Herd Insider Magazine vol 19 #12 April 2017

March/April 2017 www.HerdInsider.com

Where They Went

Signing Day has come and gone.

We track who went where in 2017.

UP FRONT 03/04.17

VOLUME 19 NO. 12

Did you notice a name in a mid-March story in The Herald-Dispatch about the student “docs” at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine finding where their residencies were going to be? One of the names was former Thundering Herd tight end Jamie Hatten while another was center Chris Bowers, the son of 1984-85 Herd tackle Rob Bowers. Bowers, a specialist in Obstetrics-Gynecology, will have his residency at the Marshall University School of Medicine. Hatten, who is a specialist in Emergency Medicine, will be at the University of Virginia. It just goes to show you how your scholarship donations can do great things: Here are two players who didn’t star for the Herd during their short careers but will be doing great things in a much more important field. Two great people and they will be great on this field, I’m sure.

During March Madness, you might have been missing some things going on at Marshall this spring:

compiled by Woody Woodrum Herd Insider senior editor C-USA with a 2-1 series win over UTSA. Baseball has four guys hitting over .300, and five pitchers under 2.53. They will host Virginia Tech at Charleston on April 5, Morehead State in Huntington April 11, and WVU on April 18 back in Charleston, followed by three at the end of April in Beckley with FIU. Welcome to Beckley, Florida boys!

3) Tennis is off to a 10-6 start, 1-0 in the league with an opening win over ODU. They have lost only once in four meetings with the Big Ten and play a national schedule — coach John Mercer doing things right.

4) Track just won the Bob Davidson Spring Kick Off at High Point, N.C., setting records in the javelin (Alexis Montes) and winning the 5,000-meters (Adriana Cook), triple jump (Antonique Butler) and 3,000-m (Andrea Porter) and the 4x100 relay (Kametra Byrd, Andrea Chidester, Safiyyah Mitchell, and Hope Julmiste). They topped the 16 schools at the meet with 128 points for MU, Wake Forest second with 87, Western Carolina third (85), Duquesne (74.5) and Elon (68.5) as well as topping Appy State, Ohio U, Dartmouth and High Point, the host.

Think that new indoor facility around the football field is not helping Jeff Small’s thinclads? Meets at Ohio and at UVa in April until the Herd gets a new outdoor track will have to do.

1) Softball is blowing teams away at a rapid rate, 20-4 so far (and two of those losses in the opening weekend at Florida State — No. 3 FSU) and perfect in Conference USA. Marshall swept UTSA at home, then went to Charlotte and did the same thing. As the weather warms and you are thinking about spring football (me, too), come early and see six of the April home games for this year’s dynamo — three How blown up is your bracket as we approach Championbatters hitting over .400, Herd has stolen 94-of-106 bases (to 11-of-18 for ship Monday? No.1 Villanova — gone, day two, along with No. opponents), while Jordan Dixon is 14-4, with 135 Ks and just 25 walks on 2 Louisville, No. 3 Florida State and No. 5 Notre Dame. Anyone with no a 2.57 ERA. one left with the Final Four coming up? Do you still watch, even when 2) Baseball is trying to stay up, with a 10-7 record and opening bracket is busted? Remember, this is for fun only .............. right?!?

HERD INSIDER / March/April 2017 / 4

WHAT WE’VE GOT

03/04.17 VOLUME 19 No. 12

COLUMNIST

4

Hoops, Soon Come

This page: Terrence Thompson flexed his muscles after a basket-and-one against North Texas. photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

After an interesting 2016-17 men’s basketball season, Marshall fans are all abuzz about next season. We’re not used to this.

On the cover: Local high school athletes signed at various schools on signing day.

Map courtesy of KYOVA. illustration by Greg Perry/HI staff

FEATURE

6

Where They Went Quite a few local high school football players signed to play at universities big and small. Here’s who they are, and where they went.

M BASKETBALL

10

Four On The Floor Austin Loop has Marshall men’s basketball still in the mix of things as the C-USA tournament looms on the horizon in early March.

