The 2003-2004 UB men's basketball season may have marked the turnaround in Buffalo's history from cellar-dweller to hopeful perennial powerhouse.
Buffalo was streaky, to say the least, in the first half of the year, losing its first three games, then winning its next five, and following that with six-straight losses.
The Bulls' turnaround, however, was dramatic. They went into the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak and didn't look back, murdering Northern Illinois in UB's first-ever home playoff game.
Buffalo's point guard Turner Battle was named second team All-Mid-American Conference, and Academic All-MAC. He is the only player in the conference to be named to both teams. Battle's 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game were both team highs for the season. He surpassed the 20-point mark six times this year, and had a season-high 26 points against Akron on January 28.
"I really hoped Turner would've made first team, I was surprised he didn't," said UB's head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "I'm glad he got recognition, though, he's certainly deserving of that and more."
Mark Bortz also received post-season honors. For the first time in his career Bortz was named to the Academic All-MAC team. Bortz contributed 9.1 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game as a major spark off the bench late in the year.
"He and Turner both being on the Academic All-MAC is something that the entire university can be proud of, to have two players from the same school on that team," Witherspoon said.
Buffalo was also aided by major contributions from Mario Jordan, Daniel Gilbert, Calvin Cage, Jason Bird, and upstart freshman, Yassin Idbihi.
Idbihi led the Bulls in rebounds per game with 5.8 and added 10.3 points per game, all in his first year with the team.
"It seemed like it was a different guy every night, stepping up and giving us major contributions," Witherspoon said.
Not left out of the national recognition, Witherspoon was named MAC Coach of the Year, and Collegeinsider.com's Mid-Major Coach of the Year.
Never one to hog the spotlight for himself, Witherspoon thanked everyone who made that award possible for him.
"I'm glad for the athletes who put the work in and made themselves coachable for me," said Witherspoon. "Also for the staff which has worked very hard to turn this team around from what it was last year."
Consistently animated on the sidelines, Witherspoon took the different personalities and styles of play from the locker room and put them together in a cohesive way on the court.
Witherspoon was able to take the Bulls, who were 5-9 in the first half of the season, and completely turn them around for an incredible 12-3 second half.
The second half of this season also brought around a few firsts for the Bulls: Their first ever eight-game win streak, their first ever appearance in Cleveland's MAC Tournament and their first ever home playoff game.
"It seemed like we were always trying to accomplish things that we hadn't accomplished before," said Witherspoon.
These firsts caused a lot of stirring with the fans, and the ridiculous 5-23 to 17-12 reversal excited the fans even more. Buffalo's leap from five wins to 17 was the second largest turnaround in the nation.
"I think they did better than I expected," said freshman Political Science major Jaime Ballantine. "The fan support was great; it should always be that way."
When the Bulls traveled to Cleveland for the first time in their history, they brought their fans with them. UB fans were the loudest group in the Gund Arena for the MAC playoffs, auditioning for national recognition.
"I will still be a part of the sea of blue," said sophomore Business and Administration major Jeff Nightingale.
Buffalo felt its first "Sea of Blue" on Feb. 25, when the Bulls defeated Kent State 82-66, and rolled from there to beat Miami of Ohio on the road 87-73.
After that game, the "Buffalo Buzzsaw" cut through Ohio University and defeated the Bobcats back at Alumni Arena by a 28-point margin, 77-49.
One of the most important things about this team is that there are no graduating seniors on it. The entire team will be kept together next year, with the addition of freshman recruits.
Witherspoon understands the importance of the team's progress this year.
"It gives us something that's tangible, right in front of us, within reach, that we didn't quite grab a hold of, and it is now in reach," Witherspoon said. "We feel it, and it gives us something to work towards next year."
