SU’s Johnson ready to run for spot in ’08 Olympics

The 6-foot-5 guy who ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.4 seconds at Southern University’s pro day for NFL scouts this spring isn’t going to a pro football training camp. Had he made different choices, Brian Johnson might be playing pro football. The former Southern track star has no time for second guessing.

The 28-year-old ex-Iowa High standout is focused on breaking a different barrier. With a jump of 27 feet, 2Ø inches, Johnson is ranked No. 1 going into today’s long jump qualifying round at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Johnson has three of the top seven jumps in the world this year and hopes to earn his first Olympic team spot. The final round is Sunday.

Brian Johnson


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Big challenge for SSU coach

Robby Wells says he likes a challenge. He’s got one, all right. Wells was named head coach of the Savannah State University football team on Dec. 22, 2007, taking over one of the most maligned and moribund football programs in Division I. The Tigers have not had a winning season since 1998. They haven’t won more than two games in a season since 1999, and they went 1-9 in 2007.

“We’re doing the same thing Georgia State is doing,” Wells said, noting the Atlanta university’s plans to start a football program. “We’re doing it from scratch.” Problem is, Georgia State doesn’t plan to put its first team on the field for another two years. Savannah State’s been playing football since 1915. They are 7-47 since moving up to Division I in 2002.

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Hampton's Alonzo Coleman hoping to be an eye-opener for Dallas Cowboys

IRVING, TX – This was before Marion Barber signed his seven-year extension and while first-rounder Felix Jones and fourth-rounder Tashard Choice were practicing for the first time with the Dallas Cowboys. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones reminded any and all of No. 30.

"Did you see No. 30 out there with that 4.3 speed?" Jones said. No. 30 is Alonzo Coleman. His name might not ring a bell because he spent last year on the practice squad and got all of eight carries for 27 yards in the preseason because of a sprained left ankle.

Coleman signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2007 draft. Former vice president of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland liked his potential. Coleman left Hampton University as the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,707 yards and 62 touchdowns. He was named the MEAC offensive player of the year as a junior when he ran for 1,326 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had a five-touchdown effort against Gardner-Webb.

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Carver’s Coleman signs with North Carolina Central

Carver baseball standout Cedric Coleman has played more baseball games than anyone he knows at Carver. As a matter of fact, he finished his prep career second on the all-time list of games played at CHS.

“He’s played in just about every game,” said Carver head baseball coach Melvin Palmer. “He’s been a tremendous impact player for us for four years. Anytime you lose a four-year starter it’s big. He impacted the team in every game. We’re also losing a leader. He’s the type of guy that motivated other players to play hard.”

Coleman played rather well for the Yellowjackets too. He finished with a .410 batting average. Coleman had a .640 slugging percentage, to go along with a .450 on base percentage. He also finished with 37 RBIs, 12 triples, 32 doubles, 54 runs scored, 24 steals and 22 strikeouts in four years. Those numbers, as well as a few other things helped Coleman get a scholarship to play baseball for North Carolina Central University. He signed his letter of intent in front of family and friends last Friday — one day before graduating from Carver.

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A new color barrier?

Photo: Bethune Cookman University 2008 Baseball Team.

Baseball seeing fewer black athletes on deck.

Central High School junior Johnny Gray has never played organized baseball, although his friends have attempted to talk him into giving it a try. "They tell me I'd be good at it," said Gray, who plays basketball and runs track at Central. "But I'm so busy with basketball, I don't really have time."

Besides, Gray said, baseball just doesn't do anything for him. "It's kind of boring to me," he said. Gray's view seems typical of many young black athletes who dream of earning a college athletic scholarship. Baseball probably isn't their ticket. The number of black players in college baseball continues to decline, with black players comprising only 2.6 of the NCAA Division I total in 2006, the latest NCAA report.

That's down from 6 percent in a 2004 report by Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Lapchick isn't pointing fingers at the college game or its coaches. He said the dwindling number of blacks in baseball is an across-the-board problem.

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North Carolina A&T football player dies from heat illness complications

Greensboro, N.C. — A senior offensive lineman on the North Carolina A&T State University football team died Wednesday from complications of heat illness, school officials said.

Chad Wiley, 22, collapsed Tuesday after a supervised voluntary workout on campus, officials said. An A&T athletic trainer treated Wiley on the field before he was transported to Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital.

A&T officials said Wednesday afternoon that Wiley had been running hills during a workout when he became dizzy. A trainer gave him water and he continued his workout. He lost consciousness inside the training room.

