Sunday, April 3, 2016

ASU maximizing 10 spring practices

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Six.

That’s how many spring practice days Alabama State has left after being granted 10 for posting an Academic Progress Rate score of 932 for 2014-15.

Not sure how much a team can accomplish with just 10 practices, but ASU coach Brian Jenkins plans to get plenty of out them.

“The main thing is to get our scheme down a little bit more,” Jenkins said after Friday’s practice. “Get a certain mindset established with our players. We have a certain expectation and we want our guys to understand we’re going to practice to keep the expectation.”

Jenkins hopes the Hornets see the value in academics and prevent that from hindering them in any fashion. They weren’t allowed to have spring practice and a spring game last year and were ineligible for postseason play because of low APR results, but they put in the work in the classroom to earn practice time.



COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Saturday, April 2, 2016

SCSU Bulldogs Conduct Second Spring Scrimmage

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina – The South Carolina State Bulldogs conducted their 10th spring practice and their second scrimmage Saturday (April. 2) morning at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

The two-hour workout session started with a 9 a.m. practice, followed by a 10 a.m. scrimmage. SC State head coach Buddy Pough is beginning his 15th season at the helm of the Bulldog football program.

During the first half of Saturday's scrimmage, the Bulldogs concentrated on their passing and running game, with some emphasis on the special teams.

The Bulldogs return to the practice fields Tuesday (April. 5th) at 6:50 a.m., for the eleventh (11th) spring workout. SC State will hold its annual Garnet & Blue Spring game Saturday, April 9th at 1 p.m. in Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. You can purchase your season tickets now for the 2016 Football Season. The South Carolina State Ticket Office will be open 11a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 9th.



See complete Pro Timing Results

LIFT-A-BULLDOG KICKOFF RALLY
The Bulldogs will hold their 2016 Annual Lift-A-Bulldog Scholarship Fundraiser Seafood Extravaganza Friday, April 8 at the I.P. Stanback Museum, beginning from 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $65 per person. For more information or to R.S.V.P call (803) 536-8579 by April 7, 2016. All proceeds and donations will go to sponsor the summer school and the football scholarship program.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Athletics releases the "Investing in Champions" football season tickets and parking campaign



CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE BUILDING CHAMPIONS WEBSITE

XU's Bruins, Albrecht are GCAC Players of the Week



NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana juniors Sha'Nel Bruins and Adam Albrecht are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for March 21-27.
    
Bruins, from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, won for the fourth time this season and the fifth time in her career. She won 3-of-4 matches, including a pair of comebacks in a 5-4 victory at then-NAIA No. 11 Keiser. In doubles, Bruins and Dasia Harris trailed 7-4, 40-love against Samantha Guy and Livia Toth before rallying for a 9-8 (7-3) victory. In singles, Bruins clinched the dual with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-0 victory against Lola Garcia.
    
The victory against Keiser was the Gold Nuggets' first victory of the season against a ranked opponent.
    
Nour Abbes (six in 2014) is the only XU women's tennis player to win more than four GCAC weekly awards in a season. Bruins is one of five to win four times in a season.
    
Albrecht, from Ladna, Czech Republic, and a graduate of Gymnasium Breclav, won for the second time this season and the third time in his career. He was unbeaten in singles and doubles to help Xavier win road duals at St. Thomas (Fla.) and sixth-ranked Keiser. He extended his singles win streak to a career-best eight matches and helped Xavier snap Keiser's 11-dual win streak.
    
Xavier's men and women will play Prairie View A&M at 11 a.m. Saturday at XU Tennis Center. The XU men will visit Louisiana-Lafayette in noon and 4 p.m. duals Sunday — their third and fourth meetings this season with the Ragin' Cajuns. All the weekend opponents are NCAA Division I members.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold

www.facebook.com/xulagold 

XULA's Kennie, Allen, Quincy receive GCAC's weekly awards


NEW ORLEANS — For the second consecutive week, Xavier University of Louisiana produced three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Performers of the Week in track and field. Winners for March 21-27 are Christopher Kennie in men's field, Clarke Allen in women's field and Kayla Quincy in women's track.
    
