Florida A&M University head women’s basketball coach and former DeLand resident Bridgette Gordon has been named as a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The list includes Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Dwight Howard and others. This is Gordon’s first time as a nominee in the player category. The selection will be made later this winter.
Gordon played her high-school basketball at DeLand High. Her college basketball was played at the University of Tennessee. She then was a pro player in Europe and then here in the States in the beginning stages of the WNBA.
At each level, Gordon was an honored athlete, while winning two national titles at Tennessee and even winning a gold medal in the Olympics. She was an assistant coach at several schools, including Stetson University, before getting her first head-coaching position at Florida A&M, and is now in her second season.
The Lady Rattlers are currently 2-8, with losses to Florida, FSU and Georgia Tech, and wins over North Florida, 85-57, and Samford, 92-67.
Volusia County Schools will name its Teacher of the Year for 2026 Saturday, Jan. 11, during a banquet at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.
The five finalists are Katie Evans, fourth-grade teacher at Citrus Grove Elementary School in DeLand; Shilpa Sharma, ESE teacher at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona; Melissa Tse, English language arts teacher at Creekside Middle School in Port Orange; Jeremy Davies, math teacher at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange; and Kelli Chehaitli, gifted teacher at Tomoka Elementary School in Ormond Beach.
The banquet is presented by FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools and sponsored by AdventHealth.
Now that the Winter Holiday is over, the next vacation time away from school will be Monday, Jan. 20, so everyone can observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. The next vacation after that will be Monday, Feb. 17, for Presidents Day.
Deltona Lakes Elementary School
Deltona Lakes Elementary School will have its second Title 1 meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, in the school cafeteria. Learn what it means to be a Title 1 school, where Title 1 funds come from, and how Title 1 funds improve family engagement.
DeLand High School
Shanon Rubin, a DeLand High School grad in 2013, has completed his doctoral work in mathematics at the University of California – Davis. He is the son of Jill and Jon Rubin.
DeLand High’s BulldogPalooza will take place 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22. This is an opportunity for middle-school students and parents to tour the programs offered by DeLand High, while seeing the campus, discovering electives, and meeting teams and clubs. For more information, go to delandhs.org.
Deltona High School
Deltona High School will be presenting its annual Talent Show on Thursday, Jan. 30. Call the school for more information.
Pine Ridge High School
The Pine Ridge High School Athletic Department in Deltona has announced that the new head football coach will be Alex Russell. Russell has coached football at DeLand High and, in recent years, had been the DeLand Lady Bulldog flag-football head coach.
University High School
Financial Aid Night at University High School in Orange City will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, in the media center. Financial-aid advisers from Daytona State College will be there to answer questions about FAFSA and help complete applications. This is for seniors and their parents.
Local college football players
Ta’Ron Keith, No. 9 on the USF football team, scored twice for the Bulls at the Hawaiian Bowl against San Jose State, which USF won in the fifth overtime period.
Keith lives in DeLand, but played his high-school football at Mainland.
In the second quarter, Keith took in a kickoff by San Jose and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown. In the first overtime period, he scored a TD on a 2-yard run. He played in 13 games, gaining 453 yards prior to the bowl game.
Ben Knox, No. 1 on the USF football team, prior to the bowl game had made 22 tackles, 15 solo, six pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
MJ Smokes, a freshman at Wofford College from DeLand, recorded 25 tackles in seven games, with 15 solo, eight for a loss and four sacks, and was named to the All-Freshman Team for the Southern Conference.
Caleb Oliver, another freshman from DeLand at Wofford, made eight tackles in nine games, with two for a loss and one sack.
Wide receiver Javon Ross, a Bethune-Cookman freshman from DeLand, played in 10 games with 10 receptions for 86 yards, while also making six kickoff returns.
Anthony Atanda, a redshirt freshman at Iowa Western Community College from Deltona High, made six tackles and one interception.
Gabe Snyder, of DeLand High, and Keith Walker, of Deltona High, play football at Stetson University on the offensive line.
Five Star girls weightlifting
This column mentioned that DeLand High School had finishers in the Five Star Conference Tournament, but other West Volusia schools had those who earned points in this championship meet. In the Traditional Division, Pierson Taylor took second, 3 points behind Spruce Creek, while DeLand was sixth, Orange City University seventh, Pine Ridge eighth, and Deltona 11th.
Those winning weight classifications were Taylor Lane of Taylor Middle-High, Addison Ruocco of DeLand, Amya Ramos of Taylor and Mia Cruz of Taylor.
Those earning seconds were Bella Delgado of Orange City University, Joselyn Garcia of Pierson Taylor, and Mackenzie Hayes of Orange City University, while thirds were gained by Elena Cruz of DeLand, Teriauna Carruthers of Taylor, Mia Dudley of Pine Ridge and Ann Vaccaro of Taylor.
In the Olympic Division, New Smyrna won the title, with Pierson Taylor taking fourth, Orange City University fifth, DeLand sixth, Pine Ridge 10th and Deltona 11th.
Those winning their weight division from West Volusia were Lane of Taylor, Ruocco of DeLand and Ramos of Taylor, while lifting seconds were Cruz of DeLand and Hayes of University, with third being earned by Carruthers of Taylor.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School sports calendar has the Bulldog wrestling team hosting the Bulldog Duals at noon Saturday, Jan. 11, while on Monday, Jan. 13, the Lady Bulldog basketball teams play at Calvary Christian at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, has the boys soccer team at home against Pine Ridge at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.; the girls soccer team hosting Pine Ridge at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and the boys basketball team greeting Flagler Palm Coast at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 15, has the Bulldog soccer team meeting Mainland at the Sperling Sports Complex at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.; the girls basketball team at Orange City University at 7 p.m.; the wrestling team hosts the Chunk-in-School Dual at 12:30 p.m.; the JV wrestling squad hosts a JV Quad meet at 5 p.m.; and the boys basketball team competes at Seabreeze at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The action on Thursday, Jan. 16, has the girls soccer team greeting Pierson Taylor at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., while the girls basketball team is at Mount Dora Christian at 7 p.m. and the Bulldog wrestlers are at the Regional Duals.
Friday, Jan. 17, sends the boys soccer team to Crescent City at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.; the girls soccer team at Seminole at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; the girls basketball team at Palatka at 7 p.m.; and the boys basketball team at Hagerty at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Stetson University basketball
Only the men played a game just before Christmas, with the Stetson University Hatters running past Fort Lauderdale, 103-77. Mehki Ellison scored 25 points, while Finley Sheridan added 15 points, Jordan Wood 13 points with six rebounds, Tristan Gross with 11 points, and Josh Massey with 10 points and one block.
The Stetson basketball programs now center on ASUN competition. Saturday, Jan. 11, has the men hosting North Alabama at 4 p.m., and the women are at North Florida at 2 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16, has the men at home against Queens at 7 p.m., and the women are at North Alabama at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18, has the men meeting West Georgia at 4 p.m. in the Edmunds Center, and the women at Central Arkansas at 2 p.m.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University beach-volleyball team has announced the addition of two players: Julia Radelczuk, of Poland, and Marta Carro, of Spain.
The Stetson lacrosse team has announced their spring schedule, with the team opening on the road at Butler Sunday, Feb. 9. Their first home appearance will be Tuesday, Feb. 25, against St. Bonaventure. The team plays 16 matches this season, with seven of those being home matches.
The new head lacrosse coach is Sue Murphy, who comes from Boston University and the University of Richmond. She has nine seasons with eight or more wins.
