Down the Line: Marty Miller, Paul Keyes, Norbie Wilson to be inducted into Virginia Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Norfolk State’s Marty Miller, Newport News native Paul Keyes of VCU and First Colonial High’s Norbie Wilson were among 10 people named to the inaugural class of the Virginia Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
They will be recognized Dec. 9 during the VBCA’s annual convention at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks. The reception is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased at vbca.org.
Early this year, Miller became the fourth HBCU baseball coach inducted to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In his 32 seasons with Spartans, his teams were 718-543-3 with 17 conference titles. He was the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year 15 times.
Keyes, a star player for Ferguson High who graduated from Old Dominion in 1984, coached VCU to a 603-423-1 record and eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 18 years. The four-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year died of cancer in 2012 at age 50.
Wilson won 417 games and 14 district titles in 26 seasons as First Colonial’s coach. His 1993 squad won the state Group AAA championship, went 28-0 and was ranked sixth nationally by USA Today.
Wilson also has coached at The College of the Albemarle, Norfolk Academy and Bryant & Stratton.
Also to be inducted, with the team(s) they coached the most, are: Ron Atkins (J.R. Tucker High and the Richmond Spiders), Bill Brown (George Mason), Jim Cutler (Liberty High of Bedford), Tom Harding (Honaker High), Chuck Hartman (Virginia Tech), Mack Shupe (J.J. Kelly and J.I. Burton High) and Ron Tugwell (West Springfield High).
Youth football: The 10-and-under Portsmouth Bruins and the 11-and-under Virginia Assassins of Chesapeake are heading to national championship tournaments in Florida from Dec. 3-10, and both teams have started GoFundMe pages to help cover travel costs.
The Bruins are going to the Pop Warner Super Bowl tournament near Orlando. The Assassins are heading to the United Youth Football League National Championship in Tampa.
They are at https://gf.me/v/c/gfm/portsmouth-bruins and https://gf.me/v/c/gfm/va-assassins-11u-head-to-national-championships, respectively.
Clippers provide state’s best routine: Grafton won the VHSL state Class 4 championship this fall in competition cheer, putting together a memorable performance in the finals Nov. 5 at VCU’s Siegel Center.
The Clippers’ Morgan Voss was honored as the Class 4 Cheerleader of the Year, and Grafton’s Mikaela Burling was honored as the Coach of the Year.
Besides Grafton, schools who took region titles included Hickory, Nansemond River and New Kent.
What’s coming up
Monday: Bryant & Stratton’s men’s basketball team, off to a 5-1 start, will meet Wake Technical Community College at 7 p.m. in Atlantic Shores’ gym in Chesapeake.
Wednesday: Virginia Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team will host defending NCAA Division III champion Randolph-Macon, the nation’s preseason No. 1 team, at 7 p.m. in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play at TowneBank Arena. ... Old Dominion’s women’s basketball team will meet Temple at 6:30 p.m. at Chartway Arena. Guard Jasha Clinton from Princess Anne High is one of the Owls’ top players.
Thursday: William & Mary will play host to Richmond in women’s basketball at 7 p.m. at Kaplan Arena.
Saturday: W&M fans can enjoy a doubleheader of key matchups, with the Tribe competing at 2 p.m. at Zable Stadium in its first home FCS playoff game since 2015. Then, at 7 in Kaplan Arena, W&M will play host to defending Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Richmond in men’s basketball. ... Apprentice School’s men’s basketball team will play host to Cheyney of Pennsylvania at 4 p.m. in Newport News. ... Indoor track competition heats up with the CNU Holiday Open at Freeman Center in Newport News.
