Bellarmine men’s basketball gets first win at DI level over Howard, looks for more
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BVM) — When Bellarmine University was granted entry into the Division I level on July 1, it knew that it would be a bit of an uphill battle for its 22 varsity sports to make the adjustment to the new competition. Difficulties due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the situation as teams and programs found their practices and seasons in flux. Even with these struggles, the Bellarmine Knights men’s basketball team knew it had something to prove when it took the Division I court for the first time.
“If it was great for Bellarmine University, it was going to be great for Bellarmine basketball,” Knights head coach Scott Davenport said. “If playing teams like Duke and we were scheduled to play UCLA and that was great for Bellarmine basketball that would be great for Bellarmine University.”
The Knights have been dominant over the past decade at the Division II level, becoming one of the many reasons Bellarmine felt comfortable with the attempted jump in competition. The Knights have posted at least 20 wins and made the Division II NCAA tournament in each of the past 12 seasons while also going to the Final Four four times and winning the Division II national championship during the 2010-2011 season. The move seemingly was a long time coming for the men’s basketball team as it has been ranked in the top five in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II poll each of the past 10 years including being ranked No. 1 in four of those seasons (2010-11, 2011-12, 2018-19, 2019-20).
“There’s been offers and there’s been looks, but I had come to grips that I would never be a head coach at Division I. The last timeout I ever took would be at Bellarmine,” Davenport said. “Well, the last timeout at all likelihood will be at Bellarmine, but it will be as a Division I coach. But, this wasn’t about me. It was about this program, this university, our community, our players, everybody in these 15 years that contributed to this absolutely incredible journey.”
However, the introduction of the Knights to the Division I level would be in a trial by fire form thanks to the pandemic as Bellarmine would play its first game at the top level against perennial power Duke University at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the best home court advantages in the country, on Dec. 4. While the Blue Devils may not have had their typical aid of the “Cameron Crazies” student fan section, beating Duke at home would still be a tall task for the new DI member.
Knights have arrived ⚔️
Can’t wait til tip-off pic.twitter.com/EF2rg4DB2x
— Bellarmine Men’s Basketball (@BUKnightsMBB) December 4, 2020
The Knights were competitive against the Blue Devils in the first half, getting as close as 28-25 with 2:35 left in the half, but they would not be able to hang around. The Blue Devils would take a 35-25 lead into half time and would go on to handle the Knights easily in a 76-54 victory. Although a loss, it was not a devastating one for the Knights as a win against Duke would’ve been considered a widely unexpected upset.
“I was thrilled for our players,” Davenport said. “It was absolutely astounding how great that experience was. For our players, it’s a memory of a lifetime. … It was a great experience and it only bodes well in recruiting for this program and the exposure for this program. But I go back to the players. They’re never going to forget about that in their lifetime.”
For its next Division I matchup, the Knights would face a slightly easier task against Howard University at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6. Out to prove they were up to the task at competing at the next level, the Knights would show their abilities with gusto.
The team notched its first-ever Division I victory, with four Knights scoring in double figures, in the 84-63 win over the Bison. The win marked the first in DI for any Bellarmine team formerly associated with Division II.
“I wanted to stand back as far as I could and watch our players,” Davenport said. “I wanted to watch them because that’s not a paycheck you put in a bank, but an emotional paycheck that’ll I’ll cash a lifetime watching them experience that. The first Division I victory in the history of our school. … It was incredible. I’m proud of them.”
Never going to forget this W #RISE pic.twitter.com/t3e8W5c5GX
— Bellarmine Men’s Basketball (@BUKnightsMBB) December 7, 2020
The Knights would take a 7-6 lead at the 16:21 mark of the first half, the first time the program ever had a lead in a Division I contest, and would not relinquish it. During the game, the Knights shot 52.7 percent with 20 assists on 29 field goals while also outrebounding the Bison 42-23.
Knights junior guard Dylan Penn registered the first 20 point Division I game in program history by scoring a team-high 22 points. Sophomore guard Alex Pfriem also made history when he notched 14 points and 14 rebounds for his first career double-double and the program’s first double-double at the Division I level.
VICTORY MOOD 😎
🎶 Takin' Care of Business🎶 pic.twitter.com/ZOOyueEqaW
— Bellarmine Men’s Basketball (@BUKnightsMBB) December 7, 2020
While the team has been able to revel in its milestone victory, the Knights know there will be more feats to conquer. In its first Division I home game against Chattanooga on Dec. 9 in the program’s new stadium, Freedom Hall, in the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, the team had to battle in an unknown environment. Freedom Hall provides the Knights with a true Division I feeling as the 18,252 seat stadium dwarfs the program’s old basketball court, Knights Hall, that seated just 2,196 fans, putting it in stark contrast to what the team has been used to, not to mention how empty the large arena would feel with limited fan admittance.
Countless hours of planning and preparation by the @BUKnights and @kyexpocenter staff made playing in Freedom Hall possible. Thank you to everyone who made this dream real!
We can't wait to be back on 12/19 to take on Middle Tennessee #RISE pic.twitter.com/P4wut1BGPz
— Bellarmine Men’s Basketball (@BUKnightsMBB) December 10, 2020
Unfortunately for the Knights, they faced another buzzsaw in their first home game against the undefeated Mocs team. While Bellarmine tallied more field goals than Chattanooga and hit more free throws, the Mocs made 17 3-point attempts compared to three for the Knights, playing a large part in Chattanooga’s 77-68 victory.
While the Knights may not have gotten the first home win they had hoped for, the historic game still provided a feeling of accomplishment for both the program and the members in it. For Davenport, it was a homecoming of sorts as he returned to Freedom Hall, a stadium where he helped Louisville dominate during his tenure as an assistant coach as well as the site where he coached the Ballard High School team to its 1988 state championship. Once the Knights get that first win, it will leave a special impression on the man who heads the team.
“My vision and my memories of Freedom Hall are incredible and to experience it as a head coach of a great university in the best basketball community in the country I’m going to cry,” Davenport said. “I’m not embarrassed by that. I’ll never apologize for caring ever. It will be emotional, but it will be about the players and this university first.”
With their first Division I win, the Bellarmine Knights basketball team will look to prove it belongs at the NCAA’s highest level as the season progresses. As a member of the Atlantic Sun conference, the Knights will try their hand at not only competing against fellow conference members later in the season, but fellow DI members as well. With plenty of history still yet to be made, the Knights will strive to make their 2020-21 season not only a historic one, but a memorable one as well.
