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Click here for a press release on J.F. Webb High School’s new men’s basketball coach Alex Tharp.
Click the play button below to hear today’s Coach’s Corner segment with Tharp in its entirety.
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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools
J.F. Webb High School recently announced the hiring of its new high school basketball coach, Alex Tharp.
A native of Orange, Virginia, Coach Tharp played high school basketball at Orange County High School. After graduation, he attended Shooting for Greatness Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina for one year of post-graduation play. During his year at Shooting for Greatness, he excelled in both the classroom and on the basketball court. This led to a scholarship to continue his basketball career at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina.
J.F. Webb High School recently announced the hiring of its new high school basketball coach, Alex Tharp (pictured above). Photo courtesy GCPS.
He transferred to St. Andrews University in his junior year, had a successful season and was looking forward to a promising senior year. During the second game of his senior year, he broke his ankle. This injury ended his playing career, but it opened the door to his coaching career.
Alex graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and began his teaching career in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He also served as the assistant varsity men’s basketball coach at Pasquotank County High School.
In 2018, Coach Tharp accepted a position as an assistant basketball coach at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. He shared that while the college coaching experience was exciting, it was not the right fit for him. He wanted to return to coaching high school athletes. This led him to Granville County.
Alex is a fifth-grade teacher at Tar River Elementary School and was an assistant basketball coach at Granville Central High School last year. Granville Central’s head coach, Michael McDaniel, shared, “he has a great basketball mind, and I think he could be a great fit at Oxford Webb.”
Coach Tharp is excited about the opportunity to become the head basketball coach at J.F. Webb. He shared, “I am ready to bring a new energy to the Warriors basketball program while getting the opportunity to work with a group of amazing young men. My goal is to help these young men be prepared for the next phase of their lives after high school, whether that be continuing their basketball career at the college level, going to college as a student to obtain a degree, or going into the workforce to immediately impact society. I cannot wait to get to work and help these young men reach their full potential on and off the court.”
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
-Press Release, Vance County High School
The Vance County Board of Education has approved Chad Wilson as the next head boys basketball coach at Vance County High School. He teaches physical education at the school.
Coach Wilson is a Vance County native who graduated from Northern Vance High School before continuing his basketball career at Louisburg College and Livingstone College. Following his collegiate playing career, Wilson became an assistant coach for Vance-Granville Community College for three seasons before returning to his high school alma mater to serve as varsity assistant and head JV coach under long-time coach Wilton Baskett, whom he played for.
Wilson has compiled a record of 79-17 in five seasons as head JV basketball coach at Northern Vance and Vance County, including a 37-1 stretch from 2017-2019. Notably, he also has a record of 13-0 as interim head varsity basketball coach at Vance County, filling in for Wilton Baskett for a portion of the 2018-2019 season that saw the Vipers win the Northern Carolina Conference championship and make a run to the 4th round of the NCHSAA tournament. Wilson was also an assistant when Northern Vance won the 2017-2018 Northern Carolina Conference championship.
“Coach Wilson has proven that he is an effective coach who can bring out the best in his players,” Athletic Director Joe Sharrow said of Wilson. “He has a passion for teaching and coaching, has demonstrated the ability to establish positive relationships, and is a tremendous role model for our students. Coach Wilson is a valued member of the Viper family and has earned this opportunity to lead our boys basketball program.”
Wilson will replace his former high school coach and coaching mentor, Wilton Baskett, who retired in March after a 37-year coaching career that saw him surpass the 400-win mark this past season.
“It is a great honor to become the next head basketball coach at Vance County High School,” Wilson said in a statement. “I am from Vance County and grew up dreaming about the opportunity to work with and coach the kids from my hometown. I have been a part of the culture that we have established here and look forward to continuing the growth of our program and giving back to the kids who now play on the same courts and in the same gyms where I fell in love with the game of basketball.”
The Vipers are hopeful to begin the 2020-2021 season on December 4, as outlined by the amended calendar released by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
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Nadia Simmons, basketball player and recent Vance Charter School graduate, appeared on WIZS Coach’s Corner Friday.
