Friday, November 2, 2018

2018-19 Alderson Broaddus Men's Basketball Season Preview



The 2018-19 basketball season for the Alderson Broaddus University men's basketball team is right around the corner. The team has a mixture of known strengths and question marks as the team embarks on a new season. The coaching staff brought in a talented class of recruits. But with that comes the question of how will they adapt their game to the style of play at the NCAA Division II level. The squad does return two players that should contend for first-team all-G-MAC honors. The schedule also presents a lot of challenges. ABU will play the defending NCAA Division II national champions during the first weekend of the season along with several challenging opponents in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

Returning to anchor the ABU lineup will be guard Mike Davis. The senior from Cleveland, OH averaged 21.8 points per game last season to go with 72 assists, 36 steals and 22 blocks on the season. For his efforts, Davis was named to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Second Team. Mike is a former 1st-team junior college All-American who can score in multiple ways on the court. We have linked below what would be a memorable highlight that Mike Davis had last season against Bowie State.

Mike Davis Throw Down

Another returning veteran to the Battler lineup is 6'4" junior forward Malik Bocook. The Zanesville,
OH native averaged 11.2 points per game and 10.2 rebound per game last season. For his efforts, Bocook was named to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Honorable Mention Team. He was also the G-MAC freshman player of the year for the 2016-17 season. Malik is a tough player to defend on the high screen-and-roll and also possesses an excellent mid-range jumper. Malik unfortunately injured his knee during the pre-season and is expected to miss the first month of games. His hopeful return in December will add another weapon to the ABU lineup.


The one possible downside to this year's lineup is that Bocook and Davis are the only returning players to this year's lineup. The team lost a couple of defections in the off-season. But that did not stop the coaching staff from going out and landing several talented and decorated freshmen. The squad also adds three talented transfers to the Battler lineup. The coaching staff will be counting on the newcomers to add a lot of production and playing time to this year's team. One player that was on campus last season and redshirted for his freshman year was 6'2" guard Tyler Golphin who played basketball at Cleveland Central Catholic HS. Golphin averaged 14 points per game his senior year including double figure outputs in his last 14 games. For his efforts, he was offered a scholarship by D-I Bethune Cookman but decided late to go to ABU and redshirt for his freshman year.

Brandon Simmons

The Battler basketball lineup received a very late transfer that is expected to start from day one.
Brandon Simmons transferred to the Philippi campus in August from Slippery Rock University. The 6'9" post player brings incredible length and height to the Battler rotation. Simmons averaged 10.2 points per game, 8 rebounds per game and tallied 84 blocks during his junior year at SRU. His production helped lead Slippery Rock to a 21-9 record last season. The Harlem, NY native gives ABU a shot-blocking presence that they haven't had since James Newberry was the starting center for the Battlers in the mid-1980s. Simmons had several production games for Slippery Rock last season including a 19-point / 12 rebound effort in the last game of the season against Gannon.

The ABU coaching staff also added a highly-decorated junior college player from Hesston
Community College in Hesston, Kansas. Coye Campbell is a 6'0" guard who comes to Philippi after averaging 16.5 points per game / 4.1 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game in a highly-touted junior college league. For his efforts, Campbell earned NJCCA Region Six - 2nd team honors after shooting 56% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. It is expected that Campbell will contend for a spot in the starting five.

The Battlers signed an athletically-gifted big man in the off-season. ABU was able to land the services of 6'6" junior college transfer Bryan Polanco who played his JUCO ball at Polk State CC. Polanco is a talented player with exceptional bounce to his game. He can drive the ball from the outside and finish high above the rim. We have linked Bryan's sophomore year highlight tape below. He will give depth to the Battler lineup in terms of versatility on the floor. Polanco is a native of the Dominican Republic.

Bryan Polanco Highlight Video


The Alderson Broaddus basketball team has added some great depth for this season with the incoming freshman class. If this class sticks together at ABU, then the future could have a lot more successful seasons down the line. Many of the new freshman will be asked to contribute right away.

