Wright to join Grambling State University 'Legends'

Monroe, LA - Larry Wright, the product of a single-parent home in the poorest part of southside Monroe, never let his humble beginnings slow him down. He'd help teams win basketball championships in high school and college — then titles in the NBA and overseas.

That fiery determination will be recognized with Wright's induction July 16 as part of the third class of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.

"The best small guard we've ever had, pound for pound the best guard," Wright's coach, the late Frederick C. Hobdy, once said. "A great jumper, he gets an 'A' in every category."

Wright was a two-time Parade All-American at Richwood, where he won a Louisiana state Class 3A title in 1972 as a junior under...

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Five-a-Side: Texas Southern's Kevin Ramsey

TSU Head Football Coach Kevin Ramsey

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Conference champions aren't supposed to have the type of offseason that Texas Southern has had since it won the Southwestern Athletic Conference football title in December - its first in 42 years.

This spring, head coach Johnnie Cole was shown the door because of the program's poor academic performances and then NCAA sanctions were levied against the Tigers, including the loss of 14.78 of their 63 scholarships and four hours of practice time each week.

The university promoted defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey to interim head coach and he has tried to settle the program, maintaining the "storm" will pass as the Tigers strengthen their academic requirements stardards.

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Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band

SWAC issues postseason bans for low APR

Presidents Adopt Postseason Ban Policy; SWAC adheres to NCAA ban, effective immediately

Birmingham, Ala. - The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted Thursday to adopt a league policy to prohibit any member institution subject to NCAA postseason bans to include SWAC championships and tournaments. The policy is effective immediately.

Currently, the policy prohibits Southern University and A&M College and Jackson State University from being eligible to participate in the 2011 Farmers Insurance SWAC Football Championship, and it prohibits the Southern University and A&M College and Grambling State University men’s basketball teams from participation in the 2012 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament.

The NCAA already hit both schools with a postseason ban because of low APR scores, which were released last month. But the SWAC football championship did not apply because the NCAA considers the game an extension of the regular season. The league does not receive an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

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Countdown to Football: 86 Days -- Alabama State off probation

This season, Alabama State will finally be free from the NCAA sanctions placed on the program in 2008.

The probation included a ban on postseason play in 2009 and a reduction in recruiting activities and scholarships in addition to the elimination of victories in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, including the 2001 SWAC championship.

"You can tell the student-athletes we're free and can get on with the business at hand," said fifth-year ASU coach Reggie Barlow.

Photo Galleries:
The Week in Pictures at ASU
May 15-21, 2011

The Week in Pictures at ASU
May 22-28, 2011

The Week in Pictures at ASU
May 29-June 4, 2011



Watkins Steps Down as Baseball Coach; Hornets Make Coaching Changes

Longtime Head Baseball Coach Larry Watkins has stepped down to take an administrative position within the Athletic Department, Athletic Director Stacy Danley announced Tuesday.

In other coaching moves, Head Volleyball Coach Sonia Price and Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach Bernard Sewell were relieved of their duties.

Assistant Coach Anthony Macon has been named Interim Head Baseball Coach, and Assistant Coach Frederick Whitt has been named Interim Head Volleyball Coach.

Watkins served as head baseball coach for 30 seasons and was just the third baseball coach in the school's history. A 1974 ASU graduate who played centerfield, Watkins became assistant coach upon graduation and was named head coach in 1982. This past season, the Hornets went 14-29 overall, 6-18 in conference play and were eliminated in the first round of Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.

"To be associated with a program for more than 40 years takes a special individual," Danley said. "Coach Watkins is truly that person, one who has been tremendously dedicated to ASU and the baseball program. In this day and time, serving as head coach for 30 consecutive years at one school speaks of Coach Watkins' devotion and is a milestone that will be difficult to match. I am looking forward to working with him in this new capacity."



Price had served as head volleyball coach for 16 seasons (1995-2010), while Sewell led the tennis programs for 14 seasons (1997-2011).

“After careful evaluation of the past history of each program, we are not receiving the needed results and will go in a different direction,” Danley said. “We will conduct a national search for whom we believe is the best candidate to lead these respective programs to a championship level.”

