Bowling Green State University Athletics
Centennial Season Look Back: – The Era of Coach Larrañaga - 1985-95
January 07, 2016 | Men's Basketball
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Bowling Green, Ohio – Throughout the 2015-16 Bowling Green State University men's basketball season, the BGSU athletics department will take a look back at each decade over the men's basketball program's history as part of the Centennial Season celebration leading up to the Centennial Game on Jan. 23, 2016 versus Kent State.
The Era of Coach Larrañaga
After the Falcons went 7-20 under head coach John Weinert in 1985-86, Weinert retired to end his career at BGSU with an overall record of 146-133 over 10 seasons in Bowling Green.
Entered new head coach Jim Larrañaga who made an immediate turnaround in his first season, leading the Falcons to a 15-14 overall record in 1986-87.
Coach Larrañaga would lead the program for a total of 11 years, posting an overall record of 170-144 from 1986-97. His 170 wins at BGSU are second only to the Hall of Famer Harold Anderson, who recorded 362 wins over 21 seasons at BGSU from 1942-63.
During the decade of 1985-95, BGSU posted six winning seasons and posted 18 wins in both 1989-90 and 1993-94. Larrañaga guided the Falcons to back-to-back National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances in 1990 and 1991, and led BGSU to a second-place finish in the MAC in 1993-94.
The decade built up to a 22-win season in 1996-97, a MAC Championship and the Falcons' third NIT appearance under Coach Larrañaga.
Postseason Play
BGSU twice played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) from 1985-95, making an appearance in the national postseason event in back-to-back years in 1990 and 1991.
With an 18-11 overall record and a third-place finish in the MAC, the Falcons earned an NIT bid where they faced Cincinnati in the first round. BGSU fell on the road at Cincinnati 75-60 in the postseason contest, the Falcons' first trip to the NIT since 1983.
BGSU head coach Jim Larrañaga, the Falcons returned to the NIT the following year in 1991. With a 17-13 overall record and a fourth-place finish, the Falcons had advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament before falling in overtime 72-66 to Eastern Michigan. BGSU drew Wisconsin in the first round of the 1991 NIT tournament, pushing the Badgers to overtime before Wisconsin pulled away for the 87-79 win.
National Honors
BGSU continued its trend of Falcons receiving national honors with Clinton Venable and Shane Kline-Ruminski both being named to the NABC All-District Second-Team, while Steve Martenet was recognized as a Third-Team Academic All-American.
Venable was named to the NABC All-District Second-Team in 1990-91 when he led the Falcons to their second straight NIT appearance. An All-MAC Second-Team selection that season, Venable led the Falcons in scoring with 17.4 points per game and in assists with 4.6 per contest on the year.
Four years later, Kline-Ruminski received NABC All-District Second-Team honors in 1994-95 as a senior at BGSU. A First-Team All-MAC honoree that season, led the Falcons with 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In 1994-95, Kline-Ruminski shot a program-high 68.3 percent (181-of-265) from the field overall, which still stands today. He also led the Falcons in steals with 27 on the season.
Martenet became the Falcons' fourth Academic All-American in 1988 when he earned third-team honors. As a senior in 1987-88, Martenet averaged 12.9 points per game and shot a BGSU record 56.3 percent (36-of-64) from behind the three-point line on the year.
1,000 Point Scorers
A total of five different players joined the 1,000 career points club for the Falcons from 1985-95 in Shane Kline-Ruminski, Anthony Robinson, Joe Moore, Joe Gregory and Steve Martenet, while Falcon standouts Antonio Daniels and Jay Larrañaga started their careers during this time frame and finished with over 1,000 career points in their final season in 1996-97.
Playing for the Falcons for four years from 1991-95, Kline-Ruminski totaled 1,427 career points at BGSU which still ranks 14th all-time. Increasing his points total each year, Kline-Ruminski led the Falcons in scoring in 1993-94 with 17.7 points per game and in 1994-95 with 17.2 points per game. His field goal percentage of 68.3 (181-of-265) in 1994-95 still ranks as the highest field goal percentage by a Falcon in a single season in BGSU's 100-year history. Kline-Ruminski also ranks second all-time in BGSU history with a career field goal percentage of 59.6 (573-of-961).
