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Get out of your seats! Herd guards Jon Elmore (33) and Stevie Browning (2) try to fire up the fans last Thursday during Marshall’s 87-72
Conference USA victory over Charlotte
Photo by Marilyn Testerman-Haye
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Features
Ryan’s ‘return’
The Herd enjoyed having more than 8,500 spectators on Saturday
night at the Henderson Center for an Old Dominion visit, but the
one whose presence was most crucial was forward Ryan Taylor
King Kelly
Jack Bogaczyk: As a different kind of “one-and-done” player, senior
James Kelly is providing Marshall basketball fans the kind of performance that has rarely rolled through Herd hoops history
A pointed guard
The debut of transfer point guard Jon Elmore in mid-December was
greatly anticipated, and there’s been no disappointment in what has
transpired, with Elmore’s quick assimilation into Herd hoops
Dr. TT
Down the road, Herd sophomore forward Terrence Thompson’s goal
is to become a doctor. Right now, he’s providing Marshall a prescription for success as the first big man off Dan D’Antoni’s bench
‘Coop’ salute
Bill Cornwell: Before starting the 2016 season, the Herd softball team
made an emotional and special trip to Jackson, Ohio, to pay respects
to former teammate Emileigh Cooper, who died in a car accident
Dialing Daiss
Steve Cotton: It didn’t take Briana Daiss long to get the hang of
college softball. The true freshman homered in her first Herd at-bat
and then later in the same day added another long ball
Reaching the end
From the May 2012 day Matt Daniel was hired to guide Herd women’s basketball fortunes, there remains only one fixture … and starting point guard Norrisha Victrum intends to finish as she started
Bird watching
After his big summer with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League,
Marshall junior center fielder Corey Bird is primed to help the Herd
make a climb in the Conference USA standings – despite predictions
The Henderson Center men’s basketball crowds last week included two
visitors from Georgia – Shanna Williams (left) and her son, Jannson
Williams, who is one of Coach Dan D’Antoni’s recruits for 2016-17
Photo by Rick Haye
GM/Publisher: Mike Kirtner
Editor: Jack Bogaczyk
Senior Columnist: Woody Woodrum
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The Herd Insider Magazine
Taylor stands out for Herd among the crowd
By JACK BOGACZYK
Herd Insider Editor
HUNTINGTON — A crowd of 8,520 appeared Saturday night at the
Cam Henderson Center, and while it was the largest attendance for
a Marshall basketball game in nearly five years, the loud spectator
presence wasn’t most crucial.
That’s because Ryan Taylor showed up again, too.
Taylor, the Herd’s veteran leader who 48 hours earlier endured a foul-curbed
game against Charlotte that left him without a field goal for the first time in
his career, bounced back with a double-double against visiting Old Dominion.
His 23 points and 12 rebounds – not to mention Marshall’s “earn-it”
defense on Monarchs’ star guard Trey Freeman – paved the way to an 82-65
Conference USA victory and a season sweep of ODU.
The Herd (15-12, 11-3 C-USA) matched its highest league win total in 11
seasons in the Texas-rooted conference. Pending the outcome of Sunday’s
UAB-at-Middle Tennessee game (played Sunday evening after the Herd
Insider deadline), Marshall was going to bed Sunday night in a three-way tie
for first place or own second place in solo fashion.
The Herd controls its destiny in the race with UAB and Middle, because
Coach Dan D’Antoni’s team visits the Blazers and Blue Raiders on Thursday
and Saturday, respectively. The triumph also gave Marshall a two-loss
cushion in the standings over fourth-place Louisiana Tech (20-7, 9-5) as
C-USA teams vie for four byes in the league tournament bracket. Tech also
visits “The Cam” on March 3.
Marshall went 11-5 in C-USA in 2009-10. The 11-3 mark is the Herd’s best
14-game start in conference play since 1987-88, when Marshall opened 12-2
on the way to the Southern Conference regular-season title and an NIT berth.
In his previous two games, Taylor played only 18 minutes and fouled out
of an overtime victory at Western Kentucky, then picked up two personals
Thursday night against Charlotte in the first 3:18. He played only 13 minutes
and in the 89th game of his Herd career, went 0-for-2 from the field.
“The only thing different, I shaved my beard down a little bit,” the 6-foot5 junior said. “Maybe that was it, but I mean for me it’s just playing hard
without fouling and not getting ones early. My team needs me on the court,
so go play smart.”
After 7- and 4-point performances, Taylor provided the impetus for the Herd
to break the game open late in the first half. He refused to become frustrated
although he hit only 1-of-4 free throws in the opening 5:42.
Taylor hit a 3-pointer from the left side at 11:18 for his first basket.
With 5:23 left in the half, his three from the right wing not only lifted
MU in front 19-18, but the attempt was the Herd’s 788th behind the arc
this season – tying the school single-season mark set by D’Antoni’s first
Marshall club last winter.
It was only 48 seconds later when Taylor hit again from behind the left
top of the key, the attempt breaking the school mark – it’s now at 800 and
counting — and fueling a spurt that had the Herd hitting seven of its last nine
shots of the half for a 34-26 lead at the break.
“The (Marshall) ROTC gives us a pin for our Warrior of the Game,” D’Antoni
said. “He got it tonight, and he deserved it. Ryan has been an outstanding
player for a long time and still has one more good one (season) in him, so I’m
proud of him … and we need him.”
ODU (15-12, 8-6) remained within striking distance in a game that had zero
fast break points, but Marshall’s defense didn’t give up things easily, and the
crowd – the largest since 9,036 showed for a March 5, 2011 win over UCF
See TAYLOR, Page 24
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HerdInsider.com
Kelly’s season ranks with greatest Herd names
HUNTINGTON — He hails from Michigan, which also is home to Kellogg’s
cereal. And so maybe it’s geographically appropriate that James Kelly is
providing an eye-popping season in Marshall basketball.
You can call the 6-foot-8 senior from Ann Arbor “Special K.”
That’s what his one-and-done year in a Herd uniform has been after Kelly’s
from Miami (Fla.) and a season sitting out with his new team. Kelly’s last
week included the first 20-20 performance – points and rebounds – in a
Marshall game in 43 years, when he posted 27 and 23 in a Henderson Center
win over Charlotte.
However, it’s his consistency as well as his numbers that have lifted the
Herd quickly into a Conference USA contender. Kelly is averaging 20.6 points
and 9.9 rebounds, and he owns 12 double-doubles.
In his 27-23 game, Kelly also had 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal and made
10-of-12 free throws and three 3’s. That’s a whole lot of production in only 31
minutes on the floor.
He’s scored 30 or more points four times, too … and he’s going to be
Marshall’s first All-C-USA first team selection in the Herd’s 11 years in the
league – maybe even the league’s Player of the Year.
As for “special” in Herd history, consider where Kelly’s points and rebounds
could rank for a single season.
The Herd has four regular-season dates remaining, and then the C-USA
Tournament. Using Kelly’s current numbers, if you factor in future games
and count only one C-USA tourney game – and certainly the bye-seeking
Herd could play more – he will finish 2015-16 with more than 650 points
and 315 rebounds.
Numbers like that have been combined by a player only once in Marshall
history – in 1970-71, when then-junior Russell Lee scored 659 points to go
with 322 rebounds.
“In one year, that’s pretty good,” Marshall Coach Dan D’Antoni said.
“If he had been here a couple years and built to where he is now, those
numbers might be even more in play. So, that (comparison to Lee)
doesn’t shock me.
“I’ve been telling people for a long time that James might be the best
athlete ever here. In basketball, certainly, the best athlete … he’s Randy
Moss-like. He can do much. There are so many parts to his game.”
Only six players in Herd history have scored at least 650 points in a season.
Only seven grabbed at least 320 rebounds.
If you want to take Kelly’s performance to more of an apples-to-apples
comparison – teams play more games now than in the ‘70s, obviously – his
per game averages still stand tall in Herd hoops history.
His 20.7 and 10.0 are eclipsed as a single-season combination only by
Charlie Slack in 1955-56 (22.6 points, 23.6 rebounds), Hal Greer in 1957-58
(23.6 and 11.7) and Lee’s 1970-71 averages (25.3 and 12.4).
That’s a great neighborhood.
Kelly’s 20-20 game was the first for the Herd since the second by
6-8 Randy Noll, at Veterans
Memorial Field House on Jan.
6, 1973. Noll, a Kentucky
transfer and a senior that
season, had 25 points and 20
rebounds in an 83-72 triumph
over Eastern Kentucky.
The previous season, Noll
had a 33-point, 21-rebound
game in a Marshall Memorial
Invitational title win over
No. 8 St. John’s on Dec. 18,
1971. That’s still the highestranked team the Herd has
beaten in its history.
And Kelly’s 23 rebounds against the 49ers compare favorably back even
further … to D’Antoni’s senior season. Kelly’s number was the highest board
total for the Herd since D’Antoni teammate Bob Allen corralled 25 in a 131-91
rout of visiting Old Dominion on Feb. 27, 1968. That 131 points remains the
Herd single-game mark.
Only two players in Herd history have had more rebounds in a game than
Kelly produced against the 49ers – the great Charlie Slack did it umpteen
times in the 1950s (averaging 21.8 boards for his career), and Allen had
games of 28 and 25 in the ’67-68 season.
