September 24, 2020
Pre-Show 5:30pm CST/ Main Event 6pm CST
TENNESSEE VIRTUAL TIP-OFF CELEBRATION presented by
www.coachesvscancertn.com
The Coaches vs. Cancer Program The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised nearly $100 million for the American Cancer Society.
Board of Ambassadors Co-Chairs
Bryan Jordan
Damon Hininger
CEO, First Horizon National Corporation
CEO, CoreCivic
Ambassadors
Charles Burkett
Chairman, First Tennessee Foundation
William Rhodes
CEO, AutoZone
Lockie Wade
Jay Harvill
Community Investment Manager First Horizon Foundation
Senior VP/Member Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance LLC
Tyler McGlaughlin
VP, Employee Benefits Division Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance LLC
David Dill
Mark Fioravanti
President & CEO LifePoint Health
President, CFO Ryman Hospitality Properties
Clay Hart
Emily Chavis
EVP, Senior Lending Officer, Pinnacle Bank
Tonna McCutcheon CGRN, ACNP, DNP Vanderbilt University Medical
Executive Assistant First Horizon
Angie Kruger Ciklin
OBGYN/ Homemaker/ CVC Board Liaison
2020 Coaches Lineup
Lennie Acuff Lipscomb Bisons
Penny Hardaway Memphis Tigers
Casey Alexander Belmont Bruins
Matt Figger Austin Peay Governors
Nick McDevitt MTSU Blue Raiders
Jerry Stackhouse Vanderbilt Commodores
Rick Barnes UT Knoxville Volunteers
Kenny Anderson Fisk Bulldogs
Brian Collins TSU Tigers
Anthony Stewart UT Martin Skyhawks
Thank you to all of our coaches for being a part of this year's event!
TENNESSEE
TIP-OFF VIRTUAL CELEBRATION
Program Welcome and Sponsor Appreciation Lindsey Langley, Tennessee Executive Director, American Cancer Society Sean Farnham, ESPN Sports Analyst
Why We Fight Bryan Jordan, CEO, First Horizon National Corporation
Interview Coach Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt University
Giving to the ACS Mission Damon Hininger, CEO, CoreCivic - Nashville
Interviews Coach Brian Collins, Tennessee State University Coach Kenneth Anderson, Fisk University Coach Matt Figger, Austin Peay State University
Mission Moment Benefiting the American Cancer Society
Interviews Coach Penny Hardaway, University of Memphis Coach Casey Alexander, Belmont University Coach Anthony Stewart, University of Tennessee Martin Coach Lennie Acuff, Lipscomb University Coach Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee State University Coach Rick Barnes, University of Tennessee
Closing Remarks Sean Farnham, ESPN Sports Analyst
Thank you to our 2020 Sponsors!
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors
Sean Farnham ESPN Sports Analyst, Host of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-off Event
Sean Farnham joined ESPN in 2010 as a college basketball analyst. He calls games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU from various conferences, including SEC, Pac-12. and West Coast Conference. In 2008, Farnham began working for CBS College Sports as a basketball analyst covering the Mountain West Conference, Atlantic-10 and Conference USA. Farnham co-hosted the afternoon drive show with Chris Meyers on Fox Sports Radio. He originally began with the network in 2004 as their lead college basketball analyst and weekend host. Farnham started his radio career in 2003 with ESPN 710 Los Angeles, where he hosted post game shows on the Lakers, UCLA and USC and also filled in on weekday programming. Starting in the fall of 2001 Farnham worked at Fox Sports Net/West covering everything from the Pac-10, Big West and WCC basketball, as well as NBA, MLB and college football. During his ten-year run at Fox Sports Net, he won two Los Angelesbased Emmy’s. Farnham was a student-athlete at UCLA where he was a freshman on the 1997 Pac10 Championship team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. He was named UCLA’s Freshman of the Year in 1997, Most Improved Player in 1999 and was the 1999-2000 co-captain with Earl Watson. In his final two seasons at UCLA, the Bruins were 16-2 in games Farnham started (14-0 in the regular season, both losses came in the NCAA Championship). Farnham was also the Chairman of the Bruins Athletic Council, and represented UCLA at the Pac-10 leadership forum both of his final two years on campus. Farnham graduated from UCLA in 2000 with a bachelors degree in history. He played high school basketball at De La Salle, the same high school as ESPN’s NBA analyst Jon Barry, in Concord, Calif. Farnham was the first to lead the Spartans to the California State Championship.
