After 11 years on the Transylvania court, both as a player and coach, Nate Valentine has been named the head coach at Lexington Christian Academy.

"I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it is for me to leave Transylvania," Valentine said. "Transy has been my home since I came here to play in 2002. This is a special place."

Valentine transferred to Transylvania in 2002, under Head Coach Brian Lane after playing one season at Tusculum College.

"I see LCA as being very similar to Transy," Valentine said. ‘They not only have a very strong basketball program, but also has a very strong academic reputation and the people there are great. They have a very passionate fan base and I believe the program has unlimited potential."

The three-year letter winner netted 447 and appeared in 69 games in just three seasons, while earning the team leadership award following his junior and senior seasons.

His career as a Pioneer, however, did not end with his playing days. Valentine joined Coach Lane in 2006 and helped the Pioneers to back-to-back Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference titles, giving the Pioneers a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Valentine and the Pioneers also earned at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2012. Under Valentine’s tireless vigorous recruiting efforts, Transylvania landed six KABC Region Player of the Year selections and two Kentucky All-Star Selections.Valentine’s on-the-court instruction helped eight First-Team All-HCAC selections, one HCAC Freshman of the Year, two HCAC Player of the Year winners, along with two NABC All-Americans and one NABC Reese’s All-Star Game participant.

"The future at Transy is very bright," Valentine said. "I hope to see this program competing for championships in the near future. I am grateful and extremely fortunate to have learned from both Brian and Don Lane. Coach Lane has not only been a great guy to work for, but also a great mentor and friend."

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