Greetings from Hilton Head Island, SC. I haven’t been here in close to 20 years but it is obvious that this place has maintained its status as a great resort island. We are staying at the Inn at Harbor Town which is a fantastic property. This weekend was a whirlwind of motion with the season kicking off and thousands of people descending on the island for Memorial Day Weekend. I am really impressed with all of the bikers at Sea Pines. They ride everywhere. This is a great thing for exercise and cost savings…$3.95 a gallon makes me want to ride my bike everyday!
This has been a particularly nice working week for me as my wife Mary joined me in Hilton Head. We have had a fun time exploring the island around our Big South meetings. We have had an especially great time with Dr. Betty Dore and her husband Dick. We are so fortunate at Radford to have Dr. Dore as our Faculty Athletics Representative. Betty is such a wonderful person and she has a great love for Radford University and the students. One would certainly be lucky to have the opportunity to take her class or be under her leadership preparing for a career in education. In addition, she and Dick are so fun to be around and Mary and I have had an absolute blast the past two evenings!
I am really excited about Thursday night’s Big South Conference Banquet where Radford tennis player Cassandra Price is being honored as this year’s recipient of the Christenberry Award. This is the top award given by the BSC honoring the top male and female student-athlete for their accomplishments in the classroom and in their respective sports. Cass is tremendously deserving of this award as she has been extremely successful on the court and in the classroom. She graduated from Radford with a 4.0 GPA and a double major in Finance and Economics. We are so very proud of Cass’s accomplishments and we look forward to following what will no doubt be a fantastic career in whatever line of work she chooses.
These are my first Big South spring meetings and they have certainly been very interesting. We have such an outstanding group of Presidents and athletic directors in this conference. Under this leadership, the BSC is poised to do a lot of great things. As an AD, I did spare the conference one important item today…I passed on the golf outing! I was asked on numerous occasions since I arrived if I was planning to play on one of the famous Hilton Head courses with my fellow ADs. To preserve the beauty of the courses here and out of respect for conference, I respectfully declined! Instead, I went to the beach for a good run and then spent the latter part of the day on the phone with our Associate AD Randy Butt going over planning and budget numbers. If you haven’t met Randy I encourage you to do so as you will not find a nicer person in the world. He is also the best financial guy in college athletics.
Best of luck to our track athletes who head to Florida State for the NCAA Regional Meet this weekend. These athletes continue to perform at a very high level.
Go Highlanders!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Spring Update
I hope all of the Highlander fans out there are having a great spring. Before I get into events in the athletic department, I want to congratulate the class of 2008 on graduating May 3rd. We are really proud of our RU graduates and I know they will go out into the world and do great things. We are particularly proud of our student-athletes that graduated. We will miss you and we are so grateful for your many accomplishments and contributions.
Like the weather here in the New River Valley, our department continues to undergo many changes. Perhaps the biggest change is Coach Jeri Porter’s departure to George Mason University. Jeri did a wonderful job during her six years at RU and we wish her the very best as she moves to Fairfax. Jeri’s exit has opened the door for a great opportunity for her successor, Taj Ngongba. After an intense search we believe we have hired a tremendous coach, recruiter, and person. Taj has been a success at every point in her career. She was an All-American forward at George Washington University where she scored over 2,000 points and played in the Sweet Sixteen twice. She graduated from GW and played in the WNBA where she played against the very best.
Taj has also had successful stops as an assistant coach at Richmond, VCU, and George Washington. The Colonials have been to the Sweet Sixteen the past two seasons. We are excited about her leadership and expect continued success in our women’s program. Make sure you make a point to come over and see Taj as she is very excited to get to know people in the Radford University community, New River Valley, and beyond.
We currently have two teams still competing and they are baseball and track and field. The baseball team continues to improve and we are really excited about what Joe Raccuia and his staff are doing. The team is playing excellent baseball as we beat a good Liberty team 15-4 Wednesday in Big South Tournament play in Danville. I want to make special mention of Joe’s seniors-Eric Evans, Jonathan Spears, Nate Toth, and Nachion Moore. These young men have helped pave the way for an extraordinarily bright future for Radford Baseball. Their tremendous attitude, effort, and leadership have been crucial in our efforts reshape this program. I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Alex Gregory, Tyren Rivers and Eric Evans, all of whom were named All-Conference. Special congratulations go to Alex Gregory, who was voted the baseball Scholar-Athlete by the Big South. This is a prestigious honor that combines academic and athletic prowess.
Track and field has had a terrific spring and will send five student-athletes to NCAA Regionals next week. Congratulations and good luck to Kyle Morse, Amy Marshall, Shemilia Brandon, Daniel Oseth and Nic Moore, all of whom will represent RU at Regionals next weekend. RU’s 4X400 team qualified for regionals as well. Good luck also to the team of Raschad Kelso, Gaylon Johnson, Olajuwon Jones, Wayne Gore and Sean Bossman.