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READ: Update 4:22 p.m., http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/NRSTAFF/957891935

READ: Aggie Football Player Dies After Workout, http://www.digtriad.com/news/mostpopular/article.aspx?storyid=104275&provider=top

Wiley profile from North Carolina A & T State University Athletic Website: http://www.ncataggies.com/Football/profiles/wiley_chad.htm

SSU goes for experience in AD hire

Within seconds of being introduced as Savannah State University's athletic director, Bart Bellairs on Tuesday used words like "gold mine" and "sleeping giant" to describe Savannah's only NCAA Division I school.

He'll no doubt use those terms frequently in his quest to help SSU increase revenue, join a conference and achieve success, both athletically and academically. Bellairs will begin at SSU on June 1.



Bellairs, 51, has spent the past three years as Virginia Military Institute's senior associate athletic director. He was instrumental in tripling revenue during his first two years at the Lexington, Va., school, which competes in the Big South Conference.

Bellairs is the first white AD at SSU, a historically black university that began playing sports in 1915. His hiring comes five months after SSU hired its first white football head coach, 39-year-old Robby Wells.

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Grambling basketball candidate Tic Price withdraws from consideration

As the search for Grambling State's next basketball coach drags on, North Texas assistant Tic Price has withdrawn his name from consideration. "I'm going to withdraw to pursue other opportunities," Price said.

Others mentioned as Grambling candidates include Washington assistant Cameron Dollar, Mississippi State assistant Robert Kirby and Southeastern Louisiana assistant Roman Banks. The job has been open since the April 1 firing of ninth-year coach Larry Wright.

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Former Alcorn star Smith hired as Braves’ basketball coach

VICKSBURG — Former Alcorn State University star Larry Smith was introduced as the school’s men’s basketball coach in a news conference here today. Smith, 50, replaces Sam West, who posted a 44-103 record in five seasons. Alcorn State won just seven games and lost 24 in 2007-08 and did not qualify for the SWAC tournament.

“I know it’s not going to be easy,” said Smith, who signed a four-year contract with a $125,000 base salary. “But this thing’s going to happen. Believe me, I’m here for the duration. It’s not going to be easy getting rid of me.

Smith spent 23 years as a player and coach in the NBA and was an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA until last week. He was an assistant with the Houston Rockets when they won NBA titles in 1994 and ’95.

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Morgan football takes hit

The NCAA yesterday penalized 123 colleges and universities, including Morgan State, for having athletic teams that fell short of academic guidelines.

Morgan State was punished with the loss of 1.68 scholarships in football and two scholarships in women's volleyball. Anticipating the result, the school said it had already cut back its number of football scholarships last fall from 63 to 60. "That gives you a sense of how serious and how diligent the athletic department is," university spokesman Jarrett Carter said.

Morgan State's APR was 902 in football and 860 in women's volleyball. UMES men's basketball scored 818 but was not penalized because of academic improvements and other considerations, the NCAA said. Coppin State's men's basketball and baseball teams scored below 925 but weren't penalized because the teams' performances eclipse that of the general student body, according to Coppin and the NCAA.

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Grambling's football game at Texas Southern moved to a Thursday night for ESPNU

Grambling State's football game at Texas Southern has been moved to a Thursday night to accomodate plans to broadcast the action on ESPNU.

Texas Southern will host Grambling on Thursday, Nov. 20, with kickoff set for 8 p.m.
The date is one of three SWAC football games that have been moved to Thursday night contests. On September 18, Arkansas-Pine Bluff will take on Alcorn State at 6:30 pm . On September 25, Alabama State will travel to Mississippi Valley State for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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Texas Southern signs Armondo Barbour

Armondo Barbour is a true student-athlete, combining the parts equally to produce a bright future within both the chalk lines of a baseball diamond and the chalk-etched walls of a classroom.

A senior at Salesian High in Richmond, Barbour recently signed a baseball scholarship to play at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. However, unlike most college-bound athletes who first gain recognition for their prowess on the field of play, academics helped the American Canyon native get his foot in the door.

After deciding he wanted to attend college, Barbour's journey began with a little research, investigating possible schools he would like to attend. He was considering a couple of California schools, but was also examining options a little further from home.

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NCCU Basketball signs 6-10 JUCO Center

Worah-Ozimo of TCI College Nation's Fourth-Leading Rebounder in 2007

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Stevy Worah-Ozimo, a 6-10, 220-pound center from TCI College of Technology, has signed a national letter of intent to become a part of the North Carolina Central University men's basketball program.

A native of Gabon, West Africa, Worah-Ozimo ranked fourth in the nation among NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division I programs with an average of 12.7 rebounds per game during his rookie campaign at TCI (Technical Career Institute).

During his two seasons (2006-08) at TCI, located in New York, N.Y., Worah-Ozimo amassed 392 points (7.7 points per game) and 551 rebounds (10.8 rpg), while shooting 57.2 percent (170 of 297) from the field. In 51 games, he collected double-figure rebounds 37 times, including eight contests with 15 boards or more and two outings with 20 or more.

