Lewis, who was once recognized as the Rookie of the Week in 2013, is the first Knight to garner the recognition since 麻豆原创 joined the league last year.

The Bartow, Fla., was bestowed the honor after her unstoppable performance in the Knights’ season-opening win over FAU on Friday. She set a new conference record for points in a game (41), topping UConn’s Breanna Stewart’s standard of 37 points. Her outing also stood out among 麻豆原创’s all-time best performances in a series of categories:

In addition to her recognition from the conference, Lewis was also singled out as College Sports Madness’ AAC Player of the Week.

On a September 2011 morning after a workout, , then a freshman on the 麻豆原创 women’s basketball team, picked up the phone. At the other end of the connection was the hysterical voice of her mother.

The home she grew up in had gone up in flames. A space heater had ignited a blaze. Thankfully, everyone was okay.

But at head coach urging, Blair hopped on a plane and flew home to Chicago so she could be with her family through the devastating time. As they sat in a hotel room that night, Blair and her family didn’t dwell on the priceless memories now incinerated.

Instead, the family made a pact. That night, they began to brand themselves as the “Blair Six” with an understanding that encompassed the whole idea of the Blair family: togetherness.

“We all knew that we should have been down because everything was pretty much ruined,” Blair’s father, Eric, said. “We were smiling and joking and our spirits were high. We knew that night that we had everything that we needed.”

According to Blair’s father, the “Blair Six” pact was more like a creed, a creed that showed great character. It’s the very character Blair has displayed while overcoming two season-ending ACL tears in order to return to the court next month in the 2014-15 麻豆原创 season opener.

Blair’s love of and history with basketball started at the age of 10, when her uncle encouraged her to join a league after he watched her shoot during a family barbecue.

“I was the only girl in the whole entire league,” Blair said. “I kind of grew up playing with guys and then it kind of carried on into middle school, where I played on an all-boys team again and being the only girl in the league.”

It wasn’t until high school that Blair finally played with an all-girls team after moving in with her aunt in order to attend elite basketball school, Whitney Young. During her time at Whitney Young, the four-year varsity player helped lead her team to the 2008 Illinois State Championship and the 2009 and 2010 Chicago City Championships.

When the time came for college, the move to 麻豆原创 was an easy decision for Blair. She wanted a change and thought 麻豆原创 felt like home.

“It’s like a family atmosphere,” Blair said. “I had that family atmosphere with the girls I played with in high school, so it was like a perfect fit.”

Her sophomore year with the Knights proved to have a new set of challenges when she tore her ACL during a preseason practice, landing wrong after a layup.

While disappointed that she could not play the game she loved, knowing that her family was behind her was all the motivation that she needed stay positive and to fight her way back to recovery.

“We kind of brand ourselves as the `Blair Six,'” Blair said. “It’s just a reminder to know that if you are going through something, these five other people are going through it with you.”

She worked hard in therapy and the weight room to come back for the 2013-14 season, but once again, an awkward landing benched her with an ACL tear in the other knee. “I just couldn’t believe it,” Blair said. “I thought `not again.’ I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do.”

The first tear, according to Blair, was more frustrating. The second, she said, was more disheartening as she battled through questions of self-doubt and self-pity.

“I had a talk with my Dad,” Blair said. “That kind of just helped me to know that all of this stuff is just going to prepare me for something greater and there was no need for me to put my head down. So I might as well go into this with a positive attitude and do what I have to do to get back on the court.”

Even though her injuries have kept her off the court on game day since March 7, 2012, she has found other ways to contribute. As the oldest of four Blair children, she was a leader at home. She has also become a natural leader for the Knights.

“As far as being a leader, I kind of thank them for my success now,” Blair said. “I have to set good examples for them and make sure that they know what’s expected from a family standpoint, from a team standpoint, a program standpoint.”

Blair’s father refers to her as the cornerstone of their family.

“It is unbelievable,” Blair’s father said. “Just the strength that she had, to go through that a second time, was a sign of what my wife and I have instilled in her. She definitely has shown her strength and earned that respect from her teammates. Everybody looks up to her.”

Blair sees both injuries now as blessings in disguise. She feels she has learned more about the game, what it takes to be more of a leader for her team, for her family, and to be grateful for the things she has.

