by Grant Ledgister | Jun 21, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Even though he didn’t hear his name called during the draft, the reigning ASUN Player of the Year is still headed to an NBA team. Garrison Mathews signed a two-way deal with the Washington Wizards. This means that, although he takes up one of the 17 roster spots for Washington, Mathews will spend the majority of his time with the Wizard’s G League affiliate (the NBA’s minor league, previously called the D League) this season. He will only be allowed to spend 45 days per season with the Wizards “big league” franchise itself throughout the duration of the contract. The Wizards were one of the four teams Mathews worked out for prior to the NBA Draft June 20. If Mathews does well enough in the G League to make it onto the primary Wizards squad, he would become the first Bison to play in an NBA game. Washington’s G League team is called the Capital City Go-Go. When at home, they play at St. Elizabeth’s East Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. The next step for Mathews is the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which takes place from July 5-15 and will be his first chance to go against competition at the NBA level. If he is still on the roster after the Summer League, Mathews will play in the G League regular season that is 50-games long and begins in the fall. Official schedules for when the league begins have not yet been released. This move comes after Mathews’ record-breaking career at Lipscomb. He is the school’s all-time leading scorer (with 2,478 total points) and three-pointers...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
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...
by Logan Butts | Jun 5, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
After one of the greatest playoffs in recent memory, the NBA Finals are finally here. This year’s matchup is one almost every basketball fan wanted: a rematch of last year’s outstanding Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won last year’s series in seven games, thanks to one of the greatest shots in NBA history (taken by Ray Allen, the greatest 3-point shooter of all time no less) in the waning moments of the now-legendary Game Six. That game also featured a superhuman performance from 4-time league MVP LeBron James and an unheralded collapse from the ever-steady, machine-like Spurs. The series had everything: last second shots, thunderous dunks, role players stepping up and future Hall-of-Famers playing brilliantly. Former Miami Heat player Mike Miller, now a Grizzly, even drained a shot while wearing one shoe. This year’s series provides the veteran Spurs a chance at revenge. They were as close as you can get to winning an NBA championship last year without actually winning it. It could be the last hurrah for the quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich, but people have been saying that about them for almost a decade now. For the Heat, they have a chance to join the elite of the elite when it comes to great NBA teams. Only Bill Russell’s Celtics, Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics had made four straight Finals appearances before the Heat joined them this year. Only Russell’s Celtics, Michael Jordan’s Bulls and the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers have ever won three championships in a row. A win...
by Logan Butts | Oct 26, 2012 | Opinion, Sports
For the decade after Michael Jordan’s last game in a Bulls jersey, the NBA went through constantly declining ratings, a lack of stars, boring playoff games, a referee fixing scandal and a number of other problems. However, the last few years have seen a return to form for the NBA. Some experts are even claiming that the NBA is now on par with the golden age of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s (or at least getting close). This season looks to be a continuation of that trend with more interesting storylines, competitive teams and talented players than the league has seen since that golden era. Eastern Conference 1. Miami Heat: Who else? After LeBron James finally played to his full potential and figured out how to effectively balance the main scorer and facilitator roles, the results were devastating. They added sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the offense in the off-season to bolster their star-studded roster. Also, a healthy Dwyane Wade will be key. 2. Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not getting any younger, but luckily for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo went into full superstar mode during last year’s conference finals against the Heat. The Celtics will need more of that if they want to get past the Heat this year. 3. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are just about as deep as anyone in the league, but the NBA is a league of stars, and who is going to take that role on this team? Danny Granger? Roy Hibbert? Somebody has to. 4. New York Knicks: They have possibly the best pure scorer in Carmelo Anthony...
by Hunter Patterson | May 10, 2010 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE – Adnan Hodzic withdrew from the National Basketball Association draft late Thursday and will return to Lipscomb University this fall for his senior season. “By declaring for this year’s draft, I was able to learn more about the draft process while getting my name in front of scouts and team management,” Hodzic said. “I’m thankful for the support of the Lipscomb family and I look forward to working hard with my teammates to accomplish great things next year.” Hodzic, a 6-foot-8 forward from Sarajevo, Bosnia, entered the draft on April 8. By not hiring an agent, Hodzic retains his eligibility as the Bisons seek back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference regular season titles along with the program’s first bid to the NCAA tournament. “I am excited that Adnan is returning to Lipscomb for his senior season,” Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson said. “He’s a tireless worker and provides a strong presence for the team both on and off the court. I think he gained valuable experience through the process and I am pleased that he chose to finish his education.” Hodzic, the nation’s second leading scorer last year and the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year, with be joined on the floor next year by three other seniors – Josh Slater, Brandon Brown, and Michael Teller. Slater was a first team All-Conference selection last year. Hodzic is on pace to graduate next May with a degree in Marketing. He joined 86 other Lipscomb fall sport athletes in being named to the A-Sun All-Academic team for achieving a GPA of 3.0 in the semester of competition. This story was taken...
