CIAA Tourney - memories from an ex-ball boy
Wali
Pitt
Guest
Columnist
Having grown up in
Winston-Salem in the mid
1990s, CIAA Tournament
season always brings back
fond memories for me. It
seemed like the tournament
was held in Winston-Salem
every yesr when I was in ele
mentary School.
Between the basketball,
the vendors, and the step shows, the CIAA tourney was
always well worth the wintery wait for tip-off.
This is especially true for me this year. As the new
Digital Manager of The Chronicle, I will be covering the
action up-close from Charlotte, capturing on video the
same type of clips that are stored in my memory bank
from tournaments past.
As I flipped through those memories in anticipation of
this year's tournament, 1 can vividly remember the domi
nance of Ben Wallace and those legendary mid-'90s
Virginia Union teams, as well as future NBA player
Ronald "Filp" Murray and his great senior season with
Shaw University en route td Division II Player of the Year
honors.
One year when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I had
the great fortune to getting be a ball boy for a day's worth
of CIAA tournament games. I couldn't have been more
excited. I can remember walking down to the court before
the game and the uncontrollable rush of excitement I felt
as I was ushered to my spot under the basket. The man in
charge gave me one task - when a player fell to the
ground, I was to wipe up the sweat on the floor so no play
er would slip on it.
A simple enough task, but I had never seen a game of
such magnitude from that vantage point before. I was so
entrenched in the game that I forgot I was there on official
ball boy duty. I cheered the swish of every three-pointer
and jumped out of my seat during every thunderous dunk.
I didn't snap back into reaflty until I heard a voice scream
"PITT!" and the accompanying buzzer for a foul on the
play.
With all eyes on me, I had only a few precious seconds
to do my job. I darted out onto the court and wiped the
wettest looking spot I could find before running back
under the basket, hoping I had effectively masked my
incompetence. In no time at all the referee walks over with
his arm outstretched in an undeniable "pass me the towel"
gesture. I gave the ref the towel and he wiped up the spot
where the player had actually fallen. The man in charge
looked at me with the furrowed brow of disappointment
and told the kid beside me, "You're on sweat duty now,"
thusly putting a swift end to my career as a ball-boy.
TTiis year, as a member of the media, I will again be
court-side at the CIAA Tournament for the 'first time since
my quick stint as a ball boy.
This weekend, instead of sweat duty, I am tasked with
bringing the action of the CIAA Tournament right to your
door step with high-definition highlights, game reviews
and in-depth retrospective from Charlotte. Let's hope this
time around, if 1 get too swept up in the action of the
CIAA Tournament, I won't miss my "shot" like I did near
ly 20 years ago.
CIAA announces All-Conference
teams and coaches of the year
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
CHARLOTTE - The Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men's
and Women's Basketball Coaches and
Sports Information Directors have selected
the 2016 All-CIAA honorees. This sea
son's line-up highlights the accolades of
Men's Player of the Year, Stedmond
Lemon of Johnson C. Smith University,
and Women's Player of the Year, Kiana
Johnson of Virginia Union University.
Stedmond, a senior forward from
Litonia, Ga. is a three-time 2016 CLAA
Player of the Week and averaged 21.5
points per contest. He scored double fig
ures in all but one game, accounting for 25
or more points in seven matchups.
Stedmon's greatest performance occurred
versus Concord West Virginia when he
scored JCSU's single-game season high,
34 points.
Johnson, a Chicago native, leads D2
women's basketball in points per game
(28.2). The senior guard collected 220
assists and 104 steals over the course of the
season, the highest amongst the confer
ence. She also ranked highest in the con
ference after completing 83.2% of her
three-pointer
attempts.
On Feb. 13,
Johnson
made 100%
(14-14) of
her free
throw
attempts and
scored
VUU's sin
gle-game
season high,
43 points.
Blow
Stedmond and Johnson are joined by
Quincy January (Saint Augustine's
University) and Lady Walker (Virginia
Union) as Defensive Players of the Year.
January totaled 9.9 rebounds per game
while Walker averaged 13.2 grabs per con
test.
This year's women's Coach of the Year
is AnnMarie Gilbert, head coach at
Virginia Union University. In her first sea
son as Panthers Head Coach, Gilbert led
her team to k turnaround season with a 22
2 overall record and Northern Division
Title. Throughout the season, the Lady
Panthers advanced from No. 21 to their
current No.
