Published: 12:13 AM, Thu Jul 22, 2010
Prep notes: Dees inducted into softball hall
Former South View High School softball coach Eddie Dees was inducted into the N.C. Softball Hall of Fame Wednesday.
Dees' was honored during the N.C. Coaches Association annual clinic in Greensboro.
He was one of five coaches inducted into the hall's inaugural class.
Other inductees were Gerald Binkley of Chatham Central, Monte Sherrill of Alexander Central, Mike Lampros of North Davidson and Eddie "Pop" Rivers of Marshville Forest Hills.
Now the mayor of Hope Mills, Dees retired as softball coach at South View after the 2007 season.
At the time of his retirement, Dees had the most wins among active softball coaches in the state, a 25-year record of 538-144.
His teams made the state playoffs 23 of 25 seasons and won 18 conference championships.
He made the final eight in the state playoffs 11 times and the final four seven times.
His teams won four 4-A Eastern Regional titles and one state 4-A title, in slow-pitch softball, in 1993.
More than 35 of his players went on to play college softball, with another eight coaching at the high school or college level.
Two of Dees' former players were in Greensboro Wednesday.
Jennifer Bonilla is the new volleyball coach at Jordan-Matthews High School while Lindsey Landry is the softball coach at Pine Forest High School.
East Bladen High School has named girls' basketball coach Patty Evers its new athletic director.
Evers replaces Larry Williams.
Evers, who just served as an assistant coach in this week's East-West All-Star basketball game in Greensboro, said she plans to continue coaching the East Bladen girls' team.
Evers is one of the most successful coaches in the Cape Fear region. In nine seasons at East Bladen she is 207-48 with nine regular season and five conference tournament titles.
She has led her team to three state championship appearances, including this past season.
A federal judge in Hartford, Conn., has ruled that cheerleading is not a sport.
According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill made his ruling Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by members of the volleyball team at Quinnipiac University.
The players sued the school after it threatened to drop the volleyball program because of budget concerns.
The school added cheerleading as a competitive sport to stay in compliance with Title IX, a federal law that requires equal opportunities in athletics for men and women at schools that receive federal funding.
The judge ruled that competitive cheerleading is too underdeveloped.
Quinnipiac now has 60 days to develop a plan to keep the volleyball team and still comply with Title IX.
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.