Vice President tells Governing Board in October 2022 that “previous coaches did everything they could to sabotage our program and we have moved past that.”

The Yavapai Community College sports program is burgeoning.   It has recently added the women’s basketball and soccer programs to its already established baseball, softball, volleyball, men’s soccer and e-sports programs. The student dormitories are beginning to fill with athletes. 

Once she was established and familiar with the Community College, President Dr. Lisa Rhine instituted major changes in the Athletic Department’s culture by  creating specific written goals for coaches to meet, including goals for fundraising, recruiting, community participation, and “team goals.” For the first time in its 50-year history, the College directed the coaches to focus more heavily on recruiting outstanding Yavapai County student athletes, with a goal of each team being made up of about 25% student athletes from the County.

However, the changes were apparently not well received by some coaches, as evidenced by the turnover last summer among the coaching staff. In July 2022, Yavapai Community College began looking for new head baseball and in August a new softball coach. According to a commentary written by Community College Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland in the September 7, 2022, Verde Independent newspaper, the coaches left because they refused to accept new recruiting and scholarship guidelines instituted by the college. 

In recent years, several Yavapai College Board members, especially those from the Sedona/Verde Valley Third District, have raised concerns about the College’s lack of focus on recruiting outstanding local athletes. They also expressed concern about the college’s practice of providing generous taxpayer-funded scholarships to out-of-state and international athletes, while rosters often included few or no local athletes.

According to Chair McCasland, the coaches were asked five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was  instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said.  Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local student-athletes.” “Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland.

Several coaches reportedly ignored these mandates and resigned. In July 2022, 14-year veteran Ryan Cougill resigned as the Head Baseball Coach at Yavapai College. Assistant coach Miles Kizer also announced his resignation from Yavapai College at the same time. Then, in August 2022, the Athletic Department announced the resignation of Doug Eastman as the Head Coach of the Yavapai College softball team. Eastman won 343 games, making him the winningest softball coach in program history. His 300th win at Yavapai Community College (also the 800th of his career) came during the 2022 season.

At the October 2022 Board meeting, Vice President Rodney Jenkins commented that the previous coaches “did everything they could to sabotage our program.”  (See video tape.)

The College hired replacements for the coaches who left an faced issues such as rebuilding a program and quickly recruiting athletes for it.  It appeared from the October 2022 presentation to the Governing Board that it was relatively successful in its efforts.

Please see the 14 minute video clip of the October presentation to the Governing Board by clicking here.  Unfortunately, a small portion of the video at its beginning does not have sound.

Recently published 184 page Appendix to the Master Plan shows Prescott based executives continued infatuation  with sports programs and wasteful sports projects that serve almost exclusively west county residents

If you want to  know what the Yavapai Community College Prescott based executives are thinking about when it comes to long-term future development in the District, a good place to start is the recently published Facilities Master Plan Appendix to the Master Plan. The Appendix shows a determination by the Prescott executives to spend an estimated total of around $7 million on a new soccer field and athletic expansion.

The investment in the soccer field will apparently be made despite the fact there is no need for such a facility.  The College has for decades successfully leased two soccer fields – one in Prescott and another in Prescott Valley. Playoffs have been held at those venues.  For example, over 5,000 attended the NJCAA National DI Soccer Tournament held in Prescott and Prescott Valley back in 2018. Moreover, the College completed building a practice soccer field in 2020 on the Prescott Campus at a total direct and indirect cost that it has yet to publicly reveal.

District needs for other areas of the County such as expanding the existing CTE facility on the Verde Campus,  converting classroom M-137 into a 300 seat auditorium, or adding two kitchens to the Sedona facility  find no future consideration. The future needs of Chino Valley and Prescott Valley likewise seem to have been ignored.

Other educational needs throughout the District are likewise being ignored.  For example, the Prescott Campus has developed a large music and theatre curriculum.  However, music and theatre can be found only on the Prescott Campus – a roundtrip drive for some in the District of 150 miles or more.

Note that the long-term plans as outlined in the Appendix for the Yavapai Community College District were not discussed at the November 2022 meeting where the Governing Board met and approved in concept what appears to be a five-year development plan (maybe seven year).  That plan did not include the soccer field and several other projects one can now find in the recently published Appendix to the Master Plan.

Note that The Appendix to the Master Plan and the Master Plan appear somewhat confusing in terms of projects, timing, and cost estimates. 

The Appendix to the Master Plan and approved Master Plan are available to read at the Community College website.

Yavapai Community College instituted “a mandate” a few years ago that “required 25% of all student athletes recruited to be from local high schools,” says McCasland, a mandate the  coaches disagreed with

In August Yavapai Community College began looking for a new head baseball and head softball coach.  The reason the coaches left, according to a commentary written by Yavapai Community College Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland in the September 7 Verde Independent newspaper, was their refusal to accept new recruiting and scholarship guidelines instituted by the Community College.

Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland

Various Community College Board members had over the years raised concerns about the County Community College not working harder to recruit outstanding County athletes for its programs. There was also concern with the County Community College providing generous County funded taxpayer scholarship assistance to out-state and out-of-the-United States athletes where athletic rosters had few or no local athletes on them. It appears that Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine decided to do something about a lack of focus on local athletic talent.

According to Chair McCasland, the coaches were asked five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was  instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said.  Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local student-athletes.”

“Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland.

The Blog believes the three coaches Ms. McCasland is referring to but not identified by name in her commentary are Ryan Cougill, Miles Kizer, and Doug Eastman.

In July  the Yavapai College Athletics Department announced the resignation of Ryan Cougill as the Head Baseball Coach at Yavapai College. Assistant coach Miles Kizer also announced his resignation from Yavapai College at the same time. Then, in  August,  the Athletics Department announced the resignation of Doug Eastman as the Head Coach of the Yavapai College softball team.

A Roughrider for 14 years, Ryan Cougill served as an assistant coach  for four seasons, before taking over the program for the 2013 season. In his 10 seasons as head baseball coach, Cougill had an overall record of 353-188-1 (.651) while guiding the Roughriders to the JUCO World Series in 2015 and 2016.

Cougill’s 2016 team captured the fourth national championship in program history with a 49-20 overall record.  During the national championship season, Cougill was named NJCAA Tournament Coach of the Year, NJCAA National Coach of the Year, and NJCAA West District Coach of the Year. 

During his tenure, Cougill had six student-athletes earn All-America honors, coached four ACCAC Players of the Year, and had 35-plus student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. After playing baseball at Yavapai Community College, 18-plus of Cougill’s players have been drafted into Major Legal Baseball in addition to 80-plus players heading to the NCAA Division I level. Three of those players (Kenny Giles (pitcher), JoJo Romero (pitcher), and Kole Calhoun (rightfielder)) are currently playing in the major leagues.

Softball coach Doug Eastman won 343 games, making him the winningest softball coach in program history. His 300th win at Yavapai Community College (also the 800th of his career) came during the 2022 season.  He also led his team to a Region Championship and fourth-place finish in the nation in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, Eastman’s teams won back-to-back ACCAC Championships. In 2018, Eastman coached the first-ever National Player of the Year in Yavapai Community College Softball history in Jaydee Boursaw who owns the College’s home run record with 60 (21 ahead of second place).

Sources: Yavapai Community College; Verde Valley Independent newspaper of July 19, 2022, September 7, 2022; goroughriders.com.

Pugh is eleventh head softball coach in College history

Yavapai Community College has hired a new softball coach.  She is Kali Pugh and becomes  the 11th head softball coach in the College’s  history. Pugh was the head coach of the San Diego City College Knights.

Prior to coaching in San Diego, Pugh was an assistant coach at her alma mater Palomar College from 2017-22. While coaching the Comets, Pugh coached with Hall of Famer Mark Eldridge and her previous head coach Lacey Craft.

You may read much more about Pugh by reading an article posted in Signalsaz.com by  D.J. Irwin, Coordinator of Yavapai
Community College Athletic Communication. You can reach that article by clicking here.

Most opportunities for sponsorship of the September Tournament to support student athletes already sold out

The Yavapai Community College Foundation September Golf Class tournament is off to a great start.  The event, which is scheduled for September 25, already has most of its sponsorship opportunities sold out. The event will be held at the Antelope Hills golf course in Prescott.

All of the proceeds will go directly to the student athletic scholarship program.

Program apparently only for members of the private Yavapai Soccer Club

Members of the Yavapai Community College Women’s Soccer team put on a free soccer clinic Tuesday, April 5 at Ken Lindley Park in Prescott.  The event was limited to “Yavapai Soccer Club players born from 2008 to 2013.”

The Blog could find no similar program being currently offered in the Sedona/Verde Valley area by the Community College in partnership with a local private soccer organization. 

Expansion of high-priced athletic programs on west side of County continues unabated; just completed adding soccer practice field and women’s soccer team; does enamored focus on athletics  ignore major real unmet educational needs in significant areas of the County outside Prescott?

Despite what many would argue are significant unmet community college needs outside the Prescott area, the Yavapai Community College has announced it is returning men’s and women’s basketball to the Prescott Campus with the  first games to be held in November 2022. 
The Community College will have baseball, softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and men’s basketball all based in Prescott. It will also have a softball field, baseball field, two leased soccer fields, a practice soccer field and gymnasium only in the Prescott area. Dormitory facilities to house all of the athletes are located only on the Prescott Campus.

The basketball program was cut back in 2010 when the Community College claimed that state aid was forcing large across-the-board belt tightening. This included major reductions in staff and administrators on the east side of the County – not on the Prescott based west side.

Astonishingly, just two years (December 2012)  after claiming major cutbacks were necessary because of extreme financial considerations, the Community College announced a $103.5 (at one time $119) million rebuild/renovation development program with over 95% going to the Prescott Campus area. More astonishing is the fact it intended to spend that money without a tax increase or a general obligation bond drive. 

Since its announcement back in 2012-13, the Community College has plowed ahead with the millions in development as originally planned back in 2012 with hardly a whimper about a lack of funding.  