Only two other Division I players this season have topped Kelly’s 27/23
performance. North Carolina’s Brice Johnson scored 39 with 23 rebounds in a
Tar Heel win at Florida State, while Hampton’s Quinton Chievous had a 29/23
game in a loss at Winthrop. There have been a total of 19 games with an
individual 20/20.
There’s another facet of Kelly’s impressive season that makes a significant
impact on more than the Herd record book. It’s the “when” of his season, as
D’Antoni continues to try and rebuild a program he helped to back-to-back
National Invitation tournament berths.
If Kelly hadn’t chosen to join the Herd – and he did so mostly because of his
past relationship with Herd guard Justin Edmonds and assistant coach Mark
Cline – Marshall wouldn’t be talking about the chance to have its best record
in 11 C-USA seasons.
Kelly is helping to establish more than his NBA potential and multiple spots
in the Marshall record pages.
“It think it was really important getting James here,” D’Antoni
said. “Building something … We didn’t have a big senior class (only
Edmonds), and being here – and being a player – he gives us not a
good bridge but a great bridge into the young players we have and
those who will come in the future.
“He’s a big part of this early success. If he wasn’t here, we’d have
See BOGACZYK, Page 24
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The Herd Insider Magazine
Elmore adapts quickly and Herd prospers
By JACK BOGACZYK
it was like, ‘This is a guy I want to play for and a system I want to play in.’
Herd Insider Editor
“I took it head-on and I loved it and haven’t looked back yet. This system
has fit my game perfectly so far, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
HUNTINGTON — Maybe the Marshall men’s basketball career record book
needs a revision.
Greg White, the former Herd point guard and coach, owns the Marshall
career assists record with 701. Now, some 25 years later, it seems the Herd
Hall of Famer is short one assist.
Appropriately, more than one playmaker is involved, too. And a significant
difference-maker in Coach Dan D’Antoni’s 2015-16 Conference USAcontending Herd is the point of all this.
Since 6-foot-3 transfer sophomore Jon Elmore gained eligibility in midDecember and took the starting point guard job, Marshall (15-12, 11-3) is
13-6.
Elmore’s talent and headiness in the role has helped the Herd improve
individually and collectively … and he’s produced in compelling fashion after
being absent from game action for 21 months, too.
Once Elmore fully recovered from a badly sprained right ankle in practice
on Dec. 3 – 11 days before his collegiate debut after waiting following an exit
from VMI, it’s been pretty much a seamless transition for the high-scoring
Herd.
“I attribute that a lot to the coaching staff,” Elmore said. “We have coaches
here who spend an hour, hour and a half before practice working with the
guys. We do that, and then I go in and maybe watch film with our assistant
coaches – (graduate assistant) Woody Taylor, Coach (Chris) Duhon.
“Coach D’Antoni especially, he’s been my No. 1 fan and No. 1 supporter
since I got here and he’s kind of mentored me and taught me the ropes in the
system and how to handle things in the system. From my first day enrolling
in school here (in January 2015), from my first practice with Coach D’Antoni,
Elmore’s delay in getting onto the floor came after the 2013-14 state high
school player of the year from George Washington High in Charleston went
to VMI, where his father, Gay, was a career 2,400-point scorer three decades
ago. The move from the Keydets, without a release and following failed
National Letter of Intent appeals by the player, was rancorous.
Meanwhile, more than a few hoopheads who have watched the Herd in
Elmore’s 18 games have wondered how the Marshall guard wasn’t destined
for a higher level of play than the lower mid-majors in Division I.
The list of suitors was wide-ranging across conferences … George
Washington, Wofford, Quinnipiac, Charlotte, Mercer, Winthrop, Lafayette,
Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Mercer, Vermont …
“When I finished up, I think I had 22 offers,” Elmore said. “William & Mary,
Ohio University, Ball State, Elon, Davidson, Harvard … and VMI had the family
thing going on, and I felt like it was the right fit for me, but things turned out
differently. I’m here and it’s great, and I haven’t looked back once.”
D’Antoni, hired by his alma mater in late April 2014, eventually heard that
Elmore was looking to play close to home and seeking a move from VMI.
However, it took a fellow former point guard from his coalfields hometown of
Mullens to do some convincing.
“I’d never even seen Jon play when we took him,” D’Antoni said. “And the
reason we took him? … There were several people that told us he wanted
to come here, but I wasn’t going to put my two cents in because I didn’t
want to tamper (with Elmore’s VMI situation). And after he already made the
See ELMORE, Page 25
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HerdInsider.com
Herd paging ‘Dr.’ Thompson more often
HUNTINGTON — Terrence Thompson was a game-saver for the Herd in the
foul-filled, overtime basketball victory at Western Kentucky on Feb. 13.
One of these days, Thompson hopes to be a saver of lives in the medical
profession when he is done playing for the Marshall Thundering Herd of
Coach Dan D’Antoni.
Thompson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Durham, N.C., has been a big part
of the Herd winning ways this season, but like the team he got off to a slow
start after first signing with and redshirting at Charlotte, then spending a year
in junior college at Georgia Highlands College.
He helped the Chargers of GHC to a 30-8 record, and averaged a doubledouble in the NJCAA Tournament of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, all the
way to the Final Four. During the season, Thompson averaged 9.6 points and 8.9
rebounds for the Region 17 JUCO Champs, and graduated with honors.
He was named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll for 201314 at Charlotte, so there was no doubt about Thompson having a gifted mind
to go with his athletic body. For that reason, Thompson is doing what few
Marshall student-athletes try to do — he is pre-med as a sophomore at MU,
with a major of Biology.
“I want to become a team doctor for a college or professional team,”
Thompson said before the Herd’s win over Charlotte last week. “That would
mean a lot to me and to my family. My parents worked hard to get me to this
position, this point in my life and I want to make them proud.
“I made the decision to go to medical school about 3-4 years ago. As a
kid, I always enjoyed my math and science classes, so it seemed like I was
generally drawn toward this career in medicine, and I think this is where I
want to be in my life. It is definitely a good decision to be here at Marshall.”
Nowhere in the Pre-Professional section of Marshall University’s official
website does it suggest trying to be a pre-med student and a student-athlete
for the Herd — you can check it online.
Thompson knew it would be very hard work to do both, but Marshall having a
medical school was among the strong draws for him to play here, and he knew it
would be a tough row to hoe in trying to balance books and basketball.
“It was definitely tough at the beginning of the school year, but I had to
learn how to balance my school work and basketball,” Thompson said. “On
the road trips during the semester break, I rested both my brain and my
body, had some down time with no classes and was able to work on my
basketball during that time, and that really helped me.
“How much time with the books? A lot, a lot of time, probably 4-5 hours per
night on school work alone, after practice, so it is very tough. Different people
come to school for different reasons, and I chose a different path than most
of my teammates by going pre-med, but I know what comes with it.”
Thompson has also been putting in extra time each day at practice with the coach
who recruited him to Marshall, Herd assistant Mark Cline. The pair is out each day,
30 or 45 minutes before anyone else is on the court, working on making Thompson
a better scorer around the basket because he is an extraordinary rebounder but
struggled with scoring the basketball as well in the fall semester.
“I am spending extra time each day before practice, shooting, getting my
shot together, working with Coach Cline around the basket, trying to get
better, and working on some inside post moves to help my game,” Thompson
said after one of those very physical sessions, 45 minutes before he practices
a couple of more hours with his teammates.
He has seen his playing time increase as he get more comfortable in scoring the
ball, coming up with 10 rebounds and nine points last week at WKU, then seven
points (3-of-4 from the field, 1-of-2 at the line) and pulled three rebounds in 16
minutes in the Herd’s win over Charlotte — a sweet win for the former 49er.
He had to step it up in those two games as junior forward Ryan Taylor seems
to have a sign taped to his back asking for fouls to be called on hime. Taylor
fouled out of the WKU game, and against Charlotte the scorer who is already a
member of the 1,000-point club in 2.5 years at Marshall had no field goals, four
points and two rebounds in just 13 minutes due to his four fouls.
Thompson knows this is an opportunity for him, although he feels
bad about his teammate Taylor propensity for draw whistles lately —
in very diplomatic terms.
“Foul trouble is part of this game, and the refs seem to be calling them on
certain Herd players, so my
job is to get ready to play as
well as I can when my name
is called. As the season has
progressed I have become
more comfortable in my
role and I must continue to
improve my game so I can help
the team for the rest of the
season,” Thompson said.
“I just have to be ready when
my name is called. I think I have
done that so far this season.”
During his first eight games
with the Herd — when school was in session through finals — Thompson had
only five rebounds and two points total, as MU was 0-6 to open the season
and 2-6 through the fall semester.
Marshall began to improve at the break as Jon Elmore became eligible
and moved to point, moving Stevie Browning to shooting guard. During the
holiday break, Thompson grabbed 33 rebounds (4.1 per game) and 30 points
(3.8 per game) as the Herd improved to a record of 5-3 during this eight
games, including opening 3-0 in Conference USA play.
Since then in 10 games, the Herd has continued to impress as they have
gone 7-3 over this stretch. Thompson has continued to impress as well,
improving to 49 rebounds (4.9 per game) and 44 points (4.4 per game) as
the extra work seems to be paying off.
