As the final seconds ran off the clock last spring in the opening round of the2009 NAIA Division II Tournament against #1 Oklahoma Wesleyan University with Fisher College on the losing end, Louis Williams (Burlington, VT) looked around at the faces of his Fisher teammates and said to himself, "I don't want this to happen again."

Welcome to 2010. This season's team has wanted one thing since the first day of practice - to make it back to the National Tournament and WIN. With a returning core of seven players (Including four starters) and eight new additions, the 2009-2010 squad appeared poised to do just that.

After a tough 2-1 start to the season, Fisher has won their next 18 straight games en route to the Nation's best record, 20-1. Their last loss came back on November 20, 2009 against Trinity College in the opening round of the Roger Williams University Tournament.

 Their defining moment came early in the season during the first game of the Harold J. Brodie Tournament at Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. Trailing RIT 46-35 at halftime, a victory seemed out of reach. With 15 minutes left to play and facing a 22 point deficit, a loss was almost certain. One problem - no one told the Fisher men they could not win. Fisher went on a 30-7 run to close out the game and win by a score of 69-68.

 "In the RIT game we found ourselves. We decided then that we will never quit." stated junior Casey Pursell (Seattle, WA).

 With the first semester coming to a close, Fisher finished with an 11-1 record and a nine game winning streak.

 However, adversity would strike again.

 After the close of first semester grades, three starters and two bench players were deemed academically ineligible. Two additional bench players decided not to return.

 One must understand the struggles that a Fisher athlete endures. When potential student-athletes are recruited, they are told that there are no athletic scholarships. All scholarships are academic and merit based. This poses an economic hardship for many players.

 They are also told that since the school is located in the heart of Boston, there are no athletic facilities on-site. Teams must travel 20-45 minutes to reach their off-site practice/game facilities. "The traveling to and from practice is tough, but I think it just makes you want it more." stated senior Ryan Henry (Westwood, NJ).

 Even in the face of adversity, the Fisher men refuse to quit.

 "At the beginning of the second semester, the eight of us remaining got together and said ‘we need to do this for us'. We are a family, we learned how to deal with players leaving last year." said Williams, referring to the dismissal of four players just prior to last year's National Tournament. "The freshmen accepted their new roles and have helped out tremendously."

 In fact, since the beginning of the second semester, freshman Jasmin Handanovic (Milford, NH) has averaged 18.5 points per game (nine games); including 29 points in a 91-89 win at SUNY-Canton. "Jasmin really proved himself in the game at SUNY." stated fifth year Head Coach Dave Lindberg. "Being without Casey (Pursell) because of his injury, we needed someone to step up and fill his shoes. Jasmin did just that with his performance."

 The Fisher Eight continue to overmatch their competition. They now hold the current NAIA Division II longest active winning streak. National ranking cannot be far behind.

 "Right now our goal is to take it one step at a time. Hopefully, we will take care of business this weekend and then take the next step and get into the Top 25." Louis Williams said when asked about the National rankings. "If we do get into the Top 25, it would be a tremendous feeling. Knowing that we are the first Fisher College Basketball team to be awarded such an honor will be just unreal."

 In fact, in the latest poll released by the NAIA, Fisher College received 43 votes. That is the most votes that any basketball program in the Sunrise Conference has received since Lyndon State College (VT) garnered 21 votes in the final poll in 2006.

Over the past five seasons, Fisher College has quietly dominated the Sunrise Conference. They have won four of the past five Sunrise Conference Tournament titles and they captured their first regular season title last year.

 This close knit family of Fisher basketball players is now focused on their hunt to repeat as Sunrise Conference champions and return to the National Tournament in Branson, Missouri where they are determined to prove that "Eight is Enough".