Howard women's basketball set to face Baylor in Preseason WNIT

Pairings Set for 2011 Preseason WNIT

The pairings for the 2011 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament were announced today, and Howard women's basketball is set to face Baylor in the opening round.

Top 10 teams Baylor, Notre Dame, and UCLA headline the field that features nine teams that played in the postseason last year. The Preseason WNIT field includes Akron, Chattanooga,Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB. Here is the first-round schedule. Please see below for team notes.

First-round Preseason WNIT games

All 2010-2011 team records in parentheses

Friday, Nov. 11, 2011

McNeese State (26-7) at UCLA (28-5), 5 p.m. ET

UAB (20-15) at Chattanooga (17-14), 7 p.m. ET

Tennessee Tech (23-8) at ETSU (19-12), 7 p.m. ET

Akron (14-16) at Notre Dame (31-8), 7 p.m. ET

Long Island (19-11) at Drexel (19-13), 7 p.m. ET

Howard (16-18) at Baylor (34-3), 7:30 p.m. ET

Detroit (13-18) at Indiana State (16-16), 8 p.m. ET

Manhattan (24-10) at Hartford (17-16), 8 p.m. ET

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14 and sites will be announced following the first round results; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.

In last year's Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.

- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.

- Baylor is a favorite to win next season's national title after advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears have U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year Kim Mulkey to lead freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, All-American Brittney Griner, and the vast majority of the Bears that went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season's youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year's team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.

- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.

- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-13 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.

- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team, including Destiny Mitchell, who earned all-conference freshman team honors after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February.

- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs after a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.

- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.

- Indiana State head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament's semifinal round.

- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.

- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.

- McNeese State posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Their top players return to the team this fall.

- Notre Dame made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to TexasA&M, and the Fighting Irish (31-8) will be back in force this fall for another strong run. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins, who is among a record three Irish players who recently made the 14-player cut for the U.S. World University Games.

- Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record. They get all five starters back this fall.

- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters and all but one player on their roster.

- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close after Nikki Caldwell took the LSU job, but should again be picked to finish around the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 Conference this fall.

For more information about the WNIT visit the website at www.womensnit.com.

Provided by Howard University Sports Information
Jamilah Corbett, Assistant Director of Sports Information
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Long-suffering Howard basketball pulls in heralded recruiting haul

"We’re going to shock the world. That’s what we plan on doing."

Washington, D.C. - Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry was never confident about securing a commitment from Prince Okoroh, the Eleanor Roosevelt forward who Nickelberry felt was good enough to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference and smart enough to thrive in the Ivy League.

As a Gates Millennium Scholar, Okoroh had his choice of schools. Would Okoroh want to suit up for a team that had won just six games this past season? Would he commit to a program whose basketball court was sprinkled with dead spots and whose poorly ventilated locker room was no bigger than a large storage closet?

The answer was yes. And when Okoroh called Nickelberry with the news in mid-April, a few days before he was named MVP of the preliminary game of the Capital Classic, the coach was “astonished,” Okoroh recalled. “He almost didn’t believe me at first. When I told him I was coming, it was almost like he fainted.”

Videographer: NCSAbasketball; Prince Okoroh Recruiting Video--Eleanor Roosevelt High School star forward will major in Chemical Engineering at Howard.

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Note:
This is exceptionally great news for the MEAC! No doubt Coach Nickleberry will produce a highly competitive program that will change the dynamics of the MEAC conference. Heck, it's time to purchase season tickets, as the Bison conference schedule will be very exciting with Hampton, Morgan State, NCCU, Savannah State, Bethune Cookman, A&T, Coppin State and upstarts---FAMU with new Coach Clemon Johnson, Del. State, SCSU, Norfolk State and UMES. There are no easy road games in MEAC conference. On any given night...the Bison may stampede them all!

See what a talented athletic director will do for your sports programs (Skip Perkins). Great job, Howard University!

