January 5
A great trip to New York was not as enjoyable because of our play. We faced two very good teams, but were disappointed in our performance. We have much work to do. As far as the trip itself, there were a number of highlights, including: visits to Ground Zero, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, and The Apollo Theatre. We also had the wonderful opportunity to practice at St. John's University, in historic Carnesecca Arena. Additionally, we toured the corporate offices and showrooms of UGG Australia where Wesleyan Alum and former basketball player David Gruver is National Sales Director hosted the team. We learned a great deal about UGG and the business world in the process.
 

December 28
Time to get back to work. We head to New York on the 31st.

December 19
We enter the holiday break at 6-4 with some very good wins and some disappointing defeats. We are still searching for the consistency we need to reach our potential. The next several days our staff will be on the road recruiting, covering Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia and all of North Carolina.

November 15
Pre-season has gone well and game time is here. We will miss Ric Yarbrough during this first stretch but we knew that was going to be the case. The guys have worked very hard and we are ready. Our exhibition against Athletes in Action was very tough. They have assembled perhaps the best tour team we have faced. Coach John Farwell does a great job with them. The regular season is here and our non-conference schedule is very demanding. Here we go.

October 13, 2011
Practice starts on Saturday and I can't wait. We are on fall break right now, so a few of our guys have gone home for a day or two, while the others are here taking an opportunity to relax a bit. Our coaching staff has spent the past week really preparing for the start of our official practice and the process of building our team. Every team, every year is different. Personnel changes with the addition or subtraction of a few guys, even with a veteran returning group like we have. The dynamics change. Planning and building by design are very important ingredients to any success you may have. We have a great group of seniors and a really good group of people when you talk about our returnees. That is exciting. We like our newcomers, as well. It has been a good fall, but it is time to get on the court with them and go to work. More soon.

September 15, 2011
One of the things we like to do here at Wesleyan is to expose our players to a wide variety of people. Our players, over the years, have met and talked with North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper, Herman Boone (the real Herman Boone, who was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the movie "Remember the Titans"), General H. Hugh Shelton (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Basketball Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski and John Chaney, Martin Luther King III, and many others. We have had high school coaches, politicians, lawyers and judges, doctors and business leaders. We hope that by introducing our players to people such as this they will be motivated, stimulated, and educated beyond what they already are. We want to make them think. We utilize these opportunities to create conversations with our players about where they will be in 10 or 20 years. This fall has been no different. We have already been visited by Greg Myrick of Greg Myrick Enterprises, a former college teammate of mine. He is a consultant in the agriculture field, particularly in the cattle business. He is very successful, a very good friend, and I was proud to have him here. Frank Ross, another very good friend and Director of East Coast Scouting for the Oklahoma City Thunder, visited as well and talked about his experiences a as college player and how it helped him get where he is today. We look forward to all of our future opportunities to have successful people share their knowledge and experience with our team.
 

August 29, 2011
Well, we survived Hurricane Irene. Rocky Mount, as well as other Eastern North Carolina cities, was hit hard. Our campus was without power until today, about 2 ½ days total. We have lost a lot of trees and there is significant damage to our baseball stadium, Bauer Field. Fortunately, that is about the extent of the damage, though. There are many here who still are without power. There are also many who have suffered significant property damage. Many of our students, including many of our players left before the storm. They went home or went home with a teammate. Those who are here have been great already, jumping in to assist in campus cleanup. We will be back in class tomorrow. Our "normal schedule' will resume. It may be awhile before campus is back to "normal," however.

August 19, 2011
New students arrive today. We are looking forward to the arrival of our new guys. This is always a day full of hope and excitement, and to some degree, especially for parents and players, nervousness and uncertainty. It will be a great day, though, I am sure. Our vets who have not been here all summer, will return on Sunday. Classes begin on Tuesday. Here we go!

August 1, 2011
Charlotte, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Chapel Hill, Washington, DC....and the list goes on. The summer recruiting period is over and, as usual, we have covered a good bit of territory and seen a lot of players. With a large senior class like we have this year, we are looking at players at every position. We think the group of newcomers we brought in this fall will help keep us stable come graduation, but we will still have some voids to fill. We will catch our breath and then the fall semester will be here.

