HARROGATE, Tenn. -- This is part one of a four-part series previewing the upcoming 2015-16 Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball season. First, we reflect back on the 2014-15 campaign, which was arguably the most accomplished season in program history.
 
The Railsplitters opened the 2014-15 season by winning 20 consecutive games in route to capturing their third straight South Atlantic Conference regular season championship, a first-time occurrence in league history. Lincoln Memorial moved to No. 1 in the NABC/Division II poll for the second time in program history on February 3, 2015 before suffering the first loss of the season against Carson-Newman on February 4. That Railsplitters followed that up with seven consecutive wins, including a 71-56 victory over Brevard in the quarterfinals of the SAC Championship.
 
Lincoln Memorial then grinded out a 67-64 victory over Queens to advance to the title game of the SAC Championship for the third straight year, but another loss to Carson-Newman denied the Railsplitters of their third SAC tournament title. Still, the Railsplitters were selected to host the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional for the first time in program history, and they started the NCAA tournament with a bang, crushing North Greenville 95-62 to advance to the round of 32 for the fourth season in a row. Unfortunately, that's where the season ended for the fourth consecutive year, as the Railsplitters lost to eventual NCAA Southeast Region champion Mount Olive 75-55 to bring the season to an end.
 
"I think it was a great season that probably ended horribly," LMU head men's basketball coach Josh Schertz said. "Anytime you have the amount of success that those guys had - winning 30 games and putting yourself in position to host the regional tournament - obviously you had a lot of good things happen. But at the end of the day, one of the goals is to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season when it matters most. For whatever reason, after we kind of bounced back at Carson-Newman (a 91-61 win in Jefferson City on February 25), complacency set in. We didn't play with that same edge."
 
The Railsplitters finished with a 30-3 overall record, breaking their own South Atlantic Conference single-season record for wins and winning percentage. They were the first team in Lincoln Memorial's NCAA era to win 30 games and only the second team in program history to accomplish that feat, matching the 1976-77 team that went 30-5 and won the NAIA District 24 championship. The Railsplitters ended the season ranked sixth in the final NABC/Division II poll.
 
"When you reflect on it, there are a lot of things to feel good about. But that being said, when you look at how it ended we've got to get better," Schertz said. "We can't cry about it or whatever. We've got to move on to what we can do in preparation to try to get better so we can have a better chance at the end of the year, and hopefully avoid that letdown we had at the end of February, 2015."
 
Four players were recognized with All-South Atlantic Conference honors, as Lorenza Ross was voted as the league's Player of the Year, Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) was named to the All-SAC first team, Keenan Peterson was a second team pick and Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) was tabbed with All-Freshman distinctions. Schertz was recognized as the SAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven seasons at the helm for Lincoln Memorial. Additionally, Ross and Choice were tagged with All-Southeast Region honors from both Daktronics and the NABC, while Ross was a Division II Bulletin All-American.
 
The list of accomplishments - both as a team and individually - is overwhelming, but Coach Schertz noted that he was much more proud of the 2014-15 squad's unity and the daily investment and effort put forth to attain the team's intrinsic goals as opposed to the more measurable, quantitative achievements.
 
"We had a group of guys that for most of the year maxed out. We didn't finish that way, but I'm probably proudest of just who they were as opposed to what they accomplished. We had great guys in the locker room. We had great guys that really cared about each other, and I think we all left here last year as better people for going through it. Maybe it didn't end the way we wanted, but that's a part of life lessons as well. When you look back on last season, there's always some really good moments, but I think I'm more into the process and the relational side. You realize that the trophies and the rings are more symbolic than anything. It's more about the relationships and going through the journey with a group of people that you enjoy being around."
 
The Railsplitters topped the 25-win plateau for the fifth consecutive season and surpassed 20 wins for the sixth straight year.