What about at 4 a.m.?

Alana Nelson got up early to take 10-year-old daughter Everleigh to get an autograph from former Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas. She was in town to celebrate Dick’s Sporting Goods’ one-year anniversary of the House of Sport.

“We woke up at 3:30 this morning,” said Nelson, whose daughter competes with Ocean Tumblers Gymnastics. “I based that decision (to wake up) on math. She’s only going to be here 90 minutes. This is obviously an Olympic year. Gabby did amazing leading up the Olympic Trials, and everyone was so excited to see her come back.”

Nelson remembers watching Douglas win gold at the 2012 Olympics as the all-around champion, way before her daughter was born.

“It’s so exciting to be able share this with my own daughter, especially during an Olympic year,” she said.

Hearing how early fans lined up shocked Douglas and her mother, Natalie.

“Oh my God, I can’t even fathom that. Four o’clock in the morning?” Douglas said. “It’s like Black Friday, almost. It’s actually crazy. I’m like, ‘No, you should have slept in.’ ”

Added her mother: “4 a.m.? That’s mind-blowing. But it’s beautiful to see the impact that’s she had, and that so many girls can see themselves in her. I can remember after 2012, people camping out overnight when she was doing the book signings in New York. They were standing outside and it was raining. It takes me back to that time. But still, wow. I almost don’t have words for that. I’m still in awe. I’m beyond words to see all the support.”

But fans, both young and old, know all about Douglas’ accomplishments.

In the 2012 London Olympics, Douglas gained national attention when she won Olympic gold in the all-around and was a member of the winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team. She is the first Black athlete to become the Olympic individual all-around champion and the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics.

After her accomplishment, she was on the front of cereal boxes, had a Barbie doll modeled after her, became an author and starred in a reality television show for the Oxygen channel.

Jeff Holden, executive director at Dick’s Sporting Goods, knew Douglas would be a big draw. He didn’t realize just how big.

“When I got here at 7 a.m., there was already 120 people in line, and the first person was here at 4 a.m.,” he said. “By the time we opened at 9 to let them in to get their wristbands, we had more than 300. It’s really cool because you have such an amazing amount of young athletes that are coming to see her, so they’re super excited.”

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas was back in Hampton Roads on Saturday to sign autographs as part of Dick's House of Sports one-year anniversary. The line stretched all through the store as some fans had been in line since 4 am pic.twitter.com/2EHw7uyZy8

— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) July 27, 2024

Lines grew and snaked through the store by the minute as fans patiently awaited for Douglas’ arrival.

“I think it’s just cool to see a famous gymnast. I’m nervous, but also very, very excited,” said Delaney Cone, 12, of Ocean Tumblers Gymnastics. “But I’ve seen videos of her, and she’s awesome.”

Heaven Rheubottom, 8, is a level five state champion. She also couldn’t wait to see Douglas.

“It’s very important to me because I love her, and she’s just really famous,” said Heaven, who competes for Ocean Tumblers Gymnastics.

She was asked what would she tell Douglas if she got the chance.

“I would say, ‘I love you so much. You’re my idol,’ ” she said.

Her father, Deon, couldn’t believe his daughter’s anticipation.

“Man, she was excited. I don’t think she slept last night. I woke up about 6 o’clock, and she was like, ‘Daddy, are you ready?’ ” said Rheubottom, a former two-time All-Tidewater football player at Bayside High.

Douglas, who hadn’t been back to Hampton Roads since 2012, said she was humbled by the response of her fans and added, “it’s good to be back home.”

Douglas, 28, had hoped to be at this year’s Olympics in Paris, but suffered an ankle injury the week leading up to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. She’s now eying the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The message she hopes to leave with all of the up-and-coming gymnasts is to never give up, but also enjoy the sport while you can.

“I would say, since they’re so young, ‘have fun with it,’ ” said Douglas, whose gymnastics equipment used at the 2012 Summer Olympics is at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. “Don’t try to put too much on yourself because the sport already has a lot of pressure that comes with it. It gets very serious when you get older. So right now in that stage, just have fun with it.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

One of those went to Grant Holloway, advising him how to hold the American flag.

“I told him to keep the stars on his right,” Nieter said recently. “Grant came up to me and said, ‘Coach, what are you talking about?’ I told him, ‘When they hand you the United States flag at the Olympics, I want to make sure you put your stars in your right hand. That way you won’t be holding the flag backwards.’ He laughed and said, ‘Whatever.'”

Holloway was in middle school at the time, and had no idea what the future would hold.

Nieter did.