Dalen Solomon is a 6'5" / 225 pound freshman who played his high school ball at John Hay HS in
Cleveland, OH. Solomon was a consistent player for Hay last season putting up some impressive numbers throughout his senior season. Some of his highlights include: 28 point and 9 rebounds against University, 27 points and 9 rebounds against Max Hayes HS, 19 points and 8 rebounds vs. Rhodes HS and 16 points and 10 rebounds against John Adams HS. Solomon is no stranger to the Alderson Broaddus University campus. Dalen took part in the ABU Elite Camps during the summers that were held at Rex Pyles Arena. With the early injury to Malik Bocook, it is an opportunity for a player like Solomon to get some early playing time as a freshman. He has tremendous upside to his game.


Another big freshman is 6'5" / 215 pound Aaron Loines from Glenville HS out of Cleveland, OH. Loines is another player that could see significant playing time due to defections and injuries. We did a feature on Loines signing with the Battlers. We featured Loines in a story earlier in the year. Please check out his information and videos and the link below:

Aaron Loines

A big signee is the off-season was the ability of the coaching staff to land local product David Shriver of Philip-Barbour HS. The 6'5" wing player comes to ABU with a reputation as a great shooter beyond the arc. Shriver was a WV Class AA 1st-team all-state selection his senior season. He was also selected to play in the West Virginia North/South All-Star game and the WV vs. Pennsylvania all-star game. David was named MVP of the WV squad in that latter all-star game mentioned where he poured in 25 points which included 5 three-pointers. Shriver also scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the WV North vs South all-star game.  He averaged 21.6 points per game his senior season for PBHS in leading them to a 22-4 record and a semi-final appearance in the state tournament. Shriver scored 19 points in the semi-final loss to Fairmont Sr as he went up against WVU signee Taevon Horton.

The Battlers were also able to land the services of 6'1" guard Cleveland Horton who played for Poly-
Tech HS in Baltimore, MD. Horton was known as a lock-down defender for Poly-Tech as he was responsible for shutting down many D-I signees during Poly-Tech's back-to-back 3A state title runs in Maryland. The quality characteristic that the ABU coaching staff likes with Horton is that he comes in with a winning attitude.

Other freshmen that could contribute for Alderson Broaddus this season are: Tyler James, a 6'6" player out of Warren, OH who averaged 13.6 ppg / 10.8 rpg ; Gavin Williams, a 6'4" player from Ridgeview Prep in South Carolina where he was rated as the 54th best player in South Carolina last season ; Cole Whited, a 6'4" native of Philippi, WV where he averaged 18.4 ppg his senior year including a 13 of 13 performance from the field in PBHS state quarterfinal win; KJ Walker, a 5'10" guard from Reynoldsburg, OH and Holton Summers, a 6'0" guard from University HS in Morgantown, WV.

The Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team will once again be led by veteran head coach Greg Zimmerman who is entering his 17th season as head coach of the Battlers. Zimmerman has compiled a record of 359-129 record for a winning percentage of 73.6%. The Battlers will open up the 2018-19 season at home against Grand Valley State on Saturday, November 10 at 3 PM. The following day ABU will take on the NCAA D-II defending national champion Ferris State at 1 PM. ABU men's basketball is aided on the bench by assistant coaches Duncan Williams and Josh Wamsley.












Thursday, August 30, 2018

Battler Basketball Adds Two Transfers from Slippery Rock

Brandon Simmons
Battler Beat has learned that the Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team has landed two quality transfers from Slippery Rock University. The two transfers are Brandon Simmons and Bruce Spruell. These two players helped lead Slippery Rock to a 21-9 record last season. Spruell and Simmons were SRU's second and third-leading scorers respectively. The two student-athletes arrived on campus at the start of class.

Brandon Simmons is a 6'9" post player from Harlem, NY. He averaged 10.2 points per game and 8
rebounds per game for SRU. Simmons compiled double-double outputs in 7 games last season. He also tallied 84 block shots during the course of the season. He played two seasons for Marshalltown JC and had originally committed to New Mexico State. Simmons has one season of eligibility left.

