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Basketball Program Success

Mar 06

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Athletics

Basketball Program Success

March 6, 2024

Beacon Blazers Basketball builds on a foundation of success and looks forward to growth in the USCAA.

Academics

New VPAA Reilly

March 6, 2024

Incoming Beacon College vice president for academic affairs Dr Kevin Reilly understands that to avoid disrupting a good thing, it’s going to take a lot of input from the people who are already on the ground.

Student News

Clubs Inoculate Students Against Disconnection

March 5, 2024

Even with student clubs shrinking at universities throughout the country, Beacon student clubs thrive and offer students a chance to build community through the various student-led clubs and organizations.

Academics

Strozzo Photoshops Learning into Teaching Students on the Other Side of the World

February 6, 2024

During the winter holiday season, Beacon College's Brittany Strozzo served as a teacher for Project Discovery in the United Arab Emirates.

Student News

Dungeons and Dragons Club Explores Renaissance Faire

February 2, 2024

Dungeons and Dragon Club members soaked up the Renaissance Faire gusto as they were captivated by combat and stage shows, sampled faire fare, shopped vendors, and participated in a scavenger hunt.

In The Media

“A World of Difference” Earns Gold in Global Anthem Awards

February 1, 2024

Beacon College’s monthly PBS show “A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity” scored gold (and silver) in the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards.

Beacon News

Service, Passion for Students Highlight O’Toole’s Legacy

February 1, 2024

Marlene O'Toole, an award-winning former Florida lawmaker, education advocate, nonprofit leader, and former IBM manager, passed away.

Beacon News

Sensory Room Latest Supportive Wrinkle Helping Students to Success

February 1, 2024

A new Sensory and Mindfulness Room is set to open this month at Beacon's Counseling and Wellness Center.

Academics

Love of Books Unites Beacon Couple in a Chapter of Romance

February 1, 2024

Beacon College has a handful of married couples working on campus, but to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re profiling one couple’s extraordinary international tale.

Career Development

Career Center Makes “Big” Investment in Student/Alumni Career Success

February 1, 2024

“Big Interview” is an AI-assisted job interview training tool designed to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes by giving users the opportunity to practice and get immediate feedback.

Alumni News

Hunter Knocks Administration Out the Park with Baseball Farm Team

February 1, 2024

Beacon College graduate Travis Hunter serves as the office administrator for the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, the Triple A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Beacon News

Declining National Numbers Belie Beacon’s Graduation Success

February 1, 2024

Colleges, including Beacon, that invested in expanding their student success services held steady in terms of graduation during covid.

Basketball Programs Building Foundations for League Success

by Marco Santana

Sam Vincent rattles off an impressive list of his basketball experiences. Coaching in the Olympics. Winning an NBA championship with the Celtics in 1986. Passing NBA Hall of Famer and legend Magic Johnson’s scoring total at Michigan State University.

Now, however, he has a role that he says surpasses all of those milestones: men’s basketball coach at Beacon College.

“There’s been a lot of amazing basketball opportunities during my career,” he said. “And I rank this right at the top because we are growing this population of kids through basketball in a way that will impact them for the rest of their lives and that, to me, is very important.”

This was the second season for Vincent, but the school’s first as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The national organization includes more than 70 mostly small colleges, including community and junior colleges.

The season results, Vincent said, provide a strong foundation to grow and build a program on.

“This was a successful overall first year of competitive basketball,” said Vincent, whose squad ended the season winning eight of its last nine games after a 3-3 start to finish 11-4. “We are going to make Beacon College a very successful competitive sports program and we feel that it will have a wide benefit to not only the players but to the student population and, ultimately, the school.”

The in-season growth came after the Blazers traveled to Michigan — familiar territory for the former Spartan point guard and first-round NBA pick. The players spent time together there, taking part in workshops and learning experiences while bonding as a team. When they returned to the court, they were a different team, rattling off that season-ending streak.

Vincent said the team’s momentum would have sustained had the season not ended. That sets Beacon College up for higher expectations next year, he said.

“It took us sometime early in the year to really figure out the system but after we did that, we were strong,” he said. “If we had played another 10 games, we probably would have gone 8-2 over those 10. But we had an exciting year and the guys played really well.”

Room for Growth on the Women’s Side

While the men’s team chalked up a string of wins to close out the season, the Lady Blazers’ team went through what interim coach Gabe Watson called a foundational season.
While the team finished its inaugural USCAA season winless, just the fact that the team endured and persevered will be important for the program’s future.

“We had senior girls establish a foundation for the future of women’s basketball here at the school,” said Watson, who also serves as the school’s athletic director. “They never gave up, always fought to the end and gave max effort all the time.”

In the wake of the departure of the former women’s basketball coach in midseason, Watson said the school will likely seek a new coach before next season.

“If we would have canceled games, that would have hurt us for the next year,” he said. “Just showing up and competing makes it possible for this to continue.” That will help Beacon College President George Hagerty achieve his vision of a thriving sports program that offers as many intercollegiate options as other schools, Watson said.

“We want to match those same experiences that other schools have and support a wide range of sports here at Beacon,” he said. “This is where you get school pride.”

In particular, Watson praised the efforts of senior Kylee Davis, one of the leaders who kept the team hustling and moving forward despite the results.

“What she did for women’s basketball was enormous,” he said. “She did so much behind the scenes to keep the team going and went to incredible lengths to help the college.” Watson said Davis’ determination to help the team and working behind the scenes to try to bring in recruits was unwavering. “She was always looking to make things better,” he said.

Athletics

Learn more about our Athletics teams: Basketball, Cross Country and Track, Golf, and Tennis! Students with learning differences can participate in our athletic programs and compete in the USCAA.

Athletics

In the Media

Learning Differently

Featured in Florida Trend Magazine. At Beacon College in Leesburg, students navigate learning differences and disabilities to earn a college degree and prepare for a career.

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How to Navigate College Admissions With a Learning Disability

Featured in U.S. News & World Report. The college admissions process can be overwhelming for any student, but it can be especially challenging for those with learning disabilities.

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College, with Learning Differences

Featured in Campus News. Despite excelling academically in middle and high school, Benjamin Strauss faced challenges due to his learning difference. Yet, his transition to Beacon College, designed for students with learning disabilities, has empowered him to pursue his passion for business management and sports media.

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Best Regional Colleges South Rankings

Featured in U.S. News & World Report. These colleges focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. These rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.

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Featured Expert

Dr. A.J. Marsden, Associate Professor of Human Services and Psychology

Dr. A.J. Marsden is a former U.S. Army surgical nurse who now serves as an assistant professor of human services and psychology. She specializes in human development, emotion and attitudes, abnormal psychology, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, human sexuality, and health psychology. She has been quoted by Good Housekeeping, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Associated Press, U.S. News & World Report, and more.

Newsletter

Lighting the Path is Beacon College’s digital newsletter that updates the Beacon community and others with interest in the college’s activities about student successes, alumni news, faculty achievements, and stories about Beacon’s growth, new programs, rankings, and more.

Have alumni news to share? Submit your Beacon College alumni updates, weddings, births, career changes, etc. for consideration in the next issue of “Lighting the Path.”

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Beacon’s faculty experts, our unique teaching model, and our students often are featured in electronic and print media because of the college’s expertise in learning differences and other disciplines.

Reporters who wish to interview Beacon College experts or pursue stories about the college should contact the Office of College Communications at (352) 638-9789 or email dowens@beaconcollege.edu.

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Darryl E. Owens

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352-638-9789dowens@beaconcollege.edu

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