\nThe Lubbock Chamber of Commerce will hold a Community Prayer Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on the National Day of Prayer\, Thurs.\, May 6. The luncheon will be held at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center and will offer prayers for the nation\, state\, community\, and the youth.
\n \;
\nThe featured speaker will be Steve Gomez\, Lubbock Christian University Women'\;s Basketball Head Coach. \;Coach just led the LCU Lady Chaps in an undefeated season and brought home the title of DII National Champions for the third time in five seasons.
\n \;
\n&ldquo\;Coach is an inspiration for young minds on and off of the court and we are excited to hear from him\, right on the heels of his outstanding season\,&rdquo\; said Dave Marcinkowski\, Chamber Chair. &ldquo\;In Coach Gomez&rsquo\;s philosophy of coaching he states that his style is a direct reflection of those most important to him\, his faith\, family\, and passion for competition.&rdquo\;
\n \;
\nAn LCU graduate\, Gomez was a standout perimeter player for Coach John Copeland in the late 1980s\, and to this day\, he still holds the school record for career free throw percentage at .855. \;He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor&rsquo\;s of Science Degree in Mathematics and consistently used his degree to teach in the classroom while pursuing coaching on the sidelines. \;Gomez&rsquo\;s career began at Lubbock Monterey High School where he served as an assistant coach in the men&rsquo\;s basketball program from 1988 to 1995. \;In 1996\, Gomez accepted the men&rsquo\;s basketball head coaching position at Lubbock-Cooper High School\, where he remained until returning to Lubbock Christian University to take over the reins of the Lady Chaps in 2003. \;During his seven seasons at Lubbock-Cooper\, the basketball program broke new ground making the playoffs four times\, managing the school&rsquo\;s first state ranking\, and capturing the Pirates only district championship in Gomez&rsquo\;s final season. He has been married to his wife Shawna for 30 years\, and the couple have two sons: Hayden and Landon.
\n \;
\nAdditional prayers will be led by U.S. Congressman Jodey Arrington\; Mayor Dan Pope\; AJ McCleod\, YWCA\; Paulene Salamon\, Kona Ice \;&ndash\; South Lubbock\; \;and Ashton Duncan\, Lubbock Christian University.
\n \;
\n \;

Steve Gomez'\;s Personal \;Philosophy of Coaching \; \; \;
\n"\;My philosophy of coaching is a direct reflection of the things that are most important to me\, \;my faith\, my family and a passion for competition. As a result of my faith in a God who embodies the perfect balance of justice and love\, my main desire as a person and coach is to live as an example of those characteristics. Secondly\, because of my love and enjoyment of family\, and realizing how similar a team is to a family\, I want to help in building lasting relationships\, \;coach to player and player to player\, while providing an environment for individuals to improve athletically\, academically and spiritually. I want all involved in our basketball program to have a full understanding of success\, which will ultimately be measured by the quality and influence of our lives and not only by the result of a single performance or season. I hope to instill self-discipline and a healthy competitive spirit in each of our players as I strive to encourage and bring out the best character traits and physical abilities that each one possesses."\; \;