Averett player moved to ICU; police confirm attack

1:10 p.m. UPDATE

Averett University freshman Mike Ferrell, 19, a guard on the men’s basketball team and a Halifax County High School graduate, has been moved to an intensive care unit at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., a hospital spokesperson said Saturday afternoon.

The hospital, which is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I adult trauma center, would not release any further information about Ferrell’s condition because of privacy concerns.

Lt. M.T. White Jr. of the Danville Police Department confirmed a student attacked another student Friday at the Grant Center on Averett University’s North Campus. He was unable to identify the students involved, but said one student was transported to Danville Regional Medical Center and later transported to Wake Forest.

Ferrell’s former teammate, Rakeem Davis, 19, a freshman who numerous team and university sources said attacked Ferrell in a hallway of the Grant Center on Friday, has had his bio removed from Averett’s Web site and his playing number reassigned.

Possible criminal charges are pending the outcome of an investigation being conducted by the police department, White said.

Averett, trailing Christopher Newport University by half a game for the USA South Conference lead, hosts CNU at 4 p.m. today.

ORIGINAL STORY

Averett University freshman forward Rakeem Davis has been kicked off the team after attacking a teammate during practice Friday in Danville, according to numerous sources.

Mike Ferrell, a freshman guard and Halifax County High School graduate, was in “undetermined condition” and being treated in the emergency room of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center late Friday night as a result of the attack, a spokesperson from the hospital said.

The 6-foot-4, 191-pound Davis, who had a history of being picked on by his teammates, punched Ferrell in the face while the two were in a hallway at the Grant Center, numerous sources said. Ferrell fell to the ground after hitting his head on a cinderblock wall and Davis jumped on top of Ferrell and hit him twice more until being restrained by at least one teammate, a source said.

“Obviously we take an incident like this very seriously,” Averett University Public Relations Director Susan Huckstep wrote in an e-mail sent to the Register & Bee late Friday night. “We will be looking into the situation to determine what happened. Right now our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the players and their families. We will provide more details as they become available.”

The numerous university and team sources that spoke to the Register & Bee requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the incident.

Averett University Athletics Director Sam Ferguson and men’s basketball coach Jimmy Allen did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment.

Davis, 19, of Chesapeake, has appeared in 20 games for the Cougars this season. He is averaging 1.5 points and one rebound per game. The 6-4, 211-pound Ferrell, 19, who has appeared in 13 games, is averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

Averett, which is half a game behind Christopher Newport University for the USA South Conference lead, hosts CNU today and Shenandoah University on Sunday. The Cougars close the regular season at N.C. Wesleyan on Friday and will begin the conference tournament by hosting a quarterfinal game Feb. 24 against an opponent to be determined.