From left, Kelly Wells, UPIKE; Bruce Walters, Bruce Walters Ford; James Hurley, UPIKE; Keith Casebolt, East Kentucky Broadcasting; Danny VanHoose, Appalachian Wireless and Dwayne Moore, Walmart. (Photo Submitted)

WHITESBURG, Ky. – When the signature edition Kelly Wells-UPIKE Ford F-150 truck rolled up it was a welcome sight
to the man they call the “Mountain Santa Claus.” Filled with bicycles and toys, the makeshift sleigh delivered hundreds of
gifts specially chosen to bring smiles to children of all ages.

Sponsored by the University of Pikeville (UPIKE), Appalachian Wireless, Bruce Walters Ford, Walmart and East
Kentucky Broadcasting (EKB), the special delivery will benefit Marlow Tackett’s annual Christmas giveaway on Sunday,
Dec. 18, in Letcher County in the former Food World building at the Walmart Plaza. Now in its 33rd year, the event will
serve families from Letcher, Pike, Floyd and surrounding counties and communities in Virginia.

“Bruce Walters had the idea to load up the F-150 with gifts,” said EKB President and General Manager Keith
Casebolt. “A lot of families need help right now so we called some of our friends to lend a hand.”

“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life it is a blessing. I am thrilled to be a part of giving
back,” said Kelly Wells, head men’s basketball coach at the University of Pikeville.

The signature truck-turned-sleigh was designed by Bruce Walters Ford to honor Wells, the national coach of the year who
led the Bears’ basketball team to their 2011 NAIA National Championship.

“This brings back memories,” said UPIKE Vice President James Hurley as he carried an armful of toys to the truck.
“Years ago our basketball coach volunteered the team to load and unload trucks for Marlow’s Christmas party. It was
a good experience then and just as meaningful today. This University has always been involved in the community we
serve.”

Employees at the Walmart in Whitesburg also lent a hand loading and unloading the truck.

“Nothing says Christmas like the gift of giving,” said Dwayne Moore, Walmart market manager for the region. “Eastern
Kentucky has been great to us over the years. This is just a little bit of what we can do to give back.”

The Kelly Wells-UPIKE Ford F-150 signature truck was designed by Bruce Walters Ford to honor UPIKE Head Coach
Kelly Wells, national coach of the year, and the 2011 NAIA National Championship Bears basketball team. Sponsored
by Bruce Walters Ford, Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Broadcasting, one lucky fan will win the truck on
Jan. 26, 2012, when the Bears host Mid-South Conference rival University of the Cumberlands. To learn more, visit
upikebears.com.

Pikeville Coach Kelly Wells will lead his Bears against the U.K. Wildcats

PIKEVILLE – Pikeville College will face the University of Kentucky in an exhibition men’s basketball game at Rupp Arena during the 2010-11 preseason, Pikeville College Coach Kelly Wells confirmed earlier in the week. The preseason game is scheduled for Nov. 1.
Kentucky defeated Pikeville 99-64 in a preseason game in 2007. Pikeville concluded
the 2009-10 season 21-9 following a loss to St. Catharine College in the opening round of the Mid-South Conference Tournament at the Frankfort Convention Center.
The Pikeville College men’s basketball roster features Floyd County native Landon Slone, a former member for the University of Kentucky team.

2009 - 2010 Pikeville Bears (Click image to enlarge)

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The grueling 14-game round robin against Mid-South Conference competition is over and the Pikeville College teams know who they’ll be playing in the opening round when the tournament begins on Thursday morning. The Bears finished 21-8 overall but an 8-6 record in the league has them seeded fifth in the eight-team field. The Lady Bears wrapped the regular season 16-14 and 4-10 in the league and will enter as the six seed. 

The women’s tournament will begin on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Frankfort Convention Center. Top seeded Campbellsville (29-1, 14-0) will open the four-day event with a battle against WVU Tech (10-19, 1-13). The Lady Tigers swept the season series from WVU Tech, including a 60-49 win on Saturday in the regular season finale. 

Cumberlands (22-8, 11-3) enters the tournament as the No. 2-seed and will face seventh-seeded St. Catharine College (8-22, 2-12) at 2 p.m. ET. Cumberlands swept the season series from St. Catharine. 

