The past couple of seasons in Lipscomb basketball can be summed up in one word: change.
In the past two years, the university has seen two coaching changes in two of its biggest sports programs.
In 2012, former Lady Bisons basketball coach Frank Bennett transitioned into a role as an associate athletic director for the school, and former University of Central Florida assistant Greg Brown took on the role as head coach for the team.
In April, longtime Bisons basketball coach Scott Sanderson resigned, and, in May, former Belmont assistant and Stetson coach Casey Alexander returned to Nashville to become the next coach of the Bisons.
Alexander may be new to don the purple and gold, but he’s no stranger to town, having been a standout player and coach for the Bruins during his time with Rick Byrd’s legendary program (the two will meet again in tonight’s first installment of this year’s Battle of the Boulevard series).
After leaving Belmont, he spent two seasons as the head coach for the Stetson Hatters before making the move to the other side of the boulevard as Lipscomb’s new coach.
After spending the summer and fall semester getting acquainted with the team, Alexander is getting ready to begin his era of Bisons basketball.
Alexander says that the transition into his new role at Lipscomb, on both a personal and professional level, was as smooth as it could be.
“It’s been very easy,” Alexander said. “It’s a place that I was so familiar with and knew a lot about, and knew that it was the kind of place that I wanted to be, and, the fact that Nashville’s home for me, it made the transition really, really smooth.”
Part of the transitioning process involves gelling with your new team.
Alexander said he was already familiar with a few of Lipscomb’s players, having coached against them while at Stetson. He says that there’s definitely a divide between knowing a player from the scouting report and from knowing them personally as their actual coach.
“I was definitely familiar, but that’s more just strictly on an ability level,” Alexander said. “We scout games, we prepare to play, and so I’m very familiar with who they are and what they’re greatest strengths and weaknesses are, maybe, but there’s so much more to learn about coaching a team and coaching a player.
“You don’t know personalities, you don’t know what kind of leader they are, you don’t know what kind of student they are, you don’t know the kind of teammate they are, and those are the things that kind of come out over time, and really, frankly, that we’re still learning.
“We’ve come a long way, but it’ll be a process for us to totally understand the ins and outs of each player.”
Alexander explained that the meshing process between a new coach and a team can be one that takes time, but that the process has hit a groove.
“I think the most relevant point of conversation is just the fact that everything is new,” Alexander said. “There are a lot of universal parts to basketball, but, even then, our terminology is different, you know, the speed is different, the style is different, and so, even the most simple things you have to relearn, and that’s a process, and that’s always the case when there’s a coaching change.
“It doesn’t matter what the previous style was or what yours is. It’s going to take some time before everybody’s comfortable with what’s going on, and so we’re still in that process. Naturally, we’re a lot farther along than we were, but that’s why you frequently hear it’s going to take two to three years, or it’s going to take whatever, to make the program your own. That’s what people mean by that.”
Another change the Bisons are facing is the lack of a few familiar faces on the court. Starting guard Deonte Alexander graduated in May after having a strong year for the Bisons, and towering power forward Stephen Hurt will join the Kansas State Wildcats later this season after spending time with a junior college. The Bisons also bid farewell to a few notable contributors from the bench.
Losing so many faces will require some on the team to step up into leadership roles. Alexander mentioned junior twins Martin and Malcolm Smith and senior Khion Sankey as a few Bisons who are stepping into those shoes, whether it’s by on-and-off court example or by vocal support.
“Those three guys bring us a lot of experience and understanding of how to play, and so we’ll rely pretty heavily on them.” Alexander said.
Alexander mentioned that, through a year of experience, lots of other folks on the team will be more prepared to succeed, which is another step in the transitioning phase.
“Every team takes on a new identity, and ours will evolve over time, and our job as coaches is to figure that out as quickly as we can,” Alexander said.
The coaches that he speaks of are Roger Idstrom, Dwight Evans and Steve Drabyn, Alexander’s former assistants at Stetson who joined him at Lipscomb soon after he was hired. Adam Jones also followed Alexander from Florida to Lipscomb to become the director of operations for the team.
“That’s one thing that I’ve been really pleased with and excited about having those guys here,” Alexander said.
Another important aspect of a coach’s life is the community in which he coaches. Alexander speaks glowingly of his time spent at Lipscomb so far, saying that its welcoming atmosphere was a major attraction to taking the job in the first place.
“Being in the Lipscomb community is one of the main reasons I took the job because I know what it’s about,” Alexander said. “I love the fact that it is a community, that it’s unique, that we have a pretty distinctive Christian mission these days in higher education, and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted my family to be a part of that. And, so, I should just say that it hasn’t disappointed me at all.
“The welcome has been tremendous, and I’ve loved coming to work every day, and not many people can say that about what they do for a living.”
Plenty of road trips, Belmont reunion on horizon for Alexander and his new squad
The Bisons will get used to packing their suitcases during the non-conference schedule, who, after back-to-back home games versus rival Belmont and Oakland City, will take Lipscomb on the road until early December.
Foes such as Vanderbilt, Georgia and Georgetown all await the Bisons over the next few weeks. To Alexander, the team needs to prepare accordingly for every game – home or away.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Alexander said. “Everybody knows that it’s more difficult to win on the road than it is at home, and we happen to be playing a lot of road games against some really quality opponents, and so we are preparing ourselves for that challenge.
“I think, really, all we can really worry about is ‘Are we prepared to play? Are we giving ourselves the best chance to win?’ And then you kind of let the results take care of themselves.”
Tonight’s Battle of the Boulevard match has been highly anticipated ever since Alexander’s hiring. While the new coach estimates that the rivalry will remain at the same fever pitch, even with him in Lipscomb gear, a bigger goal will be to be successful once conference play arrives.
“I honestly don’t think it will change much either way,” Alexander said. “I think both schools have passionate fans, and the rivalry’s been great because of that, and I would expect that to continue. There’s a new element to it – the fact that I’m here now – but that won’t last, and quickly, it’ll get back to just being Lipscomb for Lipscomb and Belmont for Belmont, and both trying to win the games.
“I think, on a competitive level, there’s too much separation between our two programs right now. We’ve got a lot of ‘catch-up’ to do, and, truthfully, I’m a lot more concerned about catching and moving past a lot of other teams at our level before we get to [Belmont].
“We finished eighth in our league last year, so we’ve got teams in our league to worry about, and you can’t get to number one without being better than the rest of them.”
Alexander’s and the Bisons’ fight to the top begins tonight at 6 p.m. against Belmont in Allen Arena.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics