Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball players talk win vs Alabama in NCAA Tournament
Following Duke basketball’s win vs. Alabama in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils discussed their performance.
Fayetteville State men’s basketball will face off against its former coach next season.
In what turned out to be a swap, Bluefield State announced Thursday, May 22, that Luke D’Alessio had been hired as head coach after leading FSU to a CIAA championship and first-ever NCAA D2 Tournament win in his five seasons in Fayetteville.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach D’Alessio to the Big Blue family,” said Dr. Darrin Martin, Bluefield State University President, in a school-issued press release. “His extensive experience and proven track record of developing competitive programs make him an ideal leader for our men’s basketball team.”
The Broncos didn’t renew D’Alessio’s contract; instead, they hired Devin Hoehn away from Bluefield State after the Big Blues’ CIAA tournament runner-up finish.
The move came as a surprise on the heels of D’Alessio being named CIAA Coach of the Year and earning national recognition as the HBCU All-Stars Clarence “Big House” Gaines NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. He compiled a 103-52 record at FSU, winning 69% of the Broncos‘ conference games and going 53-11 at Capel Arena.
Hoehn’s Big Blues knocked FSU out of the CIAA semifinals this season before falling to Virginia State in the championship game. With that win over the Broncos, the Blues played their way into the NCAA tournament field as an at-large bid for their first appearance since 1996.
Hoehn had a 51-63 record (45%) in four active seasons at Bluefield State after the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19. He’s bringing a chunk of his Bluefield State roster to FSU, where he’ll implement the up-tempo, full-court-pressure system learned under the tutelage of two-time national championship-winning coach Jim Crutchfield. Hoehn played for Crutchfield, a coaching guru with a career .867 winning percentage, at West Liberty and then served on his staff at Nova Southeastern.
Nine Bluefield State players and five from Fayetteville State have entered the transfer portal, including FSU’s Jayden Beloti, Jordan Foster, Anthony Latty, Myles Pierre and Isaiah Sutherland. All-CIAA guard Ezekiel Cannedy has withdrawn from the transfer portal and will return to Fayetteville.
D’Alessio brings nearly 40 years of coaching experience to West Virginia, ranging from high school to JUCO to Division II, Division I, and professional staffs including Siena, Loyola-Maryland, NC Central and Bowie State — another CIAA program he led to a league tournament title and NCAA D2 Final Four.