Bellarmine Knights men's basketball

The Bellarmine Knights men's basketball team represents Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The Knights now compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) at the NCAA Division I level, after being a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) from the conference's founding in 1972 through the 2019–20 season. They are currently led by head coach Scott Davenport and play their home games on campus at Knights Hall.

Bellarmine Knights men's basketball
2024–25 Bellarmine Knights men's basketball team
University	Bellarmine University
Head coach	Scott Davenport (20th season)
Conference	ASUN
Location	Louisville, Kentucky
Arena	Knights Hall (capacity: 2,196)
Nickname	Knights
Colors	Scarlet and silver[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament champions
2011*
NCAA tournament Final Four
2011*, 2012*, 2015*, 2017*,
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2011*, 2012*, 2015*, 2017*,
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2009*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2017*, 2019*
NCAA tournament second round
1965*, 1989*, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2015*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019*
NCAA tournament appearances
1963*, 1965*, 1969*, 1970*, 1977*, 1982*, 1984*, 1989*, 1991*, 2009*, 2010*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015*, 2016*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019* *at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
GLVC: 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019 ASUN: 2022
Conference regular season champions
GLVC: 1991, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

History

The program began in 1950, coinciding with the opening of Bellarmine College.^[2] The team played its first game on December 27, 1950, against St. Mary's College.^[3] The team joined the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) in 1951 and remained in the conference until 1964. The Knights won the program's first conference title under Alex Groza when the team won the 1963 KIAC regular season and tournament titles.^[4] In addition Groza was named the KIAC coach of the year.^[4] That season also marked the first bid to the NCAA College Division, now Division II, basketball tournament.^[5]

Prior to the Division I transition, BU became one of the country's premier NCAA Division II college basketball programs. The Knights won five Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament championships in 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 and won GLVC regular season champion in 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18. In NCAA postseason play, the Knights made 11-straight NCAA DII postseason appearances from 2009 to 2019, including four Division II Final Four appearances and won the 2011 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.^[5][6] The 2011 victory marked the first athletic national championship in the university's history.^[7]

It was on March 26, 2011, that the Knights won their first NCAA Division II National Championship, led by guards Jeremy Kendle and Braydon Hobbs.^[8] The Knights defeated BYU–Hawaii for the title, 71–68.^[9] The championship game aired on national television on the CBS network.^[9] An estimated 2,906 fans were in attendance for the championship game,^[10] most of which were Bellarmine fans that had made the 900-mile (1,400 km) trip from Louisville to watch the Knights compete in the championship held in Springfield, Massachusetts at the MassMutual Center.

Division I transition

On June 19, 2019, the university's athletic program officially announced it accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference) and transition to NCAA Division I beginning in the 2020–21 school year.^[11] The transition sent the Knights, a Division II perennial power during the first two decades of the 21st century, into a multiyear transition process.^[11] During the four-year process to transition, Bellarmine competed at the Division I level, but could not qualify for NCAA-organized postseason play (i.e., the Division I tournament and the NIT). The Knights were eligible to participate postseason events not organized by the NCAA, such as the College Basketball Invitational and The Basketball Classic.^[12][13]

After a preseason shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights played their first game at the Division I level on the road against the sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils. It was a historic night for the program, albeit in a quieter than usual Cameron Indoor Stadium. Despite staying close for the first half, Bellarmine ended up falling short to Duke, 76–54. Junior guard Dylan Penn entered the history books during the game, as he was responsible for scoring the first ever points in Bellarmine's history at the Division I level.

Two days after the loss to Duke, Bellarmine made a different kind of history for the program, which was undoubtedly more positive. On December 6, 2020, the Knights traveled to the doorsteps of Howard University and dismantled the Bison 84–63 to notch their first ever win at the Division I level.

Bellarmine had a very successful first season at the Division I level. They dropped their first two games of ASUN play to Lipscomb, but were undeterred. The Knights rattled off 10 consecutive wins to send a strong message to the rest of the conference. They went undefeated on the road in conference play, with a 6–0 record. At one point, Bellarmine had the fourth longest winning streak in the country.

The Knights were so successful that their regular season finale against Liberty got moved to ESPNU, because it was a de facto winner-take-all game for the regular-season conference championship. Bellarmine fell short, 94–78, but they achieved a COVID sellout of over 2,700 fans.

The Knights were ineligible for the NCAA tournament and the NIT, but they were invited to the 2021 CBI Tournament. Held in Daytona Beach, Florida, Bellarmine defeated Army, 77–67, in the quarterfinals of the tournament, before falling short to Pepperdine, 82–71, in the semifinals.

After being picked to finish last in the conference during the preseason, Bellarmine finished their first Division I season with a 14–8 overall record, including a 10–3 mark in conference play that helped them finish second in the ASUN. They also recorded the first Division I postseason victory in program history. Forward Pedro Bradshaw and guard Dylan Penn were honored for their outstanding seasons, as Bradshaw was the runner-up for ASUN Player of the Year and was a unanimous All-ASUN First Team selection, while Penn also earned All-ASUN First Team honors.