W BASKETBALL

18

Not So Fine

The Charlotte 49ers knocked Marshall’s women’s team out of the C-USA tournament. Even worse, the coach resigned and a new one named, all in early March.

555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401

General Manager Mike Kirtner Contributor Bill Cornwell

Creative Director Greg Perry First Subscriber Geoff Sheils

Associate GM Reeves Kirtner Printing Printograph

Senior Editor Web Operations Woody Woodrum Alex Hackney All contents ©2017 Kindred Communications, Inc

/ March/April 2017

WOODY WOODRUM

photo by Bill Woodrum

4 / HERD INSIDER

COLUMNIST

Hoops, Soon Come

woodywoodrum@gmail.com

It was an up-and-down year for basketball at Marshall, as the women slipped under .500 for the first time in three years and the men’s team challenged for the C-USA crown for the first time since 2012.

Marshall’s women under coach Matt Daniel had played post-season basketball for the past two years, going 1-1 in the WBI two years ago and then playing to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament then going on to the WNIT for the first time since 1971.

However, by the end of a 13-17 season this year, Daniel announced he was leaving — which for a five-year coach happens too often at Marshall, because he didn’t win or was moving to a higher-paying job. It was more like the second answer except the better job was for his dentist-wife, Jennifer, back in their native Arkansas.

Daniel leaves the team in the capable hands of top assistant Tony Kemper, who was named head coach on March 17.

Shayna Gore is one of the great scorers at Marshall (17.5 points/game), the team hopes to get Talequia Hamilton (12.7 points, 7 rebounds per game) a sixth-year from the NCAA and players like senior Taylor Porter (8.4 points, and injured much of the year), junior Khadaijia Brooks (7.8 points, and injured late) and freshmen Ashley Saintigene and Asheika Alexander (4.5 points per game for both), the Herd under Kemper should be ready to play for a title again.

On the men’s side, with three great seniors who had played a big part in turning around Marshall, Danny D’Antoni’s team rolled in to the Conference USA Championship via a firstround win over Florida Atlantic, a one-point win over number

three Old Dominion in the quarterfinals, a hard-fought win over number two Louisiana Tech in the semifinals, and then a loss to top-ranked Middle Tennessee by 11 points. All of which left the Herd just short of its first NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 1987.

This team broke the points record just set the year before with 2,997 points scored. They also set a new record with 356 made threes in a season and had top ten seasons for free throw shooting (73.4%), 1,294 rebounds, 211 steals and 140 blocks.

Ryan Taylor (1,778 points, 985 rebounds, and 128 games), Austin Loop (293 threes at 44.1% in his career) and Stevie Browning (968 points in two years, plus 230 assists, and 73 steals) attacked the opponents as well as the record books as seniors, running the Herd to a final mark of 20-15, and improving the Herd to a 48-52 record under D’Antoni with a semifinal run last year and a run to the finals this year.

Taylor is top 20 in nearly every category statistically, Loop is the all-time king of threes at Marshall and Browning finished two years at Fairmont State and two at Marshall with over 1,600 points, nearly matching Taylor’s just under 1,800 points while Loop was also over 1,000 points in just 60 games.

A returning 1,000-point scorer in Jon Elmore (19.7 points/ game, 5.9 assists), and an infusion of new talent with quality big men, a point guard and shooters, rumors swirling around (at press time) about a new assistant coach in former point guard Corny Jackson, and starters like Terrence Thompson and Adjin Penava as well as bench players CJ Burks and Aleksa Nikolic, the future continues to look good for Marshall and D’Antoni. continued on page 5

continued from page 4

March/April 2017 / HERD INSIDER /

COLUMNIST

If nothing else is true, it is the continuing return of Marshall basketball — running the fast break, hitting the three, playing great defense like the team did in the tournament — which proved to be fun to watch for the nearly 6,000-fans per game who turned up for games this season when the Herd was 13-3 at home.

And that last point is one that kept being visible in the Huntington community, especially during (and after) Marshall’s great run in the Conference USA tournament: people are talking about this team. There is a palpable buzz in town.

