Belmont Basketball senior Justin Hare has been named Honorable Mention Mid-Major All-American by CollegeHoops.net, the site released Thursday.
The Cleveland, Tenn. native led the Bruins to a third consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. On schedule to graduate in May with honors before pursuing medical school, Hare will depart as the most decorated student-athlete in Belmont history. This latest national honor further validates his already impressive collegiate career.
Among his numerous accolades, the 6-2 guard is a two-time First Team All-Atlantic Sun honoree and a two-time Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP. All told, Hare ranks second in the Bruins’ NCAA era and eighth in Atlantic Sun Conference history in career points with 1,761 points. Moreover, Hare earned a reputation for delivering in high-pressure, late-game situations; hitting the game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds a remarkable 14 times. This includes his memorable game-winning jumpshot to carry Belmont past Alabama, 85-83, Nov. 19.
But beyond the hardwood, Hare personified the academic success of the Bruin program. Twice Academic All-American and three-times Academic All-District, Hare also received the signature award of his league being named the 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference Male-Student Athlete of the Year.
Hare becomes the first Belmont player ever to receive this national distinction.
Hare Named to Mid-Major All-America Team
Bruins Earn Significant Respect in NCAA Tournament
Media, Duke Team Praise Belmont Performance
Though the Belmont Bruins men’s basketball team endured a heart-breaking loss to Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament last Thursday evening, the team earned new fans around the country with its impressive performance and competitive spirit. In addition to the responses shown below, Belmont University represented eight of the top 100 most frequent searches on Google last Thursday, including holding three of the top 10 spots.
Belmont-Duke Postgame Quotes:
“We played against a team that played an amazing game. They’re a very good team. We were ready to play. You won’t hear any of our players say that we overlooked them. There’s no way. Watching them on tape, they looked really good. Watching them in person, they’re even better. They played with a great verve, and they’re just real difficult to defend. And I thought they played really good defense against us. I’ve coached in 89 of these games 
now, I told the guys as far as game pressure goes, this had to rank in the top three or four, and hopefully, the people at Belmont take that as a real compliment because they should be complimented.”
Mike Krzyzewski
Duke University Basketball Head Coach
Basketball Hall of Famer
“When you’ve got shooters like that one through five, it spreads the floor, it opens it up, and they’ve got some guys who can put the ball on the floor. They did a great job of keep playing, keep fighting. We tried to extend the lead a couple of times, but they deserve a lot of credit for either making a play either with a three or getting to the foul line. They’re a great team.”
Greg Paulus
Duke Point Guard
“Belmont’s a heck of a team. They run their offense really well. They’re real precise and sharp with their stuff, and they play hard. They took us to the last seconds; I commend them for the game they played.”
Gerald Henderson
Duke Small Forward
“I think Belmont would have given most anybody in the country trouble the way they played tonight. Moving without the basketball and playing together; Belmont played the game of basketball very, very well tonight.”
Bob Knight
Winningest College Basketball Coach in NCAA History
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
Basketball Hall of Famer
“For those in the know, those in the coaching community, this is no surprise. Rick Byrd is an outstanding coach; just go look at the track record. They’ve beaten some name programs in the past, and he puts his players in positions to succeed. Ask anybody in college basketball about Rick Byrd, and they’ll tell you, he’s a known commodity.”
Steve Lavin
Former UCLA Head Coach
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
“Mr. Hare and company should be commended, and Mr. Renfroe for attacking the basket; they were sensational.”
Dick Vitale
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
“It tells you everything you need to know about this NCAA first-rounder that after the game, Belmont wasn’t sad or depressed about missing the upset. The Bruins were flat-out angry that they let one slip away. And they should be. Belmont was the tougher team. Belmont took it to Duke, sometimes right down the gut or on slippery backdoors. The Bruins schooled and exposed the Blue Devils’ defense, and they put a searchlight on all the warts and worries that have dogged Duke all season. Put simply, the Devils and all their ACC heft and national titles and mystique and aura and NCAA tradition couldn’t guard the Bruins. ”
Dana O’Neil
ESPN.com
“Make no mistake: Belmont coach Rick Byrd had a winning game plan, and his players executed it almost perfectly. The Bruins had no fear of the so-called Duke mystique, and they were able to penetrate as well as shoot the three.”
Grant Wahl
SI.com
“A Belmont victory would have done far more than mess up a bunch of peoples’ brackets; it would have been immeasurably gratifying to the numerous Duke ‘haters’ of the world. While the game won’t be remembered in tourney annals the way it might have had the Bruins prevailed, but Belmont’s players will remember it the rest of their lives.”
