Johnny Godette sets up to take a foul shot against Southern Wesleyan.

Alex Wells led all scorers with 10 points, but the scoring was spread out as the Flames went to work from beyond the three-point line. Lee shot a staggering 48.1 percent from three-point range, going 13-27 and breaking down the zone left and right.

“You have to pick your poison when you play us,” junior forward Steve Bennett said. “Last time we played, they gave up 18 points to me on the inside. Big Pat [Patrick Shaughnessy] had a good game, and Johnny [Godette] had 10.”

The Flames led by a large margin the entire game, exploiting Wesleyan’s zone defense from the left and right wing.  The Warriors were committed to their zone defense, which proved fatal when Lee guard Tyrone Caldwell found open men. Caldwell finished with six assists on the night. Additionally, freshman forward Chad Lee came off the bench and added eight points, including two open threes.

“[Bennett] is on fire on the inside,” senior guard Ryan Westbrooks said. “Nobody’s really stopping him and the way they are playing me and Alex Wells on the wing, they don’t really have help side, which opens it up for Duran Blue and Tyrone Caldwell. Chad Lee came in, and stepped up.”

Lee’s defense forced 12 turnovers while scoring 10 points off Southern Wesleyan miscues.

“The last time we played them, the point guard couldn’t really handle the ball, so our main objective was to put pressure on him,” junior guard Duran Blue said.

Southern Wesleyan sophomore guard Stefan Julian was the only bright spot for the Warriors. Julian capped an incredible night with a career high 25-point performance on 11-18 shooting. He also added three rebounds and two assists.

The win did not change much for the Flames in the Southern States Athletic Conference standings, as they sit 3.5 games behind Shorter for first place in the east.

The Flames’ next game, an away game against Emmanuel College (Ga.), is set to tip off at 4 p.m.

The team is hosting a fundraiser to donate to the Lee University Developmental Inclusion Center to help raise awareness for autism. LUDIC is an on-campus program that works with children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.

“Helping raise awareness for autism and being able to assist LUDIC here at Lee is important to our program since we’ve been personally touched,” Head Coach Marty Rowe said.

In 2011, the Hoops for Hope game raised approximately $3,000 for LUDIC.

“The Hoops for Hope basketball game is a favorite for LUDIC,” Tammy Johnson, the director of LUDIC, said. “This is the one fundraiser that involves the Lee students and staff for our program, and we love that the Lee community is involved.”

The team sells Hoops for Hope t-shirts and holds a half court shooting contest at the end of each half for $1. This year, the Lady Flames are reaching out more to the community to help this cause.

“We’re very excited about more people in the community embracing this cause” Rowe said. “We’re partnering with all three local high schools this year, and making it a community basketball event.”

The event is part of a double header with the women’s game starting at 5 p.m. and the men’s game starting at 7 p.m.

Q: What has being a two-sport athlete taught you?

A: Discipline and time management.  It is tough being a student athlete without those two aspects, especially a two-sport athlete. It is very difficult to maintain a high GPA and balance sports as well.

Q: As a volleyball player, what game would you replay in the past four years at Lee?

A: Northwestern our sophomore year in the quarter finals of the National Tournament. They were ranked in the top 4 and they had 600 fans filling the stands. We made history that year and became the Cinderella team.

Q: Who’s your favorite professor at Lee?

A: Dr. Carroll for College Algebra, because he helped me out so much when I had a death in my family and he was so understanding of my circumstance.

Q: Why did you pick Public Relations?

A: Secretly, I always wanted to write and I really liked talking to people, so it just fell into my lap.

Q: How does it feel to switch sports, going from volleyball to tennis?

A: Both teams are awesome, and the girls are great on both teams. It is always hard to transition into a new sport, but the girls are making it easier on me and are very welcoming.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: I am obsessed with all movies except horror movies, but “Because I Said So” is my go to.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?

A: John Travolta. “Grease” sold me on him. He is definitely my favorite.

Q: What are your plans after graduation in May?

A: I plan to move back to Colorado Springs, hopefully find a job in a non-profit organization and get married in July. I love to be at home with my family and I can’t wait to be back there with them and my fiancé.