No. 3-seed Georgetown College (18-11, 9-5) meets No. 6-seed Pikeville College (16-14, 4-10) at 4 p.m. ET with the winner playing the winner of Cumberlands and St. Catharine in one semifinal. 

Georgetown scored a come-from-behind win over the Lady Bears on Jan. 21 by a 76-72 win in the Expo Center. The Tigers completed the sweep on Feb. 18 when they held serve at home 70-61. 

The final quarterfinal game features No. 4-seed Lindsey Wilson College (19-10, 8-6) and No. 5-seed University of Rio Grande (16-14, 7-7). The winner faces the Campbellsville-WVU Tech winner in the other semifinal. Lindsey Wilson and Rio Grande split the season series, each winning at home. 

Thursday’s winners advance to Friday’s semifinals — games are scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m. ET — with the championship game set for 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 6. 

The Mid-South Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament is set with games beginning on Friday, March 5 at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Campbellsville University clinched its first regular season title today with a win at West Virginia University Tech and will enter the tournament as the No. 1-seed.

Campbellsville (24-6, 12-2 in the MSC) opens Friday’s quarterfinals at 10 a.m. ET against No. 8-seed University of Rio Grande (5-25, 0-14). Campbellsville won both regular season meetings.

No. 2-seed Georgetown College (23-6, 11-3) faces No. 7-seed West Virginia Tech (13-16, 3-11) in Friday’s finale at 8 p.m. ET. The Tigers won both meetings this season against WVU Tech.

University of the Cumberlands (20-9, 9-5) is the tournament’s third seed and will face No. 6-seed Lindsey Wilson College (14-16, 5-9) at 6 p.m. ET. The two teams split their two regular season meetings with each team winning at home.

No. 4-seed St. Catharine College (20-10, 8-6) and No. 5-seed Pikeville College (21-8, 8-6) plays at Noon ET. The two teams split during the regular season.

St. Catharine and Pikeville tied for fourth in the conference standings with an 8-6 record. The Patriots were awarded the fourth seed after defeating Campbellsville — the regular season champ — during the season. Pikeville lost both meetings with Campbellsville.

Pikeville knocked off St. Catharine 59-52 at the Expo Center on Jan. 21, but fell to the Patriots on Feb. 13 73-63.

Friday’s winners advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

The Campbellsville-Rio Grande winner meets the winner of St. Catharine and Pikeville at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday with the Georgetown and West Virginia Tech winner advancing to play the winner of Cumberlands and Lindsey Wilson at 4 p.m. ET.

The championship game scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 7.

Pikeville College Lady Bears show off new pink uniforms.

The Pikeville College Lady Bears wore new pink uniforms during their annual cancer awareness game earlier in the season. Pikeville College is gearing up for the 2010 Mid-South Conference Tournament. (Photo Courtesy of Pikeville College)

St. Catharine hands Bears third straight loss 

SPRINGFIELD – Pikeville College finished an important week winless in three games, falling to St. Catharine College Saturday afternoon. St. Catharine defeated the Bears 73-63
The loss drops the Bears to 19-6 on the season but more importantly 6-4 and into a tie for third place in the Mid-South Conference standings. They’re now tied with St. Catharine, which improved to 6-4 in the conference and 18-8 overall.
The Patriots dominated the game from the beginning despite shooting only 42.9 percent overall and 28.6 percent from the field. They were money from the line, however, hitting 29-of-41 for 70.7 percent.
Pikeville hit only 18-of-50 from the field and four-of-16 from three-point range. Like St. Catharine, Pikeville solid from the line, hitting 23-of-26 (88.5 percent).
St. Catharine had five players in double figures, with senior Arthur Latham leading the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Brandon Johnson and junior Ervin Williams followed with 14 each; Williams added eight rebounds.
Junior Josh Edwards tossed in 12 points for the Patriots. Junior Kris Caufield contributed 10 points in the win.
Pikeville was led by freshman Trevor Setty’s 16 points, tossing in 3-of-4 from the arc. Setty entered the game having only scored 30 points in five road games since joining the team.
Senior Josh Samarco followed with 13 points for the Bears. Senior Jonathan Clark added 12 points for the Pikeville men.
Both teams are off until Thursday. St. Catharine will remain at home to play Rio Grande while the Bears visit Georgetown. Both games are slated to tip at 8 p.m.