5

going on right here in his town, just two miles from his house.

And, it caught his attention. “I’m definitely going to more Marshall games next year,” he added.

This harkens back to the mid-to-late 1980s, when Marshall basketball was rolling under coach Huckaby. People filled the stands on any given day, yelled their heads off, and usually got to see a fun game in the process. It took a little while for ol’ Huck to get the ball rolling, but once it began...

Other indicators that point to something really special happening in Huntington very soon: the Pittsburgh media were bowled over by coach D’Antoni and his infamous “damn analytics story” post-game press conference back in December (look it up on Youtube).

These are savvy media types who are accustomed to seeing big-time programs and their coaches day-in and day-out.

A prime example is a friend of mine, who is as dyed-in-the-wool when it comes to his beloved Kentucky Wildcats as anybody you will ever meet. Longtime, diehard fan. Bleeds blue. And white, if that’s possible.

Just a few short days after Marshall lost to Middle Tennesse in the C-USA title game — and literally on the second day of the NCAA Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni served up a season to remember for Herd fans. 2017-18 tournament, when all eyes And, coach Dan left them is shaping up to be even better, if you listen to folks talking around Huntington . photo by Greg Perry/HI staff are on Big Blue— this friend wanting more. stopped me and began talking about the one Marshall game he attended in late February.

There is genuine, palpable (I already used that word) anticipation of Marshall basketball in 2017-18. When you “They’ve got something going on over there,” the friend consider that spring football practice hasn’t even begun yet … said. “That game I went to was fun to watch.” that speaks volumes.

This is a guy who regularly makes the two-hour drive over to Rupp Arena to watch Kentucky play anybody. Whether the opponent is the university of North Carolina or the North Carolina School of Refrigeration Repair, does not matter one whit to him. Yet, he had just discovered Marshall men’s basketball

I love me some summertime. However, I – and many others in town – am itching for November to get here.

Hoops, soon come.

6 / HERD INSIDER

/ March/April 2017

Where They Went

Herd Insider follows the local high school athletes who committed on signing day 2017 (and afterward).

Here’s who they are and where they went. illustration by Greg Perry/HI staff

M

/ March/April 2017

story by Woody Woodrum Herd Insider senior editor

any area students are already looking forward to graduation and their next step up the ladder in work or school, including college. Some of the area’s best student-athletes are also looking for that next step as football players in the collegiate ranks around the nation.

It was a very good year for area football, and the number of players signing with colleges is as high as it has ever been. Here are the players would fans will cheer for in new uniforms in the coming fall of 2017.

Spring Valley Timberwolves Brock Adkins — University of Charleston: Second team All-State and All-MSAC on as running back and defensive back, Adkins played at 5-11, 205- pounds. He finished the season with 49 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and forced five fumbles, recovering three.

Mason Brubeck — West Virginia Wesleyan: First team All-State and All-MSAC running back and defensive back, Brubeck is 6-1, 185-pounds. Brubeck rushed for 1,346 yards (8.6 yards/carry) and scored 20 touchdowns, and had 24 tackles on defense, and had 10 catches for 92 yards.

Kaleb Hardin — University of Charleston: Honorable Mention All-MSAC at offensive line and defensive end for Timberwolves, Hardin is 6-3, 230-pounds. Helped the Timberwolves to rush for 4,818 yards (8.2 yards/carry) with 58 touchdowns.

Huntington Highlanders Seth Finnegan — Alderson Broaddus University: Finnegan rushed for 300 yards (5.7 yards/carry) and three touchdowns, and caught 13 passes for 219 more yards (16.9 per catch) and two more scores. Finnegan stands 6foot, 175-pounds, and played both defensive back and linebacker as a senior, rolling up 15 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack. He earned Special Honorable Mention on the All-MSAC team.

