Doing More--With Less: Most budgets rise, but not at Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State University Devilettes Softball Team ended the 2010 season with an overall record of 27-23. The Devilettes lost 6-3 in the SWAC Championship game to eventual champion Alcorn State University Lady Braves.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss will each spend about four percent more on athletics than they did a year ago, according to athletic department budgets approved Wednesday by the state College Board. Ole Miss has the larger of the two totals, checking in with a projected $43.7 million. Mississippi State's 2010-11 budget is $37.4 million. Both budgets are among the smallest in the Southeastern Conference. Southern Miss projects a $19.7 million budget, up 2.3 percent from last year.

Jackson State's $6.8 million, which increased by 3.3 percent, is the largest of the state's three Southwestern Athletic Conference teams. Budgets didn't rise everywhere, though. Mississippi Valley State's $3.3 million budget is 20 percent less than last year's edition. Alcorn State's $5.3 million budget stayed basically the same. Division II school Delta State has the smallest budget, at $2.7 million. That's down 2.5 percent from last year.

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

MVSU Woods not done yet; signs local star forward Falando Jones

Mississippi Valley State University Coach Sean Woods is building upon last year's 47th nationally ranked recruiting class with even a stronger class this year. The Delta Devils return four starters for next season and have signed point guard Jerome Harris, Jr., and Falando Jones.

Mississippi Valley State basketball coach Sean Woods is excited about the future of his program and the part Greenwood's Falando Jones will play in it. Jones, a former Greenwood High School (MS) standout, recently signed a national letter of intent with Valley after two seasons at Mississippi Delta Community College. The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 15.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He shot 72 percent from the free throw line while shooting 47 percent from the field, including 33 percent from 3-point range.

"Falando is a tremendous talent and can play either the two or three position. He's a tough defensive player. He's my type of player," said Woods. "He will come in and have a chance to contribute on a large scale right away. "He's not just a great player but a great kid, too. He's a great ambassador for Greenwood and will now be the same for Valley." As a freshman at MDCC, Jones averaged 12.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists while shooting 57 percent from the field and 33 percent from long range.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Former UCLA 5-Star Recruit Signs With Mississippi Valley St‎ate

Mississippi Valley State University signed its first 5-star recruit since NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice playing days at the Valley. Chicago's Jerome Harris Jr. was ranked as the number one basketball point guard in the recruiting Class of 2009 by some recruiting services and opted out of UCLA.

Former UCLA recruit Jerome Harris, who left Ben Howland's program early in the season due to qualifying issues has signed to play for Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Harris who was expected to be a one and done type of prospect is in route for a huge season at MVSU. Harris who left the program in November spent time at Spoon River Junior College, was rated as one of the top 3 juco point guards in the country.

MVSU Head Coach is former Kentucky standout point guard Sean Woods who spent some time in the NBA. Woods says Harris is a big time talent that can really make a name for himself this season as he has one of the toughest preseason schedules next season. Harris chose Mississippi Valley State over Texas, Minnesota, and USC.

Prior to signing at UCLA, Harris Jr., received offers from Central Michigan, St. Johns, Ohio State, Rutgers, UAB, Arizona, Florida State and Indiana University, among many other major programs too numerous to name.

The 6'-3" point guard, five-star recruit out of Collins High School (Chicago, IL), posses as one of the top players in the Midwest. ''I think I have great point guard skills,'' he said. "It's not rare, but I think I can be one of the ones to succeed. Although Harris is not banking on a future in the NBA, he does consider it a possibility. ''I think about it a lot, he said. I think if it did happen, that's a good life. I just have to work hard. I can never wake up one day and be like, `I'm this' or `I'm that.' "No matter where I'll be, even if I get to the NBA, I'll always keep working. You can always get better.''

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Spring over, but work just starting for Mississippi Valley‎

It was a hectic spring football season for new Mississippi Valley State coach Karl Morgan and his staff. Morgan was hired just three weeks prior to National Signing Day and had just finished assembling his coaching staff when spring training started a few weeks ago. The Delta Devils put a wrap on spring drills Saturday with a scrimmage at Rice-Totten Stadium. It was Morgan's final chance to evaluate his players before a 3 1/2-month layoff until fall practice. "I am pleased to see that we've made some strides, but we still have miles to go," Morgan said after watching his offense get a late score to tie the scrimmage at 17.

