Bellarmine Knights men's basketball
The Bellarmine Knights men's basketball team represents Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The Knights compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and are currently transitioning to NCAA Division I. The team competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) from the conference's founding in 1972 through the 2019–20 season. They are currently led by head coach Scott Davenport and play their home games at Freedom Hall.
| Bellarmine Knights | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Bellarmine University | ||
| Head coach | Scott Davenport (16th season) | ||
| Conference | ASUN | ||
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky | ||
| Arena | Freedom Hall (Capacity: 18,252) | ||
| Nickname | Knights | ||
| Colors | Scarlet and Silver[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament Champions | |||
| 2011* | |||
| NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||
| 2011*, 2012*, 2015*, 2017*, | |||
| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
| 2011*, 2012*, 2015*, 2017*, | |||
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 2009*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2017*, 2019* | |||
| NCAA Tournament Second round | |||
| 1965*, 1989*, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019* | |||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |||
| 1963*, 1965*, 1969*, 1970*, 1977*, 1982*, 1984*, 1989*, 1991*, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019* *at Division II level | |||
| Conference Tournament Champions | |||
| GLVC*: 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||
| GLVC*: 1991, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | |||
History
The program began in 1950, coinciding with the opening of Bellarmine College.[2] The team played its first game on December 27, 1950, against St. Mary's College.[3] The team joined the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) in 1951 and remained in the conference until 1964. The Knights won the program's first conference title under Alex Groza when the team won the 1963 KIAC regular season and tournament titles.[4] In addition Groza was named the KIAC coach of the year.[4] That season also marked the first bid to the NCAA College Division, now Division II, basketball tournament.[5]
Over the past 10 years, BU became one of the country's premier NCAA Division II college basketball programs. The Knights won five Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament Championships in 2009-10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 and won GLVC regular season champion in 2010-11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017-18. In NCAA postseason play, the Knights made 11-straight NCAA DII postseason appearances from 2009-2019, including four Division II Final Four appearances and won the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.[5][6] The 2011 victory marked the first athletic national championship in the university's history.[7]
On March 26, 2011, the Knights won its first NCAA Division II National Championship, led by guards Jeremy Kendle and Braydon Hobbs.[8] The Knights defeated BYU–Hawaii for the title, 71-68.[9] The championship game aired on national television on the CBS network.[9] An estimated 2,906 fans were in attendance for the championship game.[10] Most of which were Bellarmine fans that had made the 900-mile (1,400 km) trip from Louisville to watch the Knights compete in the championship held in Springfield, Massachusetts at the MassMutual Center.
Division I transition
On June 19, 2019, the university's athletic program officially announced it accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference and transition to NCAA Division I beginning in the 2020–21 school year.[11] The transition will take the Knights, a Division II perennial power during the first two decades of the 21st century, into a multiyear transition process.[11] During the four-year process to transition, Bellarmine will compete at the Division I level but cannot qualify for NCAA-organized postseason play (i.e., the Division I tournament and the NIT). The Knights can compete in postseason events not organized by the NCAA, currently the College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Tournament.[12][13]
After a preseason shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights ended up playing their first ever game at the Division I level on the road against the sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils. It was a historic night for the program albeit in a quieter than usual Cameron Indoor Stadium. Despite staying close for the first half, Bellarmine ended up falling short to Duke, 76-54. Junior guard Dylan Penn entered the history books during the game, as he was responsible for scoring the first ever points in Bellarmine’s history at the Division I level.
Two days after the loss to Duke, Bellarmine made a different kind of history for the program, which was undoubtedly more positive. On December 6th, 2020, the Knights traveled to the doorsteps of Howard University and dismantled the Bison, 84-63, to notch their first ever win at the Division I level. Sophomore guard Alec Pfriem came off the bench and notched the program’s first ever double-double in Division I, scoring 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. The double-double was also the first of Pfriem’s collegiate career.
