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Randy Pulley leaving Word of God By Nick Stevens

Published: 2012-08-02 09:22:00 Updated: 2012-08-02 10:36:36

Updated at 10:36 a.m.

Randy Pulley has resigned as the head boys basketball coach at Word of God.

Pulley, a former player at Word of God, will take over the basketball program at Christian Faith Center. Pulley confirmed the move on Thursday morning.

My concern is, foremost, what is in the best interest of my players, and their futures, more than it is for myself," Pulley said in a press release. "I have known about [Christian Faith Center] for years, and I am eager to build there, but it will not change the level of respect I have for Word of God and the Summerfield family.

Pulley took over the program last season after Quinton Jackson left the school, leading the Holy Rams to a 20-9 record. As a player, Pulley led Word of God to the 2001 N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association championship game, averaging over 25 points per game.

"My departure [from Word of God] was an amicable one. I will forever be appreciative for the privilege and opportunity given to me [by Dr. Summerfield], and I wish them nothing but Gods best moving forward," Pulley added.

Word of God is scheduled to appear in the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational in December. The team features one of the top point guards in the Class of 2013 in Josh Newkirk.

A replacement for Pulley has not been named. The next head coach at Word of God will be the fifth head coach in as many years.

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Randy Pulley leaving Word of God

A fund raising money for Republican state Senate candidates seeks to get an extra boost in donations, including for District 44 candidate Brad Bourn, based on comments made by Bourn's Democratic opponent over the weekend.

During a Day of Action for Democratic President Barack Obama on Saturday, state Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, called Bourn, among other Republicans, "nuts."

The Iowa Senate Republican Majority Fund wrote a blog post Monday about Courtney's comments. It was titled simply, "Nuts?"

The post stated, "It's not surprising that Courtney has resorted to personal, negative attacks given that he has little of his own record to run on. How's Courtney's record working for Iowans? Bleak to say the least," before listing some legislation the Iowa Senate did not pass during the 2012 session.

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"Sadly, petty partisanship is all that is left of Tom Courtney's legacy," Bourn wrote. "He will not answer to 'We the People' on why he blocked property tax reform, why he blocked rule and regulatory reform, why he voted against education reform changes, why he always supports budgets that spend more than the state takes in or why he blocked a ban on late-term abortions and the list goes on and on.

"My message is about the prosperity that true freedom brings. Tom can't argue against my message so he resorts to childish name calling. Again, this is just sad to see a sitting state senator act this way."

Courtney on Tuesday acknowledged it was a poor choice of words, but said he was simply firing up fellow Democrats before they went door-knocking.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said he was nuts, but I sure think the stuff that he's saying does not make much sense for Iowans," Courtney said, pointing in part to a statement Bourn made at the Des Moines County Fair last week, where he said his top priority would be to outlaw abortions in Iowa.

But the Burlington Democrat stuck by his statements calling former President George W. Bush "nuts," and he added "it's nutty, it's crazy" what's happening in the state's Republican Party.

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GOP targets word choice

Tired of all the crap surrounding the game of college football these days? If so, this one will lift your spirits.

As weve noted on a couple of occasions around these parts over the past couple of months, 24-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, a veteran of two tours of duty one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan and recipient of both a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, was attempting to resurrect his playing career by walking on to the Clemson football team.

In late June, the NCAA, in a rare moment of clarity and humanity, ruled Rodriguez eligible for the 2012 season. Tuesday, Rodriguezs dream continued as he officially became a member of the Tigers football program as a walk-on.

The school announced the move via a press release.

I am very happy for Daniel, said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney in a statement. He is getting the opportunity to follow his dream. We are excited to have him join our program. I have no doubt that he will become a great leader for us. His background and story is an inspiration to us all.

After starring at Brooke Pointe High School in Virginia, Rodriguezappeared set to embark on a playing career at the collegiate level. Tragically, his father died of a heart attack four days after Rodriguez graduated, pushing the player away from realizing his dream of playing college football and into a career in the military.

