by Hunter Patterson | Apr 14, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
“Goals are important. Having a vision is important. Commitment to the process is more important,” Butler men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens told the crowd at the fourth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence on April 14. And Stevens knows the significance behind not just winning, but figuring out what it takes to win. Character, Commitment to Details, Performance and Results – those are the levels of Stevens’ pyramid he has used each of the five years of his head coaching career at Butler to help his players remember to keep their priorities straight. In those five years, he’s managed to get his team two Final Four appearances. “You have to simplify things, but have to do a lot of work to before you can simplify things,” the two-time Horizon Coach of the Year said. With guidance from two notable coaches, Thad Matta and Todd Licklighter, Stevens learned he had to “think like a head coach every day,” and to “just be yourself.” On the bottom level of the pyramid, Stevens listed character as the most important attribute. “You can be humble, but you need to balance that with courage,” Stevens said. He said there have been seasons where the team has lost players to the NBA draft or graduation, and the younger players were not ready to “take the reins.” While the players may not have been physically or mentally prepared, near the season’s end, Stevens said the same players were playing with a courage that allowed them to “not care about anything and give everything.” The second level is preparation and attention to detail. “In basketball, we look at...
by Emily Snell | Feb 3, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team will hang three banners in Allen Arena tonight in a ceremony during the Battle of the Boulevard event, the university’s biggest athletic rivalry game. The team’s success will be recognized when the Atlantic Sun regular and post-season banners and 2011 NCAA tournament banner are presented. Brandon Rosenthal, the team’s head coach, said he thinks the banners work as a source of motivation for the team. “I think for the girls to see the banners, to see them dropped tonight is definitely a little bit of motivation,” he said, adding that it helps the girls think of “not just your team but all of the people that came before you that helped you get to that spot.” The volleyball team has appeared in the NCAA tournament four of the last five years, and Rosenthal said it’s nice to see the girls being rewarded for their hard work. The three new banners will finish filling one side of Allen Arena, and any new banners will have to be hung on a second wall. “When we initially put them up, I was joking and said, ‘we need to leave room; we plan to win a lot more,’” Rosenthal said. “And here we are. I think there’s no doubt, our girls come in to every season and the expectations are already set.” Rosenthal said Lipscomb is focused on building a successful program, not just a winning team. “With a team, when you lose girls, or when you graduate girls, you have to rebuild,” he said. “With a program, it’s just that expectation coming in. The great part about it...
by Hunter Patterson | Dec 5, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Legendary coach Don Meyer now has his name on the court inside Allen Arena. With a coaching record of 655-179 in 24 years of coaching the Bisons, Meyer is undoubtedly the biggest name in Lipscomb sports history. It’s only fitting that his name be on the court in Allen. Though Meyer never coached a game inside the arena, the court will forever carry his name. “For all he has done on the court and all he has done with the records and accomplishments, this is what it is all about,” said Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson. “For the first time, and for everyone here, the court is officially yours.” Meyer, who is hardly ever overwhelmed, was very gracious about the court’s naming in his honor. “I want to thank God for letting me have enough time to see all thee guys for another time,” Meyer said, speaking to the nearly 70 former players that attended the ceremony. “That means a whole lot more than anything else.” Meyer’s family also joined him on the court, which was also fitting because one of Meyer’s biggest points during his career was to love those around you – especially family. “I have been very lucky to have had the family I have had,” Meyer said. “They made a lot of sacrifices to be a coach’s family.” Meyer was humbled by the day, and it self-admittedly made him tired. However, Meyer was still colorful as ever. “McQuiddy was the kind of gym that if you had 11 people in it was loud as the Boston Garden,” Meyer said. “McQuiddy was special.” Meyer has retired...
by Hunter Patterson | Dec 4, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
The Atlantic Sun Conference and ESPN have teamed up to deliver exclusive content on its signature multi-screen sports network ESPN3. A total of 20 live league basketball games will be distributed in 2011-12. The addition of games on ESPN3 extends ESPN’s current five-year deal with the Atlantic Sun, which continues through the 2013-14 season. ESPN3 will exclusively carry three Lipscomb basketball games this season, all originating from Allen Arena. The first broadcast will be the women’s game against cross-town rival Belmont on Feb. 4. The Bisons’ final two home games against USC Upstate (Feb. 18) and ETSU (Feb. 20) will also be broadcast. Each game is set to tip at 6:30 p.m. “We are very excited about our expanded agreement with ESPN and the broad media exposure we’ll be providing for our institutions and our outstanding student-athletes,” said Commissioner Ted Gumbart. “This is a very big step for the A-Sun and we look forward to continued growth in our media package with ESPN moving forward.” ESPN3 will be the home of the conference’s women’s basketball package, which highlights each A-Sun institution through five regular season games and all of the 2012 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championship quarterfinal contests. A seven-game regular season men’s package, in addition to men’s quarterfinal action, will also be part of the exclusive agreement. The men’s basketball tournament championship game will air live on either ESPN or ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. on March 3. “ESPN3’s exclusive agreement with the Atlantic Sun Conference adds to our growing slate of programming and positions the network as a leading destination and key distribution outlet for college...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 4, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
It was officially announced today that the court inside Allen Arena would be named after legendary coach Don Meyer. Coach Meyer, a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and ESPY award winner, coached at Lipscomb from 1975-1999. He is also the winningest men’s coach in NCAA basketball history. Please upgrade your browser Since his retirment from the game in 2010, Coach Meyer has been traveling doing coaching clinics, seminars and promoting his book, “How Lucky You Can Be,” written with ESPN analyst Buster Olney. The court will be named on Saturday Dec. 3 when the Bisons play host to Kennesaw State. We’ll have more on this developing story,...
