It’s November 12, 2024, and I’m not in the mood for the wherever life takes you nonsense.
When your team is down 12 with three and a half minutes left, that ain’t the time for life philosophy.
Sure, points can come quickly in basketball, but I’m not sure if this group has it in them.
It would help, no doubt, if I could name even one player on the court.
It would probably also help if it weren’t the first time I’m watching my favorite team.
But how could I have ever guessed this would be my preferred squad?
…..
A year earlier, I had never heard of the place.
Up near the Canadian border—where I live—there is little reason to know about random schools in Tennessee.
Especially this one.
A Christ-centered university might work for some, but I’m one of those people who has to look up how to spell God. In other words, as we began constructing a list of suitable schools for my high-school-aged son, this one didn’t make the cut.
There was, however, a minor twist.
The son of two doctors wanted to be a doc…um, a musician. And not one of those highbrow jazz or classical types. He wanted to be in the living and breathing industry, as in the one where you can strike gold (or just rocks, but whatever).
So I cued up Google.
Then Bing.
And then Google again.
The same place kept coming up.
Belmont University: A private nondenominational Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee.
The place also happens to be a music powerhouse—with a Division I basketball team.
I was intrigued.
So was my son.
Suddenly, the list of colleges had just one name.
On September 25, 2024, that college offered a spot to a certain student.
A few weeks—and a $400 deposit—later, the agreement was formalized.
And that’s when I started the deep dive.
A copy of the Bible.
A map of Nashville.
And, most important, a subscription to ESPN+.
The Belmont Bruins, after all, weren’t going to watch themselves.
That brought me to November 12, 2024, the night of the Battle of the Boulevard.
The referenced boulevard connects Belmont to another Christian school less than three miles away, Lipscomb University, and the result has been an old-school college basketball rivalry, the kind in which quality play and simple geography still reign supreme.
Of 151 meetings, Lipscomb has won 76 and Belmont has won 75. The last three meetings were decided by a total of four points.
…..
Thanks to ESPN+, my son and I are all in.
But down 12 with three and a half minutes left, we almost check out…
Down eight with less than two minutes left—who cares about this game anyway?
Down five with a minute left—okay, we care again.
Lipscomb misses.
Rebound Belmont.
They quickly set up their offense and get it to some dude on the wing—he buries a three!
Down two with 42 seconds left.
Lipscomb winds down the shot clock and launches a three—clank.
Rebound Belmont!
They push it up the court and launch a three of their own—ugly.
But the offensive rebound!
Then the put back…
And one!
Tie game with three seconds left.
I can barely watch the free throw—to make matters worse, it hangs on the rim forever.
It’s (finally) good!
Lipscomb’s last ditch effort falls harmlessly out of bounds.
What a game!
My son and I go crazy.
To celebrate, we decide to put on our favorite Canadian band, the Tragically Hip.
Because as I’ve learned on the shores of Lake Ontario, wherever life takes you, you might as well dive in.
