Click the play button above for the latest edition of Southern Conference Commissioner Jim Schaus' Commissioner's Corner, a new video series that will see Schaus sit down with Pete Yanity to discuss current affairs around the league. Below, Schaus shares his views on issues around the league and college athletics.
Athletics Highlights
The Southern Conference enjoyed an outstanding fall and crowned champions in football (Wofford), volleyball (Samford), men’s soccer (Mercer), women’s soccer (Samford), men’s cross country (Furman) and women’s cross country (Furman).
Men’s basketball posted several nationally recognized nonconference victories including: ETSU defeating LSU, UNCG beating Georgetown and Vermont, plus Wofford knocking off North Carolina. The SoCon has three teams that have been ranked in the top 10 of College Insider’s mid-major poll. Samford guard Josh Sharkey leads NCAA Division I with 9.2 assists per game. Both ETSU and UNCG defeated Wake Forest in women’s basketball. Western Carolina guard Jewel Smalls is third in the nation in total rebounds, while Furman’s Le’Jzae Davidson and Wofford’s Chloe Wanink are in the top 10 in 3-pointers made.
Academics
The Southern Conference is much more just an athletic conference. Through the SoCon Academic Exchange programs, academic excellence will always be a conference staple.
We are so proud of our stalwart faculty and staff members. Here are the 2019-20 SoCon All-Conference Faculty and Staff awardees, respectively, from each school: The Citadel (Dr. James Bezjian, Stanton Adams), ETSU (Dr. Joe D. Moore, Jay Seehorn), Furman (Dr. Virginia W. Gerde, Elaine Baker), Mercer (Dr. Sybil Keesbury, Myra Cameron), UNCG (Dr. Tom Martinek, John Chapman), Samford (Dr. Emily Hynds, Theresa Kanute), Chattanooga (Dr. Debbie Ingram, Terry Denniston), VMI (COL Jack B. “Jay” Johnston Jr., COL Sarah L. Jones), Western Carolina (Dr. Channa DeSilva, Dr. Lowell K. Davis) and Wofford (Dr. Dan Mathewson, Curt McPhail).
The fourth annual SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) featured over 100 students from all 10 institutions who presented innovative research projects through poster and oral presentations. Special thanks to host Wofford College and sponsors Milliken and Ingles.
SoCon Basketball Tournament
Make plans to attend the Ingles SoCon Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships presented by General Shale in Asheville, North Carolina, March 5-9. Fantastic basketball. Fun city. Storied tournament tradition. So many reasons to attend! It is the oldest running conference basketball tournament in the country. Fans need to get their tickets early and make arrangements to enjoy the most exciting week in college basketball!
Name, Image and Likeness
The NCAA has stated that it will provide a new proposal for name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes by January 2021. This is a very complex topic. It is understandable the support for allowing student-athletes to generate income from their name, but the NCAA needs to also be mindful of its historical commitment to ensuring the collegiate model that views student-athletes as students and not professional employees. Many states have proposed legislation in support of student-athletes receiving income from their name, image and likeness. There is belief that national solution that involves the federal government may be a consideration. It will be interesting to follow the developments in the upcoming months.