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Showing posts with label GCAC Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GCAC Basketball. Show all posts
NEW ORLEANS, Lousisiana — Seniors Keldra Hall and Jazmoné Kelly are Xavier University of Louisiana's representatives on the preseason All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team announced Wednesday.
GCAC head coaches selected the team, which consists of 10 players. Xavier and Tougaloo are the only schools with two players on the team.
Keldra Hall, left, and Jazmoné Kelly are among five seniors on the
2011-12 Xavier women's basketball team. (click photo to enlarge)
Hall, a 6-foot center from Dallas and a graduate of Molina High School and Angelina College, averaged 8.2 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per game this past season. Her 108 rebounds were the most by a Gold Nugget in four seasons.
Kelly, a 5-9 guard/forward and a graduate of Cincinnati's Ursuline Academy, averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds and became the first Gold Nugget since Jackie Tucker in 2003-04 to reach 60 offensive rebounds, 60 assists and 60 steals in the same season
Both Hall and Kelly were All-GCAC in 2010-11, and Hall was the GCAC Newcomer of the Year.
Xavier, 27-7 in 2010-11, will travel to LSU for an exhibition on Nov. 2, then open the regular season two days later against Florida Memorial at The Barn. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana, which returns nine of 11 lettermen and four starters from its 27-6 men's basketball team of this past season, is picked to finish second in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2011-12.
The Gold Rush received one first-place vote and 43 points in a poll of the GCAC's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team. Tougaloo topped the poll with 49 points and received the other seven first-place votes.
Four points separated the third- through seventh-place teams.
The GCAC expanded during the summer from six to eight teams with the addition of Philander Smith and Talladega. Unlike last season, all GCAC teams will play a double round-robin schedule, with the conference awarding regular-season and tournament championships. Tougaloo defeated Xavier 93-80 in overtime to win the GCAC Tournament in March.
Xavier's returning starters are guards Chris Iles and Kevin Miller and forwards Anthony Simmons and Denzell Erves. Simmons was All-GCAC this past season, and Iles led the conference in assists per game. They helped Xavier win its first 13 games for the first time since 1940-41 and record a school-record-tying 11th consecutive winning season.
The XU men will open their 74th season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 at The Barn against Carver College of Atlanta.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Monday that Panhandle Sports Broadcasting of Pensacola, Fla., will provide live internet broadcasts of 12 XU men's basketball games and 12 XU women's basketball games during the 2011-12 regular season.
All broadcasts will be XU home games at The Barn, beginning with the Gold Rush opener Nov. 2 against Carver and the Gold Nuggets' opener Nov. 4 against Florida Memorial.
PSB will broadcast 10 XU doubleheaders, including seven Gulf Coast Athletic Conference matchups. Fans can access the live broadcasts at www.psblive.com orwww.xula.edu/athletics/stream.
There will be no charge to watch the games live. PSB will archive XU broadcasts at its website, www.psblive.com, and sell DVDs of broadcasts for $20 per game.
"This is another upgrade for our program," said Dennis Cousin, Xavier's director of athletics. "These live broadcasts will strengthen our brand and provide us increased visibility."
Panhandle Sports Broadcasting is a regional company which covers college, high school and youth sports through internet streaming in audio and video media. Its first broadcast was in 2007. Co-owners are Bill Brownell and Joe Paschal.
"PSBLIVE is very excited about this opportunity," Brownell said, "and looks forward to broadcasting Xavier basketball to its many loyal fans both nationally and internationally."
Businesses and individuals interested in advertising on the broadcasts should contact Cousin at (504) 520-7330.
Both Xavier teams won 27 games this past season and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championships.
PSB Live Internet Broadcasts of Xavier University Basketball in 2011-12 (all times Central — doubleheaders in bold)
NEW ORLEANS — Guard/forward Cleosha Lee of Memphis, Tenn., and center Crystal Wallace of College Park, Ga., have signed athletic scholarships with Xavier University of Louisiana. Both will be freshmen on XU's 2011-12 women's basketball roster.
