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THE COMPASS
MARCH 21. 1969
A LOOK AT THE CHAMPIONS
*CIAA VISITATION CHAMPS
«CIAA TOURNAMENTCHAMPS
«NAIA DISTRICT 29 CHAMPS
A LOOK AT THE CHAMPIONS
With the graduation of All CIAA Players Fred Lewis and Oscar Smith, ECSC
Coach Bobby Vaughn was faced with a major rebuilding program.
He moved forward Israel Oliver to center and forward Michael Gale to guard.
And, with the acquisition of Nat Heyward from COA he started to mold his team.
Bob Lewis moved from center to forward and Roy Belfield remained at guard.
Coach Vaughn did not know how the season would go with four players in new
positions. The answer may be found in a look at the players themselves.
Oliver, a 6’ 5” junior from Chesapeake, began to develop into a dangerous and
deadly shot from under the basket. Unusually quick, elusive and strong, Oliver
began to develop a talent for just over-powering taller players in the league.
Oliver then decided that he needed to acquire an outside shot to become the
complete center. He began slowly but soon found the nack of hitting the nets from
15 to 20 feet away. Soon he had a 25 point average and moved back into where
he became the third leading rebounder in the CIAA.
Coach Vaughn knew the Vikings could run and that Gale could steal the ball
almost at will. So, here is where he developed his offense.
Gale, of Philadelphia standing 6’ 3”, soon mastered his job of forcing turnovers
and leading the fast break for Viking baskets. Refusing to hog the show though.
Gale would trail most of the breaks and waited for his turn to shoot. This gave
him a .611 shooting percentage from the floor and ,717 from the line. Ranked
nationally with his field-goal percentage. Gale averages 13,2 points per game,
Roy Belfield, the established guard, was known for his long shots from the top
of the circle. Standing only 6’ 1’, he has that natural ability of being able to jump
as high as men four or five inches taller. Taking the role of floor leader, Belfield
directed the attack with a special eye for defenses.
The senior guard averaged 10.7 points per game and hit the charity line at a
,700 clip.
The Vikings needed more outside help, so Bob Lewis took over at forward be
cause of his shooting ability along with his 6’7” frame.
Lewis was the one who took over when zone defense bothered the Vikings,
Hitting almost half his shots from the floor, Lewis was the one called upon to
open the defense. He is the team’s third leading scorer with a 13-px)int average,
Nat Heyward, a transfer student from the College of the Albemarle, was destined
to become the “other side” threat of the Vikings attack. Being only 6’ 2” but.
able to rebound with the tallest, Heyward completed the ECSC offense.
Then, as he was hitting at a 21-point per game average, Heyward injured a knee
and has seen only limited action for three quarters of the season. He will be back
for two more years though.
Hubert Moorer took over for Heyward and became an instant leader. Yelling
from his position, Moorer would direct the attack while hitting with deadly ac
curacy from the outside. The sophomore from Rockway, N. Y. could not match
the shooting eye of Heyward but he did average 12.9 points per game - just enough
to keep the Vikings winning.
With such reserves as Torian Williams, Bob Chadwick, Bowie Totten, Alonzo
Custis, Humphrey Cobb, and Leonard Carmichael, Elizabeth City State College
possessed depth enough to sustain its offensive scoring and defensive play. The
ready reserves did an outstanding job of coming off the bench, in any game and
at any moment, with lots of hustle and spirit to make it difficult for the opposition
to figure out the Viking assault, the ready reserves gained Coach Vaughan’s
confidence in their abilities and coordination with the “Big Six”. It’s hard to beat
this kind of !
’I
aqqst rriAro
R. L. VAUGHAN, HEAD COACH ALVIN KELLY
SALUTE THE COACHES
Robert Vaughan, a 17-
year veteran of coaching
at Elizabeth City State
College, has been voted
National Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA) District
29 coach of the year,
Vaughan’s Elizabeth
City State team, the top
winner in District 29 with
a 21-2 record, will enter
the District competition
March 3 against an ap-
ponent to be named later
in the struggle to gain a
berth to the national
finals.
Rufus Hackney, chair
man of the District from
St. Andrews College made
the announcement after
the tabulation of the
ballots from the 14-
member coaches of the
District that has mem
bers in Virginia and North
and South Carolina.
Vaughan has recorded
a 204-135 record in his
17 years at Elizabeth City
State, but this is the first
District honor the Vir
ginia State and Columbia
graduate has attained.
A native of Petersburg,
Va., Vaughan launched his
coaching career at Eliza
beth City after graduation
and currently is the
school’s athletic director
in addition to his duties as
head basketball coach.
Vaughan’s team also
captured their conference
championship this year,
the Central Inter
collegiate Athletic Asso
ciation (CIAA).
In his coaching career,
Vaughan has tutored a
number of All-Americans
and several have been
drafted by pro teams,
Vaughan will represent
the District in the NAIA
balloting for the national
coach of the year honor.
In addition to being named
coach of the year in Dis-
(Continued on Page 5)
Leonard Carmichael
Bob Chadwick
'=S!
Torian Williams
Bowie Totten
Alonzo Custis
Humphrey C'.obb