Ricketts' 21 leads Razorbacks to win over Florida A&M

University of Arkansas junior C'eira Ricketts poured in 21 points and had eight rebounds leading the Razorbacks to a season-opening win over Florida A&M, 71-62, in Bud Walton Arena Friday. Ricketts was one shy of her career best and was one of three Razorbacks in double-digits. Arkansas opens the season 1-0, while Florida A&M is 0-1.

"I didn't feel like I had 21 points," Ricketts laughed after the game. "I felt off today but I just kept playing and trying to help the team."

The Razorbacks won the tip and took the opening drive down the court finishing with a jumper from sophomore Sarah Watkins to start the game. Watkins finished with 11 points and seven rebounds after giving Arkansas the first lead, a lead they would never surrender.

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Murray will help build FAMU's program through recruiting

Coach LeDawn Gibson didn't have to look at Freddie Murray's complete resume to find out how much he could help the women's basketball program at Florida A&M. She only needed to look at his role at North Carolina A&T.

"It was a big factor but it was all of those things — the loyalty, maturity and all that played a part," Gibson said Wednesday. "I just knew how experienced he is and that can help me take this program up. We're looking to do better each year and I think his experience will help us out a lot."

Murray joined Gibson's staff as an assistant to replace Stephen Joyner, who left at the end of last season to take the head coaching job at Winston Salem State. One of the primary roles for Murray will be to help build FAMU's program through recruiting.



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FAMU women's hoops team eager to earn first banner

Rattlers already out on floor preparing for 2010-11 season

As a handful of players from the Florida A&M women's basketball team went through their unsupervised offseason drills inside the Lawson Center, the bare rafters overhead were very obvious. There isn't a single banner hanging yet in the gym that was opened last fall. The FAMU women's basketball team wants to be the first to get one. The process begins when the season does in November.



But the players seemingly are willing to put in the necessary time on the floor and go through early morning workouts in an effort to reach their goal. "It starts right now," said junior forward Antonia Bennett. "I think we really have the talent this year to win. As long as we have the right attitude and the work ethic we can pull it off. We just have to put all the pieces together." Of course, coach LeDawn Gibson will be the one deciding how that is done. But for now the players are making do on their own as they prepare to play at Gibson's up-tempo pace.

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FAMU's Joyner Jr. will coach WSSU women

Winston Salem State University Lady Rams head coach Steven Joyner, Jr.

Steven Joyner Jr., an assistant women's coach at Florida A&M, has been named the new women's coach at Winston-Salem State University. Joyner, 30, is a former point guard at Johnson C. Smith and a son of Steve Joyner Sr., a hall-of-fame coach at Johnson C. Smith. A search committee helped Bill Hayes, the athletics director at WSSU, through an extensive search to replace Dee Stokes. According to several sources, Joyner and Keith Bell, a Winston-Salem native and the director of basketball operations for the Elon women's team, were both interviewed last week. Joyner, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, has extensive ties to WSSU and Winston-Salem. Joyner's father is a Winston-Salem native and Joyner's mother, Narell, is a graduate of WSSU.

Joyner is a 2001 graduate of Johnson C. Smith and was a four-year point guard for his father. He wound up with a 399 career assists (4.5 a game) and during his senior season helped the Bulls win the CIAA Tournament title. For the last two seasons he has been an assistant for the Florida A&M women's team, where he worked for Hayes for one season. Hayes is a former athletics director at Florida A&M and came to WSSU in January. Before coming to Florida A&M, Joyner was an assistant at UNC Asheville for a brief time, and he spent four seasons as an assistant at N.C. Central.

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Howard defeats FAMU in MEAC women's basketball tournament

Howard University Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler

Zykia Brown scored the go-ahead basket, then came up with a key steal, as Howard edged Florida A&M, 56-54, in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C. The fourth-seeded Lady Bison (16-13) will face eighth-seeded South Carolina State at noon Friday. The Lady Bulldogs upset top-seeded North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals.

Brown, a first-team all-MEAC selection, and Saadia Doyle, the conference rookie of the year, combined for 21 of Howard's 25 first-half points. Brown finished with 20 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, while Doyle recorded her 20th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. "We know that it is a new season when you get into the tournament," said Brown, a junior guard. "We came out focused and ready to play." In each of the two previous matchups between the teams, Howard won by a point. The Lady Rattlers are 18-11.

