Tech basketball, golf, baseball players make summertime headlines
From time to time, the Tennessee Tech Sports Information staff will compile a notebook of items we've found that might be of interest to Golden Eagle fans.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – For three years, former Tennessee Tech men’s golfer Lee Whitehead earned and ran with the unofficial nickname of the “Wiley Veteran,” proving time and time again why the moniker stuck so well with an under-the-radar level of consistency that made him one of the better Golden Eagle golfers of the past decade.
“Playing for Tech made a huge impact in helping me get to this point in my career,” Whitehead said. “My scoring average steadily got better over my three years in Cookeville and collegiate golf in general taught me how to stay patient and overcome adversity while on the course. I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without the help of [head coach] Polk Brown and [assistant coach] Carla Hazelwood.”
With the first round of 2015 U.S. Amateur approaching quickly (Whitehead qualified for the event back in mid-July) the Knoxville native will have to start from scratch in terms of building a legacy as a veteran on the links, let alone a “Wiley Veteran.” The former All-OVC golfer can’t wait for the challenge.
“I’m going into this tournament with a competitive mindset,” Whitehead explained. “This will be a great experience for me and I believe that I can compete with everyone in the field.”
The next step of Whitehead’s career will begin Monday, Aug. 17 as he tees off on the 10th hole of the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The course, which spans 7,234 yards and plays to a par of 70, will challenge the former Golden Eagle and his partners for the first two days of the event, Michael McCoy and Tyler Strafaci, with an 11:40 p.m. CDT start.
The group will move on to the 7,037-yard, par 70 South Course on Tuesday, teeing off on hole No. 1 at 6:40 a.m. CDT. The first 36 holes of the U.S. Amateur will feature stroke play, whittling down the field of 312 to 64. The tournament will then shift to match play for the final five days before a champion is crowned on Sunday, Aug. 23.
“I feel like there will naturally be a little more added pressure than a normal tournament,” Whitehead added, “but I’m not changing anything about my game. It has been good enough to get me to this point so far and I trust what I do.”
Whitehead, who is one of just four participants from the state of Tennessee this season, is far from the first Golden Eagle to spread his wings in the oldest golf championship in U.S. history, becoming the third player to don the purple and gold in the national tournament in the past 10 years.
In the summer of 2013, Lee Maxwell represented Tennessee Tech in the 113th edition of the U.S. Amateur, competing at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on the 100th anniversary of amateur Francis Ouimet’s historic U.S. Open victory over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.
Prior to Maxwell’s efforts in the event, Braxton Hunter took his turn at competing at the U.S. Amateur back in 2005. Hunter competed at Merion Golf Club located in Haverford Township, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia.
“We are all very excited for Lee,” Brown said. “He has worked tremendously hard over the past three years here at Tech and he deserves this opportunity. He’s earned this opportunity. We can’t wait to see how he competes on this stage, and no matter what happens, we are very proud of him.”
FREDERICK, Md. – It just makes sense. After an up-and-down start to his first full season in professional baseball, former Golden Eagle pitcher David Hess has been practically unconscious since the start of July, leaving the Baltimore Orioles virtually no choice with who to honor as the organization’s Minor League “Pitcher of the Month.”
Pitching for the Class A Advanced Frederick Keys over the month of July, the former All-OVC standout made six starts, capturing a 2-0 record and 1.82 ERA while allowing just seven runs and 22 hits in 34.2 frames. He fanned 33 batters and walked just 12, holding batters to a .180 average.
Hess hasn’t allowed the honor to stall his stellar second half, however, posting victories in each of his three starts in August and continuing an impressive decrease in his season ERA, now down to 3.85 after peaking at 5.83 in late June. In his past three games, the right-handed hurler has set down 12 batters via the K and allowing just three run in 18 innings of work.
With his late-season push, Hess has worked his way to rank as the No. 10 prospect in the Orioles’ organization by MLB.com. His performances on the field, as well as his always cordial demeanor away from the ballpark, has even led to a local little league team to forgo its normal options for a team name. Instead of selecting one of the 32 major league teams to mimic, the team opted to don the name of the Frederick Keys. It just makes sense.
FÜRSTENFELD, Austria – It’s been a long journey. That much is certain. But in many ways, the journey is just beginning for former Tennessee Tech big man Dwan Caldwell, who recently signed a professional contract to play (and likely start) for the BSC Raiffeisen Fürstenfeld Panthers of the Austria-A Bundesliga.
A transfer from Antelope Valley College, “Po” played two seasons in the purple and gold, averaging a very solid 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, adding nearly a block per game while playing over 25 minutes per contest. Caldwell also connected on over 67 percent of his free throw attempts, including an impressive 73 percent his senior campaign.
A father of three and transplant from Los Angeles, Caldwell’s tale is one of pure determination and hard work. A football player in high school, the senior big man did not play organized basketball until his freshman season at Antelope Valley College at the ‘ripe, young’ age of 23.
Caldwell worked for a few years before enrolling in junior college, but it didn’t take long for him to make an impact, leading the team in blocks while playing in all but one contest.
As a sophomore he would finish the season ranked third in the California Community College Athletic Association in total rebounds, pulling down 224 on the year and racking up five double-doubles.
His first season with the Golden Eagles was quite the success. Caldwell led the squad in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game while recording the Ohio Valley Conference’s 10th-best field goal percentage of 53.9 percent.
He finished with the second-most minutes on the team as a junior, averaging over 24 per game while averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Caldwell entered the 2014-15 season as Tech’s returning leader in both scoring and rebounding.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Piggybacking off a highly successful NBA Summer League stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, former double-double machine and Golden Eagle big man Charles Jackson recently signed his first professional basketball contract, agreeing to a deal with the New Zealand Breakers.
The Breakers, who compete in the Australian National Basketball League and are based in Auckland, New Zealand, possess a rich history of winning, capturing the league championship in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Jackson is projected to start in post right out of the gate, and one glance at his numbers in his only season in the purple and gold provide all the reasoning for that decision.
Jackson took the Ohio Valley Conference by storm, posting a league-high 18 double-doubles, the highest total in program history since 1996. He led the Golden Eagles in scoring, rebounding, blocks, field goal percentage and steals.
On the year, Jackson was the only Tech player to start and play in all 30 contests, scoring a total of 390 points and corralling 286 rebounds. He wrapped up the season averaging 27.2 minutes per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the field, which ranked in the top 10 in the league. He also blocked 40 shots and totaled 33 steals.
On top of that, the Sacramento, Calif. native led the 76ers with a 59.1 field goal percentage while averaging 7.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in the Las Vegas Summer League. He also ranked third on the squad in rebounds per game, despite being limited to just 15 minutes of action per game.
While never playing more than 18 minutes, Jackson managed to drop nine points twice and at least seven rebounds two times as well. This all while sharing the paint with first-round draft pick Jahlil Okafor.
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Click here to read the entire story by David Grossman, InsideToronto.com
TORONTO, Canada – Liam McMorrow is getting used to people looking up at him.
At 7-foot-2, the Scarborough resident is attracting lots of international attention. Some might liken it to that of celebrity status with people gawking and wondering if, because of his size, basketball is his forte.
The round ball has become a huge part of the life of this 28-year old, but not yet where he wants it to be.
With an imposing size and tipping the scales at 270 pounds, McMorrow is still convinced he has what it takes to play in the National Basketball Association – and he hasn’t given up.
“I can play and just need someone to give me a chance,” said the West Hill Collegiate graduate, who has seen several Canucks latch on with NBA squads and wants to join the parade.