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Elliott's Tip In Helps Bethune-Cookman Nip Howard

Washington, DC—Stanley Elliott scored on a tip-in after a missed shot with 1.0 seconds left to help Bethune-Cookman escape with a 66-64 win over Howard University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.

After the Bison (6-21 overall, 4-10 in the MEAC) tied the game at 64 on a pair of free throws by Mike Phillips with 10 seconds remaining, the Wildcats (17-11 overall, 11-3 in the MEAC) pushed the ball up the floor and got a long three point attempt by Kevin Dukes that came off the right side of the rim and into the hands of Elliott, who used his left hand to tip the ball in the basket.

B-CU wins another close road game

WASHINGTON -- Stanley Elliott's tip-in with 1.1 seconds remaining gave Bethune-Cookman yet another fantastic finish on the road and a 66-64 victory over Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Monday night.

B-CU (17-11, 11-3) concludes its MEAC road schedule with an 8-0 record -- seven of those decided by three points or less. It also clinched the third straight winning season for B-CU, which won its fourth straight.

"We were lucky to come out of here with a victory, but that's what we've done all year -- find a way to win," B-CU coach Cliff Reed said. "It's a testament to everyone's hard work this season. The guys gutted and played hard after an emotional double win Saturday at Hampton."

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Howard Bison Use Free Throw Shooting To Down Florida A&M Rattlers

Washington, DC — Howard University was able to offset serious foul trouble with some good solid free throw shooting in the second half and pull away to a 59-50 win over Florida A&M University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.

The Bison (6-20 overall, 4-9 in the MEAC), who have been undermanned all season, came into the game with nine players in uniform, two of which are walk-ons. The starting five, which has been logging an average of 36 minutes per game through most of the season, was put to the test when three of them were saddled with three fouls in the first 20 minutes.

Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry went to his short bench early and often in an attempt to offset the disadvantage. The Bison got 10 points from...

Howard takes down FAMU at line

Howard offset foul trouble with solid free-throw shooting in the second half and pulled out a 59-50 win over the Rattlers in Washington.

The starting lineup for the Bison (6-20, 4-9 in MEAC) was put to the test when three players picked up three fouls in the first 20 minutes.

FAMU (11-16, 6-7) led 30-27 at halftime behind Amin Stevens' 14 points. Stevens finished with a game-high 22.

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

Morgan Bears Roll Past Howard, 75-62

MSU Coach Todd Bozeman

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Kevin Thompson recorded his seventh double-double of the season by halftime, and finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds to help lead Morgan State to a 75-62 home victory against Beltway rival Howard on Saturday.

Aric Brooks matched his season-high by scoring 17 points, including 10-for-10 shooting from the free throw line with four assists. With the win the Bears improved to 6-7 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The win also improved Todd Bozeman's record to 39-7 (.848) inside the confines of Hill Field House.

“Every win in Division I is a good win, especially a conference win,” said Morgan State coach Todd Bozemen. “Starting off 2-0 in the conference is a good thing, we just want to take it one game at a time.”

MORGAN STATE’S INSIDE PRESENCE AND DEPTH THE DIFFERENCE

Baltimore, MD—January 8---Mike Phillips poured in a game- and career-high 25 points and Dadrian Collins contributed 14, but it was not enough to offset the depth as Morgan State downed Howard, 75-62 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Hill Fieldhouse.

It appeared as though Phillips would single handedly lead the Bison to victory when he scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. But the Bears (6-7 overall, 2-0 in the MEAC) parlayed the power of Kevin Thompson and Ameer Ali, who combined for 18 points and 14 rebounds and their bench into a 47-33 halftime lead.

The undermanned Bison (2-12 overall, 0-2 in the MEAC) battled the defending champs despite foul trouble. Morgan State Coach Todd Bozeman went to his bench early and often and it paid dividends.

