Tigers Add Another Seat to the Bench

Trinity Basketball is proud to introduce our newest addition to the coaching staff—Hunter Taylor. In addition to assisting for the Tigers, Coach Taylor will be entering his first year in law school at St. Mary’s University. Last year, he was an assistant coach on Joe Wootten’s staff at O’Connell High School in Washington, D.C., while also working as a legislative staffer for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Coach Taylor, a native of White Oak, TX, earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Texas in 2005 and earned his Master of Arts in Education from the University of Mississippi in 2008.

Trinity Basketball will immediately benefit from his passion for the game and enthusiastic approach.

What is Division III?

As the NCAA continues to define the identity of Division III athletics (refer to above video), now would be a great time to share an article written a few years back (1999 to be exact) by a Cornell College student-athlete. It is a terrific perspective on what drives a Division III athlete to take on such a difficult task as managing academics and athletics – especially when he/she strives to be successful in both arenas.


Why We Play Division III Athletics

It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart.

We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don't even know.

We don't practice with a future major league first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent.

We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor.

We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO.

It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand.

Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us.

You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first.

We don't sign autographs. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions.

When we miss a kick or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt is still the same.

We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. And in that class we are nothing more than students.

It's about pride—in ourselves, in our school.

It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves.

We will forever be what few can claim...college athletes.

- Sean Sornsin, Dec. 3, 1999 edition of The Cornellian

First-Year Move-In Day

Today was an exciting day, not only for Trinity Basketball, but for the entire Trinity University Campus – First-Year Move-In Day! Sam’s gymnasium was packed with eager first-years checking-in, bouncing between information booths, and getting their photos taken for their TigerCards. The first week of freshman year at Trinity is definitely a memorable one, with scheduled events such as lecture speakers, information sessions, dorm and mentor group activities, and the additional excitement of getting to know so many new faces from all different backgrounds.

For us, it was great to spend some time with our incoming freshmen class and their families. Only at a university such as Trinity are families from all over the country able to immediately connect and hit it off so well. We are excited to have such an enjoyable group of people join our Trinity Basketball Family.

Alumni Perspective - James Lake '06

With a busy summer full of camps and recruiting, it has been a while since our last update on Courtside. With the school year quickly approaching (first-years report next Friday!), things are starting to pick up again. We thought now would be a great time to post another Alumni Perspective.

"When Coach Burt asked me to write about what it means to be a Tiger I sat for about 30 minutes, sifting through all the mental highlights of my 4 year career. Countless plays and games vividly flashed in my mind, the Stroberg game winner against Southwestern, our miraculous comeback against University of Dallas on Campus of Champions weekend, and who could forget Luton's ridiculous SportsCenter top ten worthy drop step dunk against Millsaps. Even some of the low points crept back in to my thoughts, like the crushing defeat at Wisconsin Stevens Point, and even all of my "attempted dunks", for lack of a better word, throughout my career. However, the one thing that truly stands out in my mind over the course of those 4 years are the friendships I established and still have to this day. The fact that I'm writing this right now is a testament to the friendships created on the court at Trinity University. During our 5 years as roommates, Coach Burt could have probably filled the Alamodome with my complaints whenever I was asked to write a paper or anything more than a paragraph for that matter, but I jumped at the chance to write about my experiences as a TU basketball player because I knew it was important to him.

The friendships that are created on the court can not be duplicated anywhere else. Sure you can hang out with a few friends at the dining hall or say hi to a buddy from Econ 101 in passing walking back to your dorm room, but when you can take one look at your teammate and know exactly what he's thinking on and off the court because of the hours, days, weeks, months, and even years of hard work you've put in, that's a special feeling. Even when we get together today to play a little pick up ball it's still fun to know when that back door pass is coming even if we might be a few steps slower than we were in our prime.

Through all the hard practices, off season scrimmages, big wins, and heartbreaking losses the one constant was always friendship. You can't play at Trinity for more than 4 years (or an extra 5th year of intramurals if you're lucky), but the stories and memories that you'll make will last a lifetime. I will be in Arizona soon for a mini college reunion and more than half of the guys there will be old basketball teammates from Trinity. I can guarantee you we will find at least a few hours on that trip to talk basketball and tell stories about "back in the day" when the only care in the world we had was rounding up 10 of your best buddies and playing some ball."

James Lake
Class of '06

Class of 2014 Commitments

Trinity Basketball has now received five commitments for the Class of 2014! We are excited to see the following student-athletes in maroon next season:


Jacob Cukjati 6'7 Post - Antonian College Prep, San Antonio, TX - Averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds for a Texas TAPPS 5A state-semifinalist. Voted First Team All-District, Second Team All-State, and Academic All-State as a senior. Jacob has a knack for the basketball, a terrific work ethic and enjoys physical play.

Matt Feldman 5'10 Guard - Punahou School, Honolulu, HI - Averaged 10 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals as a three year letterman, winning a Hawaii State Championship during that time. A Hawaii All-State and ILH All-Star selection his senior season. Matt is a true point guard; quick, terrific ball handler and passer with great court vision, and the ability to make his teammates better.

Zach Lambert 6'4 Wing - Centennial HS, Frisco, TX - Career leader in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, 3pt%, and the most decorated player to come out of Frisco Centennial High School. A three year letterman, voted to the All-District 9-4A First Team two years in a row. Zach is a head smart basketball player, with an ability to score in various ways and defend different positions on the court.

John LaVanway 6'6 Forward - Brophy College Prep, Chandler, AZ - Averaged just under a double double for a top 15 team in Arizona 5A. John is a "team-first" type athlete that has a gift for tracking down rebounds and physical play, coupled with the ability to step outside and knock down shots.

Jonathan Wilt 6'6 Wing - Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ - Averaged 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for an Arizona 5A state semifinalist. Voted to the Arizona Fiesta All-Region First Team as a senior. Jonathan brings great athleticism/explosiveness and has the ability to shoot the three, as well as, break defenders down off of the dribble.


These five are not only accomplished on the basketball court, but probably more so off the court. They are terrific individuals who are looking forward to taking full advantage of playing championship level basketball, while earning one of the top educations in the country.