Lee, 5-feet-9, averaged 12 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists per game this past season at East High School. She led the Lady Mustangs in rebounding and steals and shared the team lead in scoring. Lee shot 52 percent from the floor and 79 percent from the line as a senior.
"Cleo Lee is a guard who can really defend," Xavier coach Bo Browder said, "and she has a very skilled mid-range game."
Lee was all-district in basketball and volleyball and a four-year varsity starter in both sports. As a freshman Lee was a teammate of Brandi Young, a senior guard at Xavier this season. East also produced Jarryn Cleaves, who finished her XU career in 2008 as the program's No. 5 scorer.
Wallace, 6-feet-3, played in every game as a reserve her senior year at Westlake High School in Atlanta and had single-game bests of eight points and 11 rebounds. She first played basketball in 10th grade after competing several years in netball in her native Brooklyn, N.Y.
As a junior Wallace was a teammate of Dalila Robinson, a redshirt freshman guard at Xavier this season.
"Crystal Wallace is the best sleeper of a prospect that we've signed in the last 10 years," Browder said. "She has the potential to be an outstanding post player."
The Nuggets' other signee for 2011-12 is guard/forward Jessica Savannah of Shreveport, La., who was announced in December.
Xavier was 27-7 this past season, repeated as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, reached the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship and led NAIA Division I in scoring defense for the second consecutive season. By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Xavier won its second straight Gulf Coast Athletic
Conference Tournament championship in 2011.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will conduct women's basketball tryouts for the 2011-12 season from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at The Barn.
Participants must be full-time Xavier students and enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours for the fall 2011 semester.
Contact head coach Bo Browder at (504) 520-7333 or rbrowder@xula.edu for more information.
Xavier was 27-7 in 2010-11, ranked 20th in the final NAIA Division I poll and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the 15th time in 17 seasons. The Gold Nuggets led NAIA Division I in scoring defense and won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament each of the last two seasons.
The legendary Bernard Griffith developed
current New Jersey Nets head coach Avery Johnson and served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.
New Orleans - Dillard University’s search for a new men’s basketball coach began and ended inside of its own zip code with the hiring of former Saint Augustine coaching legend Bernard Griffith.
Griffith, 63, spent the past school year serving as basketball coach and athletic director at L.B. Landry High School in Algiers, but recently resigned from that position to accept the Dillard job, Dillard Athletic Director Kiki Baker Barnes and Landry Principal Lee Green said Thursday.
Griffith replaces Dale Brown, who resigned from Dillard to take the men’s basketball coaching position at Clark Atlanta University, a NCAA Division II school in Atlanta.
“He is a phenomenal coach, absolutely phenomenal,’’ Barnes said in confirming Griffith’s selection. “That’s my word for him.’’
Dillard has scheduled a press conference to announce Griffith’s hiring for next Thursday at its Gentilly campus, Barnes said. Griffith could not be reached for comment, but his move places him almost within walking distance (less than two miles) of Dillard from his Gentilly home.
New Orleans, La. - The Southern University at New Orleans Lady Knights will open their 2011-2012 seasonon November 5th in Dallas, Texas against Paul Quinn with the home opener on November 12th against Concordia-Selma. SUNO's women will also play two exhibition games, one at Southern on November 11th and the other at Nicholls State on November 30th. SUNO will also participate in the University of St. Thomas Tournament in Houston, Texas on December 19th and 20th.
SUNO's women finished the 2010-2011 season 18-5 and 3-4 in conference. A team made up mostly of underclassmen, Coach Elston King is licking his chops at the prospect of taking his young team's performance to the next level after a record-breaking season.
Forward Christine Conner, who will be a senior, was named an NAIA Honorable Mentiona All-American. She and former standout guard/forward LaTiondra Smith both made the All-GCAC team while guard Lydia Ross grabbed GCAC Co-Freshman of the Year honors.