I want to congratulate Mickey Dean and the softball team on a sensational year. We won 46 games playing a tough schedule that included wins over NC State, Georgetown, Rutgers, Indiana, James Madison and Penn State. This team accomplished so much in 2008. President Kyle, Jo Kiernan, and I made the trip to Winthrop last Wednesday for the softball awards banquet where the Highlanders were very well represented. Here is a list of accomplishments by this team:
Ashley Taylor Big South Pitcher of the Year
First Team All-Conference Pitcher
Big South All-Tournament Team
Shannon Keefe Big South Freshman of the Year
First Team All-Conference Utility
Jenn Everhart First Team All-Conference 2nd Base
Big South All-Tournament Team
Kristen Shifflett First Team All-Conference Shortstop
Vicki Madden First Team All-Conference 3rd Base
Hope Creasy First Team All-Conference Outfielder
Big South All-Academic Team
Sarah Himan First Team All-Conference Catcher
Ashley Carlson Second Team All-Conference Outfielder
Many congratulations are in order for Coach Mike Anderson and his outstanding tennis team. We had an absolutely fantastic spring. This team accomplished so much sweeping all Big South opponents in the regular season and going on to win the Big South Tournament over Winthrop. Here is a tremendous list of honors for this exceptional team.
2008 Big South Champions-Regular season and Tournament
NCAA Tournament Participant playing at the University of Georgia against a Bulldog team that won last years’ National Title.
Mike Anderson won his 3rd straight Big South Coach of the Year Award
Martin Sayer 4th straight Big South Player of the Year Award
Mehdi Benhammou All Big South Conference
James Lloyd All Big South for the 4th season
Ivan Salec All Conference Award and Big South Freshman of the Year
Zack Watson All Big South Doubles
What a phenomenal year for Radford Tennis!
Finally, I want to congratulate Joe and Jodi Raccuia on birth of the third child, Emma. She joined us in the world last Thursday and was on hand for her first of many baseball games last Saturday when her dad’s Highlanders played Coastal Carolina.
Now I’m ready to take Coach Mike Grant up on his offer to take me smallmouth bass fishing on the New River!
Go Highlanders!
Like the weather here in the New River Valley, our department continues to undergo many changes. Perhaps the biggest change is Coach Jeri Porter’s departure to George Mason University. Jeri did a wonderful job during her six years at RU and we wish her the very best as she moves to Fairfax. Jeri’s exit has opened the door for a great opportunity for her successor, Taj Ngongba. After an intense search we believe we have hired a tremendous coach, recruiter, and person. Taj has been a success at every point in her career. She was an All-American forward at George Washington University where she scored over 2,000 points and played in the Sweet Sixteen twice. She graduated from GW and played in the WNBA where she played against the very best.
Taj has also had successful stops as an assistant coach at Richmond, VCU, and George Washington. The Colonials have been to the Sweet Sixteen the past two seasons. We are excited about her leadership and expect continued success in our women’s program. Make sure you make a point to come over and see Taj as she is very excited to get to know people in the Radford University community, New River Valley, and beyond.
We currently have two teams still competing and they are baseball and track and field. The baseball team continues to improve and we are really excited about what Joe Raccuia and his staff are doing. The team is playing excellent baseball as we beat a good Liberty team 15-4 Wednesday in Big South Tournament play in Danville. I want to make special mention of Joe’s seniors-Eric Evans, Jonathan Spears, Nate Toth, and Nachion Moore. These young men have helped pave the way for an extraordinarily bright future for Radford Baseball. Their tremendous attitude, effort, and leadership have been crucial in our efforts reshape this program. I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Alex Gregory, Tyren Rivers and Eric Evans, all of whom were named All-Conference. Special congratulations go to Alex Gregory, who was voted the baseball Scholar-Athlete by the Big South. This is a prestigious honor that combines academic and athletic prowess.
Track and field has had a terrific spring and will send five student-athletes to NCAA Regionals next week. Congratulations and good luck to Kyle Morse, Amy Marshall, Shemilia Brandon, Daniel Oseth and Nic Moore, all of whom will represent RU at Regionals next weekend. RU’s 4X400 team qualified for regionals as well. Good luck also to the team of Raschad Kelso, Gaylon Johnson, Olajuwon Jones, Wayne Gore and Sean Bossman.
I want to congratulate Mickey Dean and the softball team on a sensational year. We won 46 games playing a tough schedule that included wins over NC State, Georgetown, Rutgers, Indiana, James Madison and Penn State. This team accomplished so much in 2008. President Kyle, Jo Kiernan, and I made the trip to Winthrop last Wednesday for the softball awards banquet where the Highlanders were very well represented. Here is a list of accomplishments by this team:
Ashley Taylor Big South Pitcher of the Year
First Team All-Conference Pitcher
Big South All-Tournament Team
Shannon Keefe Big South Freshman of the Year
First Team All-Conference Utility
Jenn Everhart First Team All-Conference 2nd Base
Big South All-Tournament Team
Kristen Shifflett First Team All-Conference Shortstop
Vicki Madden First Team All-Conference 3rd Base
Hope Creasy First Team All-Conference Outfielder
Big South All-Academic Team
Sarah Himan First Team All-Conference Catcher
Ashley Carlson Second Team All-Conference Outfielder
Many congratulations are in order for Coach Mike Anderson and his outstanding tennis team. We had an absolutely fantastic spring. This team accomplished so much sweeping all Big South opponents in the regular season and going on to win the Big South Tournament over Winthrop. Here is a tremendous list of honors for this exceptional team.
2008 Big South Champions-Regular season and Tournament
NCAA Tournament Participant playing at the University of Georgia against a Bulldog team that won last years’ National Title.