Jared Stillman 102.5 The Game, Host of Jared and the GM
Nashville-born Jared Stillman is known in Nashville for his unique style & opinionated takes. He is young, confident and loves to talk sports. His on air experience started in 2013 hosting his own sports talk show on WKXL in Concord, NH, then serving as the co host/producer alongside Drew Deener on ESPN Radio’s Louisville affiliate. Stillman also hosted ESPN Louisville Football pre and post game shows before he made his way back home to Nashville in 2015. Jared graduated from the University of Louisville in 2012, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration. In 2019 Jared partnered with numerous charitable endeavors to give back to the Nashville community such as: LP Pencil Box, serving as a host for NABC’s Coaches v. Cancer tip-off event, teaming with Nashville Predators Foundation and Kaboom! to help playgrounds for Nashville-area schools and was recently named to the advisory board of Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School.
Jerry Stackhouse Vanderbilt University, Head Coach
Jerry Stackhouse is now in his second season at the helm of the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team in 2020-21. He was named the program’s 28th head coach on April 5, 2019. In his first season with the Commodores, Stackhouse’s ability to push his team to its fullest potential was on display. His creative offensive sets enabled Vanderbilt star Aaron Nesmith to lead the nation in 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage (before a foot injury sidelined him after 14 games) and propelled junior guard Saben Lee to three 30-point games and a second-team All-SEC selection. As head coach of Raptors 905, Stackhouse earned NBA G League Coach of the Year honors after he steered the team to a 39-11 regular season record and 6-1 playoff record in 2016-17, en route to the team’s first NBA G League championship. The following season, Stackhouse led the Raptors 905 to a 31-19 regular season record and a second straight appearance in the NBA G League Finals.Prior to taking the head coaching job in the G League, Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors during the 2015-16 season. Stackhouse appeared in 970 games (564 starts) for eight teams during his 18-year NBA career and averaged 16.9 points, 3.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 31.2 minutes. A two-time All-Star with the Detroit Pistons (2000, 2001), Stackhouse posted career highs of 29.8 points (second in the NBA) during the 2000-01 season, leading the league in total points and free throws made. He reached the 2006 NBA Finals as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. After playing for legendary head coach Dean Smith and earning Sports Illustrated Player of the Year, All-America first team and All-ACC honors at North Carolina, Stackhouse was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He was named to the 1995-96 NBA All-Rookie first team after leading all firstyear players in scoring (19.8 points).
Matt Figger Austin Peay State University, Head Coach
2017-18 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year Matt Figger built on an outstanding first season in Clarksville and led the Govs to new heights in his second season. In his second season, the Govs reached 20 victories for the first time since 2010-11, winning the in-season St. Pete Shootout and again advancing to the OVC Tournament semifinals-the second time in as many years under Figger and third time in four years overall. The Governor's success in the OVC made Figger the first Austin Peay coach with double-digit conference wins in his first two seasons and put the Govs over the 10-win plateau in league play in back-to-back years for the first time since 2009-10 and 2010-11. Figger came to Austin Peay on the heels of a whirlwind Final Four run as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under Frank Martin at South Carolina. The Gamecocks were the East Region champion, taking down Marquette, Duke, Baylor and Florida on the way to Phoenix. Figger's first Division I coaching experience came with John Pelphrey at South Alabama, helping lead the Jaguars to a Sun Belt Tournament title in 2006 and a regular-season championship in 2007. After building through recruiting the first three years under Pelphrey, the Jaguars broke through in 2006 with 24 wins, a 14-game improvement that was the biggest turnaround in the NCAA that season. Figger helpd the Jaguars advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 1998, where they bowed out to eventual national champion Florida in the first round. In his Division I stops at South Carolina, Kansas State and South Alabama, Figger made three NIT and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16 and two Elite Eight appearances, in addition to the 2017 Final Four. In all, Figger advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament four times. He coached five NJCAA All-Americans-Marion, Mitchell Dunn, DeShay Jones, Tarone Barker and Janavor Weatherspoon-and had 35 players sign Division I scholarships.