But just because Valley is putting up its pads for a while doesn't mean Morgan will get a break. He will likely work even harder as he tackles three main goals for the offseason: develop a quality strength and conditioning program, recruit more players and raise money to help offset his program's meager budget. All three are vital to turning around a losing program, and none of the three will be easy. But you've got to like Morgan's spirit as he tries. "I knew exactly what I was getting into before I came here, and I wouldn't have come if I didn't think I could get the job done," he said.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

The Delta Devils Fans and Alumni need to step it up in assisting Coach Karl Morgan and his staff in building this football program. A weight room with new equipment would be a great improvement for the team and funding for more that 39 scholarships will help immediately in the win column. The NCAA allows 63 for Division I, Football Championship Programs--so can't you Delta Devils alumni and fans fund 24 scholarships annually?

Yes, I think we can...The Delta Devils student-athletes deserve the best opportunity for success on the field and in the classroom. Write a check today--$5, $10, $20, $30, $50, $100 or more...send what you can afford to your MVSU Delta Devil Athletic Fund. Every donation helps your program.

-beepbeep

Mississippi Valley expels 15 arrested in sweep; includes four football players‎

Valley football coach Karl Morgan, who was hired in January, says football players Eddie Ivory (QB), Kyle Hurt (DE), Keldrick Hooks (DE) and Nicholas Dwayne Sherman (OL) were arrested and have been expelled from the University.

Mississippi Valley State University has expelled 15 students, including four football players, arrested in a drug sweep Wednesday morning. Sixteen people were arrested in a collaboration between several law enforcement agencies, including Valley police and the North Central Narcotics Task Force. Valley confirmed that 15 of those arrested were students. MVSU Police Chief Robert Sanders said he believes the bust nabbed a substantial amount of the drug activity on campus.

“We are continuing to put our officers out,” he said. “We are stepping up patrols and asking students, staff and faculty to be involved with reporting suspicious activity.” A six-week investigation culminated in 11 felony and five misdemeanor arrests by the narcotics task force. Commander Gordon Ward said about seven ounces of marijuana, $4,700 in cash and two vehicles were confiscated.

The arrests were made in dorm rooms, Sanders said. It was not clear if the expelled students had left the campus, but only two remained incarcerated as of this morning. “There is a policy in place that we do not tolerate any sort of drug activity on campus,” Sanders said. Ward said the task force had captured video evidence of the marijuana sales. The bust involved about 40 officers. The sweep involved the MVSU Police Department, Leflore County Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department, U.S. Marshals, Parchman K-9 Unit and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Mississippi Valley Delta Devils Deliver Statement to TSU

Texas Southern University head basketball coach Tony Harvey.

Mississippi Valley State basketball coach Sean Woods wanted this game in the worst way. His message to his players was well received by the Delta Devils as they blew out Texas Southern 62-44 Saturday night at the R.W. Harrison Complex in Itta Bena. Woods, whose team lost 74-73 at TSU four weeks ago, called this a "statement win." When asked why he put so much into this game, Woods didn't hold back: "They (TSU) are so arrogant. They've got a lot of talent, but, hey, so do we. I told our guys that we have just as much talent as they do. We've just got to put it all together and believe in ourselves."

With the win, MVSU moves to 8-19 overall, 7-7 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. TSU falls to 12-13, 8-5 in the SWAC. Valley led 30-23 at the break and controlled things for most of the second half. TSU made a little noise when it quickly trimmed an 11-point deficit to four. Travele Jones had a 3-point play to make it 40-36 with 11:38 left. But less than two minutes later, the Delta Devils pushed their lead to 15 before the Tigers knew what had hit them. Shannon Behling capped the home team's 11-0 run with a slam dunk and a layup in less than a 20-second span.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Tired of losing to Valley, JSU gets early lead, rides it out

Jackson State was getting tired of Mississippi Valley State. The Tigers have been picked to win the SWAC the last two seasons, and did advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2007. But, in 2008, expecting to repeat, JSU stubbed its toe on Valley. As talented as JSU was last year, Valley won both of the regular-season matchups and then rallied late to win the final one that mattered most - for the SWAC Championship and NCAA berth.

