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    New Season, But Same High Expectations For RU Men's Basketball

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    Laura Ellie Nicole
    The Radford University men's basketball team is preparing for the upcoming season with high expectations under new head coach Mike Jones. The team has a new attitude and is adapting to coach Jones' system after disappointing last year. They hope new incoming freshmen will provide new energy to the program. The coaching staff also has new assistants, including Chris Hawkins, a former RU player, who aim to recruit passionate, high-character players. Returning stars on the women's team like Da'Naria Erwin Spencer look to lead the team to avenge an early exit from the conference tournament last year and achieve the coach's theme of being "invincible".

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    New Season, But Same High Expectations For RU Men's Basketball

    Uploaded by

    Laura Ellie Nicole
    15 views2 pages
    The Radford University men's basketball team is preparing for the upcoming season with high expectations under new head coach Mike Jones. The team has a new attitude and is adapting to coach Jones' system after disappointing last year. They hope new incoming freshmen will provide new energy to the program. The coaching staff also has new assistants, including Chris Hawkins, a former RU player, who aim to recruit passionate, high-character players. Returning stars on the women's team like Da'Naria Erwin Spencer look to lead the team to avenge an early exit from the conference tournament last year and achieve the coach's theme of being "invincible".

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    The Radford University men's basketball team is preparing for the upcoming season with high expectations under new head coach Mike Jones. The team has a new attitude and is adapting to coach Jones' system after disappointing last year. They hope new incoming freshmen will provide new energy to the program. The coaching staff also has new assistants, including Chris Hawkins, a former RU player, who aim to recruit passionate, high-character players. Returning stars on the women's team like Da'Naria Erwin Spencer look to lead the team to avenge an early exit from the conference tournament last year and achieve the coach's theme of being "invincible".

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views2 pages

    New Season, But Same High Expectations For RU Men's Basketball

    Uploaded by

    Laura Ellie Nicole
    The Radford University men's basketball team is preparing for the upcoming season with high expectations under new head coach Mike Jones. The team has a new attitude and is adapting to coach Jones' system after disappointing last year. They hope new incoming freshmen will provide new energy to the program. The coaching staff also has new assistants, including Chris Hawkins, a former RU player, who aim to recruit passionate, high-character players. Returning stars on the women's team like Da'Naria Erwin Spencer look to lead the team to avenge an early exit from the conference tournament last year and achieve the coach's theme of being "invincible".

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    Sports

    THE TARTAN WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011

    New season, but same high expectations for RU Mens Basketball


    2011-2012 team looks to bounce back from disappointing season last year and a new batch of incoming freshman looks to inject new life into the program
    PETER MASON
    [email protected]
    Basketball season, the sport that attracts the most attention at Radford University, is just around the corner, and Radford Mens Basketball is just days away from the tip off of their regular season. The first two games of the season will be played at home at the Dedmon Center on the weekend of Nov. 11-12. We have a lot of team bonding this year, said sophomore guard Jareal Smith. Its a lot different than what weve done last year, because this year we have new coaches, new attitude, so weve been putting in work, hard work at that. One of the biggest differences that the team has had to adjust to this year is that theyve been working under a new head coach. Head Coach Mike Jones, will be taking charge of the Highlanders this year. Jones record includes being an assistant coach with Virginia Commonwealth University for the past two years, one of those two years, the Rams made it all the way to the 2011 NCAA Final Four. Its interesting, Smith said. New coach, new attitude; weve got to come with a new attitude than we had last year, its going to be a new offense, new coach, weve got to get to know the coach, weve to adapt to the coach, the coach has got to adapt to us. But overall I think the

