Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Among the Floridians roaming around Boone this week is Scott Satterfield, ASU’s former quarterback and quarterbacks coach who is now offensive coordinator at Florida International.
Satterfield, who is married to the former Beth Burleson, who was a member of ASU’s track and field team in the mid ‘90s, and they have a daughter and two sons.
He brought the family back to Boone, where he spent every year since 1991 before moving on to Toledo as the passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach last season, for vacation. He also spent much of Tuesday at ASU talking football with the Mountaineers’ coaches.
“It’s like family here,” Satterfield said. “It’s a good chance to compare notes and share a few ideas. We’re all doing about the same thing offensively, but you are always looking for ways to tweak here and there.”
FIU was 3-9 overall and 3-5 in the Sun Belt Conference last season.
Satterfield said that he likes the free reign Coach Mario Cristobal has given him as offensive coordinator.
“He’s given me full confidence to run the offense, letting me call it the way I want to call it,” Satterfield said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Geoff Collins, who was at Western Carolina, is the new defensive coordinator so we’ve got two Southern Conference boys running the offense and defense down there.
“The program is only eight years old, so that part’s kind of tough, but we’re pretty good at skill positions. I think where we have to upgrade a bit is on the offensive and defensive lines.
“The immediate problem was have is that we’ve got Rutgers, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh and Maryland in our first four weeks. We’ve never beaten a BCS school, so it would be nice to get one of those.”
Friday, June 04, 2010
Appalachian State came up a bit short in its try for its first 40-win season and NCAA Tournament trip since 1986, but signs of a flourishing program will live on this summer.
The Mountaineers had seven players chosen in Major League Baseball’s draft over the last two seasons, a school record for the most drafted over a two-year period. That total will likely expand in next week’s 2010 draft.
Relief pitcher Chris Patterson and infielder Wes Hobson are the top candidates in the draft, but pitcher Matt Andress, catcher Jerod Faggart and first baseman David Towarnicky are also considered draft prospects.
Six ASU players are currently playing professional baseball: closer Josh Dowdy (Delmarva, low-A South Atlantic League; catcher Andrew Franco (Traverse City, independent Frontier League); reliever Zach Quate (Charlotte, high-A Florida State League); right fielder David Rubinstein (West Virginia, South Atlantic League); reliever Garrett Sherrill (Lake County, independent Northern League) and outfielder Rand Smith (Greensboro, South Atlantic League).
The Mountaineers finished the season 38-18-1 – one win away from the final in a closely-contested Southern Conference Tournament, but a bit too low in RPI and on sound non-conference wins for NCAA Tournament inclusion.
The SoCon did get three teams in the NCAA field for the first time.
All three teams begin play today: The Citadel against Virginia Tech at 2 p.m.; Elon vs. Alabama at 3; and College of Charleston vs. N.C. State at 7.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
At the end of April, Appalachian State’s postseason prospects looked promising.
Although its non-conference schedule wasn’t particularly impressive, a 31-8-1 record and No. 38 standing in RPI was good enough to begin speculation about NCAA Tournament possibilities.
Then exams hit. And Elon hit. And College of Charleston really hit, to the tune of 37 runs in what turned out to be a second consecutive loss of a three-game series in the tough Southern Conference.
Fact is, the Mountaineers didn’t hit.
“When we finished the month of April we had probably the most confident club I had ever been around,” Coach Chris Pollard of the Mountaineers recalled. “We were just rolling.
“Then all of the sudden we came out of exam break and just weren’t swinging the bats as well. Some guys had some bad at-bats and then started to press. We got ourselves into as bad of a hitting slump as any team I’ve ever coached.”
The slump lasted through six innings of last Friday’s opening game against Wofford. The Mountaineers, who had lost eight of nine games, snapped out with a come-from-behind victory and followed up with 13-4 and 10-3 winis on Saturday to close the regular season 35-16-1.
“We had really lost confidence coming into the Wofford series,” Pollard said. “It’s amazing what three ballgames can do for you, because we were as low as low could get. Now, all of the sudden, we’ve got some air back in our sails.”
So, the Mountaineers will look to reverse their fortunes against red-hot College of Charleston on Wednesday morning in the opening game of the Southern Conference Tournament in Charleston, S.C.
Tyler Jackson, a left-handed freshman, will start for the Mountaineers.
He struggled a bit against the Cougars 11 days ago – allowing three hits, four walks and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. But he said it was a learning experience.
“I know they are a fastball aggressive team,” Jackson said. “I know I’m going to have to mix up a lot more offspeed with them and not leave any fastballs down the middle and up. They’ll rip it if I do.”
