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Aline Alzime Junior Guard

Rob Fuller Junior Guard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

November 16, 2005


Hoop Teams Set to Open 2005-06 Season
Women Tip Off at EMU Tourney,
Men Open at Great So./USA So. Classic

FERRUM, Va. – Led by first year Head Coaches Bill Tharp and Bryan Harvey, the Ferrum College men's and women's basketball teams will open their respective 2005-06 seasons this weekend.

Although Tharp is in his first year as head coach for the Ferrum men, he is no stranger to the Panther basketball program.  Tharp served the past four years as an assistant coach at Ferrum, last season under Scott Shepherd and the previous three under Ed Wills.

Tharp will take his men's team to the Great South/USA South Tip-Off Classic III at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.  The Panthers face Huntingdon Friday night at 7 p.m. CST to open the tournament.  Prior to the game, Greensboro College will face Piedmont College at 5 p.m. CST.  On Saturday, Ferrum faces Piedmont at 3 p.m. CST, followed by Huntingdon/Greensboro game at 5 p.m. CST.

Ferrum's men finished 7-19 overall last season and were 4-8 in the USA South, finishing sixth in the league's regular season standings under Shepherd.  The Panthers' top returnees are junior guard Rob Fuller (Timberlake, N.C./Person County) and junior forward Keith Harris (Ringgold, Va./Dan River).  Fuller averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year, while Harris averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Harvey is in his first year as a college head coach.  He previously served as Head Girls Basketball Coach at Glenvar High School in Roanoke from 1997-2004, leading the Lady Highlanders to state titles in 1997 and 2001.  In eight seasons at the helm of the program, Harvey registered a 133-73 (.646) career coaching record.  His state title teams in the fall of 1997 and 2001 were 23-4 and 27-2, respectively.

Harvey will take the Ferrum women to the Eastern Mennonite University Tip-Off Tournament Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Averett University and Meredith College will play at 6 p.m. Friday, followed at 8 p.m. by the Ferrum-Eastern Mennonite game.  Saturday's consolation game is at 2 p.m., with the championship to follow at 4 p.m.

Ferrum's women finished 15-12 last season, including a USA South regular season runner-up finish at 11-3 under Donna Doonan.  The Panthers top returnee is junior guard Aline Alzime (Leesburg, Va./Stonebridge), who earned USA South All-Conference first team honors last season and was the USA South Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year in 2003.  Alzime averaged 14.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season.

In a preseason poll of the USA South head basketball coaches, Ferrum's women have been picked to finish seventh in the eight-team league.  The Ferrum men have been picked to finish sixth among the league's seven teams.
 

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