Mike Anderson won his 3rd straight Big South Coach of the Year Award
Martin Sayer 4th straight Big South Player of the Year Award
Mehdi Benhammou All Big South Conference
James Lloyd All Big South for the 4th season
Ivan Salec All Conference Award and Big South Freshman of the Year
Zack Watson All Big South Doubles
What a phenomenal year for Radford Tennis!
Finally, I want to congratulate Joe and Jodi Raccuia on birth of the third child, Emma. She joined us in the world last Thursday and was on hand for her first of many baseball games last Saturday when her dad’s Highlanders played Coastal Carolina.
Now I’m ready to take Coach Mike Grant up on his offer to take me smallmouth bass fishing on the New River!
Go Highlanders!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Good Luck To Women's Basketball!!!
When driving home from Asheville yesterday after our women’s basketball team suffered a tremendously heartbreaking loss to Liberty, I thought about a conversation I had with Fletcher Arritt, a very good friend of mine. Fletcher is the head basketball coach at Fork Union Military Academy. He has produced great teams over the years and is one of the great teachers in the game of basketball. I was watching his team practice several years ago and we had a conversation about the highs and lows of sports. He said something to me that I have never forgotten. Coach Arritt picked a ball up from the court in Fork Union’s gym and said “nothing will humble you like this ball.” Until one has lived what our women lived yesterday you will never know how true those words are.
In 1997 I was coaching at SMU. We played a great Utah team in the Western Athletic Conference semi-finals. Utah was nationally ranked and had Andre Miller, Hanno Mottola, Michael Doleac, and Keith Van Horn. All four of these guys had good careers in the NBA. We had a great game plan and we played Utah off of their feet. With 0.3 seconds left in the game the Ponies were up by one point and Utah had the ball out of bounds under their basket. Game is won right? Andre Miller throws the inbound pass to the rim, Van Horn tips it in, and Utah wins.
Those memories raced through my mind when Liberty made the last basket to win Sunday. Our ladies played their hearts out, left everything on the floor, and did everything they were supposed to do to win the game. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end.
This has been a special team all year. Led by seniors Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta, the Highlanders won a school record 23 games. We played great defense and played with tremendous intensity all year. The future is so bright for this team and I am very confident this team is going to be fantastic again next season.
The good news is we have an opportunity to play again. The Highlanders play at in-state rival JMU in the WNIT first round, Thursday, March 20th. The team is looking forward to getting on the court and having an opportunity to make a lot of noise in this tournament.
We are really proud of this team and we wish them the best. Please join us in Harrisonburg Thursday to support Radford and as always wear RED.
Go Highlanders!
In 1997 I was coaching at SMU. We played a great Utah team in the Western Athletic Conference semi-finals. Utah was nationally ranked and had Andre Miller, Hanno Mottola, Michael Doleac, and Keith Van Horn. All four of these guys had good careers in the NBA. We had a great game plan and we played Utah off of their feet. With 0.3 seconds left in the game the Ponies were up by one point and Utah had the ball out of bounds under their basket. Game is won right? Andre Miller throws the inbound pass to the rim, Van Horn tips it in, and Utah wins.
Those memories raced through my mind when Liberty made the last basket to win Sunday. Our ladies played their hearts out, left everything on the floor, and did everything they were supposed to do to win the game. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end.
This has been a special team all year. Led by seniors Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta, the Highlanders won a school record 23 games. We played great defense and played with tremendous intensity all year. The future is so bright for this team and I am very confident this team is going to be fantastic again next season.
The good news is we have an opportunity to play again. The Highlanders play at in-state rival JMU in the WNIT first round, Thursday, March 20th. The team is looking forward to getting on the court and having an opportunity to make a lot of noise in this tournament.
We are really proud of this team and we wish them the best. Please join us in Harrisonburg Thursday to support Radford and as always wear RED.
Go Highlanders!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
GO HIGHLANDERS!
Hey Highlander fans!
Just a quick note to ask for your support for our women's basketball team as they play for a Big South Championship (their second straight appearance in the finals!).
If you couldn't make it to Asheville this weekend, be sure to follow on live TV today at 2 pm on Fox Sports South, or WRDL-TV in the Roanoke/New River Valley area.
Because they are playing our arch rival Liberty, Jeri Porter's team is guaranteed a post season berth. If we win, we earn the Big South's automatic bid tot he NCAA Tournament. If Liberty were to win, RU earns the automatic bid to the WNIT. Either way, we're playing in late March, so be sure to follow the Highlanders.
Thanks for your support and go Highlanders!
Just a quick note to ask for your support for our women's basketball team as they play for a Big South Championship (their second straight appearance in the finals!).
If you couldn't make it to Asheville this weekend, be sure to follow on live TV today at 2 pm on Fox Sports South, or WRDL-TV in the Roanoke/New River Valley area.
Because they are playing our arch rival Liberty, Jeri Porter's team is guaranteed a post season berth. If we win, we earn the Big South's automatic bid tot he NCAA Tournament. If Liberty were to win, RU earns the automatic bid to the WNIT. Either way, we're playing in late March, so be sure to follow the Highlanders.
Thanks for your support and go Highlanders!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday night was a great night for Highlander Basketball! Many thanks to our students for coming out and providing a big lift to our team last night. You guys were great! What a big win over UNCA, a team that has been on top of the Big South all season. Folks, it’s just a matter of time before the Highlanders are sitting in 1st place in the Big South.