Robinson averaged double digit points in three of his four years at BGSU from 1984-88 to finish with 1,401 career points overall, which 16th all-time in BGSU history. As a senior in 1987-88, Robinson led the Falcons in scoring with 406 total points and an average of 14.5 per game. He averaged 12.8 points per game as a freshman in 1984-85 and increased that to 13.4 points per contest as a junior in 1986-87.
Moore eclipsed the 1,000 career points mark as a senior in 1990-91 to finish his four-year career with 1,168 career points from 1987-91. Playing alongside Robinson, Gregory and Clinton Venable, Moore was second on the team in scoring in 1989-90 with 12.4 points per game and in 1990-91 with an average of 15.2 points per contest. Moore finished his career at BGSU on a high note, as he scored a total of 816 points over his final two years as a Falcon after amassing just 352 points over his first two years as a Falcon. He, who was a key part in both of the Falcons' NIT appearances in both 1990 and 1991, recorded a field goal percentage of 60.3 (144-of-239) in 1989-90, which ranks 10th all-time in BGSU's single season history. Moore still ranks fifth all-time in Falcons' history with a career field goal percentage of 57.3 (479-of-836).
A teammate of three other 1,000 career point scorers in Robinson, Moore and Martenet, Gregory totaled 1,061 career points for the Falcons from 1985-89. He went from 5.9 points per game as a freshman in 1985-86 to an average of 13.4 points per contest, which was a team-high, in his senior season in 1988-89. Known more for his passing, Gregory led the Falcons in assists in three straight seasons from 1986-89 and still ranks seventh all-time in BGSU history with 379 career assists. He was named the BGSU Team MVP in 1988-89.
Martenet scored exactly 1,000 career points in his career at BGSU from 1984-88. Like many of his fellow Falcons, Martenet improved over all four years of his time at BGSU going from 5.1 points per game as a freshman to 12.9 points per contest his senior season. A sharp-shooter, Martenet holds the BGSU record for the highest three-point field goal percentage in a single season when he connected on 56.3 percent (36-of-64) from behind the three-point line in 1987-88. He also still ranks first in the Falcons' 100-year history with a career three-point field goal percentage of 56.7 percent (38-of-67). Martenet also ranks eighth in BGSU history with a career free throw percentage of 81.1 percent (154-of-190) and is tied for 10th with a career field goal percentage of 52.3 percent (404-of-772).
All-MAC Accolades
Headlined by two Falcons earning MAC Freshman of the Year recognition in Shane Kline-Ruminski in 1992 and Antonio Daniels in 1994, a total of 20 Falcons received All-MAC accolades while Steve Martenet and Jay Larrañaga earned Academic All-MAC honors.
Tabbed the 1992 MAC Freshman of the Year, Shane Kline-Ruminski earned a spot on an All-MAC Team all four years at BGSU. In 1991-92, Kline-Ruminski was named the conference freshman of the year and earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team when he averaged 9.2 points per game on 55.8 percent shooting on the season. As a sophomore in 1992-93, he received honorable mention honors as he averaged 12.0 points per game on 56.7 percent shooting and led the Falcons in rebounding with a total of 145 rebounds on the year. Named the BGSU Team MVP in both 1993-94 and 1994-95, Kline-Ruminski was named to the All-MAC Second-Team in 1993-94 and the All-MAC First-Team in 1994-95. He led the Falcons in scoring in both seasons, averaging 17.7 points in 1993-94 and 17.3 points per game in 1994-95, while in 1994-95 he also led the Falcons in rebounding with 190 boards and in steals with 27 thefts.
Antonio Daniels was named the 1994 MAC Freshman of the Year, in which he was third on the team with 354 points and an average of 12.6 points per game. Daniels led the team with 110 assists on the season as a true freshman and shot 51.2 percent (132-of-258) from the field overall and a team-high 81.6 percent (84-of-103) from the free throw line for the season. He also earned a spot on the 1993-94 All-Freshman Team.
