Saint Augustine's College Names Three Assistant Coaches
Saint Augustine’s College has added three new assistant
coaches to its athletic staff, the school announced Monday, June
18, 2012. They are men’s basketball assistant Raheem Waller,
women’s basketball assistant Crishna Hill and softball
assistant Bruce Cozart.
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| Waller |
Waller comes to St. Aug after one
season at the University of West Georgia, where he helped guide the
Wolves to a Division II top 25 ranking and a NCAA Tournament berth.
He also was an assistant coach at Georgia State University
(2010-11), Florida A&M University (2009-10), Coastal Carolina
University (2007-09), Savannah State University (2005-07) and
Elizabeth City State University (2004-05).
Waller was a professional basketball player for three years. He
played in the International Basketball League and the United States
Basketball League as well as internationally in Portugal, Belgium,
Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. He played collegiately at South
Carolina State University, earning All-Conference and
All-Tournament honors while leading the Bulldogs to NCAA Tournament
appearances in 1996 and 1998. Waller, who was the team captain,
graduated from South Carolina State with a bachelor’s degree
in industrial technology in 1999, and he is currently working on
his master’s degree in sports management. An Atlanta, Ga.,
native, Waller is married to the former Dominique Hemphill.
Waller will work primarily with the post players for Head Coach
Lonnie Blow, Jr., who retained assistant coach Erasto Hatchett from
the previous staff. Blow returned to St. Aug on April 2012 after a
successful first run as Falcons’ men’s basketball coach
from 2008 to 2010. During that stretch, the Falcons won the CIAA
title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and posted the best winning
percentage for one season in recent memory.
| Hill |
Hill joins the Lady Falcons after
spending last season at Stony Brook University as assistant coach
and recruiting coordinator. At St. Aug, Hill will oversee the
development of the guards and assist in defensive strategy in
addition to serving as recruiting coordinator.
Hill was also assistant coach at the University at Buffalo
(2008-11), Neumann College and St. Anthony’s Catholic High
School. She also was a marketing development representative at
Reebok. At Buffalo, Hill helped the Bulls advance to the postseason
(Women’s Basketball Invitational) for the first time in
school history. Hill also implemented an academic plan which
significantly raised the overall team grade point average. As coach
of the Buffalo guards, she played a key role in the development of
one player who made the all-freshman team.
Hill played in the Women’s Eastern Basketball Alliance
semi-pro league for two years. A second-team All-WEBA player, Hill
sparked the Harrisburg Lady Horizon to the WEBA title in the
2006-07 season. In college, Hill helped the University of South
Carolina reach the Elite Eight in the 2001-02 season. She earned a
bachelor degree in marketing and management at South Carolina in
2002. She made the Dean’s List twice and was an academic
All-American at her alma mater. Hill is a native of Greenville,
S.C.
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| Cozart |
Cozart enters the college coaching
ranks after four years at Southern Durham High School as head
softball coach and women’s basketball assistant. During his
tenure as softball coach, Cozart directed Southern Durham to the
state tournament for the first time in 20 years. He coached 15
All-Conference players, one All-District player and one All-State
standout. Five players went on to play collegiately. He also
coached AAU basketball the past two seasons, leading the Carolina
Hornets 16U girls team in the 2010-11 season and starting the RDU
Team Triple Threat 17U girls and 16U boys squads in the 2011-12
season.
A Creedmoor, N.C., native, Cozart has 23 years of experience as a
player, head coach and assistant coach on the college, high school
and middle school levels in Guilford County and Durham County
including a stint at Jackson Middle School in Greensboro, N.C., as
teacher and head boys basketball and boys volleyball coach. He
played baseball at North Carolina A&T State University from
1988 to 1992, and he graduated from his alma mater with a
bachelor’s degree in history education in 1994. At St. Aug,
Cozart will oversee the areas of pitching and catching for the Lady
Falcons.






