Driving through the mountains, Dan and I noticed the homes along the way. Some could barely be seen through the forest trees that surrounded them. We commented about the irony of building a beautiful home in the mountains with no view of anything but tree trunks. It reminded me of a story.

A couple married and bought an old house in the mountains. The house had good bones and there was no yardwork because their land was covered with trees.
As they worked to make the old house a home, one constant battle was the lovely green stuff and sap build up on the house from all the trees surrounding it. The economy took a downturn and things got tough for them, so they decided to sell off the trees near and behind their house in a last ditch effort to help them financially and with the cleanliness of the house.

When all the work was done, they were amazed at what they saw. The trees had been blocking the most breathtaking view of the mountains, the forests, and the valley below that they had no idea existed. They couldn’t see the forests for the trees! Clearing the land of the obstacles allowed them to see more clearly than ever, and the value of their home soared.

Our relationship with God is like that. Sometimes our lives get so cluttered and full of sap (and even good things) that we can’t see His goodness or His glory. There are obstacles (such as disease, fear, finances, long to-do lists, etc.) that keep us from fully seeing or knowing God’s faithfulness, grace, and mercy. We need to look beyond the forest and see things from His point of view. We see with earthly eyes, but when Heaven is revealed, it will be like we are seeing for the first time. There will be obstacles and gunk on this earth through which we have to suffer. But for those who have faith in Christ and the forgiveness of sins, we will experience a breathtaking view of His glory when He is fully revealed.

When I choose to set my mind to look past the tough things, and I look to and lean on Jesus instead, cutting down the trees in essence, not only does my view change, but my point of view changes as well. Rest in the assurance of salvation and put priorities in their proper order. And give God all the praise for His presence and the beautiful view we gain.

I Peter 1:3-9
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

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A year ago, Florida A&M University (FAMU) baseball senior pitchers Kyle Coleman and Josh Hancock were preparing for life after college and a shot at playing professionally. 

But after 15 games, the 2020 season ended when FAMU Athletics cancelled the spring sports season due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Having the 2020 season cut short was nothing less than heartbreaking,” Coleman said. 

The Rattlers were coming off a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship season and had high expectations for a repeat. Coleman recalled when the decision was announced; you could hear the air leave the roof. 

“We had worked so hard coming into that season and all we wanted to do was play,” Coleman said. “Now we have the opportunity to play for a championship this year.” 

Coleman, a native of St. Cloud, Fla., recorded a team-high 20 strikeouts in just four appearances in 2020. The right-hander was being heavily scouted by several professional teams after helping FAMU win the 2019 MEAC Tournament Championship. 

Hancock also entered the 2020 season with high expectations. He shared Coleman’s frustration and disappointment about the abrupt ending to the 2020 season. 

“I didn’t know if I would ever get to play in another meaningful game since that was my senior year,” said the Altamonte Springs, Fla., native. 

Hancock was second on the team with 18 strikeouts last season, but it was his love for the game and a chance to play professionally that brought him back for an extra season. 

“Obviously, I have the same dream every little kid has to be drafted and play professional baseball and coming back gave me that opportunity to keep chasing that little boy’s dream,” he said. 

While both players are excited to be back, Hancock said he wasn’t so fortunate to avoid COVID-19. He contracted the virus on his birthday in September. 

“Luckily, my symptoms weren’t bad, so I felt okay, but it was pretty boring spending your birthday alone,” said Hancock. “Thankfully, the rest of my family did not get the virus.” 

Coleman has escaped infection thus far, but a sibling wasn’t so was lucky.  

“My younger brother is the only one in my family to have contracted COVID and his symptoms were very mild, only a small headache,” Coleman said. 

Both players are delighted to get an extra year of eligibility. While Hancock leads the team in victories (four) and strikeouts, Coleman has struggled to regain his rhythm on the mound. Both are expected to play an integral role in the team’s success for the rest of the season.   

The Rattlers have 21 games remaining before playing in their final MEAC Baseball Tournament. Florida A&M will face North Carolina Central (April 23-25) and North Carolina A&T State (May 7-9) at Moore-Kittles Field. 

