Belmont’s Blueprint: Development, Retention, and a Shot at March Glory
In the new era of college basketball, where NIL deals and the transfer portal have turned rosters into revolving doors, Belmont has quietly - and consistently - built a program that thrives on development, culture, and retention. And right now, the Bruins are sitting atop the Missouri Valley Conference, not just as a feel-good story, but as a legitimate threat to crash the NCAA Tournament party.
Let’s rewind a bit. You’ve probably heard the names: Will Richard, Malik Dia, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Cade Tyson.
All of them were once Bruins. All of them now wear different colors - Power 5 colors - after making their mark at Belmont.
Richard dropped 18 in last year’s national title game for Florida before heading to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Dia lit up Iowa State for 18 to push Ole Miss into just its second Sweet 16 ever.
Gillespie ran the show for Maryland’s Sweet 16 run before transferring to Tennessee, where he’s now leading the Vols in scoring and assists. And Tyson?
He’s putting up nearly 20 a night for Minnesota, sitting fifth in the Big Ten in scoring.
That’s a lot of production - and a lot of talent - that started in Nashville.
So what does Belmont get in return for developing these players into high-major standouts? Not much.
Maybe a thank-you tweet. Maybe not even that.
But what they do have is a team that’s still winning, still contending, and still doing it the Belmont way.
“We’d be in the hunt for a championship,” head coach Casey Alexander joked, if there were trophies for being the most poached mid-major in the country.
And yet, despite losing talent to the portal and the pros, Belmont is 23-4 overall and 13-3 in the MVC, sitting alone in first place. Even Monday’s overtime loss at Bradley - where the Braves hit 17 threes, including a dagger to force OT - hasn’t derailed the Bruins’ push for the regular-season crown.
This is a program that’s been built on consistency, dating back to the legendary Rick Byrd, who turned Belmont into a perennial mid-major power. Since 2007, the Bruins have won 20 or more games in 16 straight seasons - a streak that only Gonzaga and Kansas can match. That’s elite company.
Alexander, a former Belmont guard himself, took over in 2019 after leading Lipscomb to the NCAA Tournament. He’s kept the same offensive identity - efficient, fluid, and fun to watch - while navigating the challenges of a higher level of competition in the MVC.
And the results are hard to argue with. Since joining the Valley in 2022, Belmont hasn’t missed a beat.
They’ve continued to win, and Alexander’s eye for talent is still sharp. In addition to the high-profile transfers, players like Adam Kunkel and Isaiah Walker have moved on to Xavier, and Even Brauns is now at Iowa.
But Alexander also sent Ben Sheppard to the NBA as a first-round pick in 2023 - proof that Belmont isn’t just a stepping stone; it’s a launchpad.
Sure, other mid-majors have produced bigger stars - Morehead State’s Johni Broome is a force at Auburn, Iona’s Walter Clayton Jr. helped drive Florida’s title run, and UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg could help Michigan cut down the nets this year. But no program has consistently developed and supplied talent like Belmont.
Still, there’s one thing missing from Alexander’s resume at his alma mater: an NCAA Tournament bid.
He earned one in his debut season in 2020 after a backdoor cut beat Murray State in the OVC title game - only for the tournament to be canceled days later by COVID-19. The following year, Belmont looked like a lock, finishing 26-3, but ran into a freshman named Broome, who dropped 27 and 12 to stun the Bruins in the OVC tourney. Last year, they nearly pulled off a semifinal upset over Drake in the MVC Tournament but fell short, 57-50.
This season feels different. Not because the Bruins are more talented, but because they’ve held onto their core. In a landscape where roster turnover is the norm, Belmont has leaned into one of the most valuable words in modern college basketball: retention.
Their top three scorers - Tyler Lundblade, Sam Orme, and Drew Scharnowski - are all returnees. Only one freshman and one transfer are logging regular minutes. That kind of continuity is rare, especially for a program that isn’t exactly flush with NIL dollars.
“Our payroll situation is almost the polar opposite of our place in the standings,” Alexander said. “But we don’t have to sell hopes and dreams.
We have a winning tradition. We have great facilities.
We have Nashville. And we were fortunate to return some really good players - and they all left money on the table.”
That’s not just a testament to the program’s culture. That’s a statement.
One big question mark remains: point guard Nic McClain, a key transfer from Eastern Washington, has been sidelined since early January with a knee injury. His status is still up in the air, but Belmont has gone 9-2 without him.
If he returns, it could be the boost they need to get over the hump in St. Louis at “Arch Madness” - the MVC’s conference tournament.
And if they do? If Belmont finally punches its ticket in the NIL era?
It’ll be more than just a win for the Bruins. It’ll be a win for mid-majors everywhere trying to survive - and thrive - in a system that often rewards the poachers more than the developers.
Right now, Belmont ranks No. 32 nationally in shortest possession time (15.9 seconds) and No. 2 in effective field goal percentage (60.8%). Translation: they play fast, they shoot well, and they don’t waste possessions. That’s a dangerous combination come March.
Whether that leads to a Cinderella run or a tough first-round battle, one thing’s clear: Belmont isn’t just hanging on in the NIL era. They’re competing. And they’re doing it their way.
Retention isn’t just a buzzword in Nashville. It’s the reason Belmont is still dancing with a chance.