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Big Apple Classic: Funches scores 20, Hampton beats Howard 67-55

NEW YORK — Charles Funches scored 20 points and Hampton defeated Howard 67-55 on Saturday night in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The Pirates (7-1) used a 9-3 run to break a 41-41 tie midway through the second half and secure their seventh straight win.

The Bison (1-7), who trailed 34-27 at halftime, took a 38-36 lead with 15:54 left in the game following an 11-2 run. Mike Tuitt's 3 put the Pirates back on top with 14:50 to play before Dadrian Collins' 3 tied it one more time at 41-41.

Lack of Production from Bench Again Dooms Howard

New York, NY - Mike Phillips poured in a career-high 20 points and Anton Dickerson added 19 but it was not enough to offset the production of the Hampton bench as the Bison lost to Hampton, 67-55 in the 5th Annual Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Phillips, a 6-7 sophomore forward from Fredricksburg, VA, recorded a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Dickerson, a 6-2 sophomore guard from Brooklyn, NY, tallied 14 of his points in the first half as the undermanned Bison (1-7 overall, 0-1 in the MEAC) battled the streaking Pirates (7-1 overall, 1-0 in the MEAC) through most of the contest.

Hampton which has now won seven in a row, was able to get some distance between them and their rival by using a late push to take a 34-27 lead to the locker room.

Hampton men run winning streak to seven

Hampton University ran its winning streak to seven, beating Howard 67-55 Saturday night in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates (7-1), who are giving up about 54 points per game, haven't lost since dropping a close season-opening contest at Wake Forest.

Howard tied the game at 41 on a 3-pointer by Dadrian Collins, a former Woodside High player. But the Pirates went on a 9-3 run to take a 50-44 lead with 9:42 to play on a dunk from junior guard Darrion Pellum.

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Howard basketball hosts President Obama in 84-74 loss to Oregon State

Washington, D.C. - There had to be times during Saturday afternoon's game when Howard Coach Kevin Nickelberry looked up into the stands and wished he could put President Obama or Education Secretary Arne Duncan in the game.

Nickelberry could have used Obama, who looked none the worse after taking an elbow to the mouth in a basketball game Friday and receiving 12 stitches in his lip, and Duncan, the former Harvard standout. The Bison, who have been savaged by injuries this season, were desperate for bodies when two players fouled out of the game.

Though undermanned, Howard was undaunted. The Bison put up quite a fight against Oregon State before finally succumbing, 84-74, before 1,827 at Burr Gymnasium.



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In Nickelberry's debut, Howard wins, 54-52

Despite shooting woes, Bison emerge over Bowling Green

In his Howard coaching debut, Kevin Nickelberry had a moment of inspiration. In his Howard playing debut, Alphonso Leary had a moment he will never forget. Both elements were critical in Howard’s 54-52 victory over Bowling Green, Friday night before 2105 at Burr Gymnasium.

In the first half, Nickelberry made a key adjustment that helped the Bison gain control of the game. In the second half, freshman Leary scored the first basket of his career, a three-point play with 31 seconds left, which was the boost Howard needed to secure Nickelberry’s successful first step.

“It wasn’t aesthetically pretty, but ...

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Nickelberry Announces Men's Basketball Schedule for 2010/11

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Howard University head coach Kevin Nickelberry announces the 2010 -11 men's basketball schedule. The Bison open the season with a home game against Bowling Green. Howard will then travel to West Lafayette, IN to take on nationally ranked Purdue on November 14. The rest of the non-conference schedule features a home game against Oregon State on November 14.

CLICK HERE to view the complete schedule.

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Nickelberry's time in Libya pays off for Howard‎ University

As the former coach at Hampton and an ex-assistant at Clemson and a handful of mid-majors, Kevin Nickelberry never has been able to pick and choose his recruits from a selection of top-level prospects. But even for a coach who has spent many of his days in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Patriot League and Northeast Conference, recruiting never was as tough as it was at his last job.