Joe Moore was a two-time All-MAC Second-Team honoree in both 1989-90 and 1990-91, after picking up All-Freshman accolades in 1987-88. As a freshman in 1987-88, Moore averaged 6.8 points per game and shot a team-high 54.3 percent (76-of-140) from the field overall on the year. In 1989-90, he led the team with 212 rebounds and was second on the team with an average of 12.4 points per game on 60.3 percent (144-of-239) shooting. His 60.3 percent field goal percentage that season still ranks 10th all-time in BGSU's single season history. As a senior in 1990-91, Moore picked up second-team honors for the second straight year with a career-high scoring average of 15.2 points per game. Tabbed the BGSU Team Co-MVP that season, Moore again led the Falcons in rebounding with 223 total boards and also led BGSU in steals with 54. Moore still ranks fifth all-time in BGSU history with a career field goal percentage of 57.3 percent (479-of-836). He also sits in 12th all-time in Falcons' history with 651 career rebounds.
Clinton Venable twice received All-MAC accolades, as he picked up first-team honors in 1989-90 and second-team recognition in 1990-91. Named the BGSU Team MVP in both seasons, Venable led the Falcons in both scoring and assists both years. In 1989-90, Moore averaged a team-high 16.8 points per game and passed out a team-best 133 assists on the season. He also led the Falcons with 46 steals on the year. In 1990-91, Venable increased his scoring to 17.4 points per game and dished out 130 assists for the year. Venable shot a BGSU record 88.4 percent (114-of-129) from the free throw line in 1989-90, which still stands as the single season record today, while his career free throw percentage of 86.7 percent (221-of-255) still ranks first all-time in BGSU history. His career scoring average of 17.1 points per game, in which he totaled 972 points in just two seasons at BGSU, still ranks ninth all-time in the Falcons' 100-year history.
Also a two-time All-MAC selection was Michael Huger, who was named to the second-team in 1991-92 and then earned a spot on the first-team in 1992-93. As a second-team member in 1991-92, Huger led the Falcons in scoring at 12.1 points per game, in which he scored a team-high 352 points on the season. That year, Huger also led the team in assists with 93 helpers and in steals with 27 thefts. The next year, Huger increased his scoring total to 16.0 points per game and again led the Falcons in assists with 110 on the year. Huger ranks seventh all-time in BGSU history with a career three-point field goal percentage of 39.9 percent (55-of-138) over his three years on the court at BGSU.
Brian Miller was named to the All-MAC Second-Team in 1985-86, as the BGSU Team MVP that season led the Falcons with 409 points and an average of 15.1 points per game. He also led BGSU with 98 assists and 37 steals in 1985-86, after leading BGSU in assists in each of the previous two seasons with 88 in 1984-85 and 178 in 1983-84. Miller ranks eighth all-time in BGSU history with 369 career assists.
In 1986-87, Frank Booker received All-MAC Honorable Mention honors and was tabbed the BGSU Team MVP. Booker led the team with 14.0 points per game and totaled a team-high 406 points on the year overall. He was second on the team in steals with 36 and in field goal percentage in which he shot 86.1 percent (99-of-115) overall on the season, which still ranks fifth all-time in BGSU's single season history. His career three-point field goal percentage of 39.5 percent (47-of-119) still ranks 10th all-time in the Falcons' 100-year history.
Anthony Robinson picked up All-MAC Second-Team recognition in 1987-88 in which he led the team in both scoring at 14.5 points per game and in rebounding with a total of 140 rebounds on the season. Tabbed the BGSU Team MVP that same season, was also second on the team with 87 assists and a field goal percentage of 49.3 percent (159-of-323) overall on the year. Robinson led the Falcons in rebounding in all four years he suited up for BGSU, pulling in 201 boards in 1984-85, 156 in 1985-86 and 140 in both 1986-87 and 1987-88. He ranks 13th all-time on BGSU's all-time career rebounding list with a total of 637 rebounds.
Kirk Whiteman received All-Freshman Team accolades in 1988-89, in which the he played 20 games and started seven as a true freshman. Whiteman averaged 5.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game, however, he shot 52.2 percent (35-of-67) from the field overall and 87.5 percent (21-of-24) from the free throw line on the year. His three-point field goal percentage of 48.9 percent (22-of-45) in 1988-89 ranks second all-time in BGSU's single season record book, while his career three-point field goal percentage of 39.8 percent (117-of-294) ranks eighth all-time.
