Archive for Athletics – Page 2
The Yavapai College men’s soccer team has announced its newcomers to the team for the 2023 season. The Roughriders are adding 16 new faces to the roster in addition to nine returning athletes, bringing the roster total to 25.The nine returning players are:
Mr. Clifford’s resignation follows the hiring of new head coaches in volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball over the past two year, the apparent resignation of Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth months ago, and the firing of long-time tennis coach Chris Howard this spring
Yavapai Community College Athletics Department’s Hall of Fame Director of Athletics, Brad Clifford, has announced his resignation after dedicating over 35 years to the institution. The news was revealed in a press release issued on June 15. (You may read the entire press release by clicking here.) Clifford’s departure comes in the wake of significant changes within the athletic department, including the hiring of new head coaches for volleyball, baseball, softball, and basketball, as well as the resignation of Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth several months ago and the firing of long-time tennis coach Chris Howard this spring.
Yavapai Community College boasts an array of head coaches overseeing various sports, including women’s softball, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, baseball, and E-sports. Notably, on August 29, 2022, Chelsey Lucas was appointed as the 11th head volleyball coach, followed by Kali Pugh on September 20, 2022, as the 11th head softball coach, and Patrick Woods on September 21, 2022, as the seventh head baseball coach. Jay Joiner assumed the position of head men’s basketball coach in November 2022 but announced his departure on March 30, 2023. Ken Davis was subsequently hired in May 2023 as his replacement.
Alongside these new coaching hires, Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth left the college a few months ago under undisclosed circumstances. Furthermore, earlier this year, the Community College decided to part ways with long-time tennis icon Chris Howard, terminating his employment.
In a commentary in the Verde Independent newspaper dated September 7, 2022, Yavapai Community College District Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland explained that the athletic coaches were asked five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said. Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local student-athletes.” (Click here to read the full Blog story.)
“Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland. The Blog believes the three coaches Ms. McCasland is referring to but not identified by name in her commentary are Ryan Cougill, Miles Kizer, and Doug Eastman.
During the October 2022 Yavapai Community College Governing Board meeting, Rodney Jenkins, Vice President of Community Relations at the Community College, made a statement that appeared to insinuate that the previous coaches had actively worked to undermine the mandate. Jenkins said that the previous coaches “did everything they could to sabotage our program.” Jenkins’ remarks seemed to reference the mandate mentioned by Chair McCasland in her commentary published in the Verde Independent. program.” Jenkins was apparently alluding to the mandate Chair McCasland wrote about a month earlier in the Verde Independent.
At least four head coaches have been replaced in the last two years – men’s basketball coach Jay Joiner lasted only one year
Yavapai Community College has head coaches in the following sports: Women’s Softball, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, baseball, and E-sports. Recently, there has been an unusual number of turnovers.
On August 29, 2022, Chelsey Lucas was hired as the 11th head volleyball coach. On September 20, 2022, Kali Pugh became the 11th head softball coach. On September 21, 2022, Patrick Woods was hired to be its seventh head baseball coach. On November 2022 Jay Joiner became the head men’s basketball coach. He announced his departure on March 30, 2023. Ken Davis has just been hired to replace him.
When offered the job at Yavapai Community College, Mr. Davis was at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas, where he was the assistant basketball coach since September of 2022. He is credited with helping the Kansas team climb to a 16th ranking in the NJCAA.
Yavapai Community College Director of Athletics, Brad Clifford, said. “I am fired up to have him on our staff and can’t wait to see what he does with this program.”
Considered an icon in the tennis community, his commitment to tennis and loyalty to Yavapai Community College and the Prescott area covers decades
Yavapai Community College Tennis Complex on Prescott Campus
The following is an outline the Blog has created based on information it has received regarding the firing of Chris Howard. Neither the Community College leadership nor any members of the Community College Governing Board have provided citizens with an explanation about firing the 68 year old employee. Requests for information from the Community College’s Public Relations department, as suggested by the Governing Board Chair at the April 11 Governing Board meeting, were met with a statement that the College does not comment on employment related matters.
- Howard was 68 years old when he was fired in March 2023 by Yavapai Community College.
- Howard has worked diligently for over 40 years with the Prescott tennis community.
- He is a USPTA elite Master tennis professional, which puts him in the top 10% of professional tennis players in the country with knowledge and experience.
- At age 68 he still competes on a national level, winning in 2022 what he describes as a “couple national titles.”