Kenny Anderson Fisk University, Head Coach
Anderson played two years for Georgia Tech as the team's starting point guard, helping lead the team to the Final Four in 1990, along with swing-men Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver. The trio was nicknamed "Lethal Weapon 3". Despite winning the ACC title, they entered the NCAA tourney as only a four seed. They proceeded to sweep through a Shaq-led LSU team and two Big 10 teams on their way to the Final Four. Georgia Tech's tournament run ended against eventual champions UNLV in the Final Four. Anderson was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the second pick in the 1991 NBA draft. He was the youngest player in the league in his rookie year, and averaged seven points, two rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. In Anderson's second season he nearly doubled his point, rebound, and assist averages. In his third season, he averaged 18.8 points and 9.6 assists. Anderson and teammate Derrick Coleman represented the East squad in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game. In 1996 Anderson signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1998, the Trail Blazers traded Anderson, along with Alvin Williams, Gary Trent, and two 1998 first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Damon Stoudamire, Carlos Rogers, Walt Williams, and a 1998 second-round pick. However he refused to report to the team because he did not want to play in Canada, which prompted the Raptors to trade him to the Boston Celtics, along with Žan Tabak and Popeye Jones for John Thomas, Chauncey Billups, and Dee Brown. Anderson spent a considerable amount of time as a Celtic before he was sent to the Seattle SuperSonics, along with Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte, and in a package for Vin Baker and Shammond Williams. At the 2003 NBA trade deadline, Anderson was dealt back to the Hornets, who had since relocated to New Orleans, for Elden Campbell. He then played as a reserve point guard for the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Brian Collins Tennessee State University, Head Coach
Brian “Penny” Collins was officially named the Head Coach of the TSU men’s basketball program on March 26, 2018. A proven winner as a coach and player with deep ties to Nashville, Collins is the 18th head coach in program history. A former member of TSU’s coaching staff, Collins spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach at Illinois State under Dan Muller. In his lone season in Normal, Ill., Collins helped propel the Redbirds to an 18-15 record and a berth in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Game. Collins’ teams have played in their conference’s championship game in each of the past five seasons. He served as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons in a span when the Buccaneers went 51-20. During his time in Johnson City, Collins got his first taste of the NCAA Tournament from a coaching perspective when the Bucs won the Southern Conference Tournament Championship in 2017 – earning a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A former standout during his playing career at Belmont, Collins got his start in the coaching industry as a graduate assistant at TSU under then-head coach Cy Alexander during the 2007-08 season. He became TSU’s Director of Basketball Operations in 2008-09. In his first head coaching experience, Collins led Columbia State, a community college in Columbia, Tenn., from 2012-15. His tenure at Columbia State was highlighted by back-to-back NJCAA National Tournament appearances, including runs to the Elite Eight in 2014 and the Sweet 16 in 2015. Collins was named 2014 Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year and 2015 NJCAA District 7 Coach of the Year after winning the Region 7 Championship. Collins is married to Lakeya Collins and has one son, History.
Penny Hardaway University of Memphis, Head Coach
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, a two-time All-American and a four-time NBA All-Star during his playing days, returned to his alma mater in the spring of 2018. Hardaway was introduced as University of Memphis men's basketball coach during a press conference at the LaurieWalton Family Basketball Center on the Park Avenue Campus. Hardaway became the school's 19th coach and the third former Tiger player in the modern era (since WWII) to lead the program, following Wayne Yates (1974-79) and Larry Finch (1986-97). Hardaway, who played for Finch, began his first job as a college head coach after a successful run at East High School. East High won state titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018. With Hardaway serving as head coach, the Mustangs defeated Whitehaven High for the 2018 Class AAA championship. A two-time All-American and two-time Great Midwest Conference Player of the Year, Hardaway averaged 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.4 steals in 1992-93. After his junior year, Hardaway declared for the NBA Draft and began a 14-year pro career with the Orlando Magic (1993-99), the Phoenix Suns (1999-2004), the New York Knicks (2004-06) and the Miami Heat (2007). Hardaway started in the NBA All-Star Game the following two seasons. During the 1997 NBA playoffs, he had the distinction of becoming the first player to score 40 or more points in back-to-back games against a Pat Riley-coached team when he had 42 and 41 in consecutive outings against the Miami Heat. Known for his support of the University of Memphis through the years, Hardaway donated $1 million in 2008 for the school's sports Hall of Fame building, which bears his name. Hardaway returned to school and graduated in May 2003 with a bachelor's degree in professional studies.