Since, then Holloway has had plenty of practice holding the flag. He’s a three-time track and field world champion and an Olympic silver medalist in the 110-meter hurdles. Each time, he held the flag proudly.

When Holloway won silver three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, Nieter texted him the day of the finals.

“I told him, ‘Stars on the right,'” Nieter said. “And he sent me a picture of himself after winning silver.”

Holloway, 26 and a graduate of Grassfield High, hopes again to hold the Stars and Stripes at the Paris Games. He’s a heavy favorite to be holding something else: a gold medal.

“Almost a decade ago, I was still at Grassfield High,” Holloway said in a telephone interview before leaving for Paris. “I wouldn’t call it an overnight success because you know how hard I worked at my craft. But for me, I think the biggest thing is just living in the moment.”

Holloway is arguably one of the greatest athletes to come out of Hampton Roads.

With Grassfield high, he finished with 17 state titles — including seven as a senior — and two national records (55- and 60-meter hurdles). He also was dynamic on the football field — accounting for 16 touchdowns by receiving, rushing, interception and kick returns. He was a two-time recipient of The Virginian-Pilot Male Athlete of the Year award.

He turned down numerous football scholarships to run track.

With the University of Florida, Holloway won eight NCAA titles, broke a 40-year-old record in the 110 hurdles and became the first man in collegiate history to win three straight indoor and outdoor high hurdles titles. He helped the Gators win three NCAA titles and finish second three times.

Holloway’s dominance continued when he turned pro and signed with Adidas. He owns the second-fastest time in 110 hurdles history at 12.81 seconds and is the world-record holder in the 60 meters at 7.27 seconds.

The last time Holloway lost an indoor hurdles race was March 2014, when he was 16 years old.

But for all his accomplishments, after winning silver in Tokyo, Holloway is motivated to add a gold medal to his résume.

He started fast and led for much of the gold-medal race in the 2021 Games, but couldn’t hold off fast-charging Hansle Parchment of Jamaica.

“I got a little bit excited towards the end of the race and my form kind of broke down,” Holloway told reporters.

Holloway has not forgotten, and while he’s the favorite in Paris, he won’t allow himself to think about the gold medal. The first round of the 110 hurdles is Aug. 4, followed by the semifinals Aug. 7 and the final Aug. 8.

“Right now, the main thing was just the preparation phase. So, my main thing is, I gotta take care of two rounds. And then on top of that, I gotta make the finals, and I gotta get to that finish line before everybody else,” he said. “I don’t know what it means to be an Olympic champion. I know what it feels like to be a silver medalist.

“I can talk about that every day. But Olympic gold is going be a tough one. But I think when that moment comes, I don’t think I’m going to let it slip through my hands this time.”

The Olympics also are a chance to get to know Holloway better. With his infectious smile and charisma, he could win over many fans.

Grant Holloway (@Flaamingoo_) is coming for the 110m hurdles Olympic crown. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/ccIulaeukN

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 13, 2024

Nieter noticed that about Holloway in middle school.

“When Grant came along, you could just see him walk around the hallway and see there was just something about him,” Nieter said. “There was a bounce in his step, and his personality was just magnetic. Everybody wanted to be around him.”

Holloway will be part of Xfinity’s “We all Win” campaign in Paris. Xfinity and Team Comcast will follow him during the Olympics to give fans an up-close and personal look at him.

“They’re catching not only my moments on the track, but even off the track,” Holloway said. “They’re going to find me on the field warm-up area. They’re even strapping heart-rate monitors to not only myself, but to my father, and they’re watching his heart spike when the gun goes off, in the middle of the race and through the race.

“They’re just doing so much to capture not only my story, but the stories around me. For them to choose me, that means they have faith in me.”

As Holloway prepared recently for his second Olympics, he credited his upbringing in Hampton Roads and parents Stan and Latasha. He said the 757 helped shape him as an athlete, while his parents molded him into a man.

“I tell everybody that when you come from an area that is so close-knitted and has great athletes that go off to college each and every year, that just speaks volume of our area,” he said. “We’re not California, we’re not Texas, but we’re a respectful state that every blue moon can have somebody be on the top.

“You know, when I came up, I was watching LaShawn Merritt and Michael Cherry,” he added, referring to two other track legends from Hampton Roads. “It was just one of the things where I was like, ‘They’re doing what I want to do.’ So I want to follow in their footsteps, but I want to write my own story at the same time. Just to come from the 757 and Grassfield means a lot.”

Holloway said his parents keep him grounded as grand possibilities — a gold medal and stardom — loom.

