The Lipscomb men’s basketball team is waiting to hear who its dance partner will be and where the dance floor is going to be located, but one thing is certain.
No matter what happens next week, the players and members of the staff for the Bisons will be forever connected by what has been accomplished this season.
“There is the affirmation for a job well done,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “When you do it right you create memories, friendships and bonds that literally can’t be broken.”
The common theme is this: it’s not only a great accomplishment for the team and the athletic program, but also a strong and bright reflection on the university, the faculty and staff and the student body.
“It was great to be able to celebrate it with the fans here,” ASUN Tournament MVP Garrison Mathews said. “They have supported us all year long. As Coach says, it is not just about us it is about our fans too.”
Eli Pepper knows how much it means to be the first team to go, but he doesn’t think the true enormity of the accomplishment has sunk in with everyone on the team.
“It means a ton that we are the first men’s basketball team from Lipscomb to go to the tournament,” Pepper said. “A lot of people will go to tournaments, but you can’t take it away from us that we are the first team to do it.
“It will be awesome to tell our friends we meet along the way, and to tell our kids one day, we were the first team ever. You can’t beat that. But it hasn’t set in yet that we are the first team.”
EMOTIONAL RESCUE
There hasn’t been a lot of time for reflection by the players and coaches on what it means to be part of the first Lipscomb men’s basketball team to win the ASUN Tournament Championship and the programs first berth in the NCAA Tournament.
But when they do have some time to think about it, the journey is the focal point for them.
“It is about the moments and the memories you share with each other,” Mathews said. “It is about all of the workouts and the blood, sweat and tears we have shed together.
“It is great to be able to share this with a group of guys you love being around. We all feel the same about each other.”
For Pepper the focus is on those who toiled on the team before this season such as J.J. Butler.
“Coach Alexander sent out a tweet after the game thanking all of the former players and coaches,” Pepper said. “That really hit home with me.”
Pepper credits everyone on the roster with helping him with his growth as a player.
“When I think about the foundation I think of the players who were here when I first came into the program,” Pepper said. “When Coach calls us the foundation and I look at the guys on the team younger than me I realize they can do things we are never going to be able to do.
“I can’t thank those guys enough. They taught me more than a lot of people could about the game of basketball, about how to be a man and how to be a teammate. It was awesome what those guys did for me and Gary (Garrison) and everybody else.”
“When I think about the foundation I think of the players who were here when I first came into the program. When Coach calls us the foundation and I look at the guys on the team younger than me, I realize they can do things we are never going to be able to do.”
Rob Marberry also reflects on the history of the program and this team’s place in that history.
“People are telling us how great this program can be,” Marberry said. “We are just a stepping stone in a long list of people before us. They paved the way for us and we are just happy to do the same for the younger guys now on the roster.”
For Marberry the emotions of the championship win carried over into the day after.
“When we won the game my emotions were on an all-time high,” Marberry said. “I was crying. I hugged my Mom, my teammates and coaches and started crying again.
“I called my Mom the next day and it was like, `wow, we really did it’. I started crying again. She started crying again.”
Pepper briefly panicked the morning after beating Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 when he couldn’t locate his ASUN Championship hat. He would eventually find it underneath his bed and all was right with the world.
“I thought I threw it on the TV,” Pepper said. “I was freaking out. I thought maybe our winning the championship was all a dream, but when I found it under the bed I knew it was real.
“I did a fist pump into the air. It was hilarious. I wish someone could have seen me.”
DEEP IMPACT
The appearance in the tournament will also have a tremendous impact on the future of the team in terms of recruiting.
“This will allow us to go out and recruit talent that is one notch better,” Alexander said. “We will have brand recognition and Lipscomb name recognition that we have never had before. If we can capitalize on that the program can continue to talk about championships.
“It is foolish to think this is going to keep happening every year. But what you want is a program that is in the position for this to happen every year.”
Alexander has talked about the ASUN Championship win and the NCAA berth as forming a foundation to build on.
“You walk in the first day and you rightfully expect to be playing for championships on the last day,” Alexander said. “That is what the foundation is. A lot has to go right between those two time periods.
“If your foundation is strong it is not just a dream. It is a matter of we have done it. We know what it takes. We have what it takes. Now we need to do what it takes and see if it is good enough.”