    See Mens, 10

    COURTNEY EARLL | The Tartan

    New coaching staff provides new direction and philosophy for RU


    MATT HALBERG
    [email protected]
    Joining Head Coach Mike Jones is a staff of three assistant coaches, all of whom were hired only a short time after Jones was named head coach back in June. The three assistants bring a mix of experience, youth, energy and charisma to a program that was lacking those exact qualities just a year ago when the team went 5-24 on the season. The oldest assistant coach on the staff is also a man that longtime Highlander fans will recognize quickly. Chris Hawkins is a 1992 graduate of Radford University, and played as a member of the RU Mens Basketball team from 1989 until his graduation. Affectionately nicknamed Hawk during his playing days, Hawkins has returned to his alma mater to coach under Jones. This will be Hawkins second stint as an assistant for RU basketball, as he previously served as an assistant from 1997-2000. Its really exciting to be back. You have to put in a certain amount of work to have success both on and off the court, and one of the things were trying to do is bring in the right type of players, Hawkins said. We want guys who have passion and a love for the game, and high character players that will help us succeed. The youngest member of the assistant coaching staff is enjoying his second stint in Division I basketball, and comes to Radford at just 29 years old. J.D. Byers is a 2005 graduate of Lebanon Valley College, and spent three years as an assistant at Randolph-Macon College. In Byers last season with R-MC,

    See Coaches, 10

    This year I feel as if no one is a tough opponent. To me, we have a new beginning and everyonce starts 0-0.
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    We want guys who have passion and a love for the game, high chracter players that will help us succeed.
    - Chris Hawkins | Assistant Coach

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    Womens Basketball seeks redemption in 2011 season


    Highlanders looking to bounce back after early exit from last years Big South Tournament, striving to find balance in an ultracompetitive Big South conference is 2011-2012.
    HALEY SHOTWELL
    [email protected]
    Head Coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba sets a theme every year for the Radford Womens Basketball Team. This season, the theme is Invictus, meaning invincible. Coach Ngongba made sure her players fully understood what that word means by getting them to read the poem Invictus, by William Ernest Henley and writing a paper on the theme. I think they have really bought into it just with their entire demeanor, Ngongba said. And you see that desire to be invictus and I told them its not just a word, you have to really buy into it. The Highlanders will keep that word in

    the back of their head as they attempt to make a run late in to the post season. Coming off of a 14-16 record in the 201011 season, RU will look to avenge a disappointing first round loss to the No. 7 seed Winthrop in the Big South Tournament. Coach Ngongba enters her fourth season at the helm of the team and hopes to grab her first Big South Conference title this year. She also hopes to be better than last year and constantly improve. When thinking back about the first round loss last year, Ngongba said, It adds fuel for us, it is definitely a moment we wont forget. We use it as a teaching point too because if we feel they are not going as hard as

    CHRISTIAN STEPHENS | The Tartan

    See Womens, 10

    Returning stars look to lead 2012 team to conference tournament


    BRENNEN WOODRUFF
    [email protected]

    AJ NEUHARTH-KEUSCH
    [email protected]
    The Radford University Womens Basketball team is looking to build off a 14-16 record last season.

    The Highlanders were impressive against other Big South teams with an 11-5 record and almost equally as impressive at home with an 8-5 record. The disappointments came on the road, where they were only 6-10. The season was cut short and they were eliminated in the first round of the Big South Tournament by a score of 38-59 in a contest against Winthrop University. The Highs were upset, but determined to improve.

    Weve been working hard, practicing every day, working in the weight room, getting strong, and just preparing ourselves for the season, said Junior guard DaNaria Erwin Spencer when asked about their offseason strategies. Spencer looks to continue her success from last year. She was named first on the team in the Big South and led RU in points (13.8), assists (3.1), steals (2.3) and free throw per-

    centage (72 percent). When asked about the relationship with the team, Spencer said, When we hang out, theres always laughs and giggles and its just a lot of fun. Junior guard Ashley Buckhannon commented on the teams camaraderie, saying that, Our relationship is pretty strong. We can depend on each other. Unlike most

    See Returning, 11

    Photos by CHRISTIAN STEPHENS | The Tartan

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    There are going to moment on the court when it is tough, but you have to go back to your foundation.
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    Our relationship is pretty strong. We can depend on each other. Unlike most teams if we needed eachother we could always count on our teammates to be there.
    - Ashley Buckhannon | Guard

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