SFortsWeek
MEAc""
picks top
coaches
of season
CHRONICLE STAKE REPORT
The Mid-Easter^ Athletic
Conference announced the
Coaches of the Year last week.
Cy Alexander of South Caroli
na State University was voted
the 2002-03 recipient for the
men. while Bethune-Cookman
College's Sandra Booker took
home the women's honor..
A Bulldog already earned
the MEAC Rookie of the Year,
when Thurman Zimmerman
captured that award last week.
South
Carolina
State
added
another
accom
plish
ment and
honor
w n e n
Alexan
der was
named
Booker
the men's MEAC Coach of the
Year.
Alexander's 25 points, out
of a possible 55 per coach, nar
rowly defeated Coppin State
College head coach Ron
"Fang" Mitchell's 24 points.
In his 16th season as Bull
dogs head coach, Alexander
has his team in the hunt for
another MEAC regular season
title. His Bulldogs are 16-10
on the season and are in the top
spot in the league with a record
of ?14-3.
This was Alexander's third
MEAC Coach of the Year
Award. He last won the award
in 2001.
I t
seemed
like
Rookie
of the
Year and
Coach of
the Year
honors
g O
together
like Bat
man and
Alexander
Robin. Bethune Cookman also
earned the two awards when
Katie Clark took home Rookie
of the Year honors, followed
by Booker's Coach of the Year
award.
Booker received 15 points
out of a possible 55 per coach
and defeated Ed Davis of
Delaware State University,
Debra Clark of Florida A&M
University and Patricia Cage
Bibbs of Hampton University,
who were all tied for second
place with 10 points.
In her fifth season as head
coach at Bethune-Cookman.
Booker has the Lady Wildcats
in fifth place in the MEAC
with a conference mark of 9-8
and an overall record of 14-13.
This was Booker's first
time receiving the confer
ence's Coach of the Year
award.
Photo by Anthony Hill
Reynolds Mike Orr returns a volley during win over North.
Reynolds varsity tennis team
blows past North Forsytn
BY ANTHONY HILL
THE CHRONIC1 E
It was a cold day in Win
ston-Salem on Monday, but
the Reynolds varsity tennis
squad was hot as it could be.
The Demons swept North
Forsyth High in ilj the match
es at Hanes Park. R J
Reynolds seemed focused as
ever to get the win. It didn't
even show any signs of letting
up after North brought only
three players due to injuries.
"I wasn't worried about
anything like that," said
Reynolds head coach Drew
Shermeta. "This is an excel1
lent team, and an excellent
group of guys. We have great
senior leadership on this
team. We know how to take
care of business."
The senior leadership and
some superb tennis skills
were in full display during the
singles matches. All three of
the Reym'lds players record
ed impressive wins. The
Vikings were able to win only
one set the entire day.
Mike Orr smashed his way
past David Secrist, 10-0, at the
No, I spot to get the ball
rolling for the Demons.
Secrist never really seemed to
gain any kind of focus during
the match as he faltered in a
sweep.
"It's our first match of the
season, and we probably had
a little lack of focus out there
today." said North head coach
Dalene Speas. "He's (David
is) playing it through right
now. He's a little timid right
now, but he's gonna make it
through. You're rarely the
player you want to be on the
first match. The guys really
didn't know what to expect
from our opponents."
The Vikings may not have
known what to expect, but the
Demons definitely knew what
they were going to give them,
especially Orr. He played
brilliant tennis at the No. 1
spot for Reynolds.
"That's how he usually
does," Shermeta said. "He got
off to a slow start this year,
but he's pulling it together
right now."
Ryan Bernthal defeated
Zach Harris at the No. 2 spot,
10-1, while Jeffrey Schlosser
finished off the sweep with a
10-0 win over Robert Secrist.
"We've come a long way
in just learning how to take
matches," Shermeta said. "We
still need a little more consis
tency per serve. I would like
to see that a little higher."
