Southeastern U. makes head coaching changes in golf, basketball and football

A familiar face is now the Southeastern University men’s and women’s golf coach.

Southeastern promoted former Lakeland Christian and George Jenkins High girls golf coach David Joyner as the interim men’s and women’s golf coach for the Fire this upcoming season. Steve Phelps, who coached the Fire for 13 years, stepped down in late-July.

Joyner was the assistant coach the last six seasons for Southeastern's men’s and women’s programs with both reaching the NAIA's Top 10.

“I am grateful and very excited for this opportunity,” Joyner said. “I want to thank Steve Phelps and Athletic Director Drew Watson for believing in me six years ago and allowing me to be a part of this great university and golf program. I look forward to continuing to help our student-athletes be successful both on and off the course.”

Joyner has a track record of helping Polk County golfers. Before Southeastern, Joyner spent nine seasons as the coach of the Lakeland Christian girls golf program and he was also the George Jenkins High coach for 12 seasons. He was also a five-time Polk County Coach of the Year.

“David has done an excellent job for us as an assistant coach, particularly on the women’s side, the last six years,” Watson said. “He brings a lifetime of golf experience to the job and has shown to be a coach who invests in his student-athletes at a high level. There is a no question he is the right person to lead these programs through the 2022-23 campaigns.”

Joyner was a four-year letter winner at Samford University. Joyner also has a daughter, Kate, who is in her freshman year at Samford. The father-daughter duo are the three-time defending champions at the Dexter Daniels Parent-Child Tournament at Cleveland Heights. In addition, his oldest daughter, Ashlynn, is a three-year letterwinner for the Fire women's golf team.

Butler to replace Hays as Fire's
women's basketball coach

Southeastern now has new head coaches in both the women’s and men’s basketball programs.

The Fire named Jay Butler as the interim women’s basketball coach. Former coach Tim Hays, the winningest coach in SEU history, who led the Fire to a No. 1 ranking and a deep run in the NAIA playoffs, took a job with the University of Colorado, a Division I program, earlier in the summer.

“Jay brings a wealth of experience to Lakeland as the next women’s basketball coach,” Watson said. “He is a great addition to the staff and the right person to lead the program through the coming year. I believe his influence on the future of the team will be immeasurable.”

Butler, a Castleton State Hall of Fame honoree, was the head coach at Columbia University for eight years and is the program’s all-time leader in wins.

Lubbers resigns, Lee elevated
to Fire's men’s basketball coach

Randy Lee was elevated to head coach after Kevin Lubbers resigned as the head coach over the summer.

In the last three seasons, Lubbers led the program to two Sun Conference regular-season titles, a Sun Conference Tournament title, and two appearances in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

“Kevin has done an incredible job with the men’s basketball program in the three years he has been entrusted with the team,” Watson said. “If you’re around him any amount of time, you see very quickly the passion he has for coaching basketball and for mentoring the men on the team. But his passion for God and his family is paramount and, while I do not want to see him go, I applaud this decision and pray that God richly blesses Kevin, Anne, Daisy, Nash, and Mabel because of it. I wish him very best.”

Lee will fill the shoes of Lubbers this year with extensive experience. Lee has been the head coach of the University of Maine at Machias, University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and Tennessee Temple University. He was also an assistant at Palm Beach Atlantic, Miami (Fla.), Towson, Delaware State, Centenary, Maine, and Polk State, recruiting and coaching multiple All-Americans.

“This is an incredible opportunity to lead the young men of Fire basketball, who are first and foremost great people who are energetic, fun and talented, Lee said.

Fire’s Cesar Rivas-Sandoval resigns
due to health; Waugh promoted

Cesar Rivas-Sandoval resigned this summer as the head football coach due to health-related issues.

“Dealing with a handful of health-related issues this year, including being diagnosed with and battling cancer, my family and I have made the difficult decision at this time to step down and make my health and family the highest priority for this next season in my life,” Rivas said.

Rivas led the Fire to its first Mid-South Sun Division title since 2018, and was named the division’s Coach of the Year. Overall, Southeastern was 13-4 under Rivas, which was highlighted by eight wins last season (2021) — two coming against top-25 programs.

Replacing Rivas will be former Southeastern defensive coordinator Adam Waugh.

Waugh comes from a family of football minds. His father was a coach for over 50 years and, his brother, Ethan, was recently hired as an assistant general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Waugh also has another brother, Tucker, who serves as the director of recruiting at Army.

Waugh’s experience includes stints at Pittsburgh, Army, Cal Poly and Louisiana Monroe. He also coached at the high school level.

“SEU is a special place where faith, academics, and football all come together to create a campus environment that is second to none…," Waugh said.

Sportswriter Robert Magobet can be reached at 856-905-4537, rmagobet@gannett.com, or @Magobet31 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Southeastern U. makes head coaching changes in golf, basketball and football