Spring Valley’s Riley Locklear (right) is headed to the University of Tennessee

Riley Locklear — University of Tennessee: Locklear is a 6-4, 282-pound offensive guard out of the Timberwolves program that played for the AAA State title in 2016, and he was first team AAA All-State and captain of the team as well as first team All-MSAC. Locklear, who played offensive and defensive tackle at SVHS, joined the UT program in January as a gray shirt — with five years to play four, plus the extra spring practice upcoming. He was also offered by Florida State, WVU, Marshall, and may also be looked at playing center for Tennessee offensive line coach, and former Marshall lineman, Don Mahoney.

Chandler Stacy — Carnegie Mellon University: Second team All-MSAC as defensive back, Stacy played both wide receiver and safety for SVHS who is 6-3, 195-pounds.

Stacy had three catches for 23 yards at receiver for the ground-oriented Wolves, but added 56 tackles (37 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, forced one fumble and recovered three and had an interception and two pass break ups.

Jonah Wellman — Eastern Kentucky University: Second team All-State and All-MSAC at running back and linebacker, Wellman is 6-2, 215-pounds. His brother, Elijah, is

7

a fullback at West Virginia. At back, he rushed for 423 yards (6.2 yards/ carry) and scored seven touchdowns but on defense led the Wolves with 96 tackles (46 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, forced a fumble and deflected two passes.

Skylar Larcart — University of Charleston: Second team All-State and All-MSAC for play on defensive line, Larcart also played on the offensive line at 6-2, 230-pounds He had 53 tackles (23 solo), with 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Trey Malashevich — Kentucky Christian University: Earned Special Honorable Mention on All-State and played both running back and cornerback at SVHS, Malashevich is the son of former Marshall kicker Billy Malashevich. He has a brother, Graeson, still on the Wolves. Malashevich is 5-10, 175-pounds, and had 38 tackles (20 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions and four passes broken up.

/ HERD INSIDER /

photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

8 / HERD INSIDER /

March/April 2017

Billy Ross — University of North Carolina: The 6-5, 292-pound four-year starter at right tackle for the Highlanders committed to UNC before the first practice of the 2016 season. He also drew considerable interest from Marshall, Tennessee and Florida State. Ross was rated as the top prospect in the state and the 37th best offensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com in 2016. He was first team All-State AAA and All-MSAC, he also saw spot duty at guard as a senior, when he captained the team.

Cabell Midland Knights Tyler Berry — Alderson Broaddus University: Berry was a late addition for the Battlers, who have signed four area players under new head coach Salvatore Dewalt, the former AB offensive line coach and director of football ops. Berry, at 6-2 and 220-pounds, was a tight end for the Knights, and a special honorable mention on the AAA AllState team but was first team All-MSAC. He caught three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, with rushing 26 times for 146 yards (5.6 yards/carry) and two more touchdowns.

Hurricane Redskins Joey Lamb — Alderson Broaddus University: Named to the All-MSAC team, Lamb is a 6-foot, 205-pound defensive lineman headed to the Battlers.

Matthew Lindmark — WV State University: Offensive guard for Hurricane, Lindmark is 6-3, 255-pound who can also long snap. For the 2016 season, he helped the Redskins to a 7-5 mark and a loss at Morgantown the second round of the AAA playoffs. He brings his big frame to Institute and was named offensive lineman MVP for the Redskins.

Isaiah Thomas — West Virginia Wesleyan: The cornerback from Hurricane is 6-1, 160-pounds, and will join the Bobcats in 2017.

Nick Williams — WV State University: The running back was a second team All-MSAC selection from Hurricane (7-5, 2016).

Buffalo Bison Hunter Allen — West Virginia Wesleyan: A 6-6, 330-pound lineman for the Bison, Allen was signed on March 2. He has played offensive tackle and guard as well as defensive tackle for Buffalo. He also had seven offers from teams at the Division III level.

Dylan Lucas — WV State University: A 5-10, 180-pound running back from Buffalo. Lucas was a standout for Buffalo as a senior, as he helped lead Buffalo to a playoff appearance. Lucas is a Curt Warner Award winner and also led the state in rushing with 2,465 yards (12.1 yards/carry) and he was named first team Class A All-State as a senior. Lucas plans to pursue a degree in Sports Studies.

