by Kathryn Farris | Jul 31, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb star and aspiring NBA player Garrison Mathews has made a return to the Lipscomb campus for his “Garrison Mathews Pro Skills Mini-Camp.” The camp takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Lipscomb Academy gymnasium. “A lot of professional players will come back to their hometown, and in a way give back and teach to help the younger generation,” said basketball trainer Colin Stevens, who is helping with the camp. “This is all about Garrison connecting with his people in Nashville and making his imprint now that he’s going on to D.C.” The Lipscomb grad’s NBA career kickstarted late June when he signed a two-way deal with the Washington Wizards. “It’s such a blessing…something I’m going to continue to work for and keep trying to stick,” said Mathews. Mathews represented the Wizards in the NBA summer league, where, he said: “There were some ups and downs, it’s a tough grind for sure. It was a long summer, but it was good to work out with guys who are obviously great players.” For Mathews, the “Pro Skills Mini-Camp” gives him the opportunity to return to the campus where he spent the past four years. “They [Lipscomb] did a lot for me on the court and helped me become the player I am today, but they’ve helped me off the court in so many ways that nobody knows. “I’ve grown so much as a person and not just a player, I can’t thank Lipscomb enough.” The camp welcomes players grades six-12 for the two-day event. “Hopefully they [participants] learn a little about basketball and a lot about themselves,” said Stevens. According to Stevens, this...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 23, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
A rule-change by the NCAA has forced Lipscomb to move the three-point lines around the goals at Allen Arena back to the international distance, forcing cosmetic changes to the striping on the floor. The international distance is 22 feet, 1-3/4 inches, quite a bit farther than the old NCAA distance of 20-feet, nine inches from the basket. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel “also approved resetting the shot clock at 20 seconds after a field goal attempt hits the rim and the offensive team rebounds the ball in the front-court,” according to the NCAA. This new shot-clock rule, as well as an international distance three-point line, were experimental rules in the 2019 NIT, in which Lipscomb’s men made it to the championship game. The NCAA decided a full 30-second shot clock is not needed, since the offensive team has already secured the rebound and is in the front-court. The new three-point striping will mean necessary change to the relatively new Lipscomb court. The court in Allen Arena had to be redone after Liberty University in 2013 claimed sole use of the “LU” logo, eventually forcing Lipscomb to replace the initials on the court with the university’s name. Currently, the only visible change being made to the court is the moving back of the three-point line. Photos by Co-Managing Editor, Erika...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jul 20, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion
Ah, summer school — A place where (according to the movies) delinquent students who flunk a class during the school year have to spend their summer instead of enjoying vacations. Summer school is a punishment for many a high-schooler, a tool to keep students motivated to do their work or be forced to redo it during their precious break. Summer school in college is rarely talked about in the movies, however: Is summer school still for the unmotivated college students? Is it a punishment for not taking school seriously? It is neither of those. In fact, in my experience, it is the exact opposite. Students who take summer classes during Lipscomb’s summer semester are the most motivated. They want to graduate on time, or graduate early, or in my case graduate with extra degrees that may or may not help with graduate school admissions. Other than the winter semester (known as Wintermester at Lipscomb) Summer Semester is the shortest of the school semesters. In fact, it is broken up into three different semesters that are each five weeks long: Maymester, Junemester, and Julymester (catchy names, I know). Some classes last 10 weeks, throughout two of the semesters. These are called “full-term” summer semester classes, but they are just June and July. This means you can get three credit hours knocked out in five weeks or 10-weeks! Sure, the classes are fast-paced and you typically have to be there every day or for four hours on one day, but most professors I’ve had are efficient teachers and don’t ever hold you the entire length of the class. I’ve also learned...
by Grant Ledgister | Jul 18, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The last couple of weeks have been big for former Bison Men’s Basketball standout Garrison Mathews. Not long after officially signing a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards, Mathews participated in the NBA Summer League with the team. He played in the final two of the team’s four games. Playing against the Los Angeles Clippers, Matthews was in the game for 19 minutes and scored seven points on 3-4 shooting from the field. His points included the first three of the game. In the Wizards’ final game against the Atlanta Hawks, Mathews had significantly more playing time, scoring 11 points (nine of which came from 3-pointers) in 30 minutes. Mathews will look to bring his ability to score from beyond to the arc to the next step in his journey to play for an NBA team during the regular season. He will be playing the majority of his minutes with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. Mathews will have some time off between now and when he has to report to the Wizards organization once again. The official date for the start of both NBA and G League training camps has not been announced yet, but they typically begin in late September and October, respectively. Per NBA regulations, Mathews could spend training camp on the Wizards roster if the organization so chooses. Otherwise, he will do it as a member of the Go-Go. After training camp, Mathews will then play in the G League regular season. The season begins in the fall, shortly after its training camps, and has its playoffs in the spring. At any point...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb alum Garrison Mathews successfully found the three-point line during his first NBA Summer League game as a member of the Washington Wizards. His team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 90-72, but it was a successful outing for the former Lipscomb star who led the Bisons to the NIT championship game last winter. He also contributed to his team in their July 11 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, and he now has a total of 18 NBA points. His first game on July 9, though, set the stage for his career; and he had a hot start in the losing effort against the Clippers in the game played in the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and broadcast on ESPN3. The former Bison scored the first three of the game for the Wizards and hit three out of his four shots from the field, for a total of seven points in 19 minutes played. Mathews went into this game with something to prove in his bid to make it in the NBA, and he did just that. He continued his campaign for a professional career July 11, when he scored 11 points for the Wizards in their 76-74 squeaker past the Atlanta Hawks. Here is a tweet from the Washington Wizards page of Mathews. (Mathews is wearing number 24). .@gmathews_24 starting ?. #WizSummer | #DCFamily pic.twitter.com/iStHbhjH16 — Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 10, 2019 Photo courtesy of the...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jul 10, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
For the next 10 months, Senior English and philosophy major Jack Webber will be leading Lipscomb’s Student Government Association. He sat down with Lumination Network to discuss what he wants to do differently as president, what improvements he wants to make and how to get involved with SGA. “My interest in Lipscomb and what I’ve always been involved in, and had the most interest in, is student activities and student involvement,” said Webber. He said he wants to make sure there are always activities in which every student — even commuters — can participate. “The reason I love Lipscomb is because I love Lipscomb students. The friends that I’ve made here are so important to me and have taught me so many things; and, as much as I’m able to, I just want to give back to them,” said Webber, explaining what motivates him to serve as president. Webber also conceded that the job means giving up social time, like his predecessor, Sierra Sparks and other presidents in the past, did. Webber discussed new opportunities and roles that SGA could play in the coming semester. Lipscomb’s new Vice President Al Sturgeon reorganized how Student Life will be handled, and Webber said he believes this creates new paths for SGA to explore. Webber said he plans to be involved with administration and with Student Life to help create a better experience for students. “There is an opportunity for making our current practices better, or introducing new ones. For me working with the administration and working with the new people in Student Life is as much a question of what can SGA do and what can SGA be involved in and maybe step into new...