Last season, ASU Volleyball posted a 12-21 overall record and 3-5 in conference play as the Lady Hornets were eliminated in the second round of the SWAC Tournament. Price came to Alabama State in 1992 as an assistant coach in volleyball and women's basketball. She was named interim head volleyball coach in 1995 and became the permanent head coach one year later after relinquishing her role with women's basketball. Price also was Interim Athletic Director from August 2003-April 2004.

Sewell led the Lady Hornets to the 1999 SWAC Tennis Championship. This past season, the men's team was eliminated in the first round of the SWAC Tournament, while the women's team failed to qualify for postseason play.

By Alabama State University Sports Information

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Former West Valley pitcher to throw for Arkansas-Pine Bluff

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Andrew Wixon is going to take the mound next season at the NCAA Division I level next season. The former West Valley High School standout and right-handed sophomore pitcher for Herkimer County Community College in New York recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

At the time of his signing, the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder had a 3-2 record with a 0.96 earned-run average. Wixon’s junior college career ended last weekend, when Herkimer lost a best-of-three NJCAA Region III Sub-Regional series to Erie Community College (N.Y.) in Little Falls, N.Y. Wixon started the first game, an 8-4 win for Herkimer on Saturday, and threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing an earned run.

Hermiker finished the season 19-17 overall, including 18-12 in Region III and 13-8 in the Mountain Valley Conference.

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Videographer: Krank04; M4 Fight Song and Bottoms Up

NCAA: Alcorn State to Face Rice in Houston Regional

Lorman, MS - The Alcorn State Braves will face Rice University Friday at 6PM at Reckling Park on the campus of Rice, in Houston, Texas in one of many NCAA Regionals.

The Braves, making their first NCAA baseball appearance, will enter with a 27-28 overall record. Conference USA winner Rice enters with a 41-19 record and are ranked 8th nationally.

ASU, winners of the SWAC tournament, were primed to play in the state of Mississippi. Southern Mississippi didn't get a Regional host birth, however, and are meeting rival Mississippi State in the Atlanta Regional Friday.

Junior pitcher Steve Easter of Chicago, the SWAC leader in wins with eight, says that it doesn't really matter where the Braves are sent:" I had no preference but there were several projected sites. I and we are just happy to be going anywhere."

Easter doesn't know if he will start Friday, but would be ready: "I hadn't really thought about it, but it would really be big to start. As long as I would keep my pitches down and the defense works for me we'd be okay." Easter knows nothing about the Owl lineup, but may by Friday: "I don't know anything about them, but I have faced a couple of their players before. They are always good and them winning their conference says it all. That's all I need to know about them."

The other teams in the Houston Regional are Baylor at 29-26 and California at
31-20. They meet at 3PM Friday.

Should ASU win Friday, they would play at 6PM Saturday. Should they lose they would play at 2PM Saturday.

Games will be broadcast back to Mississippi on WPRL 91.7 FM.

By Alcorn State Athletics
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Jackson State Taylor's situation remains in limbo

Coach Denise Taylor-Travis

Jackson, MS - If Jackson State fires women's basketball coach Denise Taylor without cause, the university would owe her nearly $190,000. Taylor, who just completed her 10th year with JSU, is heading into the third month of paid administrative leave.

Taylor, through her attorney, said she was asked to resign or be fired on May 13.

School officials have refused to discuss Taylor's situation, citing personnel matters. Even when asked if Taylor remained the women's basketball coach, interim athletic director Robert Walker would not comment. Taylor is in the second year of a contract that pays her $91,000 per year and runs through June 30, 2013.

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KEYS: What will new Southern University A.D. need?

Baton Rouge, LA -- The football team posted its worst record in school history.

So did the men’s basketball program.

Both teams face NCAA postseason bans next year, thanks to substandard performance in the classroom.

Revenue streams have dried up. The fan base is fractured and shrinking.

This is what Southern University faces as it searches for a new athletic director. This is, obviously, a tough sell.

And the perfect man (or woman) has not yet emerged.