“They’re part of the reasons why I am where I am now,” he said. “I’ve always leaned on both of them, not only physically, but more so on the emotional and mental standpoint. I could be the best person in the world, or I could be the worst person in the world, I know those two people will always be my No. 1 fan. Once it’s all said and done, I know they’ll still appreciate me, regardless of the outcome.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

He broke three track and field world records, sat down to dinner with some Baltimore Ravens football players, spoke on the phone with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and rubbed elbows with celebrities including Magic Johnson and Snoop Dogg.

And Wilson will cap his whirlwind summer with a trip to Paris for the Olympics as Team USA’s youngest male track and field athlete to reach the Games.

Wilson — a Chesapeake native who attended Great Bridge Middle School — has been interviewed by every major television network and newspaper, including CNN, Good Morning America and USA Today.

A memorable summer indeed.

“It’s been a long schedule, long days, a lot of people to talk to. But it’s been a great experience,” Wilson said recently from his home in Maryland. “I’ve learned so many different things and heard so many different stories from so many different people. It’s just been a great experience meeting different celebrities, knowing that you’re 16 and you’re in the limelight with some of these same people.”

Wilson admits that he’s had to pinch himself several times to make sure he’s not dreaming.

“I told my mother, ‘Can you believe it?’ And she said, ‘No, I can’t believe it,'” he said about his mother, Monique. “It feels amazing just being able to be on this ride and knowing that you’re blessed. I’m just running for the Lord. I’m just so thankful to be who I am and for my parents, my sister and all of my family’s sacrifice to get me to the place I’m in right now.”

Wilson was born in Chesapeake. Once he started to excel in track, his parents, Roy and Monique, relocated to Potomac, Maryland, so he could attend Bullis High, nationally known for its powerhouse track program under coach Joe Lee.

Last September, Wilson signed a name, image and likeness deal with New Balance, making him one of the youngest high school athletes to do so with a major sports apparel company.

His success on the track went to another level in 2024.

He began the year running 45.76 seconds in the 400 meters at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. His performance was the nation’s fastest time by a high school athlete this indoor season.

In March, he ran 45.19 at the Florida Relays, which earned him an automatic bid to the U.S. Olympic trials.

In April at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Wilson turned in splits of 44.37 and 44.69 in the 4×400 relay, leaving the crowd in awe. His 44.37 is the fastest 400 split by a high school runner in Penn Relays history.

He wasn’t done.

In June at the New Balance Nationals, he ran 45.13 to win the title.

Wilson arrived at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, with nothing to prove. Just to qualify was an amazing feat.

But Wilson ran a personal-best time of 44.66 in the first round, which set an under-18 world record. It was a high school record that had stood for more than 40 years.

He followed that with a 44.59 in the semifinals, which again broke a world record and qualified him for the finals.

44.66 for a U18 WORLD RECORD in the men’s 400m for high school sophomore Quincy Wilson #TrackFieldTrials24
pic.twitter.com/B4cnC5nzDE

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 21, 2024

Prior to the finals, he had a talk with three-time world champion hurdler and Chesapeake native Grant Holloway, who has known Wilson since he was 8.

“I was just like, ‘Hey, just run and have some fun. You did the hardest part,'” Holloway said he told him. “You went through the rounds. You qualified and (ran a personal best) every time, you’ve done the hard part.”

Wilson ran under 45 seconds for a third consecutive time when he posted a time of 44.94 to place sixth at the trials against some competitors old enough to be his father.

“I went out there and my mom kept telling me, ‘Quincy, you have nothing to lose,’ ” said Wilson, who will be a rising junior and still doesn’t have a driver’s license. “I’m just 16 years old. Just having this opportunity itself to be able to compete at the highest and biggest competition of my life, I was able to perform super-well because I put the Lord first.”

Many wondered, however, if Wilson would be chosen for the U.S. Olympic relay pool because of his age.

Olympic silver medalist and 400 hurdler Rai Benjamin thought he should.

“He deserves it,” Benjamin told ESPN. “The kid came out and ran 44s all three rounds. I’m not worried about him on the technical side of things because he’s run multiple 4x4s, and he and his coach know how to keep it simple.”

Wilson got his answer when Lee received a phone call from USA Track & Field after the trials to confirm that Wilson had been chosen to be a part of the pool for the men’s 4×400 relay and mixed 4×400 relay for Team USA.

“To be honest, I was excited, I was ecstatic,” Wilson said. “When I got the call, all of my family was around. And to be able to embrace that with my family meant a lot to me.”

Holloway also was happy for him.

