KWC News & Information

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May 2001

NCAA CHAMPIONS TO PLAY CINCINNATI (May 31, 2001)

Kentucky Wesleyan College, the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, will play an exhibition basketball contest against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, Nov. 17, at UC's Shoemaker Center (13,176). Game time will be announced at a later date.

"Not since 1983 when Kentucky Wesleyan played at Louisville, have we had the opportunity to play a Top 25 Division I team," said KWC Head Coach Ray Harper, whose Panthers defeated Washburn, 89-76, for their eighth record breaking national title and second (1999) in three years this past March.

"We will take full advantage of this game because it will be a tremendous challenge for our team and it will prepare us for the regular season as well as post season play. To be the best you have to play the best and the championship traditions of Cincinnati and Kentucky Wesleyan prove that point."

KWC is taking advantage of a NCAA rule, implemented last summer, that allows Div. I schools to play any NCAA non-Div. I school and have the game count as an exhibition contest.

Kentucky Wesleyan, ranked No. 2 in the final poll, returns two starters and six letterwinners from last season's 31-3 squad that finished as Great Lakes Valley Conference runner-up and won the GLVC Tournament.and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional championships.

Harper, the winningest active NCAA Div. II coach with an 88.6 percentage (149-19) in five seasons, set the all-time NCAA coaching record this year with the Panthers fourth consecutive 30-win season and set the Div. II record for four consecutive trips to the NCAA championship game.

Cincinnati, under 13th year head coach Bob Huggins, returns four starters from last season's No. 27 ranked 25-10 squad that won the Conference USA regular season title and earned a trip to the NCAA West Regional where the Bearcats advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past 10 years.

The last time Kentucky Wesleyan and Cincinnati hooked up was 51 years ago when the Bearcats defeated the Panthers, 97-44, on Dec. 5, 1950 at UC's Schmidlapp Gym. Cincinnati holds a 7-0 record against KWC since the series began on Feb. 1, 1933.

Tickets will be sold at KWC's Athletic Office, at a date to be announced in the Fall, for $15.

The Panthers won the NCAA titles in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999 and 2001, making KWC the only school in NCAA history to win a national championship in each of the past five decades.

SOCCER PANTHERS SIGN DAVIESS COUNTY'S BEN MURPHY (May 24, 2001)

Ben Murphy, a midfielder/forward from Daviess County High School in Owensboro, has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Kentucky Wesleyan College and play soccer for the Panthers according to KWC men's head coach Scott Pulliam.

Murphy, a two-year starter, had one goal and one assist this season for Daviess County. He also played for Coach Pulliam on two state runner-up teams (1999, 2000) on the club select level during the summer months.

"Ben will be a great asset to Kentucky Wesleyan ," said Pulliam. "He has good size and is a versatile player with the ability to play four or five positions. Ben is also a very good student that will be a leader in the classroom."

He is the son of Sam and Ursula Murphy of Owensboro and plans to major in biology. His sister Laura also plays soccer for KWC.

NCAA CHAMPIONS ADD DIVISION I TRANSFER GENE EVANS (May 22, 2001)

Gene Evans, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound, guard from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, will transfer to Kentucky Wesleyan College for his final two seasons and play basketball for the defending and eight-time NCAA Div. II National Champions according to KWC head coach Ray Harper.

Evans, a native of River Rouge, Mich., saw limited playing time for the Phoenix where he averaged nearly one point, one rebound and one assist in 19 games this past season as a sophomore. He started four of 28 games played as a freshman in averaging 1.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

"Gene's a true point-guard who gets everyone involved in the offense and can score," said Harper. "His defensive intensity makes him a tremendous defender and one who can anchor your defense. Gene fits in with our uptempo offense and full-court pressure defense because that's the style he played as a prep star. The bottom line is Gene's a very good basketball player and a great individual who will be an asset to our program."

Evans, a two-year starter, averaged 14.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds as a senior in leading River Rouge High School to the 1998 Class B State Championship with a 26-1 record and a No. 24 final national ranking by USA Today. He shot 47.4 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from three-point territory and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line.

He was named to the state all-tournament team along receiving all-conference, all-district, all-region and honorable mention all-state for the second straight season. As a junior, Evans led the Panthers (22-2) to the state quarterfinals where they lost to Country Day who had Shane Battier. Evans high school coach Lamonta Stone is now an assistant at Eastern Michigan.

