Thursday, December 17, 2009

Florida A&M 61, Alabama 52

FAMU scores big comeback win, 61-52

Alabama was on a run that produced a five-point lead over FAMU with eight minutes left in the game, when Qiana Donald summoned the rest of the Rattlers into a huddle. "Once they started taking the lead, I had to call everybody together and let them know this is our game," Donald said. "We couldn't let them walk out with the win." The Crimson Tide didn't, as the Rattlers regained the lead with 6:01 left and completed a stunning comeback for a 61-52 victory Tuesday night at the Lawson Center. It was FAMU's second third victory over a major women's basketball program and its second over a SEC team. This one seemingly was headed the way of a blowout loss to Kentucky just four days ago as the Rattlers (6-3) spotted Alabama (6-5) a 13-point lead early in the first half. During the Alabama run, not even routine plays worked for the Rattlers.

Photo Gallery: FAMU vs Alabama Basketball

Women's Basketball Drops 61-52 Decision at Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The women's basketball team fell 61-52 to Florida A&M on Monday at the Al Lawson Center. With the loss, the Crimson Tide drops to 6-5 overall, while the Lady Rattlers up their season standing to 6-3. "You can't go on the road and shoot the way we did tonight," said head coach Wendell Hudson. "We have to step up and make those shots. We did all the things we were supposed to do from a defensive standpoint and all that added up, you would have thought we won the game. Like I've said before though it's hard to win basketball games on the road, and even harder if we can't make shots."

Final Stats

NEXT GAME: Dec. 30, FAMU at Alabama State, 8 p.m.

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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Morgan State 83, Manhattan 74

MSU Bears Reggie Holmes waxes the Jaspers with 31 points, hitting 4 of 6 three's.

Holmes scores 31 in Morgan's win over Manhattan

Reggie Holmes scored 31 points and Morgan State held off Manhattan 83-74 on Saturday.
Troy Smith came off the bench to score 12 points, and Kevin Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears (6-4). The Bears led 33-28 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. Leading 50-49 with 9:38 to play, the Bears went on a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach, capped by a jumper by Joe Davis for a 59-49 lead with 8:17 to play. The Bears built their largest lead at 78-65 with 1:18 to play on a pair of free throws by Troy Smith. Morgan State shot 46.2 percent from the field (24 of 52) while the Jaspers shot 37.1 percent (23 of 62).

The expression of Morgan State Bears Coach Todd Bozeman says it all--Please, tell me these scores are a mistake. The MEAC and SWAC really didn't get beat like this!

SCORES FROM AROUND THE MEAC...

West Virginia 69 (7-0), Coppin State 43 (5-4)
Arizona State 76 (7-3), Delaware State 34 (4-4)
Miami (FL) 91 (9-1) S. Carolina State 54 (5-2)
Central Fla. 63 (7-2), Bethune Cookman 50 (5-4)Minnesota 94, Morgan State 64 (12/8/09)

SCORES FROM AROUND THE SWAC
...

Chattanooga 82 (5-4), MVSU 60 (1-8)
S. Illinois 82 (5-2), Alabama State 63 (1-6)
Southern 78 (1-8), New Orleans 73 (5-3)

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Prairie View wins first SWAC title in 45 years

PVAMU Coach Henry Fraizer III does the impossible--makes Panthers into SWAC Champions!

Prairie View wins first SWAC title in 45 years

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Nasty weather, a tough Alabama A&M squad and a few costly mistakes couldn’t keep Prairie View A&M from reaching its season-long goal of winning the school’s first conference championship since 1964. With quarterback K.J. Black leading the way, the Panthers claimed a 30-24 victory over Alabama A&M on Saturday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game before a crowd of 20,218 at Legion Field.

Black, voted the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player, completed 18 of 28 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter when Prairie View (9-1) seized control. “When I got here, all anybody was talking about this year was a championship,” said Black, a first-year transfer from Western Kentucky who went 8-0 as a starter this season. “When you can see that in somebody’s eyes and you know everybody is striving for the same goal, it makes you want to work that much harder. That collective effort got us to where we are right now.”

