by Mckenzi Harris | Feb 18, 2020 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb University basketball player, Garrison Mathews returns to Allen Arena. Mathews came back to watch his former teammates face off against FGCU on Saturday. Mathews a former Bison, second all-time scorer in ASUN conference, and one of the first players to go to the NBA. His new home is in Washington D.C. where he plays for the Washington Wizards. Announcements were made to the public by social media that Mathews would be in attendance at Saturday’s game. Many fans poured into Allen Arena for the homecoming of Garrison Mathews. People of all ages wearing Washington Wizards jerseys in the room, repping #24 in honor of the Lipscomb graduate. Before the men’s game started, Star Wars t-shirts were passed out along with a Washington Wizards poster with Mathews on it. The line was wrapped around the building with many fans hoping to get one so they could get an autograph. Before tip-off, Lipscomb honored this former Bison by playing a welcome home video which highlighted some of his time at Lipscomb and now as a Wizards player. As soon as the video concluded Mathews was surrounded by children instantly – all of which who were excited and waiting to get an autograph from Mathews himself. Athletic Director Philip Hutchinson, had to quickly move those Junior Bisons into the stands as they were crowding the court. Matthews graciously gave an autograph to each person that came up to him. “It’s always nice coming home to see familiar faces,” said Mathews. “It’s a blessing I can’t thank everyone enough that’s gotten me to where I’m at.” Garrison Mathew’s is a shooting...
by Kathryn Farris | Oct 25, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider
Thursday morning marked the official opening of Lipscomb’s much anticipated George Shinn Center. The new building, which has so far hosted over 4500 people in “pre-opening” events, is called home by portions of the College of Entertainment & the Arts, a welcome center for Admissions and a state-of-the-art event hall. At the dedication ceremony, President Randy Lowry spoke about what he understood to be George Shinn’s motivations for the gift to the university. “George has a life and George has a story, and George wants to spend his life and his wealth helping people live into God’s story,” Lowry said. As for how the College of Entertainment of the Arts fits into that narrative, Lowry said, “There’s a particular college that tells stories all the time…they tell stories in animation, they tell stories in film, they tell stories in theatre and they tell stories over and over again through music and all of the arts. “So, we talked about that idea, we talked about investment in the lives of people who want to tell stories.” Investment is exactly what they made. According to a press release sent out by the university, the project cost $10-$11 million. The center will be offering additional facilities for the fastest-growing college at Lipscomb, with collaborative classrooms, studio space and cinematic editing and viewing studio. Berkley Boglin, a senior commercial music major, spoke at the dedication on behalf of students of the College of Entertainment of the Arts. “We would like to thank you [George Shinn] for the space you have given us to fuel our creativity,” Boglin said. “Whether we’re music students, film...
by Erika Plunkett | Oct 24, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
For the first time in the history of Lipscomb basketball, a former Bison played in a regular-season NBA game. Garrison Mathews took the court for the Washington Wizards in their season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. With just under a minute left in the 4th quarter, Wizards coach Scott Brooks brought rookies Mathews and former Virginia Tech standout Justin Robinson in to close out the game for Washington. Mathews signed a two-way contract with the Wizards earlier this summer, which allows him to play in the NBA for 45 days and with the Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Gos, for the remainder of the season. In his one minute of playing time, Mathews assisted fellow two-way player, Chris Chiozza, on a three, cutting the Mavericks winning margin to only eight, 108-100. However, Mathews was not the only player to make his NBA debut Wednesday night; across the court, fellow former Bison, Zach Flener, opened the season as a member of Dallas’s player development team. Prior to the game, Mathews and Flener were able to meet to wish each other luck as they both begin their new careers. Continue to follow the Washington Wizards as Garrison continues his NBA career and check back for updates on his career here at Lumination...
by Kathryn Farris | Jul 31, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb star and aspiring NBA player Garrison Mathews has made a return to the Lipscomb campus for his “Garrison Mathews Pro Skills Mini-Camp.” The camp takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Lipscomb Academy gymnasium. “A lot of professional players will come back to their hometown, and in a way give back and teach to help the younger generation,” said basketball trainer Colin Stevens, who is helping with the camp. “This is all about Garrison connecting with his people in Nashville and making his imprint now that he’s going on to D.C.” The Lipscomb grad’s NBA career kickstarted late June when he signed a two-way deal with the Washington Wizards. “It’s such a blessing…something I’m going to continue to work for and keep trying to stick,” said Mathews. Mathews represented the Wizards in the NBA summer league, where, he said: “There were some ups and downs, it’s a tough grind for sure. It was a long summer, but it was good to work out with guys who are obviously great players.” For Mathews, the “Pro Skills Mini-Camp” gives him the opportunity to return to the campus where he spent the past four years. “They [Lipscomb] did a lot for me on the court and helped me become the player I am today, but they’ve helped me off the court in so many ways that nobody knows. “I’ve grown so much as a person and not just a player, I can’t thank Lipscomb enough.” The camp welcomes players grades six-12 for the two-day event. “Hopefully they [participants] learn a little about basketball and a lot about themselves,” said Stevens. According to Stevens, this...
by Grant Ledgister | Jul 18, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The last couple of weeks have been big for former Bison Men’s Basketball standout Garrison Mathews. Not long after officially signing a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards, Mathews participated in the NBA Summer League with the team. He played in the final two of the team’s four games. Playing against the Los Angeles Clippers, Matthews was in the game for 19 minutes and scored seven points on 3-4 shooting from the field. His points included the first three of the game. In the Wizards’ final game against the Atlanta Hawks, Mathews had significantly more playing time, scoring 11 points (nine of which came from 3-pointers) in 30 minutes. Mathews will look to bring his ability to score from beyond to the arc to the next step in his journey to play for an NBA team during the regular season. He will be playing the majority of his minutes with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. Mathews will have some time off between now and when he has to report to the Wizards organization once again. The official date for the start of both NBA and G League training camps has not been announced yet, but they typically begin in late September and October, respectively. Per NBA regulations, Mathews could spend training camp on the Wizards roster if the organization so chooses. Otherwise, he will do it as a member of the Go-Go. After training camp, Mathews will then play in the G League regular season. The season begins in the fall, shortly after its training camps, and has its playoffs in the spring. At any point...