He had his career high of nine points in the WKU win, and tied his best
rebounding game with 10 against the Hilltoppers tying his 10 boards in the
win at Florida Atlantic. After opening the first eight games hitting just 1-of-5
(20 percent), he has hit 26-of-50, hitting 52 percent from the floor.
For the year, Thompson is now fifth on the team in rebounds (3.5 per game)
and seventh in scoring (3.0 per game), and is now averaging 10.3 minutes
per game. His 48 percent shooting from the floor is only topped by Taylor and
senior James Kelly, and he is shooting 54 percent at the free throw line.
It was this chance to play, score and rebound in the Herd’s offense that
helped Thompson to decide to come and play for the Thundering Herd.
“I had a bunch of mid-major offers, coming out of the National JUCO
Tournament, but I really thought Marshall was the best place for me,”
Thompson said. “Everybody can play a number of positions in this offense of
Coach D’Antoni’s and I can play down low or shoot outside, it lets you have a
number of options according to your skill set.”
Thompson’s skill set for now is improving on the basketball court. One day,
his still to be improved skills off the court may save lives instead of helping to
save wins for the Herd.
Herd Insider Senior Columnist Woody Woodrum, co-host of First Sentry
Bank Sportsline on 94.1 FM and AM 930 and 1340, is a Marshall Hall of Fame
committee member and former Herd equipment manager.
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The Herd Insider Magazine
Herd softball mourns Cooper before season
HUNTINGTON — A sports season is a journey for players and coaches.
It’s a journey of high hopes and great expectations.
Marshall’s softball team recently took a journey not of hopes and
expectations, but of heart, soul and final triumph.
Coach Shonda Stanton and her squad received a body blow prior
to the start of the 2016 campaign on Feb. 5 when Emileigh Cooper,
who had finished her career with the Herd last spring, was killed in a
southern Ohio highway crash.
Cooper ended her career by hitting a career-best .434 in 2015, the second
best season average in Marshall program history. She was one of a Marshallrecord five players last season to record or 50 or more hits, as she recorded
five doubles and three home runs among her 53 hits.
She was named to the 2015 All-Conference USA second team as well as the
NFCA Midwest Region second team.
Cooper’s accident occurred on a day which should have been a positive
for Marshall softball, as the Herd was hosting its annual Diamond Club
dinner, followed by a Saturday clinic for young softball players from
throughout the Tri-State.
Stanton said the temperament of the current Herd team showed when they
heard the news about Cooper’s accident prior to the dinner.
“I was so impressed by them,” Stanton said. “We started with prayer and
we put on our show.”
Knowing her devastated team would not be emotionally ready to conduct
the Saturday clinic, Stanton said softball coaches and players from nearby
universities and high schools stepped in to teach the game to youngsters at
the soldout clinic.
“I learned a lot in the last week, especially how special Marshall University
and the people in the Huntington community are because they were there to
support us in any way possible,” Stanton said.
Just days after Cooper’s death, the Herd began preparation for the first
games of the 2016 season in the Trojan Invitational at Troy, Ala.
Stanton knew she and her team wanted to attend Cooper’s funeral
in her native Jackson, Ohio, but it would occur on Saturday, Feb. 13,
when the Herd was scheduled to be in action in Troy. Officials at Troy,
understanding the Herd’s situation, rescheduled Marshall’s tournament
participation, putting MU into two Sunday contests against Alabama
State and the host Trojans.
The Herd actually spent two days in Jackson, Ohio, attending a Friday
visitation, followed by a packed funeral in the Jackson High School
gymnasium. Cooper’s father,
Butch, conducted the service.
Stanton and her team faced
a long bus trip following the
funeral as they were less
than 24 hours away from
their first game in the Troy
tournament. Stanton said her
team rested and reflected on
the drive with stops to eat and
a memorial pause in which
Herd players’ remembrances
of Cooper were written on slips of paper and placed in balloons.
Stanton said those remembrances will be inspirational all season.
“Emileigh always loved to play and for her, it was all fun and I believe our
team will continue her philosophy this season,” Stanton said.
The team arrived in Troy at 4 a.m. and played nine hours later. The results
of those two games might be telling for this season’s Marshall team, which is
expected to compete for the Conference USA crown.
The Herd – picked second in the C-USA preseason coaches’ poll — rallied
from an extra-inning deficit in its season-opening game before beating
Alabama State 4-2 on a walk-off homer by freshman Briana Daiss.
She hit another homer in the second game as Marshall beat Troy 7-5 in
another extra-inning game.
For her hitting heroics, Daiss was the Conference USA Co-Player of the Week.
The two wins gave a positive jolt to a still-mourning Herd team, but Stanton
said it’s a spirit that might drive Marshall to a truly memorable 2016 season.
“I felt like, for our girls, we were down to our final out all week emotionally,”
Stanton said. “It was a tough week and our kids never broke and we came
together as a team.”
Stanton adds that “this team is so special and resilient and they showed
they can handle adversity well.”
If there is any school that has a grasp on adversity, it is Marshall University.
Based on past outcomes, this could be another happy ending for a softball
squad proudly wearing the kelly green.
Herd Insider columnist and longtime Tri-State Area radio voice Bill Cornwell,
of Kenova, does the public address announcing for Marshall football and other
Herd sports and is part of “Julie Reeves Live” on 93.7 The Dawg.
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HerdInsider.com
Pitching to Briana is a Daiss-y proposition
HUNTINGTON — At 3:20 p.m. eastern time on Sunday, Feb. 14, the public
address announcer at the Troy (Ala.) Softball Complex trumpeted a college
debut: Pinch-hitting for Marshall … Number 98 … Briana Daiss.
Less than 24 hours later her name was announced again – when the
Conference USA office released its league Player of the Week awards.
Between the two announcements, the Thundering Herd freshman from
Clermont, Fla. – whose last name is pronounced “Dice” – went 4-for-5, drove
in seven runs and scored three more on the 2016 Opening Day. Two of her
hits were extra-inning, game-winning home runs.
The Herd couldn’t celebrate
for long because Marshall
immediately played the
tournament host, the Troy
University Trojans. Daiss was
penciled into the No. 5 spot
in the batting order as the
designated hitter.
“I had just gone over the signs with one of my teammates and I was
thinking, ‘OK, I’ve got to get this right,’” said Daiss of her pressure-packed
at-bat. “I got the hit-and-run sign, and I guess I made a funny face, so my
teammates were wondering if I didn’t know the sign. But I had it.
In the top of the first inning,
Daiss belted a two-run double
to center. In the third, a single
to center plated another run.
She grounded out to third
base in the fifth. Through the
regulation seven innings, the
contest was tied 5-5.
“I wasn’t nervous so much as I was just excited. I was thinking, ‘Here’s
what I’ve wanted to do. This is my time, I’ve got it.’”
The International Tiebreaker Rule was in effect for extra innings and Marshall’s
Taylor McCord was placed as a runner at second base as Daiss dug in.
Hornets pitcher Maddie Phelps whirled a curveball away from Daiss as her
teammate on first base the potential winning run, broke for second.
“When I came up, I was thinking again to just hit the ball hard,” she said.
“We just needed a hit to break the tie. But I got the pitch and had a good
swing, and this time I knew right away it was gone … Dead center.
Daiss’ debut came in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 2-2 ballgame against
Alabama State. Teammate Madi Marshall was aboard at first base with one out.
“It’s a hit-and-run, so I didn’t even have to decide whether to swing or not,
so in some ways that made it easier,” Daiss said. “The pitch was outside and
I just swung and hit it hard to right field, but I had no idea it was going to go
out. I’m a right-handed pull hitter and my home runs go to left.
“So I hit it hard and I’m just thinking, ‘Get to first base,’ and (Marshall first
base coach Kendall) Fearn said, ‘It’s over!’ and all our dugout started going crazy
and that’s when it hit me. I couldn’t stop smiling all the way around the bases,
and the whole team was jumping up and down waiting for me at home plate.
“That’s the kind of stuff you dream of, and it came true for me.”
“I’ve hit enough of them to know the feel, and that one felt great. I
immediately thought, ‘Twice in one day? This is insane!’ Of course the second
one was in the top of the eighth, so we still had to go play defense and hold
them and we had to wait a bit for the final celebration.”
After the game the team boarded the bus for the journey back to
See COTTON, Page 26
10
The Herd Insider Magazine
Victrum finishing what she started in 2012-13
By JACK BOGACZYK
Herd Insider Editor
HUNTINGTON — As Coach Matt Daniel has overhauled the Marshall
women’s basketball program over the past four seasons, there has been
only one constant.
From prior to the May 29, 2012 announcement of Daniel’s Herd hiring from
Central Arkansas, only 5-foot-5 point guard Norrisha Victrum can say she’s
seen it all.
The senior nicknamed “ReeRee” has been a Herd backcourt starter since
her collegiate debut against Radford on Nov. 9, 2012 … and she’s become
quite a different player from her 5-point, 7-turnover performance in 30
minutes that night.
“She’s been the only thing standing from when we came,” Daniel said. “She
was here; everything else has changed, with the exception of Norrisha. The
staff’s changed, the color of paint on the arena railings has changed, the
players have changed.
