River States Conference

Athletic Director Spotlight - Gary Stepp, Alice Lloyd College

1/19/2011 12:00:00 AM

In this edition of the KIAC AD Spotlight, KIAC SID Jeremy Steele introduces Alice Lloyd College AD, Gary D. Stepp, who provides some insight on Alice Lloyd Athletics and the KIAC.

AD First and Last name: Gary D. Stepp

School Name: Alice Lloyd College

Years in position: 3

Years experience in athletics: 21

Hometown: Pippa Passes, Ky.

Profile:

* Married to the former Lisa Susanne Gloshen for 11 years. One child: daughter Elisabeth - 8 years old.

*Attended Alice Lloyd on a basketball scholarship. Played 4 seasons (83-87)

* At ALC was a 3 year starter at point guard. Held several school records upon graduating including most career assists (305) and most games played (105).

* Graduated from ALC with a social studies major (1987). Added a mathematics minor (1988).

* Received a masters degree from Morehead State University (1993)

* Served as assistant coach to the men's basketball team from 1988- 1996, 1998-99. ALC went to 4 consecutive NAIA Tournaments (93-96) as a member of the TVAC Conference during this time and had 7 consecutive 20 + win seasons.

* Served as Assistant Headmaster, Athletic Director, and Head Boys Basketball Coach at the June Buchan School for six years (2003-2008).

* Led June Buchanan High School, with a high school enrollment of only 74 students, to a 26-7 record and their first ever 14^th regional championship and a berth in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen State Tournament at Rupp Arena in 2007.

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** AD talk with Gary D. Stepp and KIAC SID Jeremy Steele

JS: Alice Lloyd offers a number of competitive sports. Tell us more about what Alice Lloyd offers and what's new in the Athletics Department.

GS: We are really pleased that we are able to offer more selections than ever before in school history. This season, we added two new sports offerings to our program. We currently provide our females the following selections; Basketball, Cross Country, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball, and Cheerleading. We currently provide our males the following selections; Basketball, Cross Country, Baseball, and Golf. Down the road we may look to add more to this, but for right now, we want to strengthen the offerings we have.

JS: In athletic departments across the nation there are stories of traditions, past coaches, and memorable games. Share with us one or two of these that are linked with the legacy of Alice Lloyd Athletics.

GS: Joe Stepp, who is now president of the college, came to ALC in 1983 as AD and men's basketball coach (This was just after the college became a four year institution). His challenge was to build the school into a contender in the established KIAC conference. This task was made all the more difficult because ALC recruits exclusively (and still does) from the Appalachian area. This stipulation severely limits which high schools potential student-athletes could come from. Joe later convinced his brother Jim to join him in building the program. The KIAC at that time included all of the Kentucky schools who are now members of the Mid- South Conference. In addition, other members included Thomas More, Union, and UVA Wise. Every year in that conference from the time I played, we finished higher than we were picked. This included a regular season runner- up finish in 1990 against this high caliber of competition. Our 1990 club finished 20-8, and was competitive enough that they battled eventual national champion Birmingham Southern University down to the wire before falling by only 4 points. By 1992, with NAIA divisional realignment, we became a member of the TVAC Conference and were moved from the KIAC.

In 1992-93, Birmingham- Southern invited us to play in their tournament, which was very prestigious. BSU entered this matchup having just played at Mississippi State University the previous contest, where they lost by only four (75-71); they were a true powerhouse. We were in opposite brackets with them and we both reached the finals. We were very young with 3 freshmen in major roles and only 1 senior. Anyway, we played exceptionally well and upset them on their home court. The thing I remember the most, however, was what happened after the game. We left our locker room to return to our vans and a large contingency of their alumni were waiting for us. They said they just wanted to shake our players' hands because they really enjoyed watching a team play as hard and as well as we did. As a coach, that behavior was highly unusual to see from the opposition's fans! We were pretty good ourselves and used that victory as a springboard to finish 27-6 that season. This was also the start of our four year national championship tourney run where we won at least 26 games each season and nationally were a top 12 team each year; our highest ranking was 4th in 1996.

JS: Education is certainly strengthened and enhanced in the classroom. How does Alice Lloyd Athletics supplement the education experience of its student athletes?

GS: I am very proud of the reputation that Alice Lloyd has acquired over its history. We are currently considered the number one school in the south by US News and World Report for graduating students with the least amount of debt, and are also ranked by them as a top tier school in the south for academic excellence.

We offer numerous things that can supplement the education experience of our student athletes. As you may know, ALC is a work study school. Every student who attends our college is required to work 10 hours per week. This allows them to help earn their education, which was what Miss Alice Lloyd instituted when she started this school in 1923. It also helps prepare graduates to enter the job market upon receiving their degrees.

Our college also sponsors the Caney Scholars Program at the University of Kentucky. Students who apply for this award go through an application process and are required to meet many standards. Those who are fortunate enough to receive this high honor are permitted to stay in our own Caney Cottage, which is located near the UK Hospital, without having to pay any room and utilities while they complete their graduate work. To my knowledge, we are the only school in America to offer this opportunity to its graduates, and we currently support nearly 60 students staying in Lexington at our cottage.

All of our students also take part in our required convocation program. With this program, we bring speakers in from various fields of expertise to speak with our students on a variety of topics. It is both educational and informative at the same time and is just another way we want to prepare our students to be leaders in our area.

When a student receives a diploma from Alice Lloyd College, they are looked at most favorably by those looking to hire in the work force. Organizations know that an Alice Lloyd graduate not only passed a highly reputable academic institution, but also maintained a weekly work schedule and required convocation schedule. These demands are only intensified if you are an athlete who also attends practices and games! If you couple this with the high standards that our school expects, you can see why so many of our graduates become leaders in their communities.

JS: In existence since 1915, the KIAC possesses a unique tradition. What distinguishes the KIAC from other NAIA conferences?

GS: The tradition of our conference is incredible and I believe our history is a distinguishing factor in setting our league apart. Sports buffs may not know that many years ago, nearly all of the current NCAA state teams of today played in the KIAC; in fact, nearly every state college except the University of Kentucky was a member of our conference at one time or another. As Commissioner Bill Melton pointed out, Louisville won the KIAC Championship twice in the 1920's!

This league has, throughout its history, been known as a powerful conference. I know personally during the four years I played in the KIAC, the University of the Cumberlands was a top 10 school each season, and Georgetown College was always powerful. Our league was so deep that there were no easy games; every contest was a battle. In fact, my senior year of 1987, Georgetown won the league and advanced to the NAIA Final Four, and they only beat us by four points in the regular season.

I hope that our conference will continue to prosper and have quality athletics, and I believe that will happen. More importantly, in my opinion, it is critical that we continue having quality members that will adhere to the NAIA's unique Champions of Character philosophy. Our league should be much more than merely about sports, and we need to never lose sight of that fact. It is also about presenting ourselves in a positive light and setting a positive example for others to see.