Pollard said that the key to a successful run in the double-elimination tournament will indeed be pitching.
“You’ve got to get quality starts,” Pollard said. “If you have to get into your bullpen early in the tournament, then you’re stretched pretty thin and it becomes an uphill battle. But if you get two or three good starts, that gives you a chance.
“We’ve had some inconsistency out of that third and fourth spot, so what we need are for some guys to step up and pitch big, above where they’ve been at times this year. We do have arguably the best bullpen in the league, so that will be an asset.”
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Jason Capel probably feels a bit older this week.
When the 30-year-old Capel was named Appalachian State’s basketball coach on April 21, he was the youngest head coach in Division I basketball.
His reign as youngest lasted less than three weeks.
Andy Toole, age 29, was named head coach at Robert Morris yesterday.
By Tommy Bowman at 02:35 PM
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Appalachian State women’s golfer Yue Xu won’t get a chance on a national stage this year, but she gained the notice of Southern Conference golfers last week.
Yue Xu (pronounced to sound like Joy Sue) was the medalist in the SoCon Championship with a three-round total of 217 at Moss Creek Country Club in Hilton Head, S.C. She led from the start.
Xu, a 20-year-old freshman from Beijing, China, is the first golfer from ASU to win the tournament. In fact, no ASU women’s golfer had ever finished higher than sixth place.
“I didn’t go there thinking about being the winner but the first day I shot a 69 and had a four-shot lead,” Xu said. “So then I thought I had a big chance to win.
“I kept calm the second and third day and, as my coach said, played my own game.”
Xu is one of China’s top young amateur golfers.
Heather Brown, ASU’s women’s golf coach, said that last week’s victory wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has seen her play. For those that hadn’t, Brown said, “She certainly got everyone’s attention.”
Xu’s small frame doesn’t lend itself to a long-distance power game, but Brown said that her short game is impressive. Xu said that putting was the key last week.
“And my distance has gotten better since I’ve been here, our school has a very good athletic facility and we go to the gym at least twice a week, and we have an indoor practice facility,” Xu said. “That helped.”
“She’s been on the tournament stage before, she doesn’t get rattled,” Brown said. “She plays within herself.”
Bill Dicus, ASU’s men’s golf coach, found out about Xu a few years ago through a contact from North Carolina who had started a golf school in Asia. Xu, interested in a college education, said that she had visited the United States three times before arriving at ASU, and had trained in Florida for two months in 2005.
“It was hard the first few weeks (being so far from home) but I got used to it,” Xu said. “The people here have been really nice to me. They’re friendly and that makes me feel better.”
Xu, who wasn’t eligible to play until the start of the Spring semester, didn’t play in enough matches this season to be able to qualify for one of few at-large individual berths in NCAA regional competition which begins May 6.
“But I’ll try next year,” she said.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Donald Sims remembers Jason Capel coming up to him after Appalachian State’s stunning double-figure loss to Division II King College last season.
Sims, who had established himself as the Southern Conference’s premier scorer just three weeks before with a 44-point performance in a win at Davidson, didn’t know what to make of the way things were going for him or his team.
“Coach Capel came up to me personally and said, ‘I see the look on your face and I never want to see it again,’” Sims said. “He sat me down and popped in a DVD of the Davidson game. He said, ‘That’s the Sims that I know and that I want to see.’
“We went down to Western, got a big win and went on after that to a good season.”
Suffice it to say, Sims is fine with Capel, an assistant last season, now being his head coach.
“He’s a player’s coach,” Sims said. “You can go to him about anything. He won’t sugar coat anything, he’s going to tell you like it is, but he’ll find the best way to help you out.”
Capel was named Appalachian State’s coach today, replacing Buzz Peterson, who moved on to UNC Wilmington, and other players seemed pleased with the choice.
“I’m good with it,” Ike Butt said. “He teaches a lot. He’s a post coach, he worked a lot with us this year and I’m excited about this.”
So are Anthony Breeze and Omar Carter, two transfers brought in by Peterson who had to sit out last season.
“I’m great with the decision,” Breeze said. “Coach Capel worked a lot with me this past season. I have a great bond with him and, to be honest, I kind of look at him as a father figure. So I’m extremely happy.”
Carter: “I’m very comfortable with this. We have a great relationship. I can’t wait to play for him.”
Capel said that he has spent the last few days talking to his team and sympathizing with them. Many of them will play for a third different coach in a three-year span.
“Those guys have been through a lot,” Capel said. “My heart goes out to the whole team but those two guys (Breeze and Carter) especially…. I think a lot of those two, and those two young men have believed in what we were doing since the moment they set foot on this campus. I’m proud to be their leader. They trust me. And we’re going to continue that trust and build, as I tell them, we’re going to continue to take steps – in the right direction. That’s basketball, in the classroom and in life. That’s everybody on the team.”