Coming off the most impressive one-season turnaround in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, the SUNO Lady Knights are preparing for what promises to be an intense season. After finishing their inaugural 2009 season with one win, SUNO achieved the improbable by reaching the finals of the GCAC Tournament in 2010. The season features matches against NCAA opponents the University of New Orleans and Alcorn State University.
The Lady Knights will also renew acquaintances against former conference rivals. The season opens in The Castle against Loyola on August 27th with Spring Hill College also on the docket. SUNO's conference schedule will consist of three in-season tournaments at Philander Smith, Talladega, and Dillard.
For Coach Naomi Washington the name of the game will be hustle and communication on the court. Washington feels that freshman signee, Christal Hollins, will add an athletic spark to the team. Plus she brings championship experience from the high school level. The Lady Knights also promise to be a more diverse team, which Washington feels will add an air of professionalism on the court. German setter Stephanie Bruhl will add to the mix in addition to players from two other countries.
The Knights' 2011-2012 schedule features the season opener at home against Florida Memorial University on November 4th. Other non-conference match-ups include former GCAC rivals Loyola, Spring Hill, and William Carey. SUNO will also get a visit from Johnson & Wales (North Miami) on September 11th in The Castle.
Having finished 11-14 and 4-3 in conference, SUNO will move forward inspired by individual contributions. Former point guard Brent Leduff was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and a Louisiana Sports Writers Association Honorable Mention All-Louisiana team member. He, former center Andre Davis, and former shooting guard Ricardo Porter were all named to the GCAC All-Conference team.
Although all three players have played their final games in Knights uniforms, Coach Dale Valdery, will be looking to refine the current talent on the roster in addition to bringing energy to the team with new blood.
New Orleans, LA - The Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils' Basketball Team has announced the signing of six players who will join the Lady Bleu Devils' program for the 2011-12 season.
Dillard University Athletic Director and Head Women's Basketball Coach Kiki Barnes and staff have secured the services of Kiante Ageous, of Harvey, LA,Jaliesa Hicks, of Jackson, MS, Ariel Harrell, of Jonesboro, LA, Brittany Smithof Richmond, TX, Keylantra Taylor, of Houston, TX, and Kierrariel Mitchell, of Jackson, MS.
Ageous is an athletic 5'11 shooting guard who originally signed with the University of Arizona coming out of high school. In 2010, Ageous was ranked the 116th best player in the nation at her position by ESPN Hoop Gurlz. Ageous averaged 21.2 points and 11.2 rebounds her senior season for Sam Houston High in San Antonio, Texas after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She was a McDonalds All-American nominee as well as an ESPN/RISE 3rd Team All-Area selection for the Hurricanes.
Ariel Harrell is a 6'0 forward who attended Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro, LA. A prospect for Hoop Gurlz, Harrell averaged 13.1 points and 15.3 rebounds as a senior. She was All-District Second Team her senior year and scored a season-high 32 points vs. state champion Winnfield High School.
Kierrariel Mitchell, a guard/forward from Jackson, MS. Kierrariel attended Jim Hill High School and averaged 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game her senior year. She had a game-high 26 points vs. Murrah High School, 3rd best school in state of Mississippi. She was voted All-State Honorable Mention as well as All-District and All-Metro Area First-Team as a senior, leading her team to an overall record of 26-8. Mitchell is ranked the 19th best player in the Mississippi FILA Class of 2011 Top 40.
Jaliesa Hicks is a 5'5 point guard who also attended Jim Hill High School in Jackson, MS. She averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds her senior season. She was named to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger All-Metro Team all four years of high school.
Brittney Smith is a 5'7 guard who attended George Bush High School in Richmond, TX. She averaged 16 points and 2.6 assists per game as a senior and earned 1st-Team All-District honors. Smith had a season-high 36 points vs. Fort-Bend Austin. Smith was also MVP and Team Captain her senior season.