Q: What’s your favorite TV Show?

A: I like “CSI: Las Vegas,” but right now my obsession is with “Grey’s Anatomy.”  My roommate Christa and I watch it constantly and we currently watching every season from the start.

Q: If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?

A: Greece and Africa are tied for first, but I believe I would pick Africa.  I eventually want to adopt a child from there and I am really interested in their culture.

The team was forced to rebuild and recruit, and in doing so recruited guards and a few big men with skill and versatility to go around. The team is as deep as it has been in many years and the usage of the team’s depth will prove vital during their potential run in the national tournament.

“I’ve never seen a Lee team that has this much depth. We area guard heavy team,” George Starr, director of sports information said. “We can go about six deep at guard plus we have three post players with size in Shaughnessy [Patrick] and Steve [Bennett]. You combine speed with the depth and now a post presence and we’ll have a chance to go far.”

Coach Tommy Brown brought in eight new transfers this season, with five of them being guards. Ryan Westbrooks, a senior from Nashville, Tenn., is averaging 19.4 points a game coming off the bench, and Tyrone Caldwell, a senior from Clarksville, Tenn., establishes a balance of scoring, pushing the press, slowing down the half-court offense, and sharp ball movement. Duran Blue and Alex Wells, both junior guards, provide the deep ball spreading the floor.

There were concerns about team chemistry during the first half of the season because of the new transfer players. Players who had key roles in the past were watching as new players took their positions. Over the break before the spring semester the team went 5-3, dropping three on the road. Starr, who has been with the team for numerous years, noticed the team’s slow start.

“This year we got off to a slow start, the year before last we went undefeated in conference play so 4-2 is not the start we hoped for.”

Junior Brice Sharp has acknowledged the slow start but has faith in the team getting it together.

“The fact that’s it’s basically a new team it takes time to develop as a team and the more and more we get to know each other on and off the court it allows us to click,” Sharp said.

The team is currently on a seven-game winning streak, as the non-conference chemistry issues seem to be a forgotten past. During their winning streak the Flames have averaged 80 points-per-game while keeping opponents in check to 69.7 points-per-game. Before the streak they were 5-3 on the season and averaged 66.5 points-per-game while opponents averaged 62 points-per-game.

“Everybody on our team, all the transfers, can start on any four year school in the nation,” Blue said.”These dudes were stars on their team so it’s hard coming here trying to put everybody together.”

Once the team understood that offense was secondary to their defensive responsibilities the offense eventually came. Sharp knew through experience that it is a defensive first team.

“Our identity based on coach is our defense,” Sharp said. “Depending how we play on defense, we’re going to score on offense regardless so we feed off of defense.”

With the team in sync they look ahead to face the NAIA No. 1 ranked team and college foe, Shorter College (Ga.). A win against a top ranked team in the nation would solidify the chances of a top seed in the NAIA tournament. The team, however, needs improvement with consistency throughout the game, as they are often guilty for being a one-half basketball club.

“If we ever put two good halves together they might blow the scoreboard up,” Starr said.

When Shorter College arrives to Lee’s campus on Saturday, Jan. 21, the Flames will be co-hosting the Hoops 4 Hope with the women’s basketball team. It will be part of the annual fundraiser for autism awareness through the Lee University Developmental Inclusion Center.

This year Rowe is ready to see the tide change for his club.

Ranked sixth in the nation with only one loss thus far, the makeup of this team is looks similar to previous and successful Lady Flames squads. Rowe sees something different about this team, however, than many of the ones he’s coached before.

“We’ve had high expectations since the end of last season,” Rowe said. “We felt like with another year of maturity this team could develop into a really good team.”

This year’s team started out the season with a fresh mindset and added two solid freshmen, Jenna Adams and Jordan Neuharth, to the mix. During this period the Lady Flames were in the beginning stages of strengthening a powerful team.

“During preseason I was really excited about our team, because we worked so hard and I knew we would be a really special team,” Angela Spann, senior, said.