MORE FROM CAPEL
“Those young men this year grew so much as individuals,” Capel said. “They believed in us as a staff. They believed in me…. I’m so proud to be the leader of those men. We’re going to work hard, and we’re going to do it together…. I’m very humbled and very excited about this opportunity.
“We’re going to work hard and we’re going to be one of the toughest teams that you will see next season, I can guarantee you that. These young men know the kind of coach I am, they know what I expect from them and it’s something that will be expected every day and that’s in the classroom, in the dorms and on the basketball court. We’re going to work hard and we’re going to have a lot of fun in the process of doing that. I believe in them, and more importantly they believe in me.
“I’m ready to work. I’m ready to instill in these young men values, character and integrity, much more that will expand further than the basketball court. To me, it’s much more than wins and losses – although we’re going to win a lot – but it’s about developing young men and the relationship that you share with those young men and those relationships that will carry over to them being great people in society.”
THE HIRING PROCESS
Peterson informed Charlie Cobb, ASU’s athletics director, last Friday that he would be leaving.
Cobb said that he had considered the possibility he might be hiring a new coach when Peterson, seeking a financial boost, had expressed interest in the Marshall job a couple of weeks before.
“I had just gone through the mental exercise…so I felt like I was a little bit ahead of the process, but certainly I was shocked and surprised to be going through it,” Cobb said.
Cobb said that he had two options – to hire within or go outside – and that the returning players were at the forefront of his thoughts.
“I needed to feel like I was giving them the best opportunity to be successful, because there were a lot of guys (players) who were hurt, a lot of guys going through a lot of emotions, and frankly, the thought of playing for a third coach in three years for a lot on these guys. It was a task…”
Cobb said that he talked and consulted with players over the weekend.
“Probably the best conversation of all was talking with Donald Sims for about an hour in my office,” Cobb said. “He and I shared a lot of comments, a lot of thoughts one on one. I bounced a bunch of ideas off him. I’m guessing that he probably didn’t understand half of where they were coming from…. I had a pretty good indication from Donald what I needed to do, and in my heart of hearts what I needed to do, which led me to Sunday.
“I spoke to both Jason and (fellow assistant coach) Matt McMahon at length…. The most important thing for me for everybody to understand that there are no finer people in this community than Matt and Mary McMahon. Matt’s commitment to our program, to this university, to the (players) is uncompromised…. It was a difficult decision.”
Cobb decided on Capel.
“At the end of the day, just like anybody else, you’ve got to go with gut instinct,” Cobb said. “And basically what it told me was that Jason was the best fit for what I’m looking for to grow this program, to grow with our campus, to grow with this community and to grow with our fan base.”
Of the things Cobb likes about Capel:
“Obviously, he’s very comfortable in front of the microphone,” Cobb said. “He’s been in front of the mic before (playing at North Carolina). He understands the big picture.
And, Cobb said, “If I didn’t think he was ready for it, I wouldn’t have made that phone call. I wouldn’t have reached out to him. At the end of the day, I think he’s ready for the responsibility and I think (the players) will respond. I have a lot of faith in him.”
CAPEL’S REACTION
Capel knew Sunday night that he was the choice.
“I was a bit surprised,” he said. “But quickly after that came the excitement…. I talked to those that I trust, those that I lean on, and quickly I knew that this was something that I wanted to do and something that life experiences has prepared me to do.
“My second thought went to those young men and how much I wanted to be part of their life and how much I wanted to continue in the journey that we began (last season).”
And, he said, “I’ve always been taught that you don’t know when opportunity is going to come, that you have to prepare each day like it’s going to knock the very next day…”
CONTRACT
Capel has a four-year deal with a base salary of $150,000 annually. Incentives and bonuses could bring the total to about $170,000. There is a buyout clause in the contract, similar to the $150,000 buyout in Peterson’s contract, and Cobb said that he didn’t want a buyout clause so preclusive that it keeps a coach where he doesn’t want to be.
“One of the questions I got (in regard to the situation with) Buzz was that the buyout should have been higher,” Cobb said. “But I don’t want to make someone be here that doesn’t want to be here. The buyout is basically based on one-year salary (and it decreases annually). It’s very consistent with what Buzz’s was.”
RECRUITS
Capel said that he is in contact with the four incoming recruits – three freshmen and one transfer – and hopes that none of them will request a release.
