RUSTON – Louisiana Tech joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1991-92 and instantly won the league title. 
 
It was a long and winding road for the next six years, never finishing in the top four in the conference standings. 
 
When head coach Jim Wooldridge resigned in late August of 1998, it didn't take long to find his successor.  That person was on the bench sitting right next to Wooldridge for the past four years … Keith Richard.
 
Coach Richard's Bulldogs instantly had high expectations, given that they were predicted to finish tied for first place in the preseason Sun Belt Conference poll.  A big reason for that was he had the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year on his team – 6-4 senior guard Lonnie Cooper. 
 
Well, those expectations were met. 
 
The first-year head coach guided LA Tech to a 19-win season while claiming the 1998-99 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship. 
 
The Bulldogs also collected quite a bit of individual hardware that season as well.  Richard became the first coach to be named the Sun Belt Conference and All-Louisiana Coach of the Year in his first season, junior college transfer Craig Jackson was voted the Sun Belt and All-Louisiana Newcomer of the Year and senior Lonnie Cooper was named as the state's Player of the Year (both Jackson and Cooper were named All-SBC). 
 
The road wasn't so much long and winding that year as it was downright challenging. 
 
LA Tech had only nine home games on the schedule, so much of the year was spent on the bus and in airports.  In fact, the first seven games were on the road and the Bulldogs managed to win five of those.
 
There was the season-opening 72-63 win at Baylor to get things started.  LA Tech also picked up victories at Southeast Missouri, Northwestern State, Texas-Pan American and an overtime thriller against Southern Utah in the consolation game of the BYU Cougar Classic.
 
The season soon hit a rough patch.  The Bulldogs lost five of eight games in the middle of the year, including three losses to league opponents which dipped the team under the .500 mark in conference play. 
 
After the 69-61 loss at New Orleans, LA Tech reeled off five straight wins, including their first conference road win at WKU, to get back in the hunt for the SBC lead. 
 
Following a double overtime loss at FIU, the Bulldogs finished off the regular season home stand by winning their last two games to go undefeated at the Thomas Assembly Center (9-0 record). 
 
The season then came down to the last week as LA Tech and Arkansas State were in a tie for first place in the Sun Belt.  If the Bulldogs wanted to win the league crown, they would have to do it on the road at Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State.
 
At UALR, the 'Dogs sprinted out of the gates and never looked back as 6-4 guard Gerrod Henderson scored a team-high 20 points in the 81-67 victory.
 
Then the stage was set for the SBC championship at the jam-packed Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas as the two best teams in the conference dueled it out in the last game of the regular season.
 
The game went back and forth until the very end when the Bulldogs put the basketball in the hands of the lone senior Lonnie Cooper.
 
After Arkansas State tied the game at 83 with less than 10 seconds to play, Cooper drove the lane and found a wide open Craig Jackson under the basket for the layup and the 85-83 victory to make LA Tech the 1998-99 Sun Belt Conference regular season champions.   
 
LA Tech's season came to an end eight days later in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals, but the year was no doubt a success. 
 
1998-99 Roster

• Lonnie Cooper             6-4 Senior Guard                          Tallulah, Louisiana
• Omar Cooper               6-4 Junior Guard                          Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Jon Fowler                  6-10 Sophomore Center                 Victoria, Australia
• Gerrod Henderson        6-4 Sophomore Guard                   Haynesville, Louisiana
• Craig Jackson              6-1 Junior Guard                          Carlisle, Arkansas
• Walker McDonald        6-6 Junior Forward                        Lafayette, Louisiana
• Ira Miller                      6-4 Junior Forward                       Middle Village, New York
• Karelius Paul               6-7 Freshman Forward                  Richardson, Texas
• Mike Pawelczak          6-8 Junior Forward                         Jacksonville, Florida
• Derek Smith                6-2 Junior Guard                           St. Maurice, Louisiana
• Fred Smith                  6-6 Junior Forward                        St. Maurice, Louisiana
• Kendrick Spruel           6-9 Junior Forward                        Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Curtis Williams            6-9 Junior Forward                        Hamburg, Arkansas

 
Head Coach:  Keith Richard
Assistant Coaches:  Charles Baker and Marcus Stribling