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – The conference was initially formed as an athletic association “for the greater advantage of the small colleges in North Carolina” on Dec. 6, 1930.

The name given back then was the North State Intercollegiate Conference, but it was known informally as the Old North State Conference. The birthplace of the league that is now known as Conference Carolinas was the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina and the seven charter and founding members were Appalachian State, Atlantic Christian (now Barton College), Catawba, Guilford, Elon, High Point and Lenoir-Rhyne. 

On May 20, 1961 the name of the conference was changed to the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC), but it was commonly known less formerly as the Carolinas Conference.    

The 1995-96 year brought dramatic change to the conference. First, the conference moved from the NAIA to full membership into NCAA Division II. At the time another name change occurred and the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (known more universally as the “CVAC”) was born.  

The league decided to go back to its roots and change its name to Conference Carolinas in 2007. 

Conference Carolinas features 11 members in the 2020-21 academic year. The league will expand to 13 members for the 2021-22 academic year with the addition of Francis Marion and UNC Pembroke. Francis Marion will be first-time members of Conference Carolinas, while this will be UNC Pembroke’s second time as a member of Conference Carolinas (1976-92).

Conference Carolinas member institutions in the 2020-21 academic year are Barton, Belmont Abbey, Chowan, Converse, Emmanuel, Erskine, King, Lees-McRae, Mount Olive, North Greenville and Southern Wesleyan. 

Conference Carolinas believes in the development and formation of the whole person in body, mind and soul. Our students are nationally recognized for their extraordinary success in the classroom, in the community and at the highest levels of NCAA competition. 

Please visit ConferenceCarolinas.com to learn more about Conference Carolinas. You can learn more about the history of Conference Carolinas at ConferenceCarolinas.com/History.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Thirty years ago, Bernadette Mattox was hired by Rick Patino as the first woman assistant coach for a Men’s Basketball program at the University of Kentucky. In 2020, Kayla Slovenec continues to forge a path for women in men’s sports, following Mattox’s footsteps and joining the St. Thomas University Men’s Basketball program as a Graduate Assistant Coach.

The glass ceiling for women entering a predominantly male sport has begun to crack in recent years, most notably with Becky Hammon becoming the first female assistant coach in NBA history. While the number of women assistants has grown from one-to-11 in the National Basketball Association, the gender gap has closed in other professional leagues, as well.  In addition to Hammon, Sarah Thomas forged a path as the first woman referee, and Kathryn Smith as the first full-time assistant coach, and the list has continued to grow.

Slovenec, a Pittsburgh, PA.-native, joins the Bobcats from St. Vincent College (PA.), where she excelled as a guard for the Bearcats. During her time at SVC, Slovenia appeared in 112 games, starting 87, shot 41% from the field, and scored 818 career points. In her final season at St. Vincent, Slovenec was named an All-PAC Honorable Mention and a member for the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll, while winning a PAC Championship and advancing to the National Tournament.

The “Bearcat to Bobcat” connection existed for Slovenec, who will now assist former SVC Head Basketball Coach, D.P. Harris, entering his second season as the bench boss for St. Thomas University. “Kayla and I worked together for a short time at Saint Vincent, and one of the promises I made to the President [David A. Armstrong, J.D.] when I took the job was that I would bring in people that make a difference in our players’ lives,” said Coach Harris. “Kayla brings a passion and a work ethic that fits the Bobcat way, and most importantly, she is an ethical leader with a jump-shot!”

Transitioning from one sport to another and adjusting from the women’s game to the men’s certainly presents challenges for any coach. Although aware of the present obstacles, Slovenec is eager to overcome them and succeed as a woman in a man’s game.

“Challenges are there in anything we want to accomplish in life, even in basketball,” said Slovenec. “One of the most difficult parts of switching from the men’s to women’s game, and from a player to coach, is fitting into the leadership role straight from college. As a coach, I have to build respect, be relatable to the players, and find my own voice and coaching style.”

Slovenec added, “my goal is to deserve to be a part of the coaching staff here at St. Thomas and to be seen as equal.” Despite the numerous challenges that stand in Slovenec’s path, the former guard has focused on the benefits, saying, “Becoming a woman in a man’s game has pushed me out of my comfort zone, made me strive to become the person that the players rely on, and developed my coaching skills.”

