Chris Graves Named New Birmingham Southern Head Basketball Coach

On June 3, 2011 Chris Graves succeeded Mitch Cole as Head Coach of the Panthers. Graves served as Assistant Coach for three seasons under Cole from 2008-2011. Through tenacious recruiting and innovative defensive strategy, Graves’ steady hand helped guide the Panthers to a 2010 Eastern Division crown, as well as an outright SCAC Conference Championship in 2011. BSC Athletic Director Joe Dean Jr. had this to say of Graves:

“We are very fortunate to have a person and coach of Chris Graves’ caliber right here on our staff to continue the tradition of winning basketball at Birmingham-Southern. Chris has seven years of college experience and has a remarkable record of achievement as a high school head coach as well. He has been an integral part of our program the past three seasons, two of which have resulted in conference championships. We look forward to moving forward under Chris’ leadership.”

Prior to BSC, Graves coached at both the high school and NCAA Division 1 levels. At Pell City High School (2006-2008) Graves was the architect of the greatest single-season turnaround in school history, going from four wins in the 2006-07 season to twenty-four wins during the 2007-08 campaign. He was awarded the County coach of the year following this turnaround season. In Nashville, TN, Graves averaged 25+ wins for three years at Columbia Central High School (2003-2005) where he was twice awarded  District Coach of The Year honors. In Division 1, Graves served as Assistant Coach at Tennessee State University (2001-2003) and was a graduate assistant at The University of Arkansas (1999-2001). Coach Graves is eager to connect BSC’s rich tradition to its’ bright future and welcomes the challenges that lie ahead:

“I would like to thank BSC President General Charles Krulak, Joe Dean, my family, and the entire Panther community for this great opportunity. I consider it an honor to be named the head basketball coach of this outstanding program. Birmingham Southern basketball has a rich history of championship level basketball, coupled with a history of producing some of the brightest graduates you will find. We return the core of a conference championship team this season, and I am excited about the things in store for this program. I challenge people to support our program. It represents everything that is right about college basketball.”

Summer Individual Skills Camp Date Set

The BSC Summer Fundamental skills camp will be a great place for kids and teens to learn the game of basketball in a fun-filled environment.
We can't wait to see you there again. You can click HERE to download the camp sign up sheet.

Coach Mitch Cole named South Region Coach of the Year

Birmingham-Southern College head men’s basketball coach Mitch Cole is the South Region Coach of the Year, according to D3hoops. The announcement was made last Friday in Minneapolis.


Cole led the Panthers to a 23-4 overall record in 2010-11 and a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. BSC was 14-2 in conference play in its last season as a provisional member of NCAA Division III. The Panthers will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play in 2011-12.

Cole's squad ended the season by winning the NCAA Division III Provisional Tournament Championship in Steubenville, Ohio.


Since taking over as head coach in 2006, Cole has rebuilt the Panther program after the transition from NCAA Division I to III. His teams are 67-35 during that time, including a SCAC East Division title in 2009-10.

A Great Spotlight on the Panthers Championship Victory

Please take a couple of minutes to click HERE to find a great article on the Panthers championship season!

Meet The Panthers Senior Patrick Price

Panthers Win SCAC Championship!

The Birmingham Southern Panthers won the SCAC Conference Championship for the 2010-2011 season by defeating Centre College in a hard fought battle between the two top seeded teams in the conference on Sunday.  The win wrapped up the SCAC campaign for the Panthers with a 14-2 conference record, and it moved the Panthers to a 21-3 overeall record to this point in the season. The win also extended Southern's home game winning streak to 30 games.
The championship game was a tremendous accomplishment for Coach Cole and a fitting last home game for the four Panther Seniors: Mark Messenger, Patrick Price, Isiah Doaty, and Phil Rogers.
To read the exciting details of the ballgame please click HERE .
We thank all of the great supporters of BSC Basketball, the Black Tie Club, the parents, the game day supporting cast, and the Panther Pit student section for making Bill Battle one of the great places in the country to play college basketball.
Southern will return to action with a road game at The University of New Orleans on Thursday, and a post season tournament in Stubenville, Ohio on March 4-5 where they hope to claim yet another title for this season.

I must admit I stole this idea from #3 but here is some inspiration for D this weekend