“Everything’s changed except for ReeRee, and she’s earned that right to
be in the situation and environment she’s in. It’s been very, very crucial …
to my sanity.”
Victrum signed with the Herd in November 2011, with former Coach Royce
Chadwick. Her early decision to stick with the Herd has paid dividends for her
and Daniel’s construction job.
When Marshall (16-9, 6-8 Conference USA) hosts UAB in a lunchtime tipoff
(11:30 a.m.) on Thursday, the Columbia, S.C., native will play her 112th
Marshall game and make her 104th start. And if Daniel’s recent personnel
rotation holds true, Victrum won’t come off the floor against the 49ers for
more than a couple of minutes.
In the last 10 games, Victrum has averaged nearly 37 minutes per
game, and has boosted her scoring average to 9.5 with 48 points in her
last four outings.
“I just want to enjoy the rest of my time here and leave it all on the
floor – like I always want to do,” Victrum said. “If we win the rest of these
games, we’ll probably have the best record that Marshall has had in women’s
basketball in a long time, so I want to leave my mark and give my all because
I’ve had a lot of good memories here.”
The Herd has won more than 18 games in a season only once in the last
quarter-century (19-10 in 2004-05). With five regular-season dates and then
the C-USA Tournament left – and hopes for a second straight postseason bid
– Victrum wants to keep playing as long as possible.
There are multiple reasons for that attitude, too.
It’s been almost one year – Feb. 26, 2015 – since the point guard tore her
right ACL in a win at FIU. Without Victrum, Marshall lost its next four, but
went 1-1 in the Women’s Basketball Invitational to finish 17-15.
Following offseason surgery for his point guard, Daniel wondered how
Victrum would respond. Then, junior McKenzie Akers tore an ACL in
preseason and ultra-quick, 5-foot freshman Tana Driver was lost to a similar
fate in an exhibition win in November.
Suddenly, Daniel had no true playmaking backup for Victrum … which – in
addition to the “trust” factor — is why she still plays so many minutes so
deep into the season.
“You know, when somebody comes off an ACL, you’re just never sure how
they’ll come back,” Daniel said. “But Norrisha’s energy level is special. Her
motor is about as high as I’ve seen for a kid that I’ve coached – especially
one coming back from a knee injury like that. But she’s bringing more
See VICTRUM, Page 27
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HerdInsider.com
Motivated Bird prepared for junior season with Herd
By WOODY WOODRUM
great motivation in being from West Virginia.”
Herd Insider Senior Columnist
Marshall may be at the largest amount of in-state participants across all of
its sports since the 1960s.
HUNTINGTON — Motivation.
We hear a lot of athletes talk about motivation, whether that motivation
comes from one’s religious beliefs, one’s chance to gain personal awards or
just what players keep in their heart to urge them on towards greatness.
Talk to Marshall junior center fielder Corey Bird for 15 minutes or so, and
you will hear the word motivation repeatedly from the Elkview, W.Va. native,
when it comes to pushing himself or pushing the Marshall team to success
this coming baseball season.
Talking to Bird in Tallahassee, Fla., last week just before the Herd opened its
10th season under Coach Jeff Waggoner against Florida A&M last weekend,
the 6-foot-1, 195-pound product of Herbert Hoover High School (near the
Herd’s Conference USA home, Appalachian Power Park in Charleston) is
excited to begin the year.
Baseball has six players from West Virginia — Bird, Billy Sager of Kenova,
Matthew Maiers of Romney, Caleb Ross of Barboursville, Andrew Zban of
Huntington and Alex Simon of Parkersburg — while men’s basketball has
six, women’s basketball seven, men’s cross country seven, women’s cross
country 10, football 11 (for spring), men’s soccer four, women’s soccer two,
men’s golf two, women’s golf one, softball eight, track 11 (not counting cross
country crossovers) and volleyball six.
That’s 81 in-state players from West Virginia spread across the Marshall
teams. In fact, Jon Elmore and Stevie Browning have started referring to the
Mountain State natives on the basketball team as the “304 Boys” (for the
area code), and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bird carried that over to baseball
as he and Elmore are close.
“There are mixed emotions about opening the season,” Bird said. “On the
one hand, I am so excited to open the season. On the other hand, it feels
different because we haven’t played a game for a while, and this team will be
a good challenge for our team.
“Jon and I are related, we have family ties,” Bird said. “We talk a lot about
playing here and being from here, how important it is. It means we have
people from here at our games to support our teams. I feel very fortunate to
be able to have my family close by in Charleston, supporting the team at our
games in Charleston, Beckley and Huntington.
“It is what I love about baseball, it is such a tough game to play, you
have to be motivated every day. Baseball is all about getting into a groove,
playing every day and so when you start the season you hope to get into
the groove quickly.”
“I am definitely proud to have grown up in West Virginia, and we have some
very good players in our state. It is extra motivation for us to be near home
and to compete at this level in Conference USA.”
Getting into a groove hasn’t been a problem for Bird in the last six years,
both for the Herd and in high school. He led Hoover to the 2013 AA State
Championship, playing center field and even pitching in the final three innings
of the state title game. He won the 2013 Gatorade W.Va. State Player of the
Year honor, the Kanawha Valley Player of the Year and was selected AllMountain State Athletic Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament first
team two years in a row.
He brought a .457 career average in four years at Hoover, and a NorthSouth All-Star Game appearance, to Marshall, but Bird was only sure of one
thing — that he would be motivated to compete.
“Coming to Marshall for Coach Waggoner, I hoped to compete for playing
time, but ultimately won the starters role in center field. That was a great
opportunity,” Bird said of his freshman season. “I just wanted to show up,
work hard and try to help the team win but I definitely expected success for
myself and my team if I did those things.
“Playing at Marshall, here in my home state, means everything to me. It is
an honor and a blessing to play near my home and represent my state. I get
That support, and Bird’s personal motivation, has been a big part of
his success that has led him to a number of honors as a player. In 2014,
he hit .292 for the Herd and also led the team with 15 stolen bases
(second in C-USA), 49 hits and 20 walks, earning All-Conference USA
Freshman team honors along with being named to the College Sports
Madness All-C-USA second team.
Last season, he led the Herd again in batting average at .307, with 212
at-bats, 34 runs, 65 hits and 77 total bases, and stole 10 more bases. That
season has earned him 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA honors, along
with teammate and senior Herd pitcher Chase Boster.
He also was named the best athlete in C-USA baseball by Baseball America
magazine in its C-USA preview.
“Those are a great honor for a player to receive, it motivates me as a
player,” Bird said, “but now you have to play well in 50-60 baseball games
and prove yourself. It is great to have Chase and I honored. It is just
motivation to play better this season and help my team to win games.”
But his best honors might have been last summer in the legendary
wooden-bat Cape Cod League, playing for the Hyannis Harbour
Hawks. Bird hit .344 for the season, the No. 4 batting average at the
Cape, had 11 steals and 11 RBI as a leadoff or No. 9 hitter, earning
Cape Cod All-League honors.
In the playoffs, Bird was even better with a .367 average (11-for-30) in
seven games, with a home run, seven RBI and five steals.
Even Bird was surprised by this success at the Cape.
“The Cape Cod League was a great experience, playing with a ton of great
college baseball players,” Bird said. “It was great, and it was a humbling
experience, to play with so many good players, to see how they prepare to
win baseball games, day in and day out. The baseball was tough, and you had
to keep a good attitude with playing every day, be motivated.
“But, no, I didn’t go there expecting to be All-League, my goal when
I went was to stay the whole summer. That would mean I was doing
something right. I just wanted to stay calm, and do something to help my
team win, every day.”
Most of all, Bird would like to get the Herd out of where they were picked in
the preseason, which is last – 12th of 12 baseball-playing C-USA teams.
Herd junior center fielder Corey Bird (4) went 4-for-8 with two
doubles and two RBI in the first two games of the 2016 season
Courtesy photo
“Last year (Marshall was 20-32, 12-18 in C-USA) sticks with us, it motivates
us to do better this season. We have to show up and play hard every game to
win in a tough conference. It is a tough schedule, it will challenge us and we
can prove we belong by winning more games.
“Picking us last … that’s just extra motivation for me as a player to
prove them wrong.”
12
The Herd Insider Magazine
HerdInsider.com
13
Herd point guard Jon Elmore (33) tries to get to the basket past Old Dominion post man Nik Biberaj (30) in Marshall’s 82-65 win Saturday
night. Elmore finished with 9 points and a career-best 10 assists
Photo by Marilyn Testerman-Haye
14
The Herd Insider Magazine
Facing some tight defense from the Monarchs’ Jordan Baker (0), the Herd’s CJ Burks (14) heads upcourt with a left-handed dribble. Burks played 22
minutes off the bench and scored 8 points with 2 assists
Photo by Rick Haye
HerdInsider.com
15
Herd junior Karena Fulks, a transfer from Northern Kentucky
University, had a second-place finish in the long jump at the Feb.
