We are thrilled to announce Steve Gomez as the 2022 Sudan Education Foundation Dinner & Auction keynote speaker!
Steve is the head coach of the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaps, a three-time National Champion and has helped lead two USA Basketball teams to gold medals.
According to an article by The Duster Today written in 2020,
“LCU alumnus Steve Gomez has been the head coach of the Lady Chaps basketball team for 17 years. In that time, while on his way to winning two NCAA Division II National Championships, he has posted a win-loss record of 425-125.
And he has achievements beyond LCU, As an assistant coach, Gomez helped lead the 2018 USA Basketball’s Women’s U17 team to a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup in Belarus.
Even further back, Gomez holds the LCU men’s basketball free-throw record, shooting a cool 85.5 percent in his playing days.”
Make that 19 years as the head coach of Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaps, winning THREE NCAA Division II National Championships, he has now posted a win-loss record of 476-132 and as of the end of last season the Lady Chaps have a win streak at the Rip Griffin Center of 104 games!
According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, the “Lady Chaps had little tradition when Steve Gomez became the head coach in 2003. But they made the NAIA Tournment as a bottom seed that first year. By 2006, they made a Cinderalla run and became the lowest seed – No. 6 in their eight-team quadrant of a 32-team bracket – to ever reach the championship game.”
Sudan’s own 2002 alum, Casie Legg – Newman, was a senior at LCU in 2006 and played for Coach Gomez for three seasons and in that 2006 championship game. Casie said that Coach Gomez “came to LCU during the spring off season of my freshman year and it was literally the hardest spring training of my life!”. Thanks to Casie’s mom for saving and digging this picture out for us!
In the years since, the Lady Chaps have won the Division II NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2019 and 2021 and they were a No. 1 regional seed when the 2020 tournament was canceled due COVID. In addition, the Lady Chaps have not lost in the Rip Griffin Center since New Year’s Day 2015!
Bobby Hooten wrote after the 2021 National Championship,
“With a perfect 22-0 record, the Lady Chaps successfully defended their national title and became the only NCAA women’s basketball team ever to complete two perfect seasons. Since joining the NCAA Division II, LCU has won the women’s national title more often than not and owns an immaculate all-time Elite Eight Tournament record of 20-1. In just six years and five postseasons in DII, Steve Gomez has joined only fourteen other coaches across the entire NCAA (four in Division II) in winning three or more national championships over their career.”
Steve has experienced great success on and off the basketball court and we are very excited to have him and his family at this year’s SEF Dinner & Auction!
And we would LOVE to see you there, too. The 2022 SEF Benefit Dinner & Auction is Saturday, October 8th at 7 pm at Sudan High School.
Dinner tickets are $75 per seat and you can purchase them HERE. If you would like to purchase tickets with a check or cash, please contact Tara Provence at (806)773-7932 or tara@texasproducerscoop.com.
If you are interested in volunteering with the Education Foundation, serving on a committee, or donating towards future innovative grants for Sudan ISD, please visit our website for more information at stxef.org.
