Coach Ronnie Arrow Retires Effective Immediately, Jeff Price Takes Over As Interim Coach
The University of South Alabama will hold a press conference today at 3pm concerning the Jaguar Basketball program.
They have not released any further information about the press conference or what will be discussed. Matt Weaver will be covering the the press conference and will provide live updates from his twitter account as he is able.
Lots of speculation is being tossed around but nothing has been confirmed at this time. Visit Thunderjags.com and follow Matt on twitter for up-to-the-minute developments.
UPDATE 2:15pm: Unconfirmed report that Coach Ronnie Arrow is retiring and Assistant Coach Jeff Price will take over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.
UPDATE 2:45pm: More reports surfacing that Coach Ronnie Arrow is retiring effective immediately, Jeff Price taking over as Interim head coach. Press conference at 3pm.
UPDATE 3:05pm: Dr. Joel Erdmann reads a written statement from Coach Ronnie Arrow announcing CRA’s retirment effective immediately with Jeff Price taking over as interim head coach. A national search committee will convene after the season to select his replacement. Erdmann said that the reason for retirment is personal in nature. Erdmann did not directly answer question if CRA’s retirment was performance related and said it was “no singular issue,” and “speculation is untrustworthy.” Team was “quiet, surprised” by announcement. Arrow informed team initially of his decision before telling Erdmann, then Erdmann then met with the team. Neither Arrow nor Price attended the press conference.
JSU Announces Hire Of Bill Clark
Former South Alabama defensive Coordinator Bill Clark was named head coach at Jacksonville State on Tuesday, December 18 | jsugamecocksports.com
Jacksonville State University had a good list of potential head coaches to choose from to replace Jack Crow who was let go recently. They received several applications for the job, some with name recognition that made the school officials take notice immediately.
They could have picked someone from a BCS school or someone with prior collegiate head coaching experience but in the end they chose former South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark. Clark will formally be announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
Clark is a 44 year old Anniston native and 1990 graduate from Jacksonville State. He may not have head coaching experience on the collegiate level, but he led Prattville High School to two state 6A championships. His last two teams won 30 consecutive games and the 2007 team was ranked #2 in the nation by the USA Today national high school poll. His winning percentage was over 90% for his tenure at Prattville.
After his final season at Prattville, he was named the Alabama High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year and the Schutt Southeast Regional Coach of the Year.
He was among the first coaches hired by South Alabama head coach Joey Jones when he was putting together his staff. He also named Clark the assistant head coach as well as defensive coordinator.
He was key in developing the South Alabama program into what it is today. In only the Jaguars fourth season of play and their first in the Sun Belt, the defense finished #2 in defense in the conference.
“I’m very happy for Bill and his family,” Jaguar head coach Joey Jones said to AL.com on Tuesday. “I appreciate what he’s done to help build this program at South Alabama. You’re always happy for someone in this profession to move up and get a job they want, so I’m very happy for him and his family. He meant a lot to me. We’re great friends and will continue to be. I think we’ll always have that in the back of our minds, of starting this program at South Alabama and how gratifying it has been to build this thing and that’s something he was a part of. I appreciate everything he’s done.”
“It means a lot,” Clark said to AL.com. “When you set some goals in life and to achieve one of those goals you set at an early age, it’s gratifying. It’s real gratifying.”
“It’s big (to have the opportunity come at JSU). I think to go back to where there are people you know and in the surrounding areas, you feel like you’re going to be representing more than yourself. You’re going to be representing people you went to school with and people you played ball with and family. That’s what it’s all about.”
“There’s so many thing that you want to bring to the table, but when you’re talking about student-athletes, you want to bring them in there and get them a degree and put a great product on the field,” he continued. “The thing we want to bring is excitement. When you start talking about what gets you coming to football games, it’s excitement.”
“Watching guys running and passing and representing their school and their town and their families, all the reasons that we got into this game and that make it so great. That’s what we want to put out there. The big thing about football is it’s the face of a school. So obviously we want to put a great image out there and a great message and hopefully you’ll see that when you see us play.”
Clark also said that his time at South Alabama has been rewarding and important to him.