Not only do Spann and the Lady Flames want to return to the NAIA Final Four for the second time, but they also would like to bring home championship hardware. There is much confidence in this year’s squad being the sixth ranked team in the nation. Spann and Eldridge along with senior Kari Jo Harris have been to the National tournament all four years, including the 2010 Final Four run.

“I think this year our team has the ability to go very far in the nationals,” Kally Eldridge, senior point guard, said. “We have had our ups and downs this season, but we are learning from our mistakes and becoming mentally tough and tight knit as a group. I have been all four years that I have been here and this year shouldn’t be any different.”

Over the holidays, the Lady Flames traveled to Puerto Rico to practice and play two games, coming out on top of both.

“Puerto Rico was amazing,” Spann said. “It was great to be able to hang out with the team and be able to explore a completely new place together.”

Before placing their focus back on academics for the spring semester, the Lady Flames returned to action for three straight wins, beating the main competition, Belhaven University (Mississippi), for the first place position in the Southern States Athletic Conference.

“It’s always a good feeling to win any game but to beat a quality team like Belhaven. I think gives us an opportunity to believe more in how we play and what we’ve been concentrating on in practice,” Rowe said. “This group works hard so it’s good for them to see that work pay off in a big game.”

In addition to gaining first place in the conference Spann also became the 22^nd member of the 1,000-point club during Lee’s 87-19 pounding of Truett-McConnell College (Georgia).

On January 28, Lee will host longtime rival Shorter College (Georgia) for their annual Hoops for Hope competition in Paul Dana Walker Arena with action beginning at 5 p.m. The Hoops for Hope games raises autistic awareness and money for the Lee University Developmental Inclusion Center (LUDIC) and packs out the gym every year. Players and coaches sell T-shirts for this event around campus and in the community for the cause.

“We’re partnering with all three local high schools this year and making it a community basketball event. Helping raise awareness for autism and being able to assist LUDIC here at Lee is important to our program since we’ve been personally touched,” stated Rowe.

The Lady Flames are working hard to bring home the national title to Lee and would be only the second team on campus to accomplish an NAIA first place finish. The Lady Flames have four remaining home games in addition to four away games in to finish out the regular season. The Southern States Athletic Conference will begin play March 1 in Rome, Ga.

The DeVos Recreation Center was packed to the brim with eager students for this opening gathering, making it clear that Rock Solid has turned into a success at Lee.  Rock Solid has been a driving force in the recreation department since the fall semester of 2009.  Since then it has grown into a popular workout program that the students around Lee have taken a huge liking to.

“Group fitness has a really social component to it,” Kevin Hudson, director of campus recreation said, as he explained some of the values of the program.”That’s one of the things we’ve seen really taken off this year.  Everyone’s enjoying the social aspect of it.  Coming out with some friends and doing it.”

The program had its share of bumps and bruises in the early stages, not knowing what classes would appeal to the students. But offering an inexpensive way to avoid other regional high gym costs has brought most of the students out for a fun way to get fit.

Senior instructor Zeke Tucker is one of the program’s biggest success stories.  The program has changed his life over the last two years, helping him to lose 50 pounds.

“It has been the greatest thing to happen to my life so far,” Tucker said.

The program was brought to Lee’s campus through Hudson by Kennesaw, Ga. founders Monica Maddox and Terese McMurray. Both founders led the program in its early stages on campus before giving Lee students the chance to run it as full time instructors.

Students and faculty can join the program for only $40 each month.

The program is divided up into four different classes from Monday through Thursday with the earliest class beginning at 6:15 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays offer a full four classes a day while Tuesdays and Thursdays only provide a class in the morning and at night. All classes take place in the DeVos Recreation Center.

Each class focuses on a different workout and is labeled according to what it will be covering.

For more information regarding the Rock Solid Fitness program contact Kevin Hudson in the recreation center or at khudson@leeuniversity.edu.

Hours after moving up in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 poll from No. 21 to No. 18, Head Coach Tommy Brown and the Flames (12-3) used a strong second half to stay within distance of the SSAC East lead. The team was led by the scoring of senior point guard Tyrone Caldwell with 16 points, and junior Steve Bennett with an additional 16.

Lee started off the night at a slow pace. Truett-McConnell, a 9-10 ball club, only trailed by 4 points at the half.