Though the Delta Devils are built around new players and a first-year coach, that didn't dim the Tiger smiles after a 64-58 victory inside the Athletics and Assembly Center on Saturday. "It's just a little bit of relief," JSU guard Darrion Griffin said. "It was a little bit too close for comfort. "(That last game was) eating at us. We think about it all the time. To get the victory against them makes us feel like we can beat any team in the conference."

Jackson State stuck to its recent blueprint for success by busting out to a 12-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Valley would never lead for a single second of the 40 minutes, but it also refused to get blown out. The Delta Devils chipped away at the lead and trailed 31-27 at halftime. A dribble-drive layup by Julius Cheeks cut the lead to 35-34 at the 16:05 mark, but Valley never got any closer.

Photo Gallery: Jackson State-Mississippi Valley

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Alabama DT will join JSU football
Lack of effort confounding for first-year MVSU coach Woods
Recruiting: Commitment Billups compared to Coit
Tigers pick up 3 commitments

Mallett rushes for 160 Yards as UAPB Golden Lions Earn First SWAC Victory

Entering the season, Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach and defensive coordinator Monte Coleman said he wanted his defense to be one of the best in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. On Saturday, they played like they were, as the Golden Lions forced six turnovers and sacked Mississippi Valley State quarterback Paul Roberts four times in a 34-0 victory at Golden Lion Stadium on Senior Day. Martell Mallett gained 160 yards and scored two touchdowns on 24 carries in the victory.

“Valley threw the ball against Jackson State over 90 percent of the time, (in a 58-44 victory last week), so my thing was to try to make them run the football,” Coleman said. “They still came out and threw the football. My thing was to take away their best suit.” While the Golden Lions weren’t able to force Valley to run the football, they were able to limit the effectiveness of the Delta Devils aerial attack. Roberts completed only 13-of-35 pass attempts for 123 yards. And though UAPB used a varied rush of only three or four defenders, the Golden Lions were able to pressure Roberts for four sacks and three interceptions. Coleman said he only called one blitz on the game.

UAPB M4

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Attendance: 4,562 at Golden Lion Stadium, Pine Bluff, AR

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
YOUTH, INEXPERIENCE DIRECTS UAPB DEFENSE AGAINST VALLEY
SWAC : Coleman earns first SWAC victory
VERSATILE KEITH LEADER OF UAPB DEFENSE; SENIOR LEADS TEAM WITH 100 ...
UAPB BAND APPLIES FOR OBAMA'S INAUGURATION
On tour with UAPB
UAPB BALLERS OPEN SEASON
Carter has 23 in Texas A&M 76-47 win over UAPB
No. 15 Arizona St. defeats MVSU 80-64
Freshmen given reigns as WSU crushes MSVS 76-25
Cougars run Mississippi Valley off the court 76-25

SU hopes big win start of something special

Photo Gallery: Southern 49, MVSU 7

Running back Kendrick Smith scored his first career touchdown at Southern going backward. There are no style points for that — “My legs are the strongest thing on my body,” Smith said of getting turned around yet pushing defenders across the goal line — but they still put six points up on the scoreboard for that.

In this case, backward nevertheless means going forward. That 3-yard TD, like all of Southern’s 49-7 non-conference win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday night in A.W. Mumford Stadium, is all about the breakthrough. Smith, a top-level recruit at Patterson High, had his first 100-yard game and his first touchdown since 2005, when he was at Coffeyville Community College. He sat out in 2006 and missed time with injuries as a reserve last season.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Akinwale makes first pick count
SU loses pair in volleyball

Southern throttles MVSU 49-7

This one didn’t count toward the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings. But the 49-7 victory over Mississippi Valley State sure counts plenty to the collective Southern consciousness looking for just such of a dominating win to kick start its season. Considered a contender for the SWAC’s Western Division title, SU struggled to an 0-2 start after getting blown out at Bowl Subdivision member Houston and losing by two points at Tennessee State a week earlier.

Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium, though, SU came up with the kind of strong play in all three phases that the team is expected to display. “We stumbled in the first two games, but we also knew we had it in us,” strong safety and team captain Glenn Bell said. “We have too many seniors. We have too many talented athletes. We just had to put it together, and that’s what we just did.” Southern (1-2) now has a week off to prepare for SWAC play, which starts Sept. 27 at Alcorn State.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Attendance: 14,317 (50.4%) at A.W. Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA (Capacity: 28,400).

