Former high school football star Lee McElroy finds opportunity in college athletic administration

Photo: Lee McElroy, former president of the National Association of Athletic Directors (2006-07), took a career-killer job at the University of Albany (SUNY) in 2000. While he recognized the problems at the University of Albany--administrative instability, no Division I conference affiliation, mediocre facilities, little private booster support--he also sensed opportunity. Today, under the athletic leadership of McElroy, UAlbany is the star of the East Coast Conference. (Courtesy DONNA ABBOTT VLAHOS THE BUSINESS REVIEW)

When others saw risk, Beaumont native Lee McElroy found opportunity. The oldest of 12 siblings, the former Hebert High School football star became the first to go as far from home has he did. Years later, an unexpected career shift took him from home again, this time on a journey that has allowed him to make as bigger a difference off the field than he ever did on it.

Through it all, McElroy points to a racially segregated upbringing that shaped his values today, as he is one of few African-Americans to run an athletic program at a non-traditionally-black school. "I've had a lot of success everywhere I've been, and that's because I learned to go in and look at an environment and then develop the pieces to make it fit," said McElroy, the director of athletics at New York's University of Albany since 2000.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

McElroy previously served as athletics director for four years at American University in Washington D.C., seven years at California State University-Sacramento and one year at the University of the District of Columbia.

What is causing decline in black baseball players?

Kaylum Graham was like a lot of future E.E. Smith High School athletes.

As a youth, he played many sports — baseball among them. But faced with tough choices entering high school, his passion for baseball waned.

“I felt there was a better chance for me to go to college playing basketball and football, so I stuck with the other two,” he said.

Those are among the common reasons given to explain a national decline in black athletes in baseball.

It’s been documented at the major league level, but it’s also evident in the high school ranks in Cumberland County. A Fayetteville Observer study reveals that only 40 of 152 (26 percent) varsity baseball players in Cumberland County are black. As a whole, 51.4 percent of Cumberland County students are black.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

FAMU signs JUCO Softball Pitcher, Amanda Reyes

Photo: RH Pitcher Amanda Reyes (Photo provided TCC).

Tallahassee Community College (FL) announced yesterday that student-athlete Amanda Reyes has been signed to a national letter of intent by Florida A&M University.

A native of Scotts Valley, California, Reyes has appeared in 59 games during her two seasons with the Eagles. She has a career record of 24-22, including a 14-7 mark as a freshman in 2007, with a 1.75 ERA. The only returning pitcher for the Eagles in 2008, her ten wins have helped TCC secure its fourth straight berth in the FCCAA Gulf District Tournament.

Reyes appeared in 28 games with 14 complete games. She recorded 88 strikeouts with 54walks and in Panhandle Conference games, she went 5-3 with 3.06 ERA with 18 strikeouts.

Amanda played at Scotts Valley High School where she was a four-year starter and two-time MVP. As a senior, she earned Pitcher of the Year honors for Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Athletic League in California; was named 1st team all-conference; and posted a 0.36 ERA while averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.

Reyes pitching will be a welcomed addition next season to a Lady Rattlers club that is sporting a 2008 record of 11-36 (1-5 MEAC), going into this weekend home series with Bethune Cookman University.

FAMU currently has only two pitchers on a team led by Coach Veronica Wiggins. Wiggins has a 367-412 career record, and last won a MEAC championship and participated in the NCAA softball tournament in 1999.

Lee Looks To Soar With The NCCU Eagles

Photo: North Carolina Central University incoming 5-10 recruit Whitney Lee, led the Class 4A Blue Streaks to a 19-8 regular season record, a district runner-up finish and a win in the state quarterfinals.

SEBRING, FL — When Whitney Lee was little, she often wore a shirt that said, "Forget the doll, give me the ball."

Years later, that mantra has paid off in the form of a Division-I college basketball scholarship, as the Sebring girls hoops standout and All-Heartland girls basketball player of the year inked a letter of intent on Tuesday to play basketball for North Carolina-Central University in Durham, N.C.

The hard-nosed, high-scoring guard and daughter of SHS head coach Mike Lee, was, perhaps not surprisingly, drawn to the school by the work ethic she saw displayed by her future teammates during a visit.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

South Carolina State to host Bulldog Golf Classic

By SCSU Sports Information

South Carolina State men's golf team will host the two-day Bulldog Golf Classic Saturday and Sunday (April 5-6) at the Hillcrest Golf Course in Orangeburg. The event, in its sixth year, returns to the Par 72, 6,722-yard course where it was played the first four years before being conducted at the Orangeburg Country Club last year.