PIKEVILLE – It’s been a busy time around the Pikeville College athletics offices, with three new hires in the last week.

Anna Bevins (Click image to enlarge)

The initial opening came when Robert Staggs stepped down as volleyball coach. Since being promoted to athletics director last January, Staggs has been performing triple duties, including that of softball coach.
“I just felt it was time,” said Staggs, the all-time winningest volleyball coach. “I felt like the girls deserved someone who could focus more on them, and we feel as if we’ve brought the right person back into the fold to do that.”
Anna Bevins, who is among the leaders is multiple career and season categories from her incredible playing career under Staggs, has accepted the position. She will become only the third coach in Pikeville College volleyball history, behind Staggs and founding coach Missy Gragg.
“I’m very humbled by this opportunity,” said Bevins, who coached Belfry High School to a 24-5 record in her only season at her alma mater. “I had no idea what Coach Staggs wanted when he called. I’m excited about getting started and building on what we’ve already done in the volleyball program at Pikeville College.”
Last season under Bevins’ guidance, the Lady Pirates won the 56th District championship and reached the 15th Region semifinals.

Allan Holland (Click image to enlarge)

Pikeville football also has filled its vacancy with the hiring of Allan Holland Jr. as the new offensive coordinator. Holland was a three-sport star at Perry County Central High School in Hazard before playing college football at Wake Forest University and Eastern Kentucky University.
Holland was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Colonels, leading them to consecutive OVC championships in 2007 and 2008. He was the OVC player of the year in 2007.
“Allan brings a tremendous knowledge of aggressive offensive football to our staff,” said Coach Joe Johnson, who will be in his second season at the helm of the Bears when the season begins this fall. “He’s young and can relate to the players but also has the credentials to demand their attention and respect. We look forward to success with Allan and the enthusiasm he’ll bring to our family.”
Holland was pleased with the hire and a return home. “I’m really thankful for this opportunity to get back in the mountains where it all began for me,” Holland said. “I’m excited but to start recruiting players, giving them the opportunity to play on this level. We’re looking forward to helping bring this program back in the national hunt.”

Devin Stiltner Layne (Click image to enlarge)

Pikeville College has also brought back a dance team with the hire of Phelps native Devin Stiltner Layne. “We’re excited about another opportunity for the student-athletes of our area,” said Staggs. “We have some talented young people in our area and we’re looking forward to continuing to meet areas of interest in diverse opportunities.”
Layne is a teacher at Phelps where she lives with her husband Steve and children Steven Todd and Ivy.  Devin attended the U.Va.-Wise where she received a Bachelors’ Degree in English Education and Special Education. She played basketball at Wise until receiving a career ending injury.  At Phelps High School, Devin played basketball, softball, volley ball, ran cross-country and cheered.
“I’m very thankful for the chance Pikeville College has given me here and will work hard to not disappoint them,” Layne said. “I love dance and feel good about what we’ve done at Phelps and look forward to building on that at the college.”
Layne started the dance team at Phelps, which is a well-decorated squad that has gained many state and national honors.

Pikeville Cumberlands 2-4-10

2009-2010 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – (Rating #6 – Feb. 1)

Others receiving votes:

William Jewell College (Mo.) 48; Robert Morris University (Ill.) 34; University of Montana Western 31; Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 23; Mid-America Christian University (Okla.) 21; Emmanuel College (Ga.) 18; Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) 13; Oklahoma City University 12; William Carey University (Miss.) 11; Evangel University (Mo.) 8; Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) 8; Life University (Ga.) 7; Texas College 5; Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 4; University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 1; Westmont College (Calif.) 1; MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 1; Lambuth University (Tenn.) 1; John Brown University (Ark.) 1; Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) 1; Mid-Continent University (Ky.) 1

Senior hits for 26 as Cumberlands upsets No. 14 Pikeville

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Senior Chad Byron doubled his scoring average with 26 points to lead the University of the Cumberlands to an upset over No. 15 Pikeville College 81-79 Thursday night.

Byron, a guard from Louisville, hit 3-of-4 from the arc and was 9-of-10 from the free throw line, and was joined by senior Dustin Fothergill, who was 3-of-4 from downtown as well to finihsh with 11.

