A Zebra Closeup: Niles native officially loves football

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Referee Kevin Violette describes the MEAC as a league comparable to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), which includes Youngstown State University. "There is an awful lot of talent throughout the league. Some truly outstanding athletes," Violette said. The speed, size and talent of these guys makes for a condition where anything is possible."

Most former football players who wish to remain close to the game generally do so by playing a little touch football, or perhaps by joining a fantasy league. Niles (OH) native Kevin Violette is living out his football fantasy by putting himself smack-dab in the middle of the action. Violette spends his autumn weekends traveling up and down the East Coast as part of an officiating crew that works college games. Violette recently completed his fifth season as an official in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - a nine team league that includes, South Carlina State, Florida A&M, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, North Carolina A&T, Delaware State and Howard.

The MEAC is a Division I-AA conference made up of historically black institutions located across the Atlantic coastline. A 1986 Niles McKinley High graduate, Violette currently resides in Wilmington, N.C. After graduating from Niles, Violette attended Ohio Northern, where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Biology. He then earned a Masters Degree in Marine Biology while attending the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. When he's not keeping order on the football field, Violette serves as Director of Enterprise Solutions. The company is the software development group which serves the University of North Carolina Wilmington. "I've always loved football and I always wanted to stay involved in the game in some way," Violette said. "Quite honestly, I never expected it to be as a referee."

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Mitchell has head-coaching offer from Southern University

Lyvonia 'Stump' Mitchell, currently the Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach for the Washington Redskins served as Morgan State's assistant head coach/offensive coordinator (1995) and head coach, 1996-1998, posting an overall record of 8-24.

Mitchell has head-coaching offer from Southern

While the future of just about every member of the Redskins' coaching staff will likely be up in the air following Sunday's game in San Diego, running backs coach Stump Mitchell has an offer on the table. Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., has offered Mitchell its head coaching position, according to a news release from the school. The terms of a contract have not been worked out and the school didn't expect to make any final announcement until after the Redskins conclude their season Sunday against the Chargers.

"Stump Mitchell's 21 years in the NFL, 10 as a player and 11 years as an assistant coach, combined with his head coaching experience, will bring a wealth of diverse knowledge to our football program," Greg LaFleur, Southern's athletics director, said in the news release. Mitchell told Joseph White of the Associated Press today that he'll make a decision after the season is concluded, but the quotes in today's news release from Southern sure sounded like the school was welcoming its new coach on board.

SU picks NFL vet Mitchell

Hours before he learned his fate with Southern University, Stump Mitchell said an offer to become its next football coach would be “a dream come true.” It’s not a dream anymore. Southern’s 24-day search for a new coach ended with its original lead candidate, Mitchell, a man who likely will arrive in Baton Rouge next week with a long history in the NFL, but only three years of experience as a college head coach. Mitchell, the Washington Redskins running backs coach and assistant head coach, has agreed in principle to take over at SU next season, Chancellor Kofi Lomotey said.

“We’re very excited,” Lomotey said. “Stump will be a tremendous addition for us. I believe he’ll add a boost to our athletic department, and he’ll also bring some excitement back to (A.W.) Mumford Stadium.” The Redskins play their final regular-season game Sunday at San Diego, and technically, Mitchell cannot agree to a contract with Southern until after the Redskins’ season ends. “I think it’s great that they considered me as being qualified to take over a program like that,” Mitchell said. “They’ve offered it to me. I don’t know what’s going to happen here. But if it’s not here, it’ll be there,” he said.

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Morgan State Bears 87, Long Island Blackbirds 70

MEAC leading scorer Reggie Holmes leads Bears over Blackbirds in University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Dr. Pepper Classic.

Recap: Long Island vs. Morgan State

Reggie Holmes scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Morgan State Bears to an 87-70 win over the Long Island Blackbirds in the consolation game of the Dr. Pepper Classic at McKenzie Arena. Kevin Thompson scored 13 points and collected 17 rebounds for the Bears (8-5), who were upended by Eastern Kentucky in the event last night. Troy Smith added 16 points and DeWayne Jackson tallied 15 points and seven boards off the bench for Morgan State.

Kyle Johnson had 21 points to pace the Blackbirds (4-8), who have now dropped five in a row. Jamal Olasewere added 13 points, David Hicks scored 12, and Michael Culpo finished with 10 points in the loss. LIU jumped out to a 27-19 lead on a layup by Culpo at the 10:09 mark of the opening half. However, the Bears responded with a quick 9-2 flurry, and they would eventually head to the locker room with a 42-38 halftime advantage. The Bears were simply too much in the second stanza, as they shot 54.8 percent from the floor and knocked down 6-of-9 three-pointers to pull away.

