December 4, 2009

RedStorm hoops to host Fork Union Military Academy

Rio Grande --- The University of Rio Grande men's basketball program will host Fork Union Military Academy this weekend at the Newt Oliver Arena. FUMA will play the RedStorm junior varsity team on Friday night and Saturday morning at the Newt Oliver Arena. Friday's night game will tip-off at 8 p.m. while the Saturday contest is set for 11 a.m.

Fork Union Military Academy is one of the most respected of its kind in the country and some of the nation's premier prep players make up the roster.

This is the fourth year that the military academy has played at Rio Grande and Rio has just missed on landing some of their players in the past. 

FUMA is coached by the legendary Fletcher Arritt, who molds the 12 players on the roster into his system.

Rio Grande head coach Ken French considers it an honor to host Fork Union. "This is the fourth year that we've had the honor of having Fork Union's post-graduate team play on our campus," French said. "It's an opportunity for us to play some very good competition, but more importantly, it's a chance for us to get those kids on campus and maybe have a chance to recruit them."

"They're high-character kids, they know how to play after playing with Coach Arritt," French added. "You're dealing with somebody who's been coaching for over 42 years and is one of the most respected and may be the best basketball coach in the country at any level."

"It's an honor for us to have them on our campus and it is a great opportunity for us to recruit some high quality kids," he said.

Junior varsity coach Ryan Arrowood views this as a tremendous positive for the program as a whole. "It's a great opportunity for the entire program," Arrowood said. "We get a chance to look at some of the young talent that we like to see matriculate to our program at the varsity level."

"At the same time this gives our junior varsity level a chance to play against a great program," Arrowood added. "Not only great players, but a great program, very well-coached team; great test for the kids."

"Not every jayvee program gets that chance, so we take a little pride in that and selfishly, me as a coach, it's a great opportunity for me to coach against a great, historic coach that I will coach against," said Arrowood. 

French knows that these kids are great people as well as great players. "I know that if a kid comes out of Fork Union and we're able to get a kid from Coach Arritt, that they are disciplined, they have high character and they can be coached."

"He'll coach them up and they've got thick skin so to speak," French added. "We're not dealing with any fragile attitudes or anything like that so, it's a great opportunity for us to recruit some good kids and hopefully, we've been extremely close on a couple of kids, and we're on a couple of kids that he's got this year, hopefully we're going to land one soon." 

Fork Union is a Baptist military school located in Fork Union, VA with an estimated 535 students. In addition to basketball, Fork Union fields teams in football, cross country, track and field, shooting sports, and swimming and diving.