Bruce Spruell is a 6'4" guard out of Hanover, MD. He averaged 11.3 points per game and 4 assists per
contest. Spruell finished the season with 128 total assists compared to only 67 turnovers. He had 17 games where he scored in double-figures while still leading the team in assists. One of his most impressive games was a 17 point / 7 assist performance against Elite 8 qualifier Shippensburg. Spruell will redshirt this upcoming season.

Keep checking with Battler Beat with more information on recruits that have arrived on the campus of Alderson Broaddus.

Bruce Spruell

Battlers to host the Defending NCAA D2 National Champion

Earlier this year Battler Beat confirmed that the Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team would open the season by hosting the G-MAC / GLIAC crossover event. In that story, we stated that ABU's first opponent would be Grand Valley State. We have now found that the second opponent of the crossover event is the defending NCAA Division II national champion Ferris State Bulldogs out of Big Rapids, MI. Ferris State finished last season with a record of 38-1 on their road to the national title.

Alderson Broaddus will have their hands full when Ferris State arrives in Philippi. The Bulldogs
return several key players from last season national championship squad. Included in the list of returnees is Ferris State's leading scorer and rebounder Zach Hankins. The 6'10" center averaged 15 points per game while grabbing 10 rebounds per contest. He is considered to be a contender for the national player of the year award this upcoming season. The Bulldogs also return 6'5" forward Markese Mayfield who averaged 9 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Ferris State also returns 6'1" guard DeShaun Tower who averaged 8 points per game.

The contest with Ferris State is slated for Sunday, November 11th at 1 PM. The game will take place at Rex Pyles Arena on the campus of Alderson Broaddus University.

Zach Hankins

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Should the WVIAC be brought back as a NAIA Conference?



As I was sitting in my house and looking ahead to athletic events in the fall, I couldn't but notice that Alderson Broaddus plays a West Virginia Wesleyan athletic team one time this upcoming autumn season. But at the same time, the Battlers will take multiple trips this upcoming school year to Nashville, TN to play Trevecca Nazarene. I have trouble grasping the concept of traveling 525 miles one-way to play an athletic contest and bypass a school that is 20 miles down the road on U.S. Route 119. If this is what NCAA Division II has provided us, then I think I will pass. I also watch as Concord College will travel 5 hours one way to play Urbana University or 6 hours one way to play Notre Dame College. Along the path to playing these schools that lie on the outer edges of Ohio, CU passes the campuses of WV Tech and various other WV schools that lie much closer to the Athens, WV campus. Is this what small college athletics in West Virginia has become?

I don't understand why WV small colleges and universities are spending more and more money on travel and overnight stays. I feel it is unnecessary for many of these institutions and not a wise path to continue to follow. I am seeing less of these teams having greater success in the overall scope of their athletic departments. I personally feel that an exploratory committee from the West Virginia small institutions  needs to be formed to look at the direction of small college athletics in the state of West Virginia. I feel that resources and missed class time could be better managed at various schools compared to what they are now. The public schools of West Virginia are not brewing with extra funds. Private schools in WV have been feeling the consequences of a tough economy and a drain of middle class families constantly leaving the state. The question I have for readers would be: Is it time to reform the WVIAC with interested schools and go the route of a NAIA conference? It is not really a matter of re-living the 'glory years'. But it is a concept of using some common sense approach to athletics as it applies to funding and to missed time in the classroom. It also is a question of having a better path to success for the school and student-athletes.

I feel that the presidents and athletic directors of Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, Bluefield State, Salem International and WVU Tech should sit down and begin to have discussions of where their respective athletic programs are going. I think it would also be wise to contact the presidents and athletic directors of Rio Grande (OH) and Bluefield College (VA) to see if they would have any interest in joining a new league with the schools mentioned. These schools are literally on the borders of WV. I would then invite all West Virginia Mountain East Conference schools to see if any had any interest. I would not invite any schools that would be geographic outliers.  The question I have of any current Division II schools: are you satisfied with your current position in the world of Division II athletics or do you think your programs could have more success in a move to NAIA? I no longer think that there is a feeling of "we all stick together". When the WVIAC went away, many charter schools of that conference were left out of the MEC. We now see that Shepherd has bolted for the PSAC. I can't blame Shepherd for that. It is cutting down considerably on missed class time and on expensive overnight trips for their student-athletes. One only needs to look at a mileage chart to see that this is a wise move for the Rams. So, my question to many MEC schools: is it time to think you may start to have more success at the NAIA level?

