| Current: | 2023–24 Oklahoma City Stars men's basketball team |
| Oklahoma City Stars | |
| University: | Oklahoma City University |
| Conference: | Sooner Athletic Conference |
| Coach: | Mark Berokoff |
| Tenure: | 1st |
| Location: | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Arena: | Abe Lemons Arena |
| Capacity: | 3,500 |
| Nickname: | Stars |
| Ncaaeliteeight: | 1956, 1957 |
| Ncaasweetsixteen: | 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1965 |
| Ncaatourneys: | 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973 |
| Naiachampion: | 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007, 2008 |
| Conference Tournament: | Midwestern City Conference 1981[1] Sooner Athletic Conference 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2019[2] |
The Oklahoma City Stars men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Oklahoma City University (OCU) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Until 1998, the team was known as the Oklahoma City Chiefs.
Oklahoma City competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA's) Division I for many years, and the program was especially noted for its success under coaches Doyle Parrack (1950–1955) and his successor Abe Lemons (1955–1973 and 1984–1990).[3] OCU appeared in eleven NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments.
As an NCAA Division I team, OCU was an independent team until joining the Midwestern City Conference (MCC), now known as the Horizon League. In 1985, the school moved from the NCAA to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), citing as reasons for the move the number of sports the NCAA required at member schools, the MCC's insistence that teams host their games in arenas with seating capacities greater than 7,500, and the concerns of other MCC members that OCU lacked geographic proximity to their institutions.[4] Since the move to the NAIA, OCU has won six national championships.[5]
In 1998, OCU changed the name of its athletic teams from Chiefs to Stars.
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The Chiefs appeared in 11 NCAA Division I basketball tournaments from 1952 to 1973, making them the most prolific tournament team that is no longer in Division I. Their record in tournaments was 8–13, giving them the second most wins (after New York University) among teams no longer in Division I.[6]
| Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | L 48–54 W 55–53 | ||||
| Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | Kansas | L 65–73 L 56–58 | |||
| First Round | L 55–61 | ||||
| First Round | L 65–69 | ||||
| First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 97–81 W 97–93 L 63–84 | ||||
| First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 76–55 W 75–66 L 61–81 | ||||
| First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | W 70–67 L 72–78 L 83–90 | ||||
| First Round | L 78–89 | ||||
| First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | W 70–68 L 67–91 W 112–102 | ||||
| First Round | Texas Western | L 74–89 | |||
| First Round | L 78–103 |
The Chiefs played in the National Invitation Tournament twice.[7]
| Quarterfinals | L 48–63 | ||||
| First Round | L 81–97 |
| 1 | First Round Second Round | (16) | W 101–66 L 64–67 | ||
| 2 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (15) St. Mary’s (MI) (6) (5) | W 80–77 W 107–85 W 112–94 W 100–83 W 77–74 | ||
| 1 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (16) (5) (7) | W 107–73 W 96–89 W 97–63 W 102–92 W 82–73 | ||
| 6 | First Round Second Round | W 84–79 L 67–85 | |||
| 5 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (4) (16) | W 104–99 W 86–75 W 90–70 W 86–85 W 99–81 | ||
| 3 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | (14) (11) | W 107–75 W 98–67 L 78–92 | ||
| 14 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (3) (6) (1) | W 94–58 W 108–85 W 82–66 W 80–77 W 86–80 | ||
| 8 | First Round Second Round | (9) | W 84–73 L 52–63 | ||
| 6 | First Round Second Round | W 61–59 L 74–87 | |||
| 5 | First Round Second Round | (12) | W 70–62 L 67–77 | ||
| – | First Round Second Round | (15) (2) | W 91–69 L 54–94 | ||
| 16 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | (1) (9) | W 88–82 W 74–59 L 72–80 | ||
| – | First Round | (9) | L 56–82 | ||
| – | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | (7) (10) (15) | W 81–48 W 79–65 L 62–75 | ||
| – | First Round Second Round | (6) | W 77–74 L 65–66 | ||
| 7 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (10) (3) | W 91–64 W 99–77 W 77–67 W 94–92 L 65–67 | ||
| 2 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (15) (10) (4) | W 90–74 W 90–78 W 84–68 W 76–61 W 79–71 | ||
| 7 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | (10) (2) (5) | W 81–64 W 69–63 W 86–66 W 78–64 W 75–72 | ||
| 16 | First Round | L 70–78 | |||
| – | First Round | (1) | L 37–68 | ||
| – | First Round | (10) | L 62–74 | ||
| 6 | First Round | (3) | L 82–87 (OT) | ||
| 7 | First Round | (2) | L 65–86 | ||
| 2 | First Round Second Round | (7) (3) | W 65–50 L 83–91 | ||
| 7 | First Round Second Round | (2) (3) | W 101–84 L 69–80 |
Frederickson Fieldhouse was an athletic facility on the campus of Oklahoma City University built in honor of a major OCU benefactor, George Frederickson of Oklahoma City. In his gift to OCU, Frederickson stipulated that the building should be built by his nephew, John Henry Frederickson. Accordingly, it was built by the John Henry Frederickson Jr. Construction Company, also of Oklahoma City, with John Henry Frederickson was the general contractor. John Henry Frederickson's son Chris Frederickson also worked on the job as a laborer.
Frederickson Field House was a 20000square feet facility. At the time of its construction in 1959 it the largest hyperbolic paraboloid structure in the world. The Frederickson company was a pioneer in the design and building of extremely thin-shell concrete buildings, of which Frederickson Field House was one. Another famous thin-shell concrete structure built by John Henry Frederickson was the First Christian Church in Oklahoma City, a building has an "eggshell"-shaped roof that is actually thinner in proportion than a real eggshell.
Frederickson Field House held 3,400 for basketball. Asked why the scoreboard at the Field House was the first one to have a three-digit capability for game scores, Abe Lemons, the head coach at the time, said "Come to the first game and you will find out." Teams rarely scored in the 100s at the time (the late 1950s), but in the first game at Frederickson Field House OCU beat Florida State, scoring 129 points in the game. The Chiefs went on to become one of the highest-scoring teams in the United States, scoring over 100 points a game on many occasions.
Frederickson Field House was replaced with the more modern Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activities Center — named for Henry J. Freede — in 2000, and was torn down in 2005.