Saturday’s game against VMI is huge. TV game people! Let’s be out in force wearing RED. We want this place completely packed. We won at VMI and coming up with a sweep of the Keydets in late February will be a great thing for our program. I cannot emphasize enough how important crowd support is, particularly coming down the stretch run of the season. We are working to get in position for an opening round home game in the Big South Tournament in two weeks.
BE THERE-SATURDAY AT 4:00PM IN THE DEDMON CENTER. Let’s have the most enthused, fired-up crowd of the season and show a television audience what a great venue and tough place to play Dedmon Center is.
GO HIGHLANDERS!
Saturday’s game against VMI is huge. TV game people! Let’s be out in force wearing RED. We want this place completely packed. We won at VMI and coming up with a sweep of the Keydets in late February will be a great thing for our program. I cannot emphasize enough how important crowd support is, particularly coming down the stretch run of the season. We are working to get in position for an opening round home game in the Big South Tournament in two weeks.
BE THERE-SATURDAY AT 4:00PM IN THE DEDMON CENTER. Let’s have the most enthused, fired-up crowd of the season and show a television audience what a great venue and tough place to play Dedmon Center is.
GO HIGHLANDERS!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Support RU In the Stretch Run!
This is a big week for Radford University Basketball beginning with a huge game tonight against UNC Asheville. UNCA has been at the top of the Big South for most of the season and tonight is a great opportunity for the Highlanders.
We also have a huge game against VMI Saturday at 4:00pm on TV. We need a huge crowd in the Dedmon Center for this critical conference game. Wear RED and be enthused!
We need your support tonight and Saturday. We are still in position to get a first round home game in the Big South Tournament. Winning at home is a big key to this and I can’t emphasis enough how important student and fan support is.
This is my favorite time of year in sports. We are coming down the stretch run in college basketball as teams solidify spots for conference and NCAA Tournament seeds. Anything can happen in February and March so come out and play a big role in our men’s and women’s basketball teams’ success. We need you!
Go Highlanders!
We also have a huge game against VMI Saturday at 4:00pm on TV. We need a huge crowd in the Dedmon Center for this critical conference game. Wear RED and be enthused!
We need your support tonight and Saturday. We are still in position to get a first round home game in the Big South Tournament. Winning at home is a big key to this and I can’t emphasis enough how important student and fan support is.
This is my favorite time of year in sports. We are coming down the stretch run in college basketball as teams solidify spots for conference and NCAA Tournament seeds. Anything can happen in February and March so come out and play a big role in our men’s and women’s basketball teams’ success. We need you!
Go Highlanders!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Building A Winning Tradition
I have some writers block as I begin this installment of my blog. It is not for lack of content as finding material is not hard. What is hard is summing up what was an extraordinary Homecoming weekend. I believe it is appropriate to first say thank you to everyone who participated in our first Homecoming built around the basketball season. It was wonderful to see so many great people come back and participate in an event-filled weekend that culminated with two big wins for our Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams. I also want to thank everyone at Radford University who worked so very hard to make this a success. I would like to single out Laura Turk, Greig Denny, Cathy Greenberg, Sandra Bond, David Horton, and Jackie Snell. These folks worked tirelessly to make this a great event for everyone involved.
Homecoming is obviously a reunion, but even more important it is about establishing tradition. There are no athletic programs, regardless of level, that can be successful without tradition. Tradition evolves in many ways and it starts with WINNING. There is no doubt in my mind our athletic teams at Radford University can win on a national level. We all must remember winning is hard and requires extraordinary effort, determination, attention to detail, intense work ethic, and a commitment to excellence. These are characteristics of winning programs. I know we are on our way to getting there and case in point was Homecoming weekend.
The men have two remaining home games and we need your support as we make the final push towards the Big South Tournament. We need to pack the place from here on out! Put these dates on your calendar, wear RED, and come cheer loudly for the Highlanders-UNCA on Wednesday, February 20th at 7:00pm, and the last regular season home game against VMI on Saturday, February 23rd at 4:00pm. UNCA features 7’-7” Kenny George who is one of the great shot blockers in college basketball and our VMI game will be televised and will be the final game for seniors Colby Trent, Tyler Kleckner, and Duane Ricks.
Our women’s basketball team is also playing well. We had a huge win last Saturday Night at Winthrop and then played 40 minutes of tremendous basketball en route to beating Charleston Southern this past Saturday. The team came together with an exceptional team effort in both of these wins. We have two home games remaining and we MUST have your support. Please get out and see this terrific team play Coastal Carolina on Monday, February 18th at 7:00pm, and then our last home game of the season against Winthrop on Saturday, March 1st at 3:00pm. This will be the last home game for seniors Kelli Darden, Corrie Fertitta, and Serena White. Coach Porter’s team is so fun to watch. They play excellent defensively and they play hard.
Congratulations to Kelli Darden who set the All-Time Shot Block record in Big South History against UNCA on Homecoming weekend. Kelli has had a fantastic career at RU.
Our spring sports are underway as baseball opens at Davidson Friday and softball began last weekend with a 5-1 start, the best-ever in school history. Coach Mickey Dean has an experienced group returning and we are looking for great things from this team. Joe Raccuia is in his first season as head baseball coach. He is very enthusiastic and he is going to do great things with our baseball program.
