Dallas Baptist University Men's Basketball

Flickner is one of only three head coaches in the Heartland Conference to have made multiple trips to the NCAA Tournament, and one of only three Heartland coaches who have advanced passed the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Flickner's teams are known for their great effort and selfless play.  The uptempo style is exciting for fans and players alike, and has consistently made them one of the highest scoring teams in the nation.  The 2015-16 team continued this trend by once again leading the Heartland Conference and ranking No. 13 in the nation in points per game (87.5).  DBU also ranked tops in the league and No. 27 in the country in three-point field goals per game (9.9), and led the conference and ranked No. 11 in the nation in assists per game (17.3). Coach Flickner's teams have also excelled in the classroom as they are consistently at or near the top of the Heartland Conference for the highest team GPA.  During Flickner's tenure at DBU, his teams have won five Heartland Conference awards for the highest team GPA in the league.  In 2012, senior Armie Lewis was awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Year award, a prize given to one male athlete across all sports from all the schools in the conference.  100% of all players who have attended DBU out of high school and completed their eligibility have graduated, while 90.2% of all players, including transfers, who have completed their eligibility at DBU have graduated.  Many have also gone on to receive Masters level degrees, or higher, while three former Patriots have earned their Juris Doctor degree from top law schools. The Patriot basketball program has been built into a consistent winner from the ground up during Flickner's tenure.  The program has twice received votes for the National Top 25.  In 2008-09 they finished the season ranked #6 in the South Central Region and earned a bid to the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the Regional Semi-Finals with an upset victory over the University of Central Oklahoma.  For his efforts, Coach Flickner was honored as the Heartland Conference Coach of the Year and the NCCAA Central Regional Coach of the Year for 2009.  In 2016, the Patriots climbed as high as No. 2 in the NCAA Regional rankings.  The National Championship in the NCCAA Tournament in 2011 was also a first for the program and another milestone for the Patriots. Flickners teams have produced three Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year award winners, six First Team All- Conference, eight Second Team All-Conference, and nine Honorable Mention All-Conference selections.  Flickner has also helped to develop two Patriots who were named the leagues Newcomer of the Year, and one Defensive Player of the Year.  Five Patriots have also gone on to play professional basketball overseas during Flickners tenure. Flickner came to DBU from the U.S. Naval Academy where he served as an assistant coach for the Midshipmen from 2003-05.  Prior to his stint at Navy, Flickner served two years as Director of Basketball Operations and Administrative Assistant Coach for Coach Dale Layer at Colorado State University.  While there, the Rams made their first trip to the NCAA tournament in thirteen years after winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Before his time at Colorado State, Flickner worked as the assistant coach at Eastfield College (1998-01) in Mesquite, Texas.  During his three-year stay, he helped recruit and develop two All-Americans and led Eastfield College to a share of the 2001 Metro Athletic Conference Championship. A native of Garland, Texas, Flickner graduated from Garland High School and went on to play at Eastfield College.  A point guard for Eastfield College from 1993-95, Flickner helped the Harvesters to win the 1994 Metro Athletic Conference title.  An outstanding student, Flickner was named a Distinguished NJCAA Academic All-American.  He continued his education at the University of Kansas, where he served as a student manager from 1996-98 and assumed the head manager position his senior campaign.  While at Kansas, the Jayhawks produced a two-year 69-6 record, won back-to-back Big 12 Championships (1997,98) and five players went on to be drafted in the NBA, including former NBA Finals MVP, Paul Pierce. Flickner graduated with distinction from Kansas in May of 1998 with a degree in business administration.  He earned his Master of Arts Degree in Christian education at Dallas Theological Seminary in May of 2001 where he graduated with honors.  His love and value for higher education continues as he is currently pursuing a doctorate level degree from DBU in Educational Leadership (Ed.D).  He expects to graduate in December 2016. Blake and his wife Mary reside in Duncanville, Texas, with their son Isaiah, daughter Ruth, and son Malachi.  The Flickners attend First Baptist Church Highland Village Dallas Northway where they lead a home group.  

Caleb Young enters his third season as Graduate Assistant Coach for DBU Mens Basketball. Young comes to the Patriots from Hardin-Simmons University, where he served as Assistant Coach for two seasons.   At Hardin-Simmons, Young served as a Student Assistant Coach for Mens Basketball for three seasons before being promoted into the full-time Assistant role before his senior year. During the 2020-21 season, Young was named the TABC Small College Student Assistant of the Year after being nominated by his Head Coach Matt Brackett. During his five-year tenure, Young assisted in all assets of the program, with his primary responsibilities being recruiting, scouting reports, and community service coordination. Young was part of two conference tournament finalist teams at HSU, qualifying for the ASC tournament all five seasons.   Young earned his Bachelors degree in Kinesiology, Fitness and Recreation and is pursuing a Masters in Sports Management. Young is a Dallas native, born and raised in DeSoto.