Cumberlands hit 8-of-12 from the arc, which proved to be the difference in the game. Pikeville only hit 4-of-13 from three-point range.

With the win, Cumberlands finished the first half of the round-robin 4-3 in the league and 15-7 overall. Pikeville fell back into a three-way tie for first place at 5-2; the Bears are 18-3 overall.

The Patriots led most of the way, including a 13-point lead with 2:17 to go when senior Travis Harvey finished his personal 5-0 run to make it 42-29. By the half, the Bears cut it to 44-35.

Pikeville opened the second half with a 15-4 run, with six coming from senior Maurice Thomas, including free throws with 13:42 left to put the Bears on top 50-48. They led again 52-50, but when senior Bernard Cherry scored four straight to put the Patriots in front, they never trailed again.

The Bears kept within striking distance, however, and when Thomas scored inside with 3:21 left, they were back within two at 72-70. But Byron hit four straight free throws to push the edge back to six and it looked as if it was over.

Pikeville had one more chance. A baseline jumper by senior Jonathan Clark with 3.8 seconds left pulled the Bears within two. After a timeout, a turnover got the ball into the hands of junior Andre Thornton, but his rushed, off-balanced 14-foot jumper fell short as the horn sounded.

Byron and Fothergill were joined in double figures by Harvey, who was 7-of-7 from the line to finish with 13.

Clark had 21 for the Bears while Thomas had 20 off the bench; the duo combined to hit all 23 of their free throws.

Junior Justin Hicks scored 13 for the Bears, and his last bucket, coming on a contested floater with 1:23 left to pull the Bears within one, made him the 25^th player in Pikeville College history to score his 1,000^th point.

The game featured sensational free throw shooting on both sides. While Cumberlands was 23-of-27 for 85.2 percent, the Bears were even better, going 29-of-31 for 93.5 percent.

Pikeville is back in action on Saturday when they visit Lindsey Wilson in a 5 p.m. EST start. Cumberlands heads home on Saturday to face St. Catharine at 4 p.m.

Setty drives in - Randy White (Click image to enlarge)

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Pikeville showed it can play with the big boys when Freshman Trevor Setty scored 25 points to lead No. 22 Pikeville College to a 76-65 win over No. 7 Georgetown College Thursday night at the East Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville, KY. The game was the backdrop for a huge night as Appalachian Wireless and Walters Toyota gave away a 2009 Toyota. Free tee-shirts, & 5 big screen TV’s we just some of the things fans had a chance at as an attendance record was challenged.  

Pikeville (14-2 overall, 2-1 in the Mid-South Conference) got the win before the largest crowd to ever see a Mid-South Conference regular-season game of 3,558.

Appalachian Wireless (Click to enlarge)

Setty, a 6-8 guard who transferred to Pikeville from Georgetown, made the Tigers pay. In addition to the points, Setty had five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 35 minutes of playing time.

Smith drives in for layup - Randy White (Click image to enlarge)

Georgetown (14-4, 2-1) tied the game at 50 when freshman Jamel Ferguson scored on a layup with 13:02 left. But the Bears quickly reeled off six straight on layups by junior Andre Thornton, senior Jonathan Clark and Setty to take a lead it would never relinquish.

The Bears continued to build the lead, which got to 11 when junior Ryan Whitaker scored on a layup with 57 seconds left. That was also the final margin.

Pikeville shot 48.2 percent overall and was 50 percent (6-of-12) from the arc in the win. The Bears also sank 76.2 percent from the line. Georgetown was not as efficient, hitting 38.2 percent overall and only 12.5 percent of its threes. The Tigers were 63.6 percent from the line.

Setty was joined in double figures by Clark with 12 and junior Chris Donald with 11. Thornton led the Bears on the glass with nine rebounds to go with five points.

Lisa Blair of Paintsville was the winner of the 2009 Toyota Camry - Photo Randy White (Click image to enlarge)

Georgetown had four players in double figures, with sophomore Vincent Crutcher leading the way with 14 points. Junior Eddie Gray followed with 12 points, four rebounds and four steals.

Sophomore Vic Moses, the Mid-South Conference player of the year last season, had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Pikeville will be back in action on Saturday, hosting St. Catharine College in a doubleheader that begins at 2 p.m.

(WYMT, East Ky Media contributed to this story)