"Stevy is a blue-collar guy and a team player," said NCCU head coach Henry Dickerson. "He's a rebounder and shot blocker that can get out and run on the break. Stevy is the kind of young man that will do whatever he can to help us win. The more he plays, the better he'll get.

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Grambling legend Patricia Cage-Bibbs will not return to take over former program

Photo: North Carolina A&T State University head women's basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs turns down her alma mater's head coaching position at Grambling State University. Coach Cage-Bibbs has 422 career wins and nine conference championships on her resume.

GRAMBLING — Nearly three weeks into the search for a new Grambling State women’s basketball coach, it remains unclear who will replace David “Rusty” Ponton. We now know, however, who it will not be: GSU product Patricia Bibbs. Bibbs, currently head coach at North Carolina A&T, called Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu on Tuesday and removed her name from consideration.

“He told me to think about it, to sleep on it,” Bibbs said. “I love my school, and I will always love my school, but I have to do what’s best for me and my family — and that’s stay here.”

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Pine Bluff’s Torii Hunter at home in L.A., continues to be a force on, off the field

Photo: Los Angeles Angels superstar Torii Hunter has provided UAPB with $500,000 in seed money to build an on campus baseball only stadium. The facility will be named in honor of Hunter, who never attended college.

Torii Hunter has won seven Gold Glove awards. He’s been named an American League All-Star twice. And the new contract he recently signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim makes him one of the wealthiest professional athletes in the world today.

The day the Pine Bluff native was taken 20th overall in the 1993 amateur baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins, he could’ve left his hometown and never looked back, like many athletes tend to do. But that’s not Hunter.

“I just like to help people,” Hunter said modestly. “And I’m in the position to do it.”

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UAPB's Ivory Signs Five in First Recruiting Class

Photo: UAPB Golden Lion head basketball coach George Ivory.

PINE BLUFF - George Ivory, recently hired as University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's basketball coach, announced a signing class of five athletes following the start of the spring national signing period on April 16. The Golden Lions signed three high school and two junior college transfers to NCAA national letters of intent.

"We're very excited about these players," Ivory, a former UAPB assistant coach who spent the past season on the staff at Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Mississippi Valley State. "I believe we've addressed some much-needed areas in our program with these five signees."

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Morgan State's Coly decides to go pro

Photo: NBA draft prospect Boubacar Coly.

Boubacar Coly, Morgan State's 6-foot-9 defensive enforcer, will forgo his last year of NCAA eligibility to pursue a pro basketball career, Bears coach Todd Bozeman said this week. Coly, who played this season as a 24-year-old graduate student, leaves as reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He led the MEAC in rebounds (10.9 per game) and blocked shots (84).

A native of Senegal, Coly transferred from Xavier University, where he played in only a handful of games while undergoing two knee surgeries. He earned a degree in mass communication there, and that enabled him to play his first season at Morgan in 2006-07.

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Jackson State women win SWAC Track and Field Title

NEW ORLEANS — When Pauline Banks got hired away from her alma mater, Mississippi Valley State, to take over the Jackson State’s women program, she promised progress in five years. True to her word, Jackson State won the Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s track and field outdoors championship by holding off Grambling, 182.5 points to 180, Monday at Tad Gormley Stadium, and Banks will make five years in September.

Leadrianna White, the outstanding field performer, contributed 20 points by winning the hammer throw and the shot put. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Banks said. “We just kept putting numbers where we needed to be.”

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Southern University women's basketball signs 3 prospects

The Southern women’s basketball team has landed a big one in 6-foot-4 center Sabrina Scott. The heir apparent to 6-4 Fredrieka Lewis was a recruiting must and one of a trio of players signing Tuesday and Wednesday.

Duncanville (Texas) High guard Carneta Henderson and forward Chardennae McGowan of Houston also have signed with SU. That brings the current signing class to four. We’re just ecstatic. … I think we sold her the first time she tasted the crawfish,” Pugh said of Scott, from Mount Tahoma in Tacoma, Washington. “There’s nothing like a little Louisiana food to entice the average person.”

A week earlier, Southern signed 6-0 forward Kim Griffin of Southwest Mississippi Community College.

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ASU basketball player dies in pickup game

Grief counselors were at Alabama State University's Joe L. Reed Acadome hours after 19-year-old Deshean Porchea died Wednesday during a pickup basketball game on campus. They will have their work cut out for them.

This is just a heartbreaking loss for us," said ASU head basketball coach Lewis Jackson about the death of Porchea, a player on the team that won the regular season SWAC championship just a month ago. "I don't think we've comprehended it all just yet." Wednesday there were many mourners, but few answers.

Porchea, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound sophomore from Rochester, N.Y., was playing basketball with a large group of students in ASU's Lockhart Gymnasium when he collapsed. He never regained consciousness.

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