Hot Area

In the last two years Cumberland College has been on a rampage, signing student-athletes from the tri-county area. Football and tennis have benefitted more than the other sports at Cumberland College but track, baseball and volleyball have also gained student-athletes as well. Softball coach Angie Dean has even kept her eye on several local players.
Is this just a good mix of atrhletes in the various high school or is this something Cumberland is doing better…recruiting the home students.
Assistant football coach Bobby Joe Lawson, who recruits the local area, said. “We’re going for more local kids and we’re trying to win national champions, these local kids can help us, they can be a part of it and they can help us along the way.”
“We’re looking for good character kids,” said Lawson, a former Whitley County football star hisself that played at Cumberland College. “We want kids that will stick around and who will preform academically as well as athletically. There are so many winners, especially this year. You birng in winners and you manufactor wins. They know how to do it and want to continue to do that.”
“Like I said these local kids we have signed have been such good character kids and all have done well academicially,” said Lawson. “That’s the main thing, all these kids are winners.”
“We want to get the community involved and get them to back us so we get to where we need to be,” added Lawson.
Lawson said the adjustments are within reach. “Academically these kids will be challenged but it’s nothing they can’t do.”
Corbin football coach Steve Jewell said his two (Brad Lawson and Ronnie Bowling) will help the Patriots. “Brad can help them immediately, for the position he is going to play he is pretty mature and physically ready to go. I think he can have a big impact,” he said.
“Ronnie Bowling is probably a couple of years away. They are probably going to put some weight on him and let him gain some strength.”
“They are getting two quality people, academically strong but good students in and out of the classroom. I think it will be good for their football team,” said Jewell.
With the signing of six football players, Jewell thinks it will be an incentative for future high school players in the area. “I hope it is. I think Cumberland is doing it in the right way, in the aspect of trying to stay local, I think it will help their school and community support.”
“It’s kind of like the big university here in the state, Kentucky. A lot of people feel like they need to keep as many in-state kids as they can. That’s one thing I think Cumberland does, they focus foremost on the kids around the area.”
Whitley County coach Mike Campbell said Cumberland is getting two fine student-athletes in Eddie Partin and Josh Frosch “I think Josh Frosch carries a 4.0 and any time you can get a kid with that kind of academic credentials it’s going to help.”
“Eddie Partin was our team MVP, a three-year starter for us and one of the strongest kids on our football team,” said Campbell. “He started at fullback and inside linebacker. He played that linebacker position for three years.”
“Both of the kids are really good prospects and I think they will be a good fit for Cumberland,” said Campbell. “Cumberland has really went after a lot of southeastern Kentucky players and have tried to get their roster full kids in the local area. I think that is a plus, anytime you can get these kids that are from the mountains and played at mountain high schools. It’s only going to be a plus for their program.”
Campbell said recruiting local kids is a plus for the Cumberland. “Local kids going to the local college is always a plus. They are not that far away from home and it fills your stands up, basketball bleachers up. I think the community likes to see that. Anytime you have local kids playing and have them on the roster it’s always a plus.
Frosch said he chose Cumberland because “I can stay around my family, it’s a good college and I got a full academic scholarship,” he said. “There are a lot of athletes from around the area that I have played against and it will be fum to play on the same local team.”
Forsch said, “It will be a lot tougher, more competition.”
Partin added that he too chose Cumberland, “because it is closer to home, I know most of the people I will be playing with. I know a lot of players from some of the other schools as well as the ones from my own school.”
“It will be tough both in the classroom and football field, but I’m looking forward to the challeneges,” said Partin.
Corbin’s Ronnie Bowling said. “It’s just an honor to represent the Corbin area has being one of the many athletes that has been recruited .”
“I think they started to realize there has been a lot of talent in the area,” said Bowling. “I think Cumberland is a good fit for everybody that has signed there.”
“There are a lot of kids that love to play sports in the area and when you tell them they can come and play sports in college, it’s a dream come true,” said Bowling. “It will definitely put sports at Cumberland in a higher interest for the Tri-County.”
Bowling said these student-athletes will have to get used to the speed of the game. “A lot of people are going from being the top athlete in their school to the bottom. You will have to work your way back to the top.”
Brad Lawson has watched his brother, Bobby Joe, work on landing a lot of the local talent. But when it came to recruting him, his older brother stayed out of the picture. “He wants to do good for the program.” Brad said. “The talent in this area has really stepped up, everyone has improved. There is a lot of speed, a lot of strength.”
“The talent has really improved over the last several years,” said Brad. He added that going from a starter, down to starting all over will be one of the big adjustments for all the new freshmen.
“We just have to prove oursleves over again,” added Lawson.
Behind the leadership of athletic director, Randy Veron, the sports programs have become more successful on the national level. Since he has been the head of athletics at Cumberland it seems all their programs are going local.
Just look at the golf team, London’s own Eddie Parman help lead the Patriots to a successful season. The soccer teams have had success with local talent as well as both basketball teams. Taran Johnson, a mutli-sports athlete from South Laurel High School, will make an impact next season’s volleyball team at Cumberland.
It’s a gold mine for area student-athletes. Cumberland College has a lot of offer, a great education and a great opportunity on the field or hardwood.