- He has won many Southwest Region tennis events and was once ranked #1 in the nation in the 65 doubles.
- During his career, Howard has worked in every type of tennis setting including: Five star resorts, tennis colleges, private clubs, country clubs, colleges, high schools, private courts, and subdivisions.
- Howard’s experience encompasses tennis club owner, sports director, tennis director, multipurpose club manager, tennis professional, tennis camp director, high school and college coach, adjunct, professional tennis services, tournament director, racquet stringer and repair, etc. He has been involved maintaining and building tennis clubs and tennis facilities from the ground up.
- During his career, Howard has managed up to 25 staff members at one time.
- Howard is past President of the Yavapai Tennis Association and was one of five creators of the Prescott Area Tennis Association in 1993. He is still a board member.
- He has written a weekly tennis column in the Prescott Daily Courier for at least 30 years, which is called, “My Point.”
- Howard began teaching at the Yavapai Community College tennis facility in 1982.
- Howard was among a group of volunteers who along with George Reynolds helped maintain the tennis courts at Yavapai Community College from 1999 until 2014 when the next tennis complex was built.
- Howard was a member of the planning committee for the new Yavapai Community College tennis complex before it was constructed in 2014.
- Howard helped raise an estimated $200,000 from the Prescott area community, which was donated to support the construction of the new Yavapai Community College tennis complex in 2014.
- Howard considers the Yavapai Community College tennis complex “special . . . even with a small seven court facility. A place where everyone feels good to come, an easy way to make a reservation, to join a class, lesson, or clinic.”
- He was hired to manage Yavapai Community College’s tennis complex since it opened nine years ago.
- He was lauded and specifically recognized by Yavapai Community College for his “generous commitment of time, support, and inspiration in advancing the sport of tennis in the Prescott Community.”
- Since building the new tennis courts in 2014, the College has locked the courts when it snowed until they were safe to play on again, which Howard strongly agrees is appropriate.
- Despite numerous requests, the College refused to give him as the manager of the complex formal access to the courts following such events as a snowfall so he could get in to clear the shaded areas at times, which needed to be cleaned of snow. Howard wanted to assess when the courts could have been playable. Because he could not access them and remove the snow, many times they were not playable when if the snow had promptly been removed they would have been playable.
- On many occasions, Mr. However believes there was no one at Yavapai Community College who would come take care of the courts at a time when they should and could very easily be reopened by getting rid of the slush before it refroze during the night.
- Howard says that the College created a problem because of the inability to property remove slush on a court during the day before it would refreeze. This resulted in many Community College classes being unnecessarily canceled, patrons not being able to timely use the courts, and tennis professionals losing days of giving lessons.
- He tried to have the College set up a meeting with his new dean and also with the Head of the Facilities Department to discuss the delays in cleaning the courts. The College refused to provide him with that meeting.
- Around eleven months ago the College Leadership team, without consultation with Mr. Howard, apparently decided to take two of the seven tennis courts and make them Pickleball courts.
- Howard and others apparently requested a meeting with the College decision makers, but the request was denied.
- The Prescott Area Tennis Association (PATA) learned about the College’s Pickleball decision. PATA asked for a meeting with the College where its members could discuss what was perceived as a poor decision and suggest alternatives to the plan. The PATA meeting request was denied.
- PATA members, apparently frustrated at the roadblock thrown up to simply have their views effectively heard by the College, initiated an email campaign in an effort to further express their opinions about the pickleball decision while suggesting several alternatives.
- The emails arrived on the desk of the College President with copies going to the District Governing Board members. It is suspected that the strong outpouring of opposition from the Prescott tennis community ruffled the feathers of the College’s executives who were apparently less than open-minded about a member of the staff, Chris Howard, disagreeing with them over adding pickleball and then informing PATA of the decision.
- The Pickleball idea was eventually withdrawn by the College, however, Mr. Howard and then Dean Scott Farnsworth (no longer with the College) had a meeting where in Mr. Howard’s view the Vice President told him of the VP’s disdain over what took place.
- Howard felt that after that episode, the College began watching him “very closely.”
- Howard was dismissed from his job on March 6, 2023, as the Community College Tennis manager, adjunct and independent contractor because he allegedly broke the policy regarding snow days, which the College calls a “Closed Campus” day. No one is allowed on campus on a snow closed campus day other than authorized personnel. He was not on the list of authorized employees
- Howard explained that he was at the tennis courts on a closed snow day to determine whether the courts would be playable the next day. He had done this hundreds of times before. If he thought the courts could be opened the next day after inspecting them, he would then contact the facilities department and try and persuade them to finish getting the shaded areas of the courts cleaned off so classes could be held the next day.