“I have learned to cherish everything you have in the moment,” Blair said. “Because it can be gone in the blink of an eye.”

Winners are chosen based on the 2013-14 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution鈥檚 roster as of the last contest of the championship segment in each conference-sponsored sport.

The squad has posted a GPA of 3.0 or better in four of its last five semesters in the classroom, including a program-best 3.31 in spring 2014.

Under head coach Joi Williams, 麻豆原创 has had 14 student-athletes earn 27 conference honor roll distinctions. In addition, Kayli Keough (Class of 2013) earned the most prestigious and significant student award that can be attained at the university, the . The honor recognizes exemplary performance by 麻豆原创 undergraduate students in the areas of academic achievement, outstanding university involvement, leadership, and community service.

Williams is set to serve her eighth season with the Knights, who return four starters, including league All-Freshman selection Zykira Lewis.

Following the opener, the UKNIGHT Tour will move up to Seminole County and Orlando Sanford International Airport Tuesday evening.

After week one, the tour will make stops in Melbourne on May 1, downtown Orlando on May 7, Tampa on May 8, The Villages on May 9, West Palm Beach on May 23 and Fort Lauderdale on May 24.

For more information on the entire tour and to RSVP, call the Golden Knights Club at (407) 882-1289 or visit /athletics/.

Monday will mark the first time the annual tour will feature a stop on campus. New Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury will be joined by Head Football Coach George O’Leary, Head Men’s Basketball Coach Donnie Jones, Head Women’s Basketball Coach , Head Baseball Coach , Head Men’s Soccer Coach , Head Women’s Soccer Coach Amanda Cromwell, Head Volleyball Coach , Head Rowing Coach and Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach 聽for the kickoff event. Meanwhile, Stansbury, Coach O’Leary and Dagenais will be on hand Tuesday as well.

Every event will run from 6-8 p.m. and feature giveaways and prize drawings. The programs begin with a meet-and-greet highlighted by free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Marc Daniels, the Voice of the Knights, and former 麻豆原创 men’s basketball standout Mike O’Donnell聽will emcee the tour.

Representatives from other 麻豆原创 sports programs, the Golden Knights Club, the 麻豆原创 Alumni Association and 麻豆原创 Athletics also will be attending the events.

>2012 UKNIGHT Tour Week One – All Tour Stops Run From 6-8 p.m.
Monday, April 23 –
East Orlando (Kick-off Event)
J. Rolfe Davis Recruiting Lounge at Bright House Networks Stadium
Parking: Lots E6 & E7
Featured Guests: Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury, Head Football Coach George O’Leary, Head Women’s Basketball Coach , Head Baseball Coach , Head Volleyball Coach , Head Men’s Soccer Coach , Head Women’s Soccer Coach Amanda Cromwell, Head Rowing Coach , Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach

Tuesday, April 24 –
Seminole County
South East Ramp at Orlando Sanford International Airport
2150 Spinner Lane
Sanford, FL 32773
407-998-2059
Featured Guests: Todd Stansbury, George O’Leary,

Patrick has worked her way onto a number of 麻豆原创’s career record lists this season: steals (No. 2, 281), points scored (No. 7, 1,183), rebounds (No. 3, 814), assists (No. 4, 354), free throws made (No. 6, 267) and double-doubles (No. 5, 17). She is the only Knight in school history to have tallied 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists.

Patrick is the only active guard in C-USA to have recorded at least 10 career double-doubles. This season, Patrick averaged 14 points per game and 8.7 rebounds, both among the top 10 totals in C-USA.

The senior captain has led 麻豆原创 in scoring a team-high 13 games and has scored in double figures in a team-high 21 games. She has paced 麻豆原创 in rebounding nine games and has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 11 games this season.

Patrick, who was named to the 2010-11 C-USA All-Defensive Team, has started all but one of her 118 games played.

Those knock-down, dragged-out pick-up games were doozies between the much taller Kayli and the much faster Meghan. But in a strange sort of way, those competitive battles helped form the unbreakable bond between the two sisters who currently star for the 麻豆原创 women’s basketball team.

“I picked on her a lot, especially when we played basketball in the driveway,” remembered Kayli, now a 6-foot-2 power forward for the Knights. “I obviously had my growth spurt before she did, so I was a lot bigger. And then she got really fast, so I had to chase her around and she’d burn me off the dribble. Those were wars. We used to go back and forth, and somebody would get mad and say something or chuck the ball in the bush and run into the house. We’d get really mad at one another.

“But now my sister is my best friend,” Kayli continued. “We get along so well and I always know that she’s going to tell me the truth. It’s good to have that backbone here with me in college.”

The Keough sisters are getting the chance to bond once again and play together at 麻豆原创 due to a stroke of fate. Meghan, a true freshman guard, committed to 麻豆原创 first following a stellar high school career where she led Tampa Catholic to two state titles. Kayli, a redshirt junior, originally attended Florida State, but transferred to 麻豆原创 last year after her sister suggested that she look into 麻豆原创’s program.

Now, they are reunited and both are playing well for the Knights (3-4), who host Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday at 7 p.m. at 麻豆原创 Arena. Kayli moved into the starting lineup over the Thanksgiving holiday and has scored 23 and 13 points in the past two games, respectively, and is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game. Meghan has struggled with her jump shot and the faster pace of the college game, but she is still averaging 6.9 points and 2.1 rebounds and has made five starts.

“It’s tough for all freshmen, but Meghan is making the transition,” 麻豆原创 head coach Joi Williams said. “One thing about her is that she is going to try to do things right. The pace of the game is different, but she’ll learn quickly because she’s very smart. You can tell her something one time and she understands it. And we have a lot of confidence in Kayli to knock down shots, but she has to be confident in herself. She’s shown in the last couple of games that she can do it. She sees that we need her to score. I feel confident about Kayli’s future, and she’s only going to get better and better as time goes by.”

The Keough sisters’ seamless transition to a 麻豆原创 program that has won two Conference USA titles in the past three years has come about because of the many hours they spent as children honing their basketball skills. When father Michael, a former college football player at Tennessee Tech, wasn’t out in the driveway putting the girls through drills, they were usually going at one another in those heated pick-up games. And the showdowns usually didn’t end until one sister stormed off the court in a huff.

“Kayli was in middle school and was already 5-11, and I was a tiny little thing. I’d go to the basket all of the time and I never learned, and it was block, block, block,” Meghan recalled. “Finally, I got to the age where I could figure it out and make some moves. But usually I’d throw the ball and run inside crying. Really, we’re the complete opposites, but I think that’s why we get along so well.”

Kayli is the shy, more reserved sister, while Meghan is the more self-confident, outgoing personality. They briefly shared a bedroom as kids and would argue over minor details about whether the door should be shut or opened at night. Now that they are roommates once again in college, they can’t possibly imagine going this time in their lives without each other.

“She’s more soft-spoken and I’ll just kind of say it how it is. But we’re good for one another in that way. She calms me down and I get her going,” Meghan said. “Going into college is such a big transition and it can be so hard on freshmen transitioning to school and being on a new team. But having Kayli here, it makes it so easy for me. It’s almost like I’m back at home again. There’s somebody that I can talk to about anything. You have bad freshman days sometimes, but I have someone there for me. She gets on to me and tells me when I really struggled in practice. So we get in the gym together late at night and shoot.”

The only people more excited about Kayli and Meghan getting the opportunity to play together are their parents, Michael and Lisa Keough, and 13-year-old brother Michael. Lisa hasn’t missed a 麻豆原创 game all season, and the only high school game of Meghan’s that Michael missed was the state title game when his car was hit near the driveway of their family home.

These days, 麻豆原创 games have turned into somewhat of a Keough family reunion with parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts running through the crowd. And admittedly, it will dawn on the sisters from time to time how lucky they are to be playing basketball with one another yet again. Only now, they are teammates and there’s no bad blood over who fouled whom and which one knocked the ball out of bounds.

“Growing up together, we developed the same type of game. I can tell when I’m feeding the post that I know what Kayli likes and where she wants the ball. That just helps us and it will eventually help the team, as well,” Meghan said. “My parents couldn’t be happier. My grandparents, uncles and aunts can all come over to games now. When we were growing up one parent would always have to split and go with one girl, and the other parent would go with the other one because we were always on different AAU teams. But now they will not miss a single game.”