Jacob Hanshaw — West Virginia Wesleyan: A 6-foot, 225-pound fullback and inside linebacker committed to the Bobcats on March 17.

Point Pleasant Black Knights Grant Stafford — West Virginia Wesleyan: Linebacker for the Big Blacks, Stafford is 5-11, 210-pounds. He also wrestled, losing in the championship bout in Class AA at 182-pounds. In the regular season, he rushed for 1,388 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was first team All-State Class AA in 2016 as a utility player.

Seth Stewart — LSU: The 6-foot-8, 333-pound lineman had offers from all over the nation, playing offensive tackle and defensive line. He helped to lead the Big Blacks to the 2015 AAA title, and another 10-0 season in 2016 in Class AA. He was first team AA All-State in 2016.

Mingo Central Miners Daniel Buchanan — West Virginia University: Buchanan is a defensive lineman in the 2016 season, but was a tight end during his junior season. He was second team All-Cardinal Conference.

Robbie Daniel — Fairmont State University: One of the top centers in Class AA, Daniel anchored the Mingo line. He was selected first team All Tyler Grimmett — Marshall University: The wide receiver had a great senior season, as well as playing well in the secondary. He was second team All-State Class AA and first team All-Cardinal Conference pick. In the state finals, he caught five passes for 111 yards. continued on page 20

10 / HERD INSIDER

/ March/April 2017

COLLEGE

BASKETBALL

Ryan Taylor and Marshall finished off the regular season in style with a win over North Texas, before heading to almost win the Conference USA Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.

photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

COLLEGE

BASKETBALL

March/April 2017 / HERD INSIDER /

11

FOUR on the FLOOR

Four games, four days. Marshall ran all the way to the C-USA championship game…

story by Woody Woodrum Herd Insider senior editor

M

arshall once again won three games to get to the final of the Conference USA tournament, and just like in 2012, the Herd did not have the energy to win the title. Last time, it was Memphis at the FedEx Forum. This time, the team was again from Tennessee and was winning another Conference USA title.

Giddy Potts matched his season high and set a Conference USA Championship record with 30 points to lead Middle Tennessee to its second straight Conference USA Tournament championship with an 83-72 victory over Marshall. Potts scored seven straight points to help the Blue Raiders pull away with a late 15-5 run, and by hitting 3-of-8 from three, his 74 threes are the fourth most in MTSU history for the junior.

It is the tenth time in league history a number-one seed has won the championship, with Middle joining Cincinnati and Memphis. Middle is the first team to win two consecutive titles since Memphis won three, 2011-13.

“Marshall played at such a high level for their fourth game in four days, competed hard defensively and made us work hard for things. They made some great shots and had great ball movement,” Middle Coach Kermit Davis said. “You’ve got to give Dan (D’Antoni) and Marshall a ton of credit. We beat a good team that was playing really well. Our team really shared the ball. It was just really exciting – I’m sure a fun game to watch on TV. “There were a lot of great offensive plays. It’s quite an honor to get 30 wins and go back to the NCAA Tournament. Our team will enjoy this.”

The Thundering Herd, who set a record in the semifinals by scoring 19-of-35 threes against Louisiana Tech, ended up with another three record. The Herd was 45-of-122 from three, topping a record for both previously held by Houston since 2010. Houston was the last club to have won four games and the title, the only one in C-USA history coming in 2011.

“It’s always great to be in the championship game, I wish we could have won it. I thought our kids played good enough to be in it in the end but things didn’t go our way,” Marshall coach Danny D’Antoni said. “That’s the hardest thing about coaching, is that things don’t go your way sometimes. But, that’s life.

Stevie Browning went up high against MTSU late in the season. The Herd would fall in the championship to the Blue Raiders a couple weeks later.

“I hope Kermit Davis and Middle Tennessee carry the C-USA banner a long way in the NCAA Tournament.” They went 1-1 at the Big Dance.

