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The road to NCAA All-American for Laquan Priest was long and hard to say the least. The Georgetown native and three-time NCAA Championship qualifier won All-American status after finishing 5th, at the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships, in Albuquerque, NM.
After winning the State Championship in the triple-jump his senior year at Georgetown High School, the only school to recruit Priest was Claflin University. And for that I will be eternally grateful.
“I came to Claflin to prove a point to those schools who did not recruit me,” said Priest. “I used that as motivation to make a mark on the Track and Field world here at Claflin, the SIAC and the NCAA.”
Making a mark is exactly what he did in just three years Priest has been a National qualifier for indoor and outdoor track for three years. He was named ALL-SOUTH REGION Male Field Athlete of the Year in 2009, and 2010. Priest was also ALL SOUTH REGION outdoor Male Field Athlete of the Year 2010. Laquan was also SIAC triple-jump Champion, SIAC Field Athlete of the Year 2010.
Laquan started his track career his junior year in high school when the track coach observed him in the gym playing basketball, and asked him about track.
“The coach had me run the 200 and 400. But I started jumping in the pit and found out that I enjoyed it and was really pretty good at it,” remembered Priest.
“I began to jump my senior year and was fortunate enough to win a State championship in the event.” And the rest of his story we all know. Priest says “that the road to becoming an All-American took a lot of hard work and practice.” And this would be the advice he would share with any young athlete who dreams of becoming an All-American in any sport.
After graduation and his track career is chronicled in the history of Claflin University, Laquan is aspiring to become an athletic trainer, which he is an intern at Claflin, in the Athletics Training Department. “I do not have any aspirations of furthering my track career after I have graduated, but I do know I will be involved in track and field, for thirty years. I am looking forward to helping my 12 year old brother who has competed in track and field for the past three years.”
Knowing the determination and work ethic that Priest possesses, there is no doubt that he will become an All-American in whatever he sets his mind to do. Look to see Laquan write an article in a sports medicine journal, or becoming one of the nations’ best track and field coaches. He is an All-American, All-American…..
TUSKEGEE, AL - The Stillman College baseball team scored five runs in the fifth inning to overcome a one-run deficit en route to an 11-4 win over Tuskegee University at Washington Field on Sunday afternoon.
Stillman (12-13, 6-1 SIAC) trailed for the first time this season in SIAC play when Tuskegee pushed across a run in the bottom of the second inning for a 1- 0 lead.
Stillman bounced back with a five-run fifth inning and then blew the game open with a four-run eighth to win its sixth straight SIAC game.
For a while, it looked as if Stillman's dream run in the NCAA Division II tournament might continue as the Tigers held a 43-42 halfttime edge against regional host Alabama-Huntsville Tuesday night. Alas, the Chargers proved too much, overcoming Stillman and eventually holding on for an 88-81 victory in a Sweet 16 matchup at Spragins Hall.
Alabama-Huntsville (29-4) will now take on Minnesota State-Mankato in the Elite 8. Stillman (25-8), which began its run in the tournament by upending heavily-favored second-seeded Harding and then defeated Florida Southern, began this game on a similar high note. The Tigers took...
Huntsville, AL-- Stillman reached yet another milestone with a win over the Florida Southern Moccasins 92-86 and advanced to the NCAA DII South Region final for the first time in school’s history in Spragins Hall at the University of Alabama campus.
The Tigers trailed 38-51 at the half. Following the half, the Tigers overcame a 13-point deficit to tie the game 56-56 at the 14:43 mark. Both teams exchanged baskets and enjoyed the lead until the 5:31 mark when junior LaDarius Rhone made a 3-points basket and the Tigers went ahead for the last time and held it to the end of regulation.
LaJay Sears led the Tigers with 31 points on 10-20 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Sears was followed by Kevin Johnson and Lee Riley both with 16 points. LaDarius Rhone chipped in 14 points. Rakee Anderson, despite not having a great shooting performance, added a game-high 11 assists.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Josh Magette, who typically holds the basketball game in his hands, was at the moment holding a thin strand of twine in his right hand. It was a piece of a basketball net, surgically removed Tuesday night in the middle of the warmest, loudest, lovingest, darndest bit of celebration and history this building has seen.