Interim athletic director Sandy Pugh has said that come July 1, she wants to return to “calling timeouts.” In other words, she wants to return to her full-time job as women’s basketball coach.

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NCAA comes down hard on TSU football

Houston, Texas - Texas Southern will lose 14.78 of the 63 football scholarships allowed for the 2011-12 school year because of its historically low performance under the NCAA’s Academic Progress Report formula, and an athletic department administrator said TSU could post a perfect APR score for the next two years and still run the risk of more sanctions because of past failures to retain and graduate football players.

TSU, which won the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s 2010 football title but dismissed coach Johnnie Cole this spring as it awaits the results of an NCAA probe that could include evidence of academic irregularities, suffered the most severe hit, in terms of lost scholarships, of any program sanctioned by the NCAA for APR shortcomings. Its football practice schedule will be cut from 20 hours per week to 16.

Across all sports, 103 programs received postseason bans, practice reductions or scholarship cuts. That group included NCAA Division I men’s basketball champion Connecticut, which will lose two scholarships...



Videographer: TexSouthern; TSU Commencement 2011 - Speaker John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., Part 1&2.

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Moody's Perales sign baseball scholarship with Alcorn State

Justin Perales

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Moody's Justin Perales reached big goals Tuesday, but he has big plans for the rest of the week. Perales signed a letter of intent to play at Alcorn State, but has his focus squarely on Boerne Champion, this week's playoff opponent. The Trojans face Champion in a three-game region semifinal series beginning Thursday at Whataburger Field.

"It feels great to sign, but really it's good just to get this out of the way so we can get ready for this week," Perales said. "We've got a lot of goals left to reach, so that's where our focus is now."

Perales, Moody's first baseman, leads the team with a .438 average, and is second on the squad with 7 homers and 42 RBI.

"(Alcorn State) has been on me since the beginning," said Perales, who is expected to be used as a corner infielder and eventually hit in the middle of the lineup. "I went on a visit, and there's not a lot you can do over there. Really, all you'll be able to do is play baseball and work out, so I think that will be good for me to continue to get better."


Videographer: NCSAbaseball; Justin Perales (Baseball Recruiting Video)

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Alcorn State home of the brave

Braves tough schedule has them ready for first regional

The old saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” That quote had to pop into Alcorn State head coach Barrett Rey’s mind when he was putting together the Braves’ schedule this season.

If you take a look at the non-conference schedule Alcorn State endured this season, it reads like a who’s who of college baseball: Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi State, LSU, Wichita State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Southern Miss. Even Division I independent Dallas Baptist boasts a 39-17 record and currently ranks No. 45 in the RPI.

On paper, the Braves may have not had much success against those clubs this season, but the experience of facing them definitely prepared Alcorn State for the challenge of Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents.

“There was a method behind the madness of that scheduling,” Rey said. “The guys really bought into it and understood that it wasn’t just us doing a wild schedule. It was to prepare us for this if the time arose. It prepared us for the conference tournament and going into a hostile environment.”

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Willie Hayes Named AAMU Men's Basketball Coach

NORMAL, AL -- Director of Athletics at Alabama A&M University has announced that 16 year assistant coach Willie Hayes has been hired as the next head coach in the Bulldog men’s basketball program.

The Bulldogs have won over 250 games since Hayes joined the Bulldog staff. One of the best point guards to ever play for A&M, Hayes thrilled Bulldog fans with his pinpoint passing and deadly shooting. He held the school record for career assists with 669 until Craig Lottie surpassed the mark in 1997, by just four.

Still, Hayes will always be known for his fantastic performances on the court. In 116 games as a player in the Bulldog program, Hayes averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from three-point range and ...

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Alcorn wins SWAC title

Shreveport, LA - Before Sunday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship game, Alcorn State left-hander Brent Blaum and Braves coach Barret Rey shared ties to Baton Rouge. Afterward, they shared the title of SWAC champions.

Blaum, a former LSU golfer, tossed 5 1-3 effective innings and the relentless Alcorn offense scored in double figures for the third straight tournament game as the Braves defeated Southern University, 12-6, at Fair Grounds Field to claim the tournament championship and an NCAA Regional berth.