D’Antoni thought the physical play of middle, with his limits in quality bigs, was the big difference in the game. “They were very physical.

Right now we’re not deep enough in our program. We go from three seniors to freshmen and sophomore. They have more bigs than us and they’re physical.

“We got 20 wins this season and we’re in the finals of the conference, the hardest part is taking a team that is maturing against a team that is mature like Middle Tennessee.”

The Thundering Herd (20-15) pulled within two points at 53-51 with 12:51 left before Potts and Middle Tennessee answered with what proved the decisive run. But at that point, D’Antoni drew a technical foul with 5:12 left protesting a foul call against Penava, as the sophomore would later foul out and senior Ryan Taylor played in foul trouble for most of the game. continued on page 15

Senior Sendoff‌

Marshall seniors Stevie Browning, Austin Loop, and Ryan Taylor were honored prior to the North Texas game in early March, before heading off to (almost) win the Conference USA Championship. photo by Greg Perry/HI staff

March/April 2017 / HERD INSIDER /

13

continued from page 11 Potts made one of two technical free throws to push the Blue Raiders’ lead back to double digits. Upshaw, who drew the foul, made both of his attempts from the line to make the game 57-51, and Herd was never close again.

Potts, the tournament MVP, made three 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds for Middle Tennessee while making seven of eight free throws. C-USA Player of the Year Jacorey Williams, an Arkansas transfer, added 17 points and has 588 points in this year, sixth most in Blue Raiders history. Senior Reggie Upshaw scored 15 with eight boards.

Upshaw is fourth in MTSU history in career points (1,540).

Sophomore CJ Burks came off the bench to lead Marshall with 16 points. Senior Stevie Browning finished a strong tournament with 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, scoring 78 points in four games.

Senior Austin Loop got all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers.

Junior Jon Elmore, the league’s leading scorer, had 12 points despite the 2-of-9 3-point shooting. Sophomore Adjin Penava had 10 points.

Browning punctuated the half with a contested 3-pointer with five seconds left for Marshall and added another in the final second.

Browning also tied his assist career mark with six tonight, tying the six he dished in a win over UTEP in the 2016 Tournament. Browning and Elmore were named to the All-Tournament team from Marshall, Elmore and Taylor were All-C-USA (1st and 3rd team, respectfully), Loop was All-Academic C-USA and Taylor was All-Defensive team in C-USA. “We’re disappointed but we played hard and gave it all we had,” Browning said. “We have nothing to hang our heads about but we have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Marshall missed its first 10 3-point attempts after setting a school

and C-USA tournament record with 19 makes in a semifinal win over Louisiana Tech. The Herd hit only 2-for-12 in the first half and finished with 10-of-32 from beyond the arc, only 31.3%. Overall, Marshall shot 39.1% (30-56) and Middle hit 30-of-56 (53.2%).

“We didn’t shoot as well as we do,” Elmore said. “The whole tournament we shot well until tonight. We’ve had a good year and it hurts going out like this.”

The Blue Raiders out-rebounded Marshall 41-35, but only outscored MU in the paint, 38-to-30 and were 6-6 in second chance points with the Herd. The Blue Raiders had a 13-point lead cut to 40-32 by halftime, then won by 11.

Marshall defeated two of the top three seeds to make the title game, beating No. 11 FAU in the opener, then a 1-point win over No. 3 ODU and a 93-77 win on Friday afternoon against No. 2 Louisiana Tech.

The Herd was hoping for its first NCAA berth since 1987, when the Herd lost an opening round game to TCU in Charlotte, N.C. The Herd has played in the CIT in 2010 and 2011, going 1-2, and lost to Middle in its last NIT bid in 2012, on the road at MTSU for the game as a 5-seed.