Postseason
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Knights have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament 20 times.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Oglethorpe Austin Peay | L 49–57 W 96–86 |
| 1965 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Norfolk State Evansville | W 91-74 L 74–81 |
| 1969 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Alcorn State Transylvania | L 75–76 L 64–65 |
| 1970 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Tennessee State Transylvania | L 77-82 W 114-62 |
| 1977 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Eastern Illinois Youngstown State | L 72-87 L 79-81 |
| 1982 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Central State Wright State | L 61-63 L 86-87 |
| 1984 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Lewis Cal State Bakersfield | L 87-93 W 81-71 |
| 1989 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Ferris State Kentucky Wesleyan | W 108-92 L 77-84 |
| 1991 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Grand Valley State Missouri Western State | L 73-78 W 94-83 |
| 2009 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Kentucky Wesleyan Lake Superior State Findlay | W 76–65 W 92–83 L 86–89 |
| 2010 | First Round Regional Semifinals | Central State Quincy | W 70-66 L 61-66 |
| 2011 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Indianapolis Northern Kentucky Ferris State Midwestern State Minnesota State BYU–Hawaii | W 84–70 W 87–82 W 86–66 W 70–64 W 81–74 W 71–68 |
| 2012 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals | Lewis Findlay Kentucky Wesleyan Alabama-Huntsville Montevallo | W 86–63 W 86–63 W 79–74 W 82-73 L 72–79 |
| 2013 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Indianapolis Southern Indiana Drury | W 67–61 W 78–55 L 61–67 |
| 2014 | Regional Quarterfinals | Indianapolis | L 75–80 |
| 2015 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals | Drury Lake Superior State Indianapolis Minnesota State–Moorhead Florida Southern | W 84–60 W 85–59 W 81–72 W 92-75 L 76–79 |
| 2016 | Regional Quarterfinals | Ferris State | L 84–100 |
| 2017 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals | Wisconsin–Parkside Quincy Findlay Colorado Mines Fairmont State | W 72–61 W 93–64 W 84–66 W 92-72 L 68–79 |
| 2018 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals | Truman Findlay | W 82-65 L 73–74 |
| 2019 | Regional Quarterfinals Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Walsh Findlay Southern Indiana | W 81-61 W 74-59 L 69–74 |
Record year-by-year
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarmine College Knights (Independent) (1950–1951) | |||||||||
| 1950-51 | Norb Raque | 2-12 | |||||||
| Bellarmine College Knights (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1951–1964) | |||||||||
| 1951-52 | Norb Raque | 5–17 | |||||||
| 1952–53 | Eddie Weber | 9–13 | |||||||
| 1953-54 | Eddie Weber | 14-8 | |||||||
| 1954-55 | Eddie Weber | 8-14 | |||||||
| 1955-56 | Paulie Miller | 6–14 | |||||||
| 1956–57 | Paulie Miller | 13–11 | |||||||
| 1957–58 | Gene Kenney | 17–9 | |||||||
| 1958–59 | Gene Kenney | 6–18 | |||||||
| 1959–60 | Alex Groza | 7–15 | |||||||
| 1960–61 | Alex Groza | 11–17 | |||||||
| 1961–62 | Alex Groza | 11–11 | |||||||
| 1962-63 | Alex Groza | 21–6 | 1st | NCAA DII First Round | |||||
| Bellarmine College Knights (Independent) (1963–1978) | |||||||||
| 1963–64 | Alex Groza | 13–12 | |||||||
| 1964–65 | Alex Groza | 15–8 | NCAA DII Second Round | ||||||
| 1965-66 | Alex Groza | 13-8 | |||||||
| 1966-67 | Jim Spalding | 12-13 | |||||||
| 1967-68 | Jim Spalding | 13-12 | |||||||
| 1968-69 | Jim Spalding | 19-9 | 1969 NCAA DII First Round | ||||||
| 1969-70 | Jim Spalding | 17-10 | 1970 NCAA DII First Round | ||||||
| 1970-71 | Jim Spalding | 10-16 | |||||||
| 1971-72 | Joe Reibel | 9-17 | |||||||
| 1972-73 | Joe Reibel | 12-14 | |||||||
| 1973-74 | Joe Reibel | 12-13 | |||||||
| 1974-75 | Joe Reibel | 15-10 | |||||||
| 1975-76 | Joe Reibel | 18-7 | |||||||
| 1976-77 | Joe Reibel | 17-11 | |||||||
| 1977-78 | Joe Reibel | 16-10 | 1977 NCAA DII First Round | ||||||
| Bellarmine College Knights (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1978–2000) | |||||||||
| 1978-79 | Joe Reibel | 14-12 | 4-4 | T-2nd | |||||
| 1979-80 | Joe Reibel | 17-9 | 7-3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1980-81 | Joe Reibel | 16-10 | 4-6 | 4th | |||||
| 1981-82 | Joe Reibel | 20-9 | 9-3 | T-2nd | 1982 NCAA DII First Round | ||||
| 1982-83 | Joe Reibel | 13-14 | 5-7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1983-84 | Joe Reibel | 21-9 | 8-4 | 3rd | 1984 NCAA DII First Round | ||||
| 1984-85 | Joe Reibel | 8-19 | 3-11 | T–5th | |||||
| 1985-86 | Joe Reibel | 13-14 | 7-9 | T-5th | |||||
| 1986-87 | Joe Reibel | 17-10 | 10-6 | T-2nd | |||||
| 1987-88 | Joe Reibel | 11-17 | 6-10 | T-5th | |||||
| 1988-89 | Joe Reibel | 22-8 | 11-5 | 2nd | 1989 NCAA DII Second Round | ||||
| 1989-90 | Joe Reibel | 16-11 | 10-8 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1990-91 | Joe Reibel | 24-6 | 14-4 | T-1st | 1991 NCAA DII First Round | ||||