“To get to come here and be the start of building a program and to see it done the right way, that’s a plus,” Clark said. “We were so supported here. Joey and I were friends before we started this and that will remain the same. To get to be with a friend to do this was special.”
“I can’t say enough of about it. That’s what I want to see where I’m going. You want to see that support. Obviously, a coaches’ job is to bring people together and bring the community together, so that’s the thing I’m looking forward to at Jacksonville.”
“We’ll head up (Tuesday). They have some things planned (Wednesday). We’ve got to get into all the talks of staffing established. It’s all going to be a whirlwind now. You know how coaches are, in the first five minutes you’ve turned the switch and you’re worried about players and recruiting and what have they been doing in the weightroom and getting my staff on board. It’s kind of like a win, that joy is real short-lived and then you’ve got to go to work. It’s real satisfying and it’s real exciting, but it’s time to go to work.”
The next thing for South Alabama and Jaguar head coach Joey Jones is to find someone to fill the defensive coordinator position on the staff and other staff position who may follow him to Jacksonville State.
It is unknown how this will affect South Alabama’s junior college commits, who are able to sign with schools beginning today. But Coach Jones has time to fill the position before National Signing Day for high school recruits in early February.
Augustine Rubit Named Sun Belt Player Of The Week
South Alabama’s Augustine Rubit was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday. This is the third time he has earned this honor in his career and the first time this season.
The Jaguars only had one game this week when they hosted Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday. Rubit scored 23 points, tied a career high with 19 rebounds and also tied a personal best with three assists in the Jags 74-69 win over the Islanders. His eight offensive boards were double any other player in the game.
Additionally, Rubit earned his fifth double-double of the year, which ties him for the most in the Sun Belt, and his second double-double in a row. His 19 rebounds were the most by a Sun Belt player so far this season.
Rubit currently leads the Sun Belt in rebounding with an average of 10.3 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with an average of 18.9 points per game.
Another career milestone is within reach for the junior. He is three points shy of becoming only the 14th Jaguar to score 1,000 points in a career.
South Alabama will return to the court on Saturday to continue their Conference schedule when Arkansas-Little Rock visits Mobile for a 2:05pm tip-off at the Mitchell Center on Saturday, December 22.
Bill Clark To Be Named Head Coach At Jacksonville State
Reports are surfacing that South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark will be named head coach at Jacksonville State today with a formal announcement on Wednesday.
This past season the South Alabama defense finished second in the Sun Belt in it’s first season of play in the conference. He has been with South Alabama all four season of play. He came to Mobile from Prattville, AL where he was the head coach of Prattville High School. He would replace Jack Crow who was fired after the 2012 season.
No word on potential candidates to fill his position with the Jaguars at this time.
Recent JuCo Commits
South Alabama received two verbals recently from JuCo players according to Rivals.com.
Cristobal Dinham, a 5’9″ 205-pound running back from Independence Community College in Kansas, gave his commitment to the Jags ahead of Wednesday’s signing day for Junior College players. He does not have a rating on the Rivals or Scout networks. He is originally from Lithonia, Georgia.
Another running back that has committed from a JuCo is Justin Jones, a 5’6″ 180-pound running back from Northwest Mississippi Community College. He is originally from Horn Lake, Mississippi and is expected to sign with the Jags on Wednesday as well. Recruiting sites reported that he committed to South Alabama back in the summer.
These two commits are expected to help give the Jaguars depth at the running back position where injuries had left them very thin down the stretch of the 2012 season.
Rivals.com also has another recent commit on the offensive side of the ball. ShaVarez Smith, a 6’2″ 205-pound wide receiver from Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts shows to have committed on this past Saturday. He has a two-star rating from Rivals and a three-star rating from ESPN. He is listed as having a 4.5 40-yard dash time coming out of high school in McDonough, Georgia.
Smith had received an offer from Charlotte, Ohio and South Carolina. He has good size, hands and route running ability. The coaches hope he can help fill Gabe Loper’s spot as a big, clutch receiver to compliment the other receivers on the field.
Over the next day-and-a-half we will get a good idea of some of the JuCo signees as they can begin signing and sending in their Letter-of-intent’s on Wednesday and will have through January 15th. High School players have to wait until February 6th to begin signing their LOI’s and then have through April 1 to sign.
