VUU -- Pistons' Ben Wallace sets NBA record for games played by undrafted player

Auburn Hills, Michigan — If Pistons coach Lawrence Frank had a vote, he wouldn't hesitate voting Ben Wallace (Virginia Union University) into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Frank's endorsement Tuesday came about 90 minutes before Wallace set an NBA record for games played by an undrafted player (1,055).

"Oh, yeah," Frank said. "Who knows in terms of the voting? But (from my perspective), without a doubt (Wallace is in). "You look at what he's done — he's a champion, four-time defensive player of the year. I think without a doubt he has credentials to be Hall of Fame-worthy."

Ben Wallace Airballs Free Throw, Makes Three-pointer

Wallace set the record when he replaced Greg Monroe with 54.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the Spurs. The Pistons trailed 29-20 at the time, and eventually lost 99-95. The record had been held by former Spurs guard Avery Johnson (NJ Nets Head Coach), (Southern University graduate).

Wallace said he's not worried about the Hall of Fame, but would gladly accept the nod if he gets voted in. "It doesn't matter what (the player) thinks, it's all up to what everybody else thinks," Wallace said. "If (voters) say I'm a Fall of Famer, then I gotta agree with them."

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Bryant Ties School Career Scoring Mark In St. Aug Win

Keyona Bryant
6'-0" Center, Senior
Hometown: Springdale, MD
Flowers High School
Major: Communications

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Senior center Keyona Bryant (Springdale, Md.) tied the modern school career scoring mark in Saint Augustine’s College’s 58-55 CIAA women’s basketball win over Fayetteville State University Monday (Feb. 13) at Emery Gymnasium.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lady Falcons, now 12-11 overall, 7-6 CIAA and 2-5 in the Southern Division. The Lady Broncos are 10-12, 4-9 CIAA and 3-4 in the Southern Division with the loss.

The two schools split the season series. The Lady Falcons lost the first meeting 64-62 Feb. 4 in Fayetteville, N.C.

Bryant scored 12 points to tie former standout Valicia Brown with 1,522 career points. She needs one point to become the school’s modern career scoring leader, which she is sure to get Saturday (Feb. 18) at Livingstone in Salisbury, N.C. The starting time for that contest is 5:30 p.m.

Sophomore forward Umeka Benson (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Falcons. DaQuondra Cuthbertson paced the Lady Broncos with 13 points.

The victory margin would have been much larger had the Lady Falcons made their free throws. They were 19-for-42 for 45.2 percent.

Still, St. Aug led by 13 with 8:50 in the second half. Despite shooting 27 percent in the second half, the Lady Broncos rallied by forcing 24 of the Lady Falcons’ 40 turnovers in the half. The Lady Falcons’ lead was whittled to 56-55, but junior guard Jolisa Williams (Charles City, Va.) hit two clutch free throws with 24 seconds left in the game for a 58-55 Lady Falcons’ lead. FSU committed a turnover with 15 seconds left to ice the contest for the Lady Falcons.

COURTESY: THECIAA.COM

Davis Selected to Lead Historic Conference Through 100th Anniversary Tournament Celebration

Ms. Peggy Davis
Interim Commissioner, CIAA 

HAMPTON, Virginia – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and its Chairman – Dr. Mickey Burnim announced the appointment of Peggy Davis as Interim Commissioner for the Conference.

Davis, whose role is effective December 10, has been a part of the CIAA family since 1997 where she held the titles of Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Virginia State University (VSU) in Petersburg, Virginia. In July of 2003, Davis was named Athletic Director at VSU.

“The CIAA Board of Directors is very pleased that Ms. Davis has agreed to accept this assignment and serve this great Conference in that capacity”, stated Chairman of the CIAA, Dr. Mickey Burnim. “Her accomplishments are exemplary and well respected across the Conference and beyond.” Davis plays a vital role as a member of the CIAA 100th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Davis’s accomplishments are vast. She is a two-time Hall of Fame recipient at VSU and Howard Payne University. Davis has been named Athletic Director of the Year of the CIAA four of the last five years 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10 and again in 2010-11. Davis was also recognized this year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as the 2010-11 Under Armour SE Region for Division II Athletics Director of the Year. She was also honored with the Jannette A. Lee Administration Achievement Award in 2005 and 2010.

Davis is past President of the CIAA Executive Committee, as well as the CIAA Athletic Director’s Association. She is also a member of the CIAA Tournament Committee. She holds memberships in the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Davis also sits on the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee representing the Atlantic Region. In June 2010, Davis was elected to the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), Board of Directors.

