Wednesday, November 09, 2005

By MIKE ORGAN
Staff Writer

Even though it's been eight years since Belmont made the leap from NAIA to the NCAA Division I big-time, the program still is perceived by some as a small fish in a big pond.

Not many blue-chippers dream of wearing the blue and red, and playing for the Bruins. Top recruits who do end up at the Curb Event Center usually follow a winding path to get there.

Take, for instance, Boomer Herndon and Matthew Dotson, whose first choices were higher-profile Tennessee. Both wound up at Belmont.

"Everybody has their own path,'' Belmont Coach Rick Byrd said.