Pat Kendrick named Xavier head volleyball coach

PAT KENDRICK

NEW ORLEANS — Pat Kendrick, a successful NCAA Division I head coach with nearly 500 career victories, is the new head coach of women's volleyball at Xavier University of Louisiana, effective March 1.
     
XULA Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn announced the hiring of Kendrick Thursday. Kendrick — who won 467 matches in 30 seasons (1985-2014) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. — replaces Hannah Lawing, who resigned in December after four seasons.
     
"Xavier University has a great academic reputation, and the volleyball teams have been quite successful in conference," Kendrick said. "I want to bring Xavier to the point where it's a nationally recognized volleyball program to go with its nationally recognized academic programs.
     
"Through my experiences with George Mason and USA Volleyball programs, I know the game and training players, match strategy and recruiting. I know how to get players to work hard and find success on and off the court."
     
Kendrick was Virginia Tech's director of volleyball operations the past two seasons.
     
Kendrick's George Mason teams won eight Colonial Athletic Association championships and qualified seven times for the NCAA Tournament. Eight of her teams reached 20 victories, and two of those eight reached 30.
     
Kendrick is an eight-time CAA Coach of the Year. She was named state coach of the year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors six times. Her career record at Mason was 467-439.
     
"Our coaching opportunity had many great candidates from across the country show interest. We are extremely thrilled to gain a coach with the experience of Coach Kendrick," Horn said. "We were seeking someone who understands the mission of Xavier University and the potential we have with our program to build a national contender here in New Orleans.
     
"The search committee was very impressed with the preparation, planning and presentation of Coach Kendrick during the interview process. She is a proven winner, she looks forward to being a part of the development of and graduating our student-athletes, and many of her values and philosophies for the game mirror the Xavier mission."
     
Opponents from current P5 conferences that George Mason defeated during Kendrick's tenure included Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington and West Virginia.
     
Kendrick coached six student-athletes to a total of 10 CAA Player of the Year awards, including three-time winner Aline Pereira. Kendrick has coached six CAA Rookie of the Year honorees and two CAA Setters of the Year. Five times under Kendrick, student-athletes were named CoSIDA Academic All-America.
     
Kendrick has served since 1994 as a USA Volleyball Cadre (instructor) for the coaches accreditation program. She coached numerous USA Volleyball High Performance, Olympic Festival and Junior National teams. She coached the East to a silver medal at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio. Kendrick served four years on the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Rules Committee, and she was a voter on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's top 25 poll.
     
Kendrick is a George Mason graduate, was a standout hurdler on the track team and was inducted to the school's hall of fame for that sport in 1991. Kendrick was an volleyball assistant coach at Mason for two seasons with the women and one season with the men before ascending to the top women's position.
     
XULA enters 2017 as a six-time defending regular-season and tournament champion in the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. The Gold Nuggets were eliminated in the NAIA National Championship opening round each of the past six seasons. XULA was 16-17 overall, 11-1 in the GCAC in 2016.

What They're Saying About Pat Kendrick

Russ Rose, Penn State Women's Head Coach
     
"Pat Kendrick will be a great addition to Xavier and the NAIA. She will bring great energy and experience to the position. She is a terrific recruiter, and she has a positive outlook. I expect great things from her."

Fred Chao, Former George Mason Men's Head Coach and Virginia Tech Women's Assistant Coach
     
"Pat has a lot of experience that covers all levels of volleyball. Not just the women's game, but also the men's. Her content knowledge is good. She really cares about her players, which is what sets her apart from others. These days the nurturing part is sometimes lacking in sport. Pat can nurture while also maintaining leadership. She is like family to me."

Doug Beal, Retired CEO of USA Volleyball
     
"I congratulate Xavier for hiring Pat. She has terrific experiences at college, but also with USA Volleyball in the High Performance Program over many years, working and nurturing some of the top talent in our country. Pat is a player's coach and cares deeply about each student-athlete. She knows the game at a high level, can communicate that knowledge and I'm sure she will help Xavier reach new levels of success with the program. Congrats on getting a great coach and a great person."