“I would like to thank the CIAA Board of Directors for this opportunity to serve as the Interim Commissioner of the CIAA. I’ve been a part of the CIAA family for over 14 years and nothing brings me more honor”, stated Peggy Davis, Interim Commissioner of the CIAA. “This Conference has a strong tradition and rich legacy and I’ve excited to lead the CIAA into the biggest year of its history; celebrating 100 years is a great accomplishment.”

Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator Monique Smith served on a short-term base during the transition in leadership and will remain on board to assist through this adjustment period.

A national search has begun for a permanent Commissioner for the CIAA. The Board of Directors is expected to complete the search by July 1, 2012.

ABOUT THE CIAA

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) was founded in 1912 and is based in Hampton, Virginia. The CIAA is America’s oldest historically black college and university conference and is made up of 12 colleges and universities situated along the Eastern Seaboard. For more information about the CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit http://www.ciaatournament.org/. For more information about the CIAA Conference, visit theciaa.com.

The NCAA DII Football Championship Selection Show

Historical Black College All-Star Classic

Columbus, GA - The 8th Annual Historical Black College All-Star Classic is coming to Columbus (Georgia) on April 23rd with the game being played the Civic Center. The event pits the best players from the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, and CIAA against each other in a battle of East and West.



In addition to the College game the event will also feature matchups including local boys and girls high school all stars. Among those expected to attend include: Jordan's Harry Short, Kendrick's Elbert Elliot, Dwayne Belfield, Erica Stanley, and Janai Merritt, Hardaway's Valenta Williams and Jamaine Burrey and many more.

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Honda Battle of the Bands 2011 Set to Rock Atlanta

More than 60,000 fans will flock through the gates of Atlanta’s Georgia Dome on January 29th, 2011 to witness the 9th annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, an unparalleled performance and celebration of the nation’s elite marching bands. Renowned Hip-Hop performer and actor “Bow Wow” will join more than 1,800 student musicians and one of Atlanta’s best amateur vocalists to celebrate the music and creativity found at America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).



The Invitational Showcase Line-Up

For the highly anticipated 2011 showdown, the curtain will go up promptly at 3:00 p.m. EST. The bill includes a special guest performance by “Bow Wow,” along with crowd-pleasing routines by the nation’s top eight elite black college marching bands. Georgia’s own Albany State University will open the show and lead this year’s “great eight” performances in the following order:

1. Albany State University “Marching Rams Show Band”
2. Tennessee State University “Aristocrat of Bands”
3. Virginia State University “Trojan Explosion Marching Band”
4. Clark Atlanta University “Mighty Marching Panthers”
5. Jackson State University “The Sonic Boom of the South”
6. Winston-Salem State University “Red Sea of Sound”
7. South Carolina State University “Marching 101”
8. Bethune Cookman University “Marching Wildcats”



Grants, Internships, and More

The Honda Battle of the Bands program not only provides a platform to shine a rare spotlight on the pageantry, pride and showmanship of HBCU music and culture, but it also is the only national music scholarship program of its kind. For the 2011 program, 45 HBCU marching bands participated in the pre-qualifying “Celebration Tour,” and received $1,000 grants for their music programs. An additional $20,000 will be awarded to the eight institutions selected to participate in this month’s Invitational Showcase.

In addition to the distribution of grant monies, the program also includes internship opportunities through the Fox Music Experience, and an HBCU Recruitment Fair will expose future college students to all HBCUs have to offer. The Fox Music Experience, now in its fourth year, provides one HBOB Invitational Showcase student-musician the opportunity to spend a few weeks during the summer months as an intern at Twentieth Century Fox studios in Los Angeles, learning film and television music production first-hand. The Honda Battle of the Bands HBCU Recruitment Fair, now in its sixth year, gives young people the opportunity to meet with marching band and admissions recruiters to discuss admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities.

Group and individual tickets for the show are still available, but moving quickly. They can be purchased at the Georgia Dome Box Office, via www.Ticketmaster.com or www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com for just $10 and $12.



For more information on the Invitational Showcase, Fox Music Experience summer internship program and HBCU Recruitment Fair, photos, press materials and video footage visit www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com, the official online destination and clearinghouse for all HBOB information.

Hip-Hop Icon “Bow Wow” to Perform

Hip-Hop artist and actor “Bow Wow” will be on hand as the special guest performer this year. The Columbus, Ohio native is best known for his musical lineage, taking his stage name from his mentor, fellow rapper-actor “Snoop Dog,” Bow Wow’s film credits include The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Lottery Ticket. He is also noted for his cameo appearances in the critically-acclaimed television series, “Smallville,” “Ugly Betty,” “Entourage” and others.