13 ranking in
USA Today's
D I I
Women's
Basketball
Coaches
Poll.
The 2016
men's Coach
of the Year is
L o n n i e
Blow, Jr. of
Gilber ^i'ginia
State
University. VSU clinched the 2016
Northern Division Title with a 20-5 overall
record. VSU was the only CIAA men's
team to surpass 20 overall wins.this year.
Below are the AU-C1AA basketball
teams.
The following students are on the 2016
All-CIAA Men's Basketball Team. The
information is listed in order of name, col
lege, classification, position and home
town. The front court team members are:
Stedmon Lemon, JCSU, Sr., F, Litonia,
Ga.; Quincy January, SAU, So., F, Atlanta,
Ga.; Miykael Faulcon, ECSU, Sr., G,
Durham; Elijah Moore, VSU, Jr., F,
Yorkstown, Va.; Ty Newman LC Sr. F
Easton, Md.; Michael Tyson FSU Jr. F
Kingston, N.C.
The back court team members are:
Ray Anderson VUU Jr. G Wilmington,
Del.; Joshua Dawson FSU Jr. G Kinston,
N.C.; Kortez Smith CU Sr. G Waldorf,
Md.; Justin Beck BSU Sr. G Ellicott City,
Md.; DeCarlos Anderson ECSU Sr. G
Portsmouth, Va.
The following students are on the 2016
All-CIAA Women's Basketball Team. The
information is listed in order of name, col
lege, classification, position and home
town. The front court team members are:
Lady Walker VUU Jr. F Cleveland,
Ohio; Alisha Mobley CU Sr. F
Winchester, Va.; Imani Heggins ESCU Jr.
G Chesapeake, Va.; Ashely Porter JCSU
Sr. C Winston-Salem, N.C.; Courtney Best
FSU So. F Raleigh, N.C.; Bria Robinson
FSU Sr. C Belmont, N.C.; Taylor White
VUU Sr. F LaPlata. Md.
The back court team members are;
Kiana Johnson VUU Sr. G Chicago,
111.; Amani Clark LUPA Sr. G Wilmington,
Del.; Amber Curtis LC Sr. G
Savannah, Ga;, Vernessa Hinnant FSU Jr.
F Selma, N.C.; Kaula Jacks SU Sr. G
Chesapeake Beach, Md.
CIAA names men's and
women's 2016 All-Rookie teams
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
CHARLOTTE ? The Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (CIAA) has selected the men's and women's
2016 CIAA All-Rookie teams, in conjunction with its
Sports Information Directors Association and Basketball
Coaches Association.
Marco Haskins, also of Chowan University, has been
voted the 2016 CIAA Men's Rookie of the Year. The
Fredericksburg, Va. native averages 12.2 points and 4.2
rebounds per game. The six-time CIAA Rookie of the
Week scored double figures in 18 of his 26 games played
and ranks second on the team in scoring. His best per
formance was a 23-point outing in Chowan's 85-75 victo
ry over Saint Augustine's on November 24.
William Crandell of Winston-Salem State University
is on the All-Rookie team.
The CIAA Women's Rookie of the Year is Jada Lee of
Chowan University. Lee, a native of Virginia Beach, Va?
is a four-time CIAA Rookie of the Week honoree and has
been a starting guard in 24 of the Hawks 25 games played.
Lee averages 12 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2
steals per game. Her top performances this season include
a 17-point outing against Saint Anselm on November 29
and a 16-point production against Lincoln (Fa.) on
February 17. Lee leads the team in steals (50) and assists
(90), ranking seventh and sixth in the CIAA in each
respective category.
All-Rookie honorees were formally recognized on
Feb. 22 at the Men's and Women's Tip-Off Awards
Luncheon.
Crandell
The following stu
dents are on the 2016
Men's CIAA All-Rookie
team. The information is
listetf in order of name,
college, position and
hometown.
Marco Haskins, CU,
G, Fredericksburg, Va.;
William Tibbs, FSU, G,
Winston-Salem, N.C.;
Isaiah Vinson, FSU, G,
Fayetteville, N.C.;
Joseph Bradshaw, VSU,
F, Silver Springs, Md.;
William Crandell,
WSSU, F, Bethel, N.C.
