The Panthers visited Smith Middle School in an effort to Promote Reading- Check out some of the highlights of the trip

More Dribbling Demonstration

The Panthers have some fun with the Smith Middle School basketball team

Coach Cole Speaks to Middle school

PANTHERS 7-0 HEADING INTO FRIDAY NIGHT GAME VS RUST

The Panthers are riding a 7 game win streak to remain undefeated on the young season after a win on the road against in-state rival Huntingdon 89-76 Saturday afternoon. BSC also sits atop the SCAC standings with a 2-0 record after wins against Centre and Depauw. Its been an exciting season so far as the Panthers have used speed, skill and depth to jump out to great start! Come out and see the Panthers and Rust College on Friday night at 6 pm as this game promises to be a matchup of two uptempo, fast paced teams!

Pictures of the day- the BSC Panthers Team at the Navy Museum in Florida

Birmingham Southern Panthers Continue Hot Play

The Panthers swept matchups with conference preseason favorites Centre and DePauw this weekend.  Panthers remain undefeated, and sit atop the standings for the SCAC.
The weekend was highlighted by great defensive effort from all of the Panthers, and strong shooting performances from Aaron Parr and Jasen Jonas, and many other Panther guards.
Many other Panthers had great weekends, including the inside force of Roger Williams and Dominic Whicher in Sundays game. 
The Panthers Coaching staff is particularly pleased with the effort on defense, and the unselfish brand of basketball being played at this time.
If you would like to see more detailed game information then please click here

A Nice picture of "President" Phil Rodgers and his secret service men at the Naval Base

Panthers take trip to Florida

The Birmingham Southern Men's Basketball team headed off to Pensacola, Florida for their first road game of the year.  Not only did the Panthers come away with a thrilling overtime victory, they had a great chance to take time to remember and honor the dedication and commitment of the US Armed forces.  On the trip, they visited the museum on the Naval air base in town.
A great time was had by all, and in the coming days- we will post some fun picts the guys took on the tour. 
Stay tuned for some great pictures of our guys enjoying the sights of the base.

Panthers off to a 3-0 Start

The Bimingham Southern Men's basketball team is off to a great start this season.  The Panthers posted three victories in their opening week.  The games were highlighted by many Panthers pouring in three point shots.  You can check out the game summary from the latest game here.

The Panthers get off to a great start!

The Panthers opened up the season with a 20 point victory over LaGrange. It was a hard fought game that was highlighted by team defense, and a flury of scoring in the second half. Check out some highlights of the game here.

NOV. 16TH BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN VS LAGRANGE

Birmingham Southern Tips Off the 2009-2010 season with its first home game on Monday Nov. 16th at 7pm vs. Lagrange College, GA. This will be the first game for both teams and it promises to be an exciting matchup in Bill Battle Coliseum. Make plans to attend the game and catch the Panthers in action for the first time this season! Southern will play 14 games at home with 11 on the road. Check the official Birmingham Southern Athletics website www.bscsports.net for more indepth information on BSC Basketball including rosters, stats, schedules and general program information! Hope to see you at the games!

BLACK AND GOLD SCRIMMAGE THURS. NOV. 5TH

Come out to the Hilltop and catch a glimpse of the 2009-2010 BSC Basketball squad as the Panthers play in the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage. A dinner starting at 6 pm for the Black Tie Club and parents will proceed the game which starts at 7pm. Hope to see everyone there as we Tip Off the season!

In Honor of the Halloween Holiday here is a video for you. Credit to Mark Messenger- BSC Jr. Forward- who asked that I post this!

Birmingham Southern Basketball- great facilities and a great place to play

PROGRAM NOTES WEEK 2

Week 2 was a tough one as we moved from drills to plays and concepts while working towards 4 on 4 and 5 on 5 action. The players responded well and are beginning to accelerate their knowledge of the system and playing the style of basketball Birmingham Southern fans have come to enjoy:94 feet of intensity on defense while displaying skill and unselfishness on offense.

After a solid intrasquad scrimmage, Week 3 has begun and the process of building toughness, unity and team chemistry continues. Our staff is anxious to see which guys can push through the mental and physical tests of the first 3-4 weeks of practice on the court and in the weightroom. With a few scrimmages coming up, we will soon see if we can carry good habits from the practice floor to game situations! Our preparation for the season is with the following quote in mind:
"Everyone has the will to win, but few have the will to PREPARE to win."

