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