No More A-Fun

There’s something about the Atlantic Sun.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something special about it.  Maybe it’s the fact that it’s filled with D1-AAA non-football schools?  Maybe it’s the fact that my alma mater has been the team in the league for the last 7 seasons, and I was a part of it?  Maybe it’s the fact that the A-Sun has produced names like Aru Kok and Chief Kickingstallionsims?  There are many things that have crossed my mind about this unique mid-major conference, but there is one thing that’s for sure, and that is the Atlantic Sun Conference will be missed by all Belmont fans. 

If there is one thing that is guaranteed in life, it is change.  Whether we like it or not, change happens all the time.  In Belmont’s case, joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012-2013 will provide the University with another transition that seems almost repetitive in a way. 

I first heard about Belmont in 2003 when they sent me letters in the mail.  I had been to Nashville once before and I didn’t even know the school existed when I was there.  I knew they were in their second season in the Atlantic Sun Conference and had just made the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division 1 during the late 1990’s.  At the time, it was a big step for such a small school (enrollment under 3,000) and the move was questionable because the ‘Rebels’ were very successful during the NAIA era.  Belmont took a big chance and landed a spot in the A-Sun during the fall of 2001. 

The term “A-Fun” was started by former sportswriter and creator of The Mid-Majority website, Kyle Whelliston.  He started calling the A-Sun that because of the fast paced offense and all of the points scored during games.  Formerly known as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) the A-Sun began in 1978 and since then there have been 31 different schools that have represented the league.  With that said, the conference separates itself from everyone else for 2 main reasons: 

1) There is a lot of turnover.  Teams come and go very, very often.  

2) The A-Sun does not sponsor football.   Considering the history of football in the south, it’s a little odd that the league does not uphold the tradition.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe Belmont going to the OVC is a good move for several reasons.  I just feel extremely attached to the A-Sun.   For 5 straight winters, I got to travel to cities like Ft. Myers, Jacksonville and Johnson City (a great basketball town) and loved every bit of it.  To me, Belmont leaving the A-Sun is equivalent to an 18 year old leaving for college for the first time.  We’re all so used to it that it brings a type of sadness due to so many memories being left behind.  I am so used to seeing Cliff Warren’s shiny head and ETSU’s trapping 1-3-1 defense that I’m going to miss it next year.  In fact, we will probably feel out of place at times. 

Kevin Ingram, the voice of the Bruins, says, “There are quite a few things I will miss about the Atlantic Sun.  I will miss the feeling that Belmont is sort of the hunted team in the league, coming off 4 tournament titles /NCAA trips in 6 years.  It's fun to go to some of the places and get the sense that it's a big deal we're there, and see how our guys respond.”   In 10 A-Sun tournament appearances, Belmont is 15-6 including a remarkable 4-0 in championship games.  In the OVC, Belmont may not be able to come in and dominate like they have the past 11 years in the A-Sun. 

The transition will also provide the Bruins the opportunity to gain new rivalries.  “I've enjoyed some of the rivalries in the A-Sun, especially the Boulevard Battles and the matchups with ETSU,” Ingram says. “But I'm also looking forward to new, more natural regional rivals such as Austin Peay, TSU, Tennessee Tech, Murray State, etc. “

You would think that opposing A-Sun coaches would love that the fact that Belmont is leaving because of all the recent success they’ve had.  That’s not necessarily the case.  North Florida head coach, Matthew Driscoll, says, “Having a team and University like Belmont brings instant notoriety to your league because of their success on the court at the highest level for a long time.  For UNF, it provides a great example and blueprint for what it takes on and off the court to be that consistent for such a long period...making the change to Division I like Belmont did has its rough patches, but having a vision and passion while seeing Belmont accomplish what they have achieved gives great inspiration for the future.”

From a competition standpoint, the OVC is slightly better from top-to-bottom than the A-Sun.  From a location standpoint, the A-Sun is much better than the OVC.   Assuming that Nashville is number one, the A-Sun’s second best city is Jacksonville, Florida (population 1,313,228).  Assuming that Nashville is number one, the OVC’s second best city is Cape Girardeau, Missouri (population 37,941). I’ve been to every OVC and A-Sun city/town.  Trust me folks, the two leagues’ locations are non-comparable.