“I told him, ‘You’ve already solidified yourself going to the Olympics, whether you run the mixed relay or the open relay,'” Holloway said. “He’s 16 years old, so the sky’s the limit. I am excited to get there with him.”

In a tune-up for the Olympics, Wilson competed last week at the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Florida.

Wilson excelled again and ran a personal-best 44.20 seconds to set another world record. His time is the eighth-fastest in the world this year and the third-fastest by an American.

He also is the 47th-fastest 400 runner of all time, joining Portsmouth’s LaShawn Merritt (43.65) and Chesapeake’s Michael Cherry (44.03), who are ranked ninth and 27th, respectively.

Of the 46 other 400 runners on the all-time list, only four others were born in the 2000s.

Wilson began his athletic career in Hampton Roads and played football for the Virginia Beach Mustangs and ran for the Track 757 club.

“I think that’s where my competitiveness instinct came from because everybody in the 757 doesn’t want to lose,” Wilson said. “Everything that I wanted, I had to work hard for it, had to earn it.”

Keenan Galloway, who coached Wilson in club track, said there was always something special about Wilson, even at an early age.

“I’m not surprised, he’s been setting records since he started with us,” he said. “When you combine somebody with immense talent with a great work ethic, these are the results you get.”

Brent Nieter coached Wilson at Great Bridge Middle and said he was a nervous wreck as he watched Wilson compete during the Olympic trials. He remembers telling Wilson two years ago that he, too, could be an Olympian like Holloway.

“I absolutely had no idea that we’d be talking about him going two years later,” said Nieter, bursting into laughter. “For him just to be at the trials was an amazing thing.”

Nieter said he can’t wait to watch the Olympics.

“I would have watched the Olympics regardless. But now, it’s totally different having Grant and Quincy in it,” he said. “I don’t know how many middle schools in the country can say they have two former athletes in the Olympics, but it can’t be that many. But I do know one, and that’s ours. So, it’s pretty neat.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

___

Olympic coverage

Visit pilotonline.com/sports/olympics or dailypress.com/sports/olympics for more on our 757 Olympians, including a look back at gold medalists Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, Gabby Douglas, Thompson Mann and LaShawn Merritt.

___

Coming up

Saturday: Old Dominion women’s basketball coach DeLisha Milton-Jones talks about her gold-medal performances in the Olympics as a player. Former Cox High star Leah Crouse is going for gold in field hockey in Paris.

Sunday: Former Grassfield High star Grant Holloway returns to the Olympics intent on winning gold after a silver-medal finish in Tokyo.

“I always have like a goal list that motivates me,” said Gallop, who starred at Churchland High in Portsmouth. “I have some on my phone when I wake up. I have some in my locker. So it’s always there as motivation.”

Last season, Gallop accomplished everything on his wish list and more.

He was the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, just the fourth Bison player to receive the award since 1971. He also was the recipient of the Aeneas Williams Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back in HBCU Division I football.

Gallop made three All-America teams, and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the most outstanding defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

And this season has gotten off to a great start as he was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday at the league’s annual media day.

“It’s a great feeling, but I also know that preseason doesn’t mean much,” said Gallop, who also was named a first-team Preseason All-American by FCS Football Central. “It’s not how you start, but how you finish. It feels amazing to get recognized, but you know, I’m more of a guy who cares about accolades after the season.”

Coming home for media day was a big deal for Gallop. He got to show teammates and coaches where it all started for him, including the 15-minute drive to his high school.

“It feels good, you know, just being close to home,” he said. “You know, showing my teammates around the area I grew up in. It’s just always exciting to show guys my background and where I come from.”

Going back to Churchland also is a reminder to Gallop of how far he’s come. He wasn’t highly sought as a high school player. But he went to Howard University and worked hard to become one of the top defensive backs in the country.

“At one time in my life, I didn’t have any scholarships. I used to think I wasn’t going to go to college,” said Gallop, 6 feet and 215 pounds. “So I never get complacent and also always enjoy the moment. I’m excited about my accolades because I know the work I’ve put in. But I want some more, I’m still hungry.”

Last season, he helped lead Howard to its first Celebration Bowl appearance.

Teammate Darius Fox knows they’ll need another big season from Gallop to be successful.

“He will be extremely critical to our team’s success on defense. On defense, we’ll go as far as he goes,” he said. “With him on the field, the sky’s the limit. He’s a key part to our defense. He’s one of those field generals that takes control on the field.”

Howard coach Larry Scott called Gallop the “rock” of the team.

“He’s the epitome of what you want in your program. He’s a guy who does it right every day,” he said. “Hopefully, a lot of the other younger players can see through the example that he provides each and every day, how valuable just being consistent is.”

