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1965 West Coast Conference Champions

 
Ollie Johnson



Overall Record: 24-5 | WCC Record: 13-1

Head Coach: Pete Peletta
Overall Record: 24-5    WCC Record: 13-1
All-WCC Team: Joe Ellis, Ollie Johnson (POY), Erwin Mueller
Top Scorer: Ollie Johnson (21.2)    Top Rebounder:  Ollie Johnson (16.2)
USF Hall-of-Famers: Ollie Johnson, Joe Ellis, Russ Gumina, Erwin Mueller

The 1964-65 Dons were nearly perfect in league play, romping through the West Coast Athletic Conference with a 13-1 record to capture their third straight league championship. The Dons opened league competition handling San Jose State 77-53 and closed out the slate with back to back 100 point performances. On the final weekend of play USF blasted Pepperdine 100-76 then ran past Loyola Marymount 100-72.

The Dons were one of the top scoring teams in the nation averaging 81.3 points per game and hitting 49.4% from the floor. Four players averaged double figures in scoring. Senior center Ollie Johnson led the way scoring 21.6 points per game and knocked in 60% of his shots. Joe Ellis (13.7), Russ Gumina (12.4) and Erwin Mueller (11.9) all contributed to the Dons up tempo offense.

The Dons advanced to the NCAA West Regional in Provo Utah and handled Oklahoma State 91-67 in first round play, then fell to eventual NCAA champion UCLA 101-93 in the West Regional Final. Once again it would be USF that would provide the Bruins with their toughest challenge in the postseason as the Bruins easily rolled past the rest of the field. The Dons finished the campaign at 24-5 and finished their three year run under Peletta at 65-19.

Did You Know? Ollie Johnson became the Dons all-time leading scorer at the time on March 13th at the NCAA West Regional in Provo, Utah. As he took the floor against UCLA, Johnson only needed five points to surpass the immortal Bill Russell. Johnson proceeded to pour in 37 points in a 101-93 loss to the Bruins and finished with 1668 points for his career.

They Said it: “USF’s Ollie Johnson is the best center I’ve seen play on the low post for position and finesse. It’s been a joy to compete against him the past three years,” UCLA head coach John Wooden. Wooden's UCLA team was 2-2 in four games against USF with Johnson playing center for the Dons.