by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The last few weeks brought plenty of change to the Lipscomb men’s basketball program. But one of the team’s steady leaders is staying put. Associate head coach Roger Idstrom will remain on staff, new Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff announced in his introductory press conference Wednesday. “A big for part for me in taking over the job is that I felt like we needed someone that had been here,” Acuff said. “The more I talked to people, there was no doubt that Roger Idstrom needed to be a part of our staff. “Roger’s a good man and a really good basketball coach, and he’s had an awful lot to do with [Lipscomb’s] success. I really thought he’d make our transition a lot smoother.” Idstrom served as Lipscomb’s interim coach after Casey Alexander departed for Belmont. He talked with recruits, worked on next year’s schedule and kept tabs on the players, even while his own future was up in the air. “Yeah it’s crazy, and it’s been stressful,” he said. “It’s probably been more stressful for my wife and family, just the unknown part of it. But really for me, it’s been focusing on the day-to-day of this program and making sure that our guys are doing what they need to be doing in the classroom.” The 1989 Mars Hill College graduate has also served on the staffs at his alma mater, UNC Asheville, Montreat, Wabash Valley College, Gardner-Webb and Stetson. Idstrom followed Alexander to Lipscomb in 2013 to become associate head coach. Idstrom’s presence brings a welcomed familiarity for Lipscomb’s current players. Rising senior guard Michael Buckland said he is thrilled Idstrom...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lennie Acuff once wanted to play basketball for Lipscomb, but he admitted that he “wasn’t good enough” for Don Meyer’s legendary NAIA teams. Instead, the longtime Alabama-Huntsville skipper now gets his chance to coach the Bisons. Lipscomb officially introduced Acuff as its next head coach Wednesday, beginning a new era for a program that is coming off one of its most successful seasons – a year that ended one victory short of an NIT championship. But Acuff was familiar with the Bisons long before they joined the NCAA Division I ranks. He attended Lipscomb basketball summer camps as a kid, and he continued to learn from Meyer as an adult, even visiting his house on at least one occasion. “I think it’s important that everybody knows that I understand what Lipscomb basketball is about,” he said. “[Two] of the guys on my high school team played on the [1986] national championship team – Anthony Jones and Bob Ford. “I would’ve loved to have been a Bison. [Coach Meyer] was the best teacher the game has ever had. I cannot tell you how much he taught me, how much I learned from him and the level of respect I have for what he built here.” Acuff seems like a natural fit for the Bisons. He’s down to earth, family-oriented and speaks with a Southern drawl. He’s also bald, just like Meyer and Casey Alexander – arguably the two best coaches in Lipscomb’s history. But, perhaps most importantly, Acuff has the basketball resume to keep the Lipscomb program on an upward trajectory. His track record at UAH, which includes 437 wins,...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 24, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb guard Kenny Cooper is transferring to Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers announced in a release Wednesday. Cooper entered his name in the transfer portal April 15, just five days after coach Casey Alexander bolted for the same job at Belmont. He then took an official visit to Bowling Green last weekend. “We’re excited to have Kenny join our program,” WKU coach Rick Stansbury said. “He’s a high-character young man from a great family. He has the valuable ability to make players around him better, and he’ll bring a wealth of experience and toughness to our team.” The loss of Cooper is a tough blow to an already-depleted Lipscomb roster, which is graduating five key seniors. He was set to be the team’s top returning player, having averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. Cooper is currently a junior with one year of eligibility remaining. Non-grad transfers typically have to sit one season before playing, but he plans to apply for an eligibility waiver from the NCAA. Other schools that showed interest in Cooper included Butler, Virginia Tech, Missouri State, UNC Charlotte, Southern Illinois and Loyola Chicago, according to Corey Evans of Rivals.com. Cooper’s departure leaves Lipscomb with just one scholarship point guard in rising sophomore Alex Jones. Columbia Academy’s Carson Cary will be a walk-on next season, and rising senior John Matt Merritt is also a walk-on. New coach Lennie Acuff could look to the transfer portal to fill Cooper’s spot. Nearly 700 players from Division I schools were exploring transfer options as of last week. Photo by McKenzi...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 23, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Before Lipscomb confirmed it was hiring Lennie Acuff as its head coach, the chips started to fall into place Tuesday morning. Bethel College (Ind.) announced the hiring of Lipscomb assistant Steve Drabyn as its next head coach just before 10 a.m. CT. One hour later, Belmont coach Casey Alexander added Lipscomb assistant Sean Rutigliano to round out his new staff. Drabyn was an assistant at Lipscomb for the last six seasons. He built a name for himself as a player at Belmont from 2000-04, leading the nation in free throw percentage (95.1 percent) his junior year. “It has been a dream of mine to lead my own basketball program, and I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to do it as the head men’s basketball coach at Bethel,” Drabyn said in a release. “I am drawn to the mission of Bethel being a faith-based community, its outstanding academic reputation, and the strong tradition of athletics.” Rutigliano spent the last four seasons at Lipscomb after stops at Kean University (NJ), University of Alabama Huntsville, Ouachita Baptist University and Army. He was a key member of the staff that guided Lipscomb to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2018. “It’s hard to put into words Sean’s influence at Lipscomb, and I’m confident his impact will be profound here at Belmont,” Alexander said in a statement. “Sean is among the most relational – and relatable – coaches I know, is a relentless recruiter and has a basketball mind that I will rely on.” Acuff has not named his Lipscomb staff yet. Those plans will likely follow in the days after Wednesday’s...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 23, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Longtime Alabama-Huntsville coach Lennie Acuff has been named Lipscomb’s next basketball coach, the school announced in a release Tuesday afternoon. The news was initially reported by 247Sports basketball analyst Evan Daniels Tuesday morning, and News Channel 5’s Steve Layman later reported that a deal was in place. Acuff will be formally introduced to the Lipscomb community on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT in the Paul Rogers Board Room in the Ezell Center. “I am thrilled, very humbled and thankful for the opportunity,” Acuff said in the school’s release. “I understand the tradition that exists with Lipscomb basketball and I will do everything I can to continue to build upon that tradition.” Acuff has served as UAH’s head coach for the last 22 seasons, growing the Chargers into a national power on the Division II level. He owns a 437-214 record at UAH and an overall record of 554-325 in 29 total seasons as a head coach. Acuff was reportedly a candidate for the Lipscomb job in 2013 when then-Stetson coach Casey Alexander got the nod. Ironically, Acuff now replaces Alexander, who left for Belmont on April 10 after guiding Lipscomb to three consecutive 20-win seasons. “I have always wanted an opportunity to coach at the Division I level,” Acuff said. “I felt like if I were going to do it, it would need to be an institution I felt I was in alignment with from a faith-based and values situation, and Lipscomb had that. “The type of players at Lipscomb are the same type I recruit in Huntsville, high-character kids that they’ve developed. Coach (Casey) Alexander built a great culture...
