Bulldogs Smalls trying to become the man behind ‘The Franchise’

Kenneth Smalls is a realist when it comes to his goals heading into his senior year at South Carolina State University. “If I can get at least five or six carries a game, that would be good,” he said. “They could use me for small yards or something like that.”

This may sound like the former James Island standout has resigned himself to seeing limited action for the Bulldogs. After all, Smalls looks at the depth chart and sees two players - the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in William Ford and team touchdown leader Travil Jamison - who accounted for 73.7 percent of S.C. State’s carries and 75.8 percent of the rushing yards.

Yet through six spring practice sessions, Smalls has not looked like a running back content with limited playing time after working his way from the practice squad. Having dropped 12 pounds during the off-season, the 5-8, 233-pounder is determined to put himself in position to be a third option out of the backfield.

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NSU wants a day off; foe wants to cash in

NSU president Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers says DSU offered to pay NSU between $25,000 and $30,000 for changing their schedule.

Delaware State wants a record pay day. Norfolk State just wants a day off. The conference rivals, accustomed to knocking heads on the football field, are beginning early this year, in a tussle over scheduling. The Hornets, hoping to bank $500,000 by playing at Michigan, have asked Norfolk State to move a game at Delaware State from Nov. 14 to Oct. 3. The problem, that's the Spartans' open date. Move the game, and NSU would play 10 straight weeks without a break - after four weeks of preseason camp.

That's unacceptable, said school officials, who went on the public relations offensive by holding a news conference Friday. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule has been set for more than a year. Delaware State knew that when Michigan called, offering what is believed to be the most lucrative "guarantee" game in MEAC history. "We should not have to be disadvantaged because another university did not respect the conference schedule," NSU president Carolyn W. Meyers said.

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WSSU's Ketchum tinkers with defense

Defense was a strength for Winston-Salem State last season, and it should be even stronger next season. To get it there, however, coordinator Mike Ketchum has become a mad scientist and is experimenting during spring practice. One experiment involves correcting a flaw with his base defense against opponents that use tight ends. The Rams' base last year was a 3-3, but Ketchum has converted it to a 3-4.

Juan Corders, a talented 6-2, 250-pound senior, is a linebacker by definition but also quick enough to cover tight ends. He has been shifted around in the new alignment. "We're experimenting to try and become a little stronger against tight-end sets," Ketchum said. "It gives you a little better look with Juan on the tight end, and it gives you a bigger body. And if they spread it, we'll jump back into the 3-3 some." The tight end who hurt the Rams most last season might have been Octavius Darby of S.C. State. He had three catches for 108 yards in a 43-17 win. On one of those catches, a 79-yard touchdown play, he was unguarded and untouched.

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Six takes over HU women's program

Former Hampton High girls basketball coach David Six was named the interim women's basketball coach at Hampton University late Tuesday in a quick move by athletic director Lonza Hardy. Six will replace four-year coach Walter Mebane, whose contract expired Tuesday and was not renewed. "I'm very excited," said Six, who coached 14 years at Hampton High before resigning in May 2008 to become HU's Director of Intramurals for the 2008-09 school year. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me. I'm very appreciative for the administration at Hampton University to think that I can come in and do a good job."

Six won two Group AAA state titles (2001, 2007) and compiled a 331-93 mark in his time at Hampton High. Six also coached Gloucester's boys basketball team from 1995-97 and went 24-39. Six officially was named the interim coach for the upcoming season, but Hardy is looking beyond. "Our thought process was that this would evolve into a permanent position," Hardy said late Tuesday. "We wanted to get him started and have him get our program back on track. We have every intention of making it a full-time position after the upcoming season.

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FAMU Well Armed At QB

There is no quarterback controversy for the Rattlers this Spring. When it comes to the two play callers that led the MEAC's top scoring offense in 2008, if the system's not broken, don't fix it. "We're going to probably start the way we finished with Curtis being the guy," Head Coach Joe Taylor said. "I just feel good that you got a guy that for whatever reason, he's winded or temporarily gets knocked out of a game, you got a guy like Eddie that can just come in and keep things going. Look to see Eddie playing, but the starter is definitely Curtis."

Last season, Pulley and Battle combined for the best pass efficiency in the MEAC, and tied for the fewest interceptions. It's a duo that understands the needs of the team come before the individual. Eddie Battle says, "He comes in, he's having an equal opportunity, knowing the system, but it's never combative. We're friends first and we're teammates, and then we compete for a spot, and that makes the both of us play better." Taylor adds, "You want to be able to create an atmosphere of competitive spirit, and certainly we're hopeful that there are going to be some battles."