Now, with educational needs going unmet in various areas around a County the size  of Rhode Island, the Community College is announcing that men’s and women’s basketball will return in 2022.  These programs bring little if anything to  vast areas of the County because of disinterest, no public transportation to them, and extremely long and dangerous drives to attend them.  They are more accoutrements for the Prescott Campus and citizens on the west side of the  County living in the immediate Prescott area.

The search for hiring coaches for both programs has already begun. It is expected that the  new coaching hires will be formally announced on November 18, 2021  at Yavapai College’s Basketball Celebration at Walraven Gymnasium to kick off the start of the reinstated programs.

Dr. Lisa B. Rhine, President of Yavapai College is quoted as saying:  “Basketball is a popular sport and a great way to bring the community together. After several conversations with both internal and external constituents and with the financial support of a generous donor, we decided to bring basketball back to YC.”

Vice President of Community Relations & Student Development Rodney Jenkins says, “we plan to create an atmosphere that is both fun and family-friendly, making [the Community College]  a great destination for local family fun. Both men’s and women’s basketball are rooted in the history of this institution, and we are all excited to welcome back the game, our alumni, and community to help us grow our programs.”

The donor contribution alluded to by Dr. Rhine  is what some consider a fairly typical approach used by Institutions to start programs and projects that would be extremely unpopular in some quarters.  (Who and how much was donated remains a mystery to the public.) However, after a few months or years, the taxpayers who support the Institutions are left holding the financial bag, so to speak, as donor funds evaporate.  (Take for example, the current approximate $1 million dollar renovation/replacement costs associated with the roof and air conditioning at the Performing Arts Center or the hundreds of thousands, probably millions of dollars since it was first built,  in subsidized funds  paid out by taxpayers  to keep the  Center going.)

Too bad for the rest of Yavapai  County.

This effort  is in part a response to concerns from Third District Representative Mr. Paul Chevalier and others that the multi-million dollar athletic program serves  only the Prescott area

Coming to Mingus Union High School Sept 8 and Sept 22

Yavapai Community College has ignored the Verde Valley Community for decades when it comes to any effort to develop an athletic program. Meanwhile, it has poured hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars,  into developing the program on the Prescott Campus.

There have been very strong complaints lodged by  Valley citizens and its representatives at various times since 2012 about spending Verde Valley taxpayers money to support the Community College’s burgeoning multi-million dollar athletic program with no return for Valley citizens. Third District representative Paul Chevalier has raised his voice to  make the concerns known at the Governing Board level.

In response to those voices, the present administration, headed by Dr. Lisa Rhine, is attempting to address some of those concerns.  For example, a week or so ago the Community College  announced that it  had  established a new Annual Fund with its Foundation to support the athletic department. If successful, this Fund will relieve  County taxpayers of the burden of providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual scholarships to student athletes, most of whom do not live in the County, often do not live in Arizona, and occasionally do not live in the United States.

In a quiet news release dated September 1, 2021, the Community College took another step to address the Valley’s concerns by announcing it was going to hold two upcoming Volleyball matches at Mingus Union High School. The first match is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 7:00 p.m.  at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood.  The opponent is  Ottawa University of Arizona. The second will be held  Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood and the opponent is  Arizona Christian University.

This is the first time in decades the Prescott based administration has sought to seriously address some of the vast athletic department inequities that exist between Community College development on the east and west sides of Yavapai County—a county larger than many states.

In the Community College’s  news release, Vice President of Community Relations Rodney Jenkins is quoted as saying that “Yavapai College is committed to providing educational, cultural enrichment, and athletic opportunities to all of Yavapai County. I am excited to bring volleyball competitions to the residents in the Verde Valley. These are just the first of many [Community College] athletic competitions in the Verde Valley. We are also  planning baseball and softball games this spring, and we plan to continue to increase the number of competitions in the future.”

The athletic programs, all of which emanate from the Prescott Campus, annually spend  an estimated $1.7 million in coaching salaries and related expenses.  In addition, they provide athletes with about $650,000 in scholarship assistance from the College’s General Fund.

At the April 2020 Governing Board meeting, the issue of scholarships and out-county recruitment was raised by Third District Representative Paul Chevalier.  In response to his questions, it was learned that the College is taking major steps to change how it handles athletic scholarships and recruiting.  This included seeking to raise funds to support the scholarship program.

At the  October 2020  Governing Board meeting, the Community College announced a five-year plan was in the works to use the Foundation to support all athletic scholarships and  a plan to lower  out-state tuition for athletes that will allow a wider national recruiting by coaches.

Mr. Chevalier has constantly raised issues regarding equitable distribution of resources and the cost of the athletic department, which does not benefit the entire  County.  The most recent decisions by the Community College president appear  to be another victory for his persistent efforts in this area.

Note:  Both of the volleyball matches are free for all ages to attend. They  will also be live-streamed at www.goroughriders.com. The first 25 people in attendance will receive a free duffle bag from Yavapai College.

Source: Yavapai Community College press release dated September 1, 2021.