2017 Conference USA All-Tournament Team Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee (MVP) Reggie Upshaw, Middle Tennessee JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee Stevie Browning, Marshall Jon Elmore, Marshall

March/April 2017 / HERD INSIDER /

Luke Thomas Fairland (OH) High School Boys’ Basketball

photo courtesy of The Ironton Tribune

This month’s Wendy’s Student-Athlete is Luke Thomas, a point guard and shooting guard for the 24-1 Fairland Dragons. He is a 6-1, 170-pound junior who has led the Fairland Dragons of Proctorville, Ohio, to its first Ohio State Tournament Final Four since the Dragons’ 1961 team, “The Untouchables,” advanced there as an undefeated team.

Thomas and his teammates beat Berlin Hiland, 61-47, to advance to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, at the Schottenstein Center against Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, which has a record of 21-6 this season.

Thomas led the team with 24 points in the win.

He is averaging 15.5 points per game, 2.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals as well as shooting 43% this year from threes for Coach Nathan Speed of Fairland. In the win over Hiland, he also contributed the six rebounds and four assists in the win at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.

His Dragons won the OVC Championship for the second year in a row, and 16th all time for the Dragons and the third since 2013, and are Sectional, District and Regional champs for the first time since 1961.

Fairland beat W. Va. AAA State Champions Huntington High, 71-65, as well as the Huntington St. Joe Prep B team, 89-75. In the run up to the state tournament bid, Fairland beat Coal Grove (66-33), Piketon (7442), South Point (69-48), Garaway (57-52) and Hiland.

—compiled by Woody Woodrum, HI senior editor

17

COLLEGE

BASKETBALL

Senior Kiana Evans faced a tough shot in the lane against Charlotte. Marshall would lose to Charlotte in the C-USA Tournament in early March.

photographs by Greg Perry/HI staff

Not so

/ March/April 2017

19

FINE, those 49ers…

COLLEGE

BASKETBALL

/ HERD INSIDER /

MARSHALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HAS THEIR SEASON ENDED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT, COURTESY OF THE CHARLOTTE 49ers; COACH RESIGNS, AND KEMPER NAMED NEW COACH

N

story by Woody Woodrum Herd Insider senior editor

umber 12 seed Marshall put together a furious rally in the fourth quarter of the game, hitting 3-of-8 threes (on a day the Herd hit only 5-of-27 from three as a team), but in the end No. 5 Charlotte put together a 6-0 run the last 1:55 to beat Marshall, 71-66, in the first round of the Conference USA Basketball Championships at UAB’s Bartow Arena at Birmingham, Ala. Charlotte (21-12), the No. 5 seed, moved on to the quarterfinal round of the tournament, while Marshall’s season is finished at 13-17.

eight rebounds, with three blocks and a steal. Kiana Evans, another senior from Huntington, had seven points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Marshall was also beaten in the first round in 2015 (also by Charlotte, 67-52) two years ago as well as in 2013-2012-2011-20102007 during the Conference USA membership. This loss drops the Herd’s first round record to 5-7 alltime. This is Marshall’s first losing season since 2013-14 (11-20) in the second season under current coach Matt Daniel.

The Herd was led by Shayna Gore, who scored 27 points to lead all scorers. Gore, a sophomore from Logan, W.Va., hit a Marshall record with 10 field goals on 26 attempts from the field, 3-of-8 from three and 4-of-4 at the free throw Coach Matt Daniels sent off his three seniors in early March (left to right): McKenzie Akers, Talequia Hamilton, and Kiana Evans.

“WE SHOWED SOME RESILIENCY BATTLING BACK. OUR GAME MADE FOR A PRETTY GOOD 5-12 GAME IN A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP” line. She also recorded three rebounds and three steals.

Redshirt junior Taylor Porter was next with 15 points, hitting 7-of16 from the field and 1-of-3 from three and she also had three rebounds and three steals, with a block. Talequia Hamilton, who hopes to get one more year of eligibility, scored 11 points and pulled a Marshall high of

“I thought we showed some resiliency battling back in the second half,” Daniel said. “We struggled offensively in the first half, but our defense kept us in the game until we got it going on the offensive end.

Our game made for a pretty good 5 versus 12 game in a conference championship.