Added Kayli: “There are times when me and Meghan will get that inkling or catch each other’s eye out on the court and just know what the other one is going to do. When Meghan does something good, I’m just so proud of her because that’s my baby sister. I’m always excited for her. She’s rooting for me and I’m rooting for her.”

But on Oct. 11 when Angelica accepted the Courageous Student-Athlete award at the National Consortium for Academics and Sports Giant Steps awards banquet, Laurie was in the room, captivated by Angelica’s every movement and spoken word.

“I know I got an award for being a courageous student-athlete,” Angelica said, “but I think that took a lot of courage for her to come, too.”

Laurie got pregnant at a young age, so the two shared a relationship more like that of best friends rather than mother and daughter. Life changed for Angelica at the age of 15.

As a single parent and high-school dropout, Laurie had difficulty finding a job and turned to exotic dancing to pay the bills and support her family, which now included a 6-year-old brother for Angelica. Angelica noticed her mother’s behavior started to change, but she thought it was solely because of her mother’s late-night work schedule.

“Having never been around [drugs], I didn’t know the symptoms,” Angelica said. “Finally, at my high school graduation I saw her asleep in the front row. I just knew that wasn’t my best friend anymore.”

She pleaded with her mother’s closest friend, whom she calls Aunt Roshonda, to tell her what was going on. She finally told Angelica her mother had been abusing drugs and her dependency was getting worse.

Angelica headed off to college, but she carried with her the weight of her mother’s drug addiction, which was leading to arrests and jail sentences. During her first two years at 麻豆原创, when she wasn’t in class or on the basketball court, she didn’t want to leave her bedroom.

“I was always scared that one day I would get a call saying she overdosed,” Mealing said. “I rarely heard from her. The only time I was sane with the situation was when I knew she was in jail because I knew she was clean. I knew she had a roof over her head and I knew she was OK.”

She did not talk about the situation with anyone. Her grades were mediocre, and she admits she had a bad attitude and a smart mouth when it came to life with the basketball team.

Women’s basketball head coach Joi Williams did not give Angelica an inch. The two butted heads frequently during those first two seasons, but Williams refused to give up on her player. She continually preached that no matter what the circumstance, Angelica could not use her pent-up anger as an excuse for her whole life. She needed to try to break the cycle.

“My hope was that if I could help her, it would be well worth it,” Williams said. “I care deeply about each one of my athletes. I will never give up on them, especially when they are making an effort to better themselves and move in a positive direction. It gives me great satisfaction when I look at her now and see the woman she has become and how much she has grown. I am extremely proud of her.”

Looking back on the experience, Angelica grasps why Williams was just as uncompromising in her opinions as Angelica was in her own at the time.

“Coach is concerned about life on the court, but she’s more concerned about what we’re going to do after basketball is over and the women that we’re going to become,” Mealing said. “I understand that now. I can say I appreciate why she was so hard on us and on me in particular.”

As her junior year got underway, Angelica found a new perspective. She doesn’t remember an exact moment that made everything click. All she can recall is knowing that she needed a change.

“Progressively, I started taking baby steps because I knew I couldn’t keep living like this,” Angelica said. “I wasn’t going to get myself anywhere. I was going to lose my scholarship and end up back home doing God knows what.”

Her attitude improved. She pulled her grades up. She was having fun again.

Last year, her senior year, another blow came: She required season-ending knee surgery in February after tearing her ACL. She was devastated.

She knew the team needed her, so she remained a leader on the sideline. For the rest of the season, the Knights dedicated every minute on the court to her.

“As a team, we always talk about when times get hard, what are you going to think about? What’s going to drive you to do better?” Williams said. “Jelly was the motivation that they chose. It was very fitting because she certainly was motivation for me and the coaching staff – just knowing what she had been through and realizing she wasn’t going to play any more games. We did everything in our power so that we would be in a position to win a championship her senior year.”

When the streamers burst from the Don Haskins Center ceiling to signal 麻豆原创’s second championship in three years, Angelica was there on crutches, smiling. The team elected her to accept the trophy on its behalf and also pushed her to be the first to climb the ladder to cut the net.

