PLATINUM BRUIN CLUB TRIP

FORMER BRUINS PICK UP

THE WHISTLE Recently, several former Belmont student-athletes have entered the coaching ranks at various levels across the country. The next generation of Bruin coaches join other established Bruin coaching alumni such as Casey Alexander, Jeff Langdon, Mauricio Antun, Mick Hedgepeth, Brian “Penny” Collins, Craig Bradshaw, Reece Chamberlain, Sierra Jones, Cristin Czubick Allen, Kyle Roelke, Adam Sonn and more.

BRUIN ALUMNI ‘21

LUKE SMITH

MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH

KNOXVILLE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL // KNOWVILLE, TN

Last November, Knoxville Catholic High School announced Luke Smith as the next head basketball coach of the Fighting Irish following the retirement of Coach Michael Hutchens after the 2021-2022 basketball season.

Smith is a 2017 graduate of Knoxville Catholic and played under Coach Hutchens from 2014-17, where he was a TSSAA 2017 Mr. Basketball Finalist, a member of the 2017 All-State Team and the captain of the Fighting Irish 2017 State Runner-Up Team. Smith signed with Sewanee: The University of the South, where he led the Tigers to become the 2019 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament Champions and advanced the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. He was also the 2019 SAA Tournament MVP.

Luke’s success at Sewanee led him to Belmont University. He was named to the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, was a two-time Academic All-American, and was honored as the 2021 DC Paradise Jam MVP. Luke served as Team Captain of the Bruins in his final season at Belmont (2021-22).

He also serves as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player Development Coalition, a diverse collection of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes that provides valuable perspective and feedback on college basketball issues.

“We are thrilled to welcome Luke Smith as the next head coach of men’s basketball at Knoxville Catholic,” said KCHS President Dickie Sompayrac. “Luke is not just committed to Catholic’s passion for excellence in athletics and academics, he has lived it. He has been a student-athlete, a team captain and champion. Luke is prepared and committed to drive the continued tradition of our basketball program.”

Smith officially took over the reins of the Fighting Irish men’s basketball program following Hutchens retirement from the game. “I feel extremely honored and fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Coach Hutchens and the incredible foundation that’s been laid. I appreciate all the confidence Knoxville Catholic has in me, and I will be ready to get to work when the time comes. I couldn’t be more excited to work with the players, students, and community at Knoxville Catholic,” said Smith. Prior to graduating from Belmont University in May 2022, women’s basketball’s Jamilyn Kinney has been selected to lead The New School’s girl’s basketball program in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Returning to her home state, Kinney was named head coach at Northwest Arkansas’ premier independent day school Monday afternoon.

A native of Van Buren, Arkansas, which is about 52 miles south/ southwest of Fayetteville, Kinney has been one of the Bruins’ mainstays in the backcourt the last four years. The 2020 AllOhio Valley Conference Second Team guard was a preseason All-OVC pick heading into her junior campaign before earning OVC All-Tournament Team honors at the 2021 OVC Tournament. Aiding Belmont in six combined conference championships, including three regular season and three tournament titles, Kinney played an integral role in the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament victories the past two seasons.

Starting in each of Belmont’s last 81 games, Kinney helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back historic wins on a national scale at the NCAA Tournament. With Kinney’s gritty, defensive play and savvy offensive prowess, Belmont knocked off fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Tournament First Round for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory before the Bruins took down fifth-seeded Oregon in this year’s opening round. After becoming only the second team in Division I women’s basketball history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons as a No. 12 seed or lower, Belmont came within one ball bounce of the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance.

Reaching double figures 21 times throughout her Bruin career, Kinney finished with 667 points, 311 assists and 258 rebounds. In her senior season, Kinney ranked among national leaders with a 2.57 assist/turnover ratio and was third among OVC active career assist leaders.

A regular on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Kinney will graduate Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in sport administration and a minor in strength and conditioning.

BRUIN ALUMNI ‘22

JAMILYN KINNEY

GIRL’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH

NEW SCHOOL // FAYETTEVILLE, AK

BRUIN ALUMNI ‘19

DARBY MAGGARD

WOMEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH

HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY // HUNTINGTON, IN

One of the most decorated players in Belmont University women’s basketball history will be leading her own program as Bruin legend Darby Maggard was recently named head coach of the Huntington University women’s basketball team. She returns to her hometown with Huntington located just 23 miles southeast of Larwill, Indiana, where Maggard grew up.

