Big Apple Classic: Brad Byerson's 26 points power VUU past VSU in New York City

NEW YORK -- Braxton Byerson swiveled toward the Spike Lee seats at Madison Square Garden and yapped with the fans at yesterday's Big Apple Classic. He had just hit an important 3-pointer at the end of the first half to solidify a lead Virginia Union (2-0) did not relinquish in a 66-46 win over rival Virginia State (1-4).

Byerson soaked in the moment. His screams stretched through the iconic arena. His post-shot swagger made him the game's most theatrical performer. But it was his scoring -- 26 points, trumping the 23 he scored on the same court last season -- that made the difference in the victory.

"Coach said when I first got here, 'You're a crowd pleaser,'" Byerson said. "It just always stuck with me. I just get in touch with the crowd when they start talking to me. It just gives me energy. I feed off it. I tend to play better when I feed off it."

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Claflin takes sweep of LeMoyne-Owen

The second half of basketball games haven't always been the easiest for the Claflin Lady Panthers. In at least three of their games, Claflin women's head basketball coach Tiffany Tucker has watched as her squad allowed their opposition to open the final 20 minutes of play with a scoring run while gaining confidence all at the same time. Tuesday night was no exception for the Lady Panthers, but they were able to hang on against LeMoyne-Owen for the 69-64 win.

The home-standing Lady Panthers (2-3, 2-1) struggled to gain a comfortable lead against the Lady Magicians (0-3, 0-1) in the first half until the 8:25 mark. That's when Natalie Davis and Brittani Jones led Claflin on a 13-0 scoring spurt to put them ahead 36-24 with 5:11 to play. Despite allowing LeMoyne-Owen to go on a 6-0 scoring streak to end the half, Claflin went into the locker room with a 41-33 lead at halftime.

Claflin's Salley proves he's motivated in senior year

Eric Salley sped down the court at Claflin's Tullis Arena as teammate JaWan Davis led the Panthers' fastbreak in the final seconds of their game against LeMoyne-Owen.

Davis delicately lobbed the ball toward the goal for Salley to slam home in front of the home fans, but the Smoaks native slipped on a wet spot on the floor. That's probably the only thing that seemingly stopped the Panthers' senior guard who lit the Magicians up for 31 points in Claflin's 61-54 win Tuesday night.

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Lincoln coach has tall task ahead of him

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — When John Hill was hired as the new head men's basketball coach at Lincoln University on Sept. 20th, he was well aware of most of the immediate challenges, which are significant.

With the season opener less than eight weeks away, Hill had a mountain of work to do and very little time to get it all done. He also knew that the program is completing the transition from Division III to Division II, and is beginning its first season as a member of a conference in nearly a half century. And to complicate matters, Hill is at the epicenter of the fallout resulting from NCAA violations within the program that occurred under his predecessor, Garfield Yuille.

Lincoln Men: Challenges await untested group

In a perfect world, the Lincoln men's basketball program would head into its first season as an active NCAA Division II and CIAA member with great stability among its players and coaching staff.

Instead, the Lions plunge into a new, more competitive era with a new coach -- hired less than two months ago — and with just five holdovers from last year's 4-22 squad. Much of the instability is the direct result of NCAA violations committed under previous head coach Garfield Yuille.

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VSU's good footing

ETTRICK, VA - The Virginia State football team's improbable run to the CIAA championship game is going to be a tough act to follow. But the men's basketball team is not shying away from the challenge. Like the football team, the Trojans were picked to finish fourth in the Northern Division and are looking to duplicate that success.

"They raised the bar for us," said senior Brandon Plummer. "Since they went to the championship, we knew we have to come in and set the tone, just like they did." So far, so good. VSU defeated visiting Pfeiffer 65-52 in the season opener at Daniel Gymnasium Monday.

 Image Gallery for VSU's good footing

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WSSU has experience, depth to challenge for league title

Now that Winston-Salem State is back in a conference, its challenge will be withstanding the day-to-day grind. That’s what the Rams will face in the ultra-competitive CIAA.

Coach Bobby Collins, who will enter his fifth season, said he doesn’t care that his Rams were picked to finish first in the Southern Division in the preseason poll. He has six seniors, two juniors and several talented newcomers on a team that should fit nicely in the CIAA after a four-year absence.

