NO. 22 AT ETSU ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

By Matt Hill

There are several numbers in sports that just mean more.

No. 23 is one that stands out in NBA Basketball with both Michael Jordan and LeBron James, two of the greatest ever dawning that number. But in Johnson City you have to drop the number one more to chronicle the careers of three of the best players in school history at ETSU who will probably at some point have their jersey hanging in the rafters.

Tommy Woods, Keith Mister Jennings and Jaden Seymour have all made their mark wearing No. 22 for the blue and gold and are among the best to ever do it in Johnson City.

Now, you might be wondering and I had the same questions why are the of the greats wearing No. 22. That is because ETSU does not actually retire the numbers, they retire the jerseys.

When the Woods retirement was announced, I did have questions why Jennings was being disrespected but his jersey was retired several years. It simply they do not retire numbers at the school.

I am sure other people wondered why Seymour was wearing the number but in the end that is the policy and I think having Seymour do what he has done this season has even added to the lore of this number and make the number even more prestigious.

Tommy Woods became the second player to have his jersey retired wearing No. 22, but in all honesty his career was the most historic as he crossed all barriers. We will start our look at all three of these men that made this number very special.

WOODS BREAKS THE COLOR BARRIER AT ETSU

I will be honest even though I have been around ETSU all my life, I was very unfamiliar with Woods and did not know much about him. The player of that era that I remember hearing about the most was Harley “Skeeter” Swift. Getting to do research on Woods, I realize that had it not been for Woods, there wouldn’t have been Jennings or Seymour.

I will say I am glad ETSU did this while Woods was alive. It was probably long overdue but I am glad it was done. He definitely made his mark.

In the 1960s, the fight for civil rights was prevalent. While Northeast Tennessee was not in the spotlight as other areas, African Americans still had their issues for equality.

African-Americans were treated inhumane in this country for many years and in basketball, the sport remained almost all white until the mid-60s.

One of my favorite movies is Glory Road about the 1966 NCAA National champion Texas Western team, now known as UTEP. Texas Western started five African Americans for the first time in college basketball history. Head coach Cliff Haskins took a lot of heat for doing so but he ended up changing college basketball forever.

In 1964, Woods arrived in Johnson City and I do not know any stories of how he was treated but being in the segregated South it had to be very difficult. Despite any roadblocks, Brown could really play basketball.

Woods holds the record for rebounds in a game with 30. To put that in perspective, Karon Boyd had 20 last week against VMI and was still 10 off the record.

Woods opened the door for so many men of color that would not have had the chance if he had not been the trendsetter. Woods was not only a great basketball player, but he was also a good person,

Woods was around before ETSU was what is today. It took another No. 22 to bring the Bucs to national prominence.

MISTER THE ALL-TIME ETSU GREAT

When you talk to people about ETSU basketball, the era that comes up most in conversation is the late 80s and early 90 when Les Robinson got everything started and Alan Leforce finished the job.

This group of players that included Slam Dunk champion Calvin Talford, Greg Dennis and Marty Story had the mini-done rocking and you had to get your ticket early or you were not going to get a seat.

ETSU never has had the support from the community quite like with this group. This was before social media and also before games were on ESPN Plus where you could watch your team from home. This was a time where the players were rock stars in Johnson City. Everyone knew who they were.

However, Keith Mister Jennings was the biggest star during this time and it was a phenomenal time to be living in Johnson City.

Jennings shattered the record books from 1987-1991. Jennings is fourth in scoring at ETSU with 1,988 points and holds the record including 983 career assists and 334 career steals, single season records for assists per game at 9.1 and steals per game at 3.4 and single game marks for assists with 19 and free throws made with 18.

Jennings brought this program back to life and then some. During Jennings four years at ETSU, there were wins against N.C. State, Wake Forest, Tennessee and BYU just to name a few. He brought the program to new heights. Unfortunately, he did not get to see the fruit of his labor.

ETSU was nationally ranked his senior year, getting as high as No. 10 in the country. There was even a banner raised about it which drew the ire of some fans. However, ETSU did not win an NCAA Tournament game the three times the Bucs went to the tournament.

In the 90-91 season, Greg Dennis was injured in the first game of the year. The Bucs honestly could have gone to the Final Four I think if he had been healthy. However, it gave Dennis an extra year of eligibility and he would play without Mister during the 91-92 season.

During that season, when the Bucs were more of an underdog than in the previous season, ETSU upset Arizona in the opening round of the tournament. This was the most memorable moment for the program but it was done without the floor general. However, Jason Niblett was outstanding running the point against Arizona.

Even though Jennings didn’t get to see the magical moment, he set the tone for that team and also the teams that followed that included the Ed DeChellis and Murry Bartow eras that saw several trips to the NCAA Tournament and of course the 2019-2020 team under Steve Forbes that some people feel could have made a deep run into the NCAA Tournament if not for the Covid pandemic.

Jennings has made a lasting impact on this program that may never be matched, but his legacy wearing No. 22 has been carried on by someone who has become almost as big of a fan favorite among current ETSU fans.

SEYMOUR BECOMING A LEGEND IN HIS OWN RIGHT

Jaden Seymour paid his dues a college basketball player, but the last two seasons have been unforgettable in Johnson City and has put himself in the conversation among the all-time greats.

Seymour is averaging over 17 points per game and most likely will win the Player of the Year award in the Southern Conference. Things did not start out peachy for him but he has worked very hard and under the tutelage of head coach Brooks Savage, has become a dominant force.

Seymour played sparingly at Wichita State and then had two average years under Desmond Oliver at ETSU, but when Savage took over in 2023 he became the focal point of the offense and became a first-team all-conference player.

Now Seymour has really asserted himself as one of the best in the league. He also is one of the toughest players in the SoCon.

He was injured against Samford and in visible pain pretty much played through it and the Bucs won the contest 66-59 and completed a season sweep of the first-place Bulldogs.

Now, ETSU is trying to win a championship and they are going to be counting on the man nicknamed Clips to be able to pull the Bucs through.

Seymour is also like Jennings a crowd favorite at ETSU. Seymour is very charismatic in interviews and really supports the fans very well.

I really believe Seymour will have his jersey retired one day, making it three No. 22s in the rafters.

All three of these players have left a lasting mark on the program and have made the No. 22 a lucky one for the Bucs.