Eric Best is entering his second season as Head Coach of the Bryan College Shotgun Sports team. During the 2019-2020 year, Bryan was considered a rookie team, but after increasing the roster size, the 2020-21 season will see the Lions competing for the first year.
A native of Madisonville, Tennessee, Best comes to Bryan from Hiwassee College (Tenn.) where he helped restart both the men’s and women’s historically strong soccer programs while overseeing the start of a shooting program. With six years of coaching experience and extensive knowledge in the collegiate shooting arena, Best is excited about what the future holds for Bryan’s shooting program and is thankful for the opportunity and support the school has already shown him.
“The transition to Bryan has been a great experience,” said Best. “Everyone has been extremely welcoming. Having an excellent academic institution behind the program to help allow us to recruit is such a blessing. Our current goal is to get the word out and have individuals begin looking at our program as a possible destination for them to further their shooting career while receiving a quality Christ-centered education.”
Best’s first glimpse inside the world of organized shotgun sports was during his time at Liberty University (Va.) where he spent two years in competition. Best went on to graduate from Liberty with a Bachelor of Science in Business while also studying sports management. Best currently resides in Madisonville, Tennessee with his wife Blaina Best and two daughters Allibeth and Audriana.
The Lions will spend part of their time shooting in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP), which is directed by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF). The SSSF is a leader in youth development shooting sports programs and acts as an educational-athletic organization that exists to introduce youths to the shooting sports and to facilitate their continued involvement.
When not participating with the SCTP, the group’s primary focus will be events hosted by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), which is the governing body of college shooting sports at this time. The ACUI sponsors the National Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships annually. Open to full-time college students, the championships are the only national tournament in which shooters may compete in six different clay target games in the same program: American Trap, International Trap, American Skeet, International Skeet, Sporting Clays, and Five Stand. The Lions will see action in all six events throughout the course of their season.
The Lions Shooting team is recruiting now, and scholarships are available. Best said, “We are looking forward to what this upcoming year has to offer, and I see this as two-fold, as the school gets to engage with a new a group of students while these talented student-athletes have the opportunity to continue competing throughout their college career.”
