BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 12, 2019)-Bowling seems simple. You take a ball between 6 and 16 pounds. You roll it with one hand, two if you're good at it. Take a few steps and boom, there's pins falling. But in reality, it's a test of muscle memory and your mental capacity.
It takes between 12 to 25 strokes to finish a game and tally your final score. It's more than just rolling a ball as fast as possible. It's a test of concentration, the ability to manage your force, and the swiftness to recover from a slight setback. It's a game of concentration, especially on the NCAA level.
For such a fun game that can quickly turn serious, it takes a coach to keep things together. Coach Wendell Burke is that man for Morgan State.
Coach Burke has the intellect to do so and really has been strengthened through his wide array of experiences. He played football during his undergraduate days at Delaware State, receiving his degree in the process. He's coached women's softball, girl's softball, Little League basketball and girl's basketball, and Little League baseball. But his true impact has been on the bowling ranks.
He started his bowling coaching career by coaching junior bowlers. He remembers after his first team received sponsorship from McDonald's, they went unbeaten for most of the season. Burke remembers that "it was a tremendous experience." He has over 20 years of coaching experience on the junior level, even coaching his own kids.
Burke started coaching collegiately in 2001 at Coppin State. One season he remembers coaching one bowler, four softball players, and a volleyball player on his bowling team. Despite what he has, he always fields a competitive team. His coaching smarts led to him and other MEAC bowling reps going to China in 2005 for a bowling exhibition.
By the time he arrived at Morgan State, his experience was unmatched. What's also unmatched is his love for giving people an opportunity to get an education.
"I love being able to give scholarship money to kids who might have not gone to school without it".
On the D1 level for bowling, you're allowed to have 5 scholarships on a 12 person roster. Coach has enjoyed giving people the chance that they need to get an education. He's received emails, calls, and even people contacting from other countries for an opportunity. His coaching style and the opportunity to receive an education is attractive to many potential bowlers.
That opportunity is greater as three out of seven bowlers on MSU's team are seniors. Kiersten Bateman, Katherine Clouse, and Devin Hill-Bartlett are the senior leaders on this team. Bateman has been on a roll this season, winning the MVP of the Virginia Union University Invitational tournament earlier this season and last week she was named to the second team of the Golden Bear Classic. Rounding out the team is Diamond Hunter, the only junior on the team. Hunter was named MVP of the Golden Bear Classic. Two sophomores in Alyssa Berke (Golden Bear Classic second team) and Touri Holmes, and Leila Burke is the only freshman on the squad.
The Bears play in a tough MEAC conference where five MEAC teams rank in the top 25 nationally. Maryland-Eastern Shore, Delaware State, UAB, NC A&T, and Monmouth all are ranked. In terms of major success and rankings, Coach Burke believes that "it's not impossible".
Tough competition or not, his Bears team is known for their fantastic chants and the overall swagger that they bring to the lanes. To the Bears, it means more.
The Lady Bears will be in action this weekend (Friday, Feb. 15-Sunday, Feb. 17), as they host the fifth annual James Brown Bowling Invitational held at the AMF Towson Lanes in Towson, Md.