"You can't dream of something like this," said Magette, the UAH point guard. A couple of weeks ago, he had collected another piece of twine, from UAH's official coronation as Gulf South Conference East Division champion.
Augusta, GA (March 15, 2011) - Interim Athletic Director, Selina Kohn, announced today that Coach Jimmy Link will lead the Lions Basketball team. He served as the Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach after being appointed the position mid-way during the 2010-2011 Season. Since then, Link has gone on to lead the Lions with an 11-17 record and second round appearance in the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SIAC) Tournament.
Link brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a former player and coach. During his basketball career, Link was a four-year letterman in men’s basketball at Flagler College, where he led the team to its first NAIA National Tournament bid as a point guard in 2002-2003. His team was ranked in the NAIA Top 25 nationally in each of Link’s four seasons as a player and he helped lead the team to a Florida Sun Conference Tournament Championship as a senior.
“I’m elated to be a part of the Paine College legacy,” Link said. Being named head coach is a highly regarded position and I am excited to take on the responsibility of successfully growing the Paine College Athletics Program through recruiting and coaching talented student athletes.”
Link sang the praises of several during a press conference, “I am so excited for the opportunity I have been given here at Paine College. I promised everyone, especially Dr. Bradley, that I would make him proud of choosing me to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Coach Ronnie Spry.”
“I am grateful for assistants, Coach Beard and Coach Smith, for helping me to move the team forward this season. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He also shared, “Coach Spry recruited me to work as an Assistant Coach at Paine College.” “He has been an unbelievable influence in my life and I am so thankful that he brought me to Augusta, Georgia. Even throughout this transition, he has supported me as a Coach and as a Person. And, I thank him for that,” he said.
During the press conference, Link shared his goals for the Athletic Program. “We have three main goals for the Men’s Basketball Program. We want to graduate Players; mold men so that after they graduate, they make the Paine College Community proud, and win Games and contend in the SIAC Conference,” Link said.
Link has over eight years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, from Division I to the NAIA. He began his career as assistant basketball coach at Flagler College, an NCAA Division II institution in 2004, during which his team ranked Top 10 in the country and made a Sweet 16 Tournament Appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Florida Sun Conference.
He moved on to serve as assistant basketball coach at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland from 2005-2006. Link helped recruit 13 players to the NCAA Division III program, all of which ended up having a school best record. During this time he also assisted.
After a successful career at Washington College, Link returned to Flagler College from 2006-2008 as assistant basketball coach, where he helped sign one of the best recruiting classes ever, three freshman and one transfer and went on to have 20-7 season in their 2nd year of Division II.
Previously, Link served assistant basketball coach at the University of North Florida, an NCAA Division II institution, and member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. There he served along side long time head coach Matt Kilcullen for the 2008-2009 season. He also served as assistant men’s basketball coach at Newberry College NCAA Division II under Steve DeMeo for the 2009-2010 Season.
Touchingly, Link expressed his appreciation to his family who rendered tremendous support throughout his career. Expressing deep gratitude to his deceased mother, he commented, “To my mom, it was her kind soul and amazing heart that made my life special. And, to my Dad, thank you for raising me into the man that I have become and for supporting me in my career when times were tough.”
Link held a very special announcement toward the end. Referring to his biggest fan and the love his life, Link thanked his wife Jennifer for her support. He commented, “My wife Jen and I are expecting our first child. I am so excited to become a father.”
In closing, he said, “as you can tell, I am a family man, husband, and soon to be father. I have also added these young men to my family. I will take care of them like they are my own. We will go through great times and tough times and learn from our experiences. I welcome all of Paine College into my family and encourage all of Paine’s former athletes and men and women who bleed purple and white to come back to their Alma Mater to support the Athletic Program.
Link earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Flagler College in 2003. Link currently resides in Augusta, Georgia with his wife Jennifer.