“We’re just a slow starting team right now,” junior center Steve Bennett said. “[But] by the time the second half rolls around, we all know what we need to do to get the victory.”

Lee did exactly that, coming out of halftime scoring heavily and getting the big men involved. Johnny Godette, 10 points, and Steve Bennett, 16 points, tied for a team high.

“We have such a good shooting team… If me and Johnny are left one-on-one we’re going to get a bucket,” Bennett said.  “It’s because our guards can stroke it from deep.  We don’t eat if they don’t set the table.”

Lee will look to continue their streak on the road in their next three games before returning home to face the NAIA No. 1-ranked Shorter College (Ga.).  They will face No. 10-ranked Southern Polytechnic in the second game of their away slate.

Unseeded Reinhardt couldn’t prevail in getting the ball into Lee territory for most of the first, due to the Lady Flames’ defense. Lee, however, was able to capitalize on the Eagles’ inability to score by taking a 1-0 lead into the half off of a goal by sophomore Leah Fortune. The goal came in the 27^th minute.

The second half didn’t provide any different result for the visiting Eagles. Lee was able to score another goal in the 74^th minute, thanks to sophomore Ashley Aragona. They capitalized 10 minutes later with a goal from freshman Rachael Nasralla. Reinhardt tried to put forth a comeback, but fell in all their attempts.

Head coach of the Lady Flames Matthew Yelton said he was proud of how his team played.

“I am well pleased with what these girls did today, and I hope we can keep it up to be national champions again for the forth time in a row,” Yelton said.

The No. 3-seeded Lady Flames continue the surge to their fourth straight national championship. They will face Houghton College (N.Y.) on Monday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m.

“I am happy that I got to contribute to help the team win this game, and I hope we can keep it up,” Fortune said.

Twenty-nine students participated in the tournament on Nov. 12, which is the highest amount of students to ever go.

The class is taught by Mark Pope, who instructs it part time. Pope also runs the Cleveland’s International Taekwondo Association Academy, which some Lee students attend.

Pope, a seventh degree senior master black belt, has practiced taekwondo for 30 years and has owned the academy for 20 years.

Normally, the recent tournament would cost students $60 dollars in order to participate, which may be a stretch for some students’ budgets, but since the university footed the bill, Pope had no trouble getting his students to come out.

“They work hard, and they are highly enthusiastic,” Pope said. “Coming back from a tournament with this much success makes them train harder and strengthens the program for future semesters.”

The event consisted of competition with Taekwondo forms, free design, free-style forms, board breaking and sparring.

Sparring seems to be a popular choice among contestants because they can put their moves to the test by fighting with pads and safety gear. Scoring is based on a points system in which points can be earned depending on where you hit your opponent. Different areas of the body are worth different points. For example, a kick to the head is worth more than a punch to the stomach.

“This event is about competition, but the most important thing is to have fun while being competitive,” participant Matt Smith said.

It is said that if you come from Pope’s academy, you will be well prepared for the tournament. Pope’s students have the most percentage of medals taken home from the tournaments as compared to other studios. His teaching style is unique, and he helps his students to defend themselves in the real world.

The event was the second one held in Chattanooga, and it took place in the Chattanooga Trade Convention Center.

Cleveland Speedway is located off of South Lee Highway and is a little over five minutes away from Lee’s campus. The speedway is a one-third dirt oval track and has a pretty decent elevation of banking around the corners. The track is the premier dirt track in the south and is equipped with state-of-the-art computers that help make Cleveland Speedway a destination where drivers want to race.

At Cleveland Speedway, multiple classes of cars race at the track for events. The most anticipated of all the classes is the Super Late Model Division, which contains the fastest cars that compete with eight-cylinder engines and can almost compare to NASCAR’s cars.

The other classes include Limited Late Models, the Hobby Division, the B Hobby division, and the Front Wheel Drive Compact Division. The compact cars division is made up of domestic cars that are stripped of their insides and equipped with a roll cage and racing seat. The compact series is the most basic class since it contains domestic cars.

Most of the drivers and families have been racing all of their lives. Some of Cleveland Speedway’s drivers are as young as 15 years old.

