April 18, 2013- ALBANY, GA- Albany Technical College will hold its annual Athletics Banquet for the Titans basketball players and cheerleaders from season 2012-2013 on Friday, April 19, 2013, at 6pm, in the Kirkland Conference Center on campus.
Several players on the men and women's teams for the Titans will receive awards and be recognized for their athletic achievements throughout the season.
Speaker for the evening event will be Carey Rich, co-host of "The Locker Room" Sports Radio Talk Show. A native of Columbia, S.C., Rich attended C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia where he led his team to a 3-A State Championship in 1989 and was their lead scorer for two consecutive years (1988-1990). He has received several awards, including All Region, All Area, and All State. In 2005, his jersey was retired. He received an athletic scholarship to attend Western Carolina University in 1990 where he went on to win the school's first ever Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Award.
While a student at the University of South Carolina, Rich started in every game excluding five games due to injury. He was named captain his junior and senior years, which had only previously been done eight times in the school's history. During his senior year, Rich received the prestigious Frank McGuire Most Valuable Player award and was amongst the leaders in steals and assists in the SEC, finishing in the top 10 in both categories in the school's history. Still ranked number four in career assist average, Rich is known as one of the hardest working players to ever don a Gamecock uniform.
Upon finishing college, Rich played three years overseas in Finland, Venezuela, and Brazil. He returned home and became a businessman owning his own childcare facility and rental properties. Along with that, he became involved in mentor young men ages 12 and up. He uses his life experiences as an inner city product to impact, influence, and aide in the development of young men. He also likes to use his insight as a former high level Division 1 athlete to motivate aspiring players who want to play beyond high school.
Currently, Rich is the co-host of "The Locker Room" sports radio talk show on AM 560 where he is known as "The Captain." The show covers 80 percent of the state of South Carolina with approximately 15,000 listeners. Rich uses his show as a platform to spread his message. Through his many contacts in college basketball, Rich serves as a liaison in helping to get players recruited and serves on numerous boards, including The Columbia Gamecock Tip-Off Club, March of Dimes, and the Chick-Fil-A Classic, which is ranked as the second best Christmas tournament in the country.