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READ RELATED ARTICLES:
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FAMU women fall to Howard in MEAC tourney
B-CU in MEAC semis
Winston-Salem ready to return to D-II, CIAA

FAMU coach Gibson puts together staff, plan

(Mark's Digital Photography)

Excerpt:

LeDawn Gibson hasn't been able to find a quiet moment yet since beginning her job two months as the new women's head basketball coach at FAMU.

So far she has found two experienced coaches in Stephen Joyner Jr. and LaTasha Shipman. Joyner comes from Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, N.C.), where he was a women's assistant coach. Shipman played at Shaw University (Raleigh, N.C.) and is joining Gibson's staff after four seasons as an assistant with the women's team at Shaw.

Gibson also has signed two players — Tameka McKelton and Antonia Bennett — who both come to FAMU ranked by Floridahoops.com as top-40 players in the state.


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FAMU Hires Ledawn S. Gibson as New Women's Basketball Coach

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University today hired Ledawn S. Gibson, a former head coach at Winter Haven High School, as its new women’s basketball coach.

“We are pleased that we found someone that we believe is a good fit for our program,” said FAMU Athletic Director Bill Hayes. “She is a talented coach who has demonstrated from year-to-year that she has what it takes to lead us to a championship.”

FAMU Board of Trustees today approved a three-year contract for Gibson with an annual salary of $90,000.

“When you consider her record and history, I’m confident that we have found the right coach for our program,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “We were looking for consistency and a person with the ability to build a winning program. We found it in Coach Gibson.”

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View Video of Gibson: (http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid464021271/bctid1445126719 )

I'M NOT IMPRESSED WITH THIS HIRE!

First, congratulations to the Ammons Administration for killing the progress of the FAMU Women's Basketball Program. Certainly, a change was necessary from the substandard performance of the Debra Clark era; but to completely ignore accomplished NCAA Division II experienced head basketball coaches and experienced non-HBCU Division I top assistant coaches at Mid-Major programs is just completely stupid.

Ledawn S. Gibson is a very fine "high school coach" with a nice history of productivity. However, if you believe her statements made on March 6, 2008, to The Ledger.com, (read: http://www.theledger.com/article/20080306/NEWS/803060561/1008/SPORTS01 ) she has gone from needing a change from girls coaching to planning to becoming an assistant principal, to FAMU's head women's basketball coach is less than 60 days. And all of this maneuvering was done before Debra Clark was ousted on March 24.

No one with both paddles in the water quits a gig in the mists of a national recession, without a firm offer in hand to pay the bills. I don't think Gibson is totally nuts; but she may be unrealistic regarding what lies ahead, coming to the college arena with a record of 0-0 and ZERO Division I college experience to boot.

The Bob Wade Story

Secondly, this scenario reminds me of the Robert Pernell Wade ("Bob Wade") experiment. Some of you may recall this story of the former Morgan State great who played college football for the MSU Bears. After college, ole Bob had a nice NFL career playing for the Steelers, Redskins and Broncos, before returning to Baltimore to coach basketball and mentor inter-city kids.

Prior to his coaching stint at University of Maryland, Wade had coached at Baltimore's Dunbar High School for ten years, where he compiled a 341-25 record and was often ranked in the nation's top 10. Wade was legendary in Baltimore circles and for stocking both John Thompson's Georgetown Hoyas and Maryland's program with key pieces of their championship teams.

Wade was originally hired to replace College Basketball Hall of Famer, Charles "Lefty" Driesell, Maryland's basketball coach of 17 years. Driesell resigned over concerns about the death of All-American forward Len Bias and subsequent revelations about his players' poor academic performances.

In high school, Wade had been a strong disciplinarian, and he was appealing to University of Maryland administrators who were attempting to clean up the basketball program.

He was also hired in order to increase diversity as he became the first African American coach of a major sport in the Atlantic Coast Conference, despite the fact that he had no prior experience in coaching a team at the collegiate level.

Wade resigned on May 12, 1989 after three years as head coach, compiling a 36-50 record. Not only was he unable to rebuild the basketball program during his tenure, but his resignation came amid allegations that he broke NCAA rules in dealing with players and recruits, and as a result the university received severe sanctions.

