Big Apple Classic 2011, Howard vs. Hampton; Virginia Union vs. Virginia State at Madison Square Garden - New York

GWU Runnin' Bulldogs Run Past Virginia State, 34-13

Boiling Springs, North Carolina -- Kenny Little ran for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns, and Ricky Rhodes added 114 yards as Gardner-Webb dominated the ground game in a 34-13 win over Virginia State.

Gardner-Webb (4-5) won its third game in a row and ran for a season-high 296 yards on 50 carries. The Runnin' Bulldogs hosted a Thursday night game in Spangler Stadium for the first time in school history - on a night that saw the weather deteriorate with cold, rainy conditions by game's end.

The Runnin' Bulldogs held Virginia State (5-5) to minus-25 yards rushing in the game, the fewest allowed in a game since Davidson rushed for minus-36 yards in 1985. The Trojans did have some success throwing the football, with Jarred Battle completing 25-of-48 passes for 282 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Gardner-Webb went up 14-0 early in the second quarter and led 14-3 at the break before Virginia State answered with 10 points in the third quarter to trim the lead to 14-13. The Runnin' Bulldogs ran off 20 unanswered points from there, with Little's 72-yard touchdown run on a third down play with 10:06 left breaking the game open for good.

Little opened the scoring with 51 seconds left in the first quarter, darting in and out of tackles for a nine-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-one play. Ivan Toomer set up the scoring drive, intercepting a Battle pass and returning it 54 yards to the Virginia State 31-yard line.

Browning capped a 74-yard march by calling his own number from one yard away, giving the 'Dogs a 14-0 lead with 9:16 to play before the half. Virginia State answered with a 25-yard field goal from William Rudd with 4:33 on the second quarter clock, the first of two short field goals for Rudd in the game.

The Trojans used a ball-control passing attack to score its only touchdown of the game, hitting several underneath routes on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 13-yard scoring pass from Battle to Timothy Paulk with 7:19 to play in the third quarter. The Trojans ran the football just once in the drive, which cut the 'Dogs lead to 14-10.

Another long drive, this time 10 plays for 64 yards, and with only one running play called - led to Battle's final field goal of the night to trim the lead to 14-13 with 50 seconds to play in the third.

Trever Austin answered with a 26-yard field goal of his own with 12:57 to play in the game for a 17-13 Gardner-Webb lead, and Little put the game away with his 72-yard dash - the longest of his career. Browning added another one-yard touchdown plunge with 7:04 to play after a Gianni Olivas interception - and Austin capitalized on another Olivas interception with an 18-yard field goal for the final margin with just over two minutes to play.

Gardner-Webb piled up 443 yards of total offense, averaging 6.2 yards per play in the game - which started with sunny skies and 62 degree weather and ended with a steady rain and temperatures in the low 50s.

Little's effort was encouraging, as he gained his 153 yards on just 15 carries after missing the past two weeks with an injury. He and Rhodes combined to give Gardner-Webb a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game for the second time in 2011. The 100-yard game was Rhodes' second in the past three weeks.

Alonzo Winfield collected a career-high nine total tackles (five solo), 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack to go with a pass break up to pace the defensive effort. Marty Patterson added seven tackles and Toomer recorded a season-high six hits (five solo), an interception and three pass break ups in a solid performance.

Virginia State had 257 yards of total offense. Battle's favorite receiver was Paulk, who caught seven passes for 44 yards. Alan Anderson had six catches for 85 yards and Corey Young hauled in six for 78 yards.

Jeremy Pruitt, the CIAA's leading tackler, posted a game-high 14 stops (five solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss to pace the Trojans' defensive effort.

Gardner-Webb will remain at home and return to Big South play next week, as it hosts league title contender Stony Brook at 1:30 on Saturday, November 12. Virginia State's season is complete.

BOX SCORE (PDF)

Courtesy: Gardner-Webb

Battle tosses for 282 yards in VSU loss

VSU aired it out for a season high 282 passing yards in a 34-13 loss to the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb University on Thursday, in Spangler Stadium. Junior quarterback, Jarred Battle completed 25 of 48 pass attempts and threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver, Timothy Paulk for a touchdown.

The Bulldogs rushed for 4 touchdowns and gained 296 total yards on the ground. VSU threw 3 interceptions and had a total of -3 rushing yards. The Trojans went into the half down 14-3 by two rushing touchdowns by the Bulldogs offense. Senior kicker, William Rudd made a 25-yard field goal late in the second quarter, scoring VSU's only points of the first half.