Gallop returned to Howard to pursue his graduate degree. It also gave him a chance to play alongside his brother, Kaleb, and improve his chances of getting drafted.

For the second time in three seasons, no HBCU football players were selected in this year’s NFL draft. Only Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden, who was drafted in 2023, has been selected in the past three years.

And the last Bison to be drafted was former Denbigh High star Antoine Bethea, who went in the sixth round to the Indianapolis Colts in 2006.

“It was definitely frustrating because there were a lot of talented guys,” he said. “I feel like the 2024 draft class was one of the most talented draft classes.”

Gallop, a two-time HBCU All-American, wants to change that. He has been selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, which is a best-in-class all-star event that will take place Feb. 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Players who are selected will be coached by NFL coaches in an NFL facility while having access to NFL-level resources, facilities, player-friendly schedules and opportunities at the highest level.

“That’s my main goal is to get drafted,” he said. “That was kind of like a big motivation thing for me. I want to show that I’m capable of going to the NFL from Howard University.”

And in 2028, flag football will become an Olympic sport.

Sunday afternoon, nearly 75 girls, ages 12 and older, showed up to Norfolk State’s Dick Price Stadium for the second annual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Girls on the Gridiron Flag Football clinic.

The clinic is a collaboration between the NFL and the MEAC.

Former NFL star quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Michael Vick, whose daughter, Jada, received a scholarship to play flag football for Reinhardt University in Atlanta, spoke at the camp.

Vick and his daughter took turns throwing footballs to the girls. They also participated in other drills, along with other MEAC athletes and coaches, who are in town for Tuesday’s MEAC Football Media Day.

As Vick looked out onto the field, he wondered about the future of flag football.

“Maybe somebody on this field will be representing the U.S. come 2028,” said Vick, who starred for Warwick High and Virginia Tech and then played 13 seasons in the NFL. “It’s a credit to everybody who wants to grow the game and feel like it’s important. I got to give the NFL a lot of credit. They’ve really targeted this space and tried to put a lot of time into growing the game on both sides, for the men and the women.”

Vick smiled as he watched his daughter interact and serve as a mentor to the girls.

“When I watch her throw, I just remember years and years of practice. Years of her wanting to be the best that she could be,” he said. “Years ago not knowing that girls flag football would be as big as it is right now. I could never foresee her getting a scholarship 10 years ago when she used to be in the backyard pretending to be DeSean Jackson because that was her favorite player. It’s a humbling experience and it’s really cool. It’s genuine, and every young lady here is putting forth the effort and having a good time and wanting to be pioneers for the game.”

DeSean Jackson?

Vick chuckled.

“She started liking DeSean Jackson for all the right reasons. Obviously, DeSean was a helluva player and his name got called all the time in the arena,” he explained. “I’m surprised she doesn’t play receiver, but she gravitated to quarterback. She’s very universal. She can play any position on the field. Completing her first year in school taught her a lot about the experience and what to expect, and hopefully year two will be better.”

He said he’s honored that she chose his position.

As for tips, Vick is always passing on knowledge to his daughter.

“The tips I’ve given her at quarterback is to be poised and be patient,” he said. “I think the most important is when things are not going as well, to still be a positive influence to everybody around you, because once the players around you see that you’re down or you’re not in tune to what’s going on, then everybody goes into the tank. I’m not saying smile when it’s going bad, I’m saying be encouraging and continue to be a leader.”

I was so upset and angry that I asked the question, “What is going on? Is this 2024 or 1944?”

One of the Black players kept a notebook of some of the things done to him and the hurtful and ignorant words said to him, including being teased during Black History Month and being told by a teammate that they couldn’t see him during a recent eclipse.

When I wrote the column, I wondered if things would change or would it be swept under the rug and forgotten.

My answer came last week.

In front of an auditorium filled with prospective baseball players and their parents, Kempsville’s administration held a press conference to introduce Luke Stice as the program’s new coach. He replaced John Penn, who is no longer with the school.

Kempsville student activities coordinator Zach Wolff, who got the job in June, knew changing coaches would be his first major responsibility in his new position.

He saw how much negative publicity the school endured.

“I spent 10 years at Kempsville, and it hurt to see the whole process. That a child, and children, would have to go through something like that,” he said. “Professionally, I knew it was going to probably be the biggest decision that I was going to make in my first year.”

The hurt didn’t just come from Wolff’s connection with Kempsville, but also his own feelings.

Before he was born, his parents adopted two of his biracial cousins. And though they were raised under the same roof, he knew his experiences were far different from theirs.

