Alabama State Hornets able to get help in the trenches

Photo: Alabama State second year Coach Reggie Barlow opens the Hornets 2008 football season on the road against new Florida A&M University Rattlers Coach Joe Taylor in Tallahassee on August 30.

On the Division I-AA level, recruiting is all about meeting needs. You don't have the glitz and glamour of top-ranked recruiting classes and five-star players. You don't have 12 analysts measuring your recruits' 40-yard dash times or fans clamoring about you missing out on the sure superstar. Instead, it's all about meeting needs and possibly finding a few overlooked gems. But mostly, it's about meeting needs. Especially in Alabama State's case.

The Hornets lost 10 scholarships for three straight years prior to this year. That's 30 players missing from a team. In that situation, there's no choice but to meet needs. And this year, the coaches did an average job of that.

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Prairie View women roll past visiting TSU

Photo: Prairie View A&M University head women basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has led the Lady Panthers to a 10-0 SWAC record (15-7 overall) on the first half of their schedule.

PRAIRIE VIEW — After a flat start, Prairie View's Lady Panthers proceeded to flatten Texas Southern University. A 20-6 run midway through the first half at the William Hicks Building was the spark Prairie View needed to rout TSU 75-46 on Saturday and remain undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Prairie View (15-7, 10-0 SWAC) won its 12th straight game behind a suffocating defensive effort that limited TSU (6-14, 4-6) to just 31 percent shooting.

"We weren't as focused as we should have been at the beginning," said Prairie View coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, whose team wore pink uniforms to promote "Think Pink Day" and raise breast cancer awareness. "Once we got going, we did some good things, especially on defense."

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Delaware State aces crucial test over Hampton U.

Victory over Hampton keeps Hornets in running for MEAC title

DOVER -- It's been a while since Delaware State's men's basketball team was faced with a game it had to win. That opportunity arrived Saturday.

The Hornets responded to the fate of their schedule, beating Hampton 67-58 in the only regular-season meeting of these schools before 1,231 at Memorial Hall. Over the past three seasons, in which DSU won each Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championship, it had lost a collective eight league games. This season has been different. The Hornets entered Saturday's game with three MEAC losses.

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Florida A&M University releases 2008 Football Schedule

Photo: Gregory Clark, RS Sophomore, 5-8/180 Corner back, Tampa, FL Durant H.S., runs back ball against Hampton University in November 2007 game.

The Joe Taylor era of Florida A&M football will debut at Bragg Memorial Stadium Aug. 30 against Alabama State. The Alabama State game is one of five home games the Rattlers have on their 2008 football schedule released Friday afternoon.

"It's a competitive schedule and features a nice mixture of home and road games," Taylor said. "With three of the six away games on neutral sites, I would say it is a competitive, but balanced schedule."

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2008 FLORIDA A&M FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

August 30 ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY, @ Tallahassee, FL

September 6 at *Delaware State @ Dover, DE

September 13 Bye

September 20 at *Howard University@Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA

September 27 vs. Tennessee State at Georgia Dome (Atlanta Football Classic), Atlanta, GA

October 4 Open

October 11 *WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY @ Tallahassee, FL

October 18 *SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY @ Tallahassee, FL

October 25 at *Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA

November 1 *MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (Homecoming) @ Tallahassee, FL

November 8 at *North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC

November 15 *HAMPTON UNIVERSITY @ Tallahassee, FL

November 22 *Bethune Cookman University @ Orlando, FL - Citrus Bowl (Florida Classic)

Bold: home game; * MEAC game


Joe Taylor should go undefeated in his first season as head of the Rattlers program. The most critical game that will determine this outcome will be September 6, at Delaware State. Not that we are taking any of the MEAC opponents for granted, but a Joe Taylor coached team will come prepared to play and will be well conditioned.

The greater disappointment here are no games with Football Bowl Championship programs, no Southern Jaguars game and no game with a ranked Football Champion Subdivision program. Teams are permitted to play twelve games this season and FAMU has decided to fore go a potential home game payday on September 13 or October 4. Why?

MEAC fans will have to satisfy their thirst for David versus Goliath by watching the South Carolina State University games vs. University of Central Florida and Clemson; or Norfolk State University at University of Kentucky and Delaware State at Kent State.

