7-1-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football, baseball and soccer, Legion baseball, College athletics, NASCAR
By Richard Walker
A pair of local products have made coaching news this week as the University of Tennessee extended the contract of track and field coach Duane Ross to the 2027-28 athletic year and LaQuanda Dawkins Prince was named head women’s basketball coach at Greensboro College.
Ross, a 1991 North Gaston High graduate who is Gaston County’s lone Olympian in history as a hurdler in the 2004 Athens games, led Tennessee to 15 school records, 32 All-America honors and 22 SEC medals in his first season as the Volunteers’ indoor and outdoor track season.
“In just one season, Duane has started building the foundation to restore our track & field program as one of the nation’s truly elite programs,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a school news release. “It was an encouraging sign of progress to see both programs finish in the top five at both SEC championship events for the first time since 2008, and watching our women’s program place in the top-10 nationally at indoors and outdoors for the first time since 2009 was eye-opening.”
Ross guided the women’s track & field squads to a pair of top-10 finishes both national meets for the first time since 2009, placing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and tying for 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month. The men’s team was ranked NO. 9 by the USTFCCCA when combining postseason results from cross country, indoor track and outdoor track – the school’s highest ranking in school history.
“Our first year here in Knoxville has been special, and we’re just getting started,” Ross said in a school news release. “The support from Danny White, Marcus Hilliard and the Tennessee administration has been nothing short of incredible. With a strong foundation in place, we are committed to continue building this program into a national championship contender.”
Ross previously has been head track and field coach at Methodist College (2008-12) and North Carolina A&T (2012-22) before being hired at Tennessee.
Dawkins Prince was named head coach for her fourth program when she was named the Pride’s new coach.
“We are confident that Coach Prince will continue the decades long legacy of excellence by the Greensboro College women’s basketball program both on and off the court,” Greensboro College president Lawrence D. Czarda said in a school news release. “We are excited to have Coach Prince as a part of the Pride family and I know she will be an excellent addition to our campus.”
A 1994 Crest High graduate who played collegiately at North Carolina, Dawkins Prince was an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb (1999-2000), Iowa (2000-03), Florida International (2003-06), Winthrop (2006-10), Tennessee Tech (2014-15) and Jacksonville (2017-18) and head coach at Southern Polytechnic State (now Kennesaw State) from 2010-14, Elizabeth City State in 2015-16 and Jacksonville, Fla. Yulee High in 2022-23.
After passing Naismith Hall of Famer David Thompson as Crest’s all-time career scorer in 1994 with 1,868 points, Dawkins Prince had her Crest jersey retired and she won three ACC titles and earned ACC all-academic honors at North Carolina.
“First and foremost, we serve an awesome God, and through His grace and mercy He covers my life,” Dawkins Prince said in a school news release. “My husband (Joseph) and I would like to thank President Czarda, Kim Strable and the search committee for believing in me. Greensboro College is a special place, and I look forward to cultivating special outcomes. Having the opportunity to visit campus, I knew it would be a pleasure to work alongside an amazing, passionate administration and staff. I don’t take for granted the opportunity at hand. Being back in my home state is an awesome feeling. I can’t wait to lead this program toward continued success while transforming the lives of the young women we develop, coach and inspire. I’m excited to embark on this new journey with The Pride Family and our women’s basketball program.”
Also releasing a statement on the hire was Gastonia native Sylvia Rhyne Hatchell, a 1970 Huss graduate: “Hiring Laquanda is like hitting a Grand Slam Home Run! She knows the game and is a great Coach; however she is an even better person. She’s a team player and cares deeply about making her players better people as well as better players. I’m excited for Laquanda and for Greensboro College. I can’t wait to see the future.”
Legion baseball
The full Area IV Senior Legion playoff schedule:
-First round (July 1-5, best of 5)
West No. 1 Cleveland County, West No. 2 Cherryville, East No. 1 Queen City – byes
East No. 4 Matthews vs. West No. 5 Burke
Game 1 – July 1 at M, suspended with M leading 1-0 in 2nd
Game 2 – July 2 at B, 5 p.m.
