1998 Men's Basketball team inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The 1997-98 University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team, which was the third Pioneer team to win a NCAA Division III national championship and the third Division III team to go undefeated, was the third squad to be inducted in its entirety into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame on Sunday, Sept. 7.

After becoming the second team to navigate a perfect Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference slate, the Pioneers went on to receive a first round bye and then defeated conference foe UW-Oshkosh, 69-59 in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Williams Fieldhouse.

The Pioneers beat Chicago, 78-63, in the Sweet 16 and then upended Gustavus Adolphus, 78-71, advancing to the Pioneers fourth Final Four.

The Pioneers found themselves down 11-0 to begin the game against Williams in the Final Four. Williams led by as many as 15, 32-15, before the Pioneers found a spark from Andre Dalton, who scored 21 first half points. Dalton's offensive explosion propelled UW-Platteville to a 25-4 run and took a 42-36 lead into half. The Pioneers' momentum continued out of halftime, as they scored the first eight points, capping a 33-4 run. UW-Platteville cruised to a 82-68 victory to take on Hope College in the national championship game.

The Pioneers didn't allow the Flying Dutchmen any hope, as they scored the game's first seven points and led by as many as 15 in the opening half. UW-Platteville then led by as many as 20 in the second-half, capturing the school's third national title, 69-56. The Pioneers finished with a 30-0 overall record.

Coach Bo Ryan was named WIAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time and was recognized as national coach of the year for the third time. Ben Hoffmann garnered first team all-American, all-West Region and all-WIAC honors, and was also named the Final Four MVP.

Ryan, who has surpassed 700 career wins mark, led the 2014 Wisconsin Badgers to the Final Four, and was named the 2013 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Previously, Ryan, Hoffmann '98 and Rob Jeter '91, and were inducted into the UW-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame individually.

The members of the 1997-98 team were:

Coaches: Bo Ryan, Greg Gard, Todd Landrum, Rob Jeter,

Athletic Director: Mark Molesworth

Players:  Kyle Merrill (Bristol, Wis.), Beau Buchs (Belmont, Wis.), Tim Duffy (Beloit, Wis.), Travis Schreiber (Reedsburg, Wis.), Brad Stangel (Monroe, Wis.), Nick Nordin (Shawano, Wis.), Merrill Brunson (Richland Center, Wis.), Dan Wargolet (West Allis, Wis.), Aaron Olson (Dodgeville, Wis.), Joel Beard (Mequon, Wis,), Colin Gassner (Mayville, Wis.), Blake Knutson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Ben Schambow (Platteville, Wis.), Mike Jones (Hartford, Wis.), Ryan Fuhrmann (Reedsburg, Wis.), Will Ryan (Platteville, Wis.), Brian Murphy (Mineral Point, Wis.), Matt Luzar (Wauwatosa, Wis.), Ben Hoffmann (Hartford, Wis.), Andre Dalton (Milwaukee, Wis.), Brian Berger (Edgerton, Wis.)

All-Purpose Student Personnel: Jason Peterson (Milwaukee, Wis.), Jim Woelfel (Stockbridge, Wis.), Jami Sveum (Dixon, Ill.), Kathy Ebben (Portage, Wis.), Angela (Wilson) Crowley