Around The USCAA - 8/26/14
Around the USCAA is a semi-weekly article that highlights current happenings, key matchups, and relevant news stories from across the association. If you have a relevant news piece that you would like considered for inclusion please send it toinfo@theuscaa.com.
Matt Wells takes helm of SSCC athletics
Matt Wells, head coach of the Southern State Community College’s women’s basketball team, has been selected to serve as the college’s athletic director.
“We are proud to welcome Matt in his new role for Southern State athletics,” said James Bland, SSCC Vice President of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management. “Matt’s background and accomplishments in coaching demonstrate his strong leadership abilities and his commitment to helping student-athletes find success in and out of the classroom.”
A graduate of Western Brown High School, Wells is a veteran on field, court, and diamond. Throughout his high school and college tenure, he played football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. He has 18 years’ experience coaching football, basketball and track for several local high schools, including Western Brown, Williamsburg, Amelia, and East Clinton. In 2012, he joined the coaching staff at Southern State.
“Getting the opportunity to be the athletic director at Southern State is a tremendous honor,” Wells said. “Southern State has a rich tradition in athletics, plus it is a wonderful chance for young men and women to get a great education at a low tuition and also a chance to play college sports.”
Wells is taking on a dual role, serving as both head coach and athletic director. He credits his background in a variety of sports with helping him oversee the department.
“I’ve been around athletics non-stop,” he said. “Many of the athletic directors I worked with were coaches too, so being able to witness how they handled both positions will benefit me as I take on my new role.”
Wells said that students who choose to participate in sports at Southern State are well supported in both athletics and academics.
“Our student-athletes have the opportunity to receive scholarships for participation in individual sports,” he said. “We also have a great academic advisor, Heather Miller, who is specifically assigned to our student-athletes. Furthermore, the support across administration has been outstanding. Everyone is committed to giving our student-athletes, and all of our students, a strong foundation.”
While the athletic facilities at Southern State primarily are used for college events, Wells said he is inviting the community to utilize the space. The floor of the Patriot Center is marked to accommodate a volleyball court, two full-length basketball courts which run east to west, as well the main basketball court which runs north to south. For both sports, the markings follow both high school and collegiate guidelines.
“We’ve gotten a commitment from Fairfield High School to hold one men’s and one women’s basketball game here, and we’re looking to bring even more high school games to campus,” said Wells. “We also are hoping that during the summer months, we can bring in AAU teams and tournaments, summer camps, and coaches’ clinics.”
The athletics department at Southern State currently includes softball and basketball for women, and soccer and basketball for men, though Wells looks to expand the opportunities
“I’d like to see Southern State branch out and give our students more options as student-athletes ,” he said. “To start, we will be adding women’s soccer for the 2015- 16 academic year.
We are currently recruiting for a head coach and looking to add prospective players.”
Key Week Matchups
Men’s Soccer:
8/26/14- West Virginia Institute of Technology at Tennessee Temple University 3:00 p m
Women’s Volleyball:
8/26/14 - Central Penn College at Penn College 7:00 p m
8/27/17- Rochester College at Carlow University 7:00 p m