No Shame in his Game

[aggiejazz]

HU men's coach won't back down from goals
One season in, Kevin Nickelberry still is convinced Hampton University is headed for mid-major greatness.

BY MARTY O'BRIEN
247-4963

March 21 2007

HAMPTON -- Nine days shy of one year ago, Kevin Nickelberry was introduced as Hampton University's men's basketball coach. He says he still catches flak around the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for saying that his goal is to get the Pirates into the Top 25 and turn them into a mid-major power.

Nickelberry remains unrepentant. Not only is he more convinced than ever that the Pirates can achieve those goals, he believes they took the first step toward mid-major prominence during the 2006-07 season.

"People tell me that I shouldn't have said that, that you can't recruit those kinds of players to the MEAC and that those standards are too high," Nickelberry said. "But I put a note on my kids lockers last week that Butler and Old Dominion and VCU and Winthrop are the standard we want to reach.

"Don't tell me it can't be done at Hampton because the 2001 and 2002 teams showed it's possible."

The former HU team upset No. 2 seed Iowa State in the NCAA tournament, before the latter almost pulled a similar stunner against No. 2 Connecticut a year later. So the talk that Hampton - 15-16 overall and 10-8 MEAC in 2006-07 - will be the conference preseason favorite next season doesn't excite Nickelberry.

He prefers to discuss Old Dominion's at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

"ODU didn't even win its conference, but its body of work earned them enough respect to get the at-large bid," Nickelberry said. "I'm proud of what Blaine Taylor did over there. We would really like to start playing them again.

"We want to be part of that conversation, one of the 65 teams in the tournament regardless of what happens in our conference. We hope that the MEAC is the right fit to accomplish that, but you've got to win non-conference games."

Nickelberry isn't talking about the Pirates jumping ship to another conference. But he'd like to see the MEAC reduce the current 18-game conference schedule to allow for more non-conference games that would give schools the opportunity to better their RPIs.

The Pirates improved their non-conference profile some this past season, beating New Orleans and St. Bonaventure in winning four times out of the MEAC.

The previous three HU teams won only five non-conference games. George Mason, Holy Cross, VCU, William and Mary and St. Bonaventure provide opportunities next season for mid-major non-conference success.

Hampton will be the MEAC favorite because it returns its top eight in minutes played. The Pirates started four freshmen and junior Rashad West this season. They add at least four players (two injured redshirts and two freshmen) expected to play significantly.

West, a shooting guard, won the MEAC scoring title with a 17.6-point average. Small forward Mike Freeman (14.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) led the nation with a 67.8 field goal percentage. Power forward Matt Pilgrim (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) possesses more raw talent than either.

"We'll have a lot more depth, so we can play a lot more in-your-face basketball," Nickelberry said. "We have three potential MEAC players of the year in Rashad and Mike and Matt.

"Mike was the MEAC Rookie of the Year this year, and I think Chris Tolson (a point guard from Laurel High in Maryland) will be a front-runner for the award next season."

Theo Smalling, the Pirates' 6-foot-7 center, returns. But with two 6-10 freshmen on the way - recruit Milade Lola-Charles and redshirt Seyi Oseni (knee injury) - he'll have to fight to keep his job. Likewise, Tolson will push returning point guard Vinny Simpson for playing time.

All of the youthful talent is why Nickelberry thinks Hampton will be spoken of in the same breath with the VCUs and ODUs two or three seasons from now. So, while he understands that winning the MEAC soon is an important part of the process, Nickelberry won't stop talking about turning the Pirates into a mid-major power.

"The naysayers want me to shut up about that, but I'm not going to," he said. "I'll continue to be outspoken. You have to set the bar where guys can see it.

"That goal is why Mike and Matt and Chris Tolson came here. Guys like them are our future." –
Copyright © 2007, Daily Press

[truthseeker]

i like what nickelberry is saying.... if you're not trying to make the meac a top notch league why are you even at D-1!!!

[Maxell]

Amen! Whoever the handkerchief heads are that down his goals should be called out. They are the reason many folk have a defeatest mentality now.

[truthseeker]

news flash... dennis thomas should be having a meeting about this with every pres... ad... and coach... asap!!! because one reason this hasn't happened is because of the naysayers!!! it should be every schools goal to be in the top 40!!!

[aggiejazz]

OJ Mayo is going to USC but if that fails there may be a chance he would go to a HBCU but that probability is looking very low.

Top junior considering Florida A&M
August 3, 2005
By Heath A. Smith
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Monday was the first day college basketball coaches could contact the upcoming class of junior prospects. A good number of them probably had O.J. Mayo on speed dial.

Mayo, a 6-foot-5 guard out of North College Hill High School in Cincinnati got more than 40 calls from colleges coaches Monday.