Florida A&M has not signed one football or basketball player from the Atlanta area in the past five years, so what is the reason the Rattlers continue to play Tennessee State at this NFL venue? It certainly has not helped the Rattler recruiting efforts for student-athletes.

Tennessee State University home games are played at the Tennessee Titans venue, LP Field, which seats approximately 68,798 fans. It's time for the FAMU athletic director to work a deal for a home and Florida neutral site (home) game with the Tennessee State Tigers for 2009.

More importantly, FAMU athletic director Bill Hayes need to understand that Rattler Nation is not satisfied with having the dean of black college coaches, Joe Taylor, playing a typical cupcake schedule with no diversity and no Football Championship Subdivision (1-AA) powerhouses on the schedule. Why make Joe Taylor the highest paid football coach in HBCU football ($237,000 annually) if you are not moving the program towards national supremacy?

No doubt, FAMU schedule should have included a Georgia Southern, Wofford, Troy University, Florida Atlantic, University of Alabama-Birmingham or University of Central Florida, schools within a short bus ride to the Rattlers campus.

This football schedule does not make a strong argument for an at-large playoff berth nor does it lay the foundation for multiple teams from the MEAC making the FCS Playoffs in 2008. We would be hard pressed to see a 9-2 FAMU team in the playoffs with this weak schedule, especially if ASU and TSU have .500 seasons. A one loss season in the MEAC should knock FAMU out of the playoffs, as Delaware State, Norfolk State and South Carolina State strength of schedule are superior to FAMU's.

An 8-3 mark is definitely a ticket to stay at home for the holidays, but a great improvement over the 3-8 Rattler record of 2007.

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S.C. State lands Superman--RB Lennell Elmore

Sources have informed the Orangeburg (S.C.) Times and Democrat newspaper that Allendale-Fairfax running back Lennell Elmore will announce his intention to sign with South Carolina State University Bulldogs this afternoon at 2 p.m. The 5'10, 160-pound Shrine Bowl selection chose SCSU over three-time Football Championship Sub-division champion Appalachian State University.

Elmore totaled over 4,500 all purpose yards as a running back and kick returner, the past two seasons. He is expected to join an incoming class of 15 players signed by SCSU later today.

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Superman Elmore is targeted to be used as a slot receiver by the Bulldogs.

SCSU men come from behind to beat Florida A&M

Playing with the lead is a luxury the South Carolina State men's basketball team has rarely enjoyed in the new year. Monday's contest against Florida A&M at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center marked the seventh time in eight outings the Bulldogs found themselves facing an uphill climb at halftime..

For the third straight time at home, the comeback formula proved to be a winning one as SCSU rallied in the second half to defeat FAMU 65-59 to even its mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

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Jackson State and Alcorn State still debating Capital City Classic

Jackson State president Ronald Mason Jr. said talks regarding the future of the Capital City Classic are ongoing. JSU and Alcorn State are discussing whether or not to change the current format of the game, in which a board appointed by the two presidents runs the event. The contract with the Capital City Classic board is up for renewal.

"It's a classic, but an unusual classic," Mason said. "A usual classic, you have a promoter that guarantees the schools a certain amount of money. Then they use the game to hold events and make money for themselves." Mason said the two schools usually bring in about $200,000 apiece from the game. Under the current setup, the two schools cover the expenses of the board and split the gate 50-50.

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UMES women's hoops begins important stretch in MEAC

Photo: Corin Adams, sophomore point guard, leads Morgan State with 17.6 points per game (third in the MEAC), 4.7 assists (leading the MEAC) and 4.2 steals (leading the MEAC). Adams is arguably the quickest guard in the league. The 5-7 star is from Madison High School, Brooklyn, NY.

The Hawks could make a big move either way in the next five days, as they take on three of the top five teams, beginning with a trip today to Morgan State, where the Bears (11-7, 5-2 MEAC) are undefeated. Morgan was the first team on the 2007-08 schedule for the Hawks this season, and while UMES (10-8, 3-2) was still trying to find its timing, they had a chance to win, falling 77-71 in a non conference tilt.

"I'm really looking forward to going up and playing Morgan at Morgan," UMES coach Fred Batchelor said. "This is a game that I'm excited about and I believe we're a much better team and a much different team than we were when we first played them. I'm sure that they've improved, as well, but I'm looking forward to getting a chance to play against one of the better teams in the league on their home floor, and I feel very confident that we're going to play well."

