Richmond Free Press
A8 January 12-14, 2017
Sports Stories by Fred Jeter Tavon Mealy excels at most aspects of basketball, especially the winning part. You can say the same about Walter Williams. Virginia Union University’s Mealy and Virginia State University’s Williams both have danced to a steady drum beat of team success throughout their young careers. Both will try and add to their legacy of victory in the 22nd Annual Freedom Classic Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Richmond Coliseum. Under Coach Lonnie Blow Jr., defending CIAA champion VSU entered the week 11-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play after last Sunday’s victory over Livingstone College. VUU, much improved under second-year Coach Jay Butler, began the week 12-4 overall and 4-0 in the CIAA with an 83-75 win Monday over visiting St. Augustine’s University. Both squads have their sights set on a CIAA title and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. While VUU and VSU recruit nationally, it’s always a blessing to land quality local players such as Mealy and Williams. Consider their glossy credentials: Mealy, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior, looks more suited to the gridiron than the basketball court. But don’t let his appearance fool you. As a senior at Richmond’s Armstrong High School, Mealy earned All-Region honors in helping Coach Darryl Watts’ Wildcats to a 24-4 record, arguably the best in school history. Moving to Richard Bland College in Peters-
VUU takes on VSU Sunday at the 2017 Freedom Classic Coach Butler
Coach Blow
burg, Mealy was a ringleader Williams is another inspirin the Statesmen’s drive to ing success story. When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 As a junior at Henrico the National Junior College Where: Richmond Coliseum, High School, he spurred Division II crown. 601 E. Leigh St. Ti c k e t s : $ 2 0 a t w w w. the Warriors to a runner-up In the two seasons prior freedomclassicfestival.com or finish in the state 5A Divito Mealy arriving at VUU, by calling VSU at (804) 524-5030 sion. During his senior year, the Panthers were 15-38. or VUU at (804) 342-3887. Henrico High won the title, With Mealy, VUU has gone routing Norfolk’s Norview 26-18 over two seasons. He High School 78-64 in the has been a catalyst with his powerful inside play. He averages 11.3 points state final to finish 28-1. “Walter is a talent, that is for sure,” said per game and six rebounds while hitting .547 VSU Coach Blow. “He’s the kind of guy we from the field. “Tavon is so strong and he has great foot- like to bring in. He understands the sacrifice, work,” said Coach Butler. “He played a lot of what it takes to win.” Coach Blow said either he or one of his soccer when he was younger and it shows in assistants attended “almost every game” Wilhow swiftly he moves his feet.”
VCU beats UMass; ready for Davidson on Saturday
Rachael Pecota, 26, brings uniqueness to Lady Panthers Small, private HBCUs such as Virginia Union University sometimes must explore off the beaten path for talent. Even area health clubs can be on the search list. Rachael Pecota had been away from organized basketball some five years when her jump shot was spotted at American Family Fitness in Midlothian. “I saw Rachael at open gym and thought to myself, ‘This girl can really play,’ ” said VUU Assistant Coach Jasmine Young. “So we started talking.” The chitchat led to Pecota, who had been working at a kindergarten, enrolling at VUU and joining the powerhouse Lady Panthers. She has quickly emerged as a bona fide 3-point threat. “Rachael has an amazing shot with a quick release,” said VUU head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert. “Also she has a tremendous basketball IQ.” The 6-footer joined the Lady Panthers at the start of spring semester and has become a dangerous long-distance hit. During the last three games, all VUU victories, she has connected with the basket. On Jan. 2 against Winston-Salem State University, she connected on three of four treys, scoring nine points. On Jan. 5, in VUU’s game against Shaw University, she hit four of seven 3-pointers for 16 points. And last Saturday against Fayetteville State University, she made two of four treys for six points. Her 60 percent accuracy from behind the arc helped the Lady Panthers go to 12-0 and look very much like the clear favorite to win a second straight CIAA title. “I know it’s a unique situation, but I’ve never felt more at home,” Pecota told the Free Press. Pecota is surely “unique” in terms of her age — she turns 26 this month — and her race. The tall blonde becomes the first Caucasian ever to suit up for VUU women’s hoops. On the men’s side, there have been two white players, Tommy Leary in the early 1970s and Vance Harmon in the early 1990s.