Coach Cole

Here is a good look at Mike Conley doing most the 2 Ball dribbling drills we do in practice- shout out to Ed Schilling the architect of these drills!

Practice Notes WEEK 1 BSC BASKETBALL

Coaches and players around the country are finishing up their first few sessions of fall basketball practice this week. Its an exciting time of year as the weather turns cool and gyms are filled with players and coaches with high expectations for 2009-2010. Each coach has a new "canvas", hoping to create a masterpiece on the court as they bring different talents, personalities, skills and ideas together. When it all comes together, watching a team work as a unit and flow with precision is a beatiful thing!
For us, the challenge of working out 19 players (11 returning and 8 newcomers) has been a unique experience. So besides the typical fundamental teaching on offense and defense, we have started with drills that feed the competitive nature of our team. Our strategy has been to teach the concept, drill it, then compete and see who can execute the best. The goal is for our team to recognize that technique, effort, and skill are all important to becoming a successful basketball team. Our staff has been pleased with the effort so far. After 7 straight practices, WEEK 2 starts tomorrow as we continue to build a championship caliber team!

Coach Cole

Meet Nathan West- Birmingham Southern Basketball Senior

Grizzlies Rookie DeMarre Carroll shares about his history with BSC Basketball

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRAINING CAMP @ BSC

I'd like to thank the Grizzlies Organization for selecting Birmingham Southern College as the location for their 2009 Training Camp. Last week, the BSC staff and players were able to see first hand the inner workings of an NBA team on the rise. Everyone from the owners and management, to the coaches, players and support staff worked hard to make this a week to remember.
After visiting with players and coaches, we quickly realized that life in the NBA is a marathon. Training camp alone involved 2 practices a day, treatment for injuries, weights, film, meetings, media and many other demands that make it a tough week. The team had 6 days to get ready for its first preseason game (not much time). In addition, they held an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday night (see footage below) which gave Birmingham a glance at the 2009-2010 Grizzlies!
The player who I was most excited to see was Birmingham's own DeMare Carrol. Demare grew up coming to our Basketball Camp here at BSC! He proved he belongs in the NBA all week drawing praise from the coaches and players! Good luck to Demare and the entire Memphis Grizzly Team in 2009-2010!

Coach Mitch Cole

AI knocks down a jumper at BSC

More Scrimmage Footage

Check out a little footage from the Grizzlies scrimmage at BSC

Check out the Birmingham News report on the Grizzlies game at BSC

Click here for artlicle

Check out what Mike Conley of the Memphis Grizzlies has to say about BSC Basketball

The NBA comes to BSC

The Memphis Grizzlies team will be conducting their preseason practices here on the campus of Birmingham Southern. These practices will occur throughout the next week, and they will be highlighted by a scrimmage on Sunday Oct 4th.
We welcolme the Griz and will do our best to get some good video here on the site.
Click here http://www.bscsports.net/news/2009/9/28/GEN_0928092403.aspx?path=gen to find out more information about the coming to the scrimmage!

Check out this amazing shot! I actually saw Coach Vines make this one in his Ole Miss Days!

Meet Roger Williams - BSC Basketball Senior

The Way to Live

The Way to Live
by Coach Graves

Last Friday was a great day for me. It was a day of reflection on my childhood. It was a day in which I realized that I must be getting older. It was a day that I watched two of my all time favorite players be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, John Stockton and Michel Jordan
I listed them in that order because Stockton was my favorite player of all time. I was a little point guard like Stockton, and I can’t tell you how much time I spent studying his passes, his reads on pick and rolls and, yes even his dirty little defensive tricks. I tried to play just like him.
Jordan was a different kind of favorite for me. In Michael, I watched a guy who was arguably the best player of all time. He did things that I couldn’t dream of doing. His will and determination to win were off the charts. It was a privileged to grow up watching these guys battle with Larry and Magic… oh I am really sounding old now!
I watched the ceremony and came away with a whole different level of respect for the David Robinson, who was a guy I respected as a player. As I listened to David Speak, I thought: “Now here is a guy who knows how to live!”