June 25, 2011
We have completed two weeks of camp and it went very well. We had eight of our guys here working. It is always good to have them here for camp. I think that getting a taste of coaching enhances their ability to perform as a player. It is also good for them to have that time together during the summer. It helps to continue the development of good chemistry. We also have two guys interested in going into coaching so this experience plus the experience of working at other camps is extremely valuable to them.

June 1, 2011
Camp time is here. Schools are out soon and we have two exciting weeks of camp set up. I look forward to seeing all those youngsters who are so full of enthusiasm for the game.

The last two days have been great. We had a coaches mini-clinic here and I thought it was great. We have discussed the concept for a couple of years, but this is the first time we pulled it together. We had, in addition to my staff, coaches with experience from high school, to junior college, to all three NCAA levels, to the NBA. It was a tremendous opportunity to share ideas about the game, how to play, and how to teach it. During our time together we spent time on the floor, in the classroom, and with. It was very exciting to share ideas and kick things around a little. I look forward to doing it again

April 29, 2011
Exams are over and everyone is, or has already, headed home for some family time. We will have 6 or 7 guys here for the majority of the summer and most of them will be back very soon. Meantime, I am going to Indianapolis Sunday. The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee will be meeting May 1-4. This is the fourth and final year of my appointment to the committee and it has been a wonderful experience. Later in the month I hope to see lots of baseball and soccer played by my three sons.

April 15, 2011
The past few weeks have flown by. Our players have been working hard in the classroom and on in the gym. We have a different academic schedule this year, one that ends a week earlier. We only have a few days left of class and exams are the last full week of this month. We will hold commencement on May 1. In addition to the responsibilities they have academically, our guys have been involved in a number of community activities. Two of my favorite events this spring have been "Hoops and Scoops" (basketball and ice cream, two of my favorite things), a celebration of the Accelerated Reading Program at Winstead Avenue School and "Career Day" at Pope Elementary School. Our guys were absolutely fantastic in each setting. I think the kids we visited had a great time and I know our players had a great time.

March 6, 2011
It was very disappointing to end our season with a loss Friday night in Virginia Beach. We all felt like there was more to do and more we could have done. It simply was not to be. Franklin and Marshall has an outstanding team and they deserve a lot of praise. We will meet as a team tomorrow and begin to set our course for the future.

March 1, 2011
An outstanding performance by our team to win the conference tournament, and the journey continues...
 

February 20, 2011
Back to Back Regular Season Conference Champions! I am very proud of our players and very happy for them!

January 25, 2011
Sunday's loss at Ferrum was tough. They are very good. Very physical. At any rate, we have this week to prepare for the second trip through the league. Currently tied with Ferrum at 5-1, we have a lot of work yet to do. This seven day break between games comes at a good time for us, as we can use the rest. We took yesterday off and are taking today, as well. This also gives our guys a chance to make sure their school work is where it needs to be.

January 6, 2011
Just off of our Christmas break we have opened with two non-conference wins. We head into the USA South schedule with a record of 8-5 and play at Shenandoah on Saturday. I like the way we are developing and I am hopeful that our schedule thus far will help us as we move into league play.

December 8, 2010
It's frigid here in Eastern North Carolina and we are in the midst of final exams. Our players are taking a couple of days off, but will be back in the warmth of Everett Gymnasium tomorrow. We are currently 4-4 and have three tough games left before Christmas.

November 15, 2010
Game time! After weeks of practice and some exhibition competition, it's time to play. North Carolina A & T tomorrow night in Greensboro will be very tough. They are tall, long, athletic and well coached by Jerry Eaves and his staff. This will be a great test for us.

Then the games come fast and furious as we host the Roger Taylor Invitational on the 19th and 20th, then go to Myrtle Beach to play Coastal Carolina on the 22nd and finish out November at Shenandoah University in the Southern Shootout on the 27th and 28th.