“I needed that,” Angelica said. “To know that they were out there playing for me, it meant a lot. It was just an amazing feeling. The coaches, trainers, teammates, everybody was very supportive. There were plenty of times over that 2-3 month span where I broke down, and they were always there to pick me up.”

For as long as Angelica can remember, basketball was the only passion in her life. Then she heard about 麻豆原创’s DeVos Sport Business Management program.

Angelica credits 麻豆原创 director of student services Marcus Sedberry and women’s basketball team academic advisor Sarah Hill as the two driving influences that pushed her toward the renowned program. Angelica was scared to apply; fearful she wouldn’t be accepted. Sedberry and Hill insistently encouraged her to give it a shot.

It was then that Angelica opened up about her life in an essay to earn admittance to the program. That essay was grounds for her nomination to the Giant Steps Courageous Student-Athlete award presented by the NCAS.

“It was one of the biggest highlights of my life,” Angelica said.

About a month before the awards banquet, Laurie completed another sentence in jail. When Angelica spoke to her mother over the phone to invite her to the ceremony, it had been months since she had heard her voice.

Laurie did not know her daughter had written an essay detailing her life’s hardships for the past seven years, but she promised Angelica that she wouldn’t miss this moment for anything. Laurie arrived in Orlando a day before the banquet and Angelica shared her essay and her perspective with her mother for the first time.

“She said that it hurt but that it was something she needed to hear,” Mealing said. “Like I said at the banquet, I just leave it in God’s hands. Whatever happens is meant to happen, but I know one day she’ll get out of it. Hopefully this was the push that she needed.”

Mealing graduated with her bachelor’s degree in December 2010 and will graduate with her master’s from the DeVos program in December 2012. She doesn’t know what the future holds, but she is certain basketball will play a role in it.

“I feel like basketball saved my life,” Mealing said, “and any way I can give back to the sport, I want to do it.”

In 2010-11, Williams guided 麻豆原创 to one of the finest campaigns in program history. The Knights won 22 games, posted a 12-4 mark in C-USA play and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the C-USA Championship in El Paso, Texas. Williams also led the Knights to the 2009 NCAA Tournament after her squad won the league championship crown. She was recognized as the 2008-09 C-USA Coach of the Year.

“Coach Williams has clearly created a culture of winning and success both on the court and in the classroom,” Tribble said. “She has taken our women’s basketball program to new levels and we are thrilled that she will continue to lead our program in the coming years.”

Williams is in her fifth season as 麻豆原创’s head coach. She guided the Knights to the 2011 C-USA Championship crown on the strength of an 11-game winning streak. 麻豆原创 closed out the season on an eight-game run that was followed by three-straight wins in the conference tournament to claim the championship. The 11-game streak and the 20-plus win season were the first by the program in 27 years.

“I have been fortunate and blessed during my time as 麻豆原创’s head coach,” Williams said. “I am excited about the future of our program and I’m extremely grateful to President John Hitt and Keith Tribble for their continued support. With the dedicated commitment of our student-athletes and staff, we have developed a program that each year can compete for conference championships and beyond. It remains our mission to reach even greater heights on the national stage in all facets of our program.”

In 2010-11, six of Williams’ players were named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 or higher grade-point-average.

This past summer, Williams served as an assistant coach for the United States U19 World Championship team, and helped the U.S. claim the gold medal in Chile. In 2010, she worked with the U.S. squad that took the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Williams’ Knights will open the 2011-12 regular season on Nov. 12. 麻豆原创’s first of 18 regular-season games at the 麻豆原创 Arena is set for Nov. 18 against Florida A&M. The home schedule also includes non-conference games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, Hartford and Florida Gulf Coast.

麻豆原创 director of program development Brendan Suhr and Boston Celtics assistant coach Kevin Eastman are two of the most respected figures in basketball. Both have spent time coaching in college, and have also coached at the game’s highest level, the NBA.

As a result of their experience, the duo are the ideal candidates to run a coaching clinic, and will do just that when Coaching U Live is held on the 麻豆原创 campus next week.

For two days, starting on Wednesday, the Venue at 麻豆原创 will be the central point of the basketball coaching community. Over 300 coaches from the high school, college and even professional ranks will be on hand to learn from Suhr, Eastman and an all-star group of guest speakers.