He remembers when they would go out as a family and he’d see the stares from other families as they wondered what was going on with his family makeup.

“I’m never going to say, ‘I know what they we’re going through’ because I don’t,” he said about his sisters. “But I understand it. And I don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”

That’s why when it came to hiring a new baseball coach, the committee wanted to make sure to get a coach who wouldn’t be afraid to address the elephant in the room.

And Stice did that.

“The questions were formed in a way that we were inviting people to talk about it,” Wolff said. “We really wanted to see if they were going to talk about it, or if they were going to come in and treat it just as a baseball interview. It was not just a baseball interview. He came in and immediately addressed it and immediately talked about it.”

As soon as Stice finished, the committee members knew they had their man.

“He wasn’t afraid to address the elephant in the room, like so many others who sat at that table for that interview that were afraid to do. He came in, he addressed it and he talked about it,” Wolff said. “And that’s really what we need right now. Someone who’s not afraid to address it and have tough conversations about it because we’re not here to stick our heads in the sand.”

I got a chance to talk to Stice before and after his introduction as coach.

What impressed me was his sincerity and love for his players. He coached the school’s junior-varsity team the past two seasons. He said he had no idea what was going on with the varsity program.

“Just being first-hand in the situation and seeing the impact that it had on the boys really drove me to say, ‘This is really screwed up,’ ” he said. “I just kept communicating with them the whole time, keeping that door of communication open with them and letting them know that I’m here for them.”

When he heard the school was looking for a new coach, he wanted the job.

“The players on the JV team also faced some challenges to deal with once the news came out,” he said. “I knew from that moment, if anything changes, I want to be the man for the job.”

He believes he can change the culture of the program.

“I’m not going to put a timeline on it. It could be a year, it could be five years. I don’t know how long it will take,” he said. “With the (administration’s) support, I know we’ll get the culture right. … Wins will come after that.”

Melissa George has been at Kempsville for 13 years, including seven as a principal. She admitted it hurt to hear the things people said about the school. She said it “was a very trying time for everybody.”

She said the school is looking forward.

“We’re not just going to be a better baseball program, but we’re going to be a better school for it because our eyes were opened to things that I think we weren’t fully seeing,” she said. “Now that our eyes are fully open, we will be looking at ways that we can improve to ensure that all students, no matter what sport you’re on, no matter what classroom you’re in, that everybody who walks through the doors knows that they are welcome. And that they’re not going to experience what was experienced earlier by some of our players on the baseball team. It was something I wish we never had to go through, but if we did go through it, let’s find out what we can learn from that. And that’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to learn from it.”

Wolff said the hiring of a new coach is just part of what’s changing at Kempsville. The school also is redoing its athletic policy and putting together an athlete development program for its coaches and athletes.

“I’m not ignorant to believe we’re going to solve everything with a wave of a magic wand and everything is fixed,” he said. “But I’m excited in the direction that we are moving in.”

Kempsville rising senior TJ Davis, who is Black, is encouraged by what he heard last week from the administration and from Stice.

“I’m very excited to see what he brings to the team, and how he creates bonds with all the players and brings us together,” said Davis, a pitcher and outfielder.

He said he’s spoken with Stice several times and likes the direction of the program.

“I feel good,” he said. “Hopefully with a new coach, things will get better.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

On Tuesday evening, the program took a step in the right direction.

With an auditorium filled with prospective baseball players and their parents in attendance, Kempsville’s administration took the first step in healing when they introduced Luke Stice as the program’s new coach. He replaces John Penn, who is no longer with the school.

Kempsville student activities coordinator Zach Wolff, who got the job in June, knew changing coaches was going to be his first major decision.

“I knew this was something that we had to do,” he said. “We took our time with it because we knew we wanted to get the decision right. That was more important than anything else, is making sure we made the right decision. And the selection committee, we are very confident that we did. We’re real happy to have Coach Stice.”

What sold Wolff on Stice was how he addressed the issues head-on and didn’t waver, unlike others.

“I knew we had to find the right person to meet the moment,” Wolff said. “We needed a person to rebuild the culture to lead the program through a process of rebuilding trust with the community, the school and with each other.”

Stice, who was the Chiefs’ head junior-varsity coach the past two seasons, said he knew addressing the issue was the only way.

“Just being first-hand in the situation and seeing the impact that it had on the boys really drove me to say, ‘This is really screwed up,'” he said. “I just kept communicating with them the whole time, keeping that door of communication open with them and letting them know that I’m here for them.

“The players on the JV team also faced some challenges to deal with once the news came out. I knew from that moment, if anything changes (regarding a coaching opening), I will be the man for this job.”

