Virginia Union to miss coach
Heart operation sidelines Robbins
March 11, 2003
BY ELLIOTT OWEN
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Virginia Union will be without coach Dave Robbins when it heads into the NCAA Division II tournament on Friday. Robbins underwent heart-bypass surgery last Friday. He will miss the rest of the season but is reported to be in good condition.
"He told us today he's doing fine," senior Wayne Wallace said last night. "That's all I know."
Panthers assistant Willard Coker will take the reins in Robbins' absence. "We're pulling together," Wallace said. "Everything's still going strong."Earlier this season, Robbins said he felt sure the only way for his team to get into the tournament would be to win the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship.
On Sunday, the selection committee proved him wrong.
The Panthers, who lost to Bowie State 72-71 with an automatic NCAA berth on the line, are seeded sixth in the South Atlantic Region and face No. 3 Kennesaw State (24-9) in the first round of the tournament at Columbus, Ga.
"Coach Robbins, he's not going to brag too much, but he's got a real good team," Union Athletic Director Michael Bailey said. "I felt like [the team] was making progress as the year progressed.
"Coach Robbins could not be reached for comment.VUU (18-10) and No. 2 Bowie State (26-4) are joined by fifth-seeded Shaw (20-8) and No. 4 Johnson C. Smith (20-8) to bring the number of CIAA teams in the tourney to four.
"The CIAA this year was just a toss-up and it came down the last seconds," Bailey said.
He added the at-large berth was "a surprise. But not really a surprise.
"After dropping their first four and losing five of seven to start the season, Union closed the regular season winning nine of 11.
That strong finish, as well as finishing second in the tournament, may have been what the Panthers needed to continue their season.
"We've had a really strong schedule and really finish[ed] toward the end of the year," Bailey said. "Having success in the CIAA tournament [helped] with our regional rankings."
Back to CIAA Online Front Page