Track & Field is still in their indoor season and they have had several excellent outings. The outdoor season gets underway on March 14th.
Tennis is in season and Mike Anderson’s defending Big South Champion men’s team is favored to once again win the Big South. We are lead by Martin Sayer who is one of the all-time great tennis players in Radford and Big South history. The men are 3-0 in the early going, including a 2-0 Big South record. Our women’s tennis Team, led by coach Bruce Harrison, has an exciting squad with several promising freshman. They have started the season 2-2.
We are going to have some new faces in the Athletic Department in the near future and the first one I would like to welcome is Randy Butt. Randy is joining the RU family after spending 21 years at Virginia Tech. Randy will serve as the Executive Associate Athletic Director and will oversee all business and finance matters for the department. We are thrilled to get someone of Randy’s experience at Radford University.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the students at Northern Illinois who so tragically and senselessly lost their lives last week. We will honor these people by wearing the NIU colors of black and red at our men’s basketball game Wednesday night. Please join us in doing this.
Go Huskies and Go Highlanders
Homecoming is obviously a reunion, but even more important it is about establishing tradition. There are no athletic programs, regardless of level, that can be successful without tradition. Tradition evolves in many ways and it starts with WINNING. There is no doubt in my mind our athletic teams at Radford University can win on a national level. We all must remember winning is hard and requires extraordinary effort, determination, attention to detail, intense work ethic, and a commitment to excellence. These are characteristics of winning programs. I know we are on our way to getting there and case in point was Homecoming weekend.
The men have two remaining home games and we need your support as we make the final push towards the Big South Tournament. We need to pack the place from here on out! Put these dates on your calendar, wear RED, and come cheer loudly for the Highlanders-UNCA on Wednesday, February 20th at 7:00pm, and the last regular season home game against VMI on Saturday, February 23rd at 4:00pm. UNCA features 7’-7” Kenny George who is one of the great shot blockers in college basketball and our VMI game will be televised and will be the final game for seniors Colby Trent, Tyler Kleckner, and Duane Ricks.
Our women’s basketball team is also playing well. We had a huge win last Saturday Night at Winthrop and then played 40 minutes of tremendous basketball en route to beating Charleston Southern this past Saturday. The team came together with an exceptional team effort in both of these wins. We have two home games remaining and we MUST have your support. Please get out and see this terrific team play Coastal Carolina on Monday, February 18th at 7:00pm, and then our last home game of the season against Winthrop on Saturday, March 1st at 3:00pm. This will be the last home game for seniors Kelli Darden, Corrie Fertitta, and Serena White. Coach Porter’s team is so fun to watch. They play excellent defensively and they play hard.
Congratulations to Kelli Darden who set the All-Time Shot Block record in Big South History against UNCA on Homecoming weekend. Kelli has had a fantastic career at RU.
Our spring sports are underway as baseball opens at Davidson Friday and softball began last weekend with a 5-1 start, the best-ever in school history. Coach Mickey Dean has an experienced group returning and we are looking for great things from this team. Joe Raccuia is in his first season as head baseball coach. He is very enthusiastic and he is going to do great things with our baseball program.
Track & Field is still in their indoor season and they have had several excellent outings. The outdoor season gets underway on March 14th.
Tennis is in season and Mike Anderson’s defending Big South Champion men’s team is favored to once again win the Big South. We are lead by Martin Sayer who is one of the all-time great tennis players in Radford and Big South history. The men are 3-0 in the early going, including a 2-0 Big South record. Our women’s tennis Team, led by coach Bruce Harrison, has an exciting squad with several promising freshman. They have started the season 2-2.
We are going to have some new faces in the Athletic Department in the near future and the first one I would like to welcome is Randy Butt. Randy is joining the RU family after spending 21 years at Virginia Tech. Randy will serve as the Executive Associate Athletic Director and will oversee all business and finance matters for the department. We are thrilled to get someone of Randy’s experience at Radford University.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the students at Northern Illinois who so tragically and senselessly lost their lives last week. We will honor these people by wearing the NIU colors of black and red at our men’s basketball game Wednesday night. Please join us in doing this.
Go Huskies and Go Highlanders
Thursday, January 24, 2008
NCAA Convention, Homecoming and Snow!
I want to welcome back all of our students. It was very enjoyable last Monday to see the campus alive again-- students going to class and getting back into the swing of the new semester. I want to wish them all the best of luck as they begin the spring semester…get off to a great start!
I woke up last Thursday to a beautiful blanket of snow in the New River Valley. I took my dog for her morning walk and I’m pretty sure it was the first time she had ever seen the white stuff. I know it made for some interesting moments during the morning commute if one was brave enough to get out in it
I spent the second weekend in January in Nashville, TN at the NCAA Convention. This is a great event and always a tremendous learning experience for everyone involved. It was my first opportunity to meet the Athletic Directors in the Big South Conference, and I was impressed. There is an incredibly impressive group of people directing Big South athletic programs. I had a nice time visiting with Warren “Moose” Koegel from Coastal Carolina. Moose played football for the legendary Joe Paterno at Penn State and I enjoyed listening to so many great stories about his experiences.
