View source for 1997–98 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA team season
  |mode=Basketball
  |year=1997–98
  |team=Charleston Cougars
  |image=College of Charleston Cougars logo.svg
  |image_size=125
  |conference=Trans America Athletic Conference
  |division=East Division
  |short_conf=TAAC
  |CoachRank=
  |APRank=
  |record=24–6
  |conf_record=14–2
  |head_coach=[[John Kresse]]
  |hc_year=19th
  |assoc_coach=
  |asst_coach2=
  |asst_coach3=
  |arena=[[John Kresse Arena]]
  |champion=TAAC Regular Season champion<br>[[1998 TAAC men's basketball tournament|TAAC tournament]] champion
  |tourney=[[1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]]
  |tourney_result = first round
}}
{{1997–98 TAAC men's basketball standings}}

The '''1997–98 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team''' represented the [[College of Charleston]] in the [[1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season]]. The Cougars, led by 19th-year head coach [[John Kresse]], played their home games at [[F. Mitchell Johnson Arena]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina]] as members of the [[Trans America Athletic Conference]].

After finishing atop the conference regular season standings (14–2), the Cougars also won the [[1998 TAAC men's basketball tournament|1998 TAAC tournament]] to earn an automatic bid to the [[1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] as No. 14 seed in the Midwest region. College of Charleston was beaten in the opening round by eventual Final Four participant [[1997–98 Stanford Cardinal men's basketball team|Stanford]], 67–57.<ref name="ncaa">{{cite news |title=Arizona Uses Every Trick in Its Bag to Oust Charleston |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/sports/arizona-uses-every-trick-in-its-bag-to-oust-charleston.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 16, 1997 |access-date=June 11, 2021}}</ref> The team finished with an overall record of 24–6.

== Roster ==
{{CBB roster/Header|year=1997|team=College of Charleston Cougars|teamcolors=y|high_school=yes}}

{{CBB roster/Player|first=Jermel|last=President|num=20|pos=G|ft=5|in=11|lbs=|class=jr|rs=|home=[[Charleston, South Carolina]]|high_school=Burke}}

{{CBB roster/Player|first=Sedric|last=Webber|num=23|pos=F|ft=6|in=6|lbs=195|class=jr|rs=|link=y|home=[[Columbia, South Carolina]]|high_school=[[W. J. Keenan High School|W. J. Keenan]]}}

{{CBB roster/Footer
|head_coach=
* [[John Kresse]] ({{college|St. John's}})
|asst_coach=
* 
|roster_url=https://cofcsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/1997-98
|accessdate=
}}