WATCH REPLAY SWAC Championship - Prairie View A&M vs. Alabama A&M

Happy days here again for Prairie View

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As a glorious celebration carried on behind him, Henry Frazier III — the coach of the championship Prairie View A&M football team — struggled to fit the title belt around his waist. He joked that his expanded waistline made things a bit more difficult than he imagined it would be last January when he purchased the belt to inspire his squad. If only building a champion at Prairie View were as easy as fitting a prong through an eyelet.

What nerve and courage Frazier showed to have even imagined Prairie View as a football champion. But that is what the Panthers are after they fended off Alabama A&M 30-24 on Saturday to claim their first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 1964. It came in a chilly 40 degrees with a steady drizzle at Legion Field, but the Panther faithful were warm with pride after witnessing the final step in their program's climb from the depths of the college football world to the height of the SWAC.

Prairie View's Title Is Its First in 45 Years (New York Times)

Prairie View, which lost 80 straight games in the 1990s, won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship Saturday, beating Alabama A&M, 30-24 in Birmingham, Ala. It was the program’s first conference title in 45 years. “Nobody on this staff, nobody on this team was born in 1964,” Coach Henry Frazier III said. “This is a special time.” K. J. Black threw for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns. Two of his scoring passes came in the fourth quarter as Prairie View (9-1) rallied past Alabama A&M (7-5).

Harry Williams finds a coaching home at Prairie View A&M

Former Jackson-Olin High, Tuskegee University and Houston Texans star Harry Williams #86 is at home on the football field as an assistant for Prairie View.

The place that Harry Williams feels most at home — the foot­ball field — felt for­eign to him in the days of early August. His steps were tentative. His thoughts were guarded. His decisions didn’t come easily. His new boss — Prairie View A&M head football coach Henry Frazier III — noticed. “When he first went on the field, it was different for him,” Frazier said. “I watched him, because, you know, you got a new guy and don’t really know how he’s going to be around my kids. I kind of watched him the first few days and he would just wander around. I went to him and said, ‘Hey Harry, get involved with whatever you want. I trust your judgment, so get involved." So how did things work out after that conversation? “He’s been a blessing,” Frazier said.

Updated, with photos: Prairie View tops Alabama A&M to win SWAC title

Former Western Kentucky starter K.J. Black threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, leading Prairie View A&M to a 30-24 victory against Alabama A&M in the SWAC Championship Game today at cold and wet Legion Field. Alabama A&M had one last shot on the game's final play, but freshman Deaunte Mason's Hail Mary heave into the end zone was knocked down as the horn sounded. Prairie View finishes the season 9-1, its only loss to Division I-A New Mexico State. Black was named the Offensive MVP and Panthers defensive end Quinton Spears was voted Defensive MVP.

SWAC Championship Game: It's cold and wet, but offenses are hot

Despite drizzling rain and chilly temperatures, the SWAC Championship Game is off and running (for the live telecast, tune into ESPN Classic). Both offenses started hot, scoring on their first possession. Prairie View got on the board first, thanks to a 39-yard Brady Faggard field goal. Alabama A&M answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from Ulysses Banks, the Birmingham native, and takes a 7-3 lead into the second quarter.

Prairie View rallies past 'Bama A&M for SWAC title

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Prairie View A&M, a program once synonymous with football futility, is a conference champion for the first time in 45 years.K.J. Black threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, two coming in the fourth quarter, and the Panthers ralllied for a 30-24 win over Alabama A&M in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday."It's been a long time coming," said Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III. "Nobody on this staff, nobody on this team was born in 1964. This is a special time."Frazier is the one most responsible for turning around a program that gained notoriety during the 1990s by losing 80 consecutive games. "It's a special occasion," Frazier added. "I'm very proud of this football team."

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

SC State moves to extend Pough's contract

SC State moves to extend Pough's contract

At a time when colleges are filling head football coaching vacancies, South Carolina State furthered efforts Friday to keep around longer Oliver ‘Buddy’ Pough. On Friday, school attorney Ed Givens presented to the Board of Trustees a copy of a four-year contract extension offer given Thursday to Pough’s attorney Ricky Lefft. The deal would retain Pough at his alma mater through 2015 and increase his annual base salary starting in 2012 to $225,000. Pough was also reportedly given the right to hire nine assistant coaches and raise on his own outside funds, 40 percent of which would go back to the university’s athletics department.

