Ron Lievense, who has a national title and 562 college coaching victories to his credit, will begin his 36th season overall as a head coach and his 29th for the Bulldogs in 2024-25.
Lievense has posted an impressive 502-300 record (62.6 percent) at Barton while leading the Bulldogs to six Conference Carolinas regular-season crowns, four league tournament titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
Two of those NCAA Tournament appearances resulted in back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass., in 2006 and 2007. The 2006 squad dropped an overtime decision to eventual national champion Winona State University in the quarterfinals. One year later, the two met again in the national title game, and this time the Bulldogs rallied for a dramatic 77-75 victory before a national CBS television audience.
Lievense was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches National Coach of the Year after directing Barton to the championship. That honor came on top of his second straight East Region Coach of the Year award. He has also been recognized as the conference’s top coach four times during his Barton tenure.
Anthony Atkinson, who led Barton’s comeback in the 2007 national title game by scoring 10 points in the final 45 seconds, including the game-winning layup just before time expired, is one of four All-Americans or Honorable Mention All-Americans coached by Lievense. Tim Black and Gerald Boston also earned All-American status under Lievense’s guidance, while Chris Flemmings was named an Honorable Mention All-American.
Eighteen of Lievense's Barton players have gone on to sign professional contracts.
Under Lievense's direction, Barton has recorded 10 20-win seasons. His consistent success has extended into post-season play, where the Bulldogs have posted an impressive 13-6 record in seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
Lievense has a vast coaching background that covers more than 30 years of college basketball. Lievense previously coached at St. Andrews Presbyterian College (D-II), Campbell University (D-I), Averett University (D-III), Winona State University (D-II) and Normandale Community College as well as Thomas Jefferson High School.
In 2017, Lievense was presented with a "Legend of the Game" Award by Conference Carolinas for his outstanding career achievements, and in 2018, he was inducted into the Barton College Athletic Hall of Fame.
He played prep basketball at Thomas Jefferson in Bloomington , Minn., where his team won the state championship. Collegiately, he played at Normandale for two years and at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn., his final two years, where he earned All-American honors while leading his team to the National Christian Colleges Athletic Association D-II title as a senior. Lievense was most recently inducted into Northwestern's Athletic Hall of Recognition.
He earned an Associate Arts degree from Normandale, a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Thomas College, and a Master of Science degree from Winona State.
Lievense, who played for his father at Normandale, is married to Darla K. Lievense. They have three daughters, Tiffany, Kristy and Angela, all of whom graduated from Barton.
Lievense has also been one of Barton's sponsors for Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter since its inception almost two decades ago.
TEAM ACCOLADES
Conference Champions (regular-season): 1996-97, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14
Conference Tournament Champions: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12
NCAA Tournament appearances: 1997, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013
East Regional Champions: 2005-06, 2006-07
National Champions: 2006-07