Dottie Hampton, South Carolina Assistant Coach
     
"I am so excited for PK and this new opportunity. She has been such a great teacher and mentor to me over the years. I know she will do great things at Xavier. Her knowledge of the game is so great. Xavier is so lucky to have a head coach like Pat Kendrick. I think she will be awesome at Xavier."

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

Former Southern star Lenard Tillery humbled by nomination for inaugural Black College Football Player of the Year award

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Former Southern running back Lenard Tillery, the Southwestern Conference all-time leading rusher and Southern single-season rushing king, has one more shot at history.

Tillery is one of four players up for the inaugural Black College Football Player of the Year award. The winner will be announced in Atlanta at Saturday’s Black College Football Hall of Fame ceremony.

He said just being there in the presence of some all-time HBCU greats, like former Southern star Aeneas Williams, is humbling.



If he were to beat out Grambling quarterback DeVante Kincade, North Carolina Central quarterback Malcolm Bell and North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen to win the award itself?

Well, Tillery sounds like he already has the humility part down.

“To win the award would be great, just to show the season we had as a team and the job the offensive line did this year,” Tillery said. “It would be big for me, it would be big for Southern and it would be big for a lot of my teammates."

CONTINUE READING

Former UVa coach London has next challenge at MEAC member Howard

ROANOKE, Virginia -- Involved with Maryland’s football preparations this past year, associate head coach Mike London wasn’t paying close tabs to developments at Howard University, a nearby FCS program.

At the time that Howard was parting company with six-year head coach Gary Harrell, the Maryland staff was preparing for its final regular-season game against Rutgers with a bowl bid on the line.

The Terrapins beat Rutgers and got an invitation to play Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26. Then, after a short break, London and the other coaches hit the road to recruit.



“I was in Detroit somewhere,” said London, who was the head coach at Virginia from 2010-15. “I got a phone call from the [Howard] athletic director, Kery Davis. He had just finished his first year here.”

London learned after the fact that Davis was a former executive at HBO, where he had put together boxing deals and other showbiz extravaganzas.

“He called and said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to be looking for a coach to take our program to another level,’ ” London, 56, said. “He said, ‘It’s a school that’s got a gCeat academic reputation and we’re for guys who’ve had success at those places.’ ”

CONTINUE READING

Gold Rush defeat No. 22 Talladega in double overtime

NEW ORLEANS — Leland Alexander's free throw with 3.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime Monday lifted Xavier University of Louisiana to a 77-76 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 22 Talladega.

Alexander was fouled as he attempted to catch an alley-oop pass from Donovan Armstrong at the rim. Alexander made the first free throw, but a lane violation voided his second attempt. Marcus Brown missed a 30-footer for the Tornadoes as time expired.

Armstrong, a freshman point guard, scored a career-high 24 points and made 13-of-18 free throws. Innocent Kukulu scored 14 points for XULA (10-18. 6-5), and Seth Jackson and Jalen David had 10 apiece.

Jordan Washington, No. 2 in NAIA Division I scoring average, had 26 points for the Tornadoes (20-9, 6-5). Brown scored 14.

Talladega scored the first 14 points — the Gold Rush did not score until the sixth minute — and led XULA 33-25 at halftime. The Gold Rush trailed until taking a 62-61 lead with 11 seconds remaining on Armstrong's basket after rebounding his missed free throw. Brown forced overtime by making 1-of-2 free throws with two seconds remaining.

Armstrong's two free throws with 27 seconds remaining in the first overtime tied the score at 70, then the Gold Rush extended the game when Elex Carter blocked a Keynan Gardner-Willis shot on the final possession of that period.

Some statistics were identical. Both teams were 25-of-57 from the floor (43.9 percent), both made 22 free throws, and both had 15 assists. Talladega was plus-5 in turnovers, and the Gold Rush outrebounded the Tornadoes 42-30.

XULA defeated Talladega for the second time in their last nine meetings. The Gold Rush avenged a 90-76 road loss to the Tornadoes from three weeks earlier. It was the first Gold Rush this victory in 12 attempts this season against ranked opponents.

"We've been putting in the time. The time and the effort to get better every day," XULA coach Alfred Williams said. "That game was just a testament to us believing in the process and continuing to work through our situation. Guys stepped up in a big way. We need guys to step up and produce like they're capable of doing."