The Trojans made a statement on their first drive of the second half, by forcing a punt on defense and then scoring on a 14-play, 80-yard drive.

Battle connected with Timothy Paulk from 13 yards out cutting the Bulldog lead to 14-10 with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Battle made 10 completions on that drive hooking up with five different Trojan receivers. The Trojans cut the lead to within a single point later in the third quarter as Rudd made his second field goal of the night, scoring from 26 yards out with under a minute remaining in the quarter.

GWU extended their lead on their next possession, by nailing a 26-yard field goal with 12:57 in the fourth quarter, pushing the score to 17-13.

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Wilson named assistant athletic director at Virginia State

John Wilson Jr.

Petersburg, Virginia -- John Wilson, Jr. has been appointed as the Assistant Athletic Director at Virginia State University. Prior to joining VSU, Wilson was most recently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Wilson’s coaching experience spans over 30 years at the collegiate and high school level.

Wilson has had some success coaching, however he is proud of his many former players that have earned their degrees. “My biggest thrill as it relates to coaching is to see former players graduate.” During his time at Lock Haven there have been 26 Scholar Athlete Awards and 12 All PSAC West Division Athletes. In 2003, Coach Wilson led his team to the school’s first playoff appearance since 1996 and on his way to being honored as the PSAC-West Coach of the Year. While an assistant at Millersville University, Coach Wilson was part of 4 NCAA II tourney appearances including a trip to the Elite Eight and two PSAC titles as well as four PSAC-East titles. During his one-year stint at William Penn HS his Cagers won the York County Title and a State Playoff appearance on their way to a 25-6 record.

Wilson has been active with community, campus, and NCAA activities and projects. He has volunteered his services for organizations such as the Keystone Central School District Reading Program, AAUW and “Communities that Care.” He was a member of the board for the “Second Mile” in Lock Haven as well as being a member of the Lock Haven Kiwanis Club and a volunteer officer for the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Wilson served on the NCAA II Men’s Basketball National Committee from 2004-2007 and played a major role in the birth of the NABC NCAA II All-Star game. Wilson has been a panelist for the PSAC Minority Coaching Symposium as well as a mentor at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.

After graduating from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, Wilson began his career as a Physical Instructor for the Chicago Park District. He has also worked as a Program Coordinator at the Carver Community Center in Kokomo, IN and in the same position at the Lititz Community Center in Lititz, PA. Wilson has earned his Master’s Degree in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania.

“I am looking forward to my new role as a collegiate athletic administrator. I believe there is no better opportunity than beginning this chapter of my life and career at Virginia State University and the CIAA.”

Wilson is married (Jackie) and they have a family that includes four children and two grandchildren.

Head Men’s Basketball Lock Haven University of PA 1999-2011

Head Boy’s Varsity Basketball William Penn HS in York,PA 1998-1999

Assistant Men’s Basketball Millersville University of PA 1988-1998

Assistant Men’s Basketball Malcolm X College Chicago, IL 1980-1985

By Virginia State University Sports Information

Chowan Falls to Virginia State University, 35-20

ETTRICK, VA – Coming in to tonight's game, the Virginia State University defense allowed only 21 total points to Division II opponents. The Trojans defense was again strong tonight, proving to be the difference as VSU defeated Chowan 35-20. Chowan is now 1-3 overall, and 0-2 in the CIAA. Virginia State moves to 2-2 overall (1-1 in the CIAA).

The Virginia State defense caused five Chowan turnovers and stopped the Hawks twice in the red zone.

Virginia State put together a four play, 60 yard drive on the opening series of the game for their lone score of the first half. Kenay Hawks capped the drive for the Trojans with a seven yard touchdown run. The Hawks defense stepped up for the rest of the quarter, however, allowing only 34 more yards.

After totaling 72 yards in the first quarter, the Hawks offense got back to their usual ways in the second. Quarterback Cameron Stover went 8-13 for 88 yards in the stanza. Stover led a seven play, 59 yard drive late in the quarter to even the score at seven. He hooked up with Kevin Hodrick for a ten yard pass for the score.

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JCSU pulls out a 14-7 win over Virginia State with defense

Charlotte, NC - The Johnson C. Smith University football team stayed on course and prevailed for a 14-7 victory against Virginia State University on Saturday afternoon inside the Irwin Belk Complex. JCSU improves to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA after their first conference contest of the season.