WSSU women have nowhere to go but up in Joyner's first season as coach

“Nowhere to go but up.” That’s the outlook for Coach Steve Joyner Jr. and his women’s team at Winston-Salem State. Joyner takes over for Dee Stokes, whose team hit rock bottom last season and finished 2-28 after losing its last 26 games. Going from a Division I schedule back to the Division II CIAA doesn’t guarantee an easier time this season, but there’s still optimism spilling over.

“I know it’s going to be competitive, and some say it might be easier because we are coming down from the MEAC, but it’s not going to be easy,” senior center Vontisha Woods said, “but I think we can compete.” Joyner, 30 and a head coach for the first time, will build around three seniors and some newcomers.

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Shaw will count on its backcourt

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Shaw coach Cleo Hill Jr. evaluated the men's basketball team after last season and concluded the Bears needed to shoot better and have better athletes. When the third-year coach looks down his roster, he sees a guard-heavy rotation that specifically addresses his concerns.

The Bears host Mars Hill on Friday in their season-opener and will have their first chance to check for the speed, intellect and dynamism Hill felt they needed to succeed.

Senior guard Raheem Smith, the team's leading scorer last season at 14.6 points per game, will anchor the backcourt with newcomer Tony Smith, a 6-foot-5 transfer point guard from Seward (Mo.) Community College.

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Videographer: BGaleRichardson

St. Aug's will have new coach, new look

RALEIGH -- St. Augustine's men's basketball team will look a little different this season.

"Way different," said senior Shaun Washum, who is one of seven returners from a squad that last season won its first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference tournament since 1997, setting a school record for wins.

A lot has happened since the Falcons reached the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in 13 years and finished with a 27-5 record. After coach Lonnie Blow Jr. and his staff were praised by university president Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber for turning the program around with an emphasize on discipline and defense, Blow later resigned in July to accept an assistant coaching job at Old Dominion, a Division I program.

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Videographer: NexMillenia

Memphis Tigers to host LeMoyne-Owen in Exhibitiion Wednesday

The University of Memphis squad (0-0, 0-0 C-USA), ranked No. 19 in both preseason national polls, opens its 2010-11 exhibition season with a home contest versus LeMoyne-Owen College (0-0, 0-0 SIAC) on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Game time is 7 p.m. (CT) at FedExForum.

Memphis, picked to reclaim the Conference USA crown in most preseason publications and websites, returns three starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad that won 24 games (24-10 record) and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) second round. The Tigers finished second in the Conference USA regular season standings (13-3 league mark) and reached the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.

Wednesday's exhibition is LeMoyne-Owen's first of 2010-11. The Magicians travel to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend for their second exhibition against the Razorbacks.

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CIAA tournament staying in Charlotte through 2014

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association voted unanimously Monday on a three-year extension that will keep its prestigious basketball tournament in Charlotte through 2014.

Commissioner Leon Kerry told The Associated Press the Division II league of mostly historically black colleges and universities decided to stray from past history and hold the event in the same spot for nine straight years.

"We usually move the tournament every six years," Kerry said. "We're here because the fans love Charlotte. They like the arena, they like the things you can do in Charlotte. And we did a survey and I think 98 percent of the fans said they'd return to Charlotte."

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in his hands: Wells counted on to lead Rams in CIAA wars

Marcus Wells’ on-the-job training last season should pay dividends this season at Winston-Salem State. While the Rams’ basketball team has five seniors and two juniors who will make an impact, it’s Wells — a sophomore point guard from Durham — who will be counted on guide them in the CIAA. And Wells, who is sporting a full-length beard these days, says he is up to the task.

The Rams, who began practice Friday night at Ram Madness in a sold-out Gaines Center, expect to compete for the conference title. “The seniors are the leaders of the team, but I’m the leader on the court,” said Wells, who last season started 23 of 29 games and was third on the Rams in assists with 55.

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No.1 status gives Rams coach key motivation

Winston-Salem State basketball is generating buzz with its return to Division II and the CIAA. The Rams (12-17, 7-10 MEAC) are the choice of league coaches to finish first in the South Division after moving down from Division I. On the other hand, coach Bobby Collins noted, there's a season yet to play.

"It would be a trap if I didn't know it was a trap, but I know and understand being picked No. 1 makes the target a little bigger," Winston-Salem coach Bobby Collins said at the annual preseason luncheon at the Charlotte Convention Center. "We're going to embrace it."

Kerry happy to have Rams back in CIAA

Commissioner Leon Kerry was all smiles yesterday at the CIAA media basketball roundup at the Charlotte Convention Center. This is the conference’s 99th year, and Kerry said that having Winston-Salem State and Lincoln (Pa.) back in the league is a big deal. Lincoln was one of the original conference members.

