Before the Emory men’s basketball team advanced to its first ever NCAA Division III National Championship game, the Eagles found themselves on the precipice of elimination with a clear view into the abyss of the offseason.

They had surrendered a healthy lead against Illinois Wesleyan in the Elite Eight, and the game was suddenly tied at 78 with less than 30 seconds remaining.

A loss would have marked a premature end to a storybook season for a vaunted senior class. It would have meant no more film sessions, practices or road trips until the fall semester. On the bench, some players couldn’t help but think the dream of making the Final Four — and potentially winning a national championship — was slipping away.

But the team wasn’t ready to go home, says head coach Jason Zimmerman.

As the clock ticked from 15 seconds to 10 to 5, senior guard Ben Pearce used a screen from sophomore teammate Mario Awasum to find some room behind the three-point line. For Pearce, it was pure muscle memory: He hit the game-winning shot with 1 second left, punching the Eagles’ ticket to the Final Four, the first in program history.

“You can’t really think as it’s happening,” says Pearce, who enters a sort of flow-state in high pressure situations. “When you have the confidence that I have, and that my teammates have in me, you just roll the dice.”

It was a moment both unprecedented and familiar.

With their backs against the wall, the Eagles had turned to Pearce all season long — and for good reason. He is nearing the end of a historic senior year. In February, he became the men’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer, and he’s only added to his record in the time since; he is now the first player in Emory history with more than 2,000 points. He also received the 2026 Jostens Trophy Award, an honor given to the most outstanding Division III basketball player each year.

Following Pearce’s Elite Eight heroics, Emory defeated Christopher Newport in the Final Four to advance to the championship game, where the team will face the University of Mary Washington. The game tips off at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever.

Preparing to review game film in the locker room, Zimmerman says the magnitude of the moment is not lost on him.

“It can be cliché, but it’s about the journey,” he says. “I’ve been here 19 years and have worked with a lot of guys who have helped me, and a lot of teams who have sat in this room and shed tears because we lost. Our goal was always to get to this point and to win a national championship. Now that we’re here, it’s kind of surreal.”

On April 5 — win or lose — the Eagles will make university history, and the team’s seniors will put on their Emory uniforms for the last time.

“We’re playing to win, and we’re playing for something that’s much bigger than ourselves,” Pearce says, “and that’s the name on the front of the jersey — Emory and the whole community.”

Years in the making

If Pearce’s game-winning three-pointer, dubbed “the biggest shot in Emory basketball history,” saved the season, it was only possible because of a similar play by teammate Ethan Fauss in the second round of the tournament.

With Emory trailing Roanoke 81-80, Fauss connected on a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to give the Eagles the lead.

Zimmerman says the team’s uncanny ability to win close games was forged over years of hard work and heartbreaking losses.

“Two years ago, we lost nine games by four points or less,” he says. “And when that happens, it shakes you to your core. We dealt with failure, and we came back from it and got better.”

Last year, the team made it all the way to the Elite Eight, setting the stage for this year’s historic run. Zimmerman says the seniors who experienced those losses have been at the forefront of shaping the team’s resilient identity. John Coppolino IV is one of them.

“There’s been a build up to this moment,” Coppolino says, reflecting on previous seasons.  “As soon as we got to work this year, we knew we had the team to do it.”

When the Eagles lost two consecutive games in late January, senior Jair Knight — one of Emory’s two All-Americans, along with Pearce — arranged a team meeting that led to a recommitment in the locker room.

“Everybody was on the same page before I had to say anything,” Knight says. “But it was just a way to set [the expectations] in stone, and me telling the guys we all know the potential of this team. It’s time to be consistent and push it forward. And you can see our trajectory from that point on.”

The team responded, winning the next two games in overtime. Emory hasn’t lost since.

“It was a big stretch for us getting our confidence back,” Pearce says.

The Eagles finished first in the University Athletic Association Conference with a regular season record of 22-3, and they have now won five consecutive games in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Only one remains.

Coppolino says this year’s tournament has produced a whirlwind of new emotions.

“I’ve been in a lot of close games, but the crazy part about being in the tournament as a senior is that any game could be your last,” he says. “If you look up at the clock and it says there’s two minutes, then your playing career could be over in two minutes. It’s tough to have those close games, but it just makes it even sweeter. There’s a level of gratitude I have when I play basketball that’s now amplified.”

All-American Eagles

According to Emory Athletics, Pearce and Knight are the first set of men’s basketball teammates to ever be recognized as Division III All-Americans in the same season.

They each bring a unique presence to the court. Pearce says his style of play is patient, balanced and aggressive; he’s the team’s primary ballhandler and leading scorer who can “attack and push the tempo.” Knight describes his game with one word: “impact,” which is to say he’s an explosive athlete who defends, rebounds, scores and brings an infectious energy to the team.

Together, the two have transformed Zimmerman’s system. He says they make plays that he couldn’t even draw up on his whiteboard. In essence, they are the engines that make the team go.

For both star players, basketball is a family affair.

Pearce says he learned the game from his older brother, Max, who played Division III basketball at Purchase College and is now a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. One of Pearce’s earliest memories is his brother handing him a ball.

“I always wanted to be just like him,” Pearce says of his brother. “Being little, seeing him have a basketball in his hands, there was nothing else I could do. I always think back on that. It keeps me grounded and reminds me why I started [playing] in the first place.”

Knight’s love for the game formed under similar circumstances. He is the second in a family of five brothers.

“There is something about being the next brother up,” Knight says. “[I fell in love with basketball] watching my brother and my dad play. It was something we valued as a family, and we bonded through that. It pretty much propelled me to where I am today.”

