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 Hunter Patterson | Apr 13, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
At the Don Meyer Evening of Excellence in 2010, Tim Tebow stood on a stage in the center of Allen Arena speaking to thousands listening intently to his every word. Last year, Mike Krzyzewski spoke to a similar crowd about his experiences as a coach on the national scale as well as the college spectrum. On Saturday, one of the nation’s premier college coaches will be on stage. Butler Coach Brad Stevens is highly touted as one of the best young coaches of the modern era. Two years ago, Stevens signed a deal that would keep him at Butler until the 2021-22 season. With his several awards and accolades in just a few short years, Butler had no choice but to offer Stevens a long-term offer. Stevens, only 35, has compiled a 139-40 record in five seasons, including back-to-back trips to the national championship game in 2010-11. And while his coaching skills have been sought after time and time again, he continues to turn down offers from larger universities. Since 2009, the former Division III point guard has won two Horizon Coach of the Year awards and the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award, given to the coach who “has made the most significant positive contributions to his sport” during the preceding year. Stevens told The City Paper he is thrilled to speak at the event, which is named for the legendary Coach Meyer. “He is just a guy that everybody that is in coaching idolizes and thinks the world of,” Stevens said. “He was the star among coaches long before the accident. Everybody in coaching knew of...
by Hunter Patterson | Apr 18, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
“What is a winner? Someone who wins everyone contest, but there is not anyone like that. A winner is someone that never lets a failure or a loss be his or her final destination.” Those were some of the encouraging and inspiring words spoken by Mike Krzyzewski at the Third Annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence held on Saturday night. Better known as Coach K, Krzyzewski has won four NCAA Championships as the head basketball coach at Duke. Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, Coach K boasts the most wins in NCAA Tournament history with 78. Saturday, though, he was not coaching the Blue Devils to victory in Cameron Indoor. He was instead being introduced by fellow Hall of Famer Don Meyer to speak in Allen Arena. University president Randy Lowry started off the evening welcoming the sold out crowd to Allen Arena. Lowry also highlighted the several accomplishments that Lipscomb’s athletic program had achieved over the calendar year. Following a short video, athletic director Philip Hutcheson took the stage and talked about the impact that Don Meyer left on him and the campus. On the stage next was former Lipscomb basketball coach Don Meyer. Coaching at Lipscomb from 1975-1999, Meyer led Lipscomb to victory 665 times. The Evening of Excellence is not only named after Meyer, but it embodies his character as well. Better known as Coach, he boiled the game of basketball down to the ‘little things.’ “Everyone makes notes, everyone says yes ma’am and no ma’am, and everyone picks up trash,” Meyer said. Unable to attend last year’s event because of scheduling conflicts,...
by Hunter Patterson | Feb 3, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Just announced on the George Plaster Show on 104.5 The Zone, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will be the next speaker at the third annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence. Krzyzewski is a four-time NCAA champion and has won a Gold medal during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Krzyzewski also won a gold medal for the U.S. in 2010 in the FIBA World Championships. Krzyzewski has posted a 888-281 record over his career, second behind his mentor, Bob Knight. He is known as a motivator, mentor and friend to all players that he has coached. On his official site, CoachK.com, one of the quotes listed reads: “When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you!” The event will take place on Saturday, April 16 at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena. Tim Tebow was the speaker at the event in 2010. Check out Lumination Network in the coming weeks for more info about the event and Coach K. Photo Credit:...
by Hunter Patterson | Feb 3, 2011 | News Slider
Don Meyer, Tim Tebow, Hank Aaron? Who will be the next speaker at the Don Meyer Evening of Excellence? Find out today by listening to the George Plaster show on 104.5 the Zone. This afternoon (Feb. 3) Lipscomb Athletics will announce who the speaker is for this year’s Don Meyer Evening of Excellence. The announcement will be made at approximately 4:40 p.m. CST as part of George Plaster’s Sports Zone show on 104.5 the Zone. You can listen live online at www.1045thezone.com. The 3rd Annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence will take place on Saturday, April 16 at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena. Tim Tebow was the speaker at the event in...