Viktor Juricek has breakout performance in South Alabama’s victory over Corpus Christi
South Alabama freshman Viktor Juricek | USAJaguars.com
Viktor Juricek had his best game as a member of South Alabama’s basketball program during the team’s 74-69 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon. In 17 minutes off the bench, the freshman scored 10 points off 2-of-3 shooting (a pair of three-pointers) and was 4-for-4 from behind the free throw line.
It was this sort of raw talent that first attracted head coach Ronnie Arrow to the young Slovakian. More to the point, Sunday was an indication of what could be in store for basketball fans at the corner of Old Shell and University.
“Everyone seemed really surprised at Viktor’s three-point accuracy but that’s something we already knew he was capable of,” Arrow said. “But we’re looking to see his quickness and rebounding improve. The European game is a little bit slower and not quite as athletic so we think it’s going to take a full summer in our program before we start to see his full potential.”
Juricek chose South Alabama in large part due to Arrow and has already taken his staff’s advice to heart. He’s hoping to take the next step as soon as possible and is looking forward to more days like Sunday.
“The difference in strength and quickness is pretty noticeable,” Juricek said of the American game. “When I first got here, I was an inside-outside player who was always allowed to shoot the ball. Coach Arrow allows me to do that but he also wants to see me be more efficient on the inside – a more complete player.”
Juricek believes that he’s already seeing improvement, especially on his inside game but isn’t resting on Sunday’s success. He’s going to keep working.
“I know that I am not as strong as some of the other players, so I need to outwork them or be smarter than them — be more skilled than they are,” Juricek said. “In Europe, it was easier to drive to the basket from the outside but these guys are stronger and more athletic. [Sunday] showed what I was always capable of doing — shooting the ball. But I’m not taking a day off. That’s what got me here and I believe that’s the way I’ll get even further.”
His attitude is a favored trait by his head coach, leading him to believe that Juricek can ultimately make the transition — provided he maintains his work ethic.
“Here’s a guy that is always the first guy in and the last guy out. He’s a hard worker that’s going to put in maximum effort and that’s what we like about him.”
Read More: South Alabama’s Introducing Viktor Juricek feature
Check out Matt Weaver on Twitter at @MattWeaverJAG
South Alabama Football Weekend Roundup
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark working with Jake Johnson and the linebackers during individual drills on Saturday morning.
Over this past weekend the Jaguars hosted their final group of recruits before the JuCo mid-year signing period begins on Wednesday, December 19.
Steffon Fuller from East Central Community College, a 6’3″ 205-pound safety, Steven Fuller, Steffon’s twin brother who plays wide receiver, safety and cornerback at the same school. Montell Garner, a cornerback from Navarro College in Texas. Michael Jolivet, a 6’4″ 240-pound defensive end also from Navarro.
No word yet on how their visit went but one cornerback cancelled his visit to go to Boise State instead.
Mesa Community College offensive tackle David Griffin had committed to South Alabama a couple of months ago, but after visiting the University of Hawaii he has switched his committment from the Jags to the Warriors.
Griffin had committed to South Alabama to be closer to his family however his time in Arizona made it easier for him to commit to Hawaii after a good recruiting visit. Since Griffin is a JuCo player, he can sign in December and will have two years of eligibility.
Another JuCo target Jerome McClain, a 6’2″ 290-pound defensive tackle from Pensacola who is playing for Northwest Mississippi Community College visited South Alabama last weekend and was close to giving his commitment at that time. He then visted Memphis over the weekend. McClain said his top three so far are South Alabama, Memphis and Florida Atlantic. He is set to visit the Owls on January 4th.
Defensive Coordinator Bill Clark interviewed at Jacksonville State on Saturday as well as West Alabama head coach Will Hall and possibly other candidates.
Clark is an Anniston native and a JSU graduate.
Hall, 32, finished his second season as the head coach at West Alabama after serving three years at their offensive coordinator. He was an All-America quarterback for North Alabama. UWA went 9-4 this past season to win the Gulf South Conference and splitting the Division II national finalist Valdosta State. His 2011 team went 8-4.
However another name has surfaced recently in Tyler Siskey. Siskey, another Anniston native, is a 1996 Donoho graduate and is interested in the job.