The competition gets underway at 8 a.m. Saturday when 18 holes will be played. The final 18 holes will be played Sunday, beginning at 8 a.m.

Nine teams, including the host Bulldogs, will be participating in the tournament, which will have a practice round on Friday. This year's field is the largest since the inception of the event.

Other participating teams are Bethune-Cookman, the 2005 and 2006 champion, Charleston Southern, 2007 winner Florida A&M, Hampton, High Point, Savannah State, St. Augustine and Winston-Salem State.

Coach Richard Arrington's Bulldogs have been the runner-ups each of the last two years.

Nutt withdraws from UAPB basketball search

Former Arkansas State head coach Dickey Nutt has withdrew his name from the head coaching search at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

UAPB Athletic Director Louis “Skip” Perkins said Tuesday that Nutt called him and told him that he was taking his name out of the running. Nutt told Perkins that he was grateful for the opportunity, but that he wanted to pursue other opportunities.

Nutt praised the administration at UAPB and hopes that the Golden Lions can find themselves a “great head coach.”

CONTINUE READING, CLICK ON BLOG TITLE.

Tennessee State's signee Parker Smith is star quality

Photo: TSU signee #30 Parker Smith averaged 30 ppg in his high school career.

Times 2008 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Chestatee's Parker Smith

GAINESVILLE, GA — There’s not much that Chestatee High basketball player Parker Smith can’t do.

Smith, who finished his career at Chestatee with 2,038 career points—924 points as a senior — led the War Eagles to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As a senior, he shot 55-percent on two point shots, and 56-percent behind the 3-point line. He is signed to play next season at Tennessee State University.

The 6-3 shooting guard seems to excel at everything, whether it be in the classroom or on the court. The kid has incredible work ethic in all aspects of his life. It’s impressive enough to think that he’s an outstanding basketball player, but he is a straight-A student, too. According to Smith, the opportunity to play at TSU trumped offers from schools like Air Force, Buffalo and Dartmouth, among others.

CONTINUE READING, LISTEN TO AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH PARKER SMITH-CLICK ON BLOG TITLE.

Mississippi Valley must play UCLA before Bruin "home crowd"

NCAA tournament road is a carpet for one and gravel for the other. A straight and heavenly path for one. A potholed hell for the other.

Carpet for one. Gravel for the other.

A straight and heavenly path for one. A potholed hell for the other.

USC and UCLA received their directions Sunday for the Road to San Antonio.

But, no, it's not the same road.

One is going to be dancing, the other is going to be dodging.

UCLA, with the easiest path of all top-seeded teams, plays two simple games(first, Mississippi Valley State) in front of a home crowd in Anaheim, then takes its fans to Phoenix for two more winnable games, its toughest probably coming in the regional final against outclassed but second-seeded Duke.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK ON BLOG TITLE.

The way this writer described the road for USC applies triple for Mississippi Valley State. If USC is travelling on gravel, MVSU is running in quicksand

Howard U. grad coaches Mount St. Mary's into the NCAA tournament

Photo: Mount St. Mary's head basketball Coach Milan Brown.

Jim Phelan must be smiling. Mount St. Mary's is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the coaching great handed the program over to his assistant, Milan Brown, five years ago.

Jean Cajou and Kelly Beidler each scored 15 points and the Mountaineers (18-14) beat Sacred Heart, 68-55, last night in the Northeast Conference championship game in Fairfield, Conn.

"In the back of my mind, I knew that bringing a championship home would definitely be great for me," said Brown, a former Howard University point guard who was an assistant to Phelan the last time the Mount went to the NCAA tournament in 1999. "But it's going to put a smirk on his face too, even though I know he was so nervous that he didn't watch the game."

Time for cheering to start at Boo Williams Sportsplex

The new sports facility is ready for the games to begin after this evening's ceremony.

HAMPTON, VA - Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, a Chesapeake native, and CBS commentator James Brown are among the noted guests expected tonight at the invitation-only grand opening at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

The $13.5-million, 135,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opens after the 6 p.m. ceremony with city of Hampton recreation basketball. Hampton Mayor Ross A. Kearney II and Hampton University President William R. Harvey are also on the program.