Evans also was a member of River Rouge's state 4 x 200 relay team and was an all-conference selection in both cross-country and track. In the classroom, he was an honors graduate and a member of the National Honor Society.

BASEBALL PANTHERS SIGN APOLLO'S DUSTY STEVENS (May 17, 2001)

Dusty Stevens, a center fielder for No. 5 ranked Apollo High School in Owensboro, has signed a national letter-of-intent to continue his education at Kentucky Wesleyan College and play baseball for the Panthers according to KWC head coach Greg McVey.

Stevens, a four-year starter, leads the Eagles with a .474 batting average, 54 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 34 runs batted in and 114 at bats in helping Apollo to a 30-5 record going into next week's district tournament for head coach Bob Mantooth.

"Dusty is one of the best players in Kentucky and we are very fortunate to sign him," said McVey. "We are very please to keep one of Owensboro's best in Owensboro. Dusty will have a chance to play from day one because he is a difference maker at the plate and in the field.

"Dusty has one of the best swings in my 10 years of coaching. He makes great contact at the plate and I project him to hit in the middle of our lineup. His defensive skills are solid and he could play all three outfield positions but will primarily stay in center field."

The two-time all-district honoree batted .448 and hit three home runs as a junior where he was named to the Kentucky East-West All-Star game and Apollo's Most Valuable Player. Stevens hit .341 and belted five home runs as a sophomore.

Stevens has a career batting average of .402 with 153 hits in 380 plate appearances in 107 games played. He has recorded 106 runs scored, 49 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs, 96 RBIs in four seasons at Apollo.

He is the son of Danny and Debbie Stevens of Owensboro and plans to major in elementary education.

SOCCER PANTHERS SIGN ALL-STATE FORWARD SAMANTHA GILKEY

(May 17, 2001)

Samantha Gilkey, a first-team all-state forward from Caldwell County High School in Princeton, has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Kentucky Wesleyan College and play soccer for the Panthers according to KWC women's head coach Larry Kirk.

Gilkey, a four-year starter, scored a school record 32 goals to lead the Tigers to a 15-6 record and a trip to the regional tournament for head coach Jim Hillerich. She was a second team all-state choice as a sophomore and an honorable mention all-state selection as a junior.

"Samantha is a very aggressive offensive player with tremendous success of scoring goals," said Kirk. "With her great field vision, she's an excellent passer which gets everyone involved in the offense. Her scoring skills and involving everyone in the offense will be a big plus for KWC."

Gilkey holds all three scoring records at Caldwell County: single game (6 goals), season (32) and career (94). She also earned all-district four-times and all-region three times in her career including the Most Valuable Player of the regional tournament last fall.

In the classroom, she is a member of the National Honor Society member, been named Who's Who Among American High School Students three times and Who's Who Among American High School Athletes once. She is the daughter of William and Elizabeth Gilkey of Princeton and plans to major in pre-law.

SOFTBALL TO CONDUCT THREE CLINICS AND CAMPS (May 15, 2001)

Kentucky Wesleyan softball coach Fred Gillum will conduct three clinics and camps in June and July.

Kentucky Wesleyan College Softball Hitting Clinic

June 4-7 at KWC's Panther Diamond

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day

Ages: 10-17

Cost: $50 per person

Director: KWC head coach Fred Gillum

Staff: Kentucky Wesleyan softball players

Registration: 8:30-9 a.m., Monday, June 4

Pre-register by contacting Coach Gillum at 926-3111

Kentucky Wesleyan College Softball Skills Clinic

June 18-21 at KWC's Panther Diamond

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day

Ages: 10-17

Cost: $50 per person

Clinic Director: KWC head coach Fred Gillum and Owensboro Catholic High School pitching coach Dawn Simpson.

Clinic Staff: Kentucky Wesleyan softball players

Registration: 8:30-9 a.m., Monday, June 18

Pre-register by contacting Coach Gillum at 926-3111

Kentucky Wesleyan College Skills and Drills Camp

July 9-12 at KWC's Panther Diamond

9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day (lunch provided)

Ages: 10-17

Cost: $100 per camper and will include a camp t-shirt

Camp Director: KWC head coach Fred Gillum

Camp Staff: Kentucky Wesleyan softball players

Registration: 8:30-9 a.m., Monday, July 9

Pre-register by contacting Coach Gillum at 926-3111

USA BASKETBALL SELECTS HARPER TO COACH AT USA BASKETBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS (May 10, 2001)

Ray Harper, who led Kentucky Wesleyan College to their record breaking eighth NCAA Div. II National Championship (31-3) and his second in three season this past March, has been appointed one of eight court coaches for the 2001 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Trials that will be held June 1-3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee. This is the first invitation for a coach at KWC to coach for USA Basketball.