Dirt tracks and other small local ovals around the U.S. are where drivers get their start in motor sports. Top NASCAR drivers, such as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, got their start in racing at these types of race tracks.

“I have a dream and aspirations to be a driver in some higher level form of motor sports,” Chad Milton, a young driver at the speedway, said. “Racing is also a family sport; to race cars, you have to have a team to work on the car, and a lot of teams work with their families. Even though it’s up to the driver to win, a driver is as good as his team.”

The cost to see the five different classes race two heats is $12; kids under 11 years old get in free.

“There are currently no discounts for Lee students, but if more Lee students came out, I could see if I could get a discount going,” William Ross, track owner, said.

Racing season at the track starts in early March and finishes in November. The last event for the 2011 season will be on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Senior Sarah Smith, who is soon to graduate, tore her anterior cruciate ligament, more commonly known as ACL, on Oct. 29 in a game against Emory in Atlanta. In the game, she turned too quickly in retrieving the ball, which resulted in the injury. She is expected to eventually undergo surgery.

Smith plays the position libero for the team and was recently awarded the Southern States Athletic Conference libero of the year.

It is still uncertain if Smith will be able to play in the upcoming tournaments; she might be able to put a brace on it for the time being.

“I want to handle this situation delicately,” Smith said. “I don’t want to take a chance and injure myself permanently, and it will be by God’s grace if I’m able to return.”

Smith believes she was having one of her best seasons of her career, but she is just hoping that the team can figure something out that will work if she doesn’t return.

A disappointed Andrea Hudson, head coach, made a swift move in replacing Smith with an experienced sophomore backup.

“As of right now, we have filled her spot with her backup player, Libby Peigen,” Hudson said. “Obviously, as a senior, we would love to see [Smith] keep playing, so we are waiting for the doctor to clear her to play if she thinks she is ready.”

Since filling in for Smith, Peigen has been a secure fit in the four games post injury, contributing one assist and 13 serves with no service errors.

Smith’s support on the side lines for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Tournament opener will be a must if doctors do not clear her to play. 

Q: How do you feel you have progressed so far under Coach Matthew Yelton as compared to before you came to Lee?

A: He has helped me so much. He knows the game of soccer very well, and he pushes us to excel at every practice. I feel like I have been able to understand the game so much better because of Coach Yelton.

Q: What is your ultimate goal, not just for Lee, but overall?

A: Not to be remembered by physical things but eternal things, that I played for the Lord.

Q: If you had a choice between playing in the World Cup or the Olympics, what would it be?

A: The World Cup

Q: If you could play with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

A: I honestly don’t have a favorite athlete; I just play.

Q: What do you think the capabilities of this team are as opposed to teams of the past?

A: The talent of this team is very deep, not just in starters, but everyone is very capable of playing well.

Q: Is there anything in your soccer career that has taken you by surprise?

A: I broke my jaw last year and had to miss a lot of the year, and I never thought I would be a part of winning three national championships.

Q: What’s one thing everyone should know about the team that we wouldn’t see unless we were behind the scenes with the team?

A: Before games, we sing, dance and play loud music in the locker room.

Q: What athlete or role model did you admire growing up?

A: Women’s professional soccer player Michelle Akers.

Q:  What’s the hardest part about balancing being on the road with the team while having class work to maintain?

A: It is keeping up with the school work. Skipping class is hard because you have to turn in everything early or turn it in when you get back.

Q: What has been your favorite class or professor at Lee so far?

A: Modern Western Culture with Professor Mary McCampbell

The Lady Flames put on a show for all the returning alumni with a dominating 3-0 performance.

“It was a great game, and I enjoyed seeing all of the alumni back rooting us on,” Coach Andrea Hudson said.

Lee got off to a hot start in the first set, taking the lead 6-0, and managed to keep the lead the remainder of the game. Brenau made some good attempts, but just couldn’t get the ball over the net, with blocks from Lee. The Lady Flames took the first set 25-11.

