It is next to impossible to talk about Lenoir-Rhyne men’s basketball without mentioning John Lentz, not only what he has accomplished as a player but as the current head coach as well.

Lentz is beginning his 23rd season as mentor of the L-R men’s basketball program. As the school’s all-time winningest coach, he is entering the 2008-09 campaign with a 349-268 mark at Lenoir-Rhyne and a 402-301 record in his collegiate career overall.

Lentz, a 1974 graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne, has accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments and more is sure to come.

Lentz has led L-R to seven South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Titles, four Food Lion SAC Tournament Championships and four trips to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Last season, Lentz guided L-R to a share of the South Atlantic Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Semifinals.  All told, the Bears finished with a 23-7 record and a 12-2 mark during league play and the 23-year mentor picked up his 400th career coaching win against Catawba (a 79-72 victory on February 23, 2008, in Salisbury, N.C.).

Two years ago, the Bears finished 18-10 for the second year in a row with a 11-5 record in the SAC, which was good for third place.

During the 2005-06 season, Lenoir-Rhyne won its third league title in four years (18-10 and 11-3 in the SAC) after being chosen to place fifth in the coaches preseason poll.

In 2004-05, the Bears were picked sixth in the coaches’ preseason poll but proceeded to finish second in the South Atlantic Conference (17-12 overall and 9-5 in league play) and made it all the way to the 2005 Food Lion SAC Men’s Tournament Championship before falling to Tusculum.

Five years ago, Lentz’s added to that list by leading the Bears to a 19-9 record, a second straight South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Title and subsequent berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Lentz may have put together one of his finest coaching performances six seasons ago, leading a young squad to the 2003 SAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. All told, the 2002-03 team finished 22-8 and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

During the same year, Lentz earned his 300th victory on Saturday, February 8, 2003, when his team defeated Catawba, 79-77, in Salisbury, N.C.

Lentz has also coached four South Atlantic Conference Most Valuable Players:  Jody Petty (1990-91), Brian Lewis (1994-95), Daniel Willis (2000-01) and Roman Davis (2003-04 and 2004-05).  Willis was an NCAA Division II All-American while Davis was the first player in league history to win league MVP honors twice.

Since returning to Lenoir-Rhyne, Lentz has faced several rebuilding and reloading projects. However, results came quickly.

Under Lentz’s direction, the Bears improved from just eight victories in 1986-87 to a stellar 21-6 mark just three short seasons later (1989-90). That same year, Lenoir-Rhyne won the inaugural South Atlantic Conference Championship and advanced to the NAIA District 26 Championship game. Those results earned him SAC and NAIA District 26 Coach of the Year honors.

In 1990-91, L-R posted a 22-7 mark and another league title.  

His 1992-93 squad, with a 25-7 ledger, gave Lenoir-Rhyne its best record in three decades.

That 1992-93 Lenoir-Rhyne squad may have been Lentz’s best ever. Not only did the Bears win the conference tournament title, they won the NAIA District 26 title and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament, held in Kansas City, Mo. L-R advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Hawaii Pacific.

During the 1994-95 season, Lentz led Lenoir-Rhyne to both the South Atlantic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Titles and landed a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Prior to Lenoir-Rhyne, Lentz was Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Pfeiffer College (1983-86) where he compiled a 53-33 mark. His 1984-85 team finished 23-9 and represented District 26 at the NAIA National Tournament.

Despite all his accomplishments as a head coach, Lentz was just as successful as a player for Lenoir-Rhyne.

Lentz is the Bears’ all-time leader in assists with 524 and topped the team three consecutive seasons. His school record of 19 in a single game still stands. Also a prolific offensive threat, Lentz is fifth all-time in scoring with 1,755 points.

A native of Willingboro, N.J., Lentz earned his undergraduate degree in physical education at L-R before receiving his master’s from North Carolina A&T University.

Lentz and his wife, Judi, are parents of two children: Bryan, who is currently Lenoir-Rhyne’s Associate Head Coach..