What other's are saying about Coach Neal and BC basketball

"I always have had the utmost respect for Coach Neal and his program. Bluffton was always competitive and well-coached. You knew when you played Bluffton, you had your hands full."
Steve Alford, University of Iowa head coach

"Guy Neal is an exceptionally good basketball coach and an even better person. He has an enthusiasm and dedication to everything in his life. Whether it be his team, Bluffton College or his family, Guy has a total commitment and desire for each to develop and grow."
Dan Dakich, Bowling Green State University head coach

"For the past 15 years I have been able to get to know Guy as a person and a coach. Guy is a person of integrity. He is a tireless worker who has a great passion for the game. Guy is highly respected in the coaching fraternity and the program at Bluffton is one of quality."
Billy Hahn, University of Maryland assistant coach

"Guy Neal is recognized in coaching circles as an absolutley outstanding coach in every area and, as a parent, is someone I would love my son to play for."
Dan Hughes, Cleveland Rockers (WNBA) head coach





    

Head Coach Guy Neal

On and off the court, head coach Guy Neal has developed a winning mens' basketball program at Bluffton College. In his 11th season, Neal instills a positive attitude and work ethic in his players that is evident both on game nights for the fans and in the classroom for their professors.

The job of rising up through the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference this season will be another challenge for Neal and his team. "I feel like we are an improved team from last year," said Neal as preseason camp got underway. "Our commitment in the off-season was good, the togetherness of the players is strong and their attitude has been positive and very determined."

Neal has 99 collegiate head coaching victories under his belt and many more as an assistant at both the college and high school levels. He was an assistant coach at Baldwin-Wallace College from 1985 through 1989 after serving for one year as an assistant at Ashland High School (1983-84) and Van Wert High School (1984-85).

Arriving at BC in the fall of 1989, he took BC to the runner-up spot in the Association of Mideast Colleges in 1991-92 and again in 1994-95. He earned the AMC Coach of the Year Award following the 1991-92 season after leading BC to a plus-12 turnaround in wins from the previous season, a mark that drew national recognition, as well.

Neal is a graduate of Wellington High School in Ohio, where he earned 10 varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball from 1973 through 1977. He is the school's third highest all-time scorer and was the first to score 1,000 points in a career. Following high school, Neal played his freshman season at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte before transferring to Bowling Green State University to finish his collegiate career.

At BGSU, Neal was a member of the 1981 MAC championship and was a graduate assistant for the 1983 MAC championship team. He also made two trips to the National Invitational Tournament during his career -- as a player in 1980 and as a graduate assistant in 1983.

Coach Neal is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is an assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation at BC, and has other coaching experience at BC with the men's tennis and soccer programs.



Neal lives in Bluffton with his wife, Diane, who serves as an assistant professor of education at BC, and their 13-year-old daughter Erin and 8-year-old son Tyler.



Check out Kevin
on the cover of the
1998 NCAA Men's
Basketball Record Book.


Assistant Coach Kevin Brintnell

If the collegiate success of first-year assistant coach Kevin Brintnell is any indication of the success of the teams he'll be coaching at BC, the future will be bright for the Beavers.

A first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection at point guard as a senior, Brintnell led his Hope College basketball squad to the 1996 national runner-up spot. A college rich in basketball tradition, Brintnell set Hope's single season three point record when he canned 69 treys and was named MIAA Player of the Week three times.

Brintnell aims to instill a piece of tradition in the 1999-2000 Beavers, and coach Guy Neal is happy to have him on board. "We are very pleased to have Kevin join our staff," said the veteran BC cage mentor. "Kevin is an excellent young coach as well as being a quality individual. Our student-athletes will benefit from their dealings with Kevin."

As Hope's starting floor general Brintnell led the Flying Dutchmen to a two-year record of 53-6 and to the national title game before falling to Rowan College.

Brintnell spent the past three years teaching and coaching in the Cadillac, Mich., areach public schools. An exceptional high school tennis player, he also is the men's and women's head tennis coach at BC.

Strength Coach Denny Phillips

Denny Phillips assists the BC men's program as a strength and conditioning consultant. He is in his 10th year on the BC football staff and coaches the defensive backs and serves as the strength and conditioning coach.