THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504210238
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
THE PEOPLE AT Elizabeth City State University are doing Nansemond River Warrior basketball fans a big favor these days.
They're overlooking Spencer Mayfield.
Mayfield applied for the Vikings' men's basketball head coaching job several weeks ago. The next word he hears back from Elizabeth City State will be the first.
In the meantime, four other candidates have received interviews. The frontrunners are considered to be Booker T. Washington head coach Barry Hamler and Norfolk State assistant Mel Coleman. By the time you read this, one of those men may very well have the job.
As for Mayfield, he's left to wonder why a coach who's led teams to four state championships hasn't even received a form letter.
Mayfield wasn't exactly eager to bolt Nansemond River, the place where he's built a budding Group AA dynasty in a mere six years. Nor is Mayfield the type to throw his interest around willy-nilly. A fiercely proud man, Mayfield believes his record - four state title-winning teams in 27 years at John F. Kennedy High and Nansemond River - should speak for itself.
But this job is special. Elizabeth City State is the school from which Mayfield graduated. He starred for the Vikings' basketball team. He's been inducted into the school's hall of fame.
Furthermore, the university president, Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, was Mayfield's backcourt mate during his playing days. And Mayfield has said he has long wanted to test his coaching skills at the college level.
So Mayfield expressed his interest. So far, it hasn't been mutual.
Why hasn't Mayfield been considered? Some schools shy away from coaches without college experience. But, by chasing Hamler, ECSU showed it isn't one of them.
Hamler is a fine coach and perhaps an even better promoter. He took a four-team local basketball tournament and within a few years turned it into a 16-team Classic that annually attracts some of the nation's finest teams. His Bookers have played tournaments in Alaska and Florida. Last year, they came close to playing in Japan.
This ability to increase his team's profile is no doubt one of the reasons ECSU is high on Hamler. But he could take the Vikings to the four corners of the globe, and eventually, he would be judged on winning games.
No high school coach in this area wins more consistently than Mayfield. And with Mayfield, you get discipline. Viking teams of recent vintage have been talented enough to beat anyone and unfocused enough to lose to anyone.
Mayfield's style could be off-putting to some. If a school's looking for a glad-hander or a quote machine, they've got the wrong man. And while hiring Mayfield would seem to be a popular choice with alumni, who knows what's gone down between the coach and his former school in the years since he's left?
Again, however, fans may think they want a coach who makes them feel good, but what they really want is someone who makes the team win. There is no reason to think Mayfield-led teams wouldn't win on the college level.
As for questions about whether he could recruit, Mayfield said he has solid connections throughout the region and is confident he could attract talented players.
The only factor really working against Mayfield seems to be his age, 56. The trend these days seems to be to go with the young guys. Three Division I coaches hired within the last month are either age 29 or 30.
Mayfield can't make himself any younger, although he said he believes he has another 10-12 good years on the sidelines. But barring some last minute miracle, Mayfield will spend those years at Nansemond River.
Mayfield isn't complaining. The Warriors return most of the nucleus of last season's state championship team, including Group AA player of the year Antoine Willie and first-team all-state pick Montoria Valentine.
This time next year, Warrior fans could be basking in the glow of yet another state title.
Here's hoping they don't forget to send ECSU a thank-you note. ILLUSTRATION: Staff file photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Spencer Mayfield Jr., center, head coach at Nansemond River, is left
to wonder why a coach who's led teams to four state championships
hasn't even received a form letter from his alma mater, Elizabeth
City State.
by CNB