Siskey is currently Ole Miss’ director of recruiting development. Previously he spent four years as Arkansas State’s receivers coach and was the offensive coordinator for the Red Wolves in the GoDaddy.com bowl when Hugh Freeze left for the Ole Miss head coaching job.
Siskey commented that “It’s home, it fits and it’s a fit on both sides. We both share the same vision, and that is to win and to win big and to win now.”
South Alabama Men’s Basketball earns two-day vacation with 74-69 victory over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi guard Johnathan Jordan defends Barrington Stevens during Sunday’s 74-69 victory at the Mitchell Center
South Alabama men’s basketball snapped a two-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon, defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi 74-69 on a rainy night at the USA Mitchell Center. The Jaguars used a 14-2 run at the start of the game to pull away from the Islanders and they never looked back.
The Islanders three-point prowess (10-23) kept them in the game but it wasn’t enough to outduel the Jaguars who shot 25-of-59 from the floor.
Head coach Ronnie Arrow has stressed defense every day during practice following his team’s 92-78 defeat at the hands of UAB on Dec. 8. That renewed commitment to defense finally paid off on Sunday and Arrow responded by rewarding his team with two much-needed days off before practice resumes for the Dec. 22 conference match-up with Arkansas Little-Rock.
“I thought we really played well at the start of the game,” Arrow said. “I thought we really played well for most of the game. We came back and spent three very hard days on defense. We got after each other. We’ve been giving up far too many points.
“They still got 69 points, but I think until the last four minutes we were playing really good defense and we gave up some threes uncontested and didn’t guard the hole like we should have. But I thought overall our defense was a lot better.”
Augustine Rubit looked a lot better too, scoring 23 points and pulling down 19 rebounds. The junior All-Sun Belt player also made a little bit of history on Sunday afternoon, tying a career-high in rebounds and is now just three points away from 1,000 in his collegiate career. That mark is good for 14th on the all-time South Alabama scoring list.
The Islanders started the contest with a Zane Knowles jumper but the next eight minutes was all South Alabama as the Jaguars orchestrated a 14-point run. Brandon Pye broke the streak for Corpus Christi with an unassisted three-point jumper but Rubit responded with a lay-up and free throw to increase South Alabama’s lead to 17-5.
Mychal Ammons tacked-on a lay-up at the 12:03 mark to restore South Alabama’s 14-point lead.
Corpus Christi finally found their range following the Ammons bucket, with Will Nelson and Brandon Pye nailing three-consecutive three-pointers to start closing the gap. Joy Williamson hit his first layup at the 8:06 mark to end an 11-0 TAMCC comeback that made the score 21-18.
That is as close as Corpus Christi would get as South Alabma responded with an 11-0 run that virtually put the game out of reach.
Corpus Christi was led by Pye and Johnathan Jordan with 17 points each. Williamson and Nelson scored 12 points each with Nelson also grabbing eight rebounds.
The win puts South Alabama at 5-5 on the season, with TAMCC falling to 1-6.
The Corpus Christi game was the Jaguars final non-conference contest on the schedule. Little Rock will come into the Mitchell Center next week leading the SBC West with an 8-4, 2-0 record. While South Alabama has struggled to get back to a .500 record, Arrow was quick to remind everyone that the Jaguars are still 2-0 in conference with a share of the SBC East lead.
“Little Rock is young, physical and well-coached,” Arrow said. “But they are also susceptible to turnovers. Now we’re 2-0 in conference play and we want to get to 3-0 and that’s what we’re going to work on as soon as we’re rested.
Follow Matt Weaver on Twitter at @MattWeaverJAG
Could Georgia Southern Be Added To SBC Next Week?
When could we hear the first about possible new additions to the Sun Belt Conference? It could be as early as next week.
Tonight is the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs kickoff with #1 North Dakota State and #5 Georgia Southern playing for a slot in the FCS National Championship game. Kickoff is set for 8pm.
Rest assured that Sun Belt Conference officials and Georgia Southern officials have been in contact and talking about their interests in moving up to the FBS level and the Sun Belt’s interest in adding a strong team within it’s regional footprint.