Game 2 – July 2 at B
Game 3 – July 3 at M
Game 4 (if necessary) – July 4 at B
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 5 at M
West No. 3 Asheville vs. East No. 6 Gastonia
Game 1 – July 1 at A – A 13-3 in 5: Cooper York (3 hits, 1 RBI) and Matt Taylor (2 hits, 1 RBI) led Gastonia.
Game 2 – July 1 at A – A 9-4: York (2 hits), Parker Curell (1 hit, 1 RBI) and Trey Walker (1 hit, 1 RBI) led Gastonia.
Game 3 – July 2 at G
July 4 (if necessary) – July 2 at G
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 3 at A
East No. 2 Mint Hill vs. West No. 7 Hickory
Game 1 – July 1 at M, ppd., weather
Game 1 – July 2 at H
Game 2 – July 2 at H
Game 3 – July 3 at M
Game 4 (if necessary) – July 4 at H
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 5 at M
West No. 4 Rutherford vs. East No. 5 Lincoln
Game 1 – July 1 at R, R 13-5
Game 2 – July 2 at L
Game 3 – July 3 at R
Game 4 (if necessary) – July 4 at L
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 5 at R
East No. 3 Gaston Braves vs. West No. 6 Caldwell
Game 1 – July 1 at GB – C 9-2
Game 2 – July 2 at C
Game 3 – July 3 at GB
Game 4 (if necessary) – July 4 at C
Game 5 (if necessary) – July 5 at GB
-Quarterfinals (July 6-11, best of 5)
West No. 1 Cleveland vs. East No. 4 Matthews-West No. 5 Burke winner
West No. 3 Asheville-East No. 6 Gastonia winner vs. East No. 2 Mint Hill-West No. 7 Hickory winner
East No. 1 Queen City vs. West No. 4 Rutherford-East No. 5 Lincoln winner
East No. 3 Gaston Braves-West No. 6 Caldwell winner vs. West No. 2 Cherryville
-Semifinals (July 12-19, best of 7)
-Final (July 20-22, 1 game or best of 3)
The full Area IV Junior Legion playoff schedule (All series best-of-3):
Area IV Playoffs (All series best-of-3):
-Quarterfinals June 30-July 4
No. 1 South Caldwell-1 (10-0) vs. No. 8 R-S Central (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at SC – SC 3-0
Game 2 – July 1 at R-S – R-S 10-3
Game 3 – July 2 at SC
No. 4 Dallas (7-3) vs No. 5 Chase (7-3)
Game 1 – June 30 at Dallas – Dallas 8-1
Game 2 – July 1 at Chase – Dallas 13-1 (Dallas wins series 2-0)
No. 3 Matthews (8-2) vs. No. 6 Cherryville (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at Matthews – Matthews 11-8
Game 2 – July 1 at Cherryville – Matthews 6-1 (Matthews wins series 2-0)
No. 2 East Rutherford (9-1) vs. No. 7 South Caldwell-2 (6-4)
Game 1 – June 30 at ER – ER 9-4
Game 2 – July 1 at SC – ER 18-7 (ER wins series 2-0)
-Semifinals July 5-8
No. 1-8 winner vs. No. 4 Dallas
No. 3 Matthews vs. No. 2 East Rutherford
Game 1 – July 5 at ER
Game 2 – July 6 at M
Game 3 (if necessary) – July 7 at ER
-Finals July 9-12
Semifinal winners
College athletics
The Charlotte 49ers’ move to the American Athletic Conference became official at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
“This is a watershed moment for our program and institution,” 49ers Director of Athletics Mike Hill said in a school news release. “The competition will be fierce as we reunite with old rivals and establish new ones in one of the finest conferences in the nation. Our profile and visibility have been elevated exponentially, and we can’t wait to compete on this stage.”