All XU performances were from the Louisiana Classics meet in Lafayette.
    
Kennie, a senior from New Orleans and a graduate of Holy Cross High School, was honored for the first time since 2013 and the third time in his career. Kennie matched his best-ever collegiate long jump — 21 feet, 6 3/4 inches (6.57 meters) — in a 10th-place finish. He finished ahead of 11 athletes from NCAA Division I.
    
Allen, a sophomore from Mendenhall, Miss., and a graduate of Mendenhall High School, won for the third time this season and the fourth time in her career. Allen produced her third consecutive top-7 finish in the triple jump and had a best mark of 34-10 1/4 (10.62 meters) in placing seventh.
    
Quincy, a junior from Avondale, La. and a graduate of Xavier Prep (now known as St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School), won for the first time in her career. Quincy became Xavier's first qualifier for the 2016 NAIA National Championships with a time of 57.06 seconds in the 400-meter dash. She finished fifth and ahead of 22 from NCAA Division I. Quincy ran anchor on the 1,600 relay squad which finished ninth in 4:01.84, approximately 3 1/2 seconds faster than it did the previous week.
    
Through the first three meets of the outdoor season, XU athletes have won a combined eight GCAC weekly awards in track and field.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold

www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Point And Drive Marching Band Documentary Reviewed At FAMU With Music Department

WORK HARD OR WORK HARDER. THOSE WERE THE OPTIONS.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The producer and director of Point and Drive movie, Detroit native Brandi Mitchell, returned to her alma mater to pre-screen her documentary with the esteemed group of faculty at the undeniably most influential music department in the country at Florida A&M University.





POINT AND DRIVE is a documentary that presents the passion, talents, history, struggles and triumphs of the most imitated marching band of all time, The Florida A&M University Marching 100 from the voices of it’s successful alumni spanning over four decades. It also shows the beauty and anatomy of the Historically Black College and University [HBCU] halftime show which the Marching 100’s founder, Dr. William P. Foster innovated, while chronicling the bands influence on young adults from all societal backgrounds; forever changing our lives, culture and traditions.

Starring Grammy Winning Jazz legends like Scotty Barnhart, Wycliffe Gordon and Vincent Gardner, all of whom are alumni of the ground-breaking marching band and university, popular artists like Dwele, and a host of alumni from all "fields" of expertise, Point and Drive explores this tightly-knit underground culture that is the marching band. Shot over a three-year time period with unprecedented access, the film intimately explores what it takes to make the band, how it’s founder Dr. William P. Foster formed the band at the height of segregation, it’s historic rise, unexpected fall, and comeback after a 2011 hazing death which almost stopped the music from playing - indefinitely.

Through original interviews, music, live performances, dancing and rare archival footage and images, we learn that the process of mastering Point and Drive, which is actually the form of precision marching that makes the famed band so eye catching, is so much more – it transfers into an innate bar of excellence that is the measurement and standard for success in their lives.

Point and Drive tells the story of how the vision and passion of one soul can shape the lives of many, and the necessity of fighting to sustain what you believe in - no matter what happens. It is a story for people of all ages, one that will inspire, educate, and provoke a spirit of excellence.

Read More about the documentary and seeing it at www.pointanddrivemovie.com.


ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY MARCHING 100 AND THE INCOMPARABLE Brandi Mitchell, www.PointAndDriveMovie.com

Friday, April 1, 2016

Jackson State offensive line does sweat the technique

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Everything circled back to technique for Jackson State's offensive line last season. Former O-line coach Steven Aycock constantly mentioned it as the area that needed the most improvement on the line.

Even though Ayock, along with the majority of last season's coaching staff, is gone, the message hasn't been abandoned.

Technique is the main focus for first-year Tigers offensive line coach Matt Jones this spring.

"It's an acquired skill. We talk about having a tool box and you have an inside-run step, an outside-zone step, a pass set, a short pass set ... and you have to pull all those things in your tool box," Jones said. "Right now we're just looking for a hammer and screw driver. Eventually we're going to have an Allen wrench. We just need the technique and do it at a high level."

CONTINUE READING