THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 30, 1995 TAG: 9503300447
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Jenson Baker resigned as Wilson High's head football coach Wednesday to become an assistant coach at Norfolk State University, where he will work with running backs and quarterbacks.
``(Spartans head coach) Darnell Moore called me last Monday about it,'' said Baker, 38, who has already joined the NSU staff for spring practice. ``I feel honored that he considered me for the position.
``I'd mentioned to Darnell about a year ago that I wanted to coach at the college level, that it had been a goal of mine since I'd been in high school. But I didn't want to relocate right now and that pretty much limited my options to Norfolk State, Hampton University or Elizabeth City State.''
Baker, who played quarterback at Cradock High and Hampton Institute, was 16-44 in six years as a head coach - three at Cradock, one at Manor and two at Wilson. But he always seemed to be rebuilding, particularly with recent rezonings in Portsmouth. He closed his stint at Cradock by posting a 6-4 record with only 19 players.
Last fall, Wilson finished 2-8. But quarterback Terrance Winston, who passed for 961 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman, is returning. Baker added that several young but talented skill-position people are returning.
``(Norcom head coach) Joe Langston told me a while back that sometimes you have to pay your dues in this business,'' Baker said. ``I guess I paid mine to be offered a position like this.''
Wilson athletic director Dave Willett said a search for Baker's successor would begin immediately. Baker will remain at Wilson High as a teacher and continue his duties as girls basketball coach.
MAJOR VHSL CHANGE: Tallwood High's Bruce Phelps has been appointed to a vacant spot for an athletic/activities director on the Virginia High School League's Executive Committee, which gained increased clout last week.
The VHSL radically restructured its major ruling body, shifting rule-making authority from the Legislative Council - made up of a representative of each of the 282 member public schools - to a revamped 27-member Executive Committee.
The change, which goes into effect July 1, was passed by a 79 percent vote in favor of the move. The Legislative Council can still overturn Executive Committee decisions with a two-thirds vote.
The VHSL also announced that a subcommittee is being formed to study school reclassification and redistricting, subject to Executive Committee approval.
RULES CHANGES: High school basketball teams next season will shoot two free throws for each common foul beginning with the 10th one in a half.
``This places a greater penalty against teams that continuously foul at the end of the game,'' Rich Wulkow, chairman of the National Federation Basketball Rules Committee, said Wednesday from Kansas City, Mo.
The committee said points of emphasis next year will be rough play, intentional fouls, objectionable body markings or body decorations and bench decorum should a fight break out.
In other changes: No free throws will be taken at the end of a game unless they affect the game's outcome; it will not be a violation for a defender to jump from the front court, gain control of the ball in the air and come down in the back court; and the definition of an intentional foul was expanded so a foul is intentional if a player causes excessive contact with an opponent when playing the ball.
NOTE: Fork Union Military Academy's Lowell Faison, who had attended Catholic High, has signed a football letter of intent with Ball State. Faison, the leading rusher in Catholic history, ran for more than 400 yards at Fork Union last year. Ball State recruited him as a defensive back. ILLUSTRATION: Jenson Baker will work with Norfolk State's running backs and
quarterbacks as an assistant coach.
by CNB