Hampton University land two all-staters from North Carolina

Hampton, Virginia -- Hampton University has received verbal commitments from a pair of players at North Carolina powerhouse Northside Christian in Charlotte.

Dionte Adams, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound combo forward, and L.C. Cooks, a 6-1, 175-pound shooting guard, visited Hampton together last weekend and were sold on the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champions, led by third-year coach Ed "Buck" Joyner.

"Even before (Adams') visit to Hampton, just researching the place, he had felt like that was the place," said Northside Christian coach Byron Dinkins, who said Adams also had scholarship offers from Winthrop, Presbyterian and Pembroke. "We told him he needed to see it, and once they took their visit, they both came back ready to get it done."

Adams, a first-team all-state selection as a junior, averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds last season as the Knights went 29-3 and finished runner-up in the state, posting a career high of 28 points and 18 rebounds in one game.

READ MORE


Hampton University basketball continues to re-load for another NCAA run...

Hampton Pirates 78, Fordham Rams 54

Senior 6'-8" forward Michael Freeman took the Atlantic-10 Fordham Rams to school scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds in leading the Pirates inside attack.








Freeman's fourth double-double of the season leads HU to rout of Fordham

HAMPTON - — It's always nice to come home after a long trip … even if nobody's at the house. The Hampton Pirates put together their most complete performance in their first home game since Nov. 23, pounding Fordham 78-54 Sunday at the Convocation Center. And while there weren't many in attendance — just 342 showed up for the rare Sunday night game, even with free admission — those who were there got to see the Pirates (3-10) in rare form.

The 24-point margin of victory is Hampton's biggest since a 65-31 win Dec. 1, 2007 against Howard. The Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak and gave coach Edward Joyner Jr. his first home win. Their 51 percent field-goal shooting is a season-best, and they won the rebounding battle 42-31 — the first time they've done that all season. "We wanted more rebounding, and we got it," Joyner said. "We wanted better shooting, and we got it. The only thing we have to work on is turnovers (21, including 13 in the second half). Some of that was being ahead by a lot in the second half, but we need to play the complete 40 minutes."

Final Stats

Hampton Pounds Fordham

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team started 2010 strong, beating the Rams of Fordham University 78-54 at the HU Convocation Center on Sunday night. It was Hampton’s largest margin of victory since the Pirates beat Howard 65-31 on Dec. 1, 2007. The Pirates also snapped a five-game losing streak and gave interim head coach Edward “Buck” Joyner Jr. his first home win. Hampton (3-10) went on a 15-5 run late in the second half to pull ahead to its largest margin of the night, 69-37 with 5:25 to play after a 3-pointer from Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.). Fordham closed the game on a 17-8 run, but the Pirates’ lead was so large at that point, the Rams couldn’t complete the comeback.

Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) led the Pirates with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting and an 8-for-9 performance from the free throw line. Freeman also pulled down 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 11 points for the Pirates, who shot a season-best 51.0 percent (25-for-49) from the floor and 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from 3-point range. Read More...

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
HU shakes up roster of assistants
Small crowds big issue for Hampton University
Hampton president Harvey on NCAA panel searching for next NCAA president

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.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING BLOG TITLE.

Hampton University receives 3-Star freshman transfer from Virginia Tech

Photo: Hampton University transfer freshman guard/forward Darrion Pellum, a legitimate 3-Star ranked basketball player.

Former Hampton High guard Darrion Pellum has transferred to Hampton University from Virginia Tech to play basketball. Pellum, 6-foot-6, started classes Monday and will become eligible to play for the Pirates in December 2008. He chose Hampton University after consulting with local coaches and mentors.

Pellum signed a national letter of intent for the 2007-08 academic year with Virginia Tech. However, after arriving in Blacksburg last fall he was declared academically ineligible. Pellum said the issue involved accreditation of instructors at Massanutten Academy and an online course he took to get admitted to Virginia Tech.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE ABOVE.

Pellum, a 6-6, 210-pound shooting guard/small forward averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game as a senior for coach Richard Moore at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va. As a senior at Massanutten, Pellum averaged 40 percent from three-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line.

Pellum averaged 20 points per game as a junior at Massanutten. He transferred to Massanutten in 2005 after playing for Hampton High School for coach Walter Brower. Pellum has played for Boo Williams' AAU team during the summer.

Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg described Pellum as--"he's big; he's physical; he's athletic. He reminds me of a bigger version of Jamon Gordon. He doesn't play one position; he can play all perimeter positions.

Pellum is ranked as a 3-Star player by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ranking systems.

-beepbeep

Hampton beats William and Mary for third CAA win

The Pirates used a strong second-half surge to build a lead that stood up to William and Mary's late rally for a 70-63 victory at the HU Convocation Center. Hampton ran its record to 6-6 going into a break until its Jan. 12 game with Bethune-Cookman, its second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the start to the full conference schedule.

The Tribe, falling short of coach Tony Shaver's 400th career victory, takes a 3-7 mark into Colonial Athletic Association play. It had won the last three meetings with HU.

CONTINUE READING THE STORY BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE ABOVE.