- When the College learned he had been at the complex on a Closed Campus day, he was fired. He received was is described as some kind of “trespass” ticket. He was also banned from the Community College premises for 12 months. He lost his job managing the complex, his adjunct position and his ability to teach independently using the College complex.
- He apparently cannot even go and pay to play at the tennis facility.
- He believes he was not given a fair opportunity to voice or explain what he was doing at the complex before he was fired.
- Howard feels that the College treated him “more like a criminal” than an employee and is hurt by this treatment because of his strong support and hard work for the College covering more than two decades.
- There was an outpouring of support for him at the Governing Board meeting held April 11, 2023, with from 70 to 80 Prescott tennis enthusiasts jamming the Board meeting room.
- Among those showing support who were given one-minute to speak on Mr. Howard’s behalf were: Eric Mitchell, the CEO of the United States Tennis Association, Southwest section. Fay Matsumoto, a former 35 year employee of the College. Dr. Paul Sadick, former Head of Surgery for the Veterans Administration and Embry Riddle Professor. Elaine Wolff, Ms. Pam Lee, Mr. Bob Florine, plus wheelchair players Ms. Nannette Johnson and Mr. Andrew Bogdanov. Mr. Howard was also given one minute to address the Board and was cut off before he finished his speech.
- Because of the large outpouring of support, the Governing Board ruled that it would only allow nine supporters a minute each to address the Board. Howard was likewise given only a minute to address the Governing Board.
- There was no comment from the members of the Board. All questions were directed to the PR department, which when asked says it cannot comment on firings.
- Howard says the treatment at the hands of the Community College just “can’t be right – not having a conversation to get on the same page, letting ideas flow and going with what makes the most sense.”
- The Community College remains steadfast in its decision and offers no further explanation to Mr. Howard or the Prescott community about its devastating behavior.
Hired in November 2022, it was hoped he would rebuild the program that was closed down in 2010-2011 because of financial issues
Mr. Jay Joyner, Yavapai Community College Head basketball coach.
The Yavapai Community College Athletics Department announced March 30, 2023 that men’s head basketball coach, Jay Joyner, had resigned. The Department said the resignation was a “personnel matter” and it had no further comment.
In the 2022-23 season, Joyner’s team overall won 7 games and lost 23, a .233 percentage. In conference play, his team won four and lost 18, a .182 percentage.
When hired in November 2022, Mr. Joyner said that “I’m truly humbled and honored to be the next head coach for men’s basketball at Yavapai College. I would like to thank Dr. Rhine, Vice President Jenkins and Athletic Director Brad Clifford for affording me this unbelievable opportunity. I look forward to building a program that the Yavapai College family will be proud of. Go Roughriders!”
“We are excited to have Jay leading the reinstitution of the men’s basketball program,” Director of Yavapai Community College Athletics Brad Clifford said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will bring instant credibility to the new program!”
Joyner came to Yavapai from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was the head coach of the men’s basketball team from 2016-20. While coaching the Aggies, Joyner helped turn the program around with the NCAA’s second-best single-season improvement (three to 20 wins) and consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1993.
His 2019 team earned a 19-13 overall record with a 13-3 mark in MEAC play. In 2018, the Aggies enjoyed a banner season in which they earned a CIT Tournament appearance (their first since 2013), went 11-5 in the MEAC, went undefeated at home for the first time in 30 years and went 20-15 overall en route to Coach Joyner taking home MEAC and Region 15 Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to being the head coach at North Carolina A&T State, Joyner served there as the associate men’s basketball coach from 2012-16.
Coach Joyner earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and played college basketball at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Recall that Men’s basketball last competed at Yavapai Community College during the 2010-11 season while the program started in 1970-71. Through 40 seasons, the program’s all-time record is 674-458. Joyner’s squad began the 2022-23 season as members of the ACCAC (Arizona Community College Athletic Conference)
Vice President tells Governing Board in October 2022 that “previous coaches did everything they could to sabotage our program and we have moved past that.”
The Yavapai Community College sports program is burgeoning. It has recently added the women’s basketball and soccer programs to its already established baseball, softball, volleyball, men’s soccer and e-sports programs. The student dormitories are beginning to fill with athletes.