Thirdly, Gibson, like Cynthia Cooper Dyke at Prairie View A&M University did two years ago, will be coming to FAMU with total unfamiliarity of NCAA rules and regulations. You may recall that PVAMU lost three scholarships attributed to the former WNBA coach and Houston Comets star major violations in practice and financial support due to unfamiliarity with the required NCAA regulations. PVAMU women's basketball program is currently on four years of NCAA probation.

And Ammons wants you to believe that Gibson will bring consistency and win championships with no preparation for what lies ahead in the complex and competitive world of Division I women's college basketball. As Bob Wade learned, it's one thing to coach high school kids in high school, but it is a completely different world to persuade these same players to come play for a coach with no track record at all beyond junior varsity and high school.

Gibson may one day become a great college coach. Too bad that Ammons has decided that FAMU should become her training ground for his silly experiment, and not some low profile JUCO, Division III or Division II level program. This should not be--FAMU should always strive to hire the best experienced coach available--that can compete with Coppin State University, North Carolina A&T, Morgan State University and Delaware State University; conference programs that are consistently at the top of the MEAC standings.

What does Savannah State and FAMU now have in common? They both hired inexperienced high school coaches to lead their purported Division I major programs in football and basketball, respectively. Unfortunately, Gibson will soon learn that coaching and recruiting against the upper echelon of Division I experienced coaching leadership is not the same as her success on the lesser level.

Did FAMU not learn anything valuable from the Rubin Carter experiment?

You get the picture--I'm not impressed with this hire.

-beepbeep

FAMU to let Coach Clark's contract expire

Photo: Florida A&M University athletic director William "Bill" Hayes.










Calling the termination of women's basketball coach Debra Clark's contract one of the hardest decisions he's made since becoming athletic director at FAMU, Bill Hayes said the move was necessary to change the direction of the program.

Clark's $120,000 annual salary was one of the highest in the MEAC, Hayes said. Initial talks about renewing her contract began immediately after he became athletic director late last year, he said. "We had a lot invested ...

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Florida A&M recruit named Florida's 1A Player of the Year

Photo: #4 Ashley Hampton shot 70 percent from the floor this past season.

Ashley Hampton, Ocala St. John Lutheran, has been named the Florida 1A Player of the Year for the 2007/08 season. She is now one of six finalists for the Miss Basketball Award.

The awards are sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers, Inc., and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association to honor the top high school girls’ basketball player and coach for the 2007-08 season.

Hampton averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists per game and shot 70 percent from the floor, leading her team to a 22-6 record and the Class 1A Final Four. She holds school records for career points (2,107) and rebounds (1,088).

Hampton has signed a national letter of intent with Florida A&M University for the 2008/09 incoming class. She has maintained a 4.42 GPA and plans to major in Pharmacy at FAMU.

The 5-9 guard was coached by Kim Pompey-Bell (her mother) at St. John Lutheran and is slated to play the three -guard position for the Rattlers. More than seven family members of Hampton have graduated from Florida A&M University and she is the second to receive an athletic scholarship with the Rattlers.

FAMU takes Lady Aggies to wire before falling 76-65

Photo: Denise Tate snatched 8 rebounds and 11 points in season ending loss to the #1 seeded Lady Aggies.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The shots that seemed to fall so easily in the first half were nowhere to be found. The crisp passing, the sure hands, the air of confidence -- all gone when it mattered most.

What was left for the Florida A&M women's basketball team was a group of players who simply had nothing left to give. Their faces on the court told that story well enough. Their words after the game simply confirmed what was plainly evident.

The Lady Rattlers pushed top-seeded North Carolina A&T to the absolute limit in the second round of the MEAC tournament Wednesday morning. But the Aggies pushed back a little harder in the closing minutes to claim a 76-65 victory.

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Lady Rattlers defeat Howard to face #1 seed N.C. A&T

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephanie Foster scored a game-high 18 points and Q'Vaunda Curry added 15 to lead Florida A&M (FAMU) to a 69-59 win over Howard in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's tournament at the RBC Center. The Lady Rattlers (14-16), the Number 9 seed, will take on the Number 1 seed, North Carolina A&T State in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 10 am.

FAMU set the tone early when it reeled off an 18-0 run during a seven-minute stretch that saw them erase a 10-6 deficit and take a 24-10 lead at the 7:52 mark of the first half. The run was fueled by some hot three-point shooting as the Lady Rattlers hit on 6 of 13 from beyond the arc.

