Men’s Basketball Seniors Depart as Program’s Winningest Class Since 1962
Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.), Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.), Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.), Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) will all graduate this May after compiling impressive careers on the hardwood for the Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball tream.
The five seniors guided Eastern Nazarene to an overall record of 77-28 with 50 wins in conference play over the past four seasons.
The seniors have led the Lions to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament in each of the past four years, including a first-round home game each year, while also advancing Eastern Nazarene to the Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinals in 2012-13 and 2014-15.
This season, the Lions rattled off nine consecutive victories to start the year 9-0 before suffering a narrow loss to nationally-ranked WPI on a buzzer-beater. Amidst the 9-0 start to the season, one of the best starts in team history, Eastern Nazarene received votes in the D3Hoops.com National Poll for the first time in program history. The Lions posted an overall record of 18-8 and finished tied for third in the league standings with a 12-6 mark.
Lequan Gomes was selected to the All-Commonwealth Coast Conference third team in 2015-16 after averaging 14.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Gomes appeared in all 26 games for the Lions and made 15 starts in his senior year.
Eric Lynch earned All-Commonwealth Coast Conference third team accolades as a senior and picked up second team honors as a sophomore. Lynch became the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and finished with 1,020 career points. An NABC Honors Court honoree, he played in 98 career games for Eastern Nazarene and made 70 starts. In 2015-16, Lynch started 23 of 24 games in which he saw action while averaging 10.1 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per contest and 2.8 assists per game.
Jaylen Owens became the first student-athlete in school history to be named to the All-Commonwealth Coast Conference first team for the third time. The 2012-13 Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, Owens finished his career with 1,742 career points to rank seventh on the program's all-time points list.
A two-time Academic All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection, Owens was tabbed to the NABC Honors Court as a junior and also received All-CCC honorable mention as a freshman.
He appeared in 105 games for Eastern Nazarene and started 92 contests. Owens also racked up 485 assists, 331 boards and 212 steals in his four years. Owens paced the Lions with 17.6 points per game and ranked fifth in the league as a senior while averaging 4.2 assists per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Jeremy Wagner saw action in 105 contests for the Lions and earned 81 starts. He drained 114 career three-pointers and converted 82.4% of his free throw attempts. Jeremy Wagner tallied 550 career points, 384 rebounds, 156 assists and 133 steals. He was named to the NABC Honors Court as a junior and earned a spot on the Academic All-Commonwealth Coast Conference list as a sophomore and junior.
A three-point sharpshooter, Justin Wagner concluded his four-year career with 959 career points while splashing a program-record 255 career treys and owning a free-throw percentage of 84.7%. In 104 games played, Justin Wagner recorded 304 boards, 169 steals and 124 assists.
As a junior, Justin Wagner earned All-Commonwealth Coast Conference third team honors while also picking up two Academic All-CCC nods and a spot on the NABC Honors Court as a junior.
Jeremy Wagner averaged 5.4 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per contest and connected on 40.2% of his attempts from the perimeter in his final season with the Lions. Justin Wagner averaged 10.2 points per game and shot 41.2% from beyond the arc to rank second in the league as a senior.
"I am extremely proud of the careers that these five young men put together at Eastern Nazarene. Their hard work, dedication and leadership have established a strong foundation for this program moving forward," said head coach Jim Aller. "Not only have these seniors excelled on the court, they have also done superbly well in the classroom. They have grown into extraordinary young adults and I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors."
The men's basketball program at Eastern Nazarene College will be entering its 61st season of competition at the start of the 2016-17 campaign.