Postseason

CBI results

The Knights have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2021	First round Semifinals	Army Pepperdine	W 77–67 L 71–82

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Knights have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament twenty times. They finished with a record of 32–22.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1963	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Oglethorpe Austin Peay	L 49–57 W 96–86
1965	Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Norfolk State Evansville	W 91–74 L 74–81
1969	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Alcorn State Transylvania	L 75–76 L 64–65
1970	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Tennessee State Transylvania	L 77–82 W 114–62
1977	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Eastern Illinois Youngstown State	L 72–87 L 79–81
1982	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Central State Wright State	L 61–63 L 86–87
1984	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Lewis Cal State Bakersfield	L 87–93 W 81–71
1989	Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Ferris State Kentucky Wesleyan	W 108–92 L 77–84
1991	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Grand Valley State Missouri Western State	L 73–78 W 94–83
2009	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Kentucky Wesleyan Lake Superior State Findlay	W 76–65 W 92–83 L 86–89
2010	First round Regional semifinals	Central State Quincy	W 70–66 L 61–66
2011	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship	Indianapolis Northern Kentucky Ferris State Midwestern State Minnesota State BYU–Hawaii	W 84–70 W 87–82 W 86–66 W 70–64 W 81–74 W 71–68
2012	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals	Lewis Findlay Kentucky Wesleyan Alabama–Huntsville Montevallo	W 86–63 W 86–63 W 79–74 W 82–73 L 72–79
2013	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Indianapolis Southern Indiana Drury	W 67–61 W 78–55 L 61–67
2014	Regional Quarterfinals	Indianapolis	L 75–80
2015	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals	Drury Lake Superior State Indianapolis Minnesota State–Moorhead Florida Southern	W 84–60 W 85–59 W 81–72 W 92–75 L 76–79
2016	Regional Quarterfinals	Ferris State	L 84–100
2017	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals Quarterfinals Semifinals	Wisconsin–Parkside Quincy Findlay Colorado Mines Fairmont State	W 72–61 W 93–64 W 84–66 W 92–72 L 68–79
2018	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals	Truman Findlay	W 82–65 L 73–74
2019	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Walsh Findlay Southern Indiana	W 81–61 W 74–59 L 69–74

Record year-by-year

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Bellarmine College Knights (Independent) (1950–1951)
1950–51	Norb Raque	2–12
Bellarmine College Knights (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1951–1963)
1951–52	Norb Raque	5–17
1952–53	Eddie Weber	9–13
1953–54	Eddie Weber	14–8
1954–55	Eddie Weber	8–14
1955–56	Paulie Miller	6–14
1956–57	Paulie Miller	13–11
1957–58	Gene Kenney	17–9
1958–59	Gene Kenney	6–18
1959–60	Alex Groza	7–15
1960–61	Alex Groza	11–17
1961–62	Alex Groza	11–11
1962–63	Alex Groza	21–6		1st	NCAA DII first round
Bellarmine College Knights (Independent) (1963–1978)
1963–64	Alex Groza	13–12
1964–65	Alex Groza	15–8			NCAA DII second round
1965–66	Alex Groza	13–8
1966–67	Jim Spalding	12–13
1967–68	Jim Spalding	13–12
1968–69	Jim Spalding	19–9			1969 NCAA DII first round
1969–70	Jim Spalding	17–10			1970 NCAA DII first round
1970–71	Jim Spalding	10–16
1971–72	Joe Reibel	9–17
1972–73	Joe Reibel	12–14
1973–74	Joe Reibel	12–13
1974–75	Joe Reibel	15–10
1975–76	Joe Reibel	18–7
1976–77	Joe Reibel	17–11
1977–78	Joe Reibel	16–10			1977 NCAA DII first round
Bellarmine College Knights (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (1978–2000)
1978–79	Joe Reibel	14–12	4–4	T–2nd
1979–80	Joe Reibel	17–9	7–3	2nd
1980–81	Joe Reibel	16–10	4–6	4th
1981–82	Joe Reibel	20–9	9–3	T–2nd	1982 NCAA DII first round
1982–83	Joe Reibel	13–14	5–7	T–4th
1983–84	Joe Reibel	21–9	8–4	3rd	1984 NCAA DII first round
1984–85	Joe Reibel	8–19	3–11	T–5th
1985–86	Joe Reibel	13–14	7–9	T–5th
1986–87	Joe Reibel	17–10	10–6	T–2nd
1987–88	Joe Reibel	11–17	6–10	T–5th
1988–89	Joe Reibel	22–8	11–5	2nd	1989 NCAA DII second round
1989–90	Joe Reibel	16–11	10–8	T–3rd
1990–91	Joe Reibel	24–6	14–4	T–1st	1991 NCAA DII first round
1991–92	Joe Reibel	17–11	10–8	3rd
1992–93	Joe Reibel	7–20	4–14	T–7th
1993–94	Joe Reibel	11–16	5–13	7th
1994–95	Bob Valvano	10–14	4–14	6th
1995–96	Bob Valvano	12–16	5–15	8th
1996–97	Bob Valvano	16–11	9–11	T–4th
1997–98	Bob Valvano	17–10	11–7	T–5th
1998–99	Charlie Just	10–18	7–15	T–8th
1999–00	Charlie Just	13–14	8–12	T–5th
Bellarmine University Knights (Great Lakes Valley Conference) (2000–2020)
2000–01	Charlie Just	14–13	11–9	T–4th
2001–02	Charlie Just	12–15	9–11	T–5th
2002–03	Chris Pullem	10–18	5–15	T–7th
2003–04	Chris Pullem	9–18	6–14	8th
2004–05	Chris Pullem	9–18	4–16	9th
2005–06	Scott Davenport	14–14	11–8	3rd (East)
2006–07	Scott Davenport	12–15	11–8	5th (East)
2007–08	Scott Davenport	14–14	11–8	T–3rd (East)
2008–09	Scott Davenport	26–7	13–5	2nd (East)	2009 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2009–10	Scott Davenport	23–9	12–6	3rd (East)	2010 NCAA DII second round
2010–11	Scott Davenport	33–2	17–1	1st (East)	2011 NCAA DII National Champions
2011–12	Scott Davenport	29–4	16–2	1st (East)	2012 NCAA DII Final Four
2012–13	Scott Davenport	24–8	12–6	T–3rd (East)	2013 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2013–14	Scott Davenport	23–8	12–6	3rd (East)	2014 NCAA DII first round
2014–15	Scott Davenport	31–4	17–1	T–1st (East)	2015 NCAA DII Final Four
2015–16	Scott Davenport	23–7	15–3	T–1st (East)	2016 NCAA DII first round
2016–17	Scott Davenport	32–4	17–1	1st (East)	2017 NCAA DII Final Four
2017–18	Scott Davenport	29–3	16–2	1st (East)	2018 NCAA DII Second Four
2018–19	Scott Davenport	28–5	14–4	2nd	2019 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen
2019–20	Scott Davenport	20–8	13–7	5th	2020 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
Bellarmine University Knights (Atlantic Sun Conference) (2020–present)
2020–21	Scott Davenport	14–8	10–3	2nd	2021 College Basketball Invitational
2021-22	Scott Davenport	20-13	11-5	3rd
Total:		1084–812	???–???
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