Huntsville, AL - A big second half by Stillman wiped out a 13-point lead by the Moccasins and the Tigers ended the Moccasins' season, 92-86, in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Regional at Huntsville, Ala., Sunday night. The Moccasins finished the season at 23-9.
The Moccasins had shot 61.6 percent from the field en route to their 51-38 advantage at halftime, but it took Stillman just over five minutes in the second half to erase the deficit. The Tigers pulled even at 56-56 with 14:43 remaining, as they hit seven of their first nine shots in the period.
Stillman didn't take the lead for good until the 5:31 mark, when LaDarius Rhone sank a three-pointer to put the Tigers in front 74-72 and the Moccasins never saw the lead again. The Tigers were as hot from the field in the second half as the Moccasins were in the first half, shooting 60.7 percent, while the FSC shot just 34.4 percent in the second half.
A big halftime lead can turn out to be a bad thing and it was for the Mocs on Sunday. The Florida Southern College men's basketball team led by 13 at the break and couldn't keep its intensity level high enough afterward to avoid a 92-86 loss to Stillman in the NCAA Division II South Regional semifinals in Huntsville, Ala.
"They came out, got on a roll and we couldn't stop them," said head coach Linc Darner, whose Mocs ended their season with a 23-9 record.
Stillman (23-7) stormed back with an 18-5 run after the break to tie it at 56 and took the lead for good with 5:31 to play.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- While the calendar turned to 2011, the Benedict men's basketball team was beginning to wonder just what kind of year it had to look forward to.
The Tigers already were off to a disappointing 2-4 start, had 11 new guys playing and lost a trio of returning starters for reasons nine-year coach Fred Watson would rather not discuss. Marcus Goode, the 6-foot-10 sophomore, had yet to play a single minute because of transfer rules.
"It was a little tough at the beginning," Watson said. That tough beginning ended as midnight struck on Jan. 1, 2011. After six games on the bench, Goode was eligible to play.
"When we started, everyone kind of counted us out," Watson said. "I knew if we could keep going until the big fella got here, we'd be OK."
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Stillman coach Michael Grant's philosophy is a shooter's dream. If you're open, pull the trigger, he says. Pass up an open jumper? Be prepared to take a seat.
"Now when we play and we pass up open shots, the bench is telling them to shoot the ball," said Grant, the Tigers' third-year coach. "It's expected now."
While Grant's offensive mantra may run contrary to more conservative coaches, the Tigers' high-octane attack has put Stillman (22-7) into the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in school history. The seventh-seeded Tigers will meet No. 2 seed Harding at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the opening round of the South Regional hosted at Spragins Hall.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Clark Atlanta Panthers may be the eighth seed out of eight teams, but don't think they will be intimidated by the prospect of playing South Regional host UAH on its home floor.
"Every time I pass Georgia Tech, I lose cell reception," said Clark Atlanta coach Darryl Jacobs earlier this week, moments after it happens. "It must be because we took them to overtime in November."
Just like UAH did with Alabama, the Panthers put a scare into their Division I neighbors during the exhibition season. That came on the heels of them falling by only seven points at last year's regional to eventual champion Valdosta State.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Are you ready for some basketball?
Eight of the best NCAA Division II college basketball teams are in town for the South Regional, which begins Saturday at Spragins Hall on the University of Alabama-Huntsville campus. The winner will have a chance to play for the national championship in Springfield, Mass., March 23-26.
"Being in the tournament is one thing and being able to host it is like a dream," UAH guard Tyler Hanback said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. I can't wait."
Saturday: Harding (25-4) vs. Stillman (21-7) at 2:30 p.m. UAH (26-4) vs. Clark Atlanta (22-8), SIAC Champions at 5:30 p.m. Arkansas Tech (24-5) and Benedict (21-7) at 7:30 p.m.
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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG; Inside The Game: Clark-Atlanta vs. Stillman (SIAC Championship)
TUSCALOOSA - The Stillman College men's basketball team may have been disappointed with its last loss, but the Tigers get to play again.