October 15, 2010
One of the best days of every year. Practice starts and excitement fills everyone involved in the program. We are on fall break, so we will be able to get in two practices each on Friday and Saturday. I am chomping at the bit to get going later this morning (8:00am to be exact. We will go again at 3:00pm).

October 10, 2010
I was honored to speak today at the North Carolina Central University Basketball Clinic. Coach LeVelle Moton and his staff (Ray Martin, Robert Brickey, and John Mosley) do a fantastic job. They really do a nice job with their clinic and I anticipate good things to come from the Eagles program. Also speaking today was Duke Associate Coach Steve Wojciechowski. Clinic's are always fun for me and I always feel I leave a little smarter than when I arrived.

September 16, 2010
Fall recruiting has kept us busy, but so has my new assignment with the college. This past June, President Jim Gray asked me to take over the direction of leadership campus-wide. We have run a very successful program called WAAL (The Wesleyan Academy for Athletic Leadership) and there have been a number of other college activities on leadership. We have now pulled everything under one umbrella, The Wesleyan Leadership Institute, which includes WAAL, a civic engagement program, a leadership conference in the spring, The Hugh Shelton Leadership Challenge (a summer camp for promising high school students), and others. Being asked to oversee and integrate all of this activity is humbling and a bit overwhelming, but exciting at the same time. I look forward to updating you on the events of the Leadership Institute.

September 1, 2010
Well, school is under way and all of our guys are in place. With the addition of several new freshmen and transfers, orientation was a busy time. Everyone is settling in to their class schedule. Our upperclassmen are already doing a nice job of showing our new players the ropes.

August 8, 2010
July was busy but productive. I have just returned from vacation with my family, which included seeing my oldest son play in a soccer tournament. He's a goalkeeper and his travel team played some great games. I love spending time with my family and this past week has been a lot of fun. It is time now to really focus on the start of a new school year and getting this year's team ready to go. New students will arrive on the 20th and our returnees (other than those already here) will come back on the 22nd.

July 6, 2010
Summer recruiting is upon us. A whirlwind of camps, high school and AAU tournaments, and exposure events will keep our staff busy for the next several weeks. Mix in a few speaking engagements and finalizing our 2010-11 schedule and the month will be over before you turn around.

June 30, 2010
We have made it through camp season and it has been great having some of our players in. Four juniors, Matt Dougherty, Alex Murray, Devin Nichols and Justin Griffith worked camp and will be here all or most of the remainder of the summer. These guys are the core of our returning group.

May 20, 2010
It is early still, but indications are that this summer will fly by. I have recently had league meetings in Greensboro, NC and NCAA meetings in Indianapolis, IN and our summer camps are right around the corner. We are hosting our individual camp for two weeks in June, as always, and we have added a second session of high school team camp this year.

We have wrapped up recruiting and feel good about our incoming class. We think we have added some nice pieces at every position. Now we must anxiously await getting the chance to mix those new pieces in with our returnees in the fall.

April 30, 2010
Our final two seniors in the class of 2010 are Jarmel Arrington and Trey Drake. Jarmel is a local product from Northern Nash High and Tey came here from Emporia, VA and Greensville County High School.

Jarmel's history is full of highlights: 39 points in a game as a freshmen, 11 3's in a game, a four-time all-conference player, Wesleyan's 3rd all-time leading scorer...but one story defines his
time here. About six or seven games into our 2009-2010 season we were not playing well as a team and Jarmel was not playing as well as he could either. Before practice one day, I approached him and said, "You know we aren't playing to our potential and we need to make a change. I am going to take you out of the starting lineup and bring you off the bench." Now, mind you that Jarmel was already a three-time all-conference player and was well into his senior season. His response was very simple, "Whatever you need me to do, Coach, I'll do it." He came off the bench the rest of the season, and he still earned first team all-conference accolades and helped us win the conference championship.

Our sixth senior, Trey Drake, was an All-American and the USA South Player of the Year. He was also named the Male Athlete of the Year at Wesleyan. He led the league in scoring and assists and finished his career ranked seventh and fifth all-time in those categories at Wesleyan. Beyond all of the statistics though, are all of the qualities that made him great. His competitiveness and his work ethic drove him to constantly improve. He grew and matured as a leader, and he was a guy who pushed his teammates and who they all responded to. Trey always played with a lot of confidence, and at the same time he acknowledged that he could get better and was always trying to learn.

