Lipscomb men’s basketball walk-on Zach Flener will not return next season.
The guard is set to graduate this summer after packing his strategic communication degree into just two years at Lipscomb. He doesn’t plan to use his final two years of eligibility at another university.
“I’ve got a few classes left to take this summer, probably about 12 hours,” Flener said. “It’ll be a full summer.”
Flener appeared in 14 games and scored 11 points this season. His season and career high came when he scored nine points in a 119-48 beatdown of Covenant last December.
He arrived at Lipscomb in 2017 after taking about 30 college credit hours while attending Murray High School in Kentucky. He averaged 13.3 points per game as a senior with the Tigers.
“I came in with a bunch of hours from [Murray State],” Flener said. “And I had a bunch of AP hours. Since then, I’ve been taking like 18 credits a semester and then 12 in the summers.
“I’m taking 19 hours this semester. It’s rough.”
The 5-foot-10, 169-pounder was a fan and team favorite, often keeping the mood light at practices and during pregame warmups.
“I just love being around [the team],” he said. “I’ve met some of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve kind of figured out that my role is to keep everyone loose and have as much fun as I can.”
Flener’s departure frees up roster space for Lipscomb’s incoming recruiting class, which includes a handful of high school players and former Valparaiso forward Parker Hazen.
Flener hopes to eventually work in an NBA front office handling communication or public relations duties.
He also jokingly made his name available for the 2019 NBA Draft while visiting with the Walk-on Diaries podcast, just in case a team wants to take a chance on an underdog.
“I’ve declared, I just don’t know if I’ll hire an agent or not,” he said with a laugh.
Photos by McKenzi Harris