Out of the norm hiring practices are still rare, even as the sports world moves into an era of equal opportunity for coaches. St. Thomas University President, David A. Armstrong, J.D., said, “I am impressed that Coach D.P. Harris made such a bold move to bring Kayla to our Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff. Someday, because of hirings like this, it will not need to be labeled bold. Kayla is a quality coach, and at STU, she joins a long list of female trailblazers in the world of sports. It’s what we do and who we are!”

Earlier in 2020, Tamara Moore was named the Head Coach of a men’s collegiate program when the former WNBA guard took the Mesabi Range College (MI.) position. As more and more women are establishing themselves in men’s sports, the gender gap shrinks.

Slovenec, who graduated from St. Vincent with a degree in communications and a minor in marketing, is currently pursuing her M.B.A. in marketing at St. Thomas University. Despite just beginning her coaching career as a graduate assistant at STU, Slovenec plans to continue pursuing the heights to which basketball can take her professionally, either in the front office or on the court.

“I am excited to be a part of the Bobcats Basketball program at St. Thomas University, and the season can’t start soon enough,” Slovenec continued. “I’m thankful for the opportunity from Coach Harris to assist with the team and develop personally and professionally in basketball.”

St. Thomas Men’s Basketball enters the 2020 – 21 season coming off an impressive turnaround in year one of the Harris-era, ending the season with a 22-6 and advancing to the Sun Conference Tournament Championship. STU is scheduled to begin the 20 – 21 season on Saturday, November 7, from the Fernandez Family Center against Florida National University.

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The list is compiled of the 10 programs that have earned the most victories from 2010-2019.

[Editor’s note: Southeast Sports Net covers college and high school sports in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and beyond. This list is confined to D-II, D-III and NAIA programs in the eight states named.]

10. Carson-Newman Eagles (75-39)
The Eagles earned a couple of South Atlantic Conference titles in the decade and stayed steady in the upper half of the league standings. They also made four playoff appearances, going 3-4 in the postseason.

T-8. Cumberlands Patriots (77-34)
The Patriots finished the decade with back-to-back 10-win seasons and earned four double-digit win totals in that time. Cumberlands made five trips to the playoffs and won five playoff games, making the national semifinals in 2013.

T-8. Tuskegee Golden Tigers (77-34)
Nine seasons with a winning record and six trips to the postseason helped Tuskegee to find a place on this list. Picking up 77 wins with only one season with a double-digit win total shows the consistency of the program.

7. Centre Colonels (78-26)
The Colonels won or shared three SAA titles and made three trips to the playoffs and stayed at or above .500 in each season.

6. Georgetown Tigers (79-30)
A dichotomy in the decade for the Tigers – the first five years saw five playoff berths and the last five saw only one. Still, six trips to the postseason in 10 years and no losing records in that span.

5. Thomas More Saints (81-26)
Although in the NAIA now, the Saints picked up most of their wins in D-III. Four times, Thomas More won or shared a Presidents Athletic Conference title and four times it went to the D-III playoffs. The only losing record came in the first season with a full NAIA slate – 2019.

4. Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders (82-33)
The Raiders are on a roll with five playoff appearances in the last six years. Lindsey Wilson made it to the national semis in 2019 and are poised to make another run, if there is football in 2020.

3. Lenior-Rhyne Bears (83-36)
This decade has been a roller coaster ride for Bears fans with four double-digit win seasons and a pair of back-to-back three-win years. But the good years were very good years with five trips to the playoffs and a national runner-up finish in 2013.

2. Winston-Salem State (84-30)
The start of the 2010s was the better half of the decade for the Rams, which included a 37-4 stretch from 2011-13. Winston-Salem made six straight playoff appearances and earned a national runner-up finish in 2012.

1. Valdosta State Blazers (88-27)
Valdosta State was the team of the decade. The Blazers had winning seasons in each year, made the playoffs seven times, had a national semifinal appearance and earned two national championships – 2012 and 2018 – with an undefeated season in the latter.

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