Coach Michael Grant's Tigers were selected as an at-large team for the NCAA Division II playoffs. Stillman (22-7) plays Harding University from Arkansas (25-4) on Saturday at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. Stillman is the No. 7 seed. Harding is the No. 2 seed. If the Tigers can win three games, they will advance to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass., the city where James Naismith invented basketball.
Grant directed the Tigers to seven wins in his first season, and 18 last year.
Indianapolis, IN - The NCAA Division II announced the 2011 Tournament Bracket and the Stillman Tigers received an at-large bid. The Tigers finished the regular season ranked 8th in the southern region. The Tigers fell one game short of winning their first conference championship in five years. Stillman will not have far to travel to compete. The host school for the Southern Regional is the University of Alabama-Huntsville. “Because it’s not that far travel, the players will have time to get plenty of rest,” said head coach Michael Grant.
Stillman was one of three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) teams to make the Tournament. The other schools were Benedict College of Columbia, South Carolina, the regular season winner and Clark-Atlanta University of Atlanta, Ga., the conference champion. The Tigers came in second to both teams. Also making the Tournament for the women was the Fort Valley State University of Fort Valley, Ga.
Fort Valley, Ga. (March 7, 2011) - After a 10 a.m. meeting with the men’s head basketball coach, Fort Valley State University (FVSU) Athletic Director Percy Caldwell has announced that John Douglas has been relieved of his duties as the Head Coach of FVSU Men’s Basketball.
Douglas served as head coach for the past two seasons at FVSU and during that time accumulated a 17-40 overall record (43% winning record) and a 15-33 conference record (45% winning record). The Wildcats finished the regular season ranked 11th out of 13 teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and were eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament in both years.
“After an assessment of the past two years of the men’s basketball program, it has become patently clear that we must take our program in a different direction, said Caldwell. We are grateful to Coach Douglas for the service he has provided and wish him success in his future endeavors.’
The search for a new men’s head basketball coach will begin immediately.
ATLANTA | Clark Atlanta University stopped Stillman College one win short of a title Saturday night as the Tigers fell 78-71 in the championship game of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
Clark Atlanta led by 23 points at the half, leading 50-27 going into the break, but Stillman came back to take the lead late in the game. In the final three minutes, however, the Panther’s David Brown made two key baskets to put Clark Atlanta ahead and take the win. Brown ended the game with 20 points.
Also scoring in double figures for the Panthers were Najee Lane with 14, Royce Hamilton with 11 and Antonio Burch with 10.
Atlanta, GA- The Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) (22-9) are back on top of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after a 69-54 win over the Miles College Lady Bears (21-8) to capture the 2011 SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship. The win gives FVSU Head Coach Lonnie Bartley his 10th SIAC title. This was the second Lady Wildcats championship in the past three years.
In a closely contested first half, there were four ties and two lead changes. With 4:18 remaining before the intermission, the Lady Bears held their largest lead of the half, 28-20. However, the nine-time SIAC Champion Lady Wildcats ended the first half with a 13-3 scoring run to take a 33-31 halftime lead.
ATLANTA, GA – Junior Toccara Charles scored 17 points to lead the Lady Bears (21-8) as they fell to Fort Valley State University Lady Wildcats (22-9) in the SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship game 69-54 today at Frank Forbes Arena. The Lady Wildcats walked away with their tenth SIAC title.
Holding on to a slim two point halftime lead, Fort Valley State went on a 12-4 run pushing the lead to double-digits with 12:31 left in the game. After a Lady Bear time-out, the Lady Wildcats went on another 6-2 run for the largest lead of the contest with 14 points (53-39). Miles would go on a run of their own to slice the Lady Wildcats lead to seven points 53-46 with 6:45 left. Fort Valley quickly answered with a 6-3 run of their own to forge ahead by 10 points (57-49) with 3:17 left. Miles’ gave it one more surge cutting the Lady Wildcats lead back to seven points 59-52 with 3:07 remaining. That would be as close as the Lady Bears would get, as the Lady Wildcats cruised to victory 69-54.
