February 26, 2021 – Toccoa, GA –
The Bob Jones University Bruins suffered a tough 86-90 loss to the Southeastern Baptist College Chargers last night in the NCCAA DII South Region Quarter Final. This means that Bruins will miss their first South Region Championship game since 2017. In the years since then, the Bruins have won 2 South Region championships and have had 3 national tournament appearances. After so much success in recent years, it could seem as if the Bruins took a step back this season. Looking at what the Bruins overcame, that is definitely not the case.
The Bruins lost 2 key players after last season in seniors Nate Ellenwood and Jayson Barnhart. The Bruins also lost many players that decided to not return. To fill in many gaps, Coach Uwarow brought in a variety of underclassmen. With only a few key returners to rely on, it would become evident that their bench lacked depth. This is a common struggle with young teams and this will make BJU a likely target for transfers this upcoming Fall semester.
Although this season didn’t meet expectations, don’t expect Head Coach Burton Uwarow to go anywhere…yet. The Bruins seem to be a good fit for him as he embodies their mission both on and off the court. In his time so far, he has proven his ability to recruit and has done a great job at making BJU a great target for transfers looking to make an impact. With that said, Coach Uwarow doesn’t have long to get BJU back to it’s championship winning ways. The Bruins carry with themselves a winning culture and will have no problem moving in another direction to ensure they keep that culture.