Amateur Vocalists Welcomed To Audition for National Anthem

The Honda Battle of the Bands national anthem will be performed by a talented local vocalist selected once through a promotional radio “sing-off.” WVEE-FM, or “V-103,” Atlanta’s top-ranked urban radio station, is partnering with the Honda Battle of the Bands once again to invite listeners 16 years of age or older to demonstrate their vocal skills for a once–in-a-lifetime opportunity to open the 2011 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase. This year, three finalists will be selected by a panel of judges at the open audition on Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia, Georgia. Music fans can then log on to the station's web site and vote for their favorite rendition of the national anthem. The winner will be announced on-air on January 21st, 2011, and he or she will command the spotlight to open the showcase on January 29th.

North Carolina A&T State University Aggies All Fired Up to Host Inaugural HBCU and Small College PRO COMBINE

Greensboro, NC -- Final preparations are underway at Ford Stadium Complex, where legendary track and field head coach, Roy W. Thompson Jr., is readying the Irwin Belk Track for senior football standouts from across the country, coming next weekend for a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to show their stellar physical abilities. North Carolina A&T State University is hosting the first annual HBCU & Small College Pro Combine this Friday, Saturday & Sunday: May 21 through 23, 2010.

Thompson believes his electronically timed 40-yard dash event will catapult participants onto the “fast track” to success. “I’m privileged to be a part of this event and am looking forward to the recognition and opportunities this is going to bring to the overlooked potential of HBCU athletes,” remarks Thompson.

“This includes two of our own,” adds Head Football Coach Alfonso Lee, "NC A&T is going to be represented by two outstanding young men: Nichols Clement, a 6 Ft., 205-lb. safety, and Andre Thornton, a 6 ft. 1 in., 240 lb. linebacker.”

Also lending a hand to oversee the pull-up station will be active duty SEALs and former NAVY SEALs, retired Captain Dave Morrison and Master Chief Petty Officer Mark Courrier.
Co-founder of this event, Gene Washington, explains, “The SEALS are comprised of elite athletes with superior character and a desire to serve others in a way that not many can. Having the SEALs join us creates a unique and thrilling twist to our event.”

“These gifted athletes have some of the same unique characteristics - mature, focused, committed, self-motivated and driven, that make a good Navy SEAL”, says Morrison. “The HBCU Pro Combine is an excellent venue for us to educate these young athletes on a possible career in the SEAL Teams.”

For more information on the HBCU & Small College Pro Combine at North Carolina A&T State University, please contact info@procombine.com or call 336-937-5202. The downtown Greensboro Marriott hotel will be hosting the players, coaches, and scouts. The Combine is for draft eligible QBs, DBs RBs, TEs, LBs and Wide Outs. Running the three-day programs will be Director of Operations, Coach John Falvey, former Defensive Coordinator at Winston-Salem State University. Falvey will be assisted by the Director of Competition, Coach Alfonso Lee, Head Football Coach at NC A&T State University; and the Director of Logistics, Coach Robert Massey, Assistant Head Football Coach at Shaw University.

FOR MORE INFO: http://www.procombine.com

Trailblazers: From Black Colleges to the NFL

Banks' book teaches history

Oree Banks has stood among giants.

In 30-plus years of coaching football, he has studied and coached with some of the all-time greats. Now, he's written about those giants. His new book, "Trailblazers: From Black Colleges to the NFL," recounts the exploits of the first seven black coaches inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame and some of the players they coached.

In addition to Banks himself, who coached at West Virginia State and South Carolina State, the first coaches to enter the NAIA hall were Alonzo "Jake" Gaither, Florida A&M; Fred "Pop" Long, Paul Quinn College, Wiley College and Prairie View College; Harry Jefferson, Bluefield State, North Carolina A&T, Virginia State and Hampton College; Arnette W. Mumford, Jarvis Christian, Southern, Bishop and Texas College; Billy Nicks, Morris Brown and Prairie View A&M; and Eddie Robinson, Grambling University.

Banks, 67, coached at West Virginia State for seven seasons. He is retired from coaching but still teaches. He also conducts drug awareness seminars and has visited every college in the state to talk with student-athletes about drugs. In his quest to write the book, Banks spent three years doing research and traveling to the various colleges where the coaches worked. He thought it was important to tell the story of the struggles of black athletes and coaches in these historically black colleges in the days before desegregation.

"Today's young people need to learn the history of these coaches," he said. "These men all have a story to tell." He said he was surprised by some of the things he learned.

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Oree Banks is an associate professor, Health and Human Performance at West Virginia State University. The former head football coach is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and conducts drug awareness seminars for student athletes throughout the United States. Banks was head coach at West Virginia State and South Carolina State. He was one of the first full-time assistant coaches at the University of South Carolina and the University of Virginia. Banks was also an assistant at Wisconsin and at Grambling State University, during a 30 year coaching career.