"We were much more composed than were in the loss in Washington," Florida A&M Head Coach Debra Clark said. "I think we had more of a sense of urgency. We had a lot more at stake with four seniors and we did not want this to be the end of the road."

She continued, "We knew they (Howard) were capable of putting up big numbers, so we wanted to defend. "They made several runs, but each time we responded with a good defensive play, forcing them into tough shots."

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Final: South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs 66, Bethune Cookman 45

Final: Morgan State Lady Bears 86, Norfolk State 65

South Carolina State women defeat FAMU 67-59

TALLAHASSEE, FL - South Carolina State's Sophilia Hipps had 24 points, all but three in the second half, and Marie Reid added 20 to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 67-59 come-from-behind win over Florida A&M Monday night at Gaither Athletic Center.

Coach Tonya Mackey's team outscored the host 39-21 in the second half to bounce back from Saturday's heart-breaking 54-43 loss at Bethune-Cookman and improve to 12-15 overall and 9-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The difference in Monday's victory and the one-point loss at Daytona Beach Saturday was the Lady Bulldog perimeter shooting, according to Mackey.

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Hampton U. women surge past FAMU in second half

Photo: Hampton University senior guard Artavia Burns scored 16 points against FAMU. The 5-5 Dallas, Texas Lincoln H.S./Trinty Valley College star was recently selected to the Trinity Valley College Hall of Fame.

HAMPTON - Rachel Butler scored 18 points and Artavia Burns pitched in 16 as Hampton broke open a close game with 45 second-half points on its way to a 80-72 victory over Florida A&M. The Lady Pirates (8-6, 3-0 MEAC) seized control by outrebounding the Lady Rattlers 30-12 in the second half, leading to 27 second-chance points.

Taniyah Dawson and Joslyne Jackson each scored 17 points for Florida A&M (9-5, 1-2).

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FAMU Lady Rattlers falls to Savannah State

Photo: Junior forward Denise Tate pulls down career high 21 boards for Lady Rattlers against SSU.

The Savannah (Ga.) State University Lady Tigers cashed in 21 second half free throws to overhaul the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers, 74-66 in a non-conference women's basketball affair Friday evening in Gaither Gymnasium. The visiting Lady Tigers (8-6) trailed 36-30 at the break, but went inside the lane against FAMU in the second half, drawing fouls enough to get to the charity line.

The Lady Rattlers were led by junior forward Denise Tate had a career high 21 rebounds along with seven points, Stephanie Foster's 18 points and six rebounds, followed by 14 points from Joslyne Jackson and 10 points from junior Taniyah Dawson.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AND GAME STATS BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE ABOVE.

In a game that was scheduled as a tune-up for the 9-3 Lady Rattlers, Savannah State (8-6) brought their "A" game and taught FAMU a lesson on inside lane play and clutch free throw shooting. As FAMU embark on MEAC league play next Saturday at Howard University, followed by three road contests, hopefully it was a lesson learned.

Game Ball goes to Rattlers Denise Tate for 21 rebounds.

See you Rattlers at Howard University--bring you heavy coats, hats and gloves, Floridians; it's 32 degrees this morning in Bison Country. That's the high; low was 16 degrees with wind chill at 8 degrees.

-beepbeep

Gators out-defense FAMU Lady Rattlers

Photo: Denise Tate #40, 6-1 junior forward from Cleveland, Ohio Glenville High School grabbed seven rebounds against the Florida Lady Gators. Tate is a FAMU Pharmacy major.

Gainesville, FL - Junior center Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and blocked a personal-best six shots to lead a defensive charge that sparked the University of Florida women’s basketball team to a 71-51 win over Florida A&M at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Wednesday evening.

Junior guard Stephanie Foster led FAMU with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while senior guard Q’Vaunda Curry and junior forward Denise Tate shared the team lead with seven rebounds apiece. Junior guard Evette Young dished out five assists to pace the Lady Rattlers.

“It was our first game since the break and we were not in sync," said FAMU coach Debra Clark, whose team was playing its first game in 16 days. "It was not a good game for us. Florida was much bigger and seemed more comfortable on the court.

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The Lady Rattlers record falls to 9-2 on the season with Florida A&M scheduled to face the Savannah State University Tigers at Gaither Gym on January 4, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.