12-13 Marshall Invitational. Fulks, of Jackson, Ohio, posted a leap of
5.56 meters (18 feet, 3 inches)
Photo by Brianna Jarvis
Asia Bange, shown here in the 60-meter dash in the recent Marshall
Invitational, reset her school indoor record in the 60 hurdles at last
week’s Buckeye Tune-Up at Ohio State. Bange finished in 8.42 seconds,
breaking her 2015 standard of 8.46
Photo by Brianna Jarvis
16
The Herd Insider Magazine
A big
17
HerdInsider.com
Herd
Marshall’s building success in men’s basketball brought a crowd of 8,520 to the 9,043-seat Cam Henderson
Center on Saturday night, and the fans got what they wanted in an 82-65 Conference USA triumph over Old
Dominion. It was the largest crowd in the arena since March 5, 2011, when Marshall downed UCF before
9,036, who turned out for the return of former Herd Coach Donnie Jones. The Saturday crowd was the fourth
largest at “The Cam” since Marshall joined C-USA in 2005-06. The larger gatherings were for visits by a pair
of top 3-ranked Memphis teams (2006 and 2008) and the aforementioned UCF game. The Herd is averaging
5,974 for seven C-USA home games this season, with games remaining against Louisiana Tech and Southern
Miss on March 3 and 5, respectively
Photo by Rick Haye
18
The Herd Insider Magazine
The Saturday night crowd of 8,520 at the Henderson Center was the second largest for a C-USA league game this season, behind only the
12,000 at the Haskins Center at UTEP on Feb. 6, when the Miners celebrated the 50th anniversary of Texas Western’s NCAA title season with an
overtime win against Western Kentucky
Photo by Rick Haye
HerdInsider.com
19
With Ryan Taylor in early foul trouble, Terrence Thompson (1) came off
the Herd bench against Charlotte for seven points and three rebounds
in 16 minutes
Photo by Marilyn Testerman-Haye
The Herd had added backcourt strength for Saturday’s win over Old
Dominion … Jeremy Duhon (21), the son of assistant coach Chris Duhon,
goes through pregame drills with junior guard Stevie Browning
Photo by Marilyn Testerman-Haye
20
The Herd Insider Magazine
Herd junior Stevie Browning (2) played a team-high 38 minutes in Saturday’s win over Old Dominion, hitting 5-of-10 shots and scoring 18
points to go with 7 rebounds and 2 assists
Photo by Rick Haye
HerdInsider.com
21
Coach Dan D’Antoni has guided his team to a 15-6 record after an 0-6 start, and the success includes an 11-3 Conference USA record. The 11
wins tie the high for the Herd in 11 seasons in the Texas-based league
Photo by Marilyn Testerman-Haye
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The Herd Insider Magazine
Herd junior Rachael Morales posted wins in singles and doubles in Marshall’s
4-3 loss to No. 29-ranked Rice on Sunday at the Huntington Tennis Club
Photo by Braxton Crisp
In matches against Virginia Tech and Rice last weekend at the Huntington
Tennis Club, Herd junior Derya Turhan defeated players ranked Nos. 41 and
84 in the ITA national singles rankings
Photo by Braxton Crisp
HerdInsider.com
In a matchup of top Conference USA programs, Marshall sophomore Maddie Silver, playing No. 4 singles, coasted to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Rice’s
Fernanda Astete on Sunday at the Huntington Tennis Club
Photo by Braxton Crisp
23
24
TAYLOR
From Page 4
The Herd Insider Magazine
and former Herd Coach Donnie Jones – offered a
boost against a Monarch team that matches the Herd
with a league-high five road wins.
Marshall shot 57 percent in the second half after starting the game 3-for15 and had a 20-4 bulge in points off turnovers. Four of D’Antoni’s starters
played 37 or 38 minutes, and point guard Jon Elmore matched his careerhigh with 10 assists while teammates James Kelly and Stevie Browning
scored 18 points apiece. Freeman scored 20 for ODU, which was outscored
10-1 on 3-point goals.
Taylor, who also contributed two blocks and two steals, displayed a
resiliency that has become part of his game and he continues to climb among
the stars in Marshall history, with 1,233 points and 674 career rebounds.
During his 10-point second half, Taylor passed D’Antoni’s younger brother,
Mike (1,227 points), on the Herd career scoring list.
“It’s very tough,” Taylor said when asked about the degree of difficulty in
leaving his foul foibles behind. “I probably showed the most frustration I’ve
had this season in the past two games and I mean, I know I can’t stay in that
mindset. I’ve got to bounce back because of the way the conference is set up
with playing Thursday, playing Saturday.
“They need me to be on the court; they don’t need me to be a cheerleader.
They need me to be a go-to guy, the leader, the person who talks on the
court. That’s what I’ve got to do. I can’t be frustrated with four fouls or really
early fouls, fouling out. I’ve got to bounce back, because I know I’m more
effective on the court than on the bench.”
Taylor smiled broadly when asked if the tendency is to force things the next
time out following a bad outing.
“Uh, I guess I can say I’ve been there before,” he said. “There have been so
many games in my college career where I’ve fouled out, or had four fouls –
and maybe two or three games where I haven’t bounced back.
“But I know with this offense we have from Coach D’Antoni and what we
have on this team in talent, I don’t have to go out and force the game. It’s
going to come to me. And when it comes to me, it’s like magic.
“So, I really don’t have to go out there and say, ‘I’m still here,’ because
everybody knows I’m still here. They’ve seen me have a couple of bad games
before and I’ve bounced back.”
Taylor has fouled out 10 times this season and 24 times in his career. He’s
finished 20 other games with four personals. He said another reason he
wants to stay on the court is he’s enjoying this season so much after playing
on clubs that finished 11-22 and 11-21 the past two seasons.
“We’ve been at the bottom and now we’re at the top, and we don’t want
to look back,” he said. “But we’ve got to keep coming in and getting better
every day, preparing ourselves as much as we can for the next game.
“I mean, it’s almost like … you could say ‘amazing,’ but we’ve been through
it all. (Teammate) Austin Loop and me, we’ve been here for our worst and
now we’re here for our best. We can’t get too happy because we still have a
lot of work to do.
“I still feel like teams in the conference are just like, ‘Oh, Marshall is happy
to be here,’ or ‘They just shot the ball well tonight.’ No, we’re here. We’re
trying to go out and prove things and I feel like we’re doing it this year.”
BOGACZYK
From Page 5
had to wait more years. He’s allowed us to buy a
measure of success. How much really depends on
what happens at the end of this year.
“But certainly, he’s lifted us into the thick of things in what is a transition
period as we change out players and systems.”
Yeah, Kelly really has been K-E-DOUBLE L-OH-DOUBLE GOOD for the Herd.
#
#
#
In Saturday’s 82-65 victory over visiting Old Dominion, the Herd
erased the school’s season record for 3-point field goal attempts set
by D’Antoni’s first club last season. The new mark is 800 and counting,
topping the 788 treys launched last winter.
The C-USA record is still distant, at 1,039 by Houston in 2007-08. In league
games – C-USA records are for regular-season league play only — that
Houston team had 527 tries, and Marshall is currently at 414.
Thanks to its “on-points” performance this season, D’Antoni’s Herd is closing
in on breaking – or obliterating – more than a few school and Conference USA
regular-season records.
Let’s consider just some more of the possibilities.
The Marshall scoring average record, set by Greer and Co. in 1955-56, is
93.2 points per game. That likely won’t be reachable by the 2015-16 Herd,
but the C-USA season record of 85.3 ppg – by TCU in 2001-02 – certainly is in
play. The Herd is averaging 85.0.
In league games, Marshall is at 92.1 ppg – and the record, by that same
Horned Frogs’ club – is at 81.2.
Marshall’s season record for points scored is 2,717, set in 200910. The current Herd, at 2,294, figures to break that one. The total
season mark by a C-USA team was set in 40 games by Memphis is
2007-08, at 3,196 points.
Charlotte set the C-USA record for league games last year, with 1,318 points
in 18 games. The Herd will take that one as well – likely Thursday night at
UAB, where Marshall goes with 1,289 points.
Another mark will fall this week, too. Charlotte’s 478 field goals last season
in 18 dates is the conference games record. Marshall already has 460.
The school season record for 3-point baskets is 284 by the 1995-96 team
coached by Billy Donovan. The 2015-16 Herd – at 273 – will own that one
soon. The C-USA mark in league games is 191 by Houston (2007-08).
Marshall is at 164 on that quest.
Marshall’s average for 3-point goals per game also in is play, with the ’95-96
team owning that, at 10.14 (284 in 28 games). The current Herd is at 10.11
per game (273 in 27). D’Antoni’s team is “right there” for the C-USA standard
in league games – 11.94 per game, by Houston in ’07-08. The Herd has 164
in 14 games, for 11.71 per game.
Finally, the hot-shooting Herd has a chance at the C-USA mark for field
goal percentage in league games in a season. The mark belongs to Memphis’
2011-12 team, at .512 – the only team in 20 C-USA seasons to shoot better
than 50 percent in C-USA games.
D’Antoni’s Herd is shooting .499 (460-of-922) through 14 C-USA contests.
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HerdInsider.com
ELMORE
From Page 6
withdrawal and was going to come to Marshall, Greg
White called me.
“And he said, ‘Danny, you’ve got to take this kid.’ I told Greg, ‘I’ve never
even seen him; I don’t know what he does.’ Greg says, ‘I really like him; I
really, really think you ought to take him.’ So, off that conversation, we were
going to sign him or get him here.