Steve Watson earned honorable mention honors in 1990-91 when he finished third on the team with 8.3 points per game and was second in rebounding with an average of 6.5 rebounds per contest. He was also third on the team with a free throw percentage of 76.8 percent (53-of-69) on the season. Watson, who ranks second all-time in BGSU's single season history with a free throw percentage of 86.9 percent (73-of-84) in 1989-90, still ranks fifth all-time with a career free throw percentage of 82.4 percent (126-of-153).
Tabbed the BGSU Team MVP in 1991-92, Tom Hall also picked up All-MAC Honorable Mention honors that season in which he led the Falcons in rebounding with 219 rebounds and in blocks with 35 rejections on the year. Hall averaged 11.0 points per game on the season, which ranked second to Michael Huger, and shot 51.8 percent (132-of-255) on the season. Hall ranks sixth all-time in BGSU's 100-year history with a career field goal percentage of 55.8 percent (385-of-690) and is fourth all-time in career blocks with 117 rejections as a Falcon.
Joining Kline-Ruminski on the All-MAC Second-Team in 1993-94 was Shane Komives. Named the BGSU Team Co-MVP along with Kline-Ruminski, Komives was second on the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and scored a team-high 400 points on the season. He led the team in minutes played with 924 on the season and drained 72 three-pointers on the year, also a team-high. His 72 made three-point field goals in 1993-94 at the time was a school record and to this day still ranks sixth all-time in BGSU history for the most three-pointers made by a player in a single season. Komives is fifth all-time in BGSU's 100-year history in three-point field goals made with 177 treys for his career as a Falcon.
Floyd Miller was selected as an All-MAC Honorable Mention in 1994-95, in which he was second on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game and in rebounding with 154 total boards and an average of 5.7 rebounds per contest. Miller was also second on the team with a field goal percentage of 63.5 percent (127-of-200) and led the team with 17 blocks on the season. In the previous season in 1993-94, Miller led the team with 152 rebounds, an average of 5.4 per game and shot a team high 65.1 percent (110-of-169) from the field overall. His field goal percentage of 65.1 percent in 1993-94 is the third highest field goal percentage by a Falcon in single season history, while his percentage of 63.5 percent in 1994-95 ranks as the fourth highest in BGSU history. Miller sits atop of the BGSU record book with a career field goal percentage of 62.1 percent (337-of-543), almost three percentage points higher than the next Falcon.
Martenet (1986, 1987 and 1988) was a three-time Academic All-MAC recipient, while Larrañaga (1995, 1996 and 1997) was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the first of three straight years in 1995.
Other Notable Falcons
Ed Colbert led the Falcons in rebounding in 1988-89, in which he hauled in 171 total rebounds for an average of 6.1 per game on the season. He also averaged 5.7 points per game on the year and led the team with 28 blocks in 28 games. Colbert also posted a team-high 41 blocks in 1990-91 and ranks fifth all-time in BGSU history with 116 career blocks.
Vada Burnett finished tied for the lead with Huger in steals with 27 in 1991-92, when also averaged 9.1 points and shot 84.1 percent from the free throw line in 1991-92.
Ray Lynch led the Falcons in both 1992-93 and 1993-94 with 35 steals each season.
Falcons Playing Professionally
BGSU had just one player drafted by the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985-95, however, a number of players played professionally overseas.
Frank Booker was drafted in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets.
Michael Huger played professional basketball in Europe, spending time in Finland (1992-94), two years in Holland (1994-96) and nine in Belgium (1996-2005). He was selected Dutch League MVP in 1996 after averaging 25.3 points and 5.8 assists, and went on to earn first team All-Belgium honors in 2000 and 2004 after leading his clubs to Belgium Cup championships in both seasons.
Floyd Miller played overseas in France with five different teams in Le Havre, Hyeres-Toulon, Nantes, Lyon and Fougeres.
Joe Moore played with Rotterdam in Holland, while Koen Rouwhorst played for the Lions, ABC Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Groningen in Holland.
Steve Watson and Ramon Knooper both played in Portugal. Watson played for Estrelas, while Knooper played for Gaia.
Shane Kline-Ruminski played professionally in Belgium (1995-96), Turkey (1996-98), Israel (1998-2000), Portugal (2000-01) and France (2001-02).