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Doss’ TD return caps win
Tough day at the office
Game Statistics: SU-MVSU
How They Scored: SU-MVSU
VIDEO: Southern set for home opener

SU will decide on game Wednesday

Southern University officials expect to know by Wednesday if the school will be able to host Saturday’s home opener with Mississippi Valley State. The school is in the process of fixing damage caused by Hurricane Gustav and keeping an eye on Hurricane Ike’s track. “We want to wait until Wednesday,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said. “We know it’s coming. We want to see which direction it’s going in by Wednesday.”

SU officials met Monday afternoon to discuss damage assessments from Gustav. If Saturday’s 6 p.m. game is postponed, the teams would play Dec. 6, LaFleur said. The teams have no common open dates until then. That would sandwich the game between the Nov. 29 Bayou Classic and the Dec. 13 Southwestern Athletic Conference (should either be a participant).

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Just trying to help out
Joseph Schiefelbein for Sept. 8
SU looks to build from defeat

New-look Valley defense pitched shutout in opener

Mississippi Valley State is halfway home — if 2007 is the measuring stick. And it probably shouldn't be. The Delta Devils are one game away from equaling their win total from last year after a 38-0 victory over Texas College last week. The squad which ranked No. 9 in the SWAC in both scoring defense (29.6 points a game) and total defense (354.6 yards a game) pitched the shutout, allowed just 192 yards and picked off three passes. Valley only had eight interceptions in all of 2007.

"Defensively, we had a lot of changes," MVSU coach Willie Totten said. "We went and got some junior college guys and some very quality high school guys ... where we released a lot of guys. "I like the way they were running to the football. Guys are going where they're supposed to go and doing their assignments."

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

OU will face Mississippi Valley State in NIT basketball opener

NORMAN -- Oklahoma hosts Mississippi Valley State to open the NIT Season Tip-Off Nov. 17, according to the tournament schedule released Tuesday. The Sooners, who are seeded No. 2 overall in the 16-team field, should be heavy favorites against MVSU, a squad that went 17-16 a year ago and 12-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU.
























Things could get much more difficult in the second round Nov. 18, when, provided they win the night before, the Sooners face the winner of the Davidson-James Madison game at 8:30 p.m. Davidson returns All-America candidate Stephen Curry from a 29-7 team that nearly upset eventual national champion Kansas in the Elite Eight last March.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Junior QB from Hawaii making waves at Mississippi Valley

Willie Totten believes Ryan Burciaga will give Mississippi Valley State an offensive jolt this season. The Delta Devils need all the help they can get after finishing last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total offense, seventh in scoring and ninth in passing en route to a 3-8 record in 2007.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Honolulu, Hawaii, took over as the No. 1 quarterback during spring practice with his improved play and appears to have nailed down the starting nod for Valley's season opener Aug. 30 at home against Texas College. "I told Ryan at the end of spring that it was his job to lose, and by the looks of things so far, he has no plans on giving up the No. 1 spot," said Totten, who is in his seventh season as the MVSU head coach.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

MVSU Football Team Reports to Campus

Delta Devils head football coach Willie Totten.

Itta Bena, Miss. --- By end of day yesterday 85 student-athletes had reported to camp as the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team reported to began fall conditioning and practice. With five more expected players who had received clearance for late arrival expected over the weekend, there should be a total of 90 student-athletes aboard.

"Guys came in really excited," said head coach Willie Totten. "Now we're just ready to test them and get them on the field." In this morning's work out, the team went through time tests on the track which included 40-yard dash and vertical and broad jumps. They also hit the iron in the weight room working out at 225 lbs on the bench and inclines.

On the track freshman Gerard Hall (5-9, 189, DB, Memphis, TN) turned in a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, while redshirt freshman Paul Cox, Jr. (6-5, 190, WR, Patterson, LA) had a 4.41. Running backs Johey Hargrett (6-0, 265, SR, Chicago, IL) and Ronald Brewer (5-10, 205, R-SO, Memphis), 2008 Preseason All-SWAC, each ran a 4.5.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Colonie's Newsome Picks Mississippi Valley State

MVSU new head basketball coach Sean Woods has first blue chip commitment from 6-2 guard, Tashan Newsome from Colonie Central H.S., Albany, New York.