“Being picked 10th and finishing tied for 11th in this league, we knew were going to learn a lot this season. For the ones who won’t wear the Marshall jersey anymore, I hope they learned things that will carry them into their futures. For the ones who will, I hope they learned things that will help them prepare for next season.”

The big story following the end of the season was that Marshall has elevated associate head coach Tony Kemper to head women’s basketball coach, the athletics department announced a little more than one week continued on page 21

20 / HERD INSIDER

/ March/April 2017

Where They Went continued from page 8 Mikey Hall — Glenville State University: Hall, a 5-11, 270-pound lineman for the 14-0, Class AA champions from Mingo Central, signed with the Pioneers. He was a second team All-Cardinal Conference selection.

Caleb Lester — Concord University: Lester, a linebacker, was the leading tackler on the team the past two seasons, and also played some running back as a senior.

He was First Team Class AA All-State and a first team All-Cardinal Conference selection. Lester had 4.5 tackles in the state championship.

Paul Blazer (Ashland, Ky.) Tomcats Tate Dowdy — Georgetown College: The 5-10, 155-pound wide receiver runs a 4.57/40-yard dash, benches 205 and squats 300, and also plays basketball for the Tomcats. Dowdy made the move from QB to WR in 2015, and set a school single-season record for receiving yards with 974. He hauled in eight scores in the Tomcats first regional final season in 12 years, winning nine games. Dowdy also brings a 4.04 GPA.

Greenup County (Ky.) Musketeers Dylan Craycraft — Alderson Broaddus University: A 6-2, 275-pound defensive tackle, Craycraft played for Coach Scott Frizzle at Greenup.Helped Greenup to the first 7-win season since 2000, first winning season since 2002, before losing to state champs Johnson Central in second round.

Fairland (Proctorville, Ohio) Dragons

Jonah Galloway — Alderson Broaddus University: A 6-1, 180-pound receiver for former Herd All-American cornerback Melvin Cunningham, Galloway was first team All-Ohio Valley Conference and a member of the Honorable Mention All-Ohio District team.

Jordan Michael — Alderson Broaddus University: The 6-1, 180-pound linebacker was first team All-Ohio Valley Conference, Honorable Mention All-District, and was a team captain for Dragons.

Michael Tubbs — Kentucky Christian University: Tubbs, a defensive and offensive lineman for the Dragons in 2016, he also played at fullback for the 3-7 Fairland.

Tubbs’ credited Cunningham for being a plus in his career in a story with The Herald-Dispatch. He is 6-foot, 300-pounds for new KCU head coach Corey Fipps, named the day after Tubbs signed with the Knights.

Ironton (Ohio) Tigers

Tyler Webb — Limestone College: The 6-6, 305-pound lineman signs with Limestone Coach Mike Furrey, who also played in the NFL and coached his brother at Kentucky Christian before moving on to Marshall and then Limestone. He was a four-year starter for the Tigers, and was a two-time All-Ohio pick — named special Honorable Mention as junior, first team as senior — being named to the PA Southeast Ohio All-District team for three straight years, special honorable mention as a sophomore, then back-to-back first team selections. He also was selected for the Ohio HS Football North/South game April 29 in Massillon.

Basketball continued from page 19 after the season ended. Kemper, 37, has been with the Thundering Herd for five seasons.

Coach Matt Daniels resigned due to his wife’s dentistry practice having an opportunity to move back to Arkansas.

“It is such a privilege to continue working with student-athletes who I have had a hand in recruiting to Huntington, a community that my family values greatly,” Kemper said. “There are many good people and players here now, and also on the way, who can help make us a consistent winner.”

During his time at Marshall, Kemper has assisted in rebuilding a program that progressively increased its win total over the first four seasons – from 9 to 11 to 17 to 21 wins in the 2015-16 season. That 201516 win total was the most for Thundering Herd Women’s Basketball in 29 seasons and, for the first time in school history, yielded a first-team All-Conference USA student-athlete for Marshall in Leah Scott.

Kemper (left) replaced Daniels (right) as the head coach of Marshall women’s basketball just after the conference tournament ended.