Our six seniors were and are all special in their own ways. It has been a real privilege to coach them.


April 10, 2010
Ivan Butler had his best year this past season as our backup point guard. Ivan could have started for a lot of teams, but played a valuable role for us. A graduate of Northside High in
Jacksonville, NC, Ivan brought outstanding quickness and a defensive spark to the floor, as well as a fine shooting touch. While he played his role quietly and efficiently for us, I always knew he
believed in our program and wanted to do whatever we asked of him.

A native of Fayetteville, NC and a graduate of EE Smith High School, Alphonso Frazier finished his career in grand style. Zo, a she is known to his teammates, worked hard over career to improve his
game, work on his body and play his role effectively. Becoming a starter in his senior season, Zo helped us with defense and rebounding, and efficient low-post scoring. He played great for us in
the conference tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team. As hard-working and physical as he was on the court, he was equally friendly and affable off of it.

March 28, 2010
Two of our seniors are from the Greensboro area and have really grown up here over the last 4 years. Ragsdale High School's Tyler Murray is the consummate team player. At 6'4 he has played
everything from guard to center. He has adapted his role to whatever the team needed, and for him that has varied greatly from year to year (and sometimes from practice to practice). Tyler's
coachability has only been surpassed by how good a teammate he has been to the other members of our team. Without Tyler's spirit and attitude, we would not have been the same team this year.

Lamont Stokes played his high school basketball at Northeast Guilford. He has been so much fun to coach. While he played very little as a freshmen, Lamont believed in what we do here and worked diligently to improve his game and to support what we were doing as a team. After playing a good bit as a sophomore (mostly in a defensive role), he became a starter and a leader as a junior. In his senior year, Lamont was not only a starter, but was a captain and an All-Conference player. He is a real testament to hard-work, persistence and loyalty.

March 8, 2010
We have reached the conclusion of the season, and we fell a little short of where we wanted to be. After a challenging, and at times trying, early season non-conference schedule, and an exciting and successful conference season, we lost in our conference tournament final by four 67-63. Noteworthy performances by our team this year included an undefeated run at home in league play, Trey Drake being named as the Conference Player of the Year, Jarmel Arrington joining him on the first team and Lamont Stokes making the Honorable Mention squad when All-Conference teams were announced, Tyler Murray's selection to the All-Sportsmanship team, and our team's run to the USA South Regular Season Championship.

We lose six outstanding seniors and over the next couple of weeks, I will devote a good bit of this space to the many contributions these guys have made to our program. In addition to the four players I named above, Ivan Butler and Alphonso Frazier, who was named to the All-Tournament team will all be greatly missed as we prepare for next season.

Obviously recruiting is going to be very important for the remainder of the spring and we will be busy with a combination of campus visits and recruiting travel. We are excited about the potential for the class of 2010.

January 7, 2010
We just got back from Atlanta. The trip was good, although it would have been better had we won both games, rather than earning a split. While there our team visited the CNN Center and Phillips Arena (our hotel was one block away), the Olympic Centennial Park, the front offices of the Atlanta Hawks, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. I believe our guys had a great visit, one that was both enjoyable and educational.

This weekend we open conference play and our next couple of months are sure to be very challenging. We hope that our early season schedule has prepared us for what lies ahead.

 

December 1, 2009
We are working hard to develop team consistency and really establish our team identity. Role definition, rotations and synchronicity are evolving with most teams at this time of year and we are certainly no exception. We have a home game tomorrow against Guilford (#2 nationally) and then break for exams. We return to action in a holiday tournament (The Briggs Elliott) vs. another top 5 team Wooster, from Ohio. Between games our staff stays busy scouting future opponents, recruiting, and obviously, working with our players, both on and off the court.