That's not surprising for a player considered by many recruiting analysts to be the No.1 junior prospect in the country and he's put up the numbers to back up that claim.

Born in Huntington, W.Va., Mayo went to grade school across state lines at Rose Hill Academy in Kentucky. Mayo made the varsity team as a seventh grader, averaging 23 points a game, the following year he averaged 20 points a game earning first team all-state honors.

Mayo moved to Cincinnati, the following year and enrolled at North College Hill, where he averaged close to 30 points as a freshman.

What may be surprising, however, is that one of the phone calls he got was from Florida A&M assistant men's basketball coach Mike Gillespie Jr.

Mayo raised eyebrows this summer when he announced that he was giving serious consideration to FAMU, making the historically black school one of his top choices along with such national powers like Cincinnati, Connecticut, Syracuse, Louisville and Texas.

He not only is thinking about coming to FAMU but also wants to bring along his AAU and high school teammate Billy Walker, a 6-6 forward, who is also considered one of the top junior prospects in the country, and other teammates with him as well.

"Me and my friends are looking for a place where the foundation has been partially set," Mayo said on Monday. "We're looking to put a program over the hump."

Why are they considering FAMU?

One factor could be the NBA's recent decision to raise its minimum playing age to 19. Since Mayo won't have the NBA as an option coming out of high school, he and other players of his talent may decide to go to college for a year and then enter the draft.

Stephon Marbury, who went to Georgia Tech, Carmelo Anthony, who led Syracuse to a national championship, and Marvin Williams, who helped North Carolina win a national championship in April, all stayed in school just one season before entering the NBA Draft.

Mayo said he always intended to go to college and that he wants to go to a place where he and his friends could make a real difference to a program.

"That's something that they are looking to do," said Earl Graham, head coach of the Winning Ways AAU basketball team out of Orlando. "They want to make an impact on the place. They could easily go to a North Carolina or some place like that. They are the real deal. I've seen a lot of kids. I've seen Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, Chris Webber ... O.J. is that caliber of player."

There seems to be little question that Mayo could make a difference at any program, especially if he comes with Walker or other top recruits.

Dave Telep, National Director of Recruiting for Scout.com, said Mayo would have an impact on not just FAMU but also the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

"No low- to mid-major school has ever recruited a talent out of high school as good as O.J. Mayo in the past 10 years," Telep said Tuesday. "O.J. does know about FAMU. I think he is interested in the opportunity to take some of his guys with him and do something that hasn't been done. He'd never do this by himself.

"The league as a whole would benefit from his presence. Their gyms would immediately fill up. It would be tough to get a ticket."

Telep cautioned that FAMU fans shouldn't get too excited just yet.

"Right now I don't know if there is anything to get caught up in," Telep said. "When he commits to an official visit date or makes a visit to the campus, then you can start to take it more seriously. O.J. Mayo has to convince FAMU that he is serious."

The earliest FAMU could bring in Mayo or any junior for a visit would be the 2006 spring semester, but FAMU men's basketball coach Mike Gillespie Sr. and Gillespie Jr. have made the rounds this summer to AAU tournaments and camps.

Mayo said he's seen them at some of the tournaments.

"We've been all over the country," said Gillespie Sr. "Las Vegas, Orlando, Tulsa, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, we've been everywhere. Obviously when we had our Florida A&M shirts on people looked at us differently, particularly the other schools."

Mayo said he was impressed with how Gillespie Sr. led the Rattlers to the NCAA tournament two years ago and thinks he could lead a team even further in the tournament with more weapons.

"Mike Krzyzewski is a good coach at Duke, but how good would he be at a school like FAMU without top players?" Mayo said. "If a coach can do good without great players, what could he do with players that could go to any school?

"Coach Gillespie is a born winner. He just needs the opportunity to get the right players. He could show the world that, no mater how small the school, if you want to win you can beat anybody."

Whether or not Mayo and his friends decide to come to FAMU, the Rattlers appear to be in the running. For FAMU alum Eugene Ravene that's good enough.

"I'll be honest, I'd love to see it happen, but I'd be surprised," said Ravene, who is also coach of the Tampa Fastbreak AAU basketball team. "He is such a big name that every major school will be coming after him. If Gillespie pulls it off, it would be one of the biggest coups ever."

Noteworthy

FAMU has signed shooting guard Joe Ballard out of Westinghouse House School in Chicago, Ill. Ballard, who averaged 17 points a game as a senior, replaces the loss of junior college guard Brent Crews, who was released from his scholarship this summer and recently signed with Florida Atlantic.

In addition to Crews, FAMU also signed guard Lamar Twitty out of Fort Lauderdale's Boyd Anderson High School and guard Brian Greene out of Sante Fe Community College.
Contact Heath A. Smith at [phone] or [e-mail].

