FCA presented its annual John Lotz “Barnabas” Award to Liberty
University’s Brad Soucie for his leadership, dedication and commitment both on
and off the court.
The
2021 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award was presented
to Soucie during the height of the college basketball season. The
award is given annually to honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a
commitment to Christ, integrity and encouragement to others, and lives a
balanced life. Soucie is the 19th winner of the “Barnabas” Award, named for
former North Carolina assistant and Florida head coach John Lotz.
“Brad
Soucie exemplifies the ideals of the John Lotz Award—commitment, integrity and
encouragement,” said Shane Williamson, FCA President
and CEO. “For more than a quarter century in basketball, we have loved watching
Soucie lead both on and off the court and truly impact the lives of his
players.”
According to his official Liberty
University biography, Soucie returned to Lynchburg as an assistant coach of
the Liberty men’s basketball program in 2015. After three successful seasons,
he took on the title of associate head coach for the program in August
2018.
Soucie has had the distinction of serving as an assistant under
Ritchie McKay every day of his head coaching career. The partnership began in
1995 when the two helped resurrect the program at Portland State, which had
been dormant for 15 years. He followed McKay to Colorado State, Oregon State,
and New Mexico, before joining him in his first stint with the Flames
(2007-09).
During the 2008-09 campaign, Soucie helped guide the Flames to a
23-12 record and an appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
(CIT).
Soucie’s resume includes 22 years of coaching experience. While
McKay served as an associate head coach at Virginia for six seasons (2010-15),
Soucie was the Cavaliers’ director of player development.
Soucie played college basketball at Eastern Michigan (EMU) for
two seasons before transferring to Christian Heritage College in El Cajon,
Calif., now known as San Diego Christian. While at EMU, he helped lead the
Eagles to the 1986 NCAA Tournament. In their first-round game against
Pittsburgh, Soucie set a first-round record with eight 3-pointers.
For his final two years, Soucie played at Christian Heritage,
where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, and later
served as an assistant coach for two years. He played in the NBA Summer League
with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks. He was also a member of
the Athletes-in-Action traveling team.
Soucie and his late wife, Kendra, have two daughters, Mikayla
and Mariah, and a son, Levi.
Since
its launch by FCA in 2003, the “Barnabas” Award has honored an impressive and
impactful lineup of coaches. Notable recipients of the John Lotz “Barnabas” Award include:
John Wooden, UCLA (2004); Steve Alford, Iowa (2006); Ritchie McKay, Virginia
2009); Tom Crean, Indiana (2013); Hubert Davis, North Carolina (2018); Scott
Drew, Baylor (2019) and Tony Bennett, Virginia (2020).
-FCA-
Photo courtesy of Liberty Athletics