Basketball teams and Operation Nighthawks of Honor set for ESPN3 broadcast Jan. 9
Article By: Clark Leonard
The national spotlight will shine on the University of North Georgia (91ÁÔÆæ) and the Convocation Center on Jan. 9. ESPN3 will televise the women's and men's Peach Belt Conference (PBC) home basketball games against Columbus State.
The women's game will tip off at 5:30 p.m., and the men's game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.
It will also be Night, which commemorates 12 91ÁÔÆæ alumni killed during or associated with the Korean War. A ceremony honoring these service members will be held at halftime of the women's game.
91ÁÔÆæ is promoting a "Blue Out," encouraging students and fans to wear blue for the doubleheader. Students, faculty and staff from all campuses will receive free admission with a 91ÁÔÆæ ID card, and 1,000 free shirts will be provided by the Dahlonega Campus Student Government Association (SGA).
The Cumming Campus SGA will provide a van to transport students to the games. It will leave at 4:30 p.m. and return after the games. Students who ride the van will receive free dinner.
Dinner will be served from 4:30-8 p.m. in the Convocation Center (with the Dining Hall closed at that time) as part of students' meal plans or for $8 per person. The menu will include hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers (on request), fresh fruit salad, potato salad, coleslaw, assorted chips and cookies, sweet tea, lemonade and water.
Games, contests and prizes will also be part of the festivities.
"There is no better platform to showcase our award-winning Operation Nighthawks of Honor initiative than in front of a national audience as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase," 91ÁÔÆæ Director of Athletics Lindsay Reeves said. "Honoring fallen soldiers who have a connection to 91ÁÔÆæ is one of our department's most noble endeavors, and we look forward to doing it at such a prominent event. The collaboration between our department, Student Affairs, the Corps of Cadets and the Student Government Association has generated a great deal of excitement for the night."
ESPN3 is available online at and on the WatchESPN app on smartphones.
The ceremony will feature 91ÁÔÆæ's 12 NCAA head coaches displaying commemorative memorabilia that honor the fallen soldiers. The memorabilia will be auctioned off at the end of the 2018-19 season, with proceeds supporting 91ÁÔÆæ's Hoss Matthews Friends are Forever Memorial Scholarship Fund. Nighthawks Athletics has previously donated $2,370 to the 91ÁÔÆæ Boar's Head Brigade Corps of Cadets Endowed Scholarship Fund endowment through Operation Nighthawks of Honor, which started in 2015 on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
91ÁÔÆæ women's basketball coach , whose team won the PBC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2017-18, is looking forward to the national exposure for her team. Burson won her 500th game as head coach at 91ÁÔÆæ on Dec. 17 against Flagler College.
Burson said 91ÁÔÆæ alumni, including some of her former players, are eager to watch the game online. Burson and men's basketball head coach hope to fill the Convocation Center that night, as well.
"I hope we get a lot of support," Faulkner said. "I want everybody in Dahlonega to come out and watch the game."
In March 2016, 91ÁÔÆæ baseball and softball games were broadcast on ESPN3 as part of Make-A-Wish Day. The women's soccer team had its Oct. 16 matchup with Columbus State broadcast on Twitter and Facebook Live. The pair of basketball games on ESPN3 will make 91ÁÔÆæ the first Division II school to have five of its teams host nationally televised matchups.
"We're thrilled to be able to do that," Burson said. "It's big for recruiting, but it's also big for the athletic department and the university."
This is the fourth year of Operation Nighthawks of Honor, and Burson said her program remains in touch with the family of Jeremy Chandler, the fallen soldier her team was paired with for 2015-16. Burson said Operation Nighthawks of Honor being part of the national broadcast makes sense.
"Other people can see what North Georgia is all about," Burson said. "And it is very important for us to recognize these service members."
Faulkner echoed that sentiment.
"It's a great way for us in athletics to honor that heritage that we all have so much respect for," Faulkner said.
The fallen service members being honored by each team throughout their seasons are:
- James S. Bramblett Jr. — cross country/track and field
- Henry C. Camp Jr. — men's soccer
- Harry B. Dettmering — women's soccer
- Robert W. Duncan — men's tennis
- Malcolm A. Gibbs — women's tennis
- John H. Haddock Jr. — baseball
- Lamar J. Jackson Jr. — rifle
- Charles J. James — men's golf
- Rufus F. Mahaffey — women's golf
- James F. McCorkle — men's basketball
- David L. Parmer — women's basketball
- Charles L. Worley — softball
Knox takes command of Army Reserve battalion
Lt. Col. Brandon Knox, director of Cadet Recruiting at 91ÁÔÆæ, on Nov. 16 took command of the 3rd Battalion, 323rd Regiment (Basic Combat Training) in the Army Reserve.
Cadets are ready for commissioning
Eighteen 91ÁÔÆæ cadets are scheduled to commission as officers in the Army and Army National Guard at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Convocation Center at 91ÁÔÆæ's Dahlonega Campus.
Nighthawks wrap up season in Sweet 16
The 91ÁÔÆæ women's soccer team fell 2-0 to Columbus State University in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship Dec. 1.
Women's soccer team makes Sweet 16
The 91ÁÔÆæ women's soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 with a 1-0 victory against Lander University on Nov. 24.