Bulldogs take in $250000 more in 2009 season

South Carolina State University’s Bulldogs brought in more fans and money this year, the athletics director said. The creation of the Gamezone helped increase gross revenue for the 2009 football season more than $250,000 over 2008, Charlene Johnson said during an S.C. State board committee meeting. “I attribute promotion of football earlier in the year and Gamezone to that success,” Johnson said. Gamezone, “is still a work in progress.” Starting this season, the university began requiring fans to have a ticket to gain entry to the Gamezone area surrounding the stadium and pay for special parking passes in advance. The controversial policy is meant to generate additional revenue for the university during tight financial times, cut down on loitering and get more fans into the stands.

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Job market for black coaches improving

Alabama A&M University Coach Anthony Jones has played in the NFL, coached successfully at the NCAA Division III, II and I-AA levels, but has not received any head coaching offers to move to the Division I-A level. Why?

Anthony Jones and Henry Frazier III can match resumes with any football coach in America. Both have taken over programs that were among the worst in the country: Frazier's Prairie View A&M team once went 0-80 in the 1990s and Alabama A&M's Jones got his first head coaching job at Morehouse College, which he says had won "eight games in 70 years" before he got there. Today in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game at Legion Field, Frazier has Prairie View playing for its first SWAC championship since 1964, which could lead to the school's first Black College National Championship since that year. Hoping to stop him is Jones, who left Morehouse for Alabama A&M and has the Bulldogs playing for their second SWAC title in his eight years.

"Anybody else with that resume, taking over programs like that and turning it around, would be considered a hot (coaching) prospect," Jones said. Yes, this another column about the shocking lack of opportunity for minority head coaches at the college level. Only this time, the situation seems to be getting better. Four minority head coaches have been hired at the Division I-A level this offseason: Charlie Strong at Louisville; Mike London at Virginia; Larry Porter at Memphis; and Willie Taggart at Western Kentucky. The hiring of Strong and London at BCS schools is a particularly good sign, considering that Miami's Randy Shannon was the only black coach among 66 BCS programs this past football season.

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Prairie View, Alabama A&M meet for SWAC title

Prairie View, Alabama A&M meet for SWAC title

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Prairie View A&M's football program has come a long way. The team that once couldn't win now doesn't bother pondering the possibility of losing. The Panthers face Alabama A&M Saturday at Legion Field in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game, and coach Henry Frazier III was taken aback when asked if his team would still consider the season a success if it loses. “I haven't even thought about that,” Frazier said. “Not winning, that's not even something we've thought about. Ask me Saturday. I can't really answer that. That's not even in our minds.”

Yep, Prairie View (8-1) hardly resembles the program that lost 80 consecutive games in the 1990s. The Panthers are playing in their first SWAC title game and haven't won the league title since 1964. They won 11 league titles before there was a championship contest. Alabama A&M (7-4) made it to the championship game by winning its last two games following a 33-27 loss to Prairie View. The Bulldogs rallied from a 33-7 deficit midway through the third quarter before the comeback stalled.

Prairie View climbs from rock bottom to top of SWAC

Once a rock-bottom program, PV has made one of college football’s all-time-great climbs.

PRAIRIE VIEW — While his assistants prepare the Prairie View A&M Panthers for their next football game, head coach Henry Frazier III swaps stories during practice with John “Doc” Mayes, the school's longtime director of athletic training. Most of Mayes' tales have a similar theme — the time one of the team's buses caught fire en route to a game, the road trip on which each player's daily meal allowance was $12.50, the overnight stays when the Panthers had to sleep three to a hotel room, with the odd man out relegated to a rollaway bed. They all end the same way: At the final gun, Prairie View always lost.

Frazier makes the implausible a reality

Prairie View goes from basement mainstays to conference title game

PRAIRIE VIEW — Prairie View A&M coach Henry Frazier III does not have a large office, but what there is contains a lot of significant mementos. On his desk are pictures of family members. Nearby are trophies in recognition of his coaching achievements. And nestled against a wall is Frazier's signature “championship” belt. The belt, which reads “PV Football 2009” on one side and “SWAC Champions” on the other, has become the symbol of Frazier's primary goal since he took over the program Dec. 22, 2003. That goal can become a reality if the Panthers (8-1) defeat Alabama A&M in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game at Birmingham, Ala.