MEAC/SWAC Sports Clipboard: Lady Rattlers drop first game

Compiled by beepbeep

The Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers winning streak came to an end on Sunday at the University of South Florida by a score of 78-59. The Lady Bulls ( 7-2) were able to pull away from the Rattlers in the final seven minutes of the game with the score at 55-52, as FAMU hit a cold shooting streak. The Lady Rattlers made only 2 of 15 three point shots and shot only 39 percent for the game. FAMU (7-1) is scheduled to face the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central on Saturday.

Savannah State University is seeking its 9th head football coach in 13 years after firing an honorable, experienced coach in Theo Lemon on last Thursday. Coach Lemon was hired by the previous president Carlton Brown who is no longer with SSU and former athletic director Robert “Tony” O’Neal who stepped down a few months ago. Lemon was allowed only two football seasons to turn around the dismal Tigers program, with only 24 scholarships.

Savannah State University is classified as a NCAA Division I program and plays football as an Independent in the Football Championship Subdivision, which allows 63 scholarship players. The Tigers are on NCAA probations until May 18, 2009 for infractions by the football program.
(see: http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/media_and_events/press_room/2006/may/20060519_savannahst_infractions_rls.html).

Coach Lemon, age 50, and his staff were hired on April 10, 2006, after the NCAA punishment was issued by the NCAA Committee on Infractions for transgressions by the previous administrations. Lemon was paid a paltry $65,000 annually as the head coach. All of his assistant coaches were also fired after compling a 3-18 record in the latest shakeup by interim athletic director, Paula Jackson and vice president for administration, Claud Flythe, who oversees the athletics department for new president Earl Yarborough. The president will select the coach from a recommended list of three before December 31.

Photo: SSU interim athletic director, Paula Jackson

SSU is claiming to have received over 40-50 applications for the job since Thursday. If you can believe that statement then you can believe Savannah State will go undefeated in football in 2008. No question, Savannah State is the poster child for how not to make a transition to NCAA Division I in almost every phase. The Tigers were not selected for membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2006.

If you are wondering who has not coached at SSU, here are the names of the last 8-9 head football coaches in decending order of firings: Theo Lemon, Joseph Crosby, Avery Wendell, Daryl McNeill, Steven Wilks, Bill Davis, Ken Pettiford, and Richard Basil. This is what $65,000 will buy you in NCAA Division I football.

Savannah State is now stating that the new coach will be paid more that the previous, but they have not indicated what that amount will be specifically and that the new coach will have more than 24 scholarships, but the number is unknown at this time.

Good luck Coach Lemon in your future endeavors!

Photo: Lane Coach head football coach Dearrion Snead

A former Aggie of North Carolina A&T State University has been promoted to the head coaching position at Division II, Lane College. Dearrion Snead, 38 in his first season with the Dragons served as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, under Johnnie Cole, who was hired last week as head football coach at Texas Southern University in Houston. This will be Snead's first head coaching opportunity as the has served as an assistant coach for 16 seasons.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Snead played strong safety for the NCA&T Aggies and spent four years as a non-commissioned officer in the Marine Corps. He received the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the National Defense Medal and was named to the All-Marine football team.

MEAC/SWAC Sports Clipboard: ASU and FAMU makes progress

by beepbeep, MEAC/SWAC Sports Mainstreet

Alcorn State University has indicated that they have received 30 applications in response to the posted vacancy to replace the fired head football coach, Dr. Johnny Thomas. The interim athletic director, Wiley Jones said the search committee is made up of nine people associated with the university and they are expected to have a short list ready by next week.

The Braves, who finished 2-8 this past season are expected to have a new coach hired before the end of the month. Jones said that three and no more than five names will be presented to Alcorn State Interim President Malvin A. Williams for his consideration.

Jones said the committee’s first choice would be someone with Division I coaching experience but that is not a requirement. “We haven’t made any decisions yet,” Jones said. “We’re looking at everybody. No one has been eliminated.” Thomas finished with an overall record of 48-61 and a SWAC record of 34-41 in his 10 years at the helm of the Alcorn State program.

Florida A&M University Lady Rattlers Basketball Head Coach Debra Clark is headed for the NCAA Tournament in 2008. If the first seven games are any indication, Coach Clark and the 7-0 FAMU Lady Rattlers will overcome every adversity placed in their path to reach this goal.