Charlotte, which has been a member of Conference USA since 2013, will now compete in The American alongside existing league members East Carolina, Memphis, SMU, USF, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and Wichita State. In addition, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA are also making the move from CUSA to The American. Navy competes in the AAC in football only while Wichita State competes in 15 sponsored sports, not including football.
Charlotte’s men’s soccer team began competition in The American in 2022 with seven existing AAC members, FAU, FIU and UAB.
The American sponsors each of the 49ers’ 19 varsity sports, including women’s lacrosse, which will open competition for the 49ers in 2024-25.
Charlotte won 28 league regular-season and tournament titles over the past 10 years in Conference USA and owns 108 total league titles in its history.
Here’s Charlotte’s all-time conference history:
1963-64 – 1969-70: Dixie (NAIA)
1970-71 – 1975-76: Independent (NCAA Div. I)
1976-77 – 1990-91: Sun Belt
1991-92 – 1994-95: Metro
1995-96 – 2004-05: Conference USA
2005-06 – 2012-13: Atlantic 10
2013-14 – 2022-23: Conference USA
2023-24: American Athletic Conference
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets’ California Classic Summer League schedule in Sacramento:
July 3 vs. San Antonio Spurs (8 p.m., ESPN)
July 5 vs. Golden State Warriors (6 p.m., ESPN2)
The Charlotte Hornets’ Las Vegas Summer League schedule:
July 7 (Thomas & Mack Center) – vs. San Antonio Spurs (9 p.m., ESPN)
July 9 (Thomas & Mack Center) – vs. L.A. Lakers (4 p.m., ESPN2)
July 11 (Thomas & Mack Center) – vs. Portland (8:30 p.m., NBA TV)
July 13 (Cox Pavilion) – vs. New Orleans (7:30 p.m., NBA TV)
Pro soccer
Here is Charlotte FC’s full 2023 schedule with results:
(7-7-6 record)
Feb. 25 New England Revolution (L 0-1)
March 4 at St. Louis City SC (L 1-3)
March 11 Atlanta United FC (L 0-3)
March 18 at Orlando City SC (W 2-1)
March 25 New York Red Bulls (T 1-1)
April 1 at Toronto FC (T 2-2)
April 8 at Real Salt Lake (L 1-3)
April 15 Colorado Rapids (T 2-2)
April 22 Columbus Crew (W 1-0)
April 29 at D.C. United (L 0-3)
May 6 New York City FC (W 3-2)
May 13 at Atlanta United FC (W 3-1)
May 17 Chicago Fire FC (W 2-1)
May 20 Nashville SC (L 1-2)
May 27 at L.A. Galaxy (W 1-0)
May 31 at Philadelphia Union (L 0-1)
June 3 at Columbus Crew (W 4-2)
June 10 Seattle Sounders FC (T 3-3)
June 21 at New York Red Bulls (T 2-2)
June 24 CF Montreal (T 0-0)
July 5 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
July 8 FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 20 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 L.A. FC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at Nashville SC, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 30 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 Inter Miami CF, TBD
Pro baseball
Charlotte 3, Norfolk 2 (10 innings): Pinch-hitter Víctor Reyes had a pinch-hit, RBI single in the top of the 10th inning and Alex Colome pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the frame for a Knights’ victory in the 4th game of the 6-game series. The 5th game is at 6:35 p.m. on Sunday at Harbor Park in Norfolk.
