Freed-Hardeman Men's Basketball Wins NAIA National Championship

FHU Lions head coach Drew Stutts and the team brought the Big Red Banner and the championship trophy home to Henderson with a 71-67 championship victory over the Langston (Okla.) University Lions in a hard fought game on March 26, 2024.

Utilizing phrases such as "Elite is Earned," and "Today is The Day," and "Committed to the Culture," Coach Stutts believes his team lived up to his expectations, saying, "They have just showed so much resilience and so much toughness tonight. The last thing we talked about before we went out of the locker room was 'the tougher team wins' and I think we have proven that throughout the course of this year."

The Lions (32-4) lived up to a championship game with neither team leading by more than two possessions. The Lions of FHU shot 47% from the floor while their opponents ended with a 42% mark from the floor. Despite being out-rebounded 39-27, Freed-Hardeman forced 19 Langston turnovers and turned those into 24 points.

"We are extremely proud," Freed-Hardeman University President David R. Shannon said. "Any team that wins the national championship there has to be a lot of grit, a lot of skill, and great coaching. And we get to see that at Freed-Hardeman."

"This is a huge accomplishment for Coach Stutts and the team and a great day for Freed-Hardeman athletics and the Freed-Hardeman family," said FHU athletic director Jonathan Estes. "The mission is to utilize your God-given abilities to His glory and I think these guys did that."

Making the All-Tournament team were FHU starts Quan Lax, Hunter Scurlock, and JJ Wheat. Wheat was honored with the Charles Stevenson Hustle Award while Hunter Scurlock ended his illustrious FHU career being named as the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

"It's a good way to end and it's been worth every bit of the ride," said Scurlock after thinking over his five-year career.