Anthony Stewart University of Tennessee-Martin, Head Coach
Anthony Stewart is in his fifth season as head coach of the UT Martin men's basketball program in 2020-21. Since Stewart joined the Skyhawk program as the associate head coach under Heath Schroyer in 2014, the team has compiled 85 victories (most in a five-year span in the school's Division-I Era). That includes three 20-win campaigns from 2014-17, which was the first time a UT Martin team had won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons. Also in that span, the Skyhawks have won five postseason games and was the only Ohio Valley Conference school to win at least one postseason game in each of the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Stewart presided over a milestone season in 2016-17 as UT Martin's 22 wins equaled the school record for most single-season victories. The Skyhawks shattered the school's single-season record in points (2,693), field goals (966), rebounds (1,312) and assists (555). UT Martin won its first-ever outright OVC West division championship and advanced to the OVC Tournament championship game for the second consecutive year. After his debut season, Stewart was selected as one of 21 finalists for the 2017 Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, given annually to the nation's top Division-I minority head coach. His 22 wins were the third-highest total of the 29 firstyear head coaches in Division-I basketball, trailing only New Mexico State's Paul Weir (28) and Valparaiso's Matt Lottich (24). A native of Akron, Ohio, Stewart played collegiality at University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. He was a two-time Most Valuable Player in basketball while he also lettered three years on the Mount Union baseball squad as a pitcher. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management in 1993 before completing his Master's degree in business administration from Chancellor University in Cleveland in 2006.
Nick McDevitt Middle Tennessee State University, Head Coach
Nick McDevitt was announced on March 24, 2018, as the 20th head coach of the Middle Tennessee men’s basketball program. The Marshall, N.C., native comes to Murfreesboro after a five-year stint as the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he led the Bulldogs to a 98-66 overall record including three consecutive 20-win campaigns in the last three seasons. McDevitt’s Bulldogs made three consecutive postseason appearances, starting with a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 before making the 2017 CollegeInsider.com Tournament and the 2018 National Invitation Tournament. McDevitt was also a 2017 finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award. Named after the late Skip Prosser, who passed suddenly in 2007 while the head coach at Wake Forest, the award is presented annually to those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who also display moral integrity off of it as well. In 2016, McDevitt guided UNC Asheville through the Big South Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, his first as a head coach. In 17 seasons on the Bulldog staff McDevitt led his squads to seven postseason trips, including four NCAA Tournaments that featured a pair of wins in play-in games in 2003 and 2011. The Bulldogs have won seven regular season titles in their history, six of which McDevitt has been a part of as either a player or coach. The Blue Raiders’ new head man earned his bachelor’s degree in history from UNC Asheville in 2001. He was twice named to the Big South Conference All-Academic team and was a member of the Dean’s List four different times at UNC Asheville. McDevitt resides in Murfreesboro with his wife, Lauren, and their two children, Cooper and Kathryn.
Casey Alexander Belmont University, Head Coach
Casey Alexander was introduced as the 10th head men's basketball coach in program history Wednesday, April 10, 2019. He begins his second season as head coach in 2020-21. Inheriting the Bruin program from hall of fame coach Rick Byrd, Alexander led Belmont to Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles, and the program's ninth NCAA Tournament bid since 2006. Alexander's 26 victories represented the most by any first-year head coach in NCAA Division I in 201920, and Belmont's victory at Boston College became the latest Power 5 Conference conquest. When coupled with his final two seasons at Lipscomb, Alexander is one of only seven NCAA Division I head coaches (outside P5, Big East, AAC) to amass at least 78 victories over the last three seasons, joining John Becker (Vermont), Randy Bennett (St. Mary's (CA), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Chris Jans (New Mexico State), Wes Miller (UNCG) and Craig Smith (Utah State). Belmont ranked top 20 nationally in 11 statistical categories, including first in assists per game and total assists. Prior to his first head coaching opportunity, Alexander spent two decades at Belmont; first as a player and later as a member of Rick Byrd's coaching staff. A product of nearby Brentwood Academy, Alexander played point guard for Byrd at Belmont from 1991-95. As a senior in 1995, Alexander directed the then-Rebels to a 37-2 record, a No. 1 national ranking and an appearance in the NAIA National Semifinals. Belmont won 287 games with Alexander on staff. Over Alexander's last eight seasons, the Bruins tallied 172 victories, six postseason appearances, four Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championships, four Atlantic Sun Conference tournament titles, a remarkable 132-41 record in Atlantic Sun play, and road victories over Missouri, Alabama, and Cincinnati. Alexander's final season as a Byrd assistant in 2011 was arguably the finest in program history; Belmont went 30-5 and led the nation in scoring margin. Alexander was inducted into the Belmont University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. Alexander and his wife, the former Sunni Dixon, also a 1995 Belmont graduate, are the parents of three children: Allie, Reed and Mason.