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 36-43
First half record: 35-40
Second half record: 1-3
-First half
March 31-April 2 Louisville (2-1)
April 4-9 at Columbus (3-3)
April 11-16 Jacksonville (3-3)
April 18-23 at Louisville (2-4)
April 25-30 Norfolk (2-4)
May 2-7 at Gwinnett (4-2)
May 9-14 Durham (3-3)
May 16-21 Scranton-Wilkes Barre (2-4)
May 23-28 at Jacksonville (4-2)
May 30-June 4 Nashville (3-3)
June 6-11 at Gwinnett (1-5)
June 13-18 at Durham (3-3)
June 20-25 Louisville (3-3)
-Second half
June 28-July 3 at Norfolk (1-3)
July 4-9 Jacksonville
July 14-16 at Lehigh Valley
July 18-23 Memphis
July 25-30 at Durham
Aug. 1-6 at Norfolk
Aug. 8-13 Gwinnett
Aug. 15-20 at Nashville
Aug. 22-24, 26-27 Memphis
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 at Jacksonville
Sept. 5-10 Durham
Sept. 12-17 Nashville
Sept. 18-24 at Memphis
Southern Maryland 7, Gastonia 6
Gastonia 8, Southern Maryland 7: The teams split Saturday’s doubleheader at CaroMont Health Park.
Here is the full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 40-18
First half record: 40-18
Second half record: 0-0
-First half
April (3-0)
28 Frederick (W 10-4)
29 Frederick (W 8-6)
30 Frederick (W 7-4)
May (17-9)
2 at So. Maryland (W 8-6)
3 at So. Maryland (W 11-6)
4 at So. Maryland (L 2-4)
5 at Long Island (W 3-2)
6 at Long Island (L 1-3)
7 at Long Island (L 4-6)
9 Frederick (W 2-1 in 10)
10 Frederick (W 10-0)
11 Frederick (W 9-7)
12 at High Point (L 5-8)
13 at High Point (W 12-5)
14 at High Point (L 3-4)
16 Charleston, W.Va. (W 13-4)
17 Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-2)
18 Charleston, W.Va. (L 4-6)
19 at Lexington (W 15-2)
20 at Lexington (W 8-0)
21 at Lexington (W 5-3)
23 at Frederick (W 6-0)
24 at Frederick (W 8-5)
25 at Frederick (W 8-3)
26 Lancaster (L 3-4 in 11)
27 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
28 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
29 Lancaster (W 9-1)
29 Lancaster (L 3-4)
30 High Point (L 8-10)
31 High Point (W 14-10)
June (19-8)
1 High Point (W 7-4)
2 Lexington (W 3-2)
3 Lexington (W 10-1)
4 Lexington (W 4-1)
6 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-1)
7 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 1-13)
8 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 2-4)
9 at Frederick (W 5-4)
10 at Frederick (W 12-7)
11 at Frederick (L 6-9)
13 So. Maryland (W 5-0)
14 So. Maryland (L 9-10)
15 So. Maryland (W 11-6)
16 Staten Island (W 5-4)
17 Staten Island (W 7-5)
18 Staten Island (W 5-1)
20 at Lancaster (L 0-6)
21 at Lancaster (W 9-7)
22 at Lancaster (W 4-1)
22 at Lancaster (L 2-6)
24 at Staten Island (W 12-3)
25 at Staten Island (L 2-7)
27 High Point (W 8-3)
28 High Point (W 7-3)
29 High Point (L 1-11)
30 So. Maryland (W 15-0)
July (1-1)
1 So. Maryland (L 6-7)
1 So. Maryland (W 8-7)
2 So. Maryland
4 at Frederick
5 at Frederick
6 at Frederick
7 at High Point
-Second half
8 at High Point
9 at High Point
11 at Charleston, W.Va.
12 at Charleston, W.Va.
13 at Charleston, W.Va.
