spring 2014 / 49
ATHLETICS
Lasting connections
—Six new inductees
to theBSCSportsHall of Famewerehonoredduring
Family/Homecoming/AlumniWeekend festivitiesNov.
1-2. TheBobStrainDistinguishedServiceAwardwinner
was also recognized. The award is named after the late
1940BSC alumwho founded thehall of fame in 1981.
Pictured (l to r) are
SarahHibbardLeachman ’05
(air
rifle); HeadMen’s Soccer Coach
PrestonGoldfarb
, who
accepted the awardon behalf of
KarimDietz ’05
(
men’s
soccer), who couldn’t attend;
GeorgeSalem ’75
, a
2002Hall of Fame inductee for the sport of baseball and
longtime supporter of Birmingham-Southern athletics,
whowas honoredwith the 2013 service award;
Paul
Fleming ’95
(basketball);
SteveBaxley ’71
(basketball);
Nikki Rombough ’06
(softball); and
Wes Letson ’07
(baseball). With the addition of the 33rd class, 184
individuals and teams havebeen recognized for raising
thebar of excellence for the college’s athletics program.
New coach looks tobuilduponvolleyball team’s success
by PatCole
The volleyball teamkickedoff anew era this yearwhen JeffWhite took the reins as thehead coachof thePanthers,
and so far, he’s happywith the team’s progress.
“Wehave a great groupof student-athleteswho are getting acclimated,” saysWhite, former head volleyball coach at
BrenauUniversity inGainesville, Ga. “Their attitude and effort in the gymhas beenpositive. My goal is tohave them
consistently come inprepared and ready toplay everypoint inpractice like it’s the championship. Then, oncewe get
there, they’ll just play theway they’ve always played. Thewinning and losingwill take careof itself.”
White replaced former head coach JudyGreen, who led the volleyball squad to a21-9winning season this past
fall—gaining them entry to the 2013 SouthernAthleticAssociationVolleyball Championship. The teamhas anoverall
recordof 99-59 from thepast five seasons.
“Theseplayers genuinely love eachother and theyhave a great chemistry,”White says. “That’s something that
most coaches spend a lot of time trying todevelop. Since thatwas already inplace, wemovedon to theon-court
performance and training. They go for everyball, workhard, and are anxious to learn thenew system.”
Alongwith anew coach came a strategic overhaul for the squad. White implemented anewGoldMedal Squared
system, which incorporates swingblocking, passingoff thenet,middle-middledefense, and jump serving. The system
is usedby theU.S.men’s andwomen’sOlympic teams, alongwith top schools such as theUniversityofWashington,
BYU, andArizona State.
White coached four All-Conference volleyball players and fourNAIAAcademicAll-Americans at Brenau. He alsohad12 conferenceAll-
Academic recipients and guided the squad to37wins. Prior tohis time at Brenau, hewas director andhead coach for theGA5Volleyball
Club in Suwanee, Ga.
White, who says he’s been coaching since the ageof 16, has rarelybeen theNo. 2man.
“I’m a Type-Apersonality, andbeing an assistant coach is verydifficult forme,” saysWhite, who stands 6’6” tall. “Iwould rather impart
myownphilosophy to a team; I like things done a certainway.”
White grewupplayingbeach volleyball on the sandy Los Angeles beaches. Heplayedbasketball inhigh school and attendedCalifornia
StateUniversity-Northridge, graduatingwith adegree inphysical education. He earnedhismaster’s inhealth studies from theUniversityof
Alabama.
Over the years, he’s earnedmany coachinghonors, includingbeingnamedGeorgiaHigh School Volleyball Coachof theYear in2001,
2005, and2008, andAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionGirl’s Volleyball Coachof theYear in2001 and2008. He still commutes back and forth to
Georgia to visit hiswife, Stephanie, who is a teacher, and towork towardhis Ph.D. in coaching education at theUniversityofGeorgia.
Butmainly, he spends his timeon campusworkingon a formula for continued success for theBSC volleyball team. The teamwill have
plentyof experienceon their sidewithfive returning starters and a libero (defenseplayer) from the 2013 squad.
“Winning championships involves highperformance, consistency, and a littlebit of luck,” saysWhite. “I hope this team experiences all of
these in the coming fall season.”
White