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By Fort Valley State University and Miles College Media Relations
Atlanta, GA— Championship games for the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament will be streamed live on via internet on majicgroove.com on Saturday, March 5th.
Both men’s and women’s championship games of the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament will be shown live by www.majicgroove.com. This marks the first time that MajicGroove will broadcast video of SIAC basketball championship events.
“The SIAC is a conference with a rich tradition of sports and a fan base that is passionate about its institutions,” said Frankie Johnson, managing owner, MajicGroove.com. “We look forward to the 2011 SIAC Basketball Championships being the first webcast video events from Atlanta, Georgia to be broadcast on MajicGroove.com.”
#1 Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats vs. #4 Benedict Lady Tigers
The Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats defeat the Benedict Lady Tigers, 74-60, at Frank L. Forbes Arena to advance to the women’s championship game.
#4 Clark Atlanta Panthers vs. #1 Benedict Tigers
The Benedict College Tigers the #1 seed in the year’s tournament clashed with #4 seed Clark-Atlanta University Panthers, in semi-final action, in the Forbes Arena. It was the Panthers (21-8) who played like they were the #1 seed, racing past the Benedict Tigers (21-7), 75-52.
#3 Miles Lady Bears vs. #7 Stillman Lady Tigers
The SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship game is set after the Miles Lady Bears defeated the Stillman College Lady Tigers, 62-44.
#2 Stillman Tigers vs. #3 Tuskegee Golden Tigers
Stillman College (22-6) earned the right to play for the SIAC men’s basketball championship, by soundly defeating the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University (19-9) 99-81. The Tigers will play the Clark-Atlanta University Panthers, 6:00 pm tomorrow, for the SIAC Championship, in the Forbes Arena.
Videographer: fierce126, Stillman College Cheerleaders
Day two of the 78th Annual Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball Tournament was the start of quarterfinal action. In women’s play, the number three seed Lady Bears of Miles College began tournament play after a first round bye. In a 2 p.m. match up at Forbes Arena on the Morehouse College campus, the Lady Bears met the number six seed Tigerettes of Tuskegee University who advanced to the quarterfinals after an opening round win over Claflin University.
With Tuskegee forced to foul with 18 seconds left, two free throws by the Lady Bears sealed the Miles win and sent them into the semifinals with a 66-63 win.
#2 Stillman Tigers vs. #7 Claflin Panthers
Atlanta, Ga.—In game six of the SIAC Basketball Men’s Tournament, the no. 2 seed, Stillman Tigers defeated the no. 7 seed, Claflin University Panthers 70-58 at L.S. Epps Gymnasium on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.
With this win, Stillman improves to 21-6 overall and will advance in the tournament. Claflin falls to 12-16 and was eliminated from the tournament.
#2 Albany State Lady Rams vs. #7 Stillman Lady Tigers
Atlanta, Ga.—In game six of the SIAC Basketball Women’s Tournament, the no. 7 seed, Stillman Lady Tigers upset the no. 2 seed, Albany State University Lady Rams 66-64 at L.S. Epps Gymnasium on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.
#1 Benedict Tigers vs. #9 Paine Lions
The number seed Benedict Tigers defeated the number nine Paine Lions, 77-72, in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament at Morehouse’s Frank L. Forbes Arena.
#1 Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats vs. #9 Lane Lady Dragons
The Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats defeated the Lane Lady Dragons in a rout, 86-63, at Frank L. Forbes Arena during the 2011 SIAC Tournament women’s quarterfinal action.
#4 Clark Atlanta Panthers vs. #5 Kentucky State Thorobreds
The Clark Atlanta Panthers advanced to the semifinals of the 2011 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament by defeating the Kentucky State Thorobreds, 81-62, at Epps Gymnasium.
#4 Benedict Lady Tigers vs. #5 Kentucky State Thorobrettes
The Lady Tigers of Benedict defeated the Kentucky State Thorobrettes, 58-50, in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament at Clark Atlanta’s L.S Epps Gymnasium.