Kempsville pitcher/outfielder TJ Davis was on hand for the introduction. Davis, who is Black, said he believes in Stice, who is white.

“I’m very excited to see what he brings to the team and how he creates bonds with all the players and brings us together,” said Davis, a rising senior. “I feel like he really wants for the program to do better.”

Kempsville principal Melissa George said the committee made the right decision with the hiring of Stice.

“It’s like a weight lifted off because I know there is someone I can trust that’s going to come in and have the best interest of this team,” she said. “He said he wants to heal the team and build culture. The wins will come after that.”

Stice is ready for the challenge, but he knows it will take time.

“I’m not going to put a timeline on it. It could be a year, it could be five years. I don’t know how long it will take,” he said. “But with (the administration’s) support, I know we’ll get the culture right.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

The team did well as it reached the finals of the Triple Crown World Series.

But when the team returned to Hampton Roads, DeMartini decided to take his players to another coach.

For many coaches, they would never do this. DeMartini didn’t let his ego get in the way.

He contacted Lee Banks, who has been a prominent figure in elite showcase baseball in Hampton Roads for more than 25 years.

He’s coached many of the elite baseball players who have come through Hampton Roads and helped produce many college and Major League Baseball draft picks, including Michael Cuddyer, Jason Dubois, David Wright, BJ Upton, Justin Upton, Ryan Zimmerman and Mark Reynolds.

“I knew I had a special group on my hands, and that’s why I took them to Lee,” DeMartini said about Banks, who also is an assistant baseball coach at Grassfield High. “I trusted Lee. I knew the group of guys that I was bringing to Lee, that he was going to have their best interest at heart.”

DeMartini was right as that team enjoyed much success, including finishing runner-up at the 2020 PBR World Series.

Many of those players, including DeMartini’s son, Carson, went on to play Division I baseball.

And this weekend, some of those same players, including Carson, could hear their name called when the Major League Baseball draft begins Sunday night and ends Tuesday.

“That three-year run of that Tidewater Orioles team had 15 Division I players, and a slew of Division III players,” Tommy DeMartini said. “I think off that team, you’re going to probably have five players get drafted.”

DeMartini remembers that special group of players with Cuddyer (ninth overall pick in 1997, two-time All-Star), Wright (first round in 2001, seven-time All-Star), BJ Upton (second overall pick in 2002), Reynolds (16th round in 2004), Justin Upton (first overall pick in 2005, four-time All-Star) and Zimmerman (fourth overall pick in 2005, two-time All-Star)

“I was fairly new in the coaching scene with coach (Pete) Zell at Salem High School during those years,” he said. “We coached against David and the Uptons, and Zimmerman, and all of those guys. It was a very impressive group of ballplayers back in that time. And it was fun to watch and to follow their careers.”

He thinks this year’s group could be special, too.

“I feel like this is a similar-looking group,” he said. “And it’s going to be interesting to see how these guys pan out as opposed to that group, who were major league All-Stars and had incredible careers. You have a very talented group coming through again.”

Carson DeMartini is rated the No. 93 prospect by MLB.com. The former Ocean Lakes star went to Virginia Tech, and scouts like his power as a “compact and strong left-handed hitter.”

He showed his power during one week this season, when he blasted seven home runs with 11 RBIs and 10 runs. He was named ACC Player of the Week and National Player of the Week by D1Baseball.

For the season, he batted .269 with 21 homers, 57 RBIs and 62 runs.

Tommy DeMartini has prepared his son for this moment, both on the field and off.

“I’ve been heavily involved in his development and watching him grow throughout the years. It’s getting to the point where reality is setting in,” he said. “But I’ve told him now it’s out of his control. The hay is in the barn, as they might say. Regardless of where he lands in the draft, the next big thing is how he performs. It’s about to be a lifetime achievement of his, to become a professional baseball player.”

Ethan Anderson, who starred at Cox High and Virginia, is rated the No. 78 prospect by MLB.com. A switch-hitting catcher and first baseman, he hit .331 this season for the Cavaliers with eight home runs, 40 RBIs and 67 runs.

Outfielder Harrison Didawick is rated the No. 125 prospect by MLB.com. The former Western Branch High star tied Virginia’s single-season record for home runs with 23. He also batted .292 with 68 RBIs and 78 runs.

