ROCKLIN, Calif. – It was a year of firsts and lasts for the Jessup Men's Basketball program in the 2023-24 season. With the program entering its final year competing in the NAIA, a first-year head coach was about to begin a new era for the program, one that saw the season end in the NAIA National Tournament.
The Warriors won 18 games in the 2023-24 season, the program's first since head coach
Lance Von Vogt stepped away from the bench at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Von Vogt had accumulated 183 wins in his ten years with the Warriors, but now it was time for someone new to take over the program, as
Mark Darnall was tabbed as the next man up.
Darnall was announced as head coach in the spring of 2023 after a run to the NIT Tournament and a Big Sky Championship as an assistant coach with Eastern Washington University.
"Mark's passion for impacting young men for Christ through the game of basketball was evident from our first conversation," said Von Vogt at the time of Darnall's hiring. "I believe you will witness him building champions on and off the court."
After a loss in the season opener, Darnall got his first taste of victory on November 3 when his team won a double overtime thriller against Montana State-Northern. Less than 24 hours after the 83-82 victory and subsequent locker room celebration, the Warriors were back at it with another nailbiter, this time a 61-58 victory against Southern Oregon.
The Warriors went on to win five of six and eventually closed the non-conference schedule with a 9-4 record. The calendar then flipped to 2024, and with that came the start of Jessup's final GSAC season.
First up was the Spirit of OUAZ, a team that was one win away from the NAIA National Championship Game the year prior. In front of one of the largest crowds in Warrior Arena history, the first-ever Mikuni Night was capped off with a 66-59 victory and a 1-0 start to the conference schedule.
Next up came the Firestorm of ACU, a team that had Jessup's number for years. No active player on the Warriors had ever beaten ACU, as the Firestorm entered Warrior Arena riding a 13-game win streak against Jessup. Any thought of win No. 14 was quickly evaporated due to a 30-3 run by the Warriors to start the game. Jessup eventually snapped the streak with an 84-72 final.
To make matters sweeter, Jessup later beat ACU on their home floor to sweep the regular season series.
Jessup went 8-6 in Darnall's first GSAC season, with five of those coming at home. But the highlight moment of the GSAC season came away from Rocklin, as a free throw against Vanguard on January 11 made history, with
Myles Corey becoming the new all-time leading scorer in program history.
Corey later added All-GSAC honors to his final season with the Warriors. Joining him was fellow senior
Ty Artis, who averaged a career-high 17.9 PPG.
The 2024 GSAC Tournament began with Corey and Artis receiving their All-GSAC medals, but then it was on to the court as Jessup drew OUAZ in the first round. A 92-79 victory kept Jessup's conference championship hopes alive and also brought closure for those who were on the 2022 team that lost to OUAZ in the GSAC Championship Game.
Next came a third matchup with ACU, except this time, the Firestorm got the better of the Warriors. Jessup lost 80-70 to end their GSAC tenure, but the year was not over, as the next week saw Jessup's name get called as an at-large selection into the NAIA National Tournament.
Jessup's draw put them as a 16 seed, taking on the defending national champions of The College of Idaho. It was in Caldwell where Jessup's NAIA era met its end, with the Warriors leaving the NAIA with five tournament berths over their time.
On his first year as a head coach, Darnall made sure to thank his first senior class. "I want to thank the seniors for their effort and our staff for making it a great first season here. I wouldn't want to do it with any other group. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Jessup is now on to the next chapter of its existence, as the 2024-25 season will be the Warriors' first as members of NCAA Division II and the PacWest Conference. It's a new era with new colors, a new logo, and new competition. But with all the new, some things are staying the same, as this new era will mark year two for the Warriors under Darnall.
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Jessup University is a transitionary member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).