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HU men's basketball coach resigns

Coach Kevin Nickelberry joins the exit train of successful former HU Pirates coaches -- Patricia Cage-Bibbs, Steve Merfeld, Bobby Collins, Joe Taylor, Jerry Holmes and Walter Mebane.

Hampton University men's basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry resigned Wednesday with one year remaining on his multi-year contract. Hampton athletic director Lonza Hardy said in a release that Nickelberry resigned now so that his decision would not affect recruiting. "I want to thank coach Nickelberry for his three years of service to Hampton University," Hardy said. "While we hate to lose him, I respect his decision to resign in order to pursue other opportunities."

Hardy said assistant head coach Edward Joyner will be the Pirates interim head coach through the 2009-10 season.Nickelberry, 44, said in the same release that the decision was a tough one. "I want to thank Hampton University for giving me my first college head-coaching opportunity," Nickelberry said. "Everyone here has helped to work to make me a better coach." Joyner joined Nickelberry's staff when Nickelberry was hired at Hampton in 2006. Joyner, a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., served as an assistant for 11 years at his alma matter.

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FAMU Baseball Splits Doubleheader

Tallahassee, FL - The Florida A&M Baseball team split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with North Carolina A&T Sunday, winning the opening game, 8-5, before dropping the second game, 10-2 here at Moore-Kittles Field. FAMU (9-12, 2-3 in MEAC) had 11 hits in Sunday's opener. Led by Derrick Shaw and Antonio Burke with two hits apiece. Gabriel Rodriguez and Adam Gordon each drove in a pair of runs.

The Rattlers erased a 1-0 A&T lead with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first, then added a single run in the second to build a 5-1 lead. FAMU extended their lead to 8-1 by the sixth inning with a run in the fourth and two more runs in the sixth. The Aggies (7-15, 3-2 in MEAC) scored once in the eighth before pushing across three more in the ninth to make the game interesting. Sophomore Anthony Espin (2-4) turned in a complete game in the opening, scattering nine hits and allowing five runs in nine innings. He struck out six and walked three Sunday.

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Jaguars slam Grambling to finish 3-game sweep

Victor Franklin and Edmond Morton both hit grand slams in a nine-run Southern second inning as the Jaguars routed Grambling State, 26-10, today at Lee-Hines ield. The Jaguars (14-7 overall, 11-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) completed a three-game sweep with their seventh consecutive victory overall.

Southern pushed its SWAC winning streak to 11. Romey Bracey drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second to give the Jaguars a 3-2 lead. Franklin followed with his bases-clearing shot as SU took a 7-2 advantage.

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Braddy says JSU needs $500,000 to save some sports

Only four SWAC institutions, Alabama State, Southern, Prairie View A&M and Jackson State have 18 sports programs. Southern is in danger of losing men's tennis and women's golf.

Jackson State might be forced to drop some sports if the athletic department's financial situation does not improve, administrators say. Offering 18 intercollegiate sports on a $6.5 million budget, the department is scraping to get through the 2008-09 fiscal year that ends June 30. If more money is not raised through donations and sponsorships, JSU might have to eliminate two or three sports, athletic director Bob Braddy said. Braddy said the department needs to raise $500,000 by June to feel secure going into the 2009-10 school year.

Jackson State president Ronald Mason said he won't slash budgets of individual sports in order to keep all 18 programs. JSU has won the Southwestern Athletic Conference All-Sports competition two years running and a large crystal vase signifying those successes sits in the lobby of Mason's office. He said he would rather maintain success in fewer sports than fall to mediocrity in others by cutting the recruiting budget or other needs. About half of JSU's $6.5 million budget comes from student fees and general funds.

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Howard Announces 2009 Football Schedule

by HU Sports Information

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Howard University kicks off the 2009 season with Rutgers from the Big East and will follow with games at Florida A&M and cross town against Georgetown before its home season opener against Winston-Salem State on October 3.

The Bison, who play five of their first six games at away from home, will then return to the road for conference games at Hampton and at Morgan State before hosting North Carolina A&T for homecoming on October 24. A road game at Norfolk State follows and then there are back-to-back home contests against South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman. Howard will close out the regular season with a road game at Delaware State on November 21.

The Bison are playing Rutgers and Georgetown for the second time. Howard played Rutgers in 2006 and they played the Hoyas last season at Greene Stadium.

