In 1925, Evansville College formed its first basketball team. The team played its games in a small gymnasium on campus known as “the Ark.” The team’s first coach was Leo Berning, who was also a professor at the college. The team played a schedule of local opponents, including high schools and other small colleges in the area.

In those early years, basketball was still a relatively new sport and rules and regulations were still being established. The college game was played with a center jump after every made basket and teams were only allowed to substitute players after a player fouled out.

Despite the challenges of playing a new and evolving sport, Evansville quickly established itself as a competitive program. In just its third year of existence, the team won the Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship, which was a precursor to the modern-day NCAA tournament. Over the years, the basketball program at Evansville would continue to grow and evolve, eventually becoming a Division I program in 1967.