Before he was hired as coach at Howard in May, Nickelberry scoured dusty gyms trying to assemble a scrappy team that could hold its own against the best competition on the continent. Only those dusty gyms - some of which didn't even have doors - were scattered across Libya. "I use the word 'gym' loosely," Nickelberry said. "There's a floor, there's dirt and there's dust all over."

After resigning under pressure at Hampton following the 2008-09 season because he hadn't won enough, Nickelberry landed a job as the coach of the Libyan national team for four months as the country hosted its first FIBA African Championships.

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New Howard University coaches have local ties

A new coaching staff with a strong Prince George's County connection will try to reverse the fortunes of the downtrodden Howard University men's basketball program. The Washington, D.C., school, part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, last month hired Kevin Nickelberry as its head coach. Last week, Nickelberry named former Laurel High School coach Keith Coutreyer and former DeMatha High star Travis Lyons to his coaching staff.

Coutreyer will be Howard's associate head coach after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at Hampton University. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at Laurel — five as an assistant and eight as the Spartans' head coach. He guided Laurel to the Class 4A state semifinals in 2008 before taking the job at Hampton that summer. "It's real exciting to have an opportunity to be back in the area you now, where you have your roots in terms of basketball," Coutreyer said. "You have ties in the basketball community that you've developed over time, and hopefully those ties can help get guys to come to Howard."

Coutreyer and Nickelberry have known one another for 20 years, going back to the early 1990s when Nickelberry was the head women's coach and assistant men's coach at Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University) in Takoma Park, while Coutreyer was playing there. Lyons, who grew up in Hyattsville, was one of the area's top players during his high school career. As a senior in 1993-94, the 6-foot-4 forward averaged 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and four assists per game. He went on to play at Manhattan College, where he had an experience his freshman year that has influenced his coaching career. He's spent the past 10 years as an assistant coach at Manhattan and Fordham University.

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Howard Bison signs Talented Twin Towers--Leary and Boyomo

Howard University signee Alphonso Leary, Maury H.S. (#13) dunks over Kecoughtan's Buster Tucker (32) and Dimitri Batten (4) in the fourth quarter, Feb. 27, 2010, during an Eastern Region semifinal at The Scope in Norfolk. Maury won 66-62.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It did not take Coach Kevin Nickelberry long to show that he is on a mission to take the Howard University men’s basketball program to the next level. Nickelberry, who has been on the job less that than two months, addressed one of the team’s biggest needs by announcing the signing of Alphonso Leary to a national letter of intent and Theodore Boyomo to a written offer of financial aid.

Leary is a 6-10, 200-pound center from Maury High School in Norfolk, VA who will help fill the void left by three Bison frontcourt players who graduated this past May. Leary averaged 11.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while leading his team to a 22-8 record and the Eastern District Tournament championship. He recorded a career-high 24 points against Lake Taylor and was an All-Eastern District first team selection.

“I have been recruiting Alphonso for the past three years and he has grown and gotten better each time I have seen him,” said Nickelberry. “We are excited about his potential and what he brings to the program.”

A native of Yaounde, Cameroon, "Theo" Boyomo (#13) arrived at Kent in the fall of 2007 as a 16-year-old sophomore and quickly made his mark as not just an outstanding athlete but a superb citizen and student as well. With a 7’2” wingspan and tremendous athleticism, he has been widely recognized as the top defensive player in the region and was heavily recruited by high-profile Division I basketball programs, but also by Ivy League schools as well.

Boyomo is a 6-9, 225-pound senior from the Kent School in Kent, Ct. He was heavily recruited but Nickelberry was able to win out over such competitors as Canisius, Siena, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Colorado and Washington. Boyomo established himself as one of the premier defensive big men in the New England region and helped the Kent School to new heights, culminating with a Western New England championship this past March.