“I never got a ring at LSU, so I finally have ...

CONTINUE

Braves Roll to First SWAC Title

Shreveport, La. - For the first time in school history, Alcorn State is celebrating a SWAC baseball championship. The Braves continued their offensive assault on the rest of the teams in the tournament with a 12-6 victory over Southern in Sunday’s championship final at Fair Grounds Field.

Tournament most valuable player, Alcorn designated hitter, Kilby Perdomo, hit his third home run in four games to give Alcorn a 1-0 lead before the Jaguars had even a chance at bat. Cameron McGriff tied the game in the bottom of the second with a solo shot of his own.

Alcorn State, however carded four run innings in the fourth and sixth, and then added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to keep the Jaguars at arm’s length all day.

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ASU president wants return to ‘Soul Bowl; Appoints committee to study withdrawing from Capital City Classic

LORMAN, MS — In response to recent media reports concerning Alcorn State University’s future involvement with the Capital City Classic, Dr. M. Christopher Brown II, 18th president of Alcorn, announced the following in a campus staff meeting:

“Recently, at our alumni’s annual mid-winter conference, in Chicago, I was approached by a number of alums with strong concerns about the past and future of the Capital City Classic. Many expressed a strong interest in the idea of returning the annual football contest between Alcorn State and Jackson State back to each school’s respective football stadiums in the game that was fondly known as the ‘Soul Bowl’. I am strongly considering and am in favor of this option.”

According to Alcorn’s Chief of Staff Marcus Ward, “For 15 years, from 1993 to 2008, Alcorn State University and Jackson State University have participated in a spirited, football rivalry that was full of rich and colorful tradition and attracted crowds of 50-60,000 fans on an annual basis. The Capital City Classic is not simply a game – it has been a major economic event for the City of Jackson and the state of Mississippi. For the past three years, members of the Alcorn community have consistently expressed discontent with the Capital City Classic to us.”

President Brown stated, “The truth of the matter is that the Capital City Classic has not been the same over the last three years. The game has lost attendance; alumni and sponsors are losing interest; and quite frankly, the University has lost revenue. While there are other ancillary factors that are attributable to its decline, I have a fiduciary responsibility, as president, to steward our resources in the best interests of Mississippi’s taxpayers.”

Dr. Brown continued, “In an effort to address concerns, I am directing my Chief of Staff Marcus Ward to commission a blue ribbon committee to perform a comprehensive review of the history and future of the the Capital City Classic. The Committee will analyze the Classic thoroughly including the game and auxiliary events and will also develop and present a plan for a “Return to the Soul Bowl”. This Committee will report its findings to me within 90 days and I will then communicate Alcorn’s final position going forward.”

President Brown concluded by stating, “Let me say also, we appreciate and value our powerful partnership with our sister school Jackson State University. This matter, in no way, reflects upon our strong and unique history and relationship that goes beyond football. We look forward to working closely with President Meyers and her able staff to advance higher education and intercollegiate athletics in Mississippi and the nation.”

By ASU University Relations

Capital City Classic situation disturbs JSU's Gorden

In 1994, W.C. Gorden, then Jackson State's athletic director, helped start the Capital City Classic as a way to gain media attention and generate more revenue for the participants, Alcorn State and JSU.

So, when he opened his newspaper Saturday and saw this headline, "No more Capital City Classic?" the winningest football coach in JSU history shook his head. "I was very disappointed to hear that," he said Saturday afternoon from his home.

'Soul Bowl' might return

Emanuel Barnes had the perfect spot, seated several hundred feet above the football field, nestled behind the microphone in the Alcorn State University press box.

The school's long-time public address announcer watched a sophomore quarterback named Steve McNair find receiver Marcus Hinton for a game-winning touchdown that gave Alcorn a 42-35 victory over despised rival Jackson State University. Newly opened Jack Spinks Stadium exploded in celebration.

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Mouton beats the odds, becomes a success

Success should not have been an option for 18-year-old Ulysse Mouton. Statistically, young black men with his upbringing — surrounded by drugs, abuse, poverty and an unstable, mobile family — end up with a couple children, in jail or dead.