The A-Sun has been a part of my life for the last 7 seasons.  The memories that I have gained will be cherished for the rest of my life.  Here are some notable ones:

·         I’ll never forget the time that Andy Wicke and I collided heads during pre-game warm ups at Kennesaw State while playing one-on-one.  Andy went for the reach in, missed, and we hit our heads so hard we both started bleeding and blood was dripping everywhere.  Our trainer, Paul Malloy, immediately put bandages on us to help stop the bleeding before the game started.  Needless to say Andy and I combined for 21 points that night and Will Peeples’ dad had to stitch us up after the game.  I still have a scar under my right eye brow because of it.

·         I’ll never forget the time that Coach Byrd walked from the gym back to the hotel in the rain after we had just lost to Stetson my junior year.  The hotel was roughly two miles from the Edmunds Center.

·         I’ll never forget Campbell’s old Carter Gymnasium that was smaller than my High School gym.  It always felt like there were 10,000 people in there but there were never more than 500.  The Campbell pep band always sat in the end zone right next to our bench and you could barely hear Coach Byrd during time-outs because it was so loud.  The locker room was so tiny that guys like Boomer Herndon and Andrew Preston had to bend over in certain areas of the room so they wouldn’t hit their head on the ceiling.

·         I’ll never forget “The Comeback at the Creek” on February 7, 2009 in which we were down 18 points with 3:27 left in the game and somehow won 87-84.  That was Belmont’s first game ever at the new John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center.  That was Mick Hedgepeth’s ‘breakout game.’

·         I’ll never forget the 4-way tie for first place my senior season in 2009-2010.  Lipscomb, Jacksonville, Belmont & Campbell all earned a share of the regular season title, but none of the four made the championship game in the A-Sun tournament with ETSU defeating tournament host Mercer in the finals.

·         I’ll never forget the half-mile jog from the locker room at ETSU to the gym floor.

·         I’ll never forget my first time in the “mini-dome” in Johnson City.  Josh Goodwin broke the A-Sun record for most threes in a game with 11 and had 39 points as we beat the Bucs in overtime, 88-85.  I was mesmerized by the awkward set-up the dome had.  I now know exactly how people feel about visiting the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

·         I’ll never forget getting booed every time we ran onto the court at ETSU.  Johnson City has a special place in my heart.  Their fans always hated us, but we always beat the snot out of ‘em.  In fact, since ETSU joined the A-Sun Belmont is 13-1 in the “mini-dome” counting conference tournament games.  Not to mention, the Carnegie Hotel was always my favorite place to stay in the league.

·         I’ll never forget eating at the DeLand IHOP with Andrew House, Matthew Dotson and his parents every year after the Stetson Game.

·         I’ll never forget sleeping on the bus en route to Spartanburg my senior year.  There was a bad wreck on the interstate caused by an ice storm and we were stuck for hours.  We didn’t arrive at the hotel until 10:00am.  I remember Coach Byrd walking a mile and a half to fetch us McDonald’s that night.

·         I’ll never forget the road trip my senior year where I averaged 20 points per game in two huge overtime wins at Kennesaw State and Mercer.  Belmont assistant coach Brian Ayers came and sat with me in the back of the bus on the way home.

·         I’ll never forget how bad the water is in DeLand, Florida.

·         I’ll never forget Alex Renfroe’s Player of the Year season in 2008-2009.

·         I’ll never forget all of the great ‘Battle of the Boulevard’ games I got to be a part of.  Two notable ones are the 2006 A-Sun finals when ‘Mr. Clutch’ Justin Hare scored 32 points in an overtime victory to secure our first NCAA berth, and the double overtime win we had at Lipscomb my sophomore year in 2008.

 Hopefully the remaining days in the A-Sun will be just as memorable as the first 11 years.  When people mention Macon, Georgia or Boiling Springs, North Carolina it actually means something to me.   And I’m proud of that.

Keaton