COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Virginia Peninsula Community College named Mariah Parker its new women’s basketball coach.
It’s her first time heading a college program, and she’s excited about the quality of play in the area, which she thinks will make the Gators competitive from the start.
“I’ve seen Virginia basketball in my AAU coaching. … There’s so much talent in this area,” she said in a VPCC release.
Providing an opportunity for women to play beyond high school near home also attracted her. “I had to do it,” she said. “I think there is so much interest.”
At an on-campus event July 12, eight potential players showed up to learn about the college, meet the coach and enroll for the fall semester.
“She has great tenacity and drive,” Chris Moore, VPCC’s athletics director and men’s basketball coach, said in the release. “I think she’s going to be an incredible hire for us. She’s somebody that can really, really relate to the young ladies.”
Her priority is finalizing the 2023-24 schedule, then building the foundation for a successful program by stressing teamwork and togetherness.
Most recently, Parker spent two seasons as the girls coach at Voyager Academy High in Durham, North Carolina. Her team was ranked in the top 10 in the state’s IA East category and hosted and won a state playoff game for the first time in school history. She was the conference Coach of the Year.
Parker replaces Keith Stagg, who had been the coach since 2018. The Gators went 3-7 in the 2022-23 season. Parker’s husband, Dominic, is an assistant men’s basketball coach at Christopher Newport.
Brooks signs contract extension with Hokies
Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks signed a three-year contract extension through March 2029 after taking the Hokies to their first ACC Tournament title and Final Four last season.
Highlights of the contract include a six-year deal totaling $6.4 million, as well as other enhancements made to support staff salaries, the assistant coach salary pool, postseason bonuses and operating budget.
Brooks, a former James Madison player and coach who enters his eighth season at Tech in 2023-24, owns a 155-74 record with the Hokies, including a 62-56 mark in ACC play. The Hokies were 31-5 last season.
“Kenny Brooks and his staff’s commitment to Virginia Tech and women’s basketball exemplifies hard work, determination and dedication to excellence and sets the standard for what college sports should be regarding academics, character and performance,” athletic director Whit Babcock said in a release.
ACADEMIC HONORS
ODU basketball, lacrosse athletes recognized
P.J. Gill of Old Dominion was named to the 2022-23 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court, which honors athletes who excelled in academics.
Gill graduated with a degree in leadership in May after playing for two seasons. He was a team captain last season and saw action in six games, starting against Marshall on Senior Night.
The Honors Court includes juniors, seniors and graduate students who finished the year with a grade-point average of 3.2 or better.
Twenty-six ODU women’s lacrosse athletes were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. All of them maintained a 3.0 GPA or better in the fall.
HORSE RACING
‘Front Run,’ ‘Sassy’ race to key triumphs
Front Run the Fed and Sassy Beast gained key victories in weekend races at Colonial Downs at New Kent County.
Front Run the Fed, trained by Calo Caramori, won the $150,000 Van Clief Stakes with David Cabrera as the jockey.Sassy Beast, owned by Angel Rodriguez, won the $150,000 Andy Guest Stakes.