Date Opponent Location Time

Sept. 12 Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. TBA
Sept. 19 Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla. TBA
Sept. 26 Georgetown (Multi-Sport Field)% Washington, D.C. TBA
Oct. 3 WINSTON-SALEM STATE WASHINGTON, D.C. 1 p.m.
Oct. 10 Hampton Hampton, Va. 1 p.m.
Oct. 17 Morgan State Baltimore, Md. TBA
Oct. 24 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE* WASHINGTON, D.C. 1 p.m.
Oct. 31 Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. TBA
Nov. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE WASHINGTON, D.C. 1 p.m.
Nov. 14 BETHUNE-COOKMAN! WASHINGTON, D.C. 1 p.m.
Nov. 21 Delaware State Dover, Del. TBA

Home games in CAPS
MEAC games in bold
All Times are EST and subject to change

% - D.C. Cup
* - Homecoming
! - Senior Day

Auburn assistant picked to coach TSU men's team

After having a positive impact on one group of Tigers this season, John Cooper hopes to carry that over. The longtime Auburn men's basketball assistant was announced Friday as the new head coach at Tennessee State. Cooper, 40, replaces Cy Alexander — who was fired in February after five-plus seasons at the TSU helm — and Mark Pittman, who guided the Ohio Valley Conference program on an interim basis following Alexander's departure.

"First of all, it is a lifelong dream and a lifelong journey," Cooper said in a statement. As associate head coach under Jeff Lebo, the Kansas City, Mo., native helped Auburn to an NIT quarterfinals berth and a 24-12 record, tying for the second-most single-season victories in the program's history.

"I am really enthusiastic and excited about the opportunity," he said. "My goal is to obviously be successful, but also to put a product on the court that Tennessee State University is proud of, and one that is successful both on and off the court. In the future, we want to be able to say that we competed for championships in the OVC and hopefully say that we have won championships." Prior to his arrival at Auburn in 2004, Cooper served as an assistant at Oregon, South Carolina and Fayetteville (N.C.) State. Cooper inherits a program that has not posted a winning season since the 1996-97 team was 15-13.

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Former star Moton becomes NCCU's coach

DURHAM -- LeVelle Moton described the past month as a bit "overwhelming." Two weeks ago, his wife gave birth to their first child and on Wednesday officials at N.C. Central appointed him as the Eagles' 17th basketball coach -- his first NCAA Division I head-coaching position.

"I really have to pinch myself," said Moton, the former Enloe High standout who later was a star guard for the Eagles. "March 2009 will be a month and year I will always remember. With the birth of my firstborn and just the opportunity to come back home and be the coach of my alma mater. ... This university was my father, it's a culture, it raised me. ... I owe this university an awful lot."

Moton, who is third on the Eagles' career scoring list (1,714 points), was a shooting guard from 1992 to 1996. He helped the team win an NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional title in 1993.

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Delaware State Bowling Team Takes MEAC Title

Dover, DE-- The Delaware State bowling team is the new Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion. The Hornets defeated surprising Florida A&M four-games-to-none to capture the first MEAC title in team history this afternoon at Gate City Lanes in Greensboro, N.C., outscoring the Rattlers 792-to-706 in the four games.

DSU was undefeated in four Baker matches the last two days to claim the title. Florida A&M upset Maryland-Eastern Shore (UMES) this morning to advance to the championship round. UMES, the defending NCAA champion, had won the previous three conference titles. "This is a great achievement for our team and the university," said Delaware State second-year head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney. "Our girls have worked so hard all season, and its great to be rewarded with a conference championship. The MEAC is well respected in women's bowling, so winning the championship means so much to our program. Winning the conference and earning a NCAA Tournament bid were among our top goals this season."

Although there are no automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, the Hornets are among the favorites to reach the eight-team tourney for the first time is team history. The NCAA will announce its tournament selections on Wednesday (Mar. 25) at 5:00 pm. The 2009 NCAA Women's Bowling Tournament is set for April 8-11 in Detroit, Michigan.

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Paris, OU too much for Prairie View A&M

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Simply put, Courtney Paris is a force of nature. Paris scored 11 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots to help the Oklahoma Sooners blow past Prairie View A&M 76-47 in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. “Courtney Paris proved tonight that she’s the anchor of her team,” Prairie View coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said. But Paris did not have to carry the load alone.

The top-seeded Sooners (29-4) have a treasure trove of talent and put it all on display in an ESPN-televised game. Starters Danielle Robinson and Ashley Paris combined for 29 points, and Oklahoma’s bench outscored the Lady Panthers’ 20-3. The Lady Panthers (23-11) planned to play an up-tempo style to throw the Sooners off-balance. It was Oklahoma, however, that largely dictated the pace of play.