"This is a very humbling moment and a prestigious honor in my coaching career," said Harper. "My goal is to learn from the experience and bring back knowledge shared from the coaches and players to help our student-athletes succeed."

Harper, 2001 Div. II National Coach the Year, is joined by collegiate head coaches Tom Crean from Marquette, Dennis Felton from Western Kentucky, Gary Waters from Rutgers, Dave Holmquist from NAIA Biola University (Calif.), Bob Tipson from NJCAA Champlain College (Vt.), along with Penn State assistant coach Christian Appleman and Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins.

The Trials court coaching staff is responsible for conducting drills, coaching scrimmages and working with approximately 45 of the nations top college players who will be vying for spots for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Team and the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team.

In five years as Kentucky Wesleyan College’s head coach, Harper has won two NCAA championships, finished national runner-up twice and been named national coach of the year three times. His career collegiate record (all at KWC) is 148-19 for an 88.6 winning percentage and an average of 29.6 wins per season. His winning percentage makes Harper the winningest active NCAA Division II coach. He has won 16 of a possible 21 championships in his coaching tenure.

Harper set the all-time NCAA coaching record this year by leading the Panthers to their fourth consecutive 30-win season by surpassing three straight set by University of Kentucky Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp. He became only the second coach in NCAA history (I, II or III) to make four consecutive trips to the NCAA championship game (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001). UCLA Hall of Fame coach John Wooden is first with seven straight.

He also holds the NCAA record for fastest to 100 wins (100 in 114 games); most wins in first four seasons (117); and most wins in first five seasons (148). His coaching honors also include two-time Great Lakes Region Coach the Year (1998, 1999) and three-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year (1998, 1999, 2000).

The 2001 USA World Championship for Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan with Syracuse's Jim Boeheim as the head coach. This summer the World University Games will be held Aug. 22-Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. Penn State's Jerry Dunn will serve as the head coach of the 2001 USA World University Games Team.

The USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee consists of chair Terry Holland (University of Virginia); Boeheim; Rob Evans (Arizona State); Jim O’Brien (Ohio State), Tubby Smith (Kentucky); Oliver Purnell (Dayton); Ralph Turner (Union University); Dan Sparks (Vincennes University); Steve Wojciechowski (Duke assistant); and A.J. Wynder (Nassau Community College).

BURGER SELECTED ALL-GREAT LAKES VALLEY CONFERENCE,

WOOD NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (May 10, 2001)

Kentucky Wesleyan's Bryce Burger was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball second team for the second straight year and Rick Wood became the first Panther to be named Freshman of the Year, as voted on by league coaches.

Burger, a senior from Fort Branch, Ind./Gibson Southern HS, led the Panthers in six offensive categories: eight home runs, 40 RBIs, .517 slugging percentage, 78 total bases, .438 on base percentage, 30 base on balls, and 47 games played and started. He also recorded a second-best .318 batting average, 48 hits, 30 runs scored, 151 at bats, 179 putouts and 81 assists plus had a fourth-best six doubles.

The four-year starter leaves Kentucky Wesleyan with five career records: 172 games played, 162 games started, 520 at bats, 39 doubles and 85 base on balls. Burger also ranks in the top 10 in five other career lists: second in RBIs (104); third in hits (173), home runs (19), and runs scored (120); and seventh in batting average (.333). He also holds three season records: games played (54), games started (54), and base on balls (35)

The coaches chose Burger to the utility position since he played third base, shortstop, catcher and first base for the Panthers this season.

Wood, a right-handed pitcher from Cincinnati/Elder HS, had 11 starts in 14 appearances including five completed games and one save. He led the Panthers with a 3.73 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 89.1 innings pitched. His record was 2-6 overall.

The Panthers finished the season with a 20-27 record under second-year head coach Greg McVey.

Kentucky Wesleyan College
Office of Sports Information
270-926-3111

07/11/06
pickeril@kwc.edu