Rodriguez joined the Army in 2007 and, one month after completing basic training, began serving a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq as part of an infantry unit. He served a second tour in Afghanistan, losing eight friends in a fierce battle with the Taliban in October of 2009. For his heroics during that battle, he was awarded both the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Honorably discharged roughly six months later, Rodriguez began attending community college and resumed his effort to play football at the collegiate level. Rodriguez, theGreenville Newswrites ina very nice featureon the veteran, began training tirelessly and produced a video that served as his recruiting film.

While Rodriguez had hoped toremain in his home stateand play for Virginia or Virginia Tech, the tape caught the attention of Clemson and Swinney. After making two visits to the school, Rodriguez was offered the opportunity tobecome a walk-on for the Tigersby Swinney, a walk-on himself at Alabama in 1989 before earning a scholarship.

Rodriguez, who will attend Clemson on the G.I. Bill, is expected to compete for playing time as a slot receiver, and will wear No. 83.

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CFT: FSU's Reid booted after drug arrest

There's been a lot of chin-stroking about the fantastic performance Saturday from Ye Shiwen, a 16-year-old Chinese swimmer who set a new record for the female medley.

Ye set an fantastic world record of 4 minutes 28.43 seconds. Incredibly, over the last 50 meters she swam faster than Ryan Lochte did in the same event even though Lochte set the second fastest men's time in history. Li wasn't even a favorite in the race.

Top US Coach John Leonard, who is the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, has become the first high-profile person in coaching to openly mention the "d-word", though he did so with some caveats. He told the Guardian today:

"We want to be very careful about calling it doping [...] The one thing I will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I will put quotation marks around this, 'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved. That last 100m was reminiscent of some old East German swimmers, for people who have been around a while. It was reminiscent of 400m individual medley by a young Irish woman in Atlanta."

(Leonard is referring to the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by East German swimmers, and the case of Michelle Smith, an Irish swimmer who had an incredibly successful run in the 1996 Atlanta games but left the sport after a subsequent doping ban).

Leonard's skepticism isn't backed up by other high profile officials. Ame Ljungqvist, medical chief of the IOC, addressed the doping theories today in a press conference, and said he had no suspicions.

Lochte himself seems to not be worried about the comparison. "We were all talking about that at dinner last night," he said, according to Yahoo! Sports. "It was pretty impressive. And it was a female. She's fast. If she was there with me, I don't know, she might have beat me."

The New York Times reports China had at least 50 athletes test positive for illegal substances in the 1980s and 1990s. Chinese sporting authorities are said to be extra-vigilant about testing in order to avoid more embarrassment for the country.

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The Phenomenal Success Of This 16-Year-Old Chinese Swimmer Has Everyone Talking About The 'D-Word'

Jaga Novata welcomes tourists into the photographic gallery on New Yorks famous Broadway every minute of every day. The Indian, who has lived in Americas biggest city for 16 years, sits by a desk and points tourists upstairs. Hes part security, part information.

How much to get into the gallery? I ask.

Zero, he replies with a smile. Or a duck as you say in cricket in your country. Are you coming from England?

Yes.

Im going on holiday there in September. To London. Do you know how to get to Manchester from London? I want to go to Manchester.

I think I can help you there.

The Olympics have given London an even higher profile than usual. Britains predominant city is receiving a better press than ever, with serious reportage claiming its the best city in the world. The Rough Guide to Britain dedicates 81 pages to London, 12 to Manchester, seven to Liverpool and six to Birmingham, but as everyone from outside the capital knows, theres far, far more to Britain than London.

Jaga appreciates this and Im soon writing down instructions about how to get the cheapest rail fares from London to Manchester. That is book early and youll get a great deal, pay on the day and youll need to remortgage your house.

I want to see both Old Traffords, Jaga explains. Thats why Im going to Manchester for a day.

He wants to know to get from Piccadilly to the Old Traffords, how long it will take and the cost.

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Andy Mitten column: Spread the word on our glorious city