“We’re excited about Winston being back in the league,” Kerry said. “I’m looking for them to bring us the same things they did before they left, and that’s sell tickets and bring fans.” Kerry said he wasn’t surprised that the Rams were picked to win their division in men’s basketball.

Rams expected to win their division

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --The CIAA welcomed back Winston-Salem State in basketball yesterday, and coaches immediately put a big target on the Rams by picking them as favorites to win the Southern Division title.

Coach Bobby Collins, whose Rams spent four seasons playing a full MEAC schedule as the university tried to move to Division I, said he’s flattered that opposing coaches thought that much of his senior-dominated team, but he knows he won’t have an easy run.

WSSU focuses on higher goals

Winston-Salem State is the CIAA’s only unbeaten team, but it’ll take more to impress coach Connell Maynor.

The Rams, who are 6-0 in their return to Division II, have rumbled through the schedule, which includes wins at Division I rivals N.C. A&T State and N.C. Central. Those victories are good for bragging rights, but Maynor, who is in his first year as head coach, wants more.

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Bowie State hoops loads up on Baltimore talent

Darrell Brooks got off to a good start as Bowie State’s men’s basketball coach in his first year back at his alma mater.

The longtime George Washington assistant guided the Bulldogs to a 16-10 record last season. This year, he’ll attempt to better that mark with the help of a few former Baltimore City high school stars.

Brooks has added four Baltimore natives to the Bulldogs’ roster for the 2010-11 season: Trawn Rogers, a 6-foot-8, 185-pound forward from St. Frances, Byron Westmoreland, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound shooting guard from Mervo, Julian Harrell, a 6-foot point guard from Good Counsel, and Tyrone Lawson, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Northwestern.

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Charlotte Wants CIAA Encore

Charlotte tourism leaders are ready for some more roundball.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority has begun formal negotiations to keep the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s annual men’s and women’s basketball tournaments here for several more years. Tim Newman, the visitors authority’s chief executive, told board members this week the CRVA submitted a bid last month to the conference of historically black colleges and universities to extend the partnership.

“They’re evaluating that,” Newman says. “We think we’ve got a great shot based on the great relationship we’ve had.” The current three-year deal expires in 2011. Charlotte has hosted the CIAA since 2006 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Economic impact from the tournament in 2010 was $37.1 million, dipping from $38.2 million a year earlier.

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Spencer, Bullard Take Over Basketball Reins at Saint Augustine's

Saint Augustine's has hired two former recruiters to take the helm of its men's and women's basketball programs after the sudden departures of the former head coaches less than two months ago. University president Dianne Boardley Suber announced that Ken Spencer will take over as men's coach and Rachel Sloan Bullard will be the new women's coach.

Both coaches are following tough acts and both have limited time to prepare for the new season.

Spencer replaces CIAA Coach of the Year Lonnie Blow Jr., who led the Falcons to the CIAA championship this past season. Blow resigned July 8 to become an assistant men's basketball coach at Old Dominion, an NCAA Division I school in Norfolk, Virginia.

Bullard will take the reins from ...

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Saint Augustine's men's basketball coach takes job at ODU‎

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Saint Augustine’s College men’s basketball coach Lonnie Blow Jr., has accepted an assistant coaching job at Old Dominion University and has left the Falcons’ program after two seasons. Blow, who this season guided the Falcons to its first CIAA conference tournament title since 1997, received an offer this week and decided to join head coach Blaine Taylor’s staff.

Lonnie Blow, Jr., previously coached for 11 seasons at Maury H.S., led Granby H.S. to a state title and served as an assistant coach at Norfolk State and Hampton University. Last season, he led the Saint Augustine's Falcons to a 27-5 record in his second year and was named CIAA Coach of the Year. The Falcons also compiled the highest GPA in the CIAA.

“I can confirm that,” Old Dominion senior associate athletic director Debbie White said in phone interview on Thursday. St. Aug’s athletics director George Williams said he learned earlier in the week that Blow had an offer and tried to make a counter-offer. He said he certainly tried to keep one of the best basketball coaches to lead their NCAA Division II program. “I try to bring the best people in and put the best package together for them,” he said. “But D-I, financially, we can’t handle those guys.”

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Wooten-Collier brings title experience to VUU women's basketball

As a player, Barvenia Wooten-Collier helped lift the Virginia Union women's basketball team to the pinnacle of NCAA Division II competition. Now she will try to lift the school's once-proud women's program back to respectability as a coach.

