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 15, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Lipscomb men’s basketball team. After losing coach Casey Alexander to Belmont last week, junior guard Kenny Cooper announced that he’s putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal. “I have decided through a lot of thought and prayer that I will be putting my name on the transfer list and [will explore] other institutions,” he said in a tweet Monday. “Everyone [is] entitled to their own opinion, but this is what I feel is best for me.” Cooper averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He has been the team’s starting point guard for the last two seasons after contributing 6.9 points per game as a freshman in 2016-17. “I want to thank Coach Alexander, Coach Idstrom, Coach Drabyn and Coach Rutigliano for believing in me and allowing me to play at Lipscomb University,” Cooper said. “You all trusting in my abilities is something that I will be forever grateful for.” The Franklin Road Academy graduate saved some of his best performances for the end of the season. He recorded a rare triple-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) against Kennesaw State in the ASUN quarterfinals and later hit the game-winning shot in a 94-93 victory over NC State in the NIT quarterfinals. Cooper has one season of eligibility remaining, and he told 247Sports analyst Evan Daniels that he plans to appeal to the NCAA for a hardship waiver to be eligible immediately. If Cooper isn’t granted a waiver, he would have to sit out next season if he stays on the Division I level....
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Wednesday morning brought news that Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander is heading to Belmont to take the reins at his alma mater. Lipscomb is now tasked with a national coaching search to replace him. Associate Head Coach Roger Idstrom will serve as the interim in the meantime. Two of the top names being tossed around include Brian Ayers, a former Lipscomb player and current Belmont assistant, and Drew Maddux, an ex-Vanderbilt star and current head coach at CPA. Athletic director Philip Hutcheson could look to others with Lipscomb connections or someone with college head coaching experience. Here are Lumination’s five potential candidates to replace Alexander (listed alphabetically): Lennie Acuff, University of Alabama-Huntsville head coach Acuff’s resume speaks for itself, as he has turned UAH into a national power in the D-II ranks. He has a 437-214 record with the Chargers and a 554-325 overall record in 29 seasons as a head coach. His track record of success might interest Lipscomb. According to public records, Acuff earned about $180,000 at UAH for the 2017-18 school year. A D-I opportunity in Nashville would give him a salary bump and a chance to stay close to his hometown of Huntsville. Brian Ayers, Belmont associate head coach As a Lipscomb alum with plenty of college coaching experience, Ayers figures to a natural choice. Stadium basketball analyst Jeff Goodman tweeted that Ayers could be high on Lipscomb’s list Wednesday morning. Ayers graduated from Lipscomb in 1993 and was an assistant at Lipscomb Academy for the 1994-95 season. He was later on the staffs at Austin Peay and Vanderbilt before joining the Bruins as an assistant in 1998....
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 10, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander is changing addresses on Belmont Boulevard. In an email sent to students Wednesday morning, Lipscomb president Dr. Randy Lowry III announced that Alexander will accept the open Belmont coaching job. Alexander will be formally introduced as the Bruins’ head coach Thursday at 9 a.m. CT in a welcome event at Curb Event Center. Lipscomb associate head coach Roger Idstrom will serve as the interim while Lipscomb conducts a national search for its next coach. Alexander previously spent 20 seasons at Belmont, including four as a player and 16 as an assistant under the legendary Rick Byrd. Alexander has spent the last eight seasons as a head coach, including the last six at Lipscomb. “It’s an honor and a great privilege to have the opportunity to return to Belmont,” Alexander said in a Belmont release. “I’m grateful that Dr. [Bob] Fisher and Scott Corley believe I’m the right person to lead this incredibly successful program. The experiences gained over the last eight years have shaped and impacted me greatly, and I return to Belmont far better positioned to lead.” Byrd spent 33 years as Belmont’s head coach. He won 805 career games, which ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches. Alexander said he is excited to follow the legacy his mentor left with the Bruins. “This will always be Coach Byrd’s program in my mind,” Alexander continued. “So nothing will motivate me more than to make him proud and honor his legacy. We have a history of sustained excellence at Belmont, and everything is in place to build upon recent successes and make new history. We’re...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 6, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Coach Casey Alexander and his Lipscomb team capped their season with an 81-66 loss to Texas in Thursday’s NIT championship game in New York. Naturally, the questions about Alexander’s future have already begun. He’s an obvious candidate for the open Belmont job after spending 20 total seasons with the Bruins – four as a player and 16 as a coach. But Alexander has been noncommittal in his public statements about the coaching vacancy so far. “Obviously there’s a lot of people talking about that,” he said at Lipscomb’s welcome home ceremony Friday afternoon. “I’m glad I’m the Lipscomb coach. We’ll deal with that when it happens, if it happens.” Alexander’s mentor and longtime Belmont head coach Rick Byrd announced his retirement Monday morning after 33 years on the Bruin sidelines. Alexander has routinely credited Byrd for impacting his life both on and off the court. “Belmont is important to me,” Alexander told 104.5 The Zone’s 3HL show Wednesday. “I spent 20 years there, I graduated from there, my wife graduated from there. I’ve got a history of 20 teams of players that were important to me. Hardly anybody’s more important to me than Coach Byrd is.” Before entering the coaching ranks, Alexander was a star player in his own right. He was a three-sport standout at Brentwood Academy and won two state championships. He later starred for Belmont’s basketball team (1992-95) and is among the school’s all-time leaders in assists and steals. Alexander was inducted into the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. Two of Alexander’s current staff members – associate head coach Roger Idstrom and assistant coach...