Rounding out the class is Keylantra Taylor, a 6'0 forward who played prep ball at Klein Forest High School in Houston, TX. Taylor averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds her senior season, earning 1st-Team All District honors. She was ranked 91st overall at the wing position in the nation by ESPN Hoop Gurlz. She was voted Team Captain and MVP, leading the Golden Eagles to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in ten years.
"I am very excited about the about the six young ladies that we are adding to an already good core group of girls," said Kiki Barnes. "Not only is each one these young ladies extremely talented, but they also possess a winning attitude."
The Lady Bleu Devils open the 2011-12 regular season on Friday, November 11, 2011 in an exhibition contest at Southern University at Baton Rouge.
Louis Theodore Williams
March 26, 1960 - April 20, 2011
NEW ORLEANS — Louis Williams, the leading scorer on Xavier University of Louisiana's 29-2 men's basketball team in 1981-82, died this past Wednesday (April 20) in Houston at age 51.
Williams died in his sleep of natural causes, his sister Dawn said.
A 6-foot-4 forward and a native of Gulfport, Miss., Williams averaged 17 points and 6.9 points per game and shot 57.4 percent from the floor to earn NAIA All-America honorable mention for Coach Denny Alexander's Gold Rush in 1981-82. Xavier lost its opener, then won 29 in a row to tie a school record for consecutive victories in one season. The XU men were 12-0 in league play during the first season of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, won the NAIA District 30 playoffs to qualify for the NAIA National Championship and ranked third in the final NAIA coaches poll.
"A tremendous athlete with fantastic leaping ability and a soft but deadly jump shot." Alexander said of Williams. "Capable of being unstoppable at times . . . sometimes he's downright awesome."
Williams was one of three freshmen from Alexander's 1979-80 team to reach 1,200 career points at Xavier. The others were Eugene Johnson and Alvin "Bo" Dukes. Williams played through his junior season and finished with 1,206 points — which still ranks him 17th on Xavier's career list — and 527 rebounds in 86 games.
Williams averaged 11.8 points and 5.1 rebounds as a freshman. As a sophomore he averaged 12.8 and 6.1 rebounds and blocked 67 shots — still a Gold Rush season record — for a 21-8 team which won the NAIA District 30 playoffs and qualified for the national tourney for the first time in eight seasons.
His single-game highs included 34 points at Paul Quinn on Jan. 11, 1982, 17 rebounds at Dillard on Feb. 14, 1981, and nine blocked shots against Philander Smith in the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tournament on Dec. 19, 1980.
As a senior at Harrison Central High School in 1978-79, Williams averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds.
"Sweet Lou was the best," Dawn Williams said. "He was everyone's best friend. He would sit on his front porch and talk to everybody who passed by."
Williams is survived by six daughters and 16 siblings. A Mass of Christian burial will start at 10 a.m. Monday (May 2) at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, 3521 19th Street in Gulfport, MS 39501, phone 228-863-0642. Burial will follow at Monroe Memorial Park at the corner of Canal and Hutter roads in Gulfport. In lieu of flowers, the Williams family requests donations to Dawn Williams accounts at Wells Fargo Bank or Hancock Bank to help defray funeral expenses.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Devin Andrew and Anthony Simmons are third-team selections on the Boxtorow.com Division II/NAIA HBCU All-America team announced Tuesday.
Andrew — a 6-foot-4 senior guard from Harvey, La., a graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma and a former student at Karr High School in New Orleans — led the Gold Rush this season with 10.9 points per game, 1.2 steals per game and 111 free throws in 147 attempts. He won two January home games with points in the final two seconds. Andrew played in 32 games and started 17.
Simmons, a 6-8 sophomore forward from Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate of Allendale Columbia School, averaged nine points and 5.5 rebounds in 32 games with 19 starts. He was Xavier's No. 2 scorer and rebounder and led the team with a .598 field-goal percentage.