Kukulu made four 3-pointers, all after halftime, to set a XULA freshman season record with 49 made treys. Percy Bland (1988-89) held the previous mark of 48.

XULA is 3-0 in overtime this season, all in conference games. It was XULA's first multiple-overtime game since March 8, 2014, and its first victory in a multiple-overtime game since Jan. 29, 2004.

XULA seniors Jackson and Wesley Pluviose-Philip were honored in a pregame ceremony.

XULA will close its regular season in a GCAC game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Tougaloo. The GCAC Tournament will begin March 3 in New Orleans, with XULA playing host to the semifinals March 4 and the finals March 5.

BOX SCORE

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

Lady Tornadoes win at XULA, repeat as GCAC champion

NEW ORLEANS — Adriana Anderson scored the winning points with 2:43 remaining, then Talladega shut out Xavier University of Louisiana in its final four possessions to earn a 56-54 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory Monday.

The Lady Tornadoes (19-8, 10-1) clinched their second consecutive GCAC regular-season championship.

The Gold Nuggets (16-12, 5-6) did not score after Maya Trench's basket at 3:44 gave them a 54-52 lead. Talladega then scored on its next two possessions, then pitched the defensive shutout to beat XULA for the second time this season and the fifth time in their last six meetings.

XULA missed twice from the floor in the final 26 seconds, and Sashanique Youngblood stole the ball from the Gold Nuggets' Ireyon Keith with two seconds remaining.

Tajanee Wells had 15 points and eight rebounds for Talladega. Tasheba Henry scored 12 points, and Sydnee Clark had 10.

Kelsee Singleton, one of three honored in a halftime senior ceremony, had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots for XULA. Mikayla Bates had eight points and seven rebounds.

XULA led 17-16 after one quarter, but Talladega led 35-23 at halftime after opening the second period with 14 consecutive points.

Talladega outshot XULA 34.9 to 29 percent from the floor.

XULA also honored seniors Kelsey Joseph and Bianca Brown in their final regular-season home game.

The Gold Nuggets will close their regular season in a GCAC game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Tougaloo. The GCAC Tournament will begin March 3 in New Orleans, with XULA playing host to the semifinals March 4 and the finals March 5.

BOX SCORE

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

New Head Coach Brings A Whole New Ballgame To Clark Atlanta

ATLANTA, Georgia -- As the buzzer sounded Darrell Walker casually made his way over to the scorer’s table at L.S. Epps Gymnasium and took the microphone. The first-year men’s head basketball coach at Clark Atlanta University had just engineered his Panthers to a 71-66 victory over AUC rival Morehouse College.

“We need you for every game just like this, come on out and see us now,” said Walker before joining his team in a huddle at half court. The Panthers walked off the court victorious and Walker had his first victory over Morehouse College. The two teams will meet again in less than a week, on Thursday, February 13, and the circumstances could not be urgent for Walker and his team.

The Panthers are 14-9 overall and more importantly 8-4 in the SIAC East Division. Two games behind first place Benedict College, a game and a half behind Claflin University and only a half game behind third place Fort Valley State University, Clark Atlanta has to take every game as serious as they do their annual pair of games against Morehouse (currently in fifth place in the seven team SIAC East, two games behind Clark Atlanta).

From this point on Walker’s first season as a college basketball coach is going to anything but smooth, anything but a walk in the park, a simple season of college basketball. Walker has the Panthers playing their best basketball in a decade and by the look of the student section at Epps-where the Panthers are 9-3 thus far this season-during the Morehouse game, the rest of the Atlanta University Center and Atlanta is starting to take notice, also.

CONTINUE READING

Brackets Set for 2017 CIAA Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) releases its 2017 Women's and Men's Championship Brackets. The single-elimination tournament will be held in two venues this year: Bojangles' Coliseum February 21-22 and Spectrum Center February 23-25. The final championship contests will tipoff at 4:00 p.m. for the women with the men to follow at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 25.

The Northern Division of the women's side concluded the regular season with a three-way tie for the Division Title. Chowan University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University all finished the season with a 7-3 division record. While the teams will be awarded Co-Northern Division Champions, the conference utilizes the following tiebreaker protocol to determine tournament bracket seeds: head-to-head competition, point differential, and conference record.