I hypothetically could see the WVIAC including the following institutions: Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, Salem International, Bluefield State, Bluefield College (VA), Rio Grande (OH), WVU-Tech, Concord, West Virginia State, Glenville State and WV Wesleyan. All of this is of course HYPOTHETICAL. Some of those MEC schools may wish to stick it out in the D-II world. I certainly would not exclude University of Charleston, West Liberty, Wheeling Jesuit and Fairmont State. These schools have had some level of success in Division II and may wish to stick with it.  But there is a possibility of ending up with a nice 10 to 12 school conference. The travel would be minimized considerably. Missed class time would be cut down. I also believe you would see better success for a lot of the programs of these schools compared to what they are experiencing now. For instance, I believe the student-athletes at Salem and Bluefield State would enjoy competing for conference championships compared to staying at the Independent status that they find in the current Division II setup. I also realize that most of these schools are in their own conference currently as either a D2 member or a NAIA member. But by reforming the WVIAC as a NAIA conference, the amount of money spent on travel is cut down. More money could be invested in athletic scholarships or enhancement to facilities.

One argument that will be made against this is that the football schools will be left out in terms of scheduling. You have the possibility of forming a conference having only 4 to 6 schools that will field a football team. But in the NAIA world, there is a solution to filling out a full schedule. The Mid South Athletic Conference is currently a NAIA conference comprised of 8 schools. But the MSAC has a three-tiered football conference that is comprised of affiliate members to the conference for football. It allows for football playing schools to be in a geographic division for scheduling purposes. The WVIAC schools could end up filling out their schedule with nearby schools such as Pikeville (KY), Union (KY) and Kentucky Christian. Football is played on Saturdays and would only require five to six road trips each season. The link below shows how the football conference is set up:

Mid-South Athletic Conference Football Divisions

The conference would piece together nicely. Depending on which schools join, you have the possibility to have some nice geographic rivals and distances for schools. I have posted a mileage chart to show the time it would take for each school to travel to other conference members. Again this is a conference made up of hypothetical teams, but the mileage is factual. The longest trip for any school to another conference member is the Bluefield College (VA) to Salem International. These two schools would require 3 hours and 35 minutes to get to each other. But that is offset by the fact that Bluefield (VA) only has a 5 minute road trip to Bluefield State and a 31 minute trip to Concord. Salem counters the longest trip with five trips within the conference that are less than 1 hour and 30 minutes which is a far better situation for the Tigers than they find themselves currently in as a Division II independent. I could not find one school who would not cut down considerably on travel costs, travel time and missed class time compared to their current situation.