There were three pieces of legislation each institution voted on at the convention. One key measure was a vote to reinstate text messaging in recruiting. This has been a controversial issue among NCAA members. Last year the NCAA Membership voted to prohibit all forms of text messaging during the recruiting process. An “override “of this legislation was proposed and sent to the floor for vote which, if passed, would have reinstated a member coach’s ability to text message recruits. The override did not pass and coaches are still prohibited from text messaging.
I would like to touch on a couple other recent happenings. I am very pleased to announce that we have hired two interns in the athletic department, Griffith Hunter, a 2007 RU graduate and varsity golf athlete and Todd Woods, a 2007 Emory & Henry Graduate. Both of these young men are smart, hardworking and motivated. They will perform a variety of duties as they begin what promises to be a successful career in athletics administration.
I also want to make everyone aware of our Homecoming Activities. Everyone at Radford University is working hard to make this year’s homecoming a wonderful event. We have built this event around our Women’s Basketball game against UNC Ashville and our Men’s Basketball game against Liberty on February 2nd. We are also very excited about our two Basketball Alumni games on Friday, February 1st. Please come out and see our former women play at 6:00pm followed by our Men’s Alumni game at 7:30pm. I can’t wait to see these former players get up and down the floor! And to answer a recent question from Tom Gallaher…no, I will not be playing! I am officially retired from all basketball contests-I like having my Achilles tendons and ACLs firmly in place!
In addition, we will honor our 1994, 1995, and 1996 Women’s NCAA Tournament teams at halftime of the RU vs. UNC Ashville game. At halftime of our Men’s game against Liberty we will honor the 10 year anniversary of 1998 Big South Men’s Championship and NCAA Tournament team.
The cost for events throughout Homecoming Weekend is $25 per person, which includes game tickets, halftime social, most events across campus and the evening in “The Bonnie." Tickets for the NPHC step show are $10.
Please email alumni@radford.edu or call 1-888-478-4723 to reserve your tickets. Registration deadline is Jan. 29, 2008.
Go Highlanders!
I woke up last Thursday to a beautiful blanket of snow in the New River Valley. I took my dog for her morning walk and I’m pretty sure it was the first time she had ever seen the white stuff. I know it made for some interesting moments during the morning commute if one was brave enough to get out in it
I spent the second weekend in January in Nashville, TN at the NCAA Convention. This is a great event and always a tremendous learning experience for everyone involved. It was my first opportunity to meet the Athletic Directors in the Big South Conference, and I was impressed. There is an incredibly impressive group of people directing Big South athletic programs. I had a nice time visiting with Warren “Moose” Koegel from Coastal Carolina. Moose played football for the legendary Joe Paterno at Penn State and I enjoyed listening to so many great stories about his experiences.
There were three pieces of legislation each institution voted on at the convention. One key measure was a vote to reinstate text messaging in recruiting. This has been a controversial issue among NCAA members. Last year the NCAA Membership voted to prohibit all forms of text messaging during the recruiting process. An “override “of this legislation was proposed and sent to the floor for vote which, if passed, would have reinstated a member coach’s ability to text message recruits. The override did not pass and coaches are still prohibited from text messaging.
I would like to touch on a couple other recent happenings. I am very pleased to announce that we have hired two interns in the athletic department, Griffith Hunter, a 2007 RU graduate and varsity golf athlete and Todd Woods, a 2007 Emory & Henry Graduate. Both of these young men are smart, hardworking and motivated. They will perform a variety of duties as they begin what promises to be a successful career in athletics administration.
I also want to make everyone aware of our Homecoming Activities. Everyone at Radford University is working hard to make this year’s homecoming a wonderful event. We have built this event around our Women’s Basketball game against UNC Ashville and our Men’s Basketball game against Liberty on February 2nd. We are also very excited about our two Basketball Alumni games on Friday, February 1st. Please come out and see our former women play at 6:00pm followed by our Men’s Alumni game at 7:30pm. I can’t wait to see these former players get up and down the floor! And to answer a recent question from Tom Gallaher…no, I will not be playing! I am officially retired from all basketball contests-I like having my Achilles tendons and ACLs firmly in place!
In addition, we will honor our 1994, 1995, and 1996 Women’s NCAA Tournament teams at halftime of the RU vs. UNC Ashville game. At halftime of our Men’s game against Liberty we will honor the 10 year anniversary of 1998 Big South Men’s Championship and NCAA Tournament team.
The cost for events throughout Homecoming Weekend is $25 per person, which includes game tickets, halftime social, most events across campus and the evening in “The Bonnie." Tickets for the NPHC step show are $10.
Please email alumni@radford.edu or call 1-888-478-4723 to reserve your tickets. Registration deadline is Jan. 29, 2008.
Go Highlanders!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
December Wrap-Up
It’s certainly been an exciting month in Highlander Athletics because the basketball season is in full swing. I’ve seen a lot of basketball and I have been so impressed with our Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted and apologize for the delay. Get ready, this is going to be a long one covering the month of December and into the New Year.
Sunday, December 16th in Winston Salem, NC was a true highlight for our athletic program. Coach Jeri Porter took her team to Tobacco Road in the heart of ACC country and knocked off Wake Forest. Wake was 9-1 going into the game and the Highlanders came through with a fantastic win on the road at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. It was a lot of fun to see the excitement and enthusiasm of this team.