“I didn’t have a scholarship then and he couldn’t take one. And I said I’d try
to get his parents in here and get him in here as soon as he leaves, but he’s
got to have a clear cut situation (from VMI). He was coming regardless. But
basically, Greg is the one that got me to go, ‘OK.’”
Since moving into the lineup, Elmore has averaged 14.6 points in a teamleading 34 minutes per game. In C-USA dates, his assist-to-turnover ratio is
about 3-to-1 (94-to-34). And with a team that has five league road wins after
the Herd won only four away games in the previous three seasons combined,
Elmore has played even better on foreign floors than in the Henderson Center.
And that’s while making his collegiate debut as something of a marked man,
after D’Antoni spent a lot of time in the first month of season telling whoever
would listen that the Herd would be much improved “once we get Jon Elmore
in here” at point guard.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of pressure,” Elmore said. “We took a couple of
lumps in the beginning, started 0-6, but you could see potential each game.
We were close, though. It was just a matter of meshing together and I think it
took a little while longer than maybe we expected, but I think we’re there now
and playing really good basketball.”
After going 4-9 in non-conference play – the Herd has played nine games
against teams from the RPI top 100, more than any other C-USA team –
Marshall has flipped the switch. Elmore said that has, in his opinion, been
accompanied by “a little bit” of a surprise.
“I think our level of focus went up a ton,” the Herd guard said. “Early on in
the season, we were a little bit laid back and fat and happy – and we hadn’t
done anything yet. And I think everybody sort of read that and started
working hard, coming together, getting into the gym with extra time.
“And I think we started listening to the coaches. I think a few hadn’t totally
bought in yet – and everybody has now. I think the winning has helped
everybody’s attitude … I think the Grand Canyon game (an 85-81 loss on
Dec. 22) was a big one for us. We had them beat out in (Las) Vegas in the
(Global Sports) tournament and we kind of blew it down the stretch.
“Everybody kind of came together after that and said, ‘Let’s not let that
happen again,’ and since then I think the level of focus has shot way up …
Winning helps a lot, too.”
Elmore was 0-for-10 in the loss to Grand Canyon, his fourth MU game. He
was averaging 8.8 points per game at Christmas. In his last 12 games, the
scoring average is 17.7. And with fellow transfers limited to practice in 201415 and are now starting – forward James Kelly and guard Stevie Browning –
Elmore has helped transform Herd hoops.
Did his coach figure the turnaround would be so sudden after Elmore finally
donned his No. 33?
“Well, when Jon first started, he was hurt, so we had to wait a little bit
longer to see what kind of player he really was,” D’Antoni said. “He wasn’t
making his shot (5-for-34 in four games) and Jon was all worried, ‘What’s
wrong with my shot?’
“Well, he had sprained an ankle. You’re hurt. He shoots a jump shot, and
when you jump, you’re not evenly jumping, pushing off the same. Your shot’s
a little off and we told him, ‘As soon as you’re well, your shot will be back,
hang in there.’
“Did I think so? I told people last year, ‘The bad news is our second string
beat us about 20 points before we went into the (C-USA) tournament. The
good news is they’ll be playing for us next year.’ So, yeah, we saw it.
“But the other thing is you don’t walk in after sitting for a year and a half
and more and think you’re going to get the person who’s going to do it. Some
people are impatient, but I felt pretty good that once we got everybody in
the right positions – and that’s an important part of coaching; getting people
in the right positions – once I felt like if we could figure out a rotation for the
players, we’d be fine.
“The second complication was that we had a lot of new parts. We’re trying
to figure out what parts fit where, but once we figured that out, I thought we
could have a good team. How good? I didn’t know. Winning helps, sure. It’s
all a confidence game; that’s always a factor. The tough schedule we played
was a factor. We were seen as not as good as we really were – which lowered
expectations even more, probably.
“But once Jon got playing, I felt pretty confident we’d be pretty good.”
26
COTTON
From Page 9
The Herd Insider Magazine
Huntington, during which Daiss spent her time
responding to congratulatory messages.
“My phone was blowing up with notification after notification on all the social
media sites,” Daiss said. “My friends were texting me from all over. My dad
was calling me. It was crazy.”
Her phone received a similar workout the following afternoon when C-USA
announced its weekly award winners.
“That totally surprised me,” she said. “It wasn’t even something that I
thought about at all. (Scott Hall, Marshall sports information assistant) told
me and then it was on Twitter and my phone started blowing up all over again.
Crazy, crazy, crazy.”
Hitting home runs is nothing new to Daiss, who blasted her first as a
14-year-old and added two more that same weekend. In one summer with her
travel team, she crushed 21 of them.
For several years, one of her travel ball teammates was Elicia D’Orazio,
who’s now a sophomore infielder for the Herd and who last year was
named the C-USA Freshman of the Year. Their friendship was Marshall’s
first advantage toward landing Daiss, even before the Marshall coaches
started recruiting her.
“I had seen the Marshall movie, so I knew about the school and that part of
the history,” Daiss said. “That was all, though, until Elicia came up here. I’d
text her and she’d tell me about the games and how much she liked it here,
and I’d see all her posts on Facebook and Instagram and how much she loved
it and what a good time she was having.
“Because of all that, Marshall definitely had an advantage when the coaches
saw me play a tournament in Atlanta and started recruiting me.”
A recruiting visit where she felt at home with the Marshall team and campus
and the school’s strong science program – she plans to become a veterinarian
– quickly sealed her college decision.
It was on one of those summer travel teams where Daiss took on her
unusual uniform number – 98.
“I wore No. 8 for years, then I got to a team where somebody already had
eight and I had to pick something else,” she said. “My younger brother, Casey,
wore 98 in football and then used it in baseball, too, and I just asked him if
he cared if I wore 98.
“He thought about it and said, ‘Sure, that’s good.’ I wore it and that’s the
year I hit all the home runs and I said that was my number from then on.”
As for those home runs, Daiss’ plan is to keep on hitting them.
“I want to break the (school) home run record,” she said, without bluster.
“That was my goal already, and two home runs in the first two games just
solidified that in my mind.
“I know that I can’t get a big head about that or try too hard to make that
happen. I just have to go play and try to hit the ball hard and if I do that,
home runs come. I can’t try to hit home runs and sometimes, based on the
situation, I’ll actually be trying to do something else.
“But that’s the player I am and it’s definitely a goal of mine.”
#
#
#
Marshall’s single-season home run record is 18, by All-American Rachel
Folden in 2006. Folden also holds the career record of 58 (2005-08).
While Daiss’ debut is the first walk-off home run by a Marshall player in her
very first at-bat, there’s a real oddity in that it was the fourth time in the last
six years that someone has belted a home run in her first trip to the plate as a
member of the Herd.
It even happened twice in the same game.
On Feb. 11, 2011, Marshall opened the season at South Florida and leadoff
hitter Amanda Lara knocked the first pitch of the season – and her Herd
career – over the right-center field fence. Later in that same game, freshman
Taylor Winton added a pinch-hit homer to start her career.
Two years ago – Feb. 28, 2014 – freshman Taylor Estes belted a pinchhit home run against Coastal Carolina in her first college at-bat. Estes had
previously appeared in four games as a pinch runner, and the home run would
be the only hit of her Marshall career as she went 1-for-7 for the season in the
only year she played for the Herd.
It is by no means an apples-to-apples comparison, but as a ballpark (pun
intended) demonstration of how unusual these debut home runs are, in the
history of Major League Baseball there have been 118 home runs hit by
players in their first career at-bat. There have been more than 18,500 MLB
players, so fewer than one out of 155 accomplishes the feat.
In the last six years, 44 different players have batted for the Herd – and on
average one of every 11 has done it.
Veteran play-by-play broadcaster Steve Cotton – a record 10-time
West Virginia Sportscaster of the Year — is in his 23rd season on the
Thundering Herd/IMG Sports Network and has been the MU play-by-play
“Voice” for two decades.
27
HerdInsider.com
VICTRUM
From Page 10
to the table than just her legs, and that is a true
compliment to her maturity and her growth since
she’s been here.
“She’s pretty aggressive by nature. I think she’s gotten more
aggressive of late and I think that’s the more comfortable she’s become,
the better she gets. And I also think it’s getting a little more important
to her with the number of games to go (in her career). I like how
aggressive she’s been of late.”
Victrum owns a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and her ability to develop
leadership skills has been as crucial as her game on the court. In her four
years with the Herd, 20 teammates have been first-year players in the
program as freshmen or transfers.
“When I was going to sign, my dad and I took the visit and one of the first
things my dad asked was what records can be broken,” Victrum said. “I was
a point guard … assists, that kind of thing. I wanted to come in and start. I’d
been a starter basically all my life at whatever level. But I knew it was going
to be hard as a freshman and I knew there would be a lot of talent coming in
the years after I came.
“And it just so happened that a couple of girls got kicked off the team and I
was thrown to the wolves. And I think that was a blessing for me. It was an
opportunity. My mindset was to come in and play as many minutes as I could
— which I did. Everything happened for a reason.”
Now, more than 3,600 career minutes later, Victrum has learned from more
than all of that time on the court.
“When I tore the ACL, I think it gave me a reality check, that anything
can be taken from you in the blink of an eye,” Victrum said. “It made me
love and appreciate the game more. It gave me better leadership skills,
just watching, what I saw in the game when sitting out, the approach in
how I talk to my teammates.
