Rotary Program: 3/17/04

Program Chairperson: Ron Damron

Speaker: Randy McCoy, Head Basketball Coach - Pikeville College

Randy McCoy is a native of Pike County from a small community near Allegheny, Kentucky. He graduated from Elkhorn City High School and Pikeville College and has worked at Pikeville College and Morehead State University. He returned to Pikeville in 1988 to coach at Elkhorn City High School for 10 years. Then from 1998 until the present he has been the head coach at Pikeville College.

Randy began his remarks by congratulating the East Ridge High School team and coaches for their representation of the 15th Region at the Sweet Sixteen Tournament in Lexington this weekend. Then he went on to make a few comments about the Pikeville College team, this season and the possibilities that lie ahead in the NAIA tournament in Kansas City. The team began the year after losing 5 quality athletes from last year’s squad that contributed nearly 66 points and 26 rebounds per game. There were, however, some quality players returning and after working extremely hard during the summer, expectations were high. The aim for the past 5 years was to develop a program that could be competitive on a national level and to fulfill the dream of winning a national championship. In order to make that a reality, he knows that he must sustain a competitive edge year after year. This year’s team has achieved much more than anyone expected and for that the Coach says he is most proud of them. He has seen a steady improvement as they bought into the idea that they had to work harder on both defense and offense. He spoke of the great rivalry between Pikeville and Alice Lloyd and getting a win on the road there which gave them great momentum going into conference play. With a record of 6 and 4 in league play, including 2 wins over Cumberland College and one each at Lambuth and Georgetown, they were excited to begin tournament play. They went on to lose in the tournament after a 13-day lay-off and now they are waiting to hear who they will play in Kansas City, which has been hard. He is hoping for a good draw and a couple of wins before facing the top teams in the country. Coach McCoy also remarked about giving the team the opportunity to practice in bigger facilities than they were used to such as Morehead State and Rupp Arena. This will hopefully give them a better idea of the differences in the distances around the goals and larger backgrounds to adjust their shooting accordingly. But the most talked-about thing in athletic programs these days concerns the graduation rates among team members. The national average among student athletes in getting a degree is about six years nowadays and to expect them to finish in four is unrealistic. Coach McCoy assured us that he and his staff are constantly working with student advisors to make sure that checklists are updated and the students are being steered in the direction of graduation. He says he is proud that in the past four years he has had 13 academic all-conference players and this year will mark their 3rd academic all-American. He spoke of one such player, Tyon Knox, a Junior College transfer who got an opportunity to play and work toward a degree. He came from the projects of Baltimore and was a victim of a drive-by shooting at age 11, but he worked hard and has made tremendous progress. He will be the first in his family to get a degree and Pikeville College has given him the opportunity to make a better life for himself and his family. Winning seasons are great, but this is what Pikeville College is all about. Thanks, Coach and good luck in Kansas City! - J. Morgan Chapman