Xavier recorded its first 13-0 start since 1940-41 and winningest season (27-6) since 1983-84. Xavier earned an at-large berth to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship and ranked 17th in the final coaches poll.
The team was selected by media members from around the country who cover NCAA Division II and NAIA basketball.
2010-11 Boxtorow.com Division II/NAIA HBCU All-America Team First Team
Sharif Bray, Cheyney
Paul Davis, Winston-Salem State
Marcus Goode, Benedict
Najee Lane, Clark Atlanta
Raheem Smith, Shaw
Second Team
David Burton, Cheyney
Braxton Byerson, Virginia Union
Mario Luckett, Tougaloo
Trevin Parks, Johnson C. Smith
Eric Vann, Bowie State
Third Team Devin Andrew, Xavier
Darius Cox, Livingstone
Josh Miller, West Virginia State
Lajay Sears, Stillman Anthony Simmons, Xavier
Player of the Year: Raheem Smith, Shaw
Coach of the Year: Cleo Hill, Shaw
Honorable Mention: Shelton Carter, Winston-Salem State; Andre Davis, SUNO; Sidney Evans, Fayetteville State; Kerry Harvis, Talladega; Tony Johnson, Kentucky State; Myron McGowan, Dillard; Denzel Mooney, Lincoln (Pa.); Ibn-Saed Rasoull, Saint Paul's; Maurice Reevy, Saint Paul's; Eric Salley, Claflin; Rondy Tucker, Elizabeth City State
NEW ORLEANS — What does Xavier University of Louisiana have in common with Connecticut, Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame?
All five colleges had men's and women's basketball teams that won at least 27 games during the 2010-11 season.
The list isn't much bigger than that. Xavier was one of three NAIA Division I members to reach a pair of 27s — Azusa Pacific and Texas Wesleyan were the others — and NAIA Division II's Davenport and Indiana Wesleyan also achieved it. No schools in NCAA Division II or III had a pair of 27-game winners.
U.S. four-year colleges with 27-game winners in men's and women's basketball during 2010-11.
So that brings the total to nine out of more than 1,200 four-year U.S. colleges which sponsor men's and women's teams.
"That's an amazing list," said Dennis Cousin, Xavier's athletics director. "It's not a long list, and that's why it's great to see Xavier on there. I know our coaches and athletes worked very hard this season. Any positive recognition is good for them and for Xavier."
Although Xavier's basketball teams have combined for nearly 50 20-win seasons, this was the first time that both reached 25 victories in the same season. It's the seventh time in Louisiana history that a college had a pair of 25-game winners and the fourth time for a pair of 27s.
Among Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Xavier is the first with a pair of 25-game winners since Norfolk State in 1994-95. Norfolk State is the only other HBCU with a pair of 27-game winners, accomplishing that in 1993-94.
U.S. four-year colleges with 27-game winners in men's and women's basketball during 2010-11
College
Affiliation
Women's W-L
Men's W-L
Azusa Pacific
NAIA I
33-5
29-6
Connecticut
NCAA I
36-2
32-9
Davenport
NAIA II
29-6
37-1
Duke
NCAA I
32-4
32-5
Indiana Wesleyan
NAIA II
28-8
29-6
North Carolina
NCAA I
29-8
28-9
Notre Dame
NCAA I
27-7
31-8
Texas Wesleyan
NAIA I
30-4
28-6
Xavier
NAIA I
27-7
27-6
Louisiana four-year colleges with 25-game winners in men's and women's basketball during same season
College
Season
Women's W-L
Men's W-L
Xavier
2010-11
27-7
27-6
LSU
2005-06
31-4
27-9
LSU
1999-2000
25-7
28-6
New Orleans
1986-87
25-7
26-4
LSU
1985-86
27-6
26-12
Louisiana Tech
1984-85
29-4
29-3
Louisiana Tech
1983-84
30-3
26-7
Four-year HBCUs with 25-game winners in men's and women's basketball during same season
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