This ball game started off as a stalemate with both teams feeling each other out. William Rudd received a lot of playing time in the first half for Virginia State. Fortunately for JCSU, Mr. Rudd is the Virginia State punter. Rudd came out to punt on three of the first four Trojans offensive drives. On the first drive, Rudd had a 39 yard field goal attempt blocked.

The first quarter ended without a score for either team. JCSU finally put together a nine play, 81-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. After driving the team to the VSU seven; freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace (Homestead, FL) connected with sophomore receiver Avius Capers (Charlotte, NC) on a fade route to the left for the touchdown.



Capers' touchdown would be the only score of the first half.

Photo Gallery

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VSU Trojans come from behind to defeat West Virginia St., 17-14

Petersburg, VA - The Trojans of Virginia State University (1-1), scored 14 points in the third quarter to take a come from behind lead and win the game 17-14, against the (0-2) Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State University. Junior wide receiver, Corey Young caught a 28 yard TD pass to put VSU ahead.

VSU’s offense woke up late but rallied in the second half to gain some yardage and several first downs to seal a 17-14 victory on the road against WVSU. The Trojans accumulated 277 of total offense (211 passing, 66 rushing) and had 14 first downs. Senior running back, Antwain Lyde rushed for a team high 80 yards and averaged 4 yards a carry. Lyde also caught 4 passes for 53 yards out of the Trojan backfield. Junior quarterback, Jarred Battle passed for 211 yards, completing 19 of 32 pass attempts.



Five Trojans caught passes from Battle. Junior wide receiver, Alan Anderson’s led with 6 catches for 61 yards. Corey Young caught Battle’s longest pass of the game, a 28 yard touchdown score with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. That touchdown was the first for VSU’s offense this season and was key this game, as it was the last points ...

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NSU dominates in 6th straight win over Virginia State

Norfolk, VA - No more replays. No more jokes. Safety Ricardo Volcin put an end to all of them late in the first half, breaking on an out route and returning an interception 46 yards for a touchdown and breaking open a 37-3 win for Norfolk State in the Labor Day Classic.

Head coach Pete Adrian estimated NSU dropped five interceptions the previous year. "He replayed it at least 30 times," Volcin said. "Every time I came in, he was making gestures like, 'Oh, I can't catch a ball. Oh, I need stick 'em or something.' "

It was the sixth consecutive win in the Labor Day Classic series for Norfolk State over rival Virginia State, with the Spartans winning by an average of 26 points.

If there were fans who believed, themselves, that the Trojans had a chance before the opening kickoff, Volcin's return convinced them otherwise. The Trojans had been thoroughly outplayed by that point but trailed just 13-0, twice reducing long NSU drives to field goals.




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NSU report: Unsettled Spartans 'a work in progress'

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State can't prove how good it will be during its season opener against Virginia State. It may give glimpses of how bad things could get. If the Spartans trounce the Trojans, they'll be doing what's expected, just as they did last year during a 6-5 campaign. Struggles, though, would be a bad omen.

"It's like when we go play a bigger school," NSU head coach Pete Adrian said. "Do you expect to win? Sure. You have more scholarships. But they can still beat you."



Rutgers felt the same way when NSU visited New Jersey for last year's season opener. The Scarlet Knights won 31-0, but more telling was an offensive line that surrendered three sacks against an inferior opponent. Rutgers went on to allow an NCAA-record 61 sacks and finished a disappointing 4-8.

Norfolk State enters this season with major questions on each of its lines, so while the scoreboard might not be worth watching today - NSU has won the past five games against its Division IIrival by an average of 24.4 points - the line of scrimmage should be.

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Ransome and Parolisi ready to make big difference at VSU

Petersburg, VA - The Virginia State University football team finished last season on a nice note - an appearance in the CIAA championship game - so it is no wonder the Trojans under the direction of coach Andrew Faison look forward to the season opener at Norfolk State University on Saturday. Game time is 6 p.m.

Faison, who enters his 10th season as VSU head coach, has posted a 49-42 record during that span. Prior to the start of the 2010 football season, coach Faison and his Trojans were predicted to finish eighth in the CIAA. Faison guided his team to an overall record of 8-3 and to the CIAA Football Championship game.

The Trojans lost in that championship game, by a touchdown, to Shaw but are in preparations to get back to the CIAA final. Virginia State, the defending Northern Division champions, was ranked sixth (out of 12 teams) in the CIAA preseason poll but were picked second in the Northern Division.



