As part of our coverage in these unprecedented times, UIndyAthletics.com will highlight each of our winter sports by posting detailed season recaps of the 2019-20 men's and women's basketball, men's & women's swimming, indoor track & field and wrestling programs. Today we take a look back at men's basketball.

SEASON FLASHBACK
After a three-year hiatus from the NCAA tournament, the UIndy men's basketball team earned the top seed and hosting rights to the 2020 event with a 24-6 overall record and one of the toughest schedules in the country.
 
Senior Jimmy King wrapped up one of the most successful careers in UIndy history, earning two All-Region First Team nods and a unanimous All-GLVC First Team selection prior to the conference tournament. Head coach Stan Gouard was named the NABC Midwest Region Coach of the Year, the first in program history. Junior Trevor Lakes earned All-GLVC Second Team honors for the second straight season, leading the Greyhounds with 15.7 ppg.
 
"We started out with a big win at DI Loyola Chicago, which helped with our motivation," said Gouard. "It helped us realize that we can play with good teams."
 
The exhibition win marked the fourth time UIndy has claimed victory over a DI program in Gouard's 12-year career, with the Hounds knocking off Tennessee (2010) and Valparaiso (2009 and 2018) in previous seasons.
 
SIGNATURE WINS
"Any time you beat Bellarmine and Southern Indiana in the same year, those are signature wins," said Gouard, whose team went 3-1 against two of the top DII programs this past season.
 
Bellarmine squeaked by UIndy in the league opener in December at Nicoson Hall, but the Hounds returned the favor a month later at Knights Hall by defeating Bellarmine in overtime. Against USI, Jacob Polakovich dominated inside with 12 points and 13 rebounds to help lead UIndy to its first victory over the in-state rival since 2016-17.
 
In the regular-season finale at USI, the Hounds cruised to a 52-35 halftime lead before holding on to sweep the Screaming Eagles for the first time in 10 years. "To beat my alma mater; to go down to USI on a special night when they honored my 1995 national champion team…that was a great night for me personally," said Gouard. "That was my favorite win of the year."
 
Gouard continued to note more wins throughout the season, encompassing just how special the 2019-20 team really was. "Pack the House night, down with 5.3 seconds left before what I call 'The Shot,' from Jimmy King," he said with a smile. "Just an unbelievable atmosphere."
 
The win at Bellarmine on Jan. 20 kicked off a four-game winning streak and a stretch of 12 victories in 13 contests to end the regular season. After surviving at Knights Hall, UIndy handled home wins over Drury and Southwest Baptist to be named the NABC Team of the Week.
 
"That was just a beautiful week for us," said Gouard. "We played some good basketball."
 
KEY RESERVE
Senior Marcus Latham did not fold when asked to be the team's sixth man as one of the best players in the GLVC, but rather exceeded expectations.
 
"I was surprised with Marcus's production off the bench," said Gouard. "For a guy of his stature in terms of how he can score the basketball, I think he was the key ingredient to our success. We talk about Jimmy and Trevor all the time, but Marcus was like instant offense."
 
The Alton, Ill., product ranked second on the team with 13.4 ppg in more than 24 minutes of action, while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor. Latham finished in double figures in all but seven contests as a senior, scoring 20 or more on three occasions. In arguably the best of his career, Latham scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half to heat up a frozen offense and will the Hounds to a 73-70 victory at Lake Superior State. Without King at point guard, Latham shot 10 of 18 from the field in 34 minutes, securing three rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Gouard concluded: "That was one thing I wanted to do, to build a strong bench so we'd be in a position to host the regional."
 
SENIOR CLASS
"Jimmy's leadership skills are going to be hard to replace," said Gouard. "There were so many things he did outside the numbers. It didn't take much for me as a coach to get on guys.
 
King finished his UIndy career with 542 assists, just five shy of the program record.
 
Latham is not leaving UIndy without his name etched in the record book, as the lefty was the eighth-most accurate shooter from the charity stripe in program history with a 83.2 percent mark.
 
The Hounds will also be losing four-year members Demarre Sims and Miles Wayer, along with Jordache Mavunga and Trevor Banks. Mavunga, a Brownsburg native, started 43 games in his two seasons at UIndy.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Not able to host the regional due to COVID-19, Gouard said next season is taking care of unfinished business. "That's going to be on our shirts next year," he noted.
 
Gouard has been hard at work since the cancellation of this year's championships. "That's all I've done is focus on next year," Gouard said with a laugh. "I've sat and watched our games all day, and I see what we have coming back and it gets me excited.
 
"Our seniors were vital parts of our program, but when I go back and see how much better Jacob has gotten and the potential with Kendrick Tchoua…the sky's the limit.
 
"And we'll have Dee Montgomery coming in to fill the void of Jimmy, and Jesse Bingham. The guys on our scout team were really good.
 
"Cory Miller Jr. was so key for us this season and got really hot at the end of the year, and obviously Trevor is such a great shooter and I think he's only going to get better.
 
"I don't want to predict or promise it, but I'd be shocked if we aren't in position to host the regional again next year," said Gouard.