Stewart Mandel
SI.com
“Duke got lucky. The Blue Devils didn’t beat unheralded Belmont on Thursday as much as they survived it. They were outgunned. They were outhustled. And they were outplayed. But this night did not belong to Duke or (Gerald) Henderson. It belonged to Belmont, the 15th seed in the West Region and a nobody that came within seconds of pulling one of the biggest tournament upsets in years.”
Clark Judge
CBSSports.com
“Thank god for Belmont, the little school that almost could, the kind that puts the mad in the first round of March Madness. Belmont darned near gave us the whole package — monster upset, Cinderella, etc. — and if the Bruins fell one point short of sending the exalted Dookies home, there’s no shame in that, nor does it diminish the thrill they gave us. They’re tough and unflappable and have higher grade-point averages than just about everybody. And they give the big guys fits.”
Mike Celizic
Msnbc.com
“There it was, plain as could be on the overhead scoreboard, orange numbering on a black background: As the closing seconds ticked away Thursday night, Belmont was beating Duke. Throughout Thursday, the teams’ body language was telling at timeouts. Belmont’s players skipped to the sideline and were met with high-fives, pats on the back and yells of encouragement. Duke’s players (in the lead but hardly thrilled) trudged over slowly, some looking at the floor.”
Howard Fendrich
Associated Press
“They were smarter, they were better coached and they were more poised. They acted as if they had been here before, and they had. But it wasn’t his speed that almost beat the Blue Devils. It was backdoor cuts; Belmont beat them with backdoor cuts on consecutive plays in the first half. The play is as old as dust, as old as Neil Diamond. Belmont ran plays that Princeton long ago made famous. If Duke is the Harvard of North Carolina., Belmont is the Princeton of Tennessee.”
Tom Sorensen
Charlotte Observer
“Suddenly, I became the world’s biggest Belmont fan.”
Dom Amore
Hartford Courant
“No. 15 seed Belmont came tantalizingly close to stunning second-seeded Duke in the first round of the N.C.A.A. tournament Thursday night in a game that will most likely leave two distinct legacies.”
Pete Thamel
New York Times
Giorgianni Editorial Published in New York Times
Dr. Sal Giorgianni, assistant professor and director of experiential education and development in the School of Pharmacy, recently had his editorial titled “Before They Prescribe” published in the New York Times. Click here to read the Times’ piece.
Belmont Students Present Research
Belmont students Stephen Valenta and Lindsey Huskey presented their research at the Alpha Chi National Honor Society Region III meeting in Asheville, N.C. March 13-15. Faculty advisors Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart and Dr. Jonathon Thorndike also attended the convention. The annual Alpha Chi convention is organized around student presentations by junior and seniors from their respective chapters.
Stephen Valenta, business major and president of Belmont’s Eta Chapter of Alpha Chi, presented his research on “Working Overseas While Young.” Valenta discussed the costs and benefits for recent college graduates who pursue employment, internships or work with the Peace Corps or Christian ministries in Europe, Asia or Africa. He presented methods of finding employment through private companies, government agencies, and service organizations, and he fielded questions about opportunities from students in the audience.
Lindsey Huskey, music major, made an interdisciplinary presentation on music theory, structural analysis and performance of J. S. Bach’s “Partita No. 2 in C Minor: Sinfonia” on the piano. Drawing on the work of Douglas R. Hofstadter, Huskey presented information about Bach’s background and the traditional design of the fugue, comparing it with other patterns found in the art of M. C. Escher, mathematics, and computer code languages such as C++ and Java.
In addition to the students’ research presentations, Dr. Thorndike was re-elected to his 2nd four-year term as Secretary-Treasurer of Region III at the meeting.
Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University. Its members are invited based on their academic standing in the top 10% of the junior and senior classes within any academic major. Belmont has had an active chapter of Alpha Chi for over 25 years. Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart (Mathematics) is the current Sponsor, and Dr. Rachel Rigsby (Chemistry) is the Assistant Sponsor. Dr. Jonathan Thorndike is Region III Secretary-Treasurer. Alpha Chi Region III includes the colleges and universities with chapters in Alabama, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Entrepreneurship Student Presents Venture to Investor Panel
Andy Tabar, an Entrepreneurship student, presented a business plan for his web development company—Bizooki—to a panel of some of the best and most experienced new venture investors in the U.S.A. on Fri., March 14. Tabar’s plan was selected as one of 10 top collegiate entrepreneurial ventures invited to the Fifth Annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED) National Collegiate Venture Forum held in Santa Barbara, California.
