A coaching veteran with over 10 years of experience, Bertram "Buzzy" Caruthers joined the coaching staff at Lincoln in the fall of 2016. Caruthers previously coached at St. John's University, an NCAA Division I program.
His first season with the program was a successful one, as Caruthers helped lead LU to 17 wins and a second-consecutive berth in the MIAA Men's Basketball Championship. The Blue Tigers won nine MIAA contests and defeated Lindenwood, 72-61, in the first round of the tournament. In the quarterfinals, LU pushed eventual national champion Northwest Missouri to the brink before falling, 80-76.
Caruthers has experience at many different levels of basketball, with previous stops at Butler Community College, Chipola College, Dodge City Community College and Barstow High School and Sumner Academy of Arts and Science. At Barstow, Caruthers helped turn around the basketball program, establishing a new culture of winning. He helped lead the team to a program-record 24-win season, and Barstow to this day remains a basketball power.
At the college level, Caruthers has had tremendous success, including helping Butler achieve 19 wins and advance to the regional semifinal. At Chipola and Dodge City, Caruthers coached four players who went on to play at the NCAA Division I or Division II level. Caruthers has played a major role in recruting and developing nine players who achieved all-conference honors over the past four years.
In addition to his high school and collegiate coaching, Caruthers has worked with a variety of skills camps to help develop elite high school players. Caruthers coached at the Mokan Elite program and Kansas City's elite Nike skills program. Caruthers also assisted with camps run by Missouri natives Tyrann Lue, the head coach of the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, and Alec Burks. Through his camps and various coaching stops, Caruthers has coached more than 20 players who have gone on to play at the NCAA Division I or Division II levels.
Caruthers, a native of Kansas City, Kan., played his high school ball at Sumner Academy, leading the team to two state championships. Caruthers graduated from Hampton University with a bachelor of science degree in finance in 2006.
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