Earlier this year the students voted to move up to the FBS level with an increase in student fees to help support the move. I believe that these meetings have been occurring since the students voted for the move but were going to wait until after the season was over to get serious about talks. But with Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic accepting invitations to Conference USA, I believe those talks were accelerated.
If Georgia Southern loses their Semifinal game then we could hear an announcement as early as next week. However if they win and earn a spot in the National Championship Game against the winner of the #2 Eastern Washington vs Sam Houston State game, then the announcement would probably be delayed. The FCS National Championship game is set for January 5th in Frisco, Texas.
That would put the Sun Belt back up to nine football playing schools. Who else would the Sun Belt consider adding? There are rumors about New Mexico State, Appalachain State, UT-Chattanooga all the way to Lamar, Liberty or Sam Houston State.
New Mexico State is already an FBS school but were a bottom dweller in the WAC with only one win last season that came in their season opener against Sacramento State. They would bring a very tall basketball team as the Jags learned in a recent game.
Appalachain State is another team in the regional footprint of the Sun Belt and has been a powerhouse in FCS for some time. However their location in Boone, NC is a very beautiful place, it is also a difficult place to travel for sports.
UT-Chattanooga is an interesting school to consider. It is located in well-known Chattanooga, TN which makes travel quite easy for sports and also fits in the regional footprint as well. They could be a very good replacement for Middle Tennessee who is just up Interstate 24 from Chattanooga towards Nashville.
Many South Alabama fans may know some about Lamar University. The Jags played their first true road game against the Cardinal in Beaumont, TX a couple years ago in the Jaguars second season of football. Football had been dropped from Lamar back in 1989 but in January of 2008 the students voted to add an athletic fee to bring football back to the University. Their stadium had a huge overhaul and a large jumbotron screen was installed. Their campus is very nice and could be a nice hidden gem in conference expansion.
Sam Houston State, as mentioned above, is in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. They are located in Huntsville, TX which is north of Houston on I-45. Either school Sam Houston State or Lamar would be a nice addition to compliment Texas State out in the Lone Star State.
Then there is Liberty. I haven’t heard much about the possibility of Liberty joining the Sun Belt. Liberty is a private christian university located in Lynchburg Virginia. They have an enrollment of about 12,500 and 80,000+ studying through their online program. Their chancellor is Jerry Falwell Jr. I don’t see them moving to the FBS level, but stranger things have happened.
Who do you think would be good additions to the Sun Belt to comprise a 10 or 12 (football) team conference? Post your suggestions here or on our Facebook page.
Six Jags Selected To Phil Steele’s All-Sun Belt Postseason Team
Romelle Jones and Alex Page give chase to the FAU quarterback during the Jaguars win in 2012.
Phil Steele released his 2012 All-Sun Belt postseason team on www.philsteele.com on Wednesday. South Alabama was represented well with a total of six players selected and one first-team selection.
Steele publishes the Phil Steele College Football preview each season. He also updates his work throughout the season on his website. He also releases postseason team selections.
Senior linebacker Jake Johnson was the lone Jaguar selected to the All-Sun Belt first-team. Johnson led the league in tackles this past season.
Again, South Alabama only had one player selected for the second-team. Junior defensive lineman Alex Page finished the season with 64 tackles, fifth on the team, with 11.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, two pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.
The Jaguars had four players selected for the fourth-team All-Sun Belt team by Phil Steele. Junior linebacker Enrique Williams, junior defensive back Tyrell Pearson, sophomore punt returner T.J. Glover and two-time Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week, senior placekicker Michel Chapuseaux.
Williams finsihed second on the team in tackles and seventh in the conference in tackles. He also recorded one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Pearson finshed the season with 40 tackles for eighth on the team. He also recorded three tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, four interceptions for 94 yards and one forced fumble.
T.J. Glover finished the season with 1,181 all-purpose yards, almost double the next closest Jaguar on the team. He had 642 yards in kick returns, 210 rushing yards, 206 receiving yards and 123 punt return yards in 13 games this season.
Michel Chapuseaux was 20-of-27 in field goal attempts for 74.1% on the season. He had two blocked but connected on a career long 53 yard field goal. Chapuseaux was a perfect 2-for-2 from 50+ yards on the season. He was also a perfect 24-for-24 in PAT attempts.
Congratulations Jaguars!