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 * For information on all University of Rockport sports, see Rockport Fighting Wiyot

The Rockport Fighting Wiyot men's basketball team is the college basketball program that represents the University of Rockport, located in Rockport, California. The team currently competes in the Mountain West Conference (MW) and plays its home games at the Kodak Centre. Allthough a short history, Rockport has shown immediate success, rising to national prominence in thier first few years as a program. The Wiyot have become the fastest program to have won National Title after their school's creation, and the only program to have won both the NIT and NCAA Tournament in their first two years. The Wiyot began play in 2018 and have been to 2 NCAA Division I tournaments and 1 NIT tournaments since joining NCAA Division I in 2018. Since joining the Mountain West Conference, the Wiyot have won 1 MW tournament championships and 2 MW regular season titles. Former players who went on to achieve notable success in the NBA include Wesley Bishop and Oliver Armstrong.

Team history
The Wiyot first began play during the 2018-19 basketball season. The team played that season as part of the Independent Conference, due to the programs inability to join another conference, as those within reasonable proximity had contracts in place. They would be the only Independent basketball program in NCAA Division I, since N.J.I.T left in 2015, to join the American East Conference. During this season, they scheduled 12 games, all against high ranking or well known opponents, in order to gain notoriety amongst the country. The plan worked, as the Wiyot would cruise to a 12-0 regular season record and an earn an invite to the 2019 NIT. Rockport would continue its winning ways and knock down each of their four opponents, winning the NIT Tournament. In 2019-20 the Wiyot left the Independent moniker and became a charter member of the Mountain West Conference. During their first year in the MWC, the Wiyot would route their competition, going 18-0 with an average margin of victory of +14.3 points. Rockport continued it’s success into the Mountain West Tournament. They captured both titles that year; Mountain West Regular Season Champions and Mountain West Tournament Champions. The Wiyot were ranked as high as 3rd in the nation and earned a 1 seed in their first NCAA tournament, reaching and winning the National Championship game. Following the departure of their leading scorers and All-American backcourt, Wesley Bishop and Oliver Armstrong, the Wiyot headed into their 3rd season with many questions. During the 2020-2021 season, the team faced a slight increase in opposition; going 17-1 in the regular season and losing the Mountain West Title game. By the end of the season, the Wiyot finished with a 29–2 record, earn a 2nd seed in NCAA Tournament and ranked 6th in the national polls. Rockport’s immediate success on the national stage has given the Mountain West Conference recognition as a “power” conference, leaving behind the “mid-major” tag they had before.

Rivalries
The Wiyot have many major rivalries, the BYU Cougars, the USC Trojans, the New Mexico Lobos, the the UCLA Bruins, Boise State Broncos, Syracuse Orange, and most notably the Emmitsville Blue Miners. Their primary rival is the Emmitsville Blue Miners. Although they have only played two games, the Blue Miners are one of the few teams to have beaten the Wiyot. Both games have been played at a neural venue, and the Wiyot have gone 1-1 in the first two meetings. There has been a short but great history of competitiveness between these two cities, often turning ugly in many of their sports competitions. It is safe to say that people from or living in Rockport, dislike those from Emmitsville. This has been evident in both meeting between the Wiyot and Blue Miners, as both games saw chippiness and an increase in intensity and physicality. In the first game the Blue Miners beat the Wiyot 63-62, as a last second shot from Wesley Bishop was wide right. Before the ball had hit the floor, referees had to separate the two teams, as a brawl began to break out. The following year, the Wiyot and Blue Miners would meet again in the Hawaii Invitational; this time the Wiyot would be victorious, beating the Miners 72-65 in double overtime. While it may be new, this rivalry is beigining to shape into one of the one of the top rivalries in both college basketball and all North American sports.

The Kodak Centre
The Wiyot play their home games at the Kodak Centre. The Kodak Centre is a 7,090 seat basketball on the northeast corner of the University of Rockport campus. The arena, which opened in 2018 has garnered national attention as one of, if not the, toughest place to play for opponents. The Wiyot have gone a perfect 31-0 in their first 3 seasons, beating visiting opponents by an average of +19.4 points per game, and holding opponents to 31.2% from the field. The tough environment can be attributed to the design of the building. The lower and upper bowl have a steep grade, with an average incline of 34%. This is a number typically seen only for high upper-bowl seating. Along with its grade, the lower seats are close to the court, mimicking the proximity seen at site like Cameron Indoor Stadium. With a proud sports fan base in the city of Rockport, spectators have been limited to UR patronage. This allows for complete home court advantage, and it has worked thus far. Banners hang in the arena rafters on the north side of the building, touting the 2020 National Championship banner, 2019 N.I.T Championship, the 2020 and 2021 Mountain West Regular Season Title and the 2020 Mountain West Tournament Championship. UR aims to add to these accomplishments.

Roland Bishop
Roland Bishop is the first and only coach for the Rockport Fighting Wiyot men's basketball team. He has spent time at both the collegiate and professional level of basketball, with considerable success at both. Immediately after his retirement from the NBA, he became the assistant coach for his team, the Rockport Bombers. After two years, and proving his basketball acumen, he was hired on by the newly formed University of Rockport.

Season-by-season results
http://www.gowioyt.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive.html UR Basketball Archives
 * A major portion of information retrieved from the Rockport Fighting Wiyot Men's Basketball Website Archives

NCAA Division I tournament results
The Wiyot have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament 2 times, with a combined record of 11-0. They have reached the Final Four, the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen twice, in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, they were crowned National Champions with their 83-68 win over the Michigan State in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

NIT results
The Fighting Wiyot have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) one time. As they were not eligable for the NCAA Tournament after only playing in 12 games in 2018-19 season. Their combined record is 5-0. Rockport won the NIT Championship in 2019.


 * Through March 1st 2020.