==Schedule and results== 
{{CBB schedule start|attend=yes}}
|-
!colspan=12 style={{CollegePrimaryStyle|College of Charleston Cougars}}| Regular season
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Nov 15, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs |title=Tennessee Wesleyan}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[F. Mitchell Johnson Center]]
| site_cityst  = [[Charleston, South Carolina]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 83–44
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,277
| record       = 1–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Nov 19, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Charleston Southern Buccaneers |title=Charleston Southern}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 91–64
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 5,121
| record       = 2–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Nov 25, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = [[1997–98 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team|George Mason]]
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Patriot Center]]
| site_cityst  = [[Fairfax, Virginia]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 68–56
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,411
| record       = 3–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Dec 2, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = [[1997–98 UMass Minutemen men's basketball team|UMass]]
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Mullins Center]]
| site_cityst  = [[Amherst, Massachusetts]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 40–52
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 7,536
| record       = 3–1
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Dec 6, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = [[1997–98 The Citadel Bulldogs basketball team|The Citadel]]
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 56–44
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,516
| record       = 4–1
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Dec 20, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Guilford Quakers|title=Guilford}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 71–47
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,743
| record       = 5–1
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Dec 28, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Rider Broncs|title=Rider}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = Franklin Life Classic
| score        = 58–65
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,803
| record       = 5–2
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Dec 29, 1997
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Columbia Lions|title=Columbia}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = Franklin Life Classic
| score        = 77–55
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,251
| record       = 6–2
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 3, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Centenary Gentlemen|title=Centenary}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Gold Dome]]
| site_cityst  = [[Shreveport, Louisiana]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 64–51
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 1,050
| record       = 7–2
| conference   = 1–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 5, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Troy Trojans|title=Troy}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 92–42
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,762
| record       = 8–2
| conference   = 2–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 8, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Samford Bulldogs|title=Samford}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Seibert Hall]]
| site_cityst  = [[Homewood, Alabama]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 50–49
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 1,466
| record       = 9–2
| conference   = 3–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 10, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Jacksonville State Gamecocks|title=Jacksonville State}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Pete Mathews Coliseum]]
| site_cityst  = [[Jacksonville, Alabama]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 88–63
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 1,022
| record       = 10–2
| conference   = 4–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 12, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = The Citadel
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[McAlister Field House]]
| site_cityst  = [[Charleston, South Carolina]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 63–64
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 5,236
| record       = 10–3
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 15, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Florida International Panthers|title=Florida International}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 81–62
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,495
| record       = 11–3
| conference   = 5–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 17, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Florida Atlantic Owls|title=Florida Atlantic}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 74–56
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,207
| record       = 12–3
| conference   = 6–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 22, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=UCF Knights|title=Central Florida}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[The Venue at UCF|UCF Arena]]
| site_cityst  = [[Orlando, Florida]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 65–47
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 1,439
| record       = 13–3
| conference   = 7–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 24, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Stetson Hatters|title=Stetson}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Edmunds Center]]
| site_cityst  = [[DeLand, Florida]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 67–63
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,622
| record       = 14–3
| conference   = 8–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 29, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Campbell Fighting Camels|title=Campbell}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 65–39
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,392
| record       = 15–3
| conference   = 9–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Jan 31, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Mercer Bears|title=Mercer}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 67–47
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,437
| record       = 16–3
| conference   = 10–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 2, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Georgia State Panthers|title=Georgia State}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 79–53
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,201
| record       = 17–3
| conference   = 11–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 7, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = Campbell
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Carter Gymnasium]]
| site_cityst  = [[Buies Creek, North Carolina]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 62–49
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 864
| record       = 18–3
| conference   = 12–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 12, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = Florida Atlantic
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena|FAU Arena]]
| site_cityst  = [[Boca Raton, Florida]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 72–49
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,839
| record       = 19–3
| conference   = 13–0
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 14, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = yes
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = Florida International
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = [[Golden Panther Arena]]
| site_cityst  = [[Westchester, Florida]]
| gamename     = 
| score        = 67–74
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 1,525
| record       = 19–4
| conference   = 13–1
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 16, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = {{cbb link|year=1997|sex=men|team=Wofford Terriers|title=Wofford}}
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Center
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 79–45
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,037
| record       = 20–4
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 19, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = Stetson
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Arena
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 67–53
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 2,971
| record       = 21–4
| conference   = 14–1
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 21, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = 
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| opponent     = Central Florida
| opprank      = 
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Arena
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = 
| score        = 68–70
| overtime     = OT
| attend       = 3,417
| record       = 21–5
| conference   = 14–2
}}
|-
!colspan=12 style={{CollegePrimaryStyle|College of Charleston Cougars}}| [[1998 TAAC men's basketball tournament|<span style={{CollegePrimaryStyle|College of Charleston Cougars}}>TAAC tournament</span>]]
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 26, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| seed         = 1
| opponent     = Campbell
| opprank      = 
| oppseed      = 8
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Arena
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = Quarterfinals
| score        = 78–64
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,249
| record       = 22–5
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 27, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| seed         = 1
| opponent     = Central Florida
| opprank      = 
| oppseed      = 5
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Arena
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = Semifinals
| score        = 81–66
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,641
| record       = 23–5
}}
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Feb 28, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| away         = 
| neutral      = 
| rank         = 
| seed         = 1
| opponent     = Florida International
| opprank      = 
| oppseed      = 2
| site_stadium = F. Mitchell Johnson Arena
| site_cityst  = Charleston, South Carolina
| gamename     = Championship Game
| score        = 72–63
| overtime     = 
| attend       = 3,371
| record       = 24–5
}}
|-
!colspan=12 style={{CollegePrimaryStyle|College of Charleston Cougars}}| [[1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|<span style={{CollegePrimaryStyle|College of Charleston Cougars}}>NCAA Tournament</span>]]
{{CBB schedule entry
| date         = Mar 13, 1998
| time         = 
| nonconf      = yes
| seed         = 14 MW
| opponent     = [[1997–98 Stanford Cardinal men's basketball team|Stanford]]
| opprank      = 10
| oppseed      = 3 MW
| site_stadium = [[United Center]]
| site_cityst  = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| gamename     = First round
| tv           = CBS
| score        = 57–67
| record       = 24–6
| attend       = 21,158
}}
{{CBB schedule end|rank=| poll=[[1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings|AP Poll]]|region=MW|regionname=Midwest|timezone=[[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]}}
Source<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cofcsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1997-98|title=1997-98 Men's Basketball Schedule|work=[[College of Charleston Cougars|College of Charleston Athletics]]|access-date=January 7, 2023|language=en}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB1/A/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20I_1998_1014_College%20of%20Charleston%20(South%20Carolina).pdf|title= College of Charleston 1997-1998 stats|website= NCAA Career Statistics}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
*'''[[Sedric Webber]]''' &ndash; [[ASUN Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|TAAC co-Player of the Year]]
*'''[[John Kresse]]''' &ndash; TAAC Coach of the Year

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team}}
[[Category:Charleston Cougars men's basketball seasons]]
[[Category:1997–98 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball season|College of Charleston Cougars]]
[[Category:1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament participants|College of Charleston]]
[[Category:1997 in sports in South Carolina|College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball]]
[[Category:1998 in sports in South Carolina|College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball]]