Basketball Program Success
March 6, 2024
Beacon Blazers Basketball builds on a foundation of success and looks forward to growth in the USCAA.
Mar 06
Read StoryMarch 6, 2024
Beacon Blazers Basketball builds on a foundation of success and looks forward to growth in the USCAA.
March 6, 2024
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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.
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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.
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Colleges, including Beacon, that invested in expanding their student success services held steady in terms of graduation during covid.
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.”
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.
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.
AthleticsFeatured 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.
Read MoreFeatured 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.
Read MoreFeatured 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.
Read MoreFeatured 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.
Read MoreDr. 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.
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.
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Associate Vice President of Communication and Engagement
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352-638-9709mwymer@beaconcollege.edu