Thanks to Frazier, Prairie View no joke

Long before Anthony Jones became the head football coach at Alabama A&M, he knew about Henry Frazier III, an up-and-coming coach at Bowie State. Jones coached against Frazier during his days at Morehouse College. The two hit it off, Jones said, during a recruiting fair in Maryland a few years ago. "I brought my son with me and he was going around recruiting players for me to come to Morehouse," Jones said. "Frazier was impressed with that. We became friends from that point on. "I have a lot of respect for him." Jones and Frazier, now the head coach at Prairie View, will put their friendship aside Saturday when the Bulldogs (7-4) take on the Panthers (8-1) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game at Birmingham's Legion Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN Classic.

Prairie View's Black wins top SWAC offensive honor

Prairie View A&M junior quarterback K.J. Black was named Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year when the conference's postseason honors were released Wednesday. Texas Southern junior quarterback Arvell Nelson received Newcomer of the Year honors. Grambling State defensive end Christian Anthony was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Grambling kicker Ari Johnson was named Freshman of the Year.

Black, a transfer from Western Kentucky, threw for 1,775 yards and 19 touchdowns against four interceptions to lead Prairie View (8-1) to its first SWAC Western Division title. The Panthers will face Alabama A&M in Saturday's SWAC championship game in Birmingham, Ala. Black, who was also named to the All-SWAC second team, began the season as a backup, but started the Panthers' last seven games, all wins. He completed 71.3 percent of his passes and was second in the FCS in passing efficiency (172.18).

Seniors have sad history vs. Prairie View

Ulysses Banks has never beaten Prairie View. Neither has Thomas Harris, Xavier Manuel, Jeremy Maddox or Maurice Thomas just to name a few. In fact, only one of Alabama A&M's 12 seniors - fifth-year receiver Anthony Mitchell - has ever beaten Prairie View. That came in 2005. Since then, Prairie View has beaten A&M four straight times. Banks and the rest of A&M's seniors will take their final shot at Prairie View Saturday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game at Birmingham's Legion Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN Classic.

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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Morgan State Bears vs. Minnesota Gophers - ESPNU @ 6 p.m CT TONIGHT.

Morgan State at Gophers (6 p.m. CT, Tuesday, ESPNU)

U faces coach making best of his 2nd chance

Taking over at Morgan State after eight years in exile for a Cal scandal, Todd Bozeman led the team to a MEAC title.

Morgan State doesn't have Cal's prestige, TV contracts, weather or pay scale. And Todd Bozeman has a better chance of winning the lottery than recruiting future NBA lottery picks -- an annual feat for him when he coached Cal in the early '90s -- to the Baltimore-based historically black college that plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. But he's content to have a second chance, albeit as head coach of a midmajor program. Bozeman viewed recruiting as a "life or death" pursuit when he took over at Cal as a 29-year-old in 1993. In 1996, he resigned after admitting that he paid the parents of a player $30,000. In 1997, the NCAA banned any school from hiring him without permission for eight years.

After a lengthy hiatus that included a stint in pharmaceutical sales, a wiser Bozeman took over at Morgan State in 2006. And in three years, he took a team that won four games the season before he arrived to a conference championship at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season. The cherry on the sundae of Morgan State's redemption -- and Bozeman's -- was the school's first Division I NCAA tournament bid last season. Bozeman signed a new five-year contract in April. "We've just been trying to build slowly but surely and take positive steps every year," said Bozeman, whose team faces the Gophers tonight at Williams Arena.

U men gameday

Preview: Todd Bozeman has rebuilt Morgan State (5-3), taking the Bears to their first NCAA tournament appearance last season. The Gophers (5-3) hope to get their second victory in a row and continue to shake a startling three-game losing streak.

Key players: Reggie Holmes, a 6-4 guard, averages 24.6 points per game for Morgan State. Stat line for Minnesota's Damian Johnson: 11.6 points, 2.3 blocks and 2.4 steals per game.

Numbers: Minnesota is Morgan State's eighth road opponent in nine games. Entering the week, the Gophers had the Big Ten's top scoring defense (57.6 points allowed per game).

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