First, before the season begin, Clark lost 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Rookie performers Secrett Anderson and Marke Freeman, due to transfer. No problem, as two players don't define the success of the FAMU progam. Then Coach Clark had to have surgery to remove her thyroid on November 14. Again, no problem as her trusted assistant coaches and the Lady Rattlers were successful in defeating Albany State (76-73) and Savannah State on the road 71-54 to raise the season record to 4-0.

More importantly, Coach Clark signed to a national letter-of-intent Ashley Hampton, a senior forward with St. John Lutheran, who is a top basketball player in the Ocala, Florida region. Hampton will be a very important piece for the 2008-09 Lady Rattlers program. All of these events occurred while the coach was out recovering from her surgery.

Then Clark returns and runs over Bethune Cookman on the road 78-65; uses Stetson for a home scrimmage with a final score of 54-37; and then clobbers a good Jacksonville Dolphin squad at home 66-57 for a 7-0 record. The Dolphins are no scrub team having beaten Miami and Florida on the road for a 6-3 season record.

The Lady Rattlers are off to their best start ever and the 7-0 record ties the 1983-84 FAMU women team coached by Mickey Clayton.

The Lady Rattlers are going to Tampa on Saturday to play South Florida on Sunday at the Sun Dome. New FAMU athletic director Bill Hayes will get a homecoming of sorts when North Carolina Central University Eagles comes to Tallahassee on December 15. Then its Florida Gulf Coast at Gaither Gym on December 17 to close out 2007.

In the MEAC Standings, the FAMU Lady Rattlers are in a three way tie for first place with North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies and Morgan State Lady Bears with one victory in the conference.

So, who are the stars on the Lady Rattlers team that finished 2006-07 with a 16-16 record?

Photo: FAMU Guard Joslyn Jackson, 5-7 senior guard,
Marietta, GA McEachern HS leads Lady Rattlers in scoring.

Starting guards Joslyne Jackson and Deidra Jones are scoring 16.5 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Jones is snatching 8.0 boards. Stephanie Foster is scoring 12.3 per game and our girl, Q'Vaunda Curry is hitting an average of 9.7 points and 43 percent of her 3 point shots. Taniyah Dawson is averaging 30 minutes per game and 6.2 points, with 3.2 steals and 4.3 assists. Forward Denise Tate and center Thyeis Halley are clocking 24 and 16 minutes each game and 5.3 points each. Tate is pulling down 9.3 rebounds to lead the team. Forward Kirsten Stallings, center Melissa Daniels, guards Evette Young and Jarquella Woods have played important minutes as they develop the needed bench depth for the Lady Rattlers.

The entire Lady Rattlers team is listed below and their schedule for 2007/08. This team is worth the price of admissions, so go out and see them play when they come to your area, HBCU sports fans.

NO NAME HT POS Year Hometown Last School
1 Jarquella Woods 5-1 G FR Columbus, GA Hardaway HS
2 Deidra Jones 5-10 G JR Powder Springs, GA McEachern HS
5 Evette Young 5-6 G RS JR Sunrise, FL Ft. Lauderdale HS
11 Taniyah Dawson 5-7 G JR Mesquite, TX Poteet HS
15 Chelsea Pennick 5-11 G FR Orlando, FL Orlando Christian Prep
20 Q'Vaunda Curry 5-6 G SR Quincy, FL East Gadsden HS
21 Joslyne Jackson 5-7 G SR Marietta, GA McEachern HS
22 Devin Williams 5-9 F FR Sarasota, FL Sarasota HS
23 Stephanie Foster 6-0 G/F JR Columbus, OH Brookhaven HS
25 Leanne Randall 6-0 G FR Fayetteville, N.C. Trinity Christian Prep
31 Melissa Daniels 6-3 C JR Jasper, FL Hamilton Co. HS
35 Kirsten Stallings 6-0 F SO Memphis, TN Ridgeway, HS
40 Denise Tate 6-1 F JR Cleveland, OH Glenville HS
42 Thyeis Halley 6-1 F/C SR Cleveland, OH Lakeland CC
44 Brandi Hollingsworth 6-2 F/C FR Columbus, GA Pacelli HS

Coaches

Debra Clark - Head Coach
John Clark - Assistant Coach
Niki Washington - Assistant Coach
Melaney Denson - Assistant Coach

Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result

11/01/07 at Valdosta State ! Valdosta, GA 5:00 p.m. ET
11/09/07 at Georgia State Atlanta, GA W, 60-58 (F)
11/13/07 vs. Mercer Tallahassee, FL W, 78-57 (F)
11/14/07 vs. Albany State Tallahassee, FL W, 76-73 (F)
11/20/07 at Savannah State Savannah, GA W, 71-54 (F)
12/01/07 at Bethune Cookman @ Daytona Beach, FL W, 78-65 (F)
12/03/07 vs. Stetson Tallahassee, FL W, 54-37 (F)
12/06/07 vs. Jacksonville @ Tallahassee, FL W, 66-57 (F)
12/09/07 at USF Tampa, FL TBA
12/15/07 vs. North Carolina Central Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
12/17/07 vs. Florida Gulf Coast Tallahassee, FL 5:00 p.m. ET
01/02/08 at Florida Gainesville, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
01/04/08 vs. Savannah State Tallahassee, FL 7:00 p.m. ET
01/12/08 at Howard @ Washington, D.C. 2:00 p.m. ET
01/14/08 at Hampton University @ Hampton, VA 6:00 p.m. ET
01/19/08 at Morgan State @ Baltimore, MD 2:00 p.m. ET
01/21/08 at Coppin State @ Baltimore, MD 5:30 p.m. ET
01/26/08 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore @ Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
01/28/08 vs. Delaware State @ Tallahassee, FL 5:30 p.m. ET
02/02/08 at Winston-Salem State @ Winston-Salem, N.C. 2:00 p.m.

02/04/08 at South Carolina State @ Orangeburg, S.C. 5:30 p.m. ET
02/09/08 vs. North Carolina A&T @ Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
02/11/08 vs. Norfolk State @ Tallahassee, FL 5:30 p.m. ET
02/16/08 vs. Morgan State Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
02/18/08 vs. Coppin State @ Tallahassee, FL 5:30 p.m. ET
02/23/08 at Maryland Eastern Shore @ Princess Anne, MD 2:00 p.m.
02/25/08 at Delaware State @ Dover, MD 5:30 p.m. ET
03/01/08 vs. Winston-Salem State @ Tallahassee, FL 2:00 p.m. ET
03/03/08 vs. South Carolina State @ Tallahassee, FL 5:30 p.m. ET
03/06/08 vs. Bethune Cookman @ Tallahassee, FL 5:30 p.m. ET

MEAC Tournament:TBA
NCAA Tournament: TBA

Some Names are just funny--or are they if you have to spell it for the 6 millionth time.

If you have been a long time Florida A&M University sports fan, you may recall a basketball player that played guard at FAMU with center Jerome James (NBA New York Knicks) during the 1995-96 season. The fellow name is Mapp--Scientific Mapp. No, I'm not kidding and his brother played basketball for Virginia and his name is Majestic Mapp. Well, we found a few more this morning that are surely the best names in college hoops history.

Alabama State University currently has a 7-1/265 starting junior center from Boyton Beach, Florida that has our vote for the most unique name in sports history but the guy can play basketball and is a force in the middle. When was the last time the SWAC had a seven footer that could actually play? Yes, it has be a while. Here is our list:

Photo: Alabama State University basketball junior center Chief Kickingstallionsims

1. Grlenntys "Chief" Kickingstallionsims Jr., Alabama State University
(Goes by "Chief Kickingstallionsims") with his given first name being Grlenntys, whose name means “Strength of Fallen Rocks.” He is a member of the Navajo nation. Chief transferred from Stetson University (Deland, Fla) to Alabama State University and is playing his first season for the Hornets. He is a graduate of Blanche Ely High School.

2. Scientific Mapp--5-10 starting guard on 1995-96 FAMU men basketball team with current NBA Knicks center Jerome James. No, he did not major in Geography.

3. Majestic Mapp, Virginia/West Georgia --brother of Scientific Mapp.

4. God Shamgod, Providence College

5. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington

6. Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown

Photo: FAMU Basketball senior center Akini Akini

Florida A&M current 6-10/231 senior center "Akini Akini" is a tremendous student-athlete, so we are going to cut this brother some slack and leave him off our list because he has the same first and last name. Akini Ferdinand Akini is married and a native of Cameroon majoring in construction engineering. He is an excellent Rattler!