We were fortunate former Radford University player, coach, and Hall of Famer, Charlene Curtis, was in attendance. Coach Curtis is one of the nicest people I have met and a tremendously successful graduate. My father in law, Dr. George Parish, had Coach Curtis in class while she was a student at Radford and I have heard him say many times that Coach Curtis was one of his top students of music during the 30 years he taught at Radford University and one of his all time favorite students.
On Thursday, December 19th, our women were back in action against a tough ETSU team. Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta both had “double/doubles” leading the Highlanders to a key non-conference win. We had a tremendous cheering section on hand for the ETSU game. President Kyle, Dr. Wil Stanton and his wife Angie, Vice President for Communications, John Hachtel, Dr. Norleen Pomerantz, Dr. Jack Call, and Kathleen Harshberger all pulled together to form a loud cheering section that helped encourage the Highlanders for 40 minutes.
Congratulations to Johnette Walker on being named Big South Player of the Week as well Taleia Moton who was named Big South Freshman of the Week for the week of December 16-22.
Our Women continued their great play by defeating a good American University team on December 22nd and then coming back after Christmas to win the RU Highlanders Holiday Classic at the Dedmon Center. We closed out the classic by beating Colonial Conference member, UNC Wilmington, 77-46. Once again our defense and rebounding were sensational. Congratulations are in order for Corrie Fertitta who scored her 1,000 point at American and then was awarded Big South Player of the Week for December 17-30. The Women’s team also picked up a trio of wins in six days, running away with victories over USC Upstate and Virginia Intermont and fighting out a win down a future Big South member Presbyterian.
Our Men’s team continues to play one of the toughest schedules in the country. A particularly tough stretch started on December 15th when we traveled to Washington, DC to play arguably the best team in the country, the Georgetown Hoyas. McDonough Arena was sold out and it was a great atmosphere. The Hoyas are like Noah’s Ark-they have two of everything! It is one of the best collections of talent I have seen in a long time. There is no doubt in my mind we will see Georgetown in the Final 4 the first weekend in April.
We had a very nice alumni social prior to the Georgetown game. David Horton, Tom Lillard, Sherri Mylott, and Cathy Greenberg did a wonderful job hosting this outstanding event. It was great for our alums in the DC area to see the Highlanders in action close to their homes and to be able to meet with the coaches and players after the game.
The schedule did not get any easier for the Highlanders as we left Washington, DC for Harrisonburg, VA for a Monday night contest with the JMU Dukes. JMU is a much improved basketball team and we stayed even for almost the entire game. Unfortunately the Dukes had a couple of key runs and pulled away down the stretch. However, I could see our team getting better despite losing a tough, hard fought road game.
Two days later we were back home to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in a sold out contest at the Dedmon Center. It was a fantastic atmosphere and wonderful to see over 4,200 people pack the place. WVU has a tremendous team but our guys played hard and executed very well before going in at the half down 9 points. WVU, which is a great 3-point shooting team, got hot the second half and finished the game with 18 three pointers. That is incredible and it shows what a great perimeter game they have. I am confident that as this program continues to get better we are going to have many more BIG TIME atmospheres like the WVU game.
It was great to see so many former players on hand at the WVU game. Ron Shelburn, Stephon Barber, David Smith, Mike Burton, Tim Blassingame, and Tom Gallaher were all in attendance. These guys are all first class people who have gone onto very successful careers.
The Men’s Team took a short break for the holidays returning to Radford for several days of practice before busing to Columbia, SC to play another very tough opponent, SEC member, South Carolina. On Monday, January 7th we returned home to play Emory & Henry, setting several team records, including the Dedmon Center record for points scored by RU in a 124-109 win. Our Highlanders ran with Emory & Henry’s up-tempo style offense, and several players had career highs.
Many thanks to Radford University Track Athlete Whitney King for singing the National Anthem at the ETSU game. She had short notice and stepped in and did a wonderful job. I also want to thank Sarah Ragsdale for singing the National Anthem at the WVU game Wednesday night. Sarah whose stage name is “Zahra” is a Radford University graduate who has just signed with Arusa Entertainment. She has released the song “Drop” and has a new song called “Lock Me Up” coming out in February. Zahra graduated with a triple major in Music, Spanish, and Economics! Follow her career as she is going to be a star.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and a great New Year. 2008 will be an exciting year in Highlander Athletics. Please come out and support our teams. I see more and more people wearing RED and I want that to become a ritual. Our Women have a three game road swing that starts January 17th at Longwood at 7:00 pm. The Women then open Big South play at Coastal Carolina on January 19th at 2:00 pm and Charleston Southern on January 21st at 7:00 pm. The Men open up Big South Conference play this weekend with a pair of road games. Radford plays at Coastal Carolina Saturday at 2:00 pm before traveling to play at Charleston Southern Monday at 7:30 pm. Don’t forget to bookmark the men’s team’s return to the Dedmon Center on Saturday, January 19th at 2:00 pm. It’s a televised game against Winthrop. Let’s pack the Dedmon Center in RED! I hope to see there!
Go Highlanders!
Robert
It’s been a while since I’ve posted and apologize for the delay. Get ready, this is going to be a long one covering the month of December and into the New Year.