Falcon Hall of Famers
A total of two Falcons that played for BGSU from 1985-95 have been inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in Shane Kline-Ruminski and Antonio Daniels.
Kline-Ruminski, a native of Chesterland, Ohio, was a unanimous First-Team All-Mid-American Conference selection as a senior in 1994-95, and was an NABC District 10 second-team pick that same season. He averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds that year, leading the nation with a field-goal percentage of .683, which is still the BGSU school record to date.
He also was fourth in the league in scoring as a junior, with 17.7 points per game, and ranked 10th in the league with 6.9 boards per contest. He shot .563 that year to rank fifth in the league. The Falcons' co-MVP as a junior, he was an all-conference second-team pick.
A two-year team captain, he was an honorable-mention All-MAC choice as a sophomore, after averaging 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. That sophomore season, he was one of 12 athletes invited to attend Pete Newell's Big Man Camp. He was the MAC Freshman of the Year and – not surprisingly – a member of the league's all-freshman team in 1991-92, averaging 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Kline-Ruminski ended his career ranked second in school history with a field-goal pct. of .596, and finished 10th on the BG scoring list with 1,427 points. He still ranks 14th in scoring at BGSU, and is also 15th at the school in career rebounds with 623 boards, while his career field goal percentage of 59.6 percent still ranks second all-time at BGSU.
After his BGSU days, Kline-Ruminski played professionally in Belgium (1995-96), Turkey (1996-98), Israel (1998-2000), Portugal (2000-01) and France (2001-02). During the 2010-11 season, Kline-Ruminski was selected to the All-Anderson Arena Team.
Antonio Daniels, a native of Columbus, Ohio, played for the Falcons from 1993-97 where he finished his career in second-place on the BGSU career scoring chart with 1,789 points, ranking 10th in MAC history at the time. He still ranks fourth all-time in BGSU scoring history, while his scoring average of 24.0 points per game as a senior in 1996-97 ranks fifth all-time in BGSU history. Daniels' 767 points in 1996-97 ranks as the second most points by a Falcon in a single season behind only Howard Komives 844 points in 1963-64.
Daniels was named the MAC Player of the Year in 1996-97, helping the Falcons to the MAC regular-season championship. As a junior the previous year, Daniels was a second-team All-MAC performer, leading the MAC in assist that year. In 1993-94, Daniels garnered MAC Freshman of the Year honors.
He led the Falcons in assists all four years as a Falcon and also led BGSU with a team high 47 steals in 1995-96.
Daniels was drafted fourth overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1997 NBA draft and played 14 seasons in the NBA with Vancouver (1997-98), San Antonio (1998-2002), Portland (2002-03), Seattle (2003-05), Washington (2005-08, 2008-09), New Orleans (2008-09) and Philadelphia (2010-11).
Inducted in to the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007, Daniels was recently recognized as a BGSU Distinguished Alum in 2015. He was also named to the All-Anderson Team during the 2010-11 season.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
YEAR | RECORD | HEAD COACH | CAPTAIN(s) | LEADING SCORER |
1985-86 | 7-20 (5-13 MAC) | John Weinert | Brian Miller | Brian Miller – 15.1 ppg |
1986-87 | 15-14 (10-6 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Frank Booker | Frank Booker – 14.0 ppg |
1987-88 | 12-16 (7-9 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Steve Martenet & Anthony Robinson | Anthony Robinson – 14.5 ppg |
1988-89 | 13-15 (7-9 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Joe Gregory & Lamon Pippin | Joe Gregory – 13.2 ppg |
1989-90 | 18-11 (9-7 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Game Captains | Clinton Venable – 16.8 ppg |
1990-91 | 17-13 (9-7 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Joe Moore & Clinton Venable | Clinton Venable – 17.4 ppg |
1991-92 | 14-15 (8-8 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Tom Hall | Michael Huger – 17.4 ppg |
1992-93 | 11-16 (8-10 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Vada Burnett | Michael Huger – 12.1 ppg |
1993-94 | 18-10 (12-6 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Game Captains | Shane Kline-Ruminski – 17.7 ppg |
1994-95 | 16-11 (10-8 MAC) | Jim Larrañaga | Shane Kline-Ruminski, Ray Lynch & Mike Swanson | Shane Kline-Ruminski – 17.2 ppg |