[dj98]

We need to call this kid too!!!! Send him a tape of the dogg pound!!!! He might fall in love with it!!!

[SHB2K]

dj98 said:

We need to call this kid too!!!! Send him a tape of the dogg pound!!!! He might fall in love with it!!!

LOL... that article was in August of 2005. Since then OJ Mayo decided to go to USC. The funny thing is, USC did not even recruit the kid. He called up Tim Floyd, told him he was coming to LA to be a superstar, and wouldn't even give the coach his cell phone number so he could return the call. He also told Floyd not to worry about any further recruiting, and got two or three of his buddies to commit.

This is why the NBA's age requirement rule is ridiculous... A kid can pick any school, not go to class, be a celeb on campus, chase a final four appearance, and then go to the league and get paid. The good things for us though, is that if there to be a top 5 prospect in NC, we may have a chance to take a stab at him because Coach K and Roy prefer not to recruit the one-year players.

Sorry to get the thread off subject though

[aggiejazz]

April 11, 2007, 1:14 PM EDT
HAMPTON -- Hampton University added another piece this week to a second consecutive strong men's basketball recruiting class when power forward Donte Harrison committed to play for the Pirates. Harrison, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, averaged 11.6 points and 11.3 rebounds this season for Sullivan Community College in upstate New York.

Sullivan finished 32-0 this season, defeating Northland (Minn.) Community College 74-68 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III championship game. Harrison scored a game-high 20 points in the title game, making 9-of-10 shots from the field.

He described himself as thin at 205 pounds, but said one reason he picked Hampton was because he believes the school's weight program will make him stronger. The other reason is the Pirates' up-tempo style.

"I like to run the open floor on the fast break, so when Coach (Kevin) Nickelberry told me about Hampton's `Frantic 40', I wanted to be part of it," Harrison said. "I'm more of a shot-blocker and defender than a scorer.

"On offense I like to let the game come to me."

Basketball has come to Harrison only recently. Harrison, a Brooklyn native, said he did not play organized basketball before the 2005-06 season, when he was a reserve for Sullivan.

"I've had to spend a lot of time in the gym to get the hang of the game, more time than any of my teammates," he said. "The hardest part was learning to run plays and box out.

"Coach Nickelberry has a passion for winning and developing players. He convinced me that I can contribute to the program quickly."

Sullivan is Hampton's fourth commitment this season. He said he received interest from Atlantic 10 and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools.

Point guard Chris Tolson and center Milade Lola-Charles of Laurel High in Maryland signed with the Pirates during the fall. Shooting guard Kwame Morgan of Largo High in Maryland committed to Hampton in March.

Morgan is believed to be the only Washington Post All-Met first-team selection to commit to Hampton. Tolson made the Post's All-Met third team.

The HoopScoop Online recruiting service ranked Nickelberry's first recruiting class at Hampton in the top 55 nationally last season. The class produced MEAC Rookie of the Year Mike Freeman and Matt Pilgrim, a MEAC All-Rookie selection.

[truthseeker]

what nickelberry is doing is great... not just for hampton but the meac as well... it will only make the tournament stronger & raise the level of play....

[aggiejazz]

I think Nickleberry stole one from Coach Jackson of Del State (article below). Nickleberry managed to free up five scholarships to get what he needed. Nickleberry has a lot of support from HU President Harvey. It is a lot more than Eaves is getting but it is no more than Del State. I think Del State has put more money into their BB program and yet Del State is falling behind. In my opinion Hampton is at the start of slowly becoming the vanguard for small Division I basketball programs like HBCUs and schools like a High Point or Longwood.

HU adds a 2nd point guard
Brandon Tunnell is an all-state player from Delaware.
By MARTY O'BRIEN
Daily Press
April 13, 2007, 9:01 PM EDT
HAMPTON -- Hampton University went through the 2006-07 basketball season without a true point guard. The Pirates will have two next season after rounding out their five-man recruiting class Friday by signing Brandon Tunnell of Concord High in Wilmington, Del.

Tunnell, a 6-foot-1 senior, earned second team all-state honors in Delaware. He averaged 22.2 points per game this past season, shooting 79 percent (158-of-200) from the free throw line. The Pirates also signed point guard Chris Tolson of Laurel High in Maryland. Tolson was selected to the Washington Post All-Met third team.

"By signing two point guards and two 6-9 players (Donte Harrison and Milade Lola-Charles), we addressed our weaknesses from this past season," Pirates' coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "Defense, rebounding and turnovers kept us from competing for the (MEAC) championship.

"Chris and Brandon will play right away at point guard. We felt we needed two solid point guards to win a championship. They give us better free throw shooting down the stretch."