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Today's game is at 2 p.m., while the Hawks will head to Coppin on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Both of those games are parts of doubleheaders with the men's team. Wednesday, without the men's team, UMES will begin its game against Delaware State Hornets at 6 p.m. at the Hytche Center.

Delaware State expects Coppin State's best shot

Photo: DSU senior Roy Bright leads the MEAC in scoring with 18.9 ppg. The 6-6/225 all-star is from Durham, NC (Garden City CC), (Mt. Zion Christian Academy).

Hornets approach conference's last-place, first-place teams equally.

DOVER -- Who's more dangerous, last-place Coppin State or first-place Morgan State? For the Delaware State men's basketball team, that answer comes over the next three days with a game at each Baltimore school.

The Hornets begin the series today at 4 p.m. at Coppin State, which has a 4-18 record, 0-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. DSU plays Monday night at Morgan State (11-8, 6-1), off to its best start in 29 years. "I think we all have the mindset that we can't lose from here out," DSU junior forward Donald Johnson said. "We have to play both teams like they're No. 1 in our conference."

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SWAC picks Southern University softball 1st, baseball 2nd

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its preseason baseball and softball predictions and all-conference teams Thursday, with the Southern men picked to finish second in Western Division and the SU softball team picked to win the West.

In baseball, Southern was picked behind Prairie View in the West. Prairie View got 12first-place votes and 90 points, while Southern got the remaining eight first-place votes and 85 points. Despite not being tabbed the favorite in the West, Southern baseball players dominated the preseason All-SWAC team.

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SCSU up to nine commitments

Photo: Oliver "Buddy" Pough, head football coach, South Carolina State University Bulldogs.

As National Signing Day draws closer, the list of verbal commitments gained by South Carolina State continues to grow. Currently, a total of nine high school seniors have indicated their intentions to sign with the Bulldogs this Wednesday. Joining Carvers Bay defensive tackle Dyrell Porcha (6-3, 260) on the list Thursday was Shrine Bowl and Associated Press All-State defensive back Derek Belin of Class 3-A champion Wilson. A 6-0, 180-pound senior, Belin tallied 87 tackles and had three interceptions for the 12-3 Tigers.

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Short List of Bulldog Oral Commitments

1. Dyrell Porcha, 6-3/260, DT
2. Derek Belin, 6-0/180, DB
3. C.J. Missick, 5-10/200, LB
4. Ronell Ferguson, 6-2/240, DE
5. Arnett James, 6-3/240, DE
6. Gary Grace, 5-11/225, RB
7. Larry Patterson, 6-5/260, OL
8. Justin Garrick, 6-4/280, OL
9. Yari King, 5-9/170, DB
10. Marquel Goodman, 6-2/175, DB

Jackson State Comegy off road, critiquing recruits

Photo: 2007 SWAC Football Championship Coach, Rick Comegy, Jackson State University.

Comegy has been racking up the frequent flyer miles with a trip two weeks ago to accept an award in Washington D.C. and spending last week in California coaching the Southeast team in the American Heritage Bowl.

The Tigers currently have 15 commitments on top of four mid-year signees. Mississippi Delta Community College 6-0/205 cornerback Recardo Hines gave his verbal to Jackson State last night. He is a one-star juco prospect by Scout.com and runs a 4.47 40.

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Nickelberry has Hampton winning with defense

Photo: Hampton University Pirates men's head basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry (Virginia Wesleyan '86).

The Pirates excel defensively, whether in passive zone, half-court trap or overplaying man-to-man. Among the 328 Division I teams ranked in the NCAA's statistics, Hampton is 31st in scoring defense and 39th in field-goal percentage defense. But if basketball were all slides, steals and switches, no one would play or watch. Scoring is not only necessary but also cool. It's why we play pick-up at the Y and watch Sports Center morning, noon and night.

Here the Pirates are lacking. They rank 269th nationally in scoring, 288th in field-goal percentage, 295th in 3-point percentage and 314th in free-throw percentage. Wall Street's recent numbers aren't that bleak.

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Texas Southern Reid looks to strike it big on, off field

Photo: Former Oklahoma State University quarterback Bobby Reid, 6-3/235 (Houston, Texas) is now a Texas Southern Tiger and is expected to be the starter come Fall.

