Catawba College Sport Managementstudents traveled to Charlotte to serve the Big South Conference at the annual Basketball Media Day. The students served in a variety of roles as coaches and student-athletes made their way through the various media sessions.
The Big South Media Day took place in Charlotte at the Renaissance Suites & Hotel. The event included the annual tip-off luncheon, release of the preseason polls, all-conference team and interview sessions that included local, regional, and national media outlets including the Big South Network and ESPN.
Mark Simpson, Assistant Commissioner of Public Relations for the Big South Conference, praised Catawba's involvement, "The students were an integral part in making our Basketball Media Day a great success! Their assistance and efforts were tremendous in handling the array of behind the scene tasks, especially during the main afternoon media sessions."
One student eager to volunteer was Paul Huffines of Greensboro, his career aspirations are to work in intercollege athletics. He described the experience as, "incredible, for a guy chasing a coaching [basketball] career, spending the day in a room full of Division I coaches is like a dream come true. I got to make a lot of connections and I owe a lot of thanks to Dr. [Duane] Aagaard [a Catawba College Associate Professor of Sport Management] and Mr. Mark Simpson for this opportunity."
Huffines was joined by fellow students Josh Stewart of Graham; Josh Denton of Davidson; Philipp Hollenhorst of Muenster, Germany; Josh House of Iva, S.C.; Serena Brown of Fort Washington, Md.; and Erin Fulcher of Kill Devil Hills. Fulcher, one of five seniors who volunteered, shared that she, "met a lot of different people ranging from coaches, players, and staff of the Big South. They all had great advice as I'm navigating my career options after graduation."
Catawba students made an impression with the Big South Conference staff, Simpson added, "The students were a great representation of Catawba College and the Sport Management program; I cannot thank them enough for getting up early to make the trek down to Charlotte. We look forward to similar opportunities with Catawba students in the near future,"
Catawba College Professor of Communication Mike Hogewood was also on hand at the Media Day serving as one of the voices of the Big South Conference, and he conducted interviews for a live telecast with ESPN3.