Other locals who could hear their name called are infielder/outfielder Fenwick Trimble (Cox/James Madison), outfielder Kennedy Jones (Maury/UNC Greensboro/South Carolina), outfielder Cameron Pittman (Nansemond River/Radford/Virginia Tech), pitcher Ethan Firoved (First Colonial/Pittsburgh), pitcher Nathan Hawley (Cox/Virginia Military Institute) and pitcher Dawson Newman (Great Bridge/Coastal Carolina).

Another player from that Tidewater Orioles team who already got drafted was pitcher Blake Dickerson. The former Ocean Lakes standout was a 12th-round selection of the San Diego Padres last year. Earlier this year, the Padres traded him to the Detroit Tigers. He is currently pitching with the Florida Complex League Tigers, who are a rookie-level affiliate for Detroit.

The DeMartinis anxiously await Carson’s fate, hoping he will be drafted on the first day.

“It’s a little bit nostalgic and a little bit emotional just knowing that all of his hard work is about to pay off,” his father said. “He and his mother and I will be watching the draft Sunday night. Hopefully, we don’t have to watch it on Monday.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

Bishop O’Connell High from Arlington was first in Virginia with 32 athletes, while Kellam was tied for third with 29, Princess Anne was tied for 12th with 25 and Chesapeake’s Western Branch was tied for 17th with 24.

The study was conducted by Greg Dayton, from Pickerington, Ohio. He looked at all NCAA Division I women’s sports rosters for the 2021-22 academic year to see what high schools produced the most Division I athletes for all sports.

Among Kellam’s athletes were were soccer player Kaylee Kozlowski, who played at Maryland, and softball player Brooke Cannon, who played at Lehigh.

As a senior, Kozlowski scored a team-high 23 goals and was the All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Cannon, who finished with a 1.10 ERA and and 212 strikeouts and batted .552 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs, was the All-Tidewater Softball Player of the Year.

Nationally, IMG Academy of Bradenton, Florida, was first with 111 female athletes sent to Division I programs. Mater Dei High of Santa Ana, California, was second with 97, and Santa Margarita Catholic High of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, was third with 85.

To make the top 50, a school needed to have at least 50 athletes playing Division I sports.

In all, Dayton’s study found there were 72,351 Division I women athletes.

The sports included basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, rowing, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball and water polo.

Two years ago, Dayton conducted a study analyzing all 357 Division I women’s basketball rosters from the 2021-22 season. It included all players from each high school program — public and private.

Princess Anne High, led by legendary coach Darnell Dozier, had the nation’s ninth-most players in college in that study.

Both were on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson’s World Boxing Council lightweight title defense against Artem Harutyunyan.

Keyshawn Davis, a lightweight, scored a unanimous decision over Mexican contender Miguel Madueno (31-4, 28 knockouts) with a dominating performance to improve to 11-0 in a fight that was on ESPN. All three judges scored it 99-91.

Davis, an Olympic silver medalist three years ago who attended Granby High, said prior to the fight that boxing fans could see a “punching machine” and that they may see “a whole another Keyshawn.”

He was right as he landed many vicious shots throughout the fight. He landed 49% of his punches, including 194 body punches, 122 power punches and 72 jabs. In the fourth round, Davis landed 63.4%.

The fight got ugly late when a frustrated Madueno, who landed just 13.7% of his punches, tried to pick up Davis in the seventh round. The boxers had butted heads after the sixth round, with Madueno throwing an errant punch that hit the referee.

“He was tougher than I expected,” Davis said after the fight. “Honestly, this was the toughest physical professional fighter I had. But I had fun in there, I like to fight.”

TEMPERS FLARE!

Keyshawn Davis & Miguel Madueno both butt heads at the end of round six pic.twitter.com/7gYgPZ9xGZ

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 7, 2024

Davis showed why he is one of the top rising prospects in his weight class.

Kelvin “Nite Nite” Davis, a junior welterweight, beat Kevin Johnson of Detroit to win an eight-round majority decision and improve to 13-0. Davis won 78-74 on two cards, while a third judge had it even at 76-76.

Kelvin Davis controlled the early rounds, but had to survive a late-round rally from Johnson (12-4, 8 KOs), who had beaten his five previous opponents.

The Davises had plenty of support as a sold-out bus brought fans from Norfolk to New Jersey for the fight.

Keyshawn Davis, 25, hinted last week that he hoped to bring a fight to Norfolk later this year.

“I think about the Scope with Young’s Park right there, you’ll have people walking from there to come see me fight,” he said. “That’s why this is a beautiful story. And Scope is going to happen sooner than you know.”

TEMPERS FLARE!

Keyshawn Davis & Miguel Madueno both butt heads at the end of round six pic.twitter.com/7gYgPZ9xGZ

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 7, 2024