• Totals updated through 2020–21 season.^[3][14]

Facilities

The Knights played their home games at the on-campus Knights Hall from the venue's opening in 1960 through the 2019–20 season. It has a capacity of 2,196 and also hosts the school's volleyball team.^[15]

On November 2, 2020, the university announced a multi-year deal with the Kentucky State Fair Board to use Freedom Hall, located at the Kentucky Exposition Center near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, for men's and women's basketball home games. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Knights would have been able to seat only 300 at their on-campus facility. Freedom Hall's basketball capacity of 18,252 allowed Bellarmine to seat 2,700 for games in its first D-I season. Freedom Hall, which opened in 1956, is best known as having been home to Louisville Cardinals men's basketball from its opening until the 2010 opening of the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, and was also home to the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA.^[16]

Bellarmine returned basketball to Knights Hall in 2024–25, coinciding with the end of the school's Division I transition.^[17]

References

1. Bellarmine Athletic Branding Draft (PDF). August 12, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
2. Kleber, John E. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 68–69. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
3. "Bellarmine University Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Bellarmine University. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
4. "OVAC Hall of Fame: Alex Groza". Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
5. "NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
6. Haeberle, Bennett (March 26, 2011). "Bellarmine Knights win Div. II basketball title". WDRB. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
7. Jung, Chris (March 24, 2011). "Bellarmine Will Play For National Title". Catholic Sports Net. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
8. "TRIO OF THE YEAR: Bellarmine's Benedetti, Hobbs, Kendle share College Notebook Male Athlete of the Year honor". News and Tribune.
9. "Bellarmine Wins First National Championship". NCAA. March 28, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
10. Gallant, erik (March 29, 2011). "Your comments: D2 Elite Eight needed more time to grow in Springfield". MassLive.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
11. Hardwig, Greg (June 19, 2019). "What is the impact of Bellarmine joining the ASUN?". Naples Daily News. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
12. Sarah Ladd, and Tessa Duvall (June 19, 2019). "How will Bellarmine's leap to Division I impact the university's students?". Courier Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
13. Vannozzi, Russell (June 17, 2019). "Bellarmine set for jump to Division I, will join ASUN Conference". Mid Major Madness. SB Nation. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
14. "Men's Basketball Archive". GLVC. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
15. "Facilities: Knights Hall". Bellarmine Knights. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
16. "Iconic Freedom Hall to become home for men's and women's basketball teams" (Press release). Bellarmine Knights. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
17. "NCAA basketball returns to Knights Hall as Bellarmine celebrates full Division I membership after successful reclassification process" (Press release). Bellarmine Knights. August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.

External links

• Official website