Lennie Acuff Lipscomb University, Head Coach
Lennie Acuff was named the 19th head men’s basketball coach at Lipscomb University on April 23, 2019, with his official welcome and press conference the following day on campus. With a 30-year storied coaching career, Acuff has established himself a proven winner and one of the best teachers in the game. To make things tough for Acuff, who was already entering his first coaching job at the Division I level, the Bisons had seven players, more than 7,700 career points and 3,000 career rebounds walk out the door prior to his arrival in 2019-20. Not only did he have to work eight first-year players into the roster, but there were only two guys on the team who had ever started a game. But for a coach with more than 550 wins over his career, Acuff was ready for the challenge. He continued to tell anyone who would listen that 2019-20 would be a “jumping on point” for the program. Glancing back on his first D-I campaign, it sure looks like he was right. He pushed his team to its fullest potential and put the Bisons back in the ASUN Conference championship game for a third straight season. He guided Lipscomb to a 16-16 overall record and coached a team picked fifth in the preseason to a third-place finish in the league (9-7) after winning eight of the final 10 games. The 16 wins were the most by a first-year head coach in Lipscomb’s Division I era. Acuff’s creative game planning and offensive sets brought forth a different style of play Lipscomb fans had come accustomed to over the last few seasons. It enabled sophomore big man Ahsan Asadullah to post a season line that had only been accomplished once in Division I since 1992-93, averaging 18.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 3.9 apg. Former LSU star and current Philadelphia 76er point guard Ben Simmons was the only other player to achieve those numbers in 2015-16. Prior to arriving in Nashville, Acuff spent the previous 22 seasons at the helm of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he built the Chargers program into a national power with a 437-214 overall records
Rick Barnes University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Head Coach
Tennessee’s fortunes on the hardwood have never looked brighter, as Rick Barnes, the most decorated and accomplished head coach in school history, has led the Volunteers to new heights in his four seasons on Rocky Top. The 2019-20 campaign will be his fifth at Tennessee and his 33rd as a head coach. Barnes is the reigning Naismith College Coach of the Year after guiding Tennessee to a school-record-tying 31 wins and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018-19. The Vols also authored a program-record 19-game win streak, logged three wins over top-five opponents and spent a month ranked atop both major Top 25 polls. The marriage of Barnes' Hall of Fame-worthy résumé-highlighted by more than 690 career Division I head coaching wins, the seventh-most among active coaches and Tennessee’s world-class facilities, fervent fan base and outstanding athletic and academic resources, clearly has the Vols poised to consistently compete for championships. Barnes was named the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year and was runner-up for Naismith National Coach of the Year after Tennessee became one of only eight “Power Five” teams to increase its overall wins total by 10 or more games from 2016-17. The Vols also were one of only eight “Power Five” programs to win at least 13 games away from home in 2017-18, leading to a year-end RPI of No. 10 while playing the 11th-toughest schedule in the country. In 32 overall seasons as a Division I head coach, Barnes has led his teams to 24 total NCAA Tournament berths, seven Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one Final Four in 2003. In 2019, he became just the third head coach ever to lead three different Division I programs to the Sweet Sixteen (Clemson, Texas and Tennessee). He and his wife, Candy-who is also a Hickory native-have a son, Nick, and a daughter, Carley. She and her husband, Josh Lickteig, have four children: Avery, Caleb, Emma and Isla.
When you give to the American Cancer Society and the Coaches vs. Cancer program, you help us give more people more of their most precious commodity: time. With your help, we are saving lives and celebrating life, every single day. We combine a century of experience in the fight against cancer with an incredible passion to see a world without the disease. We fight for everyone, against every cancer, in every community and we're getting results.
Thank you for helping us raise funds through the Coaches vs. Cancer program and for making an impact in the fight against cancer.
@CoachesvsCancerTN CoachesvsCancerTN.com
bbb.org/charity