Norview grad's return to his roots helps give NSU a boost

Norfolk State athletic director Marty Miller

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State forward Chris McEachin has been down this road before, joining a team in need of a midseason spark.

It worked two years ago, when he helped lead Radford to a Big South tournament championship and the NCAA tournament. He hopes lightning strikes twice now that he's at Norfolk State, which hosts North Carolina Central at 6 tonight at Echols Hall.

"I had to sit out the first semester at Radford two years ago, and we were not playing all that well," McEachin said. "I'd like to think I was the X-factor when I came back."

The Highlanders were 3-7 when McEachin, then a sophomore, regained eligibility. They finished that season 21-12, losing to eventual national champion...

Norfolk State moves football game to South Carolina

The Norfolk State-Charleston Southern football game scheduled for Sept. 24 next season has been moved to South Carolina.

The game was originally scheduled to be held at Dick Price Stadium, but the Spartans agreed to move it because Charleston Southern had a scheduling conflict. NSU will play Charleston Southern at home in 2013.

Norfolk State's 2011 Football Schedule 

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME/RESULT
9/3/2011 Virginia State (Va. Lottery Labor Day Classic) Norfolk, Va.6 p.m.
9/10/2011 West Virginia Morgantown, W.Va. TBA
9/17/2011 * Howard Washington, D.C. TBA
9/24/2011 Charleston Southern Charleston, S.C. TBA
10/1/2011 * South Carolina State Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m.
10/8/2011 * Delaware State Dover, Del. TBA
10/15/2011 * Hampton (Battle of the Bay) Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m.
10/22/2011 * Bethune-Cookman Norfolk, Va. 1 p.m.
10/29/2011 * North Carolina A&T (Homecoming/Senior Day) Norfolk, Va. 2 p.m.
11/5/2011 * Savannah State Savannah, Ga. TBA
11/12/2011 * Morgan State Baltimore, Md. TBA

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Dollars and sense: College sports tries to do more with less

Duggar Baucom has crunched the numbers and planned the itineraries. If anyone knows how to stretch a buck on the July recruiting trail, the VMI coach does. He'll drive where he can and fly only if he must, using tickets purchased far in advance to get the lowest fares. If plans fluctuate - if an event is canceled or a player he wants to see is a no-show - he'll think long and hard before paying expensive fees to change his ticket. "You just try to spend wisely," Baucom said.

He has no choice. VMI's basketball recruiting budget for fiscal 2009, the last year figures are available, was $17,954. By comparison, Virginia spent $171,045, Virginia Tech $146,607 and Old Dominion $90,191. By U.Va. standards, that was a frugal year. The Cavaliers spent an average of $228,563 chasing players over a four-year period, including $294,000 in 2006. VMI's four-year average was $28,000, Norfolk State's just $17,122.

The disparity in recruiting budgets is another example of the gap between college basketball's haves and have-nots. Big and small schools don't necessarily target the same players, but in the summer, most everyone turns up at the same events. Even schools like VMI and NSU that recruit mostly regionally must travel far from home to see the guys they're pursuing.

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Hampton Pirates put clamps on Norfolk State Spartans

Photo: Rashad West, 6-1/175 senior guard, Raleigh, N.C., Maine Central Institute, led the second place MEAC Pirates in scoring with 18 points over NSU.

NORFOLK - Coming off its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss this season Monday against Morgan State, Hampton University decided to make itself at home in Echols Hall Saturday night. The Pirates used their signature defensive intensity to hold down high-scoring Norfolk State for a 62-58 victory in a matchup of one-loss teams in the MEAC.

The sellout crowd of 7,000 was the largest at home for NSU since March 2, 2002. Hampton (12-7, 6-1 MEAC) was powered by guard Rashad West's 18 points and 11 from Vinny Simpson off the bench. Forward Mike Freeman scored nine points, and post Matt Pilgrim had 10 rebounds.

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