The team of Bernthal and
Evan Collins swept David
Secrist and Harris, 8-0, in the
only doubles match of the
day.
"My doubles team played
well today," concluded Sher
meta. "That was good to see.
We just need to stay focused,
and hopefully this team will
have a lot more tenuis match
es to play this yeai j
|??UUr% #
Photo by Bruce Chapman
WFU's Porsche Jones prays for a Demon Deacon victory.
Northwest Middle wins championship
Courtesy of Northwest Middle School
Northwest Middle School players and coach Joey Lawson pose.
BY ANTHONY HILL
THE CHRONICLI ?
The Northwest Middle School
Falcons won their second straight
middle school championship after
a 47-27 victory over Hill Middle
School on March 4.
The game had many story
lines before the tip-off. One of
them was the great run of Hill
Middle School to even be in the
game. The school has never been
a part of any championship on
any level. Another one was the
dominance of the Falcons, and
their hunger for another title.
The Falcons' hunger proved to
be too great as they bit into every
angle of the Bears' offense and
defense en route to the 20-point
win last week in front of a rowdy
Northwest crowd.
"Hill is a school of about 500
kids," Hill head coach Rodney
Brewington said. "I think the
magnitude of the game got to my
guys. They kind .of. bought into
the crowd. whereas this school is
kind of used to it."
The Falcons wasted little time
to stake claim to the champf
onship. They began the game with
a blistering press to completely
take the Bears out of the contest.
The Bears had 12 turnovers in the
first quarter and trailed by IS
points in the opening moments of
the second quarter.
Brewington had his squad
ready to go after he called a time
out in the opening moments of the
second quarter. His team seemed
a little more focused after the pep
talk. Hill then went on a 9-0 run
to make the score 18-12 with 6:28
to go in the first half. The Falcons
were able to muster only three
points in the second quarter.
"I got a little concerned after
the score went from 18-3 to 18
Sec Northwest on B3
Problems
in paradise
FROM THE
HUDDLE
Anthony
Hill
Someone asked me a very interesting
question the other day: "What's going on
with college basketball?" The person
asked me that after the outbreak of prob
lems that seem to be trickling around cam
puses across the country.
My response to the question was sim
ple: "This has been going on for years
now." I guess the NCAA and select univer
sities are getting hip to things all of a sud
den.
I once played major college football,
and I can honestly tell you that players
have been receiving money, gifts and
favors for as long as I can remember. I
won't go into detail about any of that, but
take my word when I tell you it's nothing
new.
Surely you
all have heard
about the two
most recent
cases in col
lege basket
ball. First,
there's the
""player-paying
incident at the
University of
Georgia and
phone card
charade at
V i 11 a n o v a
University.
Let me
address the
University of
Jim Harrick Sr.
taijorgia inci
dent first. One of the former assistant
coaches (Jim Harrick Jr.) at the university
is being accused of a list of things. He sup
posedly gave a player a B when he in fact
deserved a D in a coaching class he taught.
Harrick Jr. also allegedly sent a $300
money order to a relative of that same
player for a phone bill he ran up. He's
denied all charges, even though his flame
obviously appeared on the receipt for the
money order. Harrick Jr. was suspended
and then told that his contract wasn't going
to' be renewed over the summer. So that
means he's basically fired.
University officials are trying to say
the kid who made the allegations is a
revengeful person and may just be mad at
Jim Harrick Sr. (head coach) for cutting
him from the team. If that were the case,
what good would telling on the coach do
him now, or any other time? I can't seem
to figure out why he's squealing all of a
sudden either. But I have to admit that I
think the kid is telling the truth about the
favors the Georgia coaches did for him -
simply because this stuff, and a lot worse
goes on in the world of major college
sports every year.
The second and final incident is the
phone card usage of the players at Villano
va. That is very unusual to hear that prob
lem get out. Student-athletes always seem
to find access to a phone card. As a matter
See Hill on 63
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