THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 8, 1995 TAG: 9504080380
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Hampton University ended its search for its first Division I men's basketball coach Friday by hiring Byron Samuels, an assistant coach at Washington State.
Samuels, 30, has also been an assistant at UNC Wilmington, Radford, Tulsa and Western Carolina.
``(Samuels) brings a wealth of experience on the Division I level,'' Hampton athletic director Dennis Thomas said. ``Every program he has been employed in has been successful. He is a proven winner and we look forward to him continuing the winning tradition here at Hampton University.''
Samuels, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., played at UNC Asheville. He began his coaching career at Western Carolina in 1989, then spent a year at Tulsa, a year at UNC Wilmington, a year at Radford and another year at UNC Wilmington. He followed former UNC Wilmington head coach Kevin Eastman to Washington State, and just completed his first year there.
Thomas was picked from a pool of 105 applicants, several of whom withdrew from consideration after being interviewed, sources said. The job was first offered to Georgia Tech assistant coach Derek Whittenburg, but the former North Carolina State star withdrew when he and Hampton officials could not agree on terms of a contract, sources said. Whittenburg, according to sources, wanted a longer contract than the three-year deal Hampton was offering.
Others who withdrew after being interviewed were Wake Forest assistant Ricky Stokes, Alabama A&M coach Van Pettaway, and Southern Union Junior College coach Ron Radford.
Terms of Samuels' contract were not disclosed. Hampton begins Division I play in the 1995-96 season. by CNB