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Director Eboni Tyler and Assistant Director Erin Hawkins Join GW

Eboni Tyler

Erin Hawkins

WASHINGTON, D.C. - District of Columbia natives Eboni Tyler (Virginia State '04) and Erin Hawkins (Morgan State '11) have been named Director of Operations and Assistant Director of Operations, respectively, for the George Washington University women's basketball program.


"Eboni and Erin are excellent additions who bring a level or professionalism and relatable experience to our staff," said Head Coach Mike Bozeman. "Eboni's organizational skills and experiences working with the Washington Mystics and Wizards are going to be invaluable, while Erin is a former player who will offer that type of perspective and act as a liaison between our student-athletes and coaching staff."

Tyler's responsibilities will include team travel logistics, equipment management and game and practice scheduling, as well as coordinating the team's efforts with academic support, compliance, marketing, facilities and community service and assisting Coach Bozeman with budget management. Hawkins will oversee film logistics, breakdown and exchange, along with oversight of the team's managers and supply inventory.

Tyler most recently served as guest services manager for District-based Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the professional basketball franchises Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics. She served in her role as guest services manager for the Mystics since 2006 and added duties as guest services specialist with the Wizards in June 2010.

Tyler, the daughter of longtime Howard women's basketball coach Sanya Tyler, received her bachelor's degree in sports marketing from Virginia State in 2004.

Hawkins helped Morgan State to 17 victories in each of her three collegiate seasons with the Lady Bears from 2008-11, including the program's first-ever Division I postseason appearance with a trip to the Postseason WNIT as a senior last March. After beginning her career at Richmond in 2006, she went on to total 886 points, 131 three-point field goals, 282 rebounds, 222 assists and 135 steals in 116 collegiate games.

By GWsports.com

Former Crimson Wave Rassoull among new VSU players

Petersburg, VA - The Virginia State University men's basketball coaching staff, has announced their 2011-12 signees for the upcoming season.

Trojans' new head coach, Darryl Jacobs will bring in four freshmen that included Hopewell resident Manny Wallace who played at Christchurch and six transfers, includling Petersburg native Ibn Rassoull, to attend Virginia State University.  The Trojans look to rebuild after a 13-42 record over the past two seasons.

TRANSFERS

- Ibn Rassoull 6-4 190 G/F SR Petersburg, VA/St. Paul's

Rassoull averaged 14.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists last season at St. Paul's College and was also named to the 2010-11 All-CIAA team. He is also a graduate of Petersburg HS and can play multiple positions on the court for VSU.

- Daniel "Larry" Awosanya 6-8 220 F/C JR London, England/Campbell

Awosanya transfers from Div. I Campbell University where he maintained a 3.2 GPA while being named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic team as a freshmen. Larry is a talented strong athletic player that attacks the basket extremely well while drawing contact from defenders.

- Richard "RJ" Hall 6-1 175 G JR Bay Shore, NY/Kennesaw State

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No respect: Virginia State University picked to finish sixth

ETTRICK, VA - Even though Virginia State reached the CIAA championship game last season — the Trojans lost 14-7 to Shaw — VSU is ranked sixth in the conference preseason poll, which was released Thursday at the CIAA kickoff press conference at Virginia State University.

"I thought we'd get a little bit better recognition," said VSU coach Andrew Faison, who was named CIAA coach of the year after guiding the Trojans to an 8-3 record.

But VSU was predicted to finish eighth last year, so exceeding expectations is nothing new to Faison or the Trojans. He said he'll just use the preseason ranking as motivation for his players, just as he did a year ago.

"It's preseason," Faison said. "It's no big deal."

The top four teams in the preseason poll — defending champion Shaw, Winston-Salem State, Saint Augustine's and Fayetteville State — come from the Southern Division. Even though VSU is predicted to finish sixth overall, the team is ranked second in the Northern Division.



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WVSU to open season versus Bowie State, Virginia State

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia State will open its 2011-12 men's basketball schedule against a pair of CIAA programs in a West Virginia Conference arena.

The Yellow Jackets, facing a rebuilding year after losing five starters from a second-place WVC club (20-10), will play Bowie State then Virginia State in the Clarion Hotel Classic at Shepherd to open Coach Bryan Poore's 13th season at the Institute school.

Those Nov. 11-12 are two of the four non-conference games for State. WVSU also has a home-and-home deal with Johnson C. Smith of the CIAA. The Jackets' schedule is completed by the league-mandated 22 WVC games.