School
To ABU
To BC (VA)
To BSC
To Concord
To D&E
To GSC
To OVU
To RGU
To Salem
To WVSU
To WVWC
To WVUT
Alderson Broaddus
*
3 hr 30 min
3 hr 25 min
3 hr 15 min
40 min
1 hr 22 min
1 hr 57 min
3 hr 3 min
54 min
2 hr 23 min
21 min
2 hr 44 min
Bluefield VA
3 hr 30 min
*
5 min
31 min
3 hr 33 min
3 hr
3 hr 7 min
3 hr
3 hr 35 min
1 hr 58 min
3 hr 11 min
1 hr
Bluefield State
3 hr 25 min
5 min
*
29 min
3 hr 28 min
2 hr 54 min
3 hr 2 min
2 hr 55 min
3 hr 30 min
1 hr 53 min
3 hr 6 min
55 min
Concord
3 hr 15 min
31 min
29 min
*
3 hr 17 min
2 hr 42 min
2 hr 52 min
2 hr 43 min
3 hr 16 min
1 hr 44 min
2 hr 55 min
45 min
Davis & Elkins
40 min
3 hr 33 min
3 hr 28 min
3 hr 17 min
*
1 hr 24 min
2 hr 25 min
3 hr 22 min
1 hr 22 min
2 hr 22 min
37 min
2 hr 42 min
Glenville State
1 hr 22 min
3 hr
2 hr 55 min
2 hr 42 min
1 hr 24 min
*
1 hr 39 min
2 hr 38 min
1 hr 10 min
1 hr 47 min
1 hr
2 hr 8 min
Ohio Valley
1 hr 57 min
3 hr 7 min
3 hr 2 min
2 hr 52 min
2 hr 25 min
1 hr 39 min
*
1 hr 23 min
1 hr 10 min
1 hr 27 min
2 hr 3 min
2 hr 25 min
Rio Grande
3 hr 3 min
3 hr
2 hr 55 min
2 hr 43 min
3 hr 22 min
2 hr 38 min
1 hr 23 min
*
2 hr 20 min
1 hr 2 min
3 hr
2 hr 19 min
Salem
54 min
3 hr 35 min
3 hr 30 min
3 hr 16 min
1 hr 22 min
1 hr 10 min
1 hr 10 min
2 hr 20 min
*
2 hr 18 min
1 hr
2 hr 45 min
WV State
2 hr 23 min
1 hr 58 min
1 hr 53 min
1 hr 44 min
2 hr 22 min
1 hr 47 min
1 hr 27 min
1 hr 2 min
2 hr 18 min
*
2 hr
1 hr 19 min
WV Wesleyan
21 min
3 hr 11 min
3 hr 6 min
2 hr 55 min
37 min
1 hr
2 hr 3 min
3 hr
1 hr
2 hr
*
2 hr 21 min
WVU Tech
2 hr 44 min
1 hr
55 min
45 min
2 hr 42 min
2 hr 8 min
2 hr 25 min
2 hr 19 min
2 hr 45 min
1 hr 19 min
2 hr 21 min
*

I personally believe this conference has the ability to become a strong conference in the NAIA ranks.There is a ton of history and tradition with a lot of the schools listed. Each had significant contributions in the old WVIAC. For example: WV Wesleyan had great success as a member of the NAIA in both men's basketball and men's soccer in the 1980s and 1990s. The Bobcats represented the WVIAC in 1983 in Kansas City and made it all the way to the NAIA national championship game where they lost by four points to the College of Charleston. Wesleyan returned to Kansas City as the #1 seed in the 32-team field and made it to the Elite Eight. In 1985, they returned as the WVIAC representative and made it again to the Elite Eight before being eliminated by Central Washington by one point. WV Wesleyan also won five NAIA men's soccer national championships in the years 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1994. Have the NCAA D2 accomplishments for the Bobcats been as glamorous as those championship days?

That is just one example of success that a former WVIAC school had in the NAIA. The accomplishments by each school are too many to print. But success was certainly found. Davis & Elkins won a men's soccer national championship and also had one runner-up. WV State made it to the 1987 NAIA men's national championship game. Alderson-Broaddus was the 1988 NAIA men's soccer runner up. Glenville State was the 1993 NAIA runner up in football. Salem was the 1975 NAIA runner up in football. I feel that many more accomplishments could occur for many of these schools if this conference is aligned properly where time, money and resources are spent less on travel and overnight costs.

I believe many of the tournaments should be hosted at sites that rotate throughout the state. We have all heard of Americanah. I believe, for instance, that the basketball tournament site should represent a little West Virginiacanah. I think the days of having the event at a 12,000 seat-arena are pretty much over. The Charleston Civic Center costs a conference a lot to rent for a week. It then requires tickets to be sold at a much higher cost than what a lot of West Virginia families can afford. What happens then is that the total number of tickets sold is slim, ticket revenue is down, the atmosphere at the arena is like an Ivy League library on a Saturday afternoon, and the conference ends up losing money. I propose having the tournament at a 'neutral venue' I personally feel it should be in a WV basketball arena that has a capacity of roughly 2500 to 4000 seats. By renting a venue of this kind, tickets can be sold at a cheaper rate. Parking would be free at these venues. And the chance of getting more fans to turn out would be better. Plus having it in an arena where the arena is close to capacity lends to a better overall game atmosphere than a crowd of 1500 in a 12,000 seat arena.

