Assistant coach Willard Coker takes Robbins’ spot at Virginia Union

BY RALPH N. PAULK
Media General News Service
Published: April 16, 2008

Willard Coker kept the faith. He knew his time would come — that ultimately he would become the men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, Virginia Union.
As expected, Coker was named yesterday to replace legendary Panthers coach Dave Robbins.
Robbins retired after leading Virginia Union to 713 victories and three NCAA Division II national championships in 30 seasons.
Coker, 49, has long been Robbins’ choice to succeed him at one of the country’s most successful Division II programs. Coker was the only coach Robbins recommended to VUU athletic director Michael Bailey.
“Because we’re a national program, you always want to pay attention to what’s out there,” Bailey said. “We had our eyes opened all the time, but we wanted to start in our own backyard with the national search.
“We realized that after 23 years as a loyal assistant, we felt like Coach Coker was an easy fit. I think we’ll be OK.”
Robbins agrees.
“I couldn’t have hand-picked a better person than Willard Coker,” Robbins said. “I told the players today is the day that Coach Coker becomes the S.O.B., and I become the nice guy.”
If nothing else, Coker’s selection guarantees continuity and consistency at VUU. Like his mentor, Coker has been a familiar fixture at Union. He was a four-year letterman, who along with Keith Valentine helped deliver Robbins the first of his three national championships in 1978.
Still, Coker admits it isn’t going to be easy stepping out of the larger-than-life shadows of a coach for whom he’s played and worked for at VUU.
“He only won 700 games and is probably a Hall-of-Famer, so there’s no pressure,” a teary-eyed Coker joked.
“After staying here this long, I always assumed it’s going to be hard to replace Coach. But this is my school. I played here. I coached here. It’s the only job I’ve ever wanted.”
Coker said only once during his 23-year stay at Union did he consider leaving. And that, he added, was only because Robbins had been offered another job.
“If he had left, I would have gone with him,” Coker said.
So far, all of Union’s returning players are staying put. And they expect Coker to continue VUU’s winning tradition.
“We know our style might change some,” said freshman guard Braxton Byerson, “but we’re confident we’ll keep winning. We know Coach Coker will keep it going.”
Said junior forward/center Gregg Thondique: “They’ve been together so long, we’re not really losing anything. I think it’s going to be same thing. [Coker] knows the offense, he knows everything like the back of his hand.”