Ulysse beat the odds, and on Saturday he wore a gown decorated with a National Honor Society stole and performed his role as Northside High School's master of ceremonies. He looked like any other driven teenager with tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships that will allow him to attend Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

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Melrose coach gets college offer (Alcorn State)

Memphis, TN - Melrose High boys basketball coach Jermaine Johnson is considering leaving the Golden Wildcats to accept a university position. Johnson told The Commercial Appeal on Saturday that he has been offered the associate head coaching position at Alcorn State University by new Braves coach Luther Riley, who was hired in March.

"It's the top SWAC school," said Johnson. "I told them I would let them know of my decision by Wednesday."

Johnson has been extremely successful during his time at Melrose, rebuilding a proud program that had stumbled prior to his arrival. His 2010 team finished 38-4 and won the class AAA title, the school's first state crown in 27 years. This past season, Melrose finished 27-8, losing to...


Videographer: charleyhorse30; Adonis Thomas Press Conference @ Memphis Melrose High School 10/28/2010. Coach Jermaine Johnson has produced four bluechip players in three seasons at Melrose High School in Chris Jones (Northwest Florida State College/Tennessee signee), Adonis Thomas (Memphis), Cedrick McAfee (Auburn) and Telvin Wikerson (SE Missouri).

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Grambling opens SWAC tourney with win

Grambling State did both the expected and the unexpected in its Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament opener Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds Field. The Tigers, the West’s No. 2 seed, shut out Mississippi Valley, 4-0, but did something they did not do in their run to last season’s tournament championship game -- commit an error.

“In the first game,” said GSU coach James Cooper, whose team will face either Texas Southern or Alcorn State today at 3 p.m.. “One of the best things a guy can do after he makes a mistake is to get another ball exactly like it to get his confidence (back).”

With the way Richard Bautista pitched, GSU (23-24) never lacked for confidence. The sophomore right-hander tossed a complete-game, six-hitter to improve to 7-2.

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SWAC tourney: Jackson State overcomes Prairie View

SHREVEPORT, La. - Prairie View A&M went toe-to-toe with Jackson State in its Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament opener but came undone in the seventh inning en route to a 6-3 loss Wednesday afternoon at Fair Grounds Field.

Jackson State, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Division, scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a one-run deficit and advance to the winner's bracket. Prairie View, seeded third in the Western Division, will face the loser of Wednesday night's matchup between Western top seed Southern and Eastern fourth seed Alabama State at noon Thursday.

The Panthers (24-20) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Giovanni Angel and Evan Richard. Prairie View starter Michael Listi made that lead hold up through the next two innings but ran into trouble in the seventh.

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Grambling eyes SWAC title repeat

Shreveport, LA - Grambling baseball coach James Cooper knows first-hand just how good Shreveport has been to his school. After all, it was less than a year ago when Cooper's Tigers stormed through the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament to secure an NCAA regional berth.

The Tigers' chance at an encore begins today at 9 a.m. when they face Mississippi Valley State at Fair Grounds Field in the first game of the 2011 SWAC Tournament.

"Shreveport has been good to the university," Cooper said. "We had the Port City Classic when the football team came and played (Louisiana) Tech last fall and we were able to win a championship here last year. We feel it's going to be a home game since we're right down the road." The Tigers (22-23) enter this year's tournament in a much different frame of mind than in 2010.

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This fall marks a century for JSU Football

You knew about Walter Payton. You knew about Jackie Slater and Harold Jackson and Willie Richardson and Jimmy Smith and Robert Brazile and W.C. Gorden. If you follow football at all, you knew about Jackson State's remarkable pedigree in the sport. But did you know about John R. Pinckett?

I didn't, not until Thursday when JSU kicked off its centennial celebration of playing college football with a public relations event at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

One hundred years ago this fall, Pinckett gathered together a group of 22 students to form the first JSU football team. The Tigers - were they the Tigers then? - played one game that first season. We're not sure about the date or the site, but we do know the score. Then Jackson College lost 17-0 to Alabama State, then Lincoln Normal.

We're not sure how Lincoln Normal managed 17 points, but...

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Videographer: JSUTigers1877

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