By Ryan Ernst
Cincinnati Enquirer

In the heart of the Cincinnati Bible College campus sits President's Hall. And in the center of President's Hall sits the Multi-Purpose Center.

Multipurpose as in the home of back-to-back-to-back men's basketball National Christian College Athletic Association national title banners from the mid-80s, as well as banners from soccer, volleyball and women's basketball. The gym also boasts 40 or so flags from countries around the world - countries where alumni work in missions.

Multipurpose as in the site for chapel services at least twice a week. Multipurpose as in the home to a community outreach program for kids called Price Hill Party.

Corey Bullock, The Golden Eagles' junior point guard, started the program as a freshman. He also founded Family Feast, a spinoff for the neighborhood families. Bullock is also fourth in the nation in assists and well on his way to setting the school's all-time mark, but he would rather not talk about that.

"Definitely one of the things that was attractive about this program was that basketball is not the emphasis," said Bullock, not preachy, but passionate. "Yeah, we give everything we've got and work hard on the floor, but our focus is not on basketball. And if it is, it's in the wrong place, because that's not what we're here for."

Bullock's coach, John Garrett, the school's athletic director and sixth all-time leading scorer, says any player expecting sports to be life on the Price Hill campus is in for a surprise. There is a curfew for students: midnight weekdays and 1a.m. on weekends. Athletes get the same number of excused absences as the rest of the student body, road trips or not. No alcohol. No profanity. Got a girlfriend on campus? Good luck trying to get into her dorm.

Oh, but you're an athlete? Tough.

Like his players, Garrett gets no perks.

"I doubt Bob Huggins has to do his team's laundry every once in awhile," he said, laughing.

Despite financial Restrictions, Garrett's team manages out-of-town and even out-of-country trips.

"We have a traveling sports outreach team that travels to camps throughout the summer. We're starting to get involved in sports mission trips," Garrett said. "I went to Jamaica for a three-day basketball clinic and shared the word. And this spring break we're hoping to send our soccer team there. We see sports as our vehicle to reach people for Christ."

Which, as Garrett says, can lead to misconceptions. "When we play secular schools, one thing I try to challenge our guys with in our pregame talks is, 'This team doesn't respect us. They've go this perception of who we are.' We try to start a game in such a way that they know they've stepped into a hostile environment. People don't like to think of Christians as hostile. But I believe there is a certain way to be competitive."

Garrett has led CBC to back-to-back regional titles in the last two years. And since he became AD in 1995, the school's other programs - men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's golf - have improved. Two weeks ago, the men's soccer team won the Mid-East Region Championship.

And although the school's most historically successful team had gotten off to a 4-8 start through Friday, Bullock keeps his head up and his faith intact. The future youth minister sees basketball has his ticket not to the NBA but to a start in his vocation.

"I think it's almost my job, my duty to play even harder because I'm playing for the Lord," he said. "And we're supposed to do all things for him, not for men. So when I'm on the floor, people in the stands, kids from Price Hill Party, they see that intensity. So there's definitely a difference in the way we play here."

Amen.

E-mail rernst@enquirer.com

Others

Miami soccer player Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield) was named an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Courtney Budd (Lakota West), a soccer player at Valparaiso, was named first-team All-Mid-Continent Conference.

The NSCAA voted NKU's Becky Schnieders (Seton), Hope Bushelman (McNicholas) and Stephanie Sandfoss (Highlands) to its All-Great Lakes Region first team. Kristen Noakes (Dixie Heights) earned second-team honors.

Mount St. Joseph basketball player Tasha Reid (Hughes) scored 51 points in two wins last week and was named Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the week.

The Mount St. Joseph football team's Rod Huber was named HCAC coach of the year, and Pat McAtee (Elder) and Andy Wellendorf (Elder) were named defensive player of the year and freshman of the year.

Loyola-Chicago's Paul McMillan (Aiken) was named Horizon League player of the week.

NKU guard Brendan Stowers (Simon Kenton) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the week.

Mike Weckenbrock (Covington Catholic) of Centre College made the NSCAA All-Central Region second team.

Case Western Reserve lineman Farzad Mazloomi (Winton Woods) was an All-University Athletic Association honorable mention.

St. Francis soccer player Michael Zoller (McNicholas) was named an NAIA All-American.

Eastern Michigan's Jeff Luhn (Roger Bacon) was MAC Swimmer of the Week.

Wooster's Andrew DeBord (Indian Hill) made the All-Great Lakes Region soccer first team.