In his first season with Head Coach Ryan Ridder, Jeff Clapacs wasted no time in helping change the culture of Bethune-Cookman men's basketball with immediate success on and off the court. Their inaugural 2017-18 Wildcat team finished 18-14 overall, and 12-4 in MEAC play to claim a share of BCU's second-ever MEAC regular season title. The win totals were the second-most in school Division 1 history for overall and conference play. The Wildcats broke numerous school records and featured the MEAC Player of the Year, Brandon Tabb, and Defensive Player of the Year, Soufiyane Diakite.
The team got off to a quick start with its winningest November in school history by totaling four victories. BCU defeated two ASUN Conference opponents for the first time ever with road victories over Jacksonville and Stetson, and BCU finished with the second-most road wins ever with eight. In January, BCU put together its second-longest win streak ever with six straight wins to open up the 2018 calendar year.
In addition to Tabb and Diakite, Clapacs coached All-MEAC members Shawntrez Davis and Isaiah Bailey. The team took home six Defensive Player of the Week honors, most in the conference, and had two Player of the Week Honors.
The 2017-18 team finished with new school D1 records in scoring (2622 points and 81.9 per-game), free throws (575), attempts (820), rebounds (1346), rebounding average (42.1 and second nationally behind UNC), and assists (501). The Wildcats were second in both three-pointers made (241) and attempts (759), and finished fourth in single-season history with 123 blocks.
Under the eye of Clapacs, Tabb finished first in single-season and BCU career history in free-throw percentage, and finished 22nd all-time in Wildcat scoring.
The next season saw Clapacs help navigate the team through a series of adverse obstacles to again set milestones, including consecutive Defensive Players of the Year when Cletrell Pope earned the honor and set a MEAC single-season record with 22 double-doubles. For the first time ever, BCU was pegged as the Preseason Favorite in the MEAC. The Wildcats placed three on the All-Conference Preseason team.
BCU just posted its second ever three-win November. Coupled with 2017's 4-3 mark in the month, the Wildcats have posted their best consecutive Novembers in program history. All this came despite losing All-MEAC pick Isiah Bailey to a season-ending injury.
To cap the month, BCU defeated cross-county foe Stetson at home, 84-74, to mark the first time in series history that the Wildcats won Volusia County bragging rights in consecutive years.
In its 72-70 home victory against FAU on Dec. 1, BCU claimed its first victory over a Conference USA opponent, and the win carried the most quality of its first four, as FAU entered with a NET ranking of 90.
The Wildcats finished the month where neither the remaining All-MEAC picks, Shawntrez Davis and Soufi Diakite, played together. It again ended with a milestone in a 74-66 road win at Boston U on 12/21. It was BCU's first win in last game before Christmas break since 2009, December true “road” win since 2010, December non-conference road W since 2009, win against the Patriot League, men’s D1 Florida program to win at Case Gym, and the first time BCU shot over 60% from 3 since Feb. 3, 2014 vs. SCSU (83.3%).
As the calendar turned to January, the nation became acquainted with first-year Wildcat Cletrell Pope. In a road contest at Morgan State, he registered career-highs of 24 points and 22 rebounds that put him in rare company. He was just the 8th player in the nation to post a 20/20 game in the season, and joined Western Michigan’s Seth Dugan as the only players with at least 24 points and 22 rebounds (Dugan totaled 32 on Nov. 6).
No player in the NCAA since March of 2016 had produced 24/22 with at least 10 offensive rebounds, and only eight others have done so since 2010-11.
Pope went on to earn Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MEAC honors. He was second in the country with 22 double-doubles, and led the nation with 4.32 offensive boards per-game. He pulled down 7.84 defensive rebounds per-game to rank 13th overall and lead the MEAC, and was third in the country with a 12.2 total rebound average. Pope's 377 total boards was fourth-most in the nation and set a BCU Division 1 record. It also placed him 5th all-time in school single-season rebounds.
Malik Maitland earned Second Team and Davis was named to the Third Team.
BCU led the MEAC in rebounding average (41.10) and was third nationally. The Wildcats also paced the conference with 13.58 offensive rebounds per-game (eighth nationally), an average of 27.52 defensive rebounds (27th nationally), and three-point defense of 30.2% (18th nationally).
The Wildcats were second in field goal defense (41.3%), steals (7.5 per-game), and rebounding margin (3.4).
BCU had a 10-4 home record that matched last year’s win total. The 20 wins represent the highest two-year total since 2009-11, when the Wildcats won 11 home contests each year. Those years, however, the Wildcats could play up to four non-Division 1 foes.
BCU finished 9-7 in the conference, and Clapacs helped Ryan Ridder to 32 wins through his first two seasons leading the Wildcats. That is tied for first in BCU history for a Head Coach’s first two seasons, along with his predecessor, Gravelle Craig. Ridder’s 21 MEAC wins is best in the first two-year span.
Jeff Clapacs joined the BCU the coaching staff following one year on staff with the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team in 2016-17.
Prior to St. Bonaventure, Clpaacs served as the director of basketball operations for the men’s team at East Tennessee State. As part of an entirely new staff at ETSU, he helped the Buccaneers to a 24-12 record including a 14-4 mark in the Southern Conference before finishing the year as the SoCon runner-up with a top-100 national RPI.
He served in the same role for Bowling Green’s men’s team in 2014-15, and part of a staff that led the Falcons to their first 20-win season in 14 years. As a team, the Falcons led the MAC in scoring defense allowing only 62.9 points per game, anchored by Richaun Holmes, the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Prior to Bowling Green, Clapacs spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Arkansas State University from 2008-14. In his tenure, the Red Wolves produced 16 graduates, eight all-conference players and two Sun Belt Conference Western Division Championships (2011 & 2013).
Clapacs began his coaching career in the 2007-08 season at LSU as Director of Basketball Operations.
The Euclid, Ohio native graduated from The College of Wooster (Ohio) in May 2007 and after completing two seasons as a player with the Fighting Scots. He served an additional two years as a student assistant for one of the top NCAA Division III programs. Nationally-ranked Wooster compiled a 108-16 record during his four years with the Fighting Scots, including two Conference Tournament Championships and a Final Four appearance in 2007. He earned a Master of Science in Sports Leadership from Duquesne in 2010 after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Wooster in 2007.