Another former Section II basketball standout is will be playing Division I college ball next season, with Colonie's Tashan Newsome giving his verbal commitment to Mississippi Valley State University. The Delta Devils won the SWAC last season, advancing to the NCAA's where they lost to UCLA.

"They were very interested in me. They didn't want me to do anything else. They wanted me bad and when you show that kind of loyalty and interest in me, I'm going to show it back," Newsome said. Newsome, and his AAU coach Antwan Morrison said the list of schools interested in the 6-2 senior guard was extensive.

North Carolina Central, Villanova, Sacred Heart, VCU, Norfolk State, St. John's, Virginia Tech, George Mason were schools on that list.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Former Kentucky player named head basketball coach at MVSU

JACKSON, Miss. -- Former Texas Christian University assistant Sean Woods was chosen as the new head basketball coach at Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday.Woods replaces James Green, who left earlier this year to become the new coach at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Woods, a former college basketball standout at Kentucky, served two seasons at TCU as director of basketball operations and then assistant coach. Prior to his time at TCU, Woods spent one year as an assistant coach at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

The two other finalists for the MVSU job were Texas Southern assistant Lacey Reynolds, a former head coach at Grambling State and Harvey Wardell, an assistant at Tougaloo College.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Valley already getting ready for football season

You won't find Willie Totten vacationing during the dog days of June. The Mississippi Valley State head football coach and the rest of his staff are hard at it preparing for the 2008 season. Each of the coaches will get a short break in early July, but for now, they are busy checking on players and newcomers making sure they are doing what they need to do to be eligible in the fall.
"It's constant phone calls and paper work," said Totten Thursday during an interview in his office on the Itta Bena campus. "June is a time to get organized for when everyone comes in early August. "We've got four new coaches in the (Southwestern Athletic Conference), so we're looking at film trying to pick up some things they might do against us this season."

The Delta Devils report to campus Aug. 3 and will begin two-a-day practices five days later in preperation for the Aug. 30 season opener at home against Texas College.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Fighting an Uphill Battle...Why Division I-AA and II Get The Cold Shoulder

Next time someone mentions a Division I-AA or Division II school or player to you, research the player. Research the school. Because odds are that player is better than 90% of your favorite BCS team's roster.

I-AA Winston Salem State University had an NFL 4th Round (#103) draft pick in Defensive End, Willaim Hayes (Tennessee Titans). (Photo by Mark's Digitial Sports Photography).

What happened along the way? Back in the "Good ole' days," we saw small schools being held in, actually, high regard when it came to college football. Grambling was respected, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, etc.

Now, when someone mentions that a Division I-AA school did this (FCS? What? Stop with that.), or a Division II did that, the first response is "Who cares?" I'll tell you who cares. Quick, name the alma maters of Steve McNair, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton.

They were all named above.

Steve McNair, one of only a handful of college football players in history to pass for 10,000 career yards and rush for 3,000 career yards, attended Alcorn State and even made a run at a Heisman trophy.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

MVSU Devilettes falls to LSU and East Carolina in NCAA Tournament

Mississippi Valley State fell to LSU 8-0, and East Carolina 4-2 to end their SWAC Championship season at 28-28.

BATON ROUGE, La. - The East Carolina softball team defeated Mississippi Valley State, 4-2, for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Saturday afternoon before 945 fans at LSU's Tiger Park. The Pirates improve to 37-29 on the season and 1-1 in the Baton Rouge Regional. The Devilettes end their season at 28-28 after making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Championship.

MVSU jumped ahead in the top of the second. Angelia Jones doubled with one out which moved Megan Hays to third base. Hays had walked to lead off the inning. Then, Pirate hurler Brooke Swann unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Hays to score, putting the Devilettes ahead 1-0.

ECU responded in the bottom half of the second. Back-to-back doubles by Vanessa Moreno and Angel Barrella tied the game before Cristen Aona belted a long ball off of the scoreboard to score Barrella, making the score 3-1 in the Pirates' favor.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.