A power forward for Vance Charter’s Women’s Basketball, Simmons plans to continue playing the game she loves at NC Wesleyan College this fall.
“I went for a visit, and it just felt like home,” said Simmons of her decision to attend Wesleyan. “I met up with some of the players, and everything just felt right. I feel like it’s the right decision.”
In a previous discussion with WIZS, Vance Charter Coach Brian Howard said that Simmons is “one of the best athletes I’ve ever had the privilege of coaching.”
Averaging 20 points per game in high school, Simmons said she is “determined and ready to work hard [at Wesleyan].” She continued, “Going in, you have to work hard, have a good mindset and be ready to rock-and-roll.”
Listen to today’s Coach’s Corner audio by clicking the play button below.
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Granville Central High School student-athlete Terence Harcum, a junior who plays point guard on the varsity basketball team, talks to WIZS about his love for the game, experiences with coaches and other players and his upcoming college announcement.
Press the play button below to hear more from Harcum:
— courtesy the Atlantic Coast Conference, online at theacc.com
(theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference recognizes the uncertain and challenging environment all areas of our society are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Intercollegiate athletics is just one area that we must address as we work to return to our campuses, bring back students and faculty when possible, and pursue our academic missions and goals as part of higher education. The health, safety and well-being of all our campus constituents is at the forefront of all decisions.
With this in mind, the ACC Board of Directors announced that if public health guidance allows, all seven ACC sponsored fall sports will begin competition during the week of Sept. 7-12. The announcement follows several months of discussion and scenario planning among the league membership and Medical Advisory Group. Each decision is based on the best available medical guidelines and coincides with our universities’ academic missions.
“As we look ahead to the fall, the safety of our students, staff and overall campus community continues to be our top priority,” said Kent Syverud, Chancellor of Syracuse University and the Chair of the ACC Board of Directors. “Today’s announcement outlines a specific path for ACC fall sports to return to intercollegiate athletic competition using comprehensive protocols put forward by our ACC Medical Advisory Group. As a league, we understand the need to stay flexible and be prepared to adjust as medical information evolves in conjunction with local and state health guidelines.”
“Today’s decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The Board’s decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise.”
The ACC’s Medical Advisory Group, which has been meeting weekly since the spring to share information on the impact of COVID-19 on ACC campuses and intercollegiate athletics, has recommended minimum standards for each campus to follow as fall sports return. Among those recommendations are weekly testing for close contact sports, standards for reporting positive test results, and protocols for cleaning and sanitizing competition areas. The full report is available HERE.
Information specific to 2020 competition for both football and the league’s Olympic Sports is included below. The league’s leadership, and its medical advisory group, will continue to meet on a weekly basis to share information and discuss medical issues related to the ACC’s return to play. Should any future adjustments be necessary, the ACC Board of Directors will do so at the appropriate time.
ACC Football:
ACC Fall Olympic Sports:
ACC Winter and Spring Olympic Sports:
For George Hoyle, Sr., the head volleyball coach at Kerr-Vance Academy for the last four years, his love of volleyball started with his daughter and club volleyball teams and came full circle with his son, KVA Athletic Director George Hoyle, Jr., as the varsity volleyball program earned back-to-back NCISAA state championships over the last two seasons.
With only seven losses in four years, a 106-7 record, Hoyle said, “It absolutely started with the players and the devotion they put in. Great players make a great coach. We were in the gym three days a week working, but it’s got to be fun. It has to be fun or you’re not going to win. And we made it fun.”
Hoyle said, “It’s been a wonderful six years I’ve been there (as assistant and head coach). I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Check out the audio of our full interview here.
And now new coaches have been named, according the the Kerr-Vance Facebook page. The social media account for The Spartans says, “We are thrilled to announce the hiring of our new Varsity and JV Women’s Volleyball Coaches – Casey Ellington and Debra Medlin.
“Head Coach – Casey Ellington a native of Granville County played volleyball at William Peace University and has recently coached at the club level locally.
