As the Conference Turns...

A variety-pack of things to report and share today...let's jump right into the headlines...



Liberty's Ritchie McKay Makes "Cavalier" Move
Turns out Seth Curry isn't the only one leaving Lynchburg for the ACC these days...just a week after the Conference Freshman of the Year announced his departure from Liberty (and subsequently his impending arrival at Duke), Curry's former coach stepped down from his post at LU today (4/1). Early reports--including ESPN's Andy Katz, among others--had Ritchie McKay (pictured) taking an Assistant Coach position at Virginia under new Head Coach Tony Bennett (must...fight off...singer...jokes). Late in the afternoon, that was confirmed by McKay and Liberty in a joint release. For McKay, it is an opportunity to work with someone he considers a close friend and mentor in Bennett, so the move makes sense for him on a personal level. For Liberty, the questions created for the Flames in a world without Curry grow exponentially with the head man out the door, so stay tuned...


The Cautionary Tale of Dustin Johnson
Previously in this space, we have lauded the successes of former Coastal Carolina golfer Dustin Johnson. One of the Big South's 25th Anniversary "Best of the Best" honorees and now a two-time event winner on the PGA Tour, Johnson got arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Myrtle Beach on Monday. According to his statement, released by the PGA Tour, Johnson says, "I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret...rest assured, I will definitely learn from my mistake." In addition to breaking the law, Johnson has done two things that student-athletes (and all of us, really) should pay close attention to: he has turned his positive publicity (currently 40th in the world and 9th in FedEx Cup standings) into negative notoriety in an instant with one bad decision; and he has prompted news agencies to dredge up his past, so that the AP story and versions of it, running in countless media outlets, cite not only the DUI, but also legal trouble from 2001...nothing is forgotten in the Information Age. We would have been writing about an up-and-coming golfer approaching his first Masters, but instead...


Okay, are we done with those stories?
Good.


Liberty Takes Sasser Cup Lead
After the fall sports, Coastal Carolina led the Big South's overall standings in the Conference all-sports competition (Sasser Cup). Add in the swing through the winter championships, and Liberty has overtaken Coastal for the lead heading into the decisive spring sports. Along the way, Liberty has pulled down titles in men's cross country, volleyball, football, men's indoor track, and women's basketball--and LU currently holds the lead for the Men's All-Sport honor. Coastal Carolina has claimed championships in women's cross country and women's indoor track--and CCU currently holds the lead for the Women's All-Sport honor.


The Big South Conference: We Are EVERYWHERE
Well, at least we're TRYING to be. It all started with BigSouthSports.com a while back, naturally, but things couldn't stop there--so just over a year ago BigSouthSHOUT joined the family as another chance to pick up on Conference stories. But wait, there's more! Last fall, the Big South was one of the first college outlets to make a "Vortex" available so you could take widgets to the next level (grab YOUR Vortex). Already this year, we have seen even more additions to the online spread of the Big South with the Conference's own YouTube channel (YouTube.com/BigSouthSports)--and now you can find us on facebook and Twitter! Be a fan of our facebook page...follow us on Twitter...and keep reading SHOUT.


The EDGE
All right, enough words--let's try some video: time to preview the week ahead in video streaming on The Big South EDGE!

Welcome to April, everybody--six more team champions to be crowned this month: golf/tennis/outdoor track each for men and for women...should be fun!