The event, which Suhr and Eastman started in 2009, will be held in Orlando for the first time. Las Vegas served as the host city in each of the previous two years. Now the 麻豆原创 campus will serve as the classroom for the coaches.

“Kevin and I used to do a lot of clinics together,” Suhr said. “We wanted to create a learning event that would take people to another level. It would not be just another basketball clinic. So we worked and brainstormed for six months and we finally arrived on something that was pretty good.”

The “pretty good” focuses on instructing coaches on a variety of topics – not just x’s and o’s. Clinic topics include motivational techniques and leadership in addition to plenty of talk about pick and rolls and zone defense.

“We have been challenging ourselves to take this to another level. We have invited the best of the best to speak and instruct,” Suhr said.

This year, speakers include ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, Nike director of international basketball George Raveling, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and St. John’s assistant coach and former Denver Nuggets assistant coach Mike Dunlap.

Coaching U Live was originally created to instruct college coaches, but its audience has grown.

“The intention at the beginning was to get an NBA faculty to teach college coaches,” Suhr said. “The first 28 people who signed up this year were high school coaches, which is incredible.”

Due to the NBA lockout, Suhr expects several NBA coaches to attend as well. The clinic is being held just before the start of the AAU national tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, so its timing and location is perfect for college coaches on the recruiting trail. 麻豆原创 men’s basketball head coach Donnie Jones and women’s basketball head coach Joi Williams will be in attendance, along with their entire staffs, ready to gain more knowledge.

“We want to create a learning environment. It is all about learning,” Suhr said. “That has been my whole purpose for the last 10 years. I coach coaches. With Kevin, we asked, how do we make the largest impact on the greatest number of coaches? If you are a coach on any level, we think that this clinic is one of the best learning experiences that you can have.”

To learn more, click to visit Coaching U Live.

“Our student-athletes, staff and the program will certainly benefit from his ability to transfer his incredible knowledge of the game and his commitment to elevating those around him to new heights. We are pleased to welcome Coach Bob Starkey to the 麻豆原创 Women’s Basketball family,” Williams added.

“I’m extremely honored about joining the 麻豆原创 family,” Starkey said. “I’ve known Coach Williams for over a decade and while her success speaks for itself, it is the core values of her philosophy that has me excited about being a part of her program.”

Considered one of the top minds in all of college basketball, Starkey served as the associate head coach for the Lady Tigers under Van Chancellor since 2007.

Prior to Chancellor’s arrival in Baton Rouge, Starkey took on the responsibility as the acting head coach at the end of the 2006-07 campaign. Taking over headed into postseason play, Starkey led LSU to its fourth straight Final Four appearance, defeating UNC Asheville, West Virginia, Florida State and No. 1 seed UConn to reach the National Semifinals in Cleveland.

Part of all five Final Fourth berths, three SEC regular season titles and a conference tournament championship at LSU, Starkey spent 13 seasons in total along the Lady Tigers’ sidelines beginning in 1998. Before joining Sue Gunter’s staff, Starkey spent two seasons working in an administrative position with both the men’s and women’s programs.

In his first role at LSU, Starkey served as an assistant with the men’s team from 1990-96. During his time with the Tigers, he worked closely in developing post players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Stanley Roberts and Geert Hammink, all first-round picks in the NBA draft.

Coach Starkey continued to work with post players after joining the LSU women’s program. He was very influential in the development of Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), the second overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. He also coached other WNBA first round picks including Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Temeka Johnson (Phoenix Mercury), Marie Ferdinand (Phoenix Mercury) and Scholanda Robinson (San Antonio Silver Stars).

Before his extended stint at LSU, Starkey spent one year as an assistant at Marshall during the 1988-89 season and three seasons at West Virginia State from 1984-87. In his final season at West Virginia State, he helped guide the Yellow Jackets to NAIA National Championship Game.

“My visit to the 麻豆原创 campus was amazing. It was my first trip here and I can see the ‘wow’ factor that so many have told me about. I was also impressed meeting with Mr. (Keith) Tribble and hearing his vision for our entire athletic department. It’s already easy for me to see why 麻豆原创 is such a special place,” Starkey added.

Starkey is originally from Charleston, W.Va., and is married to the former Sherie Hayslett, a native of Winfield, W.Va.