Pecota arrives on Lombardy Street with an intriguing hoops résumé, albeit one that needs freshening up. From San Francisco, she graduated from The Urban School in San Francisco’s HaightAshbury neighborhood in 2009 and was rated the 25th best wing in the nation by ESPN/HoopGurlz. From numerous offers, she chose Northeastern University in Boston and led the Colonial Athletic Association school in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (6.2) in 2011. In a notable game against Syracuse University, Pecota nailed seven 3-pointers en route to 25 points. Then things became complicated. It almost reads like a sequel from “The Natural” — the mysterious, older athlete coming out of nowhere to defy Father Time and rediscover stardom. She speaks of a “hardship back home” that led to taking time off. Then there was an ACL tear for Pecota that required major surgery and rehabilitation. She transferred to Fresno State and San Francisco State University, but never played at either California school. Having given up the college dream, she moved to Powhatan County two years ago to be near her mother, Jennifer. “I’ve always had a thing for the East Coast going back to when I was playing AAU,” she said. “It’s like I was destined to live on this side of the country.” She landed a job caring for children during the day and returned to the basketball court at night, facing almost all-male competition at American Family Fitness in Midlothian. “I scouted out all the gyms, looking for one with an open gym,” she recalled. “Growing up, I was always the only girl in the pickup games, so that (playing men) didn’t bother me at all.” Despite wearing a heavy knee brace, Pecota held her own against the men and, in so doing, caught Coach Young’s eye. “I had been going to American Family for years, and before Rachael, I was usu-
Anna Wilson playing at Stanford after previous injury Anna Wilson’s clean bill of health spells trouble for upcoming opponents of Stanford University’s women’s basketball team. Wilson, a Richmond native and sister of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, was held out of the Pac-12 school’s early action due to a concussion suffered last March at the McDonald’s All-America Classic in Chicago. The touted freshman debuted for Anna Wilson Stanford on Dec. 28 with 11 points against Yale. In her first three games, she played 34 minutes, averaging six points for the 12-3 Cardinal. The 5-foot-9 guard played her eighth- through 11th-grade seasons at Collegiate School in Western Henrico County. She moved for her senior year to Bellevue, Wash., with her mother Tammy, where she led Bellevue High School to a 29-0 record and a Washington 3A state title. Bellevue is a short distance from Seattle, just across Lake Washington. Wilson committed to Stanford University while a sophomore at Collegiate.
liams played for Henrico during its glory run to the state title. Landing Williams helped jump-start a VSU program long overdue for a first-place trophy. When Williams arrived at VSU in the fall of 2015, VSU hadn’t won a CIAA title since 1988. With his help, the Trojans won the CIAA and advanced to the NCAA playoffs. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound wing is averaging eight points and three rebounds per game, with 15 3-point hits. When it comes to spectacular dunks, few are more entertaining than the high flyer from Henrico. “I just try and get better every day, to be a good teammate,” said Williams. “If you put the time in during practice, it becomes muscle memory in games.” This will be the first of two VUU-VSU matchups this winter that will go a long way in determining the CIAA Northern Division champ. The backyard rivals will meet again at 4 p.m. Feb. 4, at VUU’s Barco-Stevens Hall. It marks first time VSU will have traveled to VUU’s gymnasium in some time. Last year, VSU played VUU at the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center in Richmond. For several years previously, the Trojans and the Panthers met at Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center as part of the Big Apple Classic. One person who might be riding the fence for this year’s Freedom Classic is Vance Harmon. VUU alumnus Harmon was a member of the Panthers’ 1992 NCAA Division II national championship team. But more recently, he was Williams’ coach at Henrico High School.
ally t h e only girl,” s a i d Coach Yo u n g , w h o starred at Monacan High School in Chesterfield County and East Carolina University before getting into coaching. Pecota hails from athletic stock. Her father, the late Scott Pecota, was a football lineman at Idaho State University, and a cousin, Bill Pecota, played eight seasons in Major League Baseball, mostly with the Kansas City Royals. Pecota has the remainder of this season and one more at VUU, where she plans to major in sociology or criminal justice. “I’m in a great situation,” she said, her brown eyes sparkling. “I’m back in school, playing with a great bunch of girls,” she said. “I’m expecting nothing less than a national championship.”
