Valentine Named Saint Augustine’s College Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach

Valentine Named Saint Augustine’s College Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach

Greenville, S.C., native trains former University of North Carolina standout Ivory Latta

September 17, 2010

Saint Augustine’s College has announced the hiring of Tim Valentine as women’s assistant basketball coach Thursday. Valentine comes to Saint Augustine’s College after spending three seasons as women’s assistant basketball coach and strength and conditioning coach at Southern Wesleyan University.

“We are excited to have Coach Valentine as the newest member of the women’s basketball coaching staff,” said Rachel Sloan Bullard, the Lady Falcons’ head women’s basketball coach. “He is a student of the game and will be involved in all areas of this program. He has the ability and desire to bring in some great student-athletes to the Lady Falcon program.”

A Greenville, S.C., native, Valentine arrived at Southern Wesleyan after serving as assistant coach at Hillcrest High in Simpsonville, S.C.  He also was the head coach of the South Carolina Lady Flames AAU/Travel basketball team. The Lady Flames won the 2005 15U AAU State Championship, YBOA State Championship and the Reebok Hoops and Dreams Spring Showcase during his tenure.

"I am excited about the opportunity to be an assistant coach at Saint Augustine’s College," Valentine said. "I want to help the Lady Falcons basketball program reach its fullest potential, which is to be among the elite programs in the CIAA and NCAA year in and year out."

The Lady Falcons return seven players from last year’s squad which won a division title and posted the CIAA’s highest team grade point average in women’s basketball.

A national certified Nike/SPARQ trainer, Valentine develops some of the country’s top high school, college and professional basketball and football players. He trains Ivory Latta, a former University of North Carolina star and national collegiate player of the year who plays for the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock. He also trains former UNC player Rashanda McCants of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock, former UNC player Kenya McBee and former Clemson standout James Mays in addition to several other NFL and college basketball players throughout the country.

According to Wikipedia, SPARQ was started in 2004 to create a standardized test for athleticism called the SPARQ Rating and to sell training equipment and methods to help improve athleticism focused on the high school athlete (an "SAT" for athletes). 'SPARQ' is an acronym, standing for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness.[2]

Valentine is a SPARQ rater who has worked at Nike Combines and Nike football training camps for the past five years. A performance trainer for nine years, Valentine has worked with Chip Smith and Robby Stewart of Competitive Edge Sports of Atlanta, Ga., and Tom Shaw of TSP at Wide World of Sports at Disney World.

Valentine also runs a performance training company named Elite Speed and Strength to help athletes get better. He is a member of the Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals for Strength and Conditioning, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the Black Coaches and Administrators Association (BCA).

Valentine is engaged and the proud father of two children Jada (18) and Fallon (8). He makes his home in Raleigh, N.C.