14 Staten Island
15 Staten Island
16 Staten Island
18 High Point
19 High Point
20 High Point
21 at So. Maryland
22 at So. Maryland
23 at So. Maryland
25 at Staten Island
26 at Staten Island
27 at Staten Island
28 at Long Island
29 at Long Island
30 at Long Island
August
1 High Point
2 High Point
3 High Point
4 Lexington
5 Lexington
6 Lexington
8 Frederick
9 Frederick
10 Frederick
11 at Long Island
12 at Long Island
13 at Long Island
15 York
16 York
17 York
18 Lexington
19 Lexington
20 Lexington
22 at Long Island
23 at Long Island
24 at Long Island
25 at Lancaster
26 at Lancaster
27 at Lancaster
29 Frederick
30 Frederick
31 Frederick
September
1 So. Maryland
2 So. Maryland
3 So. Maryland
4 So. Maryland
5 at High Point
6 at High Point
7 at High Point
8 Charleston, W.Va.
9 Charleston, W.Va.
10 Charleston, W.Va.
12 So. Maryland
13 So. Maryland
14 So. Maryland
15 at Lexington
16 at Lexington
17 at Lexington
Pro football
The Carolina Panthers’ training camp schedule:
Practices (at Wofford unless noted):
July 26-27 10:15 a.m.
July 29 11 a.m.
July 31 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 1 10:15 p.m.
Aug. 2 Fan Fest at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, 7 p.m.
Aug. 4 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 5-6 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 8 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 9 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 10 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 9 a.m.
Here is the 2023 preseason and regular season schedule for the Carolina Panthers:
(Preseason)
Aug. 12 N.Y. Jets, 4 p.m.
Aug. 18 at N.Y. Giants, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 Detroit, 8 p.m.
(Regular season)
Sept. 10 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Sept. 18 New Orleans, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 24 at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 1 Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Miami, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 OFF WEEK
Oct. 29 Houston, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 Indianapolis, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Chicago, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 19 Dallas, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 10 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 17-18 Atlanta, TBD
Dec. 24 Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Jan. 6-7 Tampa Bay, TBD
Auto racing
The 2023 NASCAR schedule (with winners in parentheses):
Feb 5 Clash at The Coliseum, Los Angeles CA (Martin Truex, Jr.)
Feb 16 Duel No. 1, Daytona Beach FL (Joey Logano)
Feb 16 Duel No. 2, Daytona Beach FL (Aric Almirola)
Feb 19 Daytona 500, Daytona Beach FL (Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.)
Feb 26 NASCAR Cup Series at California, Fontana CA (Kyle Busch)
Mar 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV (William Byron)
Mar 12 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ (William Byron-2)
Mar 19 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA (Joey Logano-2)
Mar 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas, Austin TX (Tyler Reddick)
Apr 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA (Kyle Larson)
Apr 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN (Christopher Bell)
Apr 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville VA (Kyle Larson-2)
Apr 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL (Kyle Busch-2)
May 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Dover, Dover DE (Martin Truex, Jr.-2)
May 7 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS (Denny Hamlin)
May 14 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC (William Byron-3)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open Race, North Wilkesboro NC (Josh Berry)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro NC (Kyle Larson-3)
May 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC (Ryan Blaney)
Jun 4 NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL (Kyle Busch-3)
Jun 11 NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma, Sonoma CA (Martin Trues, Jr.-3)
Jun 25 NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville, Lebanon TN (Ross Chastain)
Jul 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Chicago IL, 5:30 p.m. on NBC
Jul 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA, 7 p.m. on USA
Jul 16 NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire, Loudon NH, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono, Long Pond PA, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 30 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 6 NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan, Brooklyn MI, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Aug 13 NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Road Course, Speedway IN, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Aug 20 NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen NY, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, Daytona Beach FL, 7 p.m. on NBC
(Cup Playoffs)
Sep 3 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC, 6 p.m. on USA
Sep 10 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS, 3 p.m. on USA
Sep 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN, 7:30 p.m. on USA
Sep 24 NASCAR Cup Series at Texas, Fort Worth TX, 3:30 p.m. on USA
Oct 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 8 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 15 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 22 NASCAR Cup Series at Miami, Homestead FL, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville, 2 p.m. on NBC
Nov 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ, 3 p.m. on NBC