Wooten-Collier, the linchpin of Virginia Union's 1983 NCAA championship team, was hired last month to replace Bryan Underwood as the Panthers' head coach. VUU's administration chose not to renew Underwood's contract after the Panthers stumbled badly in 2009 and 2010, winning only 16 games overall -- and only seven in the CIAA.

The new coach intends, eventually, to install an up-tempo, emphasis-on-conditioning philosophy. But she said her first goal will be to instill a sense of ownership and responsibility in athletes who won only two of 20 CIAA contests last season. "I get the feeling that the players, right now, think of basketball as just another thing they have to do," Wooten-Collier said. "I don't see excitement and enthusiasm. I want these kids to understand that the opportunity to play basketball at Virginia Union is a gift. I don't want them to be content merely to play. I want them to perform."

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LeMoyne-Owen College event honors Coach Johnson

Tennessee Sports Hall of Famer and legendary LeMoyne-Owen College Coach Jerry C. Johnson left a lasting legacy on America. In his 46 years over the Magicians, there have come eight NBA players, six high school or junior high school coaches, seven college coaches, four principals, a city councilman, and a mayor of Memphis, Dr. Willie W. Herenton. Even his former player, David "Smokey" Gaines succeeded Coach Johnson, taking the reins of the Lemoyne-Owen Magicians in 2005. After LeMoyne-Owen, Gaines played for the Harlem Globetrotters and the Kentucky Colonels of the old ABA league before the merger with the NBA. Later, Gaines was one of the pioneering African American coaches at so-called majority institutions when he became the head coach at the University of Detroit and at San Diego State.

The Alumnae of LeMoyne-Owen College celebrated the college's legendary head basketball coach Jerry C. Johnson's 92nd birthday. The event was a weekend of fun and learning, June 18 & 19, and included a golf scramble at Tunica National Golf Course as well as a coaches clinic at Harrah's Casino Convention Center. The Celebration Dinner was held at the Holiday Inn Express on Democrat Road at Airways Boulevard. Proceeds from this event will fund the Magician's Club which provides scholarships for the college's athletes.

Coach Johnson retired from the college's basketball program in 2005 after more than 46 seasons. When he was 86, he ranked first among active NCAA Division II coaches with 818 victories in 45 seasons. He has lost just 400 games in that time, and is the second winningest coach in Division II NCAA history behind another legend, Clarence "Big House" Gaines (Winston-Salem State).

Coach Jerry C. Johnson is the only coach in Tennessee history to win a national basketball championship. Since his retirement, he has received numerous honors for his outstanding career. Coach Johnson was inducted into the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ((SIAC) Hall of Fame, the Fayetteville State University Hall of Fame, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. The coach of the year award for the SIAC is now The Jerry C. Johnson Coach of the Year Award. And in 1991, LeMoyne-Owen College awarded Johnson an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He ended his career with 821 victories.

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LeMoyne-Owen 1975 National Championship Men's Basketball Team ...

MIAA Athletic Director

Hampton leads JCSU basketball class‎

The Golden Bulls JUCO transfer, Terrell Barrett is a rugged 6-6/225 athletic player who has a Division-I body, possesses the ability to put it on the floor, post up and shoot from beyond the arc. The All-Panhandle conference player also made the conference All-Academic Team. Barrett originally signed with Gardner-Webb University out of high school, a NCAA Division I, Big South Conference program.


Johnson C. Smith's basketball overhaul has seven new parts.

The biggest prize in the class of seven signees is Providence High forward Terrance Hampton, who averaged 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a senior. Hampton, 6-6, was the fourth Providence player to break the 1,000-point barrier with 1,115. He played in the Charlotte Pro-Am All-Star Classic and was named MVP in the Lindberg Moody Holiday Classic. Hampton also earned All-District honors from the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association. “We expect Hampton to be one of our instant contributors,” Golden Bulls coach Steve Joyner said in a statement. “He has good size, scoring ability, and awareness in the low post; he has the potential to be All-CIAA.”

JCSU recruited frontcourt help, adding Zachary O’Brien from Watchung Hills (N.J.) Regional High, Terrell Barrett of Farmville Central, Antwan Wilkerson of Western Guilford and Robert Williams of Sandy Creek (Ga.) High. The Bulls signed guards Richard Daniels from Winston-Salem Carver and Charlotte transfer Trevin Parks. Barrett (6-6, 225) is transferring from Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, where he was all-conference for two consecutive seasons. He averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in his senior season at Farmville Central.

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