PVAMU Panthers athletic director Fred Washington

The Sooners went on a 20-8 run midway through the first 20 minutes, but Prairie View managed to hang around. Dominique Smith, who matched Gaati Werema as the Panthers’ leading scorer, scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half, and Prairie View trailed just 38-28 heading into intermission. Prairie View struggled in the second half, shooting just 18.2 percent (6-for-33) from the floor

Stats Notes View gallery

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A&T embraces challenge: Coach and two stars have been here before

DULUTH, Ga. -- The NCAA women's basketball tournament selection committee finally gave the MEAC a little respect Monday night, designating N.C. A&T as a No. 14 seed rather than the usual No. 16. That doesn't mean the Aggies won't have a major first-round challenge when they face third-seeded Florida State at 2:30 p.m. today in the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Seminoles (25-7) are ranked No. 12 nationally and shared first place in the ACC with Maryland during the regular season. The Terps got a No. 1 seed for the tournament, as did Duke, the team that knocked off FSU in a semifinal of the ACC tournament.

A MEAC team has never won a women's NCAA tournament game in the event's 28-year history. N.C. A&T, though, showed what it is capable of with a victory over A-10 champion Charlotte this season, and the Aggies (26-6) have a couple other things in their favor. Although this is N.C. A&T's first NCAA trip since 1994, coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs joins senior standouts Amber Bland and Brittanie Taylor-James with March Madness experience.

This is the seventh tournament for Cage-Bibbs, who previously guided Grambling and Hampton to the tournament. Bland played on a NCAA team as a freshman at Penn State, while Taylor-James did the same at UC-Santa Barbara. "Our kids deserve to be here and they are going to do their very best," Cage-Bibbs said.

GAME TIME: 2:30 P.M. EDT TODAY--ESPN2

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All-MEAC Brittanie Taylor-James, 6-0 senior forward from Evanston, IL makes a return to the NCAA Tournament.

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Been There: Cage-Bibbs has experience in tournament, even if N.C. A&T players don't

Patricia Cage-Bibbs, who took over at N.C. A&T four seasons ago, has a 423-244 career coaching record. The Lady Aggies will battle a talented Florida State Seminoles team that may be the region's favorite to advance.

One of the luxuries that N.C. A&T will have in the NCAA Women's Tournament is the experience of Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. Cage-Bibbs has taken two other programs to the tournament (Grambling and Hampton) and knows about all of the hype surrounding the postseason. "You don't get caught up in all of that," she said. "What I'm going to do is just tell them it's a great opportunity, and you just play and execute, and if we do that we'll be trouble for some teams."

The Aggies, regular-season and tournament champions in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, are the 14th seed in the Trenton Regional and will play No. 3 Florida State at 2:30 Saturday in Duluth, Ga. "A 14th seed just shows the kind of respect these young ladies have earned over the last two seasons," said Cage-Bibbs, whose Aggies have the highest seed ever for a MEAC team. "We are excited, but we are not just happy to be there. We're going to come ready to play."

Lady Aggies junior guard Ta'Wuana "Tweet" Cook, Fayetteville, N.C. Seventy-First H.S., is ready to play the FSU Seminoles.

This will be A&T's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1994, but the Aggies gained some postseason experience last season in the WNIT, where they lost to South Carolina 102-74. Cage-Bibbs, who has had just four losing seasons in her 23-year career, took over at A&T four seasons ago and has turned her program into one of the MEAC's best.

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Redemption: Bozeman back in the Dance with Morgan State

Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman is back in the NCAA tournament after a 13-year absence after he was dismissed at California for NCAA violations. "I wanted to show I could do it again and I could do it right and it really was an aberration," he says. "It was a decision I made that was costly, and I use it with my children, with my players. There are consequences for your actions, and you have to think carefully before you do things.

VIEW FREE --MORGAN ST. VS. OU GAME LIVE @ 9:55 ET ON CBS: http://mmod.ncaa.com/

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Todd Bozeman still aches. Once one of college basketball's most promising young coaches, then an admitted cheat, he has spent more than a decade in recovery. Three years ago, he found work again at Morgan State. Today, in his first NCAA tournament game since 1996, Bozeman and the Bears will try to engineer a first-round upset of No. 2-seeded Oklahoma. "To me," he says, "it begins and ends with the fact that I'm coaching. All the other stuff is gravy."