Boyomo was named to the New England All Defensive 1st Team as a center/forward. The big man is as college ready of a defensive anchor as there is in New England. He does it all on this end of the floor with the size and strength to guard opposing low post scorers without help on the block, the mobility and timing to erase teammate’s mistakes with his help-side shot blocking, and nose for the ball to finish plays by cleaning up the glass. On offense, he consistently makes the elbow jumper and has a reliable jump hook and up-and-under counter move in his arsenal with his back to the basket. Theo has a great NBA type frame, which should blow up with a serious weight lifting program at Howard. He led Kent to a 20-5 record his senior season and the Western New England championship.

An outstanding student, Boyomo finished as an honor roll student for six straight academic terms, despite having to learn English upon his arrival at the Kent School, Connecticut.

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Kevin Nickelberry cleans house -- literally -- at Howard University

Howard University head basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry --
"I am not here to rebuild, I am here to renovate."

One of college basketball's most difficult rebuilding projects this offseason began with the new head coach making wholesale cosmetic changes, a first step toward refurbishing the perception of a program that has endured seven straight 20-loss seasons. "I'll show you all the stuff we just threw out of here," Nickelberry said. "We have someone coming to redo the floor, redo the walls, redo all of it. That's all part of the perception. I could talk, or come in here and do. I have to be the guy who is painting, I have to be the guy who is part of it. People around here need to see me knocking walls down."

Nickelberry's success with other reclamation projects -- most notably as an assistant at Holy Cross and Clemson, as a head coach at Hampton and with the Libya national team -- was a prime reason why the 45-year-old was tapped to return to his native city for what he has called a dream opportunity. But he is fully aware that he confronts his most daunting challenge as a head coach.

In addition to on-court struggles -- the Bison finished 7-25 last season -- Howard has been rendered irrelevant in the D.C. area. Nickelberry said there have also been concerns about the team's performance in the classroom, which he deems unacceptable at a school with an otherwise strong academic reputation.

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Coach Nickelberry Lands at Howard University

Howard University Bison head basketball coach, Kevin Nickelberry.

Over the past two months, Coach Kevin Nickelberry has been the hottest coaching commodity on the Division I basketball circuit. The former Hampton University head men's basketball coach had been offered assistant coaching positions by incoming head coaches Gib Arnold at the University of Hawaii and Oliver Purnell, DePaul University. After all things considered, Nickelberry had to say no--for a better offer as the new head men's basketball coach at Howard University, in his hometown of Washington, D.C.

This is probably the best hire Howard University has made since the legendary Willie Jeffries was named the coach of Bison football. In our opinion, Coach Nickelberry is just that good and is an expectional recruiter of Division I talent. It will be interesting to see how soon Nickelberry can get the Bison back on the winning track and compete with Morgan State's Coach Todd Bozeman for the wealth of basketball talent in Washington D.C., Prince George's and Baltimore Counties. We expect a battle of public school (Morgan State) vs. private school (Howard) in this MEAC race. More importantly, Howard University has made a very serious statement with this hire -- the Bison are now serious about winning in basketball and making it to the big dance.

Coach Nickelberry replaces Gil Jackson, who was fired after five consecutive 20-loss seasons, including a 7-25 record last season.

No doubt, the Coach Nickelberry hire is definitely a strong upgrade for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaching ranks. Add to the mix -- coaches Todd Bozeman (Morgan State), Horace Broadnax (Savannah State), Tim Carter (South Carolina State), Greg Jackson (Delaware State), Ron "Fang" Mitchell (Coppin State), Jerry Eaves (North Carolina A&T) and LeVelle Moton (North Carolina Central), the conference is moving in the right direction to become a mid-major force.

Now, the rest of the story...

Kevin Nickelberry Named Head Men's Basketball Coach at Howard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kevin Nickelberry, who helped UNC Charlotte and Clemson to four postseason appearances, has been named head basketball coach at Howard University."We are pleased to have a coach with the distinguished career and success of Kevin Nickelberry lead our men's basketball program," said Charles Gibbs, Director of Athletics. "This is an exciting day, not only for Howard University, but for our alumni and loyal supporters. We look toward the future under Coach Nickelberry's direction as we take the steps necessary to propel our program to a new era of excellence.”

