#lancaster bible

[smallcollegebasketball]

Lancaster Bible

I’m very intrigued by Lancaster Bible. 

They are currently 15-0, and they are winning by an average of 25 points per game.  The Chargers are the defending NCCAA Division II National Champions, and they haven’t lost a game since March 1, 2015 (last season). 

During the 2014-15 season, they went 28-3, so beginning with the 2014-15 season until today, the Chargers are 43-3.  Their Coach (Marshall Tague) left to take the job as the Head Coach at Columbia International in South Carolina, and Zach Filzen took over as they headed into the 2015-16 season.

CJ Dunston was the MVP of the NCCAA Division II National Championship and named First Team NCCAA Division II All American - and he was a junior - so he’s back this year, leading the Chargers by averaging 17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.3 apg & 3.2 spg while shooting over 64% from the field (and doing this in less than 30 minutes per game).

Lancaster Bible is dual-affiliated, so they are also members of NCAA Division III.  For the first time in school history, they are nationally ranked in NCAA Division III (this week they are ranked #18).

I’m anxious to follow along, as the Chargers of Lancaster Bible have me quite intrigued!

[smallcollegebasketball]

News and Observations from Small College Basketball

In no particular order:

*  Congratulations to Lincoln Memorial junior Luquon Choice on scoring his 1,000th career point.  He scored 21 points in yesterday’s 82-64 win over Catawba, which moved the Railsplitters to 14-2 on the season.

*  Congratulations to Babson junior All American Joey Flannery, who broke the school’s record for made free throws.  He broke the record during yesterday’s 92-81 win over Wheaton, and he scored 36 points and had 9 rebounds in the game.

*  Congratulations to Bryan senior All American Brandon Cole, who surpassed 2,500 career points in yesterday’s loss to Reinhardt.

*  There are no undefeated teams left in the NAIA.....

*  West Liberty is the last remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division II, and they are now 14-0.

*  In the last NCAA Division III poll, there are 6 undefeated teams in Division III.  Lancaster Bible is the lowest-ranked (#22) among those 6, but quite intriguing, as they are winning by an average margin of over 25 points per game, including a 94-66 win over Franklin & Marshall (who is ranked ahead of them at #17).  The Chargers are now 12-0 and have only had one game in single digits.   

[smallcollegebasketball]

The NCCAA

What is the NCCAA?

First, it stands for the National Christian College Athletic Association.  The Executive Director is Dan Wood, and they are headquartered in Greenville, SC, and have approximately 100 member schools (they have floated around 97 - 103 members for the last several years).

Here’s a link to their website:  www.thenccaa.org

Here’s a link to the Mission statement for the NCCAA: http://www.thenccaa.org/sports/2012/5/7/mission_statement.aspx

Here’s a link to their statement of purpose and their statement of faith: http://www.thenccaa.org/sports/2012/5/7/statement_faith.aspx

In terms of men’s basketball, the NCCAA has two divisions, NCCAA Division I and NCCAA Division II.  

The NCCAA Division I National Championship is held at Grace College (IN), and the 2016 National Championship will be held March 16-19.  The defending NCCAA Division I National Champion is Colorado Christian.

The NCCAA Division II National Championship is held at Faith Baptist Bible College (IA), and the 2016 National Championship will be held March 9-12. The defending NCCAA Division II National Champion is Lancaster Bible.