Just prior to the Atlantic 10 tournament in March, conference coaches will gather in Pittsburgh to vote on the A-10 Player of the Year. Two top candidates for the honor will be facing off Saturday, Jan. 14, when Virginia Commonwealth University travels to Davidson College in suburban Charlotte, N.C. The Rams’ JeQuan Lewis and the Wildcats’ Jack Gibbs are compiling credentials worthy of postseason hardware. Lewis, a 6-foot-2 senior from Tennessee, averages 16 points, 4.4 assists, 2.3 steals and is the most consistent reason why VCU carried a 13-3 record — 3-0 in the A-10 — and a seven-game winning streak into this week. Lewis saved all 17 of his points for the second half in the Rams’ 81-64 win last Saturday over the UniRams on Tobacco Road versity of Massachusetts Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Siegel Center. Virginia Commonwealth University Lewis’ effort offset a plays at Davidson College in North 22-point, 11-rebound, Carolina four-blocked shot efTipoff: 2 p.m. Game to be televised fort by Rashaan Holloon the CBS Sports Network. way, UMass’ 6-foot-11, 320-pound center. Gibbs, a 6-foot senior from Ohio, averages 22.3 points, 4.3 assists and leads the A-10 with 2.9 3-point hits per game. While Gibbs has slightly better individual numbers, Lewis has the clear edge in team performance. Davidson was 8-6 overall, 1-2 in the conference entering this week. VCU has been the A-10’s dominant team since entering the league in 2012, compiling an overall 63-21 mark against conference foes. The Rams are still looking for their first Player of the Year, however. Last year, senior Melvin Johnson was All-Atlantic-10, joining Gibbs on first team. Last year’s Player of the Year, St. Joseph’s DeAndre Bembry, left school a year early and is now with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Despite its 15 NCAA appearances, including six straight years, VCU has a relatively short list of conference Players of the Year. They are Calvin Duncan (1983, Sun Belt Conference), Bernard Hopkins (1996, Colonial Athletic Association) and Eric Maynor (2008 and 2009, CAA). Following its victory over UMass, VCU moved to 30th (out of some 350) on the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which largely determines NCAA selections and seeds. Also VCU’s schedule is rated 46th toughest nationally to this point.
Mike London headed to Howard Howard University is a perennial football underdog perhaps known more for its dynamic “Showtime” Marching Band than for its gridiron success. Michael London, HU’s new football Coach London coach at age 56, hopes to change that image by sandwiching some improved football around the glitzy halftime performances. London, the former University of Richmond (2008-2009) and University of Virginia (2010-2015) head coach, has been named to succeed Gary Harrell at the MEAC school in Washington. A formal announcement is expected this week. Coach London doesn’t have a hard act to follow in the nation’s capital. Coach Harrell’s Bison were 18-27 four previous seasons, including 2-9 this past autumn. Howard’s trophy case isn’t exactly bursting at the seams. Having started football in 1893, the Bison has won just two CIAA titles — 1912 and 1914 — and just one MEAC
crown in 1993. Howard moved from the CIAA to MEAC in 1970. By comparison, the “Showtime” Marching Band has been invited to play at six NFL stadiums, including in their hometown, Washington. Other notable invites for the band have been for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and the 56th Inaugural Parade for President Obama. Coach London, a former UR defensive back, has felt the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat on the coaching sidelines. At UR, he directed the Spiders to a 2008 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) title and an overall 24-5 record. It didn’t go nearly as well at U.Va., where he was 27-46 in six seasons, including 0-6 against archrival Virginia Tech. He resigned following the 2015 campaign. Coach London’s combined record coaching at the two schools is 51-51. This past season, he served as an assistant coach for a University of Maryland squad that went 6-7. Pigskin optimism is brewing in D.C., despite a lackluster history.
A likely quarterback candidate for Coach London will be Caylin Newton, the younger brother of former Heisman Trophy winner and current NFL star Cam Newton. Caylin Newton The younger Newton has committed to Howard University and plans to enroll this semester. As a senior quarterback this past season at Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta, Newton passed for 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns and ran for 1,036 yards and 13 touchdowns. Returning for the Bison is running back Anthony Philyaw, who rushed for 1,230 yards as a junior while earning All-MEAC honors. Howard is hoping some combination of London’s coaching, Newton’s quarterbacking and Philyaw’s running might add up to better results on football Saturdays. No one likes seeing the fans leaving after the halftime show.