“We’re in the process of that right now,” Capel said. “Obviously it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for everyone…. My first objective in this process was (the returning players), to make sure they were OK, that they were comfortable and healing some of the wounds that they had.
“My process now, my next main objective, is our recruits. I reached out to them and there will be a dialogue that goes along with that and it will continue. A lot of those kids I have a relationship with and I am very comfortable and confident that they will remain. But we’ll see.”
NEW STAFF
Capel said that he’s in the process of putting a staff together.
“I’m reaching out to people that I trust, people that I know, people with a lot experience and people that will have the same goal, the same passion and that will bring the same energy every day,” Capel said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”
CAPEL ON WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT SEASON
“Offensively, we can score the basketball,” Capel said. “That’s not going to change. Now we have some pieces to add to it. We add some depth, we add a lot of athleticism and we add some guys who can be matchup problems and I’m excited about exploring that.
“I want to play fast. I want to get the ball down the court. I want to use our strengths, whether that’s pounding the ball inside to Ike Butt or Andre Williamson continuing to work on his 15-foot jump shot, Donald Sims coming off ball screens, Jeremi Booth, everybody. We have so many weapons offensively it’s going to be fun. Not much is going to change on that part.
“Defensively, you add guys to the team like Omar Carter and Anthony Breeze, that’s exciting. We’ll be very athletic. I like to pressure. I really like to get after people. We’re going to be tough. We’re going to be tough to score against, we’re going to be tough to get offensive rebounds against. We’re going to be a team that when the ball is on the floor we’re going to be on the floor.
“Those guys know what I expect. They know. Now it’s time to put it to work.”
Friday, April 16, 2010
Interesting scene at UNC Wilmington’s press conference yesterday announcing Buzz Peterson as the new coach:
Peterson, part of a new-coach press conference for the sixth time, slipped on a green jacket, with a UNCW lapel pin attached, before taking the podium.
“Now, you say, ‘Hey Buzz, you’ve moved around some,” Peterson said. “You’ve been different places.’ Every time I moved there was a reason. There was a reason why I moved, whether it’s for family, whether it’s to better yourself in the profession. Whatever it may be, I made that move for a reason.”
Then, he said, “I’m sick and tired of making those moves. I know people have said, ‘Hey, he’s moved around so much,’ but Jan and I will tell you, and these kids, we’re ready to put roots somewhere and stay there.”
That statement was met with a lengthy round of applause.
The reason for the latest move?
Here’s an educated guess, which doesn’t take too much cognitive ability to come up with: Peterson’s annual take, including incentives, bonuses, etc., will jump from about $220,000 to $435,000 a year.
Then there’s this:
Peterson, who had indicated at times this season that he was disappointed with attendance at ASU games, said he likes what he’s seen in terms of support at UNCW. He said: “We all want to be wanted. We’re human beings. I just feel like the support here for men’s basketball is very strong and I want to be a part of that.”
Charlie Cobb, ASU’s athletics director, said that he talked with Peterson at length last week, and said that he received no indication that Peterson would be part of any other program – although there had been mutual interest between Peterson and Marshall in regard to a coaching vacancy filled last week by Tom Herrion.
Cobb said that he came away from the meeting feeling that Peterson was set to continue at ASU.
“We had what I thought was a productive, lengthy conversation Tuesday morning about the future of the program here and where we want to go,” Cobb said.
“When Marshall contacted me and said, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you about Buzz,’ I thought it was a great opportunity for Buzz to talk about the commitment of Appalachian and where he wanted to be and what he wanted to do, so I was a little disappointed at some of the comments that were made, especially to (the media). But at the end of the day I felt like coming out of our conversation on Tuesday was a pretty heartfelt, pretty frank conversation that we wouldn’t be having (to hire a new coach).
“I’m not really someone who gets mad about a lot of stuff. I try to understand where the other person is coming from. I don’t know if I’ve really had time yet to digest the full range of emotion. I know there are some people pretty upset. I know there’s probably some people looking at me and saying, ‘You probably should have seen this coming.’
“But Buzz is a good guy and I told him Tuesday, and I meant this with the utmost respect, that he is a better basketball coach than I thought he was. He taught these kids how to win. He taught these kids how to compete and believe in themselves.”
Cobb said that he was disappointed, but has no choice but to move on.
“Appalachian has been playing basketball for 100 years,” Cobb said. “We’ll be playing for 100 more. The university will survive, the athletic program will survive, the basketball program will survive.”
By Tommy Bowman at 10:41 PM
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Monday, April 12, 2010
Basketball season never ends for Ryan Goodson, an ambitious 23-year-old who recently completed his final season as Appalachian State’s head manager, has developed into a premier ball-handling expert and has produced motivational and instructional videos to help players improve their game.