Men's Basketball Outlasted by Morgan State at Dr Pepper Classic

Chattanooga, Tenn. – The Long Island University men’s basketball team was unable to keep pace with an experienced Morgan State squad, falling 87-70 on Wednesday night in the consolation contest at the Dr Pepper Classic in McKenzie Arena. The Blackbirds held a lead for much of the first half and were close early in the second half before the Bears began to pull away.

Long Island (4-8) took a lead early in the contest after rolling off seven unanswered points. Freshman Jamal Olasewere sandwiched two pairs of foul shots around a three-point play by junior Kyle Johnson to give LIU a 12-6 lead at the 16:02 mark in the opening half. Kevin Thompson snapped the run, but the Johnson and sophomore Michael Culpo connected on three pointers in three straight LIU possessions to keep the Bears at bay. Freshman Kenny Onyechi and Culpo hit back-to-back layups to give the Blackbirds their largest lead of the day at 27-19 with 10:09 to play in the opening period.

Morgan State (8-5) promptly held LIU to just three field goals the rest of the half and outscored the Blackbirds, 23-11, to take a four-point lead into halftime. Troy Smith led the charge with seven points during the extended run, including a pair of foul shots with 0:03 left in the period to make it 42-38 at the intermission.

A three-pointer by Culpo got LIU within 50-44 early in the second half, but that was as close as it would be the rest of the way. Morgan State used a 16-4 spurt over the next 6:29 to build an 18-point cushion. DeWayne Jackson scored the final three points in a run of 11 unanswered points to make it 66-48 with 9:32 to play. The Blackbirds managed to cut the deficit to 79-66 with 2:34 to play on a driving layup by junior David Hicks, but Jackson answered with a three-pointer at the other end to push the game out of reach. Reggie Holmes capped the scoring on a jumper with 0:45 left sending LIU to its fifth straight defeat.

Box Score

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College Basketball Conference Power Rankings—New Year Edition

MEAC and SWAC basketball has absolutely nothing to talk about this season other than Morgan State and its leading scorer Reggie Holmes. Both conferences football playing schools would be better served to move that scholarship money from basketball to football and play non-scholarship basketball for 2011 and beyond. They couldn't possible do any worst than what they have shown the past decade.

28. MEAC (Morgan State, Bethune Cookman, NC A&T) 38-81 (31.9 %)

The MEAC already has four teams with 10 or more losses, and only three teams from the MEAC are above .500 (Morgan State, South Carolina State, Bethune-Cookman). Morgan State is the only respectable team from the MEAC, led by one of the nation's leading scorers, Reggie Holmes. It is hard to tell if South Carolina State has the potential to be good because they got crushed by Miami and Iowa, but then played Clemson to the buzzer. Bethune-Cookman does not deserve to be .500. Three of their seven wins are against Division II schools, and two of them are against Independents.

33. SWAC (Prarie View A&M, Alabama A&M, Texas Southern) 22-88 (20.0 %)

Last, and most certainly least, is the SWAC. Alcorn State is most likely the worst team in college basketball. Up until Wednesday night, they had lost every game 15, most of their losses being by much more. On Wednesday night, they played their first home game and only lost to Central Michigan by four. The SWAC has five teams with at least 10 losses. Not one team is an even .500. Two teams are winless (Alcorn State and Arkansas Pine Bluff), and Alabama State and Mississippi Valley State do not have any wins against Division I teams.

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Southern Jaguars 84, Talladega Tornadoes 86

Senior guard Ramondo Banks from Bernice, LA returned home to help the 2009 USCAA Division I National Champions Talladega Tornadoes achieved another college basketball milestone by defeating Southern 86-84. The second year program achieved two humongous milestones last season by defeating five NCAA Division I programs (Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Southern, and Grambling State) in a single season on its journey to winning the NAIA Division I National Championship in its first season of competition.

Talladega triumphs in tight tilt over SU, 86-84

The game featured six lead changes in the first half alone, a box score that showed neither team with a significant edge in any area and — yes — a frantic final minute that decided the outcome. A couple of missed opportunities kept Southern from winning that final minute. As a result, the Talladega College men’s basketball team left F.G. Clark Activity Center with a victory for the second year in a row, this one an 86-84 triumph that went to the wire.

“I felt like Urban Meyer down the stretch,” Talladega coach William Brown said, referring to the Florida football coach. “My chest got tight.” Then again, Brown, whose NAIA team has lost twice in overtime and once in double overtime, has seen his share of close calls through an 8-8 start. The Tornadoes were on the right end of this one thanks in large part to Kerry Harvis and Micah Hagens, who combined for 48 points on 15-of-29 shooting.

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Delaware State Hornets 49, UCLA Bruins 66

Reeves Nelson leads UCLA to victory over Delaware State

Reeves Nelson scored a career-high 21 points and UCLA defeated Delaware State 66-49 Sunday. The Bruins have won three of their last four games, but their 5-7 record leaves them last in the Pac-10 in nonconference play. UCLA opens its Pac-10 schedule against Arizona State on Thursday at home. Marcus Neal led the Hornets (4-6) with 15 points. Frisco Sandidge added 12. Tyler Honeycutt and Nikola Dragovic scored 11 points apiece for a UCLA, which shot 52 percent from the field.