Sunday, December 16th in Winston Salem, NC was a true highlight for our athletic program. Coach Jeri Porter took her team to Tobacco Road in the heart of ACC country and knocked off Wake Forest. Wake was 9-1 going into the game and the Highlanders came through with a fantastic win on the road at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. It was a lot of fun to see the excitement and enthusiasm of this team.
We were fortunate former Radford University player, coach, and Hall of Famer, Charlene Curtis, was in attendance. Coach Curtis is one of the nicest people I have met and a tremendously successful graduate. My father in law, Dr. George Parish, had Coach Curtis in class while she was a student at Radford and I have heard him say many times that Coach Curtis was one of his top students of music during the 30 years he taught at Radford University and one of his all time favorite students.
On Thursday, December 19th, our women were back in action against a tough ETSU team. Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta both had “double/doubles” leading the Highlanders to a key non-conference win. We had a tremendous cheering section on hand for the ETSU game. President Kyle, Dr. Wil Stanton and his wife Angie, Vice President for Communications, John Hachtel, Dr. Norleen Pomerantz, Dr. Jack Call, and Kathleen Harshberger all pulled together to form a loud cheering section that helped encourage the Highlanders for 40 minutes.
Congratulations to Johnette Walker on being named Big South Player of the Week as well Taleia Moton who was named Big South Freshman of the Week for the week of December 16-22.
Our Women continued their great play by defeating a good American University team on December 22nd and then coming back after Christmas to win the RU Highlanders Holiday Classic at the Dedmon Center. We closed out the classic by beating Colonial Conference member, UNC Wilmington, 77-46. Once again our defense and rebounding were sensational. Congratulations are in order for Corrie Fertitta who scored her 1,000 point at American and then was awarded Big South Player of the Week for December 17-30. The Women’s team also picked up a trio of wins in six days, running away with victories over USC Upstate and Virginia Intermont and fighting out a win down a future Big South member Presbyterian.
Our Men’s team continues to play one of the toughest schedules in the country. A particularly tough stretch started on December 15th when we traveled to Washington, DC to play arguably the best team in the country, the Georgetown Hoyas. McDonough Arena was sold out and it was a great atmosphere. The Hoyas are like Noah’s Ark-they have two of everything! It is one of the best collections of talent I have seen in a long time. There is no doubt in my mind we will see Georgetown in the Final 4 the first weekend in April.
We had a very nice alumni social prior to the Georgetown game. David Horton, Tom Lillard, Sherri Mylott, and Cathy Greenberg did a wonderful job hosting this outstanding event. It was great for our alums in the DC area to see the Highlanders in action close to their homes and to be able to meet with the coaches and players after the game.
The schedule did not get any easier for the Highlanders as we left Washington, DC for Harrisonburg, VA for a Monday night contest with the JMU Dukes. JMU is a much improved basketball team and we stayed even for almost the entire game. Unfortunately the Dukes had a couple of key runs and pulled away down the stretch. However, I could see our team getting better despite losing a tough, hard fought road game.
Two days later we were back home to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in a sold out contest at the Dedmon Center. It was a fantastic atmosphere and wonderful to see over 4,200 people pack the place. WVU has a tremendous team but our guys played hard and executed very well before going in at the half down 9 points. WVU, which is a great 3-point shooting team, got hot the second half and finished the game with 18 three pointers. That is incredible and it shows what a great perimeter game they have. I am confident that as this program continues to get better we are going to have many more BIG TIME atmospheres like the WVU game.
It was great to see so many former players on hand at the WVU game. Ron Shelburn, Stephon Barber, David Smith, Mike Burton, Tim Blassingame, and Tom Gallaher were all in attendance. These guys are all first class people who have gone onto very successful careers.
The Men’s Team took a short break for the holidays returning to Radford for several days of practice before busing to Columbia, SC to play another very tough opponent, SEC member, South Carolina. On Monday, January 7th we returned home to play Emory & Henry, setting several team records, including the Dedmon Center record for points scored by RU in a 124-109 win. Our Highlanders ran with Emory & Henry’s up-tempo style offense, and several players had career highs.
Many thanks to Radford University Track Athlete Whitney King for singing the National Anthem at the ETSU game. She had short notice and stepped in and did a wonderful job. I also want to thank Sarah Ragsdale for singing the National Anthem at the WVU game Wednesday night. Sarah whose stage name is “Zahra” is a Radford University graduate who has just signed with Arusa Entertainment. She has released the song “Drop” and has a new song called “Lock Me Up” coming out in February. Zahra graduated with a triple major in Music, Spanish, and Economics! Follow her career as she is going to be a star.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and a great New Year. 2008 will be an exciting year in Highlander Athletics. Please come out and support our teams. I see more and more people wearing RED and I want that to become a ritual. Our Women have a three game road swing that starts January 17th at Longwood at 7:00 pm. The Women then open Big South play at Coastal Carolina on January 19th at 2:00 pm and Charleston Southern on January 21st at 7:00 pm. The Men open up Big South Conference play this weekend with a pair of road games. Radford plays at Coastal Carolina Saturday at 2:00 pm before traveling to play at Charleston Southern Monday at 7:30 pm. Don’t forget to bookmark the men’s team’s return to the Dedmon Center on Saturday, January 19th at 2:00 pm. It’s a televised game against Winthrop. Let’s pack the Dedmon Center in RED! I hope to see there!
Go Highlanders!
Robert
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