November 14, 2009
We are on the road today, headed to Dover, Delaware. We open the season tomorrow against Wesley College. We opened with a win a year ago against Wesley back home at Everett Gymnasium. Wesley is well coached, talented, and coming off a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. We know this will be a difficult test, the first of many. We return to North Carolina to play at North Carolina Central University and then host our annual Roger Taylor Invitational. A very busy first week.....

Off the court, our players have been involved in some ongoing mentoring programs and in a major campus beautification project. We have also had three players, Alex Murray, Lamont Stokes, and Domarius Thomas, participating in the Wesleyan Academy for Athletic Leadership.

October 15, 2009
After a very busy start to the school year, October 15 has arrived. This date is looked to with great anticipation every year by players, coaches, and fans across the country. It is no different here and I am particularly excited about getting on the floor with our players. The practice court is a wonderful place and quite frankly, there is no place I would rather be. We have an extremely challenging schedule in 2009-10 and we start preparations today.

August 31, 2009
Freshmen arrived about two weeks ago, upperclassmen have returned and classes are underway. The fall semester is here and October 15 is not far away. Between now and then our players will be busy with classes, study hall, workouts (both basketball and weight training), pick-up games and more. We are already getting involved in three community service projects, two that are a continuation from previous years and one new one. The two ongoing projects involve mentoring elementary school students and honoring our local police and firefighters during the week of 9/11. Our new president, Mr. Jim Gray has placed a real emphasis on community service and our third project is directly linked to his initiatives. On October 10 we will take part in a campus-wide event involving campus improvements. We may be planting trees or performing other various tasks around campus. Our involvement in this type of service is important to us and we are always excited to give back.

Our staff has undergone a recent change. We are adding long-time high school coach Michael Mosley to our staff. We are thrilled to have Coach Mosley join us after a highly successful career at the high school level. He has coached over 20 players who went on to play collegiate basketball, including two pros, and has won numerous championships and coached in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game. His experience will be invaluable and our players and program will benefit greatly.

April 1, 2009
The end of the season is always tough. Unless you win it all, you end with a loss and that's hard. At any rate, there were some very bright moments in our season: sweeping the Eastern North Carolina Classic and the Southern Shootout, cracking the Top 25 in the national poll, and having multiple players recognized as conference Rookie of the Week, Player of the Week, All-Conference, and All-Sportsmanship Team. We have a great group of men here and I appreciate very much what they do for the college and how they represent the program. We are going to miss two seniors, Adam Coleman and Buddy Williams, who have contributed significantly to our program over the last 4 and 2 years, respectively.

We remain busy, however, as we move to a different phase of the year. In the post-season our guys are working hard to improve themselves in the gym and in the weight room. They are obviously working hard in the classroom, as well. Yesterday I went to see one of our guys make a presentation at the Biology Symposium and left feeling very proud of him. Exams are just about 3 weeks away and everyone is gearing up with papers, projects, and the like. Additionally, our guys have been out in the community, reading to and mentoring elementary school students, speaking to athletes at local middle schools, and even making contacts with some local businesses. The feedback I get from people who come in contact with our players is consistently positive.

It will soon be time to put summer plans into motion..

January 12, 2009
We were finally able to get back to game action this week, splitting two games in the Philadelphia area. What had been a great trip was made for less enjoyable as we lost our second game there on a shot with 2.3 seconds remaining. Prior to that, we had practiced at the historic Palestra on Penn's University City campus; enjoyed cheese steaks at world-famous Geno's Steaks; spent time listening to and talking with Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney; visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, City Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art (and the well-known statue of Rocky), and we had won big in a game that we played very well in. Fortunately we were able to get out before the snow and ice came in. I must say that for our players, practicing in the Palestra was nothing short of special. That arena has so much history and tradition. After our workout, we spent time walking the concourse looking at all of the memorabilia and soaking up the environment. Speaking of soaking up....when Coach Chaney speaks, that's what you do. Our players were so impressed with him and really appreciated his taking so much time to spend with them, and to share some things that he thinks are very important.

Now it's on to the next game. We have one non-conference game remaining and then it's league play all the way. The next couple of months promise to be challenging and exciting.

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