Wednesday, January 21, 2009

LIONS IN TOP 25 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

KANSAS CITY – It’s been a long time coming. But the time finally came.

Riding the wave of a six-game winning streak that included road wins over then-No. 16 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College and then-No. 5 Union (Tenn.) University, the Freed-Hardeman University Lions made it into the NAIA national ratings for the first time since Mar. 11, 2003. The Lions were ranked at No. 20 in Monday’s poll.

“It is a nice recognition of the work our guys have put in. Now we have to continue to improve daily individually and collectively,” said FHU head coach Jason Shelton. “We are in a great league with a lot of games left to play.”

Shelton, in his fourth season at Freed-Hardeman, has systematically rebuilt the Lion basketball program since his arrival in the spring of 2005. The Lions won just 20 games in his first two years, but have gone 34-17 since then.

Nevertheless, Shelton is not content to rest on this week’s ranking.

“The only [rating] that matters is the last one,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”

The Lions are 14-6 on the season and 6-1 in conference after edging Lyon (Ark.) College, 84-82, on Monday in Batesville, Ark.

#FHU#

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