Nickelberry, a native of Washington, D.C. and no stranger to Howard, spent the last year as the head coach of the Libya National Basketball Team. He was the head coach at Hampton University from 2006-2009. During his three years with the Pirates, Nickelberry helped guide his teams to 20 non-conference wins. He collected 49 Division I wins during his tenure, which ranks second among MEAC schools.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me to be able to return to the sidelines at Howard because of its rich tradition, heritage and a strong academic dimension,” Nickelberry said. “I look forward to getting to know each of the players, building a staff and making sure that we put things in motion for the upcoming academic year."

Nickelberry began his coaching career as the head women’s basketball coach at Columbia Union College in 1991 and moved to Howard University for four seasons, from 1994-1998. During his time in the coaching ranks, Nickelberry worked in all areas including recruiting, fundraising, marketing and public relations. The 45-year-old has been a major part of every aspect, especially during his three-year tenure at Clemson from 2003-2006 when he recruited nine players on the Tigers’ 2007-08 and 2008-09 NCAA Tournament teams.

Nickelberry was the assistant coach at UNC Charlotte for two seasons. Over this period in 2001-03, he helped develop Eddie Basden, the second player in Conference USA history to win Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. He also contributed to successful programs at Holy Cross and Monmouth. For his efforts, Nickelberry was rated among the Top 25 “Up-and-Coming” college basketball coaches by The Sporting News and Hoopscooponline.com in 2008.

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Coach Kevin Nickleberry expected to land at University of Hawaii

Coach Kevin Nickleberry will soon be landing on the University of Hawaii Rainbow staff.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin and ESPN are reporting today, that Kevin Nickleberry is expected to join the staff as an assistant basketball coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The Rainbows new head coach Gib Arnold was hired on March 19, 2010. The former University of Southern California assistant coach (Arnold) is one of the elite recruiters in all of college basketball bringing top-caliber talent to USC. Gibson was the lead recruiter for former Trojan standouts DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson, who were selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft. View Video

Kevin Nickleberry is currently in Africa--coaching the Libya National Basketball Team. Arnold said he has offered one of his assistant coaching positions to Nickleberry, but details are still be worked out. The former Prince George's County, Maryland product has made coaching stops at seven schools between South Carolina and Massachusetts. Nickleberry is the former men's head basketball coach at Hampton University (2006-09). He resigned after three seasons and has held assistant coaching positions at Clemson, North Carolina -Charlotte, Holy Cross, Monmouth, Howard and Columbia Union. Coach Nickleberry is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan University.

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Coach: Hampton U 'ahead of schedule'

Photo: Coach Kevin Nickelberry

Year 2 with Kevin Nickelberry shows the progress of a new era at Hampton University.

Hampton University men's basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry's glass is half full this week as he assesses his second season on the job.

His Pirates finished 18-12 overall, 11-5 and tied for second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Hampton, seeded second, fell to seventh-seeded and eventual champion Coppin State 75-74 in overtime in a conference tournament quarterfinal last Wednesday.

But Nickelberry isn't bemoaning the early exit or making excuses. He talked all season about working toward long-term goals for the program and continued to do so after the dust cleared on his second season.

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Hampton Pirates seeks some redemption

Photo: Hampton University head basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry.

Blown out in NCAA in'06, Pirates gird for MEAC tourney

HAMPTON, VA -- Hampton coach Kevin Nickleberry spent much of Friday in Richmond in search of a recruit or two who could further help elevate the Pirates' program to national prominence.

The Pirates, of course, captivated college basketball fans with a stunning victory over No. 2-seed Iowa State in the NCAA tournament in 2001. They were invited back to the postseason party two years ago but suffered a 22-point setback to Monmouth in an opening-round game at the University of Dayton.

Nickleberry, in his second season, is eager to prove the Pirates are a far better team than the one that appeared shell shocked in the spotlight of March Madness.

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