The recruiting class also includes Kwame Morgan, a shooting guard from Largo High in Maryland who was selected to the Washington Post All-Met first team. Nickelberry said he believes the class will rank among the top 60 nationally. His six-man recruiting class last year was ranked in the top 55 by the HoopScoop Online recruiting service.

"We added a lot of athleticism with this class," he said. "Last year was a foundation class. It gave us four starters, including the MEAC Rookie of the Year (Mike Freeman) and an All-MEAC Rookie selection (Matt Pilgrim).

"I call this class a 'Championship Class,' because it will give us the depth and athleticism to win a championship. We filled in a lot of holes."

[truthseeker]

let's be honest... nickelberry is getting support at hampton... eaves gets none here.... our coaches do a good job with no help!!!! why our AD has not done anything for mens bball is a mystery to me.... does she attend the games in corbett???

[krazykev]

Truthseeker

I guess D. Todd is not on your Christmas List?

She does attend all the basketball games and most sporting events.

If you have such a big problem with her why don't you talk to her one on one. She is very intelligent and knows more than Charlie Davis for that matter. We have to give her a chance and support the programs because she is here now. We all need to help in some kind of way to fix the Athletic Department

[disgruntledaggie]

krazykev said:

Truthseeker

I guess D. Todd is not on your Christmas List?

She does attend all the basketball games and most sporting events.

If you have such a big problem with her why don't you talk to her one on one. She is very intelligent and knows more than Charlie Davis for that matter. We have to give her a chance and support the programs because she is here now. We all need to help in some kind of way to fix the Athletic Department

I can't keep quiet any longer!!!! You just decscribed Dee todd as intelligent. You suggested that truthseeker have a conversation with her...have you ever? And if so, how in the world could you call her intelligent?

Well connected, maybe. But even those connections wouldn't use the word intelligent to describe her. I urge you..ask anyone that has to deal with her on campus, in the MEAC, hell...even at the ACC if they consider her intelligent...

I understand we need to support her. But the only reason we have to do this is b/c there is no money to buy out her contract. It would be much easier if she were open to suggestion from alumni or her staff. Instead she makes half-cocked decisions, and a lot of adversaries in the process...

Yes, we all need to 'help in fixing' the athletic department, but how is that possible if the person that 'controls' the department doesn't welcome the help?

[Maxell]

disgruntledaggie said:

krazykev said:

Truthseeker

I guess D. Todd is not on your Christmas List?

She does attend all the basketball games and most sporting events.

If you have such a big problem with her why don't you talk to her one on one. She is very intelligent and knows more than Charlie Davis for that matter. We have to give her a chance and support the programs because she is here now. We all need to help in some kind of way to fix the Athletic Department

I can't keep quiet any longer!!!! You just decscribed Dee todd as intelligent. You suggested that truthseeker have a conversation with her...have you ever? And if so, how in the world could you call her intelligent?

Well connected, maybe. But even those connections wouldn't use the word intelligent to describe her. I urge you..ask anyone that has to deal with her on campus, in the MEAC, hell...even at the ACC if they consider her intelligent...

I understand we need to support her. But the only reason we have to do this is b/c there is no money to buy out her contract. It would be much easier if she were open to suggestion from alumni or her staff. Instead she makes half-cocked decisions, and a lot of adversaries in the process...

Yes, we all need to 'help in fixing' the athletic department, but how is that possible if the person that 'controls' the department doesn't welcome the help?

We'll keep working on her until it's fixed or until you are convinced that it's time to change your screen name. Welcome to the board.

[Aggie77]

disgruntledaggie said:

krazykev said:

Truthseeker

I guess D. Todd is not on your Christmas List?

She does attend all the basketball games and most sporting events.

If you have such a big problem with her why don't you talk to her one on one. She is very intelligent and knows more than Charlie Davis for that matter. We have to give her a chance and support the programs because she is here now. We all need to help in some kind of way to fix the Athletic Department

I can't keep quiet any longer!!!! You just decscribed Dee todd as intelligent. You suggested that truthseeker have a conversation with her...have you ever? And if so, how in the world could you call her intelligent?

Well connected, maybe. But even those connections wouldn't use the word intelligent to describe her. I urge you..ask anyone that has to deal with her on campus, in the MEAC, hell...even at the ACC if they consider her intelligent...

I understand we need to support her. But the only reason we have to do this is b/c there is no money to buy out her contract. It would be much easier if she were open to suggestion from alumni or her staff. Instead she makes half-cocked decisions, and a lot of adversaries in the process...

Yes, we all need to 'help in fixing' the athletic department, but how is that possible if the person that 'controls' the department doesn't welcome the help?

Wow! whata first post. Most people just say hello. Welcome to the board. Now tell us how you really feel, this time don't hold back.