The sins of his past were egregious, however. Bozeman, then at California, doled out cash to a coveted recruit even as the school and the NCAA were finishing up an earlier case involving secondary violations by the program. Perhaps justly, his healing can never be complete. Bozeman was exiled by the NCAA for eight years and untouchable — all but unhirable —- for awhile after that. His father remained his staunchest ally, preaching patience, assuring his son that everyone makes mistakes and new opportunities inevitably arrive. But less than four months before one finally did at Morgan State, Ira Bozeman was diagnosed with lung cancer. A month later, he died at 67.

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Totally Unbelievable! Morgan State and Coach Todd Bozeman articles are dominating the newspapers and Internet today---from USA Today, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Baltimore Sun....147 articles... Coach Bozeman and Morgan State is hot, hot, hot!!! GO BEARS!!!

Morehead States Defeats Alabama State In Play-In Game

ASU and the SWAC suffered another embarrassing loss with the 7-foot Chief ending his Hornet career scoring 0 points and 2 rebounds against Morehead State. A record crowd of 11,346 at the Dayton Arena and a national television audience watched the "not made for TV" affair.

Morehead State didn't need a Chief on the boards to get its first NCAA victory in a 25 years. Center Kenneth Faried got the better of his bigger and more syllabic counterpart Tuesday night, and the Eagles never trailed during a 58-43 victory over Alabama State that opened the NCAA Tournament and ended a quarter-century of futility for Morehead State.

Morehead State (20-15) played its way into a first-round rematch Friday with top-seeded Louisville in the Midwest Regional. Alabama State (22-10) hoped to set the tone defensively behind shot-blocker Grlenntys Chief Kickingstallionsims Jr., a 7-foot-1 center whose reach is as long as his name. He swatted away three shots, but wasn't much help where he was needed most — on the boards.

Faried, the Ohio Valley Conference's defensive player of the year, had 14 points and 21 rebounds. The Eagles dominated the boards, 50-27. Andrew Hayles scored 14 for Alabama State. Morehead State hadn't made the tournament since 1984. The Eagles beat North Carolina A&T in an opening game that featured the first TV replay used to settle a tournament dispute.

Box Score » Watch Replay » Play‑By‑Play »
Photos »

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Another confirmation that Alabama State and SWAC Basketball sucks! Should the NCAA take away the SWAC's automatic bid and move to a 64 game format? Who can debate the results--0 and whatever! Nobody remembers the last time the SWAC won a NCAA tournament game. How can you not be prepared and competitive with a 19-15 OVC team that should be a member of the SWAC?

-beepbeep

Prairie View women to face OU in NCAA tourney

PVAMU Coach Cynthia Cooper Dyke says the major difference this year will be confidence because the seven freshmen from two years ago are now seasoned juniors.

Prairie View guard Shondria Combs could hardly contain herself as the Lady Panthers waited for their NCAA Tournament first-round opponent to be revealed Monday night. It seemed like an eternity had passed. But moments into the NCAA Tournament Selection Show’s second segment, Prairie View’s name and its daunting task were revealed. The 16th-seeded Lady Panthers, making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years, drew Oklahoma City Regional No.1 seed Oklahoma in Sunday’s opening round in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Lady Panthers and the crowd in Buffalo Wild Wings erupted despite the obstacle ahead. “I was excited about whoever we were going to play,” said Combs, a junior. “Just being here is exciting because everybody doesn’t get to make it here so getting there is exciting.” But that’s about as far as the gracious talk went Monday night. The Panthers, led by fourth-year coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, said just being happy to be going to the Big Show was for the first time when they lost to North Carolina in the first round.

This time the Panthers (23-10) are thinking about advancing even as they face one of the most dominant players in college basketball in powerful OU senior post Courtney Paris, who is a 6-foot-4 menace in the paint.

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14th Seed North Carolina A&T to face Florida State

Excerpts:

N.C. A&T celebrated its first bid to the tournament since 1994 and the highest seed ever for a MEAC team after winning the conference tournament Saturday. The Aggies (26-6) are seeded 14th in the Trenton Regional and will face third-seeded Florida State (25-7) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Duluth, Ga. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 2 p.m.

"A fourteenth seed just shows the kind of respect these young ladies have earned over the last two seasons," A&T coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs said after watching the selection show with her team and fans Monday night at the student union. "We are excited, but we are not just happy to be there. We're going to come ready to play."

For the Seminoles (25-7, 12-2 ACC), it was exactly what they wanted: A neutral setting close to home. The No. 3 seed was just an added touch of sweetness. "We started getting a little restless," FSU forward Jacinta Monroe said. "I guess we thought they forgot to put our names up there. The seed and the region we're in, there are going to be tough teams, but it's definitely a region we can take."

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