#3 Tuskegee Golden Tigers vs. #6 Morehouse Maroon Tigers
Atlanta, GA- The Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University (18-8) advances to the SIAC semi-finals with a 78-72 hard fought victory over the Maroon Tigers ( 14-13) of Morehouse College. The loss eliminated Morehouse from the tournament.
Here is a recap of Day 1 action from the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament in Atlanta:
#8 LeMoyne-Owen Magicians vs. #9 Paine Lions (Men)
ATLANTA--Chris Hunt hit a layup with eight seconds remaining and Tony Baker hit two free throws to seal the victory, as the Paine College Lions won 68-65, over the LeMoyne-Owen Magicians in game one of the SIAC tournament. LeMoyne-Owen enjoyed a 32-25 half-time lead, but couldn’t hold on down the stretch, in the close game that featured six ties and seven lead changes.
#7 Claflin Panthers vs. #10 Fort Valley State Wildcats (Men)
Atlanta, GA- The Claflin Panthers (12-15) live to play another day after surviving a furious rally from the Fort Valley Wildcats who ended their season 9-20 with a 59-55 defeat, in the opening round of the 2011 SIAC Basketball Tournament.
#8 LeMoyne-Owen Lady Magicians vs. #9 Lane Lady Dragons (Women)
Atlanta, GA—The ninth seed Lane College Lady Dragons defeated the eighth seed Paine College Lady Lions in the first round of the SIAC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Frank L. Forbes Arena on Wednesday.
#5 Kentucky State Thorobrettes vs. #12 Paine Lady Lions (Women)
Atlanta, GA-Kentucky State University defeated Paine College 59-39 in the first round of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Clark Atlanta University’s L.S. Epps Gymnasium Wednesday.
#4 Clark Atlanta Panthers vs. #13 Lane College Dragons (Men)
Atlanta, GA—In game three of the SIAC Basketball Men’s Tournament, the no. 4 seed Clark Atlanta University Panthers (CAU) defeated the no. 13 seed Lane College Dragons (LC) at Frank L. Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College.
With this win, Clark Atlanta improves to 18-7 overall and will advance in the tournament. Lane falls to 5-20 and was eliminated from the tournament.
#5 Kentucky State Thorobreds vs. #12 Albany State Golden Rams (Men)
No. 5 seed Kentucky State defeated the no. 12 seed Albany State, 66-64. Kentucky State advances to take on No. 4 seed Clark Atlanta tomorrow at 6 p.m.
#6 Tuskegee Golden Tigrettes vs. #11 Claflin Lady Panthers (Women)
The Lady Golden Tigerettes of Tuskegee (15-11) seeded #6 in the SIAC Women’s Tournament bracket raced past the #11 seed Lady Panthers of Claflin University (8-18) 68-50, in the Forbes Arena, on the Morehouse College campus.
#6 Morehouse Maroon Tigers vs. #11 Miles Golden Bears (Men)
The night cap game on day one of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Basketball Tournament featured the sixth ranked Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College and the eleventh ranked Bears of Miles College in men’s action. The Maroon Tigers who came away winners, 66-63.
Videographer: HBCUConnectVideos
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ATLANTA - The road to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship will start Wednesday with play-in games in Atlanta for the Claflin men's and women's basketball teams.
After finishing the regular season with two straight wins, the seventh-seed Panthers (11-15) will face 10th-seed Fort Valley State (8-20) at 2 p.m. in L.S. Epps Gymnasium on the campus of Clark-Atlanta University. The Claflin men swept the season series with the Wildcats and the winner will face second-seed Stillman College at 2 p.m Thursday in the same gymnasium.
Within proximity of Clark-Atlanta, the 11th-seed Claflin women (8-18) will look to shake off a season-ending six-game losing streak when they open play in Frank L. Forbes Arena at Morehouse College against sixth-seed Tuskegee University (15-11).
Atlanta, GA—The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is proud to announce the men’s and women’s seedings for the 78th SIAC Basketball Tournament. Leading this year’s men’s field is the number one seed Benedict Tigers while the Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats will be the number one seed in the women’s field.
Under the guidance of head coach Fred Watson, the Benedict Tigers finished with a 20-4 conference record, 20-6 overall, to capture their first SIAC regular season title since 2008. The Tigers are led by sophomore center Marcus Goode. The Tigers, who are currently ranked number three in the NCAA men’s south region and number seven in the Bowtorow.com HBCU Division II/NAIA poll, will have a bye in the first round of the conference tournament.
Two local football players signed to play in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this week. Marbury running back Charles Averhart is headed to Stillman, and St. Jude defensive back Rashaad Williams signed with Lane College.
"I've put in a lot of hard work from my freshman season through my senior year, and it feels good to know I'm going to the next level," Averhart said. For Williams, earning a college scholarship helped fulfill a promise.
"This a dream come true," Williams said. "Before my mom passed away, this was something I promised her I would do." Williams' mother (Dionne Johnson) passed away when he was a sophomore. As the oldest of four siblings, Williams said his mother and father (Sedgwick Williams) helped mold his work ethic and attitude.
TUSCALOOSA, AL | Kevin Johnson’s road to Stillman College and a potential Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball championship has been a winding one, to say the least.
In the seven years since graduating from Akron High School, Johnson has played at three different local colleges and worked in the restaurant business, the auto parts industry and at a local fast food chain.
At Stillman, as a senior, he has finally found his niche. He and the Tigers are on the verge of the 2011 SIAC regular-season championship. The Tigers are 20-5 overall and 19-4 in SIAC play and, with a win at Tuskegee today, Johnson and his teammates will own a share of the championship.
ALBANY, GA - Sharod Minus scored 27 points off the bench for the Stillman College Tigers, including 7-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, in a 90-71 victory Thursday night over Albany State in men's basketball action.
Rakee Anderson added 18 points and six assists for the Tigers, while LaJay Sears scored 17 with four assists. Lee Riley contributed 10 points and six rebounds.
Albany State was led by Oscar Morris with 16 points. Stillman (20-5, 19-4 SIAC) plays at Tuskegee at 3 p.m. Saturday.
ALBANY, Ga. — And that’s why you don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Just ask the Albany State women’s basketball team, which thought it would lock up the No.1 seed in next week’s SIAC Tournament with a win against Stillman on Thursday, but after a second-half meltdown — ending in a 75-67 loss — all the Lady Rams can now look forward to is the No. 2 seed.
“We had a lack of execution on offense (Thursday night),” said Lady Rams coach Robert Skinner, whose team watched Stillman blow the lid off a game that was all knotted up at 29-29 at halftime. “We just didn’t play good defensively."
Columbia, SC (WLTX) --- Xavier Collier scored 25 points and five assists to lead Benedict to a 72-63 win over Morehouse College Tuesday night, clinching the SIAC regular season title for the Tigers.
Marcus Goode, the reigning SIAC player of the week, scored 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for Benedict which won its fourth SIAC regular season championship in the Fred Watson era.
Eric Salley's playing days with Claflin University are apparently over and teammates and coaches were placed under a self-imposed gag order by the administration about commenting about the ongoing controversy which abruptly ended his college basketball career.
"I have no comments about it," Claflin men's basketball coach Ron Woodard said. "All the issues with him should be directed to (Claflin Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing Sonja) Bennett."
Yet as the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference guard inconspicuously sat in the Jonas T. Kennedy Center stands Saturday afternoon as the Panthers trailed Albany State by 11 points in the second half, his on-court non-presence was not easy to ignore.
Marcus Goode had a triple-double with 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks to power Benedict to an 83-70 victory over Paine College on Saturday.
Former Laney standout Xavier Collier had 23 points for the Tigers (19-6, 18-4 SIAC). Tony Baker led the Lions (10-15, 9-14) with 16 points. Thomas Broughton and Mario Jordan each had 15.
In women's game, Brittany Jackson had 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead Benedict to a 65-47 win over Paine.
Alexus Jones had a game-high 15 points for the Lady Tigers (17-9, 15-7). Antionette McPhail scored 14 points to lead Paine (3-24, 2-19).
