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 NealLed by 12th-year head coach Guy Neal, the Bluffton College men’s basketball program produces successful student-athletes, both on and off the court. Neal installs a positive attitude and work ethic that is evident both on game nights and in the classroom. Last season Neal went over the 100-win mark in his collegiate coaching career and now has 109 victories under his belt. Prior to winning games as a head coach, Neal helped win 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 before taking over the reigns of the BC program in the fall of 1989. Before his stint at B-W Neal served as an assistant coach 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 91-92 season after leading BC to a plus-12 turnaround in wins from the previous season, a mark that drew national recognition, as well. Coach Neal has directed three of Bluffton’s top seven winningest teams in school history (see page 30 for year-by-year records). 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 team 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) and American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. He is an assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation at Bluffton, 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 14-year-old daughter Erin and 9-year-old son Tyler.
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Second-year assistant coach Kevin Brintnell has made an immediate impact on the BC basketball program He brings enthusiasm and experience from a stellar playing career to Bluffton College.
We have an opportunity to do some good things in a very difficult league this season, said Brintnell. We have a nucleus of four seniors who have been in the trenches for the past three years, and it’s going to be exciting to watch them lead our underclassmen.
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. At 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. He earned an elementary and middle level education degree from Hope and is working on his master of arts in education degree from Bluffton College.
Brintnell spent three years teaching and coaching in the Cadillac, Mich., area public schools. An exceptional high school tennis player, he also is the head men’s tennis coach at BC.
Denny Phillips is now in his eighth season as the strength coach for the BC men’s basketball squad. Phillips organizes both in-season and off-season lifting programs for Guy Neal’s team as well several other sports at Bluffton.
Phillips has been an assistant football coach at BC for 11 seasons and coaches the defensive secondary and serves as the football team’s strength and conditioning coach.
Originally from Sandusky, Ohio, Phillips was a three-year basketball letter-winner for Bluffton and graduated in 1978. He earned his master’s degree from The University of Findlay and now teaches health and physical education in the Bluffton school system and lives in Bluffton with his wife Kaye and sons Adam and Justin.
Head athletic trainer Phill Talavinia enters his 16th season at BC. He received his bachelor’s from Anderson University in 1985 in athletic training and business management. Talavinia also holds unofficial titles of equipment manager and assistant coach.
Talavinia serves as the head trainer for all 16 varsity sports at BC and supervises a large staff of student trainers and managers. He is a frequent guest lecturer in health and athletic training classes on campus and works closely with each of the consulting physicians.
A native of Boston, Pa., Talavinia served as an assistant trainer at Anderson for four years and assisted the Chicago Bears training staff for 10 years during their summer camp.