Once she was established and familiar with the Community College, President Dr. Lisa Rhine instituted major changes in the Athletic Department’s culture by creating specific written goals for coaches to meet, including goals for fundraising, recruiting, community participation, and “team goals.” For the first time in its 50-year history, the College directed the coaches to focus more heavily on recruiting outstanding Yavapai County student athletes, with a goal of each team being 
made up of about 25% student athletes from the County.
However, the changes were apparently not well received by some coaches, as evidenced by the turnover last summer among the coaching staff. In July 2022, Yavapai Community College began looking for new head baseball and in August a new softball coach. According to a commentary written by Community College 
Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland in the September 7, 2022, Verde Independent newspaper, the coaches left because they refused to accept new recruiting and scholarship guidelines instituted by the college.
In recent years, several Yavapai College Board members, especially those from the Sedona/Verde Valley Third 
District, have raised concerns about the College’s lack of focus on recruiting outstanding local athletes. They also expressed concern about the college’s practice of providing generous taxpayer-funded scholarships to out-of-state and international athletes, while rosters often included few or no local athletes.
According to Chair McCasland, the coaches were asked 
five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said. Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local 
student-athletes.” “Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland.
Several coaches reportedly ignored these mandates and resigned. In July 2022, 14-year veteran Ryan Cougill resigned as the Head Baseball Coach at Yavapai College. 
Assistant coach Miles Kizer also announced his resignation from Yavapai College at the same time. Then, in August 2022, the Athletic Department announced the resignation of Doug Eastman as the Head Coach of the Yavapai College softball team. Eastman won 343 games, making him the winningest softball coach in program history. His 300th win at 
Yavapai Community College (also the 800th of his career) came during the 2022 season.
At the October 2022 Board meeting, Vice President Rodney Jenkins commented that the previous coaches “did everything they could to sabotage our program.” (See video tape.)
The College hired replacements for the coaches who left an faced issues such as rebuilding a program and quickly recruiting athletes for it. It appeared from the October 2022 presentation to the Governing Board that it was relatively successful in its efforts.
Please see the 14 minute video clip of the October presentation to the Governing Board by clicking here. Unfortunately, a small portion of the video at its beginning does not have sound.
Recently published 184 page Appendix to the Master Plan shows Prescott based executives continued infatuation with sports programs and wasteful sports projects that serve almost exclusively west county residents
If you want to know what the Yavapai Community College Prescott based executives are thinking about when it comes to long-term future development in the District, a good place to start is the recently published Facilities Master Plan Appendix to the Master Plan. The Appendix shows a determination by the Prescott executives to spend an estimated total of around $7 million on a new soccer field and athletic expansion.
The investment in the soccer field will apparently be made despite the fact there is no need for such a facility. The College has for decades successfully leased two soccer fields – one in Prescott and another in Prescott Valley. Playoffs have been held at those venues. For example, over 5,000 attended the NJCAA National DI Soccer Tournament held in Prescott and Prescott Valley back in 2018. Moreover, the College completed building a practice soccer field in 2020 on the Prescott Campus at a total direct and indirect cost that it has yet to publicly reveal.
District needs for other areas of the County such as expanding the existing CTE facility on the Verde Campus, converting classroom M-137 into a 300 seat auditorium, or adding two kitchens to the Sedona facility find no future consideration. The future needs of Chino Valley and Prescott Valley likewise seem to have been ignored.
Other educational needs throughout the District are likewise being ignored. For example, the Prescott Campus has developed a large music and theatre curriculum. However, music and theatre can be found only on the Prescott Campus – a roundtrip drive for some in the District of 150 miles or more.
Note that the long-term plans as outlined in the Appendix for the Yavapai Community College District were not discussed at the November 2022 meeting where the Governing Board met and approved in concept what appears to be a five-year development plan (maybe seven year). That plan did not include the soccer field and several other projects one can now find in the recently published Appendix to the Master Plan.
Note that The Appendix to the Master Plan and the Master Plan appear somewhat confusing in terms of projects, timing, and cost estimates.
The Appendix to the Master Plan and approved Master Plan are available to read at the Community College website.
No games scheduled for the east side of the County; only two players on the roster from Yavapai County
Yavapai Community College has announced the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball schedule. According to the schedule, all of the home games will be played in Prescott at Walraven gymnasium on the Prescott Campus.
