DAPHNE, Ala. – Daniel Prevett wears many hats at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Ga., as the vice president for athletics and student development and head men’s basketball coach. The United States Sports Academy alumnus said his work there would be “nearly impossible” without his Academy master’s degree.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Prevett earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management in 2014 while he worked as a basketball coach at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. He said he was unable to get his foot in the door for collegiate athletics administration jobs until he got his Academy degree.
“I interviewed for a lot of coaching positions in different places and most of the time fell short of being offered those jobs because I didn’t have a master’s degree,” Prevett said.
“So my Academy degree got my foot in the door for opportunities I would not have had otherwise. In the world of athletics administration, especially at the collegiate level, you almost have to have a master’s degree in a sports field. I could not do my job without it. The world of athletics administration is ultra-competitive and you have to be educated to do these jobs. My job would be nearly impossible without my Academy education.”
Brewton-Parker is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes in the Southern States Athletic Conference, which Prevett identified as the “SEC of NAIA.”
Prevett said he “wears many hats” at Brewton-Parker, where he serves as athletic director, student services and development administrator and recently added men’s basketball coach to his resume. He is also the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Region coordinator. The NCCAA is a secondary athletic association representing Christian colleges, with a tournament comparable to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). If teams don’t reach the NAIA tournament, they can be invited to play at the NCCAA level. Prevett coordinates the post season programs for NCCAA teams as well as overseeing the choosing of all-region teams, among other functions.
“I tell people all the time that I use everything I learned from the Academy every day in my job as athletic director,” Prevett said.
“My Academy degree has benefited my career greatly. My education guided me in this direction. The value of my Academy education was twofold. First, I am still able to use the valuable information from textbooks, class discussions and from the expert faculty in my daily routines.
“Second, I took my classes online while I was employed, and that taught me to manage my time, which is valuable in the many roles I have now at Brewton-Parker. It also helps to have good, competent and knowledgeable people working under me here at Brewton-Parker.
“I show people my Academy degree all the time,” Prevett said. “I would not be able to do what I do without my degree.
“I’m upbeat about our basketball program because the school is in a good location and surrounded by a lot of good players in the state,” Prevett said.
Prevett served as athletic director and head women’s basketball coach prior to being promoted to vice president of athletics and student affairs in 2016. Prior to that, he worked as the men’s basketball coach at Tennessee Temple University. He also served six seasons under coach Will Shouse at Asbury College, where he helped lead the men’s basketball team to three 20-win seasons and a regular season conference championship in 2011. He also coached the Asbury junior varsity program, leading that team to an undefeated season in 2014.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