“I felt like it brought me a lot closer to my teammates and coaches
because they were a huge support system while I was down. I call it a
blessing in disguise.
“I didn’t like that ‘Kenzie and Tana got hurt, but I didn’t feel any pressure
having to play more because it was something I’d been doing. When I saw
Tana come in and knowing ‘Kenzie was coming back this season, I thought,
‘Everything doesn’t have to be on me.’
“Well, it’s not like everything on me now. We have a lot more talent. And
point guard-wise, Tana made me a whole lot better this year. I’ve never
had anybody play as great a defense as she did on me in practice. She
really helped me in the offseason. And I hope seeing what I did this season
– coming back (after surgery) – helps them. Go to rehab; come back
aggressive. It’s not over.”
Victrum, who got her nickname at age 8 when a youth soccer coach
struggled to pronounce “Norrisha,” does know her collegiate career will be
over soon. Her coach just hopes she keeps rolling as she has as February
turns into March.
“I’m very concerned about ReeRee’s minutes,” Daniel said. “I know she’s
done it before but she’s got more miles on her … her tires are bald. She’s
going on fumes right now and we try to manage that in practice as best we
can, but it’s a tough task for her.
“It’s a tough task for anybody with two good legs much less somebody
who’s had an ACL tear. What she’s doing is quite phenomenal … But she
is playing within herself and doing more than I can ask her to do – which
really is all you can ask.”
The 22-year-old senior nodded when told Daniel’s automotive references
to her endurance.
“I do think it helped that I played those kind of minutes before, but it’s still a
little hard because obviously I’m still not 100 percent in shape,” Victrum said.
‘I’m probably like 80. I didn’t get to do as much preseason conditioning with
the team as I needed.
“But I think my drive and my competitive spirit to win – helping my team
– pushes me. I don’t worry about getting tired. I worry about that after
the game. I get treatment. In practice, Coach Daniel sometimes has me go
every third possession. Coach understands my legs have a lot of miles on
them. I’ve played 30 minutes every game I’ve been here, but he knows I’m
going to give my all.”
She has averaged 32.5 minutes per game in her career, and Victrum will
finish ranked in the top five in Herd assists. She needs 59 points to become
Marshall’s 19th career 1,000-point scorer, too. She will graduate in May with a
degree in Management (and a minor in Sport Management).
“I think about Coach Daniel and I came in together and we’ve been
through everything together,” Victrum said. “I’m going to be his first fouryear player here, ever. I think when I leave here, Coach and I, we’ll always
have that relationship. I’ve seen a lot of changes here at Marshall, in the
team and program. It’s a blessing to be here for all of the positive changes
he’s made in the team.
“I just feel like I’ve been living the dream. Graduating, it’s great, wonderful.
It’s been a great opportunity. I can’t thank Marshall enough for what they
did to help me with my education and basketball. Then, next, I want to go
overseas. I’m putting in applications to do that; I’m going to go to some
combines, try everything I can to continue my basketball career and if I
doesn’t continue, I know it’s not me.
“I’m going to put every effort into it. If it doesn’t happen, I want to coach,
probably college level if I can. But I’ll start my way up, AAU, whatever,
something to get my resume up.
“I just want to stay close to the game.”
28
The Herd Insider Magazine
2015-16 Marshall Athletics team schedules
MEN’S BASKETBALL
DateOpponentSiteTime/Score
Nov. 19
at Tennessee
Knoxville, Tenn.
L, 84-74
Nov. 24
at Morehead State
Morehead, Ky.
L, 85-61
Nov. 27
James Madison
Henderson Center
L, 89-75
Dec. 2
at Ohio
Athens, Ohio
L, 85-70
Dec. 4
Akron
Henderson Center
L, 75-65
Dec. 6
at James Madison
Harrisonburg, Va.
L, 107-84
Dec. 9
Eastern Illinois
Henderson Center
W, 82-76
Dec. 12
Eastern Kentucky
Henderson Center
W, 96-72
Dec. 14
North Carolina Central Henderson Center
W, 92-73
Dec. 17
West Virginia
Charleston CC
L, 86-68
Global Basketball Classic
Dec. 21
Wyoming
Las Vegas
W, 90-82
Dec. 22
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
L, 85-81
—
Dec. 27
at Maryland
College Park, Md.
L, 87-67
Jan. 3
Western Kentucky Henderson Center
W, 94-76
Jan. 7
Florida Atlantic
Henderson Center
W, 90-67
Jan. 9
FIU
Henderson Center
W, 99-81
Jan. 14
at North Texas
Denton, Texas
W, 97-78
Jan. 16 at Rice
Houston
W, 94-90
Jan. 21
at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
L, 103-95
Jan. 23
at Old Dominion
Norfolk, Va.
W, 78-75
Jan. 28
Middle Tennessee
Henderson Center
W, 82-66
Jan. 30
UAB
Henderson Center
L, 81-78
Feb. 4
at UTEP
El Paso, Texas
L, 112-108
Feb. 6
at UTSA
San Antonio
W, 109-91
Feb. 13
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
W, 96-93 (OT)
Feb. 18
Charlotte
Henderson Center
W, 87-72
Feb. 20
Old Dominion
Henderson Center
W, 82-65
Feb. 25
at UAB
Birmingham, Ala.
8 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6 p.m.
March 3
Louisiana Tech
Henderson Center
7 p.m.
March 5
March 8-12
Southern Miss
C-USA Tournament
Henderson Center
Birmingham, Ala.
7 p.m.
—
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
DateOpponentSiteTime/Score
Nov. 13
at Morehead State
Morehead, Ky.
W, 104-101
Nov. 15
Brescia (Ky.)
Henderson Center
W, 92-40
Nov. 18
Rhode Island
Henderson Center
W, 72-62
Nov. 22
NJIT
Henderson Center
W, 63-50
Nov. 27
Cornell
Henderson Center
W, 73-47
Dec. 5
Alabama A&M
Henderson Center
W, 81-45
Dec. 13
West Virginia
Charleston CC
L, 66-60
Dec. 17
St. Francis (Pa.)
Henderson Center
W, 81-73
Dec. 20
Norfolk State
Henderson Center
W, 81-67
Dec. 22
WVU Tech
Henderson Center
W, 83-39
Dec. 28
at Southern Illinois
Carbondale, Ill.
W, 61-55
Jan. 2
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
L, 81-52
Jan. 7
at Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton, Fla.
L, 84-73
Jan. 9
at FIU
Miami
W, 65-58
Jan. 14
North Texas
Henderson Center
L, 71-63
Jan. 16 Rice
Henderson Center
W, 81-52
Jan. 21
Charlotte
Henderson Center
L, 64-61
Jan. 23
Old Dominion
Henderson Center
W, 80-62
Jan. 28
at Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
L, 65-54
Jan. 30
at UAB
Birmingham, Ala.
W, 64-61
Feb. 4
UTEP
Henderson Center
W, 79-64
Feb. 6
UTSA
Henderson Center
W, 80-76
Feb. 14
Western Kentucky Henderson Center
L, 80-76
Feb. 18
at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
L, 87-77
Feb. 20
at Old Dominion
Norfolk, Va.
L, 77-55
Feb. 25
UAB
Henderson Center
11:30 a.m.
See SCHEDULES, Page 29
29
HerdInsider.com
SCHEDULES
From Page 28
Feb. 27 March 3
March 5
March 8-12
Middle Tennessee
at Louisiana Tech
at Southern Miss
C-USA Tournament
Henderson Center
Ruston, La.
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Birmingham, Ala.
1 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
5 p.m.
—
BASEBALL
DateOpponentSiteTime/Score
Feb. 19
at Florida A&M
Tallahassee, Fla.
L, 9-4
Feb. 20
at Florida A&M
Tallahassee, Fla.
L, 20-4
Feb. 21
at Florida A&M
Tallahassee, Fla.
11 a.m.
Feb. 26
Liberty
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Noon
Feb. 26
at Coastal Carolina
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
4 p.m.
Feb. 27
Liberty
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
4 p.m.
March 5
Lehigh (DH)
Kennedy Center
Noon
March 6
Lehigh
Kennedy Center
Noon
March 11
Brown
Kennedy Center
3 p.m.
March 12
Brown (DH)
Kennedy Center
Noon
March 13
Brown
Kennedy Center
Noon
March 15
Morehead State
Kennedy Center
3 p.m.
March 18
Southern Miss
App Power Park
6 p.m.
March 19
Southern Miss
App Power Park
4 p.m.
March 20
Southern Miss
App Power Park
1 p.m.
March 22
Eastern Kentucky
Kennedy Center
3 p.m.
March 24
at FIU
Miami
TBA
March 25
at FIU
Miami
TBA
March 26
at FIU
Miami
TBA
March 30
at Morehead State
Morehead, Ky.
4 p.m.
April 1
Louisiana Tech
App Power Park
6 p.m.
April 2
Louisiana Tech
App Power Park
4 p.m.
April 3
Louisiana Tech
App Power Park
1 p.m.
April 5
West Virginia
App Power Park
6 p.m.
April 8
at UTSA
San Antonio
7 p.m.
April 9
at UTSA
San Antonio
3 p.m.
April 10
at UTSA
San Antonio
10 a.m.