Bobby Reid feels good about football again, something that not too long ago he didn't believe would happen.

What was supposed to be a breakout 2007 season for the then-Oklahoma State quarterback became a campaign of disappointment and frustration. Reid suffered an injury in the Cowboys' second game against Florida Atlantic, then endured being the focal point of a well-publicizedstory by an Oklahoma City newspaper columnist that led to coach Mike Gundy's rant that became a YouTube staple.

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Southern University picks up two commitments

Southern University’s football team took a significant step toward addressing two of its more pressing needs for this year’s recruiting class. The Jaguars picked up commitments from defensive back Tim Berry of West Feliciana and offensive guard Rodney Ewing of Independence (Kan.) Community College.

Ewing finished his final season at Independence Community College after opening his career at Butler (Kan.) Community College. The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder played tight end and offensive guard and was an all-state selection in track at Junction City (Kan.) High but signed with Butler after receiving no Division I-A scholarship offers.

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Ewing, chose Southern over East Carolina and Southeastern Louisiana. Ewing said he also has an offer from North Alabama where he plans to visit this weekend. His ICC team was 2-7 this past season.

Winston Salem State games are back on radio

Winston-Salem State’s basketball games should be back on the radio this weekend, when the Rams play N.C. A&T. The past two WSSU games, against Howard and Hampton, weren’t broadcast because the announcers, Alan Chavous and Kim Spears, had not been paid.

“There was some confusion, and that’s all been cleared up,” said Aaron Singleton, the director of news and media relations at WSSU. “They are going to be paid and will be back on the air.”

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Shameful! Shameful! Shameful! What's to get confused over--you either prepared a pay check for the hired contractors, or you did not. This is six transistor radio stuff, which may shed some light on why most HBCU and MEAC basketball games are not broadcasted over the Internet or by satellite radio services. No pay--no services is the American way.

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Dover, Delaware Civic Center backers push statewide tax

DOVER -- Since June 2005, the Kent County Levy Court has had the blessing of the Delaware General Assembly to issue $20 million in bonds to help pay for construction of a $61 million civic center.

Sullivan, board chairman of the Delaware Hotel & Lodging Association, said he supports the concept of a civic center that would host local events and serve as a venue for Delaware State University athletic events. He said, though, such centers should be "stand-alone, break-even" facilities that would not have an impact on people who visit Dover for other reasons.

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This facility will be the primary venue for Delaware State University basketball and other indoor sport programs. It would be great if this facility is built with shared costs of county and state funding. If it has to come to DSU campus, the project size and costs will be downsized.

Maryland Eastern Shore baseball inks three early to national letters of intent

Photo: UMES head baseball coach William Garner (in Middle) gives instruction to his players.

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Head Coach William Gardner is getting ready to begin his second season as skipper of the Fighting Hawks. In just his second shot at getting commitments, Gardner landed three big players, all signing National Letters of Intent in the early signing period. UMES adds defensive and offensive stars in the form of Michael Turner, Stokey Jackson and Dajuan Stallworth.

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Delaware State Lady Hornets gives Coach Ed Davis 300th career win

Photo: In his 16th season, Delaware State University head women basketball coach Ed Davis joins exclusive 300th win club with Hornets victory over Winston Salem State University.

Winston-Salem, NC --- Delaware State head coach Ed Davis has joined the 300-win club as the Lady Hornets toppled Winston-Salem State 49-27 Monday evening. DSU won its third straight to improve to 6-9 on the season, while the Rams fell to 0-12.

Davis, in his eighth season at Delaware State, is now 129-95 with the Lady Hornets. Prior to his stint at Delaware State, he was 171-54 in eight years at Bowie State.

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Southern U gets pro-style QB commitment

Delon Mallory, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound quarterback from John F. Kennedy High in Cleveland, Ohio recently became the first commitment for Southern University 2008 recruiting class. The irony of Mallory’s decision, who chose Southern over Purdue, Bowling Green, Kent State, Akron, Youngstown State and Eastern Michigan, was made without a visit to the school’s campus.

Mallory’s academic standing, which is below NCAA requirements for incoming freshman to participate, will force him to concentrate his time away from the field on academics for an entire season.

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