Over a two day period, these experts in the SEED forum provide feedback on various venture aspects, including the assessment of feasibility, long-term sustainability, and identification of potential funding opportunities. In addition, participants garner a rare opportunity for budding ventures to network as they seek early stage funding. Upon completing the intensive two-day experience, Tabar noted, “The timing was right for the development of my venture. The feedback from Silicon Valley investors and fellow venture presenters and the relationships established have already had a positive impact on my thinking and venturing efforts. I plan to stay connected to SEED and its outstanding network of investors.”
Dr. Mark Schenkel, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Belmont University added, “Andy earned an amazing opportunity to present his venture at this year’s SEED forum. It is a reflection of Andy’s talent, personal drive and prospects for his venture. He was presenting among an elite group whose founding venture teams included individuals with advanced degrees (Ph.D. and MBA) from some of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. We are extremely proud of Andy’s accomplishments in the two and one half short years since he joined our Entrepreneurship Program.”
CNN has will be hosting Dr. David Newton, founder of the SEED forum, on April 14 to discuss the ventures presented at this year’s SEED competition.
Bruins Compete in NCAA First Round with Near Upset Against Duke
On the heels of its historic third consecutive A-Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Belmont Basketball faced tradition-rich Duke in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Washington, D.C. with a near upset against the Blue Devils with a final score of 71-70.
Click here to read the rest of the story from Athletics.
Click here to view student coverage of the event.
Student Audio Mixers Win Competition
Congratulations to Belmont students Chris Diener, Garrett Miller and Nick Spezia, who were winners of the 2008 Audio Engineering Society (AES) Nashville Spring Mixer competition. The Belmont mix trio beat participating teams from Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville State Technical Institute, the School of Audio Engineering and the International Academy of Design and Technology. Their mix of Faith Hill’s “Sunday Night Football” was chosen as the best mix in the competition by a panel of five industry judges: Dan Rudin, Mike Poston, Todd Robbins, Steve Bishir and Bob Olhsson.
The AES Spring Mix Competition is an annual event sponsored by Nashville’s local AES Chapter. Schools with student chapters enter one team representing their school. Each team is given eight hours to mix the same song in an identically equipped studio at CMT’s 330 Post Studios located in downtown Nashville. Mixes are judged and scored by leading industry professional engineers and producers. Winners receive a variety of prizes donated by manufacturers and local music stores.
Belmont has won the trophy three out of the last five years since the competition’s inception. This year’s win brings the trophy back home after a two-year residence at MTSU. Second time senior participant Garrett Miller notes, “The competition was a lot of fun, and it was great opportunity to hear what industry professionals have to say about mixes, especially our own mixes.”
University College Wins Marketing Awards
University College recently won several awards from the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) for its 2008 Marketing & Publications and Strategic Marketing efforts. The “Unfinished Business” postcard took home a gold medal while the billboard for the same campaign won a bronze. The “Unfinished Business” Garage TV ad also won a bronze award.
Belmont Preserves Lead in All-Sports Race
As the winter sports seasons have come to a close, the Belmont Bruins have held onto their lead in the 2007-2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Bill Bibb Trophy Standings. The Bruins have 235.5 points following the winter seasons, and are trailed by ETSU with 199.5. Belmont also leads the men’s and women’s all-sports races. In the Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy Standings for the men’s all-sports race, Belmont sits in first with 97.5 points; the Belmont women have 138 points to lead the Sherman Day Trophy Standings for the women’s all-sports race.
Belmont has the most combined team titles of any other institution, a big reason why it leads the pack in the combined all-sports race. The Bruins most recently added a men’s basketball title to a championship list that already included men’s and women’s cross country. Belmont scored 93 points during the winter seasons, the second most in the conference. They own a 36-point lead over second-place ETSU (199.5).
Alexander Serves as Keynote Speaker at Business Ethics Conference
Joe Alexander, associate dean of the Massey Graduate Business School, served as a keynote speaker for the Greater Greenville (SC) Chamber of Commerce Ethics in Business and Education conference on March 14. His presentation focused on the use of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria for creating an organizational framework for ethical behavior. Don McCabe, a Rutgers University professor of management, served as the other keynote speaker and presented the results of his national research on the ethical/unethical behaviors of K-12 and college students over the last decade. Other speakers included Debra Clements, general counsel for Milliken & Company, and Michele Brinn, vice president for workforce development and education at the Greenville Chamber. The program was sponsored by the Greenville Chamber Foundation, in partnership with Clemson University’s Robert J. Rutland Institute for Ethics, USC Upstate’s George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics and the Capital Corporation.