Williams said Monday that Hampton native Howard White also hopes to attend but might have a scheduling conflict. White, a Kecoughtan graduate and Nike executive, has purchased naming rights for one of the two pavilions at the complex.

VIEW THE VIDEO TOUR WITH BOO WILLIAMS OF THE SPORTSPLEX AND CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE.

The Power Of Eight Aids USC In Wild 13-9 Win over Southern Jaguars

Trojans score eight runs in the eighth for the win over Southern.

COMPTON, Calif. - The USC Trojans scored eight times in the eighth inning Saturday to defeat the Southern Jaguars, 13-9, in action at the MLB Urban Invitational. The Trojans took advantage of Jaguar pitching, which allowed seven walks in the USC eight, including three with the bases loaded. Both teams allowed a combined 20 walks with Southern accounting for 14 walks on the evening.

Senior third baseman Roberto Lopez (La Mesa/Rancho Bernardo HS) went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI for the Trojans (5-2) while sophomore shortstop Hector Rabago (Riverside/Poly HS) also had three RBI, including a two-run home run.

Victor Franklin went 2-for-5 for Southern (0-3) with a double and three RBI while Calvin Anderson and Brad McDavid had three hits each.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE.

Coppin State Holds Off Hampton for Fifth-Straight Win

Photo: Coppin State's #34, Whitney Cunningham scored 18 points and collected 11 rebounds in the victory over Hampton. The 6-3 junior center is from Baltimore, MD/Western H.S.

BALTIMORE -- Whitney Cunningham had 18 points and 11 rebounds and scored the go-ahead basket with 1:07 to play and Coppin State University went on to a 63-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Hampton University on Saturday in the Coppin Center.

Cunningham, who finished the game 8-of-12 from the floor, scored inside on a feed from Shalamar Oakley and was fouled on the play. The ensuing free throw gave the Eagles a 61-60 lead with 1:07 left.

Shalamar Oakley led Coppin State (16-11, 10-3 MEAC) with 19 points and Rashida Suber added 11 points. Hampton (14-11, 7-5 MEAC) was led by Butler who scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.

Texas Southern releases tenative 2008 schedule

Texas Southern University announced its tentative schedule Thursday, with the Tigers playing four of their five home dates at Alexander Durley Field, including a Nov. 15 game against Grambling. The school's Nov. 8 homecoming contest against Mississippi Valley State is at Delmar Stadium.

TSU will play Shaw (N.C.) University on Sept. 13 in Sacramento, Califorinia, and the Tigers will close out the season in Dallas against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 29. This will Coach Johnnie Cole first season as head of the football program.

TSU 2008 football schedule

Aug. 30: vs. Prairie View (Reliant)
Sept. 13 vs. Shaw (Sacramento, Ca.)
Sept. 20 vs. Texas College (Waco)
Sept. 27 vs. Concordia
Oct. 4 vs. Langston
Oct. 11 at Southern
Oct. 18 vs. Jackson State
Oct. 25 at Alcorn State
Nov. 8 vs. Miss. Valley St. (Delmar Stadium)
Nov. 15 vs. Grambling
Nov. 29 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dallas)

Mississippi Valley edges Southern Jaguars

Chris Watson’s one-handed tip-in with 23 seconds to play lifted Mississippi Valley State to a 52-51 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory in front of 759 Monday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Southern (8-16, 6-7 SWAC) lost its fourth straight game and for the sixth time in its last eight games after a 4-1 conference start. Valley (9-15, 7-6) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Delta Devils had lost four of its previous six games. SU can look back at a host of missed opportunities. The Jaguars led by 15 points with 7:31 left in the first half, but squandered that momentum before halftime.

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

NSU beats UMES 68-61 with lots of help from Murphy

Photo: NSU senior Tony Murphy stepped up with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 2 steals to keep the Spartans tied with Morgan State for first place in the MEAC.

NORFOLK, VA - When his team needed him most Monday night, Norfolk State senior guard Tony Murphy was there – as he always has been. The Spartans were reeling and on the verge of losing to Maryland-Eastern Shore. But Murphy willed his team to victory, helping Norfolk State prevail 68-61.

First, he helped wrest the lead away from Eastern Shore for the final time, burying a 3-pointer with 4:52 left . Then he knocked out the Hawks with a three-point play two minutes later in what is likely his final home game of his career. It was the defining moment on a night when Murphy scored 25 points.

“It’s good to see him step up,” Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans said. “He’s a senior and it’s great to see him knocking down some shots.”

