Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons men's basketball

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that represents Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). They have been a member of the Horizon League since 2020 (departing from the Summit League after thirteen years). Formerly, they represented the now defunct Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). The team has yet to participate in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Mastodons are coached by Jon Coffman and play their home games at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center and the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[2]

Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
2024–25 Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons men's basketball team
UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne
First season1973
Head coachJon Coffman (11th season)
ConferenceHorizon League
LocationFort Wayne, Indiana
ArenaHilliard Gates Sports Center
(Capacity: 2,700)
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (Capacity: 13,000, select games)
NicknameMastodons
Student sectionThe Blue Crew
ColorsBlack and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament appearances
1993*
*at Division II level
Conference regular season champions
Summit: 2016

Horizon: 2022

History

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The Mastodons' first season was 1973–74. Two-time All-American and conference player of the year Sean Gibson (1993) is the current all-time leading rebounder and Hall of Fame member. In 2013, Frank Gaines passed Gibson to be the Mastodons all-time leading scorer. Their first season in Division I was 2001–02. In 2007, the Mastadons joined the Summit League. Before joining NCAA Division I athletics, IPFW competed in NCAA Division II's Great Lakes Valley Conference.

In 2014, IPFW reach their first Summit League tournament championship before losing to North Dakota State.

Beginning in 2016, the school rebranded itself from IPFW to Fort Wayne to build a stronger tie to the Fort Wayne community.[3] The transition only affected the athletic department's branding efforts. The university's IPFW academic brand remained unchanged.

On November 22, 2016, the Mastodons defeated the then No. 3-ranked Indiana Hoosiers 71–68 in overtime in front of 11,076 in attendance at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.[4] This defeat of Indiana was the Mastodons first victory over an AP Top 25 ranked team in program history.[5]

Conference affiliation

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Years Conference Seasons
2020 to Present Horizon League 3
2007–08 to 2019–2020 The Summit League 12
2001–02 to 2006–07 NCAA D-I Independent 6
1984–85 to 2000–01 Great Lakes Valley Conference 17
1981–82 to 1983–84 NCAA D-II Independent 3
1973–74 to 1980–81 NCAA D-III Independent 8

Postseason

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NCAA Division II Tournament results

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The Mastodons have appeared in one NCAA Division II tournament. Their record is 0–2.

Year Round Opponent Result
1993 Regional semifinals
Regional 3rd-place game
Wayne State
Southern Indiana
L 72–78
L 93–95

NIT results

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The Mastodons have appeared in one National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their record is 0–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2016 First round San Diego State L 55–79

CBI results

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The Mastodons have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their combined record is 0–1.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
2022 #16 First round #1 Drake L 65-87

CIT results

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The Mastodons have appeared in five CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments (CIT). Their combined record is 4–5.

Year Round Opponent Result
2014 First round
Second Round
Akron
VMI
W 97–91
L 95–106
2015 First round Evansville L 77–82
2017 First round
Quarterfinals
Ball State
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
W 88–80
L 62–78
2018 First round Central Michigan L 89–94
2024 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship Game
Bowling Green
Tarleton State
Norfolk State
W 77–75
W 73–72
L 67–75

Division I season records

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Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Doug Noll (Independent) (2001–2006)
2001–02 Doug Noll 7–21
2002–03 Doug Noll 9–21
2003–04 Doug Noll 3–25
2004–05 Doug Noll (3–13)
Joe Pechota (4–9)
7–22
Doug Noll: 40–119 (.252)
Dane Fife (Independent) (2005–2006)
2005–06 Dane Fife 10–18
Dane Fife (United Basketball Conference) (2006–2007)
2006–07 Dane Fife 12–17 6–4 3rd
Dane Fife (The Summit League) (2007–2011)
2007–08 Dane Fife 13–18 9–9 5th
2008–09 Dane Fife 13–17 8–10 5th
2009–10 Dane Fife 16–15 9–9 5th
2010–11 Dane Fife 18–12 11–7 4th
Dane Fife: 82–97 (.458)
Tony Jasick (The Summit League) (2011–2014)
2011–12 Tony Jasick 11–19 5–13 T–8th
2012–13 Tony Jasick 16–17 7–9 5th
2013–14 Tony Jasick 25–11 10–4 T–2nd CIT Second Round
Tony Jasick: 52–47 (.525)
Jon Coffman (The Summit League) (2014–present)
2014–15 Jon Coffman 16–15 9–7 T–4th CIT First round
2015–16 Jon Coffman 24–10 12–4 T–1st NIT First round
2016–17 Jon Coffman 20–13 8–8 T–4th CIT Second Round
2017–18 Jon Coffman 18–15 7–7 4th CIT First round
2018–19 Jon Coffman 18–15 9–7 T–3rd
2019–20 Jon Coffman 12–14 5–6 7th
Jon Coffman (Horizon League) (2020–present)
2020–21 Jon Coffman 8–15 6–14 10th
Jon Coffman: 98–82 (.544) 56–53
Total: 258–315 (.450)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Source[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Purdue Fort Wayne Branding Released". GoMastodons.com. June 7, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Facilities". Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Introducing the Fort Wayne Mastodons". Fort Wayne. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  4. ^ Geary, Molly. "Fort Wayne upsets No. 3 Indiana in stunner". SI.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  5. ^ "Indiana falls to Fort Wayne: Takeaways from Mastodons' epic upset of No. 3 Hoosiers". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  6. ^ "IPFW Mastodons Index | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  7. ^ "Fort Wayne Mastodons Athletics – Men's Basketball Media Resource". www.gomastodons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
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