Inside the Brush Fork Armory
I would propose that the basketball tournament should also rotate to different regions of West
Virginia. The tournament will need to be in a city that has the capacity to house teams and fans. It gives the different areas of West Virginia a way to earn some income for their local businesses, establishments and hotels. I think it would be wise to rotate the tournament to sites which are close to several of the conference schools. One site that would be good for a WVIAC tournament is the Brush Fork Armory in Bluefield. In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated gyms in the state of West Virginia. Bluefield is a city that has the ability to host several teams and fans. The Brush Fork Armory is a great venue that has a capacity of 3500. It is a neutral arena where none of the conference teams play. But it would help attract a crowd by the fact that it is close to Bluefield College, Bluefield State, Concord and WVU Tech.

Inside the Nathan Goff Armory
I would then rotate the tournament to a different area of the state. Another area that could host a tournament is the Clarksburg/Bridgeport area. I have never been to a basketball game in the Nathan Goff Armory, but it certainly looks like it has a nice feel to host an event. It has a seating capacity of 4000. The Bridgeport area has exploded with restaurants and hotels right off of I-79. No school plays a game there. But it is very close to the north-central schools that I have listed. With that many schools nearby, their is a great chance that the turnout would be very good. The Nathan Goff Armory gymnasium floor could use some updates, but the fact that bringing in 10 schools to the area for three to four days would probably cause the area to find funds to make the proper renovations.

One more area that could be considered is South Charleston, WV. This is certainly one of the better
SC Community Center
sports towns in West Virginia as it hosts several tournaments at its' recreational facilities and parks throughout the year. The tournament could be held at the South Charleston Community Center. It is a good venue to watch a basketball game. The capacity is a bit smaller at around 2300. There are hotels and restaurants nearby in the downtown area as well along Corridor G. It does not cost nearly as much to rent as the Civic Center. It is close to West Virginia State and would also attract many of the WV Tech alumni in the Kanawha Valley. It is centrally located for all schools in the hypothetical conference.

Many of these facilities may need upgrades to floors, locker rooms and wifi. I believe local communities and chamber of commerce would be in favor of this with the fact that it could cause a local boom in the economy during one week of the year. The option of occasionally playing at the Charleston Civic Center still exists. It is the best option in terms of location and ability to host teams near the arena. But as mentioned earlier, it costs quite a bit of money to rent. The wifi has been poor there over the years. It hasn't drawn well there for decades. Tickets are expensive at this venue for a small college event. And to be blunt, the city of Charleston has no trouble taking in the revenue but never seems to promote the event.

All of the ideas and schools represented here are a hypothetical scenario. It is a direction that I would like schools to consider. I am not shutting out any of the WV Division II schools in this. I just listed possible schools that I thought would make logical sense for such a move. It would be great to include any of the current West Virginia MEC schools not listed. I just know that some of those schools not listed have had good success at the D-II level and may wish to remain there. I just believe that there are many WV schools that need to come together and realize that there might be a better way for athletics to go. I believe the travel costs for many schools in the G-MAC, MEC and River State Conference is much more than what it needs to be. Even if the conference only started out with WV Tech, Rio Grande, Bluefield, Bluefield State, Salem International, Ohio Valley, Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus, it could be a decent start. Spending more of an athletic budget on travel and overnight stays is a huge drain.

In closing, some will say that the NCAA Division II route carries more prestige and notoriety than the NAIA route. I disagree on many levels. I feel it is better for an athletic program to have better success at the NAIA level than to be lost in the world of mediocrity at the D-II level. I believe that schools like Bluefield State and Salem are much better off in the recruiting area of athletics when they are able to tell their recruits that they will have a chance to compete for conference championships and national tournament bids rather than compete at the D-II independent level. I also believe it is better for the public and private institutions to spend more money on student-athlete scholarships than on ridiculous travel budgets which are requiring more and more overnight stays. This scenario gives the West Virginia high school athlete a better chance to earn an athletic scholarship if more schools are investing money on scholarships rather than hotel stays. I strongly feel it will produce quality results for all schools that might choose to go this type of path.


ABU Signs One of the Top JUCO Rebounders Vincent Smalls

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