- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 408,249
- Reaction score
- 43
The Belmont women's basketball team is not new to the postseason. The Bruins played in the NCAA tournament in six of the previous eight years, reaching the second round in 2021 and 2022.
Belmont (26-12) is back in the NCAA Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament for the second straight year and has advanced to the championship to face Minnesota (24-11) on Wednesday (5 p.m. CT, ESPN2), so college basketball fans are asking more about the Bruins' program.
Belmont, which lost to Penn State in the second round of the WBIT last year, has won 10 of its last 11 games and had a 10-game win streak during the regular season.
The Bruins are led by sophomore guard Jailyn Banks (12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg.), who scored a career-high 25 points in Monday's semifinal win over James Madison.
Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee where it was founded by two school principals Susan L. Heron and Ida B. Hood in 1890 as Belmont College for Young Women.
The intent was to buck the traditional trend of sending girls to finishing schools by providing them with intellectual and social learning. In the first year 90 students enrolled and paid a $60 tuition.
In 1913 Belmont College for Young Women merged with Nashville’s Ward Seminary for Young Ladies to form Ward-Belmont College.
After the school experienced financial problems in 1950 the executive board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention purchased Ward-Belmont’s property and in the spring of 1951 the school became a coeducational, four-year institution.
In May of 1951 the name was changed to Belmont College. In 1991 the name was changed to Belmont University. The school's current enrollment is about 9,000.
BELMONT HEADED TO WBIT FINALS: Belmont women's basketball advances to WBIT championship, will face Minnesota
BELMONT ROUTS JAMES MADISON 90-45: Belmont women's basketball routs James Madison 90-45, advances to WBIT semifinals
Each of Belmont's athletic teams participated in NAIA until school president Bill Trout, in an effort to gain wider attention for the sports programs, applied for NCAA Division I membership, which was granted in 1999.
Most of the school's sports teams first became members of the Atlantic Sun Conference before moving to the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012. Ten years later, they moved to the Missouri Valley Conference where they currently compete.
After initially being known as the Rebels, Belmont changed its nickname to the Bruins in 1995.
Troutt, who already had plans at the time to move Belmont to NCAA Division I, did not care for the Rebels nickname. He formed a committee that selected the Bruins based off the history of a bear being housed on campus.
While Banks is from the Middle Tennessee Christian School located in Murfreesboro and not far from Nashville, Belmont has several key players who are transfers.
The Bruins' second-leading scorer is Kendal Cheesman, a Tampa, Florida native, who transferred from Vanderbilt in 2022. The 6-foot-2 senior averages 12.0 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds.
The third-leading scorer Kendall Holmes (11.1 ppg.) began her career at DePaul before transferring to South Dakota in 2023-24.
Other key transfers include junior guard Emily La Chapell from Marquette, Carmyn Harrison from Georgia Tech and Jacee Busick from Charlotte.
Belmont's School of Music is nationally recognized for unique programs devoted to high caliber artistic scholarship and performance.
The school has produced notable artists including Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Steven Curtis Chapman, Florida Georgia Line, Judah & The Lion and Dann Huff. Minnie Pearl (Sarah Cannon) of the Grand Ole Opry attended Ward-Belmont School.
Former Colorado and Northern Illinois basketball coach Ricardo Patton, who also was a Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State assistant, is an alumni along with current Indiana Pacer Ben Sheppard, retired NBA player Ian Clark, 2019 Cleveland Cavs first-round draft pick Dylan Windler, WNBA veteran Alysha Clark, former Nashville Predator Stu Grimson and professional tennis great Brian Baker.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Where is Belmont University, women's basketball team in WBIT championship
Continue reading...
Belmont (26-12) is back in the NCAA Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament for the second straight year and has advanced to the championship to face Minnesota (24-11) on Wednesday (5 p.m. CT, ESPN2), so college basketball fans are asking more about the Bruins' program.
Belmont, which lost to Penn State in the second round of the WBIT last year, has won 10 of its last 11 games and had a 10-game win streak during the regular season.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Bruins are led by sophomore guard Jailyn Banks (12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg.), who scored a career-high 25 points in Monday's semifinal win over James Madison.
Where is Belmont University?
Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee where it was founded by two school principals Susan L. Heron and Ida B. Hood in 1890 as Belmont College for Young Women.
The intent was to buck the traditional trend of sending girls to finishing schools by providing them with intellectual and social learning. In the first year 90 students enrolled and paid a $60 tuition.
In 1913 Belmont College for Young Women merged with Nashville’s Ward Seminary for Young Ladies to form Ward-Belmont College.
After the school experienced financial problems in 1950 the executive board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention purchased Ward-Belmont’s property and in the spring of 1951 the school became a coeducational, four-year institution.
In May of 1951 the name was changed to Belmont College. In 1991 the name was changed to Belmont University. The school's current enrollment is about 9,000.
BELMONT HEADED TO WBIT FINALS: Belmont women's basketball advances to WBIT championship, will face Minnesota
BELMONT ROUTS JAMES MADISON 90-45: Belmont women's basketball routs James Madison 90-45, advances to WBIT semifinals
Belmont moved from NAIA to NCAA
Each of Belmont's athletic teams participated in NAIA until school president Bill Trout, in an effort to gain wider attention for the sports programs, applied for NCAA Division I membership, which was granted in 1999.
Most of the school's sports teams first became members of the Atlantic Sun Conference before moving to the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012. Ten years later, they moved to the Missouri Valley Conference where they currently compete.
Has Belmont University always been the Bruins?
After initially being known as the Rebels, Belmont changed its nickname to the Bruins in 1995.
Troutt, who already had plans at the time to move Belmont to NCAA Division I, did not care for the Rebels nickname. He formed a committee that selected the Bruins based off the history of a bear being housed on campus.
Belmont University depends on key transfers
While Banks is from the Middle Tennessee Christian School located in Murfreesboro and not far from Nashville, Belmont has several key players who are transfers.
The Bruins' second-leading scorer is Kendal Cheesman, a Tampa, Florida native, who transferred from Vanderbilt in 2022. The 6-foot-2 senior averages 12.0 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds.
The third-leading scorer Kendall Holmes (11.1 ppg.) began her career at DePaul before transferring to South Dakota in 2023-24.
Other key transfers include junior guard Emily La Chapell from Marquette, Carmyn Harrison from Georgia Tech and Jacee Busick from Charlotte.
Belmont alumni include Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood
Belmont's School of Music is nationally recognized for unique programs devoted to high caliber artistic scholarship and performance.
The school has produced notable artists including Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Steven Curtis Chapman, Florida Georgia Line, Judah & The Lion and Dann Huff. Minnie Pearl (Sarah Cannon) of the Grand Ole Opry attended Ward-Belmont School.
Former Colorado and Northern Illinois basketball coach Ricardo Patton, who also was a Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State assistant, is an alumni along with current Indiana Pacer Ben Sheppard, retired NBA player Ian Clark, 2019 Cleveland Cavs first-round draft pick Dylan Windler, WNBA veteran Alysha Clark, former Nashville Predator Stu Grimson and professional tennis great Brian Baker.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Where is Belmont University, women's basketball team in WBIT championship
Continue reading...