Check out David's speech here

In his speech he speaks words of life into his family, and he communicates a real and deep sense of Gratitude for all of the things this great game and the people who influenced him within the game. His attitude challenged me to want to live like this. We are so blessed to have this great game and so many great people in our lives.
I challenge you to spend a few minutes watching his speech, and be that one in ten that comes back and really says “THANK YOU!” to the people who are a blessing in your life!

Meet BSC Senior- Aaron Parr

Get to know the BSC Basketball players

This Blog will also provide you a chance to get to know the BSC Basketball players.  We will do a series of postings throughout the year that will introduce you current players, coaches, and former great coaches and players. 
We promise to ask some off the wall questions, so it should be interesting.
So stay tuned!

Two New Beginnings

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence

Two roads diverged in a wood

And I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost

As the summer comes to its’ inevitable end, our minds invariably turn to more serious endeavors. Gone are the days of lying around the house for hours on end watching television until we drift off into a comatose state while eating a whole wheel of cheese. Indeed, the time has come for us to put down the Wii remote and return to academia. And at any point in our lives when one phase comes to an end as another begins, it would be wise to spend a certain amount of time in reflection; not so much where we’ve been, but where we’re going. Sure, there is always some value in considering the successes and failures of our past, but a much greater value can be found in the formulation of our future goals. How, and in what spirit will we confront the challenges of tomorrow?

To the incoming freshman:

You don’t need anyone else to tell you that the start of your college career can be a strange and trying time. However, I would encourage you to do two things in the coming weeks: Follow good advice, and be yourself. One of the first teammates I met when I went to college was nicknamed Mr. T. And yes, like Mr. T, he also “pitied the fool.” The very first time my roommate and I ate lunch with Mr. T, he advised us that the start of college was very similar to entering prison. He encouraged us to beat someone up in the first week in order gain respect. I would assert here that this was very poor advice. In your first week here, you will meet people who appear to have everything figured out. They don’t. Follow the advice and instructions of your parents, professors, coaches, and trusted friends.

Secondly, many incoming freshman feel that the start of college is a time to completely change who they are. Now, if you spent the majority of your high school career playing World of Warcraft and attending Star Wars conventions, then yes, this would be the perfect opportunity to change directions. Luckily, none of our freshmen fall under this category. (That we know of.) You’ve made it to one of the elite academic institutions in the nation while placing yourself among the 1% of college freshman who will be competing in intercollegiate athletics. Continue to be yourself; it’s served you well so far.

To the returning Panthers:

CARPE DIEM! Take control of your career! Have no regrets, and leave it all on the floor. Again, it’s not about your past at this point as much as it’s about your future. Meet the frontier of the remainder of your college career with courage and character. Commit now to finishing your time on the Hilltop without regret. To borrow a line from Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, “Every passing moment is a chance to turn it all around.” In many respects, the man you become in college is the man you will be for the rest of your life. Do not choose the path of least resistance. Choose the road less traveled; this will make all the difference.

-Jonathan Vines

The Panther Pit

Welcome to the Hoopin on the Hilltop Blog

We appreciate you checking out our new venture into the world of blogging. The Hoopin' on the Hilltop blog will set out to provide an in depth look at the day to day lives and opinions of Birmingham Southern Basketball.
Hoopin' on the Hilltop was named as such because the Birmingham Southern campus is often referred to as the hilltop. Shockingly enough it is called this because it sits atop a large hill that overlooks downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
Birmingham Southern is a small academically elite, liberal arts college. It is an incredible place, but I am sure you can find all of that out by visiting other sites such as www.bsc.edu
The men's basketball program here is one of the real gems of this campus. With around 17 conference championships and 2 National Championships in the last 25 years- winning tradition truly resonates on the hilltop. Great teams don't come without great players and coaching; boasting over 55 all conference players, 2 National Players of the Year, and many coaching awards including 1 National Coach of the Year.
The school now competes at the NCAA Division 3 level, and has high hopes of a quick return back to the level of winning national championships again. BSC basketball boasts some of the finest college basketball facilities anywhere- but we promise to show you all of that in time.

Now that you know a little about who we are, we can move on to the good stuff. This blog will not be aimed at showing you all of the things you could read on the schools basketball website, but rather it will be aimed at giving you an in depth look at the coaches, the players, and the fun things that happen around here on a daily basis.
We always say that Birmingham Southern Basketball is really a family- so welcome to an inside look at our family, and some of the random thoughts we have about hoops or life in general.
Check back often. We promise to post often.