There had been talk at various Governing Board meetings by the College leadership of including the east side of the County in some of its athletic programs. However, the schedule for the new basketball team indicates that is not the case for this season.
The roster indicates that the new coach has been heavily recruiting student athletes outside of Arizona. Players are coming from North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, Michigan, Utah, and New York. One player’s home is listed as Kragujevac, Serbia.
Governing Board members have been told by the College Administration during Board meetings that there is a goal of having the Community College teams consist of around 25% of County players. With two County players, the Men’s basketball team consists of 13% Yavapai County students. Ten players come from outside Arizona. There are two from Yavapai County, two from Arizona outside Yavapai County, and the one student recruit from Serbia.
The four-member staff consists of head coach Joy Joyner, Assistant coach Korbin Graham, Head Athletic Trainer Terra Schmidt, and Assistant Athletic Trainer Jared Campbell.
You may view the entire schedule by going to the following link: https://goroughriders.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule.
Yavapai Community College instituted “a mandate” a few years ago that “required 25% of all student athletes recruited to be from local high schools,” says McCasland, a mandate the coaches disagreed with
In August Yavapai Community College began looking for a new head baseball and head softball coach. The reason the coaches left, according to a commentary written by Yavapai Community College Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland in the September 7 Verde Independent newspaper, was their refusal to accept new recruiting and scholarship guidelines instituted by the Community College.
Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland
Various Community College Board members had over the years raised concerns about the County Community College not working harder to recruit outstanding County athletes for its programs. There was also concern with the County Community College providing generous County funded taxpayer scholarship assistance to out-state and out-of-the-United States athletes where athletic rosters had few or no local athletes on them. It appears that Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine decided to do something about a lack of focus on local athletic talent.
According to Chair McCasland, the coaches were asked five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said. Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local student-athletes.”
“Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland.
The Blog believes the three coaches Ms. McCasland is referring to but not identified by name in her commentary are Ryan Cougill, Miles Kizer, and Doug Eastman.
In July the Yavapai College Athletics Department announced the resignation of Ryan Cougill as the Head Baseball Coach at Yavapai College. Assistant coach Miles Kizer also announced his resignation from Yavapai College at the same time. Then, in August, the Athletics Department announced the resignation of Doug Eastman as the Head Coach of the Yavapai College softball team.
A Roughrider for 14 years, Ryan Cougill served as an assistant coach for four seasons, before taking over the program for the 2013 season. In his 10 seasons as head baseball coach, Cougill had an overall record of 353-188-1 (.651) while guiding the Roughriders to the JUCO World Series in 2015 and 2016.
Cougill’s 2016 team captured the fourth national championship in program history with a 49-20 overall record. During the national championship season, Cougill was named NJCAA Tournament Coach of the Year, NJCAA National Coach of the Year, and NJCAA West District Coach of the Year.
During his tenure, Cougill had six student-athletes earn All-America honors, coached four ACCAC Players of the Year, and had 35-plus student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. After playing baseball at Yavapai Community College, 18-plus of Cougill’s players have been drafted into Major Legal Baseball in addition to 80-plus players heading to the NCAA Division I level. Three of those players (Kenny Giles (pitcher), JoJo Romero (pitcher), and Kole Calhoun (rightfielder)) are currently playing in the major leagues.
Softball coach Doug Eastman won 343 games, making him the winningest softball coach in program history. His 300th win at Yavapai Community College (also the 800th of his career) came during the 2022 season. He also led his team to a Region Championship and fourth-place finish in the nation in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, Eastman’s teams won back-to-back ACCAC Championships. In 2018, Eastman coached the first-ever National Player of the Year in Yavapai Community College Softball history in Jaydee Boursaw who owns the College’s home run record with 60 (21 ahead of second place).
Sources: Yavapai Community College; Verde Valley Independent newspaper of July 19, 2022, September 7, 2022; goroughriders.com.
Pugh is eleventh head softball coach in College history
Yavapai Community College has hired a new softball coach. She is Kali Pugh and becomes the 11th head softball coach in the College’s history. Pugh was the head coach of the San Diego City College Knights.
Prior to coaching in San Diego, Pugh was an assistant coach at her alma mater Palomar College from 2017-22. While coaching the Comets, Pugh coached with Hall of Famer Mark Eldridge and her previous head coach Lacey Craft.
You may read much more about Pugh by reading an article posted in Signalsaz.com by D.J. Irwin, Coordinator of Yavapai
Community College Athletic Communication. You can reach that article by clicking here.