“Assistant Coach – Debra Medlin previously served as the Head Coach at C.E. Jordan High School from 1989 through 2000. She also recently served as a coach at Person County High School and Middle School.”
Hoyle felt like it was the right time to retire. He said, “We have a lot of the pieces to the puzzle for a new coach to come in…and they’re not going to skip a beat. They are going to have a good team.”
As to working alongside his son, George Hoyle, Sr. said, “It’s a lot of fun working with him. Made a lot of memories there. That just doesn’t happen to a lot of people. All those were great. It was a lot of fun working with him. It was really special.”
In continuing to speak of George Hoyle, Jr., the elder Hoyle said, “He does a great job, and I’m very proud of everything he’s accomplished. Going to miss that part of sure.”
Hoyle said success starts in the off season. “It starts in the off season. Everything starts in the off season. You’ve got to put in the preparation in the summer and winter months to be successful when the season comes around, and that’s what the girls have done at Kerr-Vance.”
For sure, love comes into it as well. “I love coaching and love youth sports more than anything. I absolutely love high school and college. I love to watch and be around it. I have been coaching youth sports since 2003. That’s a long time,” Hoyle said.
In one sport or another, Hoyle has been a coach, mentor and grounds keeper year round for decades.
Hoyle started to coach as an assistant under William Hoyle, who is distant kin, and George said, “William was great. I love him to death, and of those championships, it all started with him being there. And I appreciate everything he taught me about the game, and I started to love it at that point.”
For Hoyle and his family, they achieve by the most honest means. Hard work, dedication, gentleness, grace, intelligence. Congratulations to Kerr-Vance Volleyball and retired head coach George Hoyle, Sr.
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Kerr Vance Academy has named alumna Cameron Ford Breedlove coach of its varsity girls tennis team.
Breedlove played on the KVA tennis team her seventh through twelfth-grade years and said she was “excited to be back as the coach.” Upon graduating KVA, Breedlove attended William Peace University in Raleigh.
Breedlove said former classmate George Hoyle, Jr., who now serves as athletic director for KVA, knew of her love for tennis and reached out when the coaching position became available.
Losing five seniors to graduation last year, Breedlove will have her work cut out for her coaching a younger team limited in practice ability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With four girls returning, Breedlove hopes to recruit more players for the upcoming season.
“The team is younger; however, these are very talented girls with great skills who have been playing for a while,” Breedlove said.
To hear the interview with Breedlove in its entirety, click on the play button above.
Kerr Vance Academy has named alumna Cameron Ford Breedlove coach of its varsity girls tennis team.
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
-Press Release, NCHSAA
On Tuesday, Governor Cooper announced the reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year. He also indicated that the NCHSAA would be making the decisions relative to sports. The NCHSAA Board of Directors approved the following rule and calendar changes:
Commissioner Que Tucker provides the following statement at this time.
“For now, we believe these steps provide hope for our student-athletes, and the possibility for playing fall sports We know that many decisions are being made relative to the reopening plan your school(s) will follow. After each LEA has had an opportunity to formalize and finalize those reopening plans, the NCHSAA Staff will survey the membership to determine how sports should and/or can fit into the various models that will exist across the state. Please understand this delayed start date is not “in cement” and can be delayed even further if we do not have improved data from DHHS, or some other reason exists for delaying further into September or beyond.
We acknowledge that playing certain sports are more problematic at any time without a vaccine; however, we remain in consultation with our Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) members, and they believe we can and should offer a sports program, with all necessary modifications, delays, etc. In the coming weeks, we will continue working with the SMAC as we plan our next steps for the fall, as well as determining when equipment could be shared—i.e. balls— and/or if we can move into Phase 2 of the summer workouts/conditioning.
Each NCHSAA Board Member believes in the value of education-based athletics and is committed to SAFELY offering a fall, winter, and spring sports program during this school year; however, there is also a commitment to the health and safety of students and coaches. Towards this end, we all will continue to follow the guidance of the Department of Health and Human Services relative to the data and how we all safely move forward.
