SportsWeek
Section ? Also Religion , Obituaries , Classifieds MAy 1. 2008
Replacin' a Legend
Coach Brent David
takes over Carver
football team
BY ANTHONY HILL
THE CHRONICLE
Coach Keith Wilkes won
more than 90 percent of his
games during the last 10
years. He also helped Carver
capture two state champi
onships and countless playoff
wins along the way. Coach
Brent David, who assisted
with the Carver defense last
year, was chosen to replace
Wilkes. David was officially
named Carver head football
coach yesterday.
"Words can't express how
excited I am to have the
opportunity to lead a program
with the tradition and success
we've had here at Carver,"
said David. "Coach Keith
Wilkes is leaving me a great
team. Coach Poe, the athletic
director, is also a great leader.
He's going to help me be suc
cessful. Hopefully we'll have
the same success that Keith
experienced while he was
here at Carver."
Poe added: "I hate to lose
coach Wilkes. He's done a
great job here. I think we were
fortunate enough to get a good
coach in coach David. He's a
dedicated young man. He's
well motivated. He's a good
See David on B4
Photo by Anthony fell
Carver head football coach Brent David is looking forward to helping the Yellowjackets continue their winning ways.
The late Coach Clarence
Bighouse Gaines
Ciaines
golf
event
coming
BY ANTHONY HILL
THE CHRONICLE
Bighouse Gaines
Scholarship Fund Golf
Tournament director ~Mel
Pearce is eager as can be for
this year's special golf tourna
ment. One of the reasons he's
excited is because of the
cause. Proceeds from the
event will go toward the fund
ing of the Clarence
"Bighouse" ' Gaines
Scholarship, which was estab
lished in 2004.
Also,
Pearce is
excited
about
some of
the spe
c i a 1
guest
that have
already
this year's golf ament.
NBA legend Earl "The Pearl"
Monore and Dallas Maverick
star Josfi Howard are two of
the special guest that have
already confirmed participa
tion in this year's event.
"I'm a little more excited
than usual," said Pearce. "I'm
excited about some of the
people that have already com
mitted to playing. Earl
Monroe, who was on coach
Gaines' 1967 championship
team, is playing. He's going
to be our special guest this
year. Josh Howard ? who's a
former Wake Forest All
American and present Dallas
Maverick, has committed to
playing. He'll play if they're
not still in the playoffs. Mrs.
(Clara) Gaines will also be
there. She's helped a lot with
this tournament as well."
This year's tournament
will take place on Friday, June
13 at Salem Glen Golf and
Country Club in Clemmons.
But Pearce is already looking
forward to the third annual
event.
"This event is always on
my mind," Pearce said.
"Everything is starting to
come together. With the suc
Winston-Salem
and
See Tournament on B2
Howard was
TOO HONEST
I can't tell you how many times
I've been asked about the recent state
ments my fra^^ta^^toward, made
during a radwHPHH^eek.
I guess I ndfef"to state what exactly
happened before I say anything about
it. Well, J-Ho openly discussed smok
ing weed on Michael Irvin's radio
show last week. He said that smoking
positive offense. Players get in trouble
right away if the drug is harder. The
NBA probably can't suspend Howard,
who's 27. But the league could make J
Ho enroll into a league-sponsored drug
education program. I mean, he did
admit to smoking an illegal substance.
That's what got me. Why in the
world would anyone openly admit to
marijuana was a part of
his summer vacations.
" ... What I was
stating was just
?nse to*. a random
Dallas
reporter)
about the
Ik' use,"
oward said on the
Michael Irvin show. "I
just let him know that
most of the players in
the leaeue use mariiua
I FROM THE I
HUDDLE I
na, and I have and do partake in smok
ing weed in the offseason sometimes
wrong." And,
open.
doing anything illegal.'
I still shake my head
when I think about what
he said. At the same
time, I know that Josh is
always going to be hon
est and open.
Sometimes he's too
honest. And, this was
one of the occasions.
Like former NBA play
er Jalen Rose said,
"This is a case when
keeping it real goes
Josh was being far too
and that's my personal choice and my
personal opinion. But I don't think
that's stopping me from doing my job."
"Just because I'm not scoring the
same way I've been scoring, that's no
reason for the media to say, 'Oh. it's
because he's getting high.' I'm still in
season. I'm not smoking nothing."
That was a mouthful, I know. A
source of mine told me that Howard's
statement will probably lead to drug
test during the summer months. Right
now, NBA players are tested through
out training camp and the regular sea
son, but there are no suspensions and
no public acknowledgment of positive
marijuana tests until a player's third
But we all make mistakes. And,
we've all done something or said
something that we have regretted later
Sometimes it took the reaction of oth
ers before we realized how wrong we
may have been for saying something. I
think this was the case with Josh. He
was just being open, not really thinking
about the consequence. Actually, most
of us didn't hear about the incident
when it was first reported in a Dallas
newspaper over a week ago. It became
common knowledge after Josh said it
again on the radio last Friday ?
reportedly right before Game 3 (Dallas
See Hill on B4
i
, File photo
Dallas Maverick star Josh Howard received a lot of heat after his comments on
smoking marijuana on a Dallas radio show last week.
Wicker-McCree officially named NCCU AD
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
North Carolina Central University
announced the appointment of Ingrid
Wicker-McCree as director of athletics
last week. She held the interim position
' for the past five months, replacing
William "Bill" Hayes who announced his
departure in early December.
"We are very pleased to announce this
appointment," said Chancellor Charlie
Nelms. "Ingrid 's demonstrated record of
leadership and achievement is a real asset
to our team. Not only does she have a his
tory of being a winning coach, but she
has provided excellent leadership during
this transitional period."
Wicker-McCree, who joins the rank
of only a handful of women athletic
directors in the UNC system, previously
served as NCCU's associate athletics
director for internal affairs. She has
served in a variety of leadership positions
in both conference and national level
Wkker-McCrte
hold that position in the league s history.
In addition, she served as a member of
the NCAA's Division II Legislation
organizations,
most notably
as president of
the Central
Intercollegiate
Athletic
Association
( C I A A )
Executive
Board from
2 004-0 6,
becoming only
the second
woman to ever
Committee from 2003-07.
In recognition of her work, Wicker
McCree received the CIAA Leadership
Award for Service as president of the
Executive Board and was named the
CIAA Senior Woman Administrator of
the Year in the spring of 2006.
Now entering her 15th year at NCCU,
Wicker-McCree has been one of the driv
ing forces behind f^CCU's reclassifica
tion to NCAA Division I. Since 1998, she
has overseen the internal operations of
the Athletics Department, including all
compliance and eligibility programs.
"I am truly honored by this appoint
ment," said Wicker-McCree.
"Maintaining NCCU's rich history of
academic success and athletic excellence
as we transition to NCAA Division I will
See AD on B2
Kickin' Cutie
. , ? mow toy tomcay Mill
Young Anyana G ripper takes a break from the soccer action dur
ing the final soccer game at Reynolds Park last week.