WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Jan.18) -- The Waynesburg University men's basketball team will host Bethany College this Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse for what is sure to be a memorable Alumni Day ceremony that will honor the 1987-88 NAIA Final Four team during halftime of the contest.

Before the men take the court, the Jacket women will also host Bethany in a 1 p.m. showdown. Waynesburg will celebrate the University's 175th anniversary on Saturday as well with the the first 200 fans in attendance taking home commemorative clappers to mark the occasion.

The Yellow Jackets of the '80s catapulted basketball to a new level, and the 1987-88 team was proof. Waynesburg burst into the national spotlight by reaching the NAIA Final Four at Kansas City's Kemper Arena with a record of 32-1 that year. The road to the NAIA Tournament pitted wins over Franklin Pierce, Minnesota-Duluth and Dordt, to set up a clash with Grand Canyon in the national semifinals. The game was nationally televised on ESPN, as announcer Dick Vitale made the call.

First-team All-American Darrin Walls led the attack, with a supporting cast of the likes of first team all-district center Rob Montgomery, point guard Shawn McCallister, forward Harold Hamlin, and guard Vance Walker. Walls remains the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,442 points, while Montgomery, Hamlin and Walker are members of the 1,000-point club.

The Jackets suffered a 108-106 defeat against Grand Canyon on a buzzer-beating putback layup to end their remarkable 87-88 season. But the loss did not take anything away from the most decorated Waynesburg College teams of the decade. The Yellow Jackets sported the second-best winning percentage of all NAIA teams in the 1980's, as the Jackets finished the decade winning 82 percent of their games, second only to St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.).

Join us this Saturday in helping the Waynesburg community honor the legends of the past and cheer on the stars of today.