by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lennie Acuff once wanted to play basketball for Lipscomb, but he admitted that he “wasn’t good enough” for Don Meyer’s legendary NAIA teams. Instead, the longtime Alabama-Huntsville skipper now gets his chance to coach the Bisons. Lipscomb officially introduced Acuff as its next head coach Wednesday, beginning a new era for a program that is coming off one of its most successful seasons – a year that ended one victory short of an NIT championship. But Acuff was familiar with the Bisons long before they joined the NCAA Division I ranks. He attended Lipscomb basketball summer camps as a kid, and he continued to learn from Meyer as an adult, even visiting his house on at least one occasion. “I think it’s important that everybody knows that I understand what Lipscomb basketball is about,” he said. “[Two] of the guys on my high school team played on the [1986] national championship team – Anthony Jones and Bob Ford. “I would’ve loved to have been a Bison. [Coach Meyer] was the best teacher the game has ever had. I cannot tell you how much he taught me, how much I learned from him and the level of respect I have for what he built here.” Acuff seems like a natural fit for the Bisons. He’s down to earth, family-oriented and speaks with a Southern drawl. He’s also bald, just like Meyer and Casey Alexander – arguably the two best coaches in Lipscomb’s history. But, perhaps most importantly, Acuff has the basketball resume to keep the Lipscomb program on an upward trajectory. His track record at UAH, which includes 437 wins,...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s basketball coach Greg Brown will not return next season, the school’s athletic department announced Friday afternoon. The news follows a disappointing season in which the Lady Bisons went 4-25 and lost 19 games in a row from mid-November to early February. The team missed the ASUN tournament for the first time since 2013. “I appreciate the effort, care for our student athletes, conscientiousness and work on behalf of our school that Greg, [and assistants] Hannah [Phillips], Aaron [Holland], Clay [Crothers] and Kelsey [Gregory] have given this year and during the rest of their time with us,” Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson said in a release. Brown compiled a 44-161 overall record in his seven seasons at Lipscomb. His best campaign came in 2017-18, when Lipscomb went 12-19 and beat USC Upstate in the ASUN Quarterfinals. Senior Loren Cagle led that team with 17.2 points and won ASUN Player of the Year honors. Brown is a 1993 Lipscomb graduate and began his coaching career as a student assistant under legendary Lipscomb men’s basketball coach Don Meyer. He eventually worked as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach under Pat Summit at Tennessee in the early 2000s. In 2012, Lipscomb hired him away from Central Florida, where he was the associate head coach. “Greg is as good [of] a person, husband, father, co-worker and friend as you are likely to find,” Hutcheson said. “All of his assistants are all quality and talented people too, and I appreciate everything about them as well.” Hutcheson will immediately begin the search for a new coach. Phillips will continue to work with the...
by Danielle Kinnen | Apr 26, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb University held its Don Meyer Evening of Excellence Saturday night to recognize the journey of coach Jim White, who is the subject of the Disney movie McFarland USA. The Don Meyer Evening of Excellence is named after the legendary former Lipscomb basketball coach who passed away in May of 2014 after a battle to cancer. Meyer coached at Hamline University for three years, Lipscomb for 24 years and Northern State for 11 years and finished with a career record of 923-324 in 38 seasons. Over the last six years, Lipscomb has had speakers that include Coach Meyer, former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, Phil, Si and Kay Robertson from Duck Dynasty and “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. The evening in Allen Arena was filled with Lipscomb donors, athletes and family of the soon-to-be graduated seniors. White coached McFarland High School to nine cross country state championships in 14 years. Most of White’s runners were the children of immigrant field workers, as McFarland is one of the poorest cities in California. White shared some advice of his well-rounded programs with Lipscomb’s athletes. “No one can tell you that you won’t achieve something, because I just turned around and did it anyway,” White said. “You must continue to do right the things that you know how, and be patient. It’s a process — it cannot be built over night. “You have to have that drive in all aspects of life and especially for the student athletes who continue to work hard on and off the field.” Lipscomb alum Keith Hayes was impressed by the work put...
by Erin Turner | Jan 24, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Ernie Banks, known as “Mr. Cub,” died Friday night at 83. The Baseball Hall of Famer spent his 19-year MLB career with the Chicago Cubs, hitting 512 home runs. The legendary baseball player shared some of his wisdom with Lipscomb during the sixth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence. Here is former Lumination Editor-in-Chief Cory Woodroof’s story about Banks’ message last April. Baseball great Ernie Banks advocates learning, friendship at Don Meyer Evening of Excellence Just because someone is king of his craft doesn’t mean he’ll ever stop learning, and for one of sports’ most respected and successful individuals, learning is something that never ceases. At the sixth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence, Baseball Hall of Famer and legendary Chicago Cub Ernie Banks taught all in attendance at Allen Arena the values of the learning process. “I’m just a learning person,” Banks said. As a part of the event, attendees got the chance to learn a little bit about Banks’ past, hear about his interactions with some of baseball’s great players and take to heart some of the wisdom he shared in a conversation with Jonathan Seamon. Banks, 83, is one of baseball’s most admired individuals. An icon in Wrigley Field on Chicago’s north side, the man beloved as “Mr. Cub” has amassed a large number of honors. Not only is he a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. His Cubs’ jersey number was retired and there’s a statue in his honor at Wrigley Field. He’s also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – an award given him by President Barack Obama, another well-known Chicagoan, in 2013. Banks shared ballfields...
by Erin Turner | Jan 1, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Happy New Year, Lumination readers! Now that the new year’s resolutions have been made and the first day of 2015 is here, we want to take a hop back in time to look at some of Lipscomb’s biggest moments of 2014. Before we get to the top 10 stories, we want to take a moment to honor those we lost in 2014. Alumni Andrew Nash, Anastasia Sloan, Meghan Day and Jacob Akers, and associate professor of pharmacy practice Kim Barker and longtime faculty member Earl Dennis all passed away. As we begin a new year, we would like to keep those listed and their families in our thoughts and prayers. Quite a few stories made it close to the top 10. They include a few annual events, special guests and people in new positions of leadership. In December, Amy Grant hosted the tenth annual Lighting of the Green in Allen Arena. This year, a scholarship was created in Grant’s honor. During the spring, the fifth annual Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes concert brought country music stars and fundraising to Allen Arena once again. Also in 2014, the Dove Awards returned to Lipscomb for its 46th ceremony. In November, the Lipscomb community came together at one of Nashville’s premier venues: The Ryman. Nashville’s Charles Esten joined the program “Lipscomb: On a New Stage,” and even performed a few tunes, too. Also in 2014, Lipscomb welcomed Darrin Bellows as the new director of security and safety and Josh Roberts as the new dean of student development. In April, Drew Watson was elected as the new SGA president. 10. Dana Carpenter wins national award In October, Dana Carpenter took home...