The following students are on the 2016 Women's
CIAA All-Rookie Team. The information is listed in order
of name, college, position and hometown.
Jada Lee, CU, G, Virginia Beach, Va.; Mercedes
Tapia, CU, G, Virginia Beach, Va.; Jaylin Brown, ECSU,
G, Williamston, N.C.; A'Diyah Ussery, JCSU, G, Shelby,
N.C.; Brionna Pate, WSSU, G, Wilson, N.C.
Rams football adds two new coaches
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem
State University football
program has announced the
additions of two new
coaches to the WSSU
Rams coaching staff for the
2016 season.
Head coach Kienus
Boulware has added for
mer Shaw head coach,
Robert Massey, to his staff
to coach defensive backs,
and former Wake Forest
quarterback, Ryan
McManus, as the new
quarterbacks coach.
Robert Massey brings a
wide variety of football
experience - both as a
player and a coach - to the
defensive backfield coach
ing position.
Massey completed four
seasons as the Shaw Bears
head coach, finishing the
2015 season with a 1-9
record. Shaw finished tied
for last in the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic
Association Conference
(CIAA), missing the
Championship for the
fourth time in the last five
years. Massey compiled a
record of 14-26 during his
time at the helm. He has a
career record of 16-44,
which includes two sea
sons as head coach at
Livingstone College.
Prior to taking the posi
tion of head coach, Massey
served two years as the
Bears' Defensive
Coordinator, and before
that, served two years as
the defensive backs coach.
In 2010, in his first year
as defensive coordinator,
the Bears won a CIAA
championship in large part
due to his "bend don't
break" defense. Freshman
defensive back Darnell
Evans, a walk-on, earned
All-American honors
under Massey's tutelage,
while three players -
Evans, Deas and Fred
Sparkman - were named
First Team All-CIA A.
In 2009, Massey's
defensive backs helped
Shaw earn the top ranking
in the nation in pass effi
ciency defense.
Comerback, Quintez Smith
was named an All
American and the CIAA
Defensive Player of the
year under Massey's tute
lage.
Prior to joining the
Bears, Massey was interim
head coach at Livingstone
College, coaching for two
seasons there.
In 2003, he returned to
his alma mater. North
Carolina Central, as their
Receivers Coach. The next
year, the Eagles named him
to the post of Defensive
Backs Coach.
As a player, he had a
successful collegiate career
at N.C. Central and fin
ished third on the Eagles
career interceptions list.
He served as team captain
and earned All-CIAA hon
ors as both a junior and a
senior. He received All
American honors as a sen
ior.
In 1989, Massey was
drafted by the New Orleans
Saints, and was named to
the 1989 NFL All-Rookie
Team. Massey was later
selected to the 1992 Pro
Bowl as a member of the
Phoenix Cardinals.
In 1998, after 10 sea
sons in the NFL, Massey
retired as a member of the
New York Giants. He con
tinued on with the team as
an assistant defensive
backs coach.
He returned to Durham
in 2001 to take over the
football program at
Hillside High School. In
his second year as head
coach, he guided the team
to its first state playoff
appearance in nine years.
Massey and his wife
Adrienne have three chil
dren: sons Aaron and
Brandon, and daughter
Bria.
Former Wake Forest
quarterback Ryan
McManus will begin his
first season at WSSU, after
spending the past three sea
sons on the coaching staff
as a graduate assistant for
offense.
McManus walked on to
the Wake Forest squad in
2005 and went on to see
action in 34 games in his
career, both at quarterback
and on special teams. As a
redshirt freshman in 2006
he played in both the ACC
Championship Game and
the FedEx Orange Bowl.
McManus served as the
Demon Deacons' holder on
field goal and PAT attempts
from 2007-09 and also
played on the punt return
team.
Playing behind Wake
Forest's all-time passing
leader Riley Skinner for his
entire career, McManus
saw limited action at quar
terback, completing six of
14 passes for 47 yards.
A native of Greenville,
N.C., McManus graduated
from Wake Forest in 2009
with a degree in communi
cation. After graduation, he
served as a volunteer on the
coaching staff at Kent State
and also was an extra in the
football scene of the
Batman film The Dark
Knight Rises, starring
Christian Bale.
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