As the Co-Midwest Conference Champions, the 1974-75 men’s basketball team can be celebrated one of the most successful teams in the history of Knox College basketball. Led by co-captains Gary Pokorn and Kjeld Sorensen, this team finished with a 12-4 record in the conference, third best to date, and the second-best overall record at 16-7. Although they lost 67-64 to Augustana College in the first round, they are the only basketball team to have ever represented Knox in the NCAA Division III National Championship tournament.
Though many teams have had successful individual players, it was a combination of several great players with tremendous physical ability and a great depth on the bench that made this team excel. The 74-75 team had three of the top ten scorers in the conference that year – Dave Woodward, also known as Woody, in third with 17.6 points per game, Gary Pokorn in fifth with 16.6 points per game and Kjeld Sorensen in ninth with 14.5 points per game – and all three of those players were voted to the All-Conference team. Woody was on the first team and Kjeld and Gary on the second team.
With those kinds of numbers, this team can easily be called an offensive powerhouse (to date. They hold the record for the largest margin of victory with a 102-42 win over Lawrence University), but their coach, Harley Knosher, also noted their strong rebounding, their effective defensive ability and a strong bench, led by senior Jeff Baker, Chris Cain, Greg Peden and Wayne Mastin, important factors that made their team so special.
After college, these players went on to success in many different fields including medicine, law, chemical research, teaching, coaching, financial advising, writing, banking, business and athletic administration. It is easy to say that all of these men have enjoyed above-average success in their chosen field.
