BY: Jason Martin
Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Faulkner, Huntington, and AUM are all fighting for relevance in central Alabama, and the AUM men’s basketball team took a big step in the fight after a stellar 2019-20 season. The Warhawks finished the season with a winning record at 15-14 and competed in the program’s first-ever Gulf South Conference Championship.
AUM struggled to begin their season, dropping three of their first five games to Rollins, Miles, and Embry-Riddle. The season, however, saw many accomplishments as early as their 115-80 loss to Embry-Riddle— senior guard Darrion Taylor became the 19th player in program history to record 1,000 career points. The initial glimpse of greatness from the 2019-20 squad came in the conference opener at the AUM Gymnasium on November 23. The Warhawks welcomed Lee University to town and took down the Flames on a buzzer-beating layup, winning their first-official Gulf South Conference game.
After the win against Lee, the Warhawks dropped six consecutive conference games, three of which were decided by three points or less, dropping them out of the playoff picture midway through the season. AUM got back on track with three straight wins against Shorter, Montevallo, and West Florida, bringing their GSC record to 4-6. Their win streak was snapped by Delta State in a double overtime-heartbreaker, but the Warhawks responded with five straight wins, finding themselves in sixth place with two games remaining on the schedule.
The Orange & Black dropped their final two regular season games to West Georgia and Valdosta State, resulting in a seventh-place finish for AUM and a rematch with Lee University in the first round of the playoffs. Despite beating the Flames twice in the regular season, the Warhawks were unable to muster any kind of offense against Lee and fell to the Flames 81-57. Even with a first-round exit, the Warhawks put themselves on the map in central Alabama with an unforgettable season.