The Bruins grabbed their largest lead, 51-22, with 12:55 to play before Delaware State ended the game on a 27-15 run. Sandidge scored nine of his points during the run. In what started out as a battle of jump-shooters, the Bruins took over midway through the first half when they started taking the ball inside to Nelson, who helped spark a 14-0 run that put UCLA up 26-10.

Bruins Lock Delaware State in a Full Nelson

Box Score Photo Gallery

Reeves Nelson scored a career-high 21 points and UCLA defeated Delaware State 66-49 Sunday. The Bruins have won three of their last four games, but their 5-7 record leaves them last in the Pac-10 in nonconference play. UCLA opens its Pac-10 schedule against Arizona State on Thursday at home. Marcus Neal led the Hornets (4-6) with 15 points. In what started out as a battle of jump-shooters, the Bruins took over midway through the first half when they started taking the ball inside to Nelson, a 6-foot-8 freshman center.

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What Can the MEAC and SWAC Learn from the Southland Conference?

Coppin State University Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell has been accused of over-scheduling the Eagles with powerhouse money games. However, the Eagles do have their share of lower Division cup-cake games this season...Lincoln (Pa.), West Virginia Tech and Washington Adventist University.

Raising the level of its competition

To improve seeding in NCAA Tournament, Southland wants teams to cut down on number of lower division foes.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Southland Conference is building its regional television network, and commissioner Tom Burnett is working with ESPN to expand the league’s reach. But there still are obstacles impeding the Southland’s quest for an enhanced national profile. They are seemingly small stumbling blocks, but part of a big issue. Try Harris-Stowe, Paul Quinn or Ecclesia. Maybe the University of Science and Arts or Mid-America Christian. Perhaps a name off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s schedule — Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Those schools are a sampling of the non-Division I opponents that line Southland men’s schedules this season. They are part of the reason the league is stuck in a rut of being seeded 14 or higher in the NCAA Tournament. Non-Division I schools do not count toward a Division I team’s win total when analyzed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The games are a lost opportunity to improve the RPI, the NCAA’s rating of a team’s or league’s strength of schedule, its opponents’ strength of schedule and how it fared against opponents. Division I teams can face up to four non-Division I schools a season, but it’s best not to use the full allotment, if any. Yet the 12 Southland men’s teams combine to face 44 non-Division I opponents this season. That does it no favors with the selection committee, which factors the RPI into its seeding process.

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The MEAC and SWAC should take note of the strategy of the Southland Conference. A 16th seed in the NCAA Tournament is always a guaranteed ticket for a quick exit home.

MEAC Men Basketball Scheduled Cup-Cakes...

1. Delaware State: Holy Family, Wilmington and Mary Washington
2. Coppin State: Lincoln (Pa.), West Virginia Tech and Washington Adventist University
3. South Carolina State: Erskine College, Allen, Southern Wesleyan
4. Florida A&M: Albany State (Ga.)
5. North Carolina A&T: Brevard College, Davis & Elkins and Carson Newman
6. Bethune Cookman: Edward Waters, Florida Gulf Coast, Carver Bible, Florida Christian College and Jacksonville
7. Winston Salem State: Atlanta Christian, Milligan, Ferrum College and Columbia Union
8. Morgan State: None
9. UMES: Stevenson
10. Howard: None
11: Hampton: None
12: Norfolk State: None

SWAC Men Basketball Scheduled Cup-Cakes...
1. Alabama A&M: Oakwood, Martin Methodist, Stillman and Tuskegee
2. Alabama State: Columbus State and West Alabama
3. Alcorn State: Tougaloo College, Mississippi College and University of Detroit-Mercy
4. Grambling State: Centenary College (Louisiana), Paul Quinn College (Texas)
5. Jackson State: Spring Hill
6. Mississippi Valley: Champion Baptist
7. Prairie View A&M: Schreiner, Florida Gulf Coast, Champion Baptist, Ecclesia, Dallas Christian
8. Southern: Xavier (La.), Talladega, Central Arkansas and Chicago State
9. Texas Southern: Northern Colorado, Dickinson State, Jarvis Christan University
10. Arkansas Pine Bluff: None

Other Division I HBCUs
1. Tennessee State (OVC): Detroit-Mercy
2. North Carolina Central (Indep/MEAC): North Carolina Wesleyan, Carver Bible College, Florida Gulf Coast, Tennessee Temple University and The Apprentice School
3. Savannah State (Indep): Webber International, University of North Florida, University of Virginia-Wise, Allen University, Carver Bible College and Jacksonville University.