April 15
Florida Atlantic
Epling Stadium
6 p.m.
April 16
Florida Atlantic
Epling Stadium
4 p.m.
April 17
Florida Atlantic
Epling Stadium
1 p.m.
April 19
Eastern Kentucky
Kennedy Center
3 p.m.
April 20
Ohio
Kennedy Center
3 p.m.
April 22
at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
6 p.m.
April 23
at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
2 p.m.
April 24
at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
1 p.m.
April 26
at West Virginia
Morgantown, W.Va.
6 p.m.
April 29
at Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7 p.m.
April 30
at Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5 p.m.
May 1
at Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
2 p.m.
May 6
UAB
App Power Park
6 p.m.
May 7
UAB
App Power Park
2 p.m.
May 8
UAB
App Power Park
10 a.m.
May 10
at Ohio
Athens, Ohio
6 p.m.
May 13
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
7 p.m.
May 14
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
4 p.m.
May 15
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
1 p.m.
May 17
Wake Forest
Epling Stadium
6 p.m.
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 25-29
Old Dominion
Old Dominion
Old Dominion
C-USA Tournament
App Power Park
App Power Park
App Power Park
Hattiesburg, Miss.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
—
MEN’S GOLF
DateTournamentSite/Finish
Feb. 29-March 1 Davidson Invitational
Davidson, N.C.
March 11-13 Pinehurst Intercollegiate
Pinehurst, N.C.
March 25-27 Furman Intercollegiate
Greenville, S.C.
April 11-12 Greenbrier Invitational
Old White TPC
April 24-17 Conference USA Championship
Texarkana, Ark.
WOMEN’S GOLF
DateTournamentSite/Finish
Feb. 28-March 1 Kiawah Island Classic
Kiawah Island, S.C.
March 20-22 MSU Spring Citrus Classic
Sorrento, Fla.
March 25-27 Bearcats Spring Classic
Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
April 4-5
Hoya Invitational
Beallsville, Md.
April 18-20 Conference USA Championship
Fort Myers, Fla.
SOFTBALL
DateOpponent/Tourney
SiteTime/Score
Trojan Invitational
Feb. 14
Alabama State
Troy, Ala.
W, 4-2 (8 innings)
Feb. 14
at Troy
Troy, Ala.
W, 7-5 (8 innings)
—
FGCU Invitational
Feb. 19
Long Island
Fort Myers, Fla.
W, 10-2 (6 innings)
Feb. 19
Southern Illinois
Fort Myers, Fla.
L, 8-6
Feb. 20
Hofstra
Fort Myers, Fla.
W, 9-1 (6 innings)
Feb. 20
Long Island
Fort Myers, Fla.
W, 4-2
Feb. 21
Saint Louis
Fort Myers, Fla.
W, 6-1
—
Easton Bama Bash
Feb. 26
Arizona
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
1 p.m.
Feb. 26
Tennessee
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
4 p.m.
Feb. 27
at Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
4:45 p.m.
Feb. 27
Tennessee
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
7 p.m.
Feb. 28
Arizona
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
11:30 a.m.
—
Camel Stampede
March 4
Appalachian State
Buies Creek, N.C.
3 p.m.
March 4
Md. Eastern Shore
Buies Creek, N.C.
8 p.m.
March 5
Loyola (Chicago)
Buies Creek, N.C.
3 p.m.
March 5
Md. Eastern Shore
Buies Creek, N.C.
5:30 p.m.
March 6
at Campbell
Buies Creek, N.C.
1:30 p.m.
—
March 12
UTEP (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
1 p.m.
March 13
UTEP
Dot Hicks Field
Noon
March 15
Toledo (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
1 p.m.
March 16
Kentucky
Dot Hicks Field
4 p.m.
March 19
at North Texas (DH)
Denton, Texas
2 p.m.
See SCHEDULES, Page 30
30
The Herd Insider Magazine
SCHEDULES
From Page 29
March 20
March 22
March 23
March 29
April 2
April 3
April 6
April 9
April 10
April 12 April 16
April 17
April 23
April 24
April 30
May 1
May 7
May 8
May 12-14
at North Texas
Denton, Texas
Ohio (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
Radford (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
St. Francis (Pa.) (DH)Dot Hicks Field
at UAB (DH)
Birmingham, Ala.
at UAB
Birmingham, Ala.
at Wright State (DH) Dayton, Ohio
Charlotte (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
Charlotte Dot Hicks Field
at Liberty (DH)
Lynchburg, Va.
at Florida Atlantic (DH)Boca Raton, Fla.
at Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton, Fla.
Middle Tennessee (DH) Dot Hicks Field
Middle Tennessee
Dot Hicks Field
FIU (DH)
Dot Hicks Field
FIU
Dot Hicks Field
at Western Kentucky (DH) Bowling Green, Ky.
at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
C-USA Tournament
Denton, Texas
1 p.m.
2 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
2 p.m.
1 p.m.
4 p.m.
1 p.m.
Noon
3 p.m.
1 p.m.
Noon
1 p.m.
Noon
1 p.m.
Noon
2 p.m.
1 p.m.
—
SWIMMING & DIVING
DateMeetSiteTime
Oct. 8-9
West Virginia Games Morgantown
2nd place
Oct. 23
Cincinnati, VMI
Fitch Natatorium
W, 2 duals
Oct. 30-31 at Davidson, Old Dominion Davidson, N.C.
W, 2 duals
Nov. 6
at Cleveland State
Cleveland
W
Nov. 7
CSU, St. Bonaventure Cleveland
W, 2 duals
Nov. 13
at Ohio
Athens, Ohio
L
Nov. 19-21 Nike Cup
Chapel Hill, N.C.
6th of 9 teams
Jan. 21
James Madison
Fitch Natatorium
L, 159-141
Jan. 30
Vanderbilt, North Florida Nashville, Tenn.
Split, 1-1
Feb. 5-6
Marshall InvitationalFitch Natatorium
2nd place
(Marshall, Ohio, Toledo)
Feb. 24-27 C-USA Championships Atlanta
—
March 7-9
NCAA Zone A Diving Annapolis, Md.
—
March 17-19 NCAA Championships Atlanta
—
TENNIS
DateEvent/OpponentSiteTime
Jan. 15-17 Nishan Vardebedian Invite
Pittsburgh
—
Jan. 22
Tulsa, at National Team Indoors Chapel Hill, N.C.
L, 4-0
Jan. 23
Yale (NTI)
Chapel Hill, N.C.
W, 4-3
Jan. 31
South Carolina
Charlottesville, Va.
L, 4-0
Feb. 5
Morehead State
Huntington TC
W, 7-0
Feb. 5RadfordHuntington TCW, 6-1
Feb. 12
at Louisville
Louisville, Ky.
W, 4-3
Feb. 14
at Miami (Ohio)
Oxford, Ohio
L, 4-3
Feb. 19
Virginia Tech
Huntington TC
L, 5-2
Feb. 21
RiceHuntington TCL, 4-3
Feb. 28
at Penn State
State College, Pa.
11 a.m.
March 4
FIU
Huntington TC
3 p.m.
March 6
Virginia Commonwealth
Huntington TC
11 a.m.
March 11
West Virginia
Huntington TC
3 p.m.
March 20
at William & Mary
Williamsburg, Va.
2 p.m.
March 24
at College of Charleston
Charleston, S.C.
2 p.m.
March 25
CharlotteCharleston, S.C.9:30 a.m.
April 3
at Winthrop
Rock Hill, S.C.
10 a.m.
April 8
Cincinnati
Brian David Fox TC 1 p.m.
April 10
Xavier
Brian David Fox TC 1 p.m.
April 16
Old Dominion
Brian David Fox TC 11 a.m.
April 21-24 Conference USA Tournament Murfreesboro, Tenn.
—
TRACK & FIELD
DateMeetSite
Indoor season
Dec. 3
Marshall Tri-Meet
Jeff Small Track
1st of 3
Jan. 15-16 Kentucky Invitational Lexington, Ky.
No Scores
Jan. 29-30 Thundering Herd Invite
Jeff Small Track
6th of 16
Feb. 5-6 Akron Invitational Akron, Ohio
No Scores
Feb. 12-13 Chipotle Marshall Invite Jeff Small Track
3rd of 13
Feb. 19 Buckeye Tune-Up Columbus, Ohio
No Scores
Feb. 24-25 C-USA Championships Birmingham, Ala.
March 11-12 NCAA Championships Birmingham, Ala.
Outdoor season
March 18-19 Wake Forest Open
Winston-Salem, N.C.
March 25-26 UNF Invitational
Jacksonville, Fla.
April 1-2
Pepsi Florida Relays
Gainesville, Fla.
April 2
Cherry Blossom Invitational
Athens, Ohio
April 9
Hilltopper Relays
Bowling Green, Ky.
April 15-16 Beynon Catamount Classic
Cullowhee, N.C.
April 22-23 UVa Challenge
Charlottesville, Va.
April 28-30 Penn Relays
Philadelphia
May 6-7
Kentucky Relays
Lexington, Ky.
May 12-15 Conference USA Championships Murfreesboro, Tenn.
May 28-30 NCAA East Preliminaries
Jacksonville, Fla.
June 8-11
NCAA Championships
Eugene, Ore.
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