| 1991-92 | Joe Reibel | 17-11 | 10-8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1992-93 | Joe Reibel | 7-20 | 4-14 | T-7th | |||||
| 1993-94 | Joe Reibel | 11-16 | 5-13 | 7th | |||||
| 1994-95 | Bob Valvano | 10-14 | 4-14 | 6th | |||||
| 1995-96 | Bob Valvano | 12-16 | 5-15 | 8th | |||||
| 1996-97 | Bob Valvano | 16-11 | 9-11 | T-4th | |||||
| 1997-98 | Bob Valvano | 17-10 | 11-7 | T-5th | |||||
| 1998-99 | Charlie Just | 10-18 | 7-15 | T-8th | |||||
| 1999-00 | Charlie Just | 13-14 | 8-12 | T-5th | |||||
| Bellarmine University Knights (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (2000–2020) | |||||||||
| 2000-01 | Charlie Just | 14-13 | 11-9 | T-4th | |||||
| 2001-02 | Charlie Just | 12-15 | 9-11 | T-5th | |||||
| 2002-03 | Chris Pullem | 10-18 | 5-15 | T-7th | |||||
| 2003-04 | Chris Pullem | 9-18 | 6-14 | 8th | |||||
| 2004-05 | Chris Pullem | 9-18 | 4-16 | 9th | |||||
| 2005-06 | Scott Davenport | 14-14 | 11-8 | 3rd (East) | |||||
| 2006-07 | Scott Davenport | 12-15 | 11-8 | 5th (East) | |||||
| 2007-08 | Scott Davenport | 14-14 | 11-8 | T-3rd (East) | |||||
| 2008-09 | Scott Davenport | 26-7 | 13-5 | 2nd (East) | 2009 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2009-10 | Scott Davenport | 23-9 | 12-6 | 3rd (East) | 2010 NCAA DII Second Round | ||||
| 2010-11 | Scott Davenport | 33-2 | 17-1 | 1st (East) | 2011 NCAA DII National Champions | ||||
| 2011-12 | Scott Davenport | 29-4 | 16-2 | 1st (East) | 2012 NCAA DII Final Four | ||||
| 2012-13 | Scott Davenport | 24-8 | 12-6 | T-3rd (East) | 2013 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2013-14 | Scott Davenport | 23-8 | 12-6 | 3rd (East) | 2014 NCAA DII First Round | ||||
| 2014-15 | Scott Davenport | 31-4 | 17-1 | T-1st (East) | 2015 NCAA DII Final Four | ||||
| 2015-16 | Scott Davenport | 23-7 | 15-3 | T-1st (East) | 2016 NCAA DII First Round | ||||
| 2016-17 | Scott Davenport | 32-4 | 17-1 | 1st (East) | 2017 NCAA DII Final Four | ||||
| 2017-18 | Scott Davenport | 29-3 | 16-2 | 1st (East) | 2018 NCAA DII Second Four | ||||
| 2018-19 | Scott Davenport | 28-5 | 14-4 | 2nd | 2019 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| Total: | 1064–799 | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Facilities
The Knights played their home games at Knights Hall in Louisville from the venue's opening in 1960 through the 2019–20 season. It has a capacity of 2,196 and also hosts the school's volleyball team.[15]
On November 2, 2020, the university announced a multi-year deal with the Kentucky State Fair Board to use Freedom Hall, located at the Kentucky Exposition Center near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, for men's and women's basketball home games. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Knights would have been able to seat only 300 at their on-campus facility. Freedom Hall's basketball capacity of 18,252 allows Bellarmine to seat 2,700 for games. Freedom Hall, which opened in 1956, is best known as having been home to Louisville Cardinals men's basketball from its opening until the 2010 opening of the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, and was also home to the Kentucky Colonels of the old ABA.[16]
References
- Bellarmine Athletic Branding Draft (PDF). August 12, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- Kleber, John E. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 68–69. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- "Bellarmine University Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Bellarmine University. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- "OVAC Hall of Fame: Alex Groza". Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- Haeberle, Bennett (March 26, 2011). "Bellarmine Knights win Div. II basketball title". WDRB. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- Jung, Chris (March 24, 2011). "Bellarmine Will Play For National Title". Catholic Sports Net. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- "TRIO OF THE YEAR: Bellarmine's Benedetti, Hobbs, Kendle share College Notebook Male Athlete of the Year honor". News and Tribune.
- "Bellarmine Wins First National Championship". NCAA. March 28, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- Gallant, erik (March 29, 2011). "Your comments: D2 Elite Eight needed more time to grow in Springfield". MassLive.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- Hardwig, Greg (June 19, 2019). "What is the impact of Bellarmine joining the ASUN?". Naples Daily News. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- Sarah Ladd, and Tessa Duvall (June 19, 2019). "How will Bellarmine's leap to Division I impact the university's students?". Courier Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- Vannozzi, Russell (June 17, 2019). "Bellarmine set for jump to Division I, will join ASUN Conference". Mid Major Madness. SB Nation. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- "Men's Basketball Archive". GLVC. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- "Knights Hall". Bellarmine University. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- "Iconic Freedom Hall to become home for men's and women's basketball teams" (Press release). Bellarmine Knights. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.