A Hoosier State star, Maggard was one of the best players to ever come from the greater Fort Wayne, Indiana, area. Prepping at Fort Wayne Canterbury, Maggard was Indiana Miss Basketball Runner-Up in 2015, a McDonald’s All-America nominee and an Indiana All-Star Team selection. She was tabbed 2015 21 Alive Fort Wayne Girls Basketball Player of the Year and 2015 NewsSentinel Player of the Year.

Belmont’s lone Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year (201819), Maggard finished her superb four-year Bruin career as one of the most prolific shooters in NCAA women’s basketball history. Leading Belmont to four consecutive OVC Tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances and three OVC regular season championships, Maggard is the Bruins’ career record holder in made three-point field goals (430), three-point field goal percentage (43.1) and free-throw percentage (92.4). A Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America honorable mention honoree, Maggard became only the fourth Belmont player and first of the Division I era to eclipse 2,000 career points (2,031).

Maggard is the only player in NCAA history to dish out at least 650 assists while also making more than 400 three-pointers. She finished fourth in the NCAA all-time in made three-pointers and was tabbed both Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Year and OVC Female Athlete of Year as a senior. All four seasons Maggard was an All-OVC First Team pick and landed a spot on the OVC All-Tournament Team. Additionally, she was a semifinalist at the 2019 State Farm College 3-Point Championship.

Following her illustrious collegiate career, Maggard played professionally in Ireland before joining the coaching ranks at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She served as a graduate assistant for the Skyhawks during the 2020-21 season prior to being promoted to a full-time assistant. In her role, Maggard was responsible for recruitment, player development and game preparation.

Maggard received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in sport administration and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee.

Huntington is a member of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). Head coach David Costa has promoted former Bruin defender Anthony Torres to assistant coach of the Belmont University men’s soccer program as announced by the athletics department May 2nd. Torres has spent the last six seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruins where he served as director of player development from 2019-21.

“Anthony has played a significant role in the program as a player, active alumnus and staff member for many years,” said coach Costa. “We are excited to promote him as assistant coach. His work rate, character, and passion for Belmont will serve our student-athletes as we pursue championships.”

A 2016 graduate of Belmont, Torres immediately returned to the pitch at E.S. Rose Park to begin his coaching career from behind the touchline. Over the past six years Torres has been instrumental in the Bruins’ player development and he has played an integral role in Belmont’s recent success.

Since assisting the program as a coach, Torres has been a part of 37 match wins, including 25 victories over the last three seasons following coach Costa’s arrival in the Music City. Twelve different players under the mentorship of Torres have earned All-Southern Conference honors, including first-team honoree Niccolo Dagnoni. Additionally, Torres worked with 2017 Horizon League Freshman of the Year Matteo Bennati and three different Bruins garnered United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades this past fall.

With Torres’ help, Belmont has reached back-to-back SoCon Championship title matches and earned notable results against nationally-ranked opponents such as Furman, Lipscomb and UNC Greensboro twice. The Bruins are currently on a programbest 10-match home win streak and have gone 18-7-3 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season.

Outside of his dedication to Belmont, Torres has been a staple as a youth soccer coach in the Nashville metropolitan area. Coaching U11/U12 teams all the way up to U19 teams, Torres has served as head coach of various Aris FC, Nashville United Soccer Academy and Nashville FC Youth travel teams. Since August of 2019, Torres has coached at Tennessee Soccer Club in Franklin, Tennessee, where he has led the U12-U19B squads and coached the U16-17 girls Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) team and the U15 boys ECNL team.

Torres also worked as a personal trainer at Chadwick’s Fitness and Performance Training in Franklin for over five years and completed a strength and conditioning internship at Belmont as a senior where he worked with the men’s and women’s soccer, men’s tennis and baseball programs.

A 2015 All-Horizon League Second Team selection, Torres was a captain as a senior and a leader both on and off the pitch. Providing a calming and veteran presence for a young Belmont backline, Torres put together gritty performances against Georgia State and Milwaukee en route to Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honors in his final campaign as a player. The four-year Bruin letter winner started 53 matches and made 63 appearances. He logged 1,731 minutes in 2015 for the second-most on the team and helped lead Belmont to a 2-1 win at the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Virginia Tech.

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a concentration in strength and conditioning and a minor in nutrition, Torres played for Nashville FC of the National Premier Soccer League in the summer of 2016.

Working towards a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) ‘C’ License, which he will attain in August, Torres holds a U.S. Soccer ‘D’ License.

A native of Batavia, Illinois, Torres lives in Nashville.

BRUIN ALUMNI ‘16

ANTHONY TORRES

MEN’S SOCCER ASSISTANT COACH

BELMONT UNIVERSITY // NASHVILLE, TN