The basketball team plays its home games in William L. White Auditorium downtown Emporia.

The Emporia State Hornets team annually plays a nineteen-game conference schedule that is preceded by an out-of-conference schedule that includes one exhibition game between the Kansas Jayhawks or the Kansas State Wildcats, switching every other year.

When the university was recognized as an NCAA Division II school in 1991, they joined the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

Following Sampson was Fred Honhart for three seasons, who led the Normals (as the school's teams were known until 1921) to a 27–10 record from 1909 to 1912.

[4] From 1912 until 1918, Emporia State went through three coaches with a combined record of 58–45: George Crispin (1912–1914), Homer Woodson Hargiss (1914–1916, 1917–1918) and H. D. McChesney from 1916 to 1917.

Conference tournament champion In 1920, Emporia State resumed sports after World War I ended.

Homer Woodson Hargiss was the head basketball coach at Emporia State three times—first from 1914 to 1916, then from 1917 to 1918 and then from 1922 to 1923.

[8] Fish led the Hornets to six conference championships, tied for another, and made six appearances in the NAIA national tournament, placing fourth in 1946 and 1964.

In 1960, Fish assisted with the U.S. Olympic basketball team as well as became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.

After coaching for 28 years, Slaymaker's teams won a conference title five times and a district championship on four occasions.

Slaymaker served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Festival and the World University Games in the late 1980s.

Conference tournament champion In April 2011, Shaun Vandiver was hired as Emporia State's next coach.

Following the 2023-24 season, Doty resigned to take over the program at NCAA DI member Houston Christian.

Doty departed as the only head coach in program history to lead the team to four consecutive seasons at .500 or better in MIAA play.

[25] In 2008, White Auditorium received an upgrade with a new scoreboard and video board, as well as a new color scheme on the arena floor and the throughout the entire building.

Many people, including most Emporia State coach Vic Trusler, did not like the name.

[29] Trusler suggested to a writer at the Emporia Gazette that the new name should be the "Yellow Jackets".

Corky was published in The Bulletin, the student newspaper for Emporia State University.