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.

THE GOOD FIGHT

Photo: Tywain Mckee, 6-2 senior point guard/shooting guard, Philadelphia, PA/Bartram H.S., major: Criminal Justice.

Forgotten and ignored, Tywain McKee was an unlikely college hoops prospect. Then a basketball legend tapped him on the shoulder.

There are some kids you just want to protect. It would be great to say that about all of them, but the truth is some wear trouble like a too-big pair of jeans, uncomfortable unless they're pretty much engulfed by it. Tywain McKee, back when he was a hunch-shouldered, woolly haired teenager, could have been one of those kids.

"He was swallowed up by strife, living in a hotbed of violence," says former Temple coach John Chaney, who recruited McKee as a Philly high school senior four years ago. Chaney discovered McKee when the Bartram High guard dropped 13 fourth-quarter points in a city-league semis loss to Philly power Simon Gratz. But McKee, who battled a stutter and had always felt uncomfortable in school, fell well short of Temple's academic requirements.

Still, the Hall of Fame coach liked the fight he saw in McKee. He liked that the kid had learned the game from his mom. He liked that McKee kept playing, even after his mother's drug abuse meant she was around less and less. And he liked that McKee didn't lose focus, even while his younger brother, Robert, was skipping school. Chaney wanted to see McKee play at the next level, for him or someone else. "If no one puts a kid like that in a position to succeed, his self-esteem keeps dropping," Chaney says. "I called Fang Mitchell because I knew he would be good for Tywain."

Ron "Fang" Mitchell has spent 21 seasons at Baltimore's Coppin State University, one of 103 historically black colleges and universities in the U.S.

CONTINUE READING THIS INTRIGING ARTICLE ON CSU's TYWAIN McKEE BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE.

Southern University baseball looks to reconstruct infield

Photo: 2007 SWAC Championship game with Southern vs. Prairie View; Southern Jaguars head coach Roger Cador is on left in third base box.

As if rebuilding most of its pitching staff, from starters to bullpen, wasn’t enough, Southern’s baseball team also faces another daunting challenge: reconstructing its infield.

While junior Calvin Anderson is a mainstay at first base, Southern, 26-18 and the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament runner-up last season, projects to have three new starters in the infield: freshman Demario Ellis, from Pasadena (Calif.), at second base; junior Michael Oliver, a transfer from Consumnes River College, at shortstop; and junior Romeo Bracey, from Kanakakee Community College, at third base.

“Those kids have shown me enough, in the fall and now,” coach Roger Cador said.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE.

Delaware State set to open softball season in North Carolina

DOVER -- The Delaware State softball team opens the season with doubleheaders at Winston-Salem State on Saturday and North Carolina Central on Sunday.

The Hornets finished 24-29 and reached the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament last season. Top returnees include junior Megan Lambertz, who hit .318 with 26 RBIs and went 5-5 as a pitcher. Senior infielder Nicole Demers hit .296 with five home runs. The top returning pitcher is sophomore Brittney Ruark, of Seaford, who had 11 wins and 78 strikeouts last season.

Dismissal unjust, ex-SCSU player says

Photo: SCSU 6-7/215 junior forward David Cobb from Brooklyn,NY/Our Savior Lutheran HS/(SUNY Delhi).

David Cobb is no longer a member of the South Carolina State men's basketball team. That didn't stop the 6-7 junior forward from speaking to The Times and Democrat newspaper (T&D) on Tuesday about his dismissal from the Bulldogs by first-year head coach Tim Carter.

"I decided to go public because I don't want this to continue to go on," Cobb said. "When they dismissed me from the team, it was just get dismissed and just try to finish out your year and go somewhere else. But it's more than that. You're hurting my future by taking away Division I basketball.

Cobb said he was booted from the team primarily because he expressed his feelings. "I think that's wrong. I feel like I should be able to express how I feel to a coach."

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.

Blackwell's out as athletic director at Texas Southern University

Photo: Alois Blackwell

Texas Southern University athletic director Alois Blackwell was officially relieved of his duties on Tuesday afternoon after nearly seven years at the position.

"We appreciate Mr. Blackwell's contributions in his seven years guiding the program," said new TSU President John Rudley in a press release. "Now we must take the TSU athletic program to the next level."

Head football coach and former TSU quarterback Johnnie Cole will serve as the school's interim athletic director, while Blackwell will remain on the staff through the end of the academic year.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.