He also acknowledges his mother, who made it all possible behind the scenes.

Pearce and Knight both reflect what Zimmerman says is the ethos of Emory basketball. “You have to want to be part of something bigger than yourself,” the coach explains. “We want players that keep raising the bar and that represent Emory and Emory basketball the right way.”

After breaking school records and receiving the Jostens Award, Pearce is now the program’s most decorated representative.

“You have to talk about him as a person before you even talk about him as a player,” Zimmerman says of Pearce. “He’s special, and he’s grown so much in his leadership ability and his poise. On the court, he’s able to make reads and to trust his teammates and himself. His accolades are well deserved.”

Pearce says the awards are “something you try not to think about throughout the year.” Instead, he focuses on team success. Now, the ultimate goal awaits.

“It will be my last game,” Pearce says. “I’m using all of that energy and all of that passion and emotion to just lock in and leave it all out there.

“It’s a great opportunity to close this chapter and to leave an impact on the school,” he adds. “That’s all you want to do, leave the program in a better place than you found it. We’ve done that, whether we win or not. But there’s no better way to actually show that than having a championship.”

Bonds of brotherhood

Ask any of the players about the secret to this team’s success, and the first thing they’ll say is camaraderie.

“Guys genuinely care about each other, more than anything that I’ve ever been a part of,” Pearce says of his teammates. “If you watch a game and look only at the bench, you’ll see some of the most genuine joy and happiness. That tells you a lot about a team.”

Junior guard AJ Harris is one of four teammates who live together in a charming ramshackle house that has become the team’s primary gathering place.

Over winter break, the roommates hosted a cookout in the front yard for the whole team, the coaching staff, alumni and everyone’s families. Several players say the cookout — and the house itself — played a major role in bringing the team closer together.

“I think that stuff connects on the court when you’re playing basketball with your best friends,” Harris says. “We wanted it to be a central house for everyone. And trust me, everyone is there all the time. I’ll just leave my room and see freshmen sitting watching our TV.”

But the connections run deeper than mere proximity. Tyson Thomas, also a senior, is perhaps the team’s most vocal leader, even when he’s on the bench.

“Tyson is probably the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Pearce says, no small praise from the national player of the year. “He has been the person that’s helped me the most and is responsible for where I am individually and where we are as a team. He’s an extension of the coaching staff.”

Thomas says he models his leadership after the seniors that showed him the ropes when he was a freshman — the experiences of alumni echoing in the team’s present success.

“I’ll never forget how those guys helped me understand what it takes to be a leader,” Thomas says. “There are little bits and pieces I take from them that I implement in my own way of leading, and I try to create a relationship and bond with every single person on this team.”

His leadership is reflective of the broader culture Zimmerman has established.

“Every team has a philosophy, but not everybody really believes in it,” Pearce says. “That’s different here. Everybody does, and everybody trusts in what we’re doing.”

In one case, the brotherly bond among players is literal. Ethan Fauss, a junior, welcomed his younger brother Eli, a first-year student, to the team this fall — and now they are days away from playing in the national championship as teammates.

“Growing up, everything in our household was a competition,” Eli says with a smile. “But it’s fun that we’re on the same side now and get to play against everyone else.”

“I was in his position just two years ago,” Ethan says of his younger brother. “Being able to watch him grow and become a better basketball player has been a ton of fun for me. And now we’re here and get to experience this moment together.”

Emory excellence

As Coppolino approaches both graduation and his final game at Emory, he’s on the cusp of realizing the dreams he set for himself out of high school.

“My goal with basketball was always to go somewhere I could get a great education, but then at the same time compete and win,” he says. “I’ve been able to major in finance and Italian. I’ve been able to now compete for a national championship and win a conference championship. And I’ve been able to do so many things off the court that are so special to me.”

Coppolino adds that, while at Emory, his pursuit of excellence in basketball and in the classroom began to inform one another.

“There’s so much about athletics that is translatable to the classroom, and then the classroom applies to life after basketball,” he explains. “I’ve learned about organization and my ability to structure my life. To be a student athlete at Emory, I don’t think you could get better preparation for what the world can throw at you.”

As the nation’s best Division III basketball player, Pearce had plenty of options — including opportunities to play in higher divisions. Still, he chose Emory.

“I could go to a higher level and play Division I basketball, but that doesn’t make it a better fit,” he says. “The people at Emory have shown me so much love, and that matters, especially in today’s climate of college sports.”

Pearce, who plans to play basketball professionally after graduation, is a sociology and business major. He says the academic environment at Emory has also helped him develop throughout his four years on campus

“Even if you take basketball out of it, Emory is a special place,” he says. “I’ve built strong relationships with my professors in the sociology department that extend beyond the classroom. They’re coming to games, and they’re helping me with opportunities that will serve me after my playing career.”

Zimmerman says that sort of balance is why he came to Emory in the first place, 19 years ago. He wanted to work at a place students could thrive both athletically and academically.

“We have a lot of excellent athletics programs here, and I want to be a part of that,” he says. “We don’t have to apologize for being great in the classroom and on the basketball court — or in the swimming pool or on the soccer field. And that’s what is great about Emory Athletics and Emory University: We’re committed to being excellent at both and not compromising.

“Our student athletes are really special people,” he adds. “The words are hard to find.”

But what’s not hard to find is his whiteboard — or his scouting report on Mary Washington for Sunday’s championship game.

Suddenly, a projection screen drops from the wall with game footage already rolling, the players file in and take their seats, and media exits the locker room. It’s time for Zimmerman, Pearce and the rest of the team to prepare for the biggest game in the history of Emory basketball.

They are right where they want to be.