Lee continued its dominance again in the second set. Freshman Patricia Orozco provided one of the biggest spikes of the night, beaming the ball past three Brenau players. Brenau tried to rally back with some quick plays, but it wasn’t enough. The second set was taken by Lee, 25-10.

Before the third set began, breast cancer victims and survivors stood in front of the 1,500-person crowd, who stood and applauded in support. When play resumed, Brenau provided a battle, but Lee broke away, and, for the third time, took the lead and kept it until the end.

“We all played great, and I feel as though we can do what we did tonight in the SSAC tournament coming up,” senior Christa Hutchison said.

The SSAC tournament will be hosted in Biloxi, Mississippi next Friday, where Lee will likely receive a No.2 seed.

This year’s hall of fame additions will include former standouts Brandan Cofer and Jessica Pike. The final addition will be the Meritorious Award to team bus driver Bill Hall.

Brandan Cofer spent four years, from 2001-2004, pitching for the Flames under coach David Altopp. Cofer was a huge reason that the Flames kept a steady pace over top TranSouth Athletic Conference opponents. To this day, he still holds several baseball records. Cofer remains the all-time wins leader in his time at Lee with the record of 28. He is also tied for the most career games started with 49, most career shutouts with five, and shutouts in a season with three.

Parker was the elite pitcher during her four-year career, from 2002-2005, with the Lady Flames softball program. Six years after graduating, she still holds the team record for career strikeouts with 533. More than her on-field performance, Parker was a standout student athlete. She earned the merit of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Scholar-Athlete two times during her career when very few athletes were taking the award.

“I loved every moment playing for the Lady Flames,” Parker said. “I feel like [other players and I] had a bond unlike most other teams.”

Hall was the driver for the Vanhool buses that took the Flames and Lady Flames to their destinations at away games for 15 years. His induction does not come on athletic achievement; it comes because of his service to the university.

This year’s hall of fame class will officially and publicly be ushered in during Saturday’s Homecoming game festivities.

In addition to the induction, the Athletics Hall of Fame will be also be expanding. Since there is limited space where the inductee plaques currently reside, there are plans to expand the area for Homecoming 2012.

“The expansion is still in the planning process,” George Starr, sports information director, said.

If everything goes through as planned, work should be started in the immediate future.

If all things go as planned, Brown could pick up the historic mark as early as December, making him one of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics premiere coaches. However, a much younger roster than usual might stretch the win into 2012.

All of Brown’s victories have not come in the Flames’ forum. Before coming to Lee, Brown got his first coaching job when he was 26 years old at Bluefield College (Va.) from 1998-2005. Acquiring a head coaching position at that young of an age is typically a rare feat among any level of athletics.

“That doesn’t happen very often,” Brown said. “I guess I was one of the youngest head coaches at the time.”

Brown took over the underachieving Lee program in 2005 and has taken the team to a record six-straight national tournament appearances by the time he entered the 2011-2012 season. Since taking over, he has compiled a 156-47 record in seven Lee seasons and a 291-148 overall record.

Brown may have one of the hardest jobs to keep up with at the university, due to the success of the many other programs. However, it’s not difficult to believe that he can take the program to new heights, as he has already taken his team to the Elite Eight in one of the toughest national tournaments on any level of play.

“There is certainly a tremendous amount of pressure [involved with] coaching at Lee with all the athletic programs being so good,” Brown said.

Members of the coaching staff attribute Brown’s attitude toward and thought process about the game of basketball as a defining reason for the success in his career.

“He has a great drive for success; he definitely knows how to get the most out of his players, and he’s a coach every player loves to play for,” Ryan Ross, student assistant coach, said. “He’s a great guy to work under, and I’m truly grateful just to get a opportunity to learn from him.”

Fast-paced offense and defense have made his teams one of the hardest to defend against in the NAIA, along with his ability to pull in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I transfers over a five-year stretch from 2007-2011.

“The best part of coaching for me, as I get older, is watching guys [that] I coached start to raise families and have kids, [as well as those who] have become high school coaches,” Brown said. “That is the most gratifying part of the job.”

You can watch Brown inch closer to his 300th win when the men’s basketball team opens up the season against rival Tennessee Temple on Nov. 5 at 2:15 pm.