He has his sites set on being a head coach someday.
Goodson, from Statesville, will graduate in May with a degree in health promotion and is hoping to land a graduate-assistant position somewhere next season.
He has already built a solid resume, and he said he will stay busy with a basketball in hand this summer working for Pure Sweat Basketball.
“I’m one of their national trainers,” Goodson said. “Every weekend this summer I will be in a different city running different camps and clinics for high school and college age players.”
His niche is dribbling. And, as his videos attest, he is a whiz at it.
“Last year, I spent five hours in the gym six days a week just working on that and trying to get really good at it,” Goodson said.
Some of it is for entertainment, some for fundamental training.
“Growing up I watched a lot of DVDs and continually worked on drills to help my game,” said Goodson, who played basketball at West Iredell and then one season at Columbia Union in Washington, D.C. and one at UNC Pembroke.
“I had numerous injuries, but I wanted to coach so I thought would get a head start on pursuing that and got the job as manager at App State.”
His projects include motivational videos, dealing with subjects such as work ethic and persistence, and his latest is a DVD done with Corey Rich of the Harlem Globetrotters featuring ball-handling talents. It will be available in May on the Pure Sweat website.
By Tommy Bowman at 12:10 PM
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Four former Appalachian State players will begin their minor-league seasons tonight, all having moved up the ladder from last season.
Pitcher Zach Quate is with the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the high-Class A Florida State League. The three others will begin the season in the low-A South Atlantic League. Pitcher Josh Dowdy is with the Delmarva Shorebirds, right fielder David Rubinstein with the West Virginia Power and center fielder Rand Smith with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Quate, a 14th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009, allowed just one earned run in 26 innings pitched for Hudson Valley of the short-season New York-Penn League last season. He converted all 13 of his save opportunities.
Dowdy, a 38th-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, split time between Bluefield of the rookie Appalachian League and Aberdeen of the New York-Penn league last season, going 3-3 with a 2.61 earned-run average.
Rubinstein was an 11th round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008. He played in 65 games last season for State College of the New York-Penn League, batting .267 and had three home runs and 36 RBIs.
Smith, from Bolivia, N.C., will begin the season in his home state. The Greensboro Grasshoppers open the season at home tonight against Augusta. Smith, a 20th-round pick of the Florida Marlins in 2009, hit .305 for Jamestown of the New York-Penn League last season and was named to the league’s all-star team.
Three other former ASU players, all of whom played in the minor leagues last season, didn’t make rosters this season. Pitcher Jason Rook was released by the Orioles after last season. Pitcher Garrett Sherrill and second baseman Isaac Harrow were released by Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees during spring training.
Friday, March 26, 2010
After 37 games – the most played in one season in program history – Appalachian State’s basketball season is finally over.
Coach Buzz Peterson, whose team lost to Pacific last night in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, said that the three games in the CIT were worth the season’s extension.
“The extra practice time was huge,” Peterson said. “We worked on a lot of things in practice… most teams in our league have been done for almost three weeks.
“To play against a team like Pacific is something our guys will remember, how teams defended. I’m sure that Donald (Sims) will remember how people got physical with him out there.”
Peterson said that he will remember his team’s seniors – Ryann Abraham, Kellen Brand, Josh Hunter, A.J. Highsmith and Tyler Webb – for helping a once-struggling team turn the corner and finish with 24 wins.
“Those guys have been through a lot,” Peterson said. “They waited patiently for a coach to come in, not knowing what was going to be in front of them, and they have answered to everything I’ve asked them to do. There have been some ups and downs, just like any family, but I’m very proud of all them.”
Three starters – Donald Sims, Jeremi Booth and Ike Butts – will return as senior next season along with top reserves Nathan Healy, Andre Williamson and Marcus Wright. Joining the mix will be at least four recruits including junior-college transfer Petey Hausley and three freshmen guards, as well as Anthony Breeze and Omar Carter, both of whom sat out this past season after transferring.
Sims, a top-notch scorer, could get more time at shooting guard if a freshman emerges as a game-ready point guard, and Peterson likes the potential of next season’s frontcourt. Breeze is a 6-5 forward who transferred form Coastal Carolina and Carter a 6-5 forward from Charleston Southern.
“Anthony is somebody that brings us explosive athleticism inside, and Omar brings us that 3 guard that’s 6-4 or 6-5 and thick (220 pounds),” Peterson said.
“Next year, with Ike and Andre, and I’ve always been big on Healy, we just have to get him stronger and Ike more mobile… and we had Breeze sitting out and Pete Hausley coming in. I like that front line.”
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