Cape Henry, Walsingham chasing state title repeats
Many new coaches take over around area
New coaches, some familiar names. A long list of new coaches in Hampton Roads includes Ty Rivers (Nansemond River), Robbie Butler (Maury), Larry Gordon (Oscar Smith), Larry Bowles (Indian River), Chris Dotolo (Cape Henry), John Brinkley (Lakeland), Nick Ham (York), Nick Tugwell (Denbigh), Myron Campbell (Green Run) and Billy Marn (Tabb). Butler previously was Granby’s longtime coach, while Gordon led Maury and Bowles coached Oscar Smith.
Nansemond River welcomes new coach, star player. Ty Rivers played for coach Mark Stuffel at Nansemond River, then played in college at Radford. “Now I have decided to give back to the program who gave me and my family 12 great years,” Rivers said. Added Stuffel: “He played for me a long time ago. He’s going to be a great coach.” Rivers also is excited to have Darnell Parker Jr. on his roster. Parker, a Washington State University signee and MLB draft prospect, moved back to Suffolk after playing at IMG Academy in Florida. “I have known him since 7U, and now we get a chance to finish our journey together, which rarely happens,” Rivers said. “The bond we have will make the finish of this season even sweeter.”
Bowles fills big shoes at Indian River. For the first time since 1984, Indian River will have a new coach. Larry Bowles replaced longtime coach Steve West. During his tenure, West led the Braves to numerous Southeastern District titles, made several region appearances and led Indian River to a region runner-up finish in 2008 and the school’s lone state tournament appearance. With nearly 500 victories, he is among the state’s winningest high school baseball coaches.
Trojans hope to continue dominance. Walsingham Academy won its fourth consecutive VISAA Division III state title last season. Coach Ian Heisel thinks the Trojans can make it five. “We have a core group of kids who have played together for a number of years,” he said. “This is one of the oldest teams I’ve ever had. We had a strong offseason. Our lineup will be deep. Offensively and defensively we will be strong.” Leading the way will be seniors Trey Christman, Ryan Terrell and Joey Masiak.
Support for Autism Awareness. Several 757 teams will participate in an Autism Awareness game next month. Western Branch coach Roland Wright, whose son Nathan has autism, started the event several years ago.
In order to make some noise in the tournament, sophomore forward Makoye Diawara said Norfolk State just needs to play hard and match the energy of its opponent.
“Just going out there competing and playing to the best of our abilities, playing together, moving the ball around and sharing,” Diawara said. “Playing hard overall and not falling apart when things start to go left because we are emotional, but we just have got to have that nextplay mentality.”
Last year Norfolk State played in the WNIT after falling to Howard in the MEAC championship game. The Spartans ultimately lost to Drexel 54-47 in the first round, but Vickers said it provided valuable postseason experience for the members of his team who returned this year.
“We went out there and played amazing basketball, but we missed some free throws down the stretch that probably prevented us from advancing in that tournament,” Vickers said. “Anytime you get into postseason play, the talent just from any league … we’re talking about the best 100 teams in the country now at this point between the NIT and NCAA Tournament. So, just that experience moving into this year, we got a little taste of it.”
South Carolina was joined as a No. 1 women’s seed by Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford. The Hoosiers and Hokies are first-time No. 1 seeds, while Stanford has been a top seed 13 times now, including in the last three tournaments.