit lead and never look back, cruising past Westmont with an 85-69 final score. Leading the Knights in scoring was senior guard Rodney Munson who finished with 20 points, while Williams and Vickers each contributed 18 points apiece while combining for 10 made 3-pointers, with senior forward Quintin Metcalf following it up with 15 of his own plus 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. 

Moving onto the Semifinal after the triumph, ART U faced off with the #2 seed in Biola on Mar. 7, which eventually turned into an instant-classic in one of the most exciting games in PacWest Tournament history. Neck and neck all game long, the Knights and Eagles traded the lead eight times in the second half alone, and the eventual clincher came from a junior forward Bryce Moore 3-pointer from 30 feet out to put ART U up one. After review, it was official that no time was left on the clock, and that the Knights were headed to the PacWest Conference Championship game.

Competing with the #1 seed in the tournament and No. 12 team nationally in NCAA Division II in the Championship in Point Loma, the squad battled until the final possession after an impressive run through the first two rounds, but it was PLNU that came out with the 67-64 win in the tournament's final contest on Mar. 8. While Williams led the team in scoring with 18 points, he was one of three Knights who earned a spot on the PacWest All-Tournament Team, as both senior forward Metcalf and Vickers joined him.

"Winning a conference tournament championship is a challenge no matter what seed you are," Waterman said. "However, after the 2023-24 semifinal loss, coming off a bye, I always felt we were tight in the semifinal game because we were the higher seed and expected to be in the finals. This year, by finishing third, we had to play in the 3-6 quarterfinal game. This allowed us to get the nerves and tightness out of our system going into the semis. In playing well against Westmont, we got the momentum we needed to beat Biola the next night in one of the best buzzer-beaters I have ever seen. In the championship, we just ran out of gas against a good Point Loma team. We were essentially one minute away from reaching our goal, which was frustrating."

In terms of offensive individual performances this year, stunning showings came from all over the ART U roster, led by four members of the squad averaging over double digit points in Williams (14.3 ppg), Munson (12.3 ppg), Vickers (10.6 ppg), and Metcalf (10.5 ppg). Defensively, junior forward Robbie Armbrester, Bryce Moore, and senior guard Treylon Payne all took their turn locking down their rivals throughout the season, contributing to giving up just 68.5 points per game this season, and helping break the program record for the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the team's history, bettering 2022-23's average of .413 to now be set at .403, the leading average in the conference this season.

"Isaiah, Quintin, Rodney, and Trey will go down as one of the most successful senior classes in ART U basketball history," Waterman said. "They leave a legacy of great wins, a regular season conference championship, and many record-breaking performances. It is cliché but true in this case; they left the program better than when they arrived. Throughout the season, each one of them made big plays to help us win. Their experience and leadership will be missed in the future. However, they have raised the bar for the future ART U men's basketball teams. There is nothing more I would have wanted than to have these four young men get to the NCAA Tournament and that is one regret I will have for the rest of my career."

Raking in PacWest honors, three different members of ART U earned a weekly award from the conference office in Metcalf, Williams, and Armbrester. As both Williams (Jan. 6) and Armbester (Feb. 24) both received PacWest Defender of the Week honors, Metcalf collected two PacWest Player of the Week awards on both Dec. 2 and Dec. 23. By season's end on Mar. 5, both Williams and Munson received All-PacWest Season Team honors for their performances throughout the season, while Metcalf joined the pair with an All-PacWest award, being named to the Third Team.

In addition to ART U's lowest opponent field goal percentage in program history, the squad had a stellar season in terms of the best marks for the Knights all-time. While shooting the second-best percentage as well (.458) as a unit, the team's defensive efforts stood out this year as the squad collected the most blocks in a season (132), while allowing the lowest scoring average (68.5 ppg) and three-point percentage (.304) as well for their opponents.

"The future of ART U basketball is bright," Waterman said. "I am excited about the returning core and the early signees who have committed. We will have significant work this offseason in improving guys' individual skill sets but as I stated in the final press conference, the expectation for ART U basketball going forward is to win championships. The feeling of falling just short this year will be a motivating force as we work toward next November."

With eyes set now on the 2025-26 season, Academy of Art men's basketball gets set for their upcoming campaign.