While Hawks split victories with the Trojans, Virginia State was downed twice by the Lady Panthers of Virginia Union. However, Chowan defeated Virginia Union in both meetings this season. Therefore, Chowan is awarded the No. 1 seed with No. 2 Virginia Union and No. 3 Virginia State to follow.

Bowie State University won their final regular season game for a 6-4 division record and No. 4 rank going in to the tournament. Lincoln (PA) University and Elizabeth City State University round out the North at No. 5 and 6, respectively.

In the women's Southern Division, Johnson C. Smith University clinched the title despite today's loss versus Shaw University. The No. 2 ranking fell to a three-way tie with Livingstone College, Winston-Salem State University, and Shaw University holding a 6-4 division record. After the tiebreaker protocol is applied, Livingstone takes the No. 2 with Winston-Salem State and Shaw to follow. The Blue Bears defeated the Rams in both regular season matchups and tops Shaw due to point differential. Livingstone won 88-73 (+15) while Shaw won 63-60 (+3). Winston-Salem State and Shaw also split victories in the regular season and tied in point differential. Winston-Salem State won 65-59 (+6) and Shaw won 66-60 (+6). When conference records are taken in to account, the Rams (9-7) sit atop of the Lady Bears (8-8).

The remainder of the Southern Division is held by No. 5 Fayetteville State University and No. 6 Saint Augustine's University.

Tuesday's Women's Tournament contests are as follows: 10:00 a.m. Bowie State vs. Fayetteville State, 12:10 p.m. Virginia State vs. Saint Augustine's, 2:20 p.m. Shaw vs. Lincoln (PA), and 4:30 p.m. Wisnton-Salem State vs. Elizabeth City State. In the quarterfinals, Livingstone will await the winner of Virginia State & Saint Augustine's for a 10:00 a.m. tipoff on Wednesday while Chowan will await their opponent between Shaw & Lincoln (PA) for their 12:10 p.m. contest. The winner between Winston-Salem State & Elizabeth City State will advance to face Virginia Union at 2:20 p.m. and Johnson C. Smith will play the winner between Bowie State & Fayetteville State at 4:30 p.m.

The men's Northern Division came down to the wire, but was clinched by Virginia Union. The Panthers ended the regular season with an 8-2 record, a tie with Virginia State. In head-to-head competition, both teams won one game each. Virginia Union won 90-71 (+19) while Virginia State won 74-59 (+15). Number 3 was secured by Chowan after today's overtime victory over VUU. Bowie State, Lincoln (PA), and Elizabeth City State round out the bottom three spots.

The Shaw Bears sit atop of the South as the Division Champion with an 8-2 record in division contests. Livingstone and Winston-Salem State faced-off today for the No. 2 seed. WSSU took the victory to tie LC at 6-4 and make a split mark in head-to-head contests. However, Livingstone holds on to No. 2 due to point differential. The Blue Bears won 101-96 (+5) while the Rams won 78-74 (+4). The Broncos of Fayetteville State earned No. 4 atop the tied Johnson C. Smith and Saint Augustine's teams. JCSU defeated SAU twice for the advantage.

Tuesday's Men's Tournament contests are as follows: 6:40 p.m. Lincoln (PA) vs. Saint Augustine's and 8:50 p.m. Johnson C. Smith versus Elizabeth City State. Games will continue on Wednesday evening with Fayetteville State versus the winner of Lincoln (PA) & Saint Augustine's at 6:40 p.m. and Bowie State versus the winner of Johnson C. Smith and Elizabeth City State at 8:50 p.m. Thursday, February 23 encompasses a full slate of men's games starting at 1:00 p.m. with Livingstone and Chowan. The Shaw Bears will play at 3:00 p.m., Virginia Union at 7:00 p.m., and Virginia State versus Winston-Salem State at 9:00 p.m.

For more information regarding the 2017 CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit ciaatournament.org. Follow the CIAA on social media via Facebook (TheCIAA), Twitter (@CIAAForLife), Instagram (@CIAASports), or download the CIAA mobile app available for Apple and Android devices.

CIAA MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS