Wood Graduate Walsh to take over SU men's basketball program

By WALT MOODY | The Winchester Star

Adam Walsh is coming home.

The James Wood graduate will be named the new men’s head basketball coach at Shenandoah University today, a source close to the situation confirmed on Tuesday evening. Walsh replaces Rob Pryor, who was not issued a new contract in March by Hornets athletic director Doug Zipp after posting a 40-117 record in six seasons with the program.

Walsh, a 1997 Wood grad, spent the past seven seasons as head coach of Centenary, a Division III program located in Shreveport, La. The Gents, a former Division I program, went 84-99 under Walsh, including 12-14 last season.

Walsh served four seasons as a manager on the James Wood boys’ basketball team under then coach Scott Mankins, now the director of athletics at Millbrook High School. Walsh was unable to play basketball in high school — aside from suiting up on Senior Night — because of an avascular necrosis that limited blood flow to his hip. Bo Jackson’s career was derailed by the same condition.

Mankins said Walsh had a sharp and inquisitive basketball mind.

“He always asked questions and tried to understand what was going on and asked why we would do things that we did,” Mankins said Tuesday evening. “If we made a decision, he asked what went into the process of making that decision. He tried to participate as much as he could physically and wanted to know the operations part of it, too.”

Mankins, who keeps in touch with Walsh on a semi-regular basis, said that he called his former manager on the day when the SU job opened. He said the Hornets are going to get a good coach.

“He’s going to be detail oriented,” Mankins said. “I think he’s going to demand a lot from his kids. At the same time, he’ll be someone they grow to respect.

“There’s a big difference in the coaching profession between being liked and being respected,” Mankins added. “I think it’s easier if you start out getting respect. That’s something that can stay constant. You’re going to be liked one day and not liked the other day. I think he will be respected and he will be on top of things and he’s going to be someone who gets Shenandoah basketball involved in the community.”

Walsh, a 2000 High Point University graduate, served as an assistant coach at Division II Barton College (2001-2003), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2003-2005), Odessa College (2005-2006), Paris Junior College (2006-2007) before landing the same position at Centenary in 2007.

After three seasons as an assistant for the Gents, he took over for Greg Gary, who resigned after going 16-44 in two seasons.

In Centenary’s final season at Division I, Walsh suffered through a 1-29 mark. He rebounded and had a pair of 18-10 seasons in 2014 and 2015. He was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2014. He had three consecutive Players of the Year from 2013 to 2015.

Walsh faces another tough challenge at SU. The Hornets have not had a winning season since 2008. Under Pryor, SU was 18-74 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play and 0-5 in the ODAC Tournament.

Walsh will get some recruiting help from a new athletic facility. The Hornets, who have played in the tiny Shingleton Gymnasium since 1969, open their new 77,000-square foot James R. Wilkins Jr. Athletics and Events Center in early 2018.

Mankins said Walsh, the son of Phil and Nancy Walsh, knows the challenges he faces in turning around the program.

“He’s asked me questions and I know that he’s gotten in touch with some other people up here,” Mankins said. “It’s important to him. This is his hometown. He wants it to do well.”

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