Bahamians have been making waves on the international sporting scene as of late in several disciplines. This past Wednesday was no different as New Providence native Edric Poitier was named head coach of Savannah State University's volleyball program. Savannah State is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I historically black university located in Savannah, Georgia, which plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
The news about the hiring was first reported on the university's website.
Poitier comes from Bluefield State College, a NCAA Division II school, where he won 35 games in three seasons from 2013-15. He is credited with turning around a program that had a win/loss record of 6-113 in five seasons prior. Officials from Bluefield expressed their appreciation for Coach Poitier via their website shortly after the news was announced.
"Coach Poitier was a great asset to our athletic department and will surely be missed," said a department spokesperson. "This is a fantastic opportunity for him and his family and we know that he will take full advantage of his time there."
Poitier went to Bluefield with a reputation for turning around bad teams after he did it at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) from 2010-2012. WSSU had a 14-120 win/loss record in four seasons prior to Poitier taking over. He started his collegiate head coaching career at St. Augustine's from 1999-2003 and posted an impressive 113-34 win/loss record in five seasons. Four of those seasons he led them to 20-plus wins and four consecutive conference championships.
Up to this point, Poitier has a 192-135 win/loss record through 11 seasons as a head coach in division two. He is a three-time CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) Coach of the Year and has made three NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional appearances.
In between his time at St. Augustine's and Winston-Salem State, Poitier continued his career as a police officer in The Bahamas, and coached two club teams in five years from 2004-10. Prior to St. Augustine's, Poitier coached The Bahamas women's national team from 1992-99. During his time, he led the team to two gold medals and three silver medals at the Caribbean Volleyball Championships. Poitier also played with The Bahamas men's national team as a setter for 13 years, from 1979-92.
Randy Smith, Guardian Sports Reporter
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