"Our non-conference schedule is complete with (Atlantic) regional games against quality CIAA teams that should help us in the regional rankings," Poore said. "We also are fortunate to only have one of those actually on the road, with the two neutral site games in the Shepherd classic.

"The Conference portion of the schedule is a flip-flop of last years in the two-year cycle adopted by the WVC. We have an early home stretch and a late road stretch, so I guess it balances out."

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Colonial Heights' Phillingane will play softball at VSU next year

Colonial Heights, VA - For four years there has been one constant on the Colonial Heights softball team - senior pitcher Savannah Phillingane. Over her career, Phillingane has grown into one of the most competitive pitchers in the Central District with her delivery and hard-nosed attitude on the mound.

Next season, the Colonials pitcher will take those talents to Virginia State where she signed on the dotted line of a National Letter of Intent Tuesday to play college softball.

"This makes two players [Caitlin Underhill] in two years that we've seen gone on to play Division II softball, it is really exciting," said Colonial Heights coach Toni Martin. "I think it will be a good fit for her. She can do anything but I think that they might want her as a closer, but she really wants to catch."



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Darryl Butler joins the Virginia State University athletic staff

Coach Darryl Butler, Virginia State University
(Photo Courtesy VSU Athletics)

Petersburg, VA -- Darryl Butler joins the Virginia State University athletic staff as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach. Butler comes to VSU from Frederick Community College in Frederick Md, where he spent the past three seasons as the associate head coach. During his last two years there, the men’s basketball team finished with an overall record of 41-18 and won their first Region XX Championship in school history in 2010.

Prior to his experience at Frederick Community College, Butler spent four years at Montgomery Community College in Silver Spring, Md. He served as an assistant coach for two years then became the head coach in 2006-07. After the 2005-06 season, Montgomery Community College won their first Region XX and District 7 Championship and finished 6th in the nation in NJCAA Division III.

Butler was an assistant coach at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA where they won the Patriot District North Region in 2003-04. Before T.C. Williams, he was an assistant coach at Howard University for the 2000-02 seasons where he help revitalized a program under Frankie Allen that finished 18-10 and reached the MEAC tournment championship game in their second season. He received his first assistant coaching position at Whittier College in Whittier, CA in 1997. Butler next moved on to an assistant coaching position at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA in 1999-2000 under Jan Van Breda Kolff. There he was part of a West Coast Conference (WCC) Regular Season Championship and a NCAA tournament appearance and win.



The Trojans are excited to welcome Butler to their men’s basketball coaching staff. Butler brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and local recruiting ties to the Tri-city area.

“Butler comes with a great deal of college coaching experience and recruiting ties especially in this region. He’s a VSU grad which means a great deal to our college community,” says VSU’s head men’s basketball coach, Darryl Jacobs.

Coach Butler is a native of Suffolk, VA and also a Trojan alumni, graduating from Virginia State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration in 1989. Butler and his wife, Rosalie, have three children, Nikko (13), Kennedy (11), and Victoria (4).

By Jason Pompey, Sports Information Director
VISIT: VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: VSUTROJANS

Virginia State win PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship

In Division II, Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., brought home its first-ever division title, defeating Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., by seven strokes. Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University finished alone in third place overall.

Virginia State Head Coach Jeff Hamilton was pleased with his team's performance. "This came all the way down to the wire and my kids played well enough to win," said Hamilton, in his fifth year as head coach. "It is always a battle with teams like Fayetteville State University and Lincoln University. It will be another battle next year, too."

John Cole of Fayetteville State University was the Division II medalist, finishing with a 220 three-day total.

Men's Team Division II
1. Virginia State  (+63) 315-307-305--927
Stephen Genchi 78-77-75--230
Stuart Larus 82-78-77--237
Brian Wood 77-76-78--231
Mike Swope 87-76-80--243
Rashad Hunt 78-81-75--234

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Virginia State rolls to CIAA crown

Simpson rallies, wins individual crown for Virginia Union

FORT LEE, Va. – Virginia Union’s Mason Simpson shot a final-round 70 Thursday to win the 2011 CIAA Men’s Golf Championship individual title while Virginia State took home the team title with a two-day total of 603.

Simpson came into the final round two shots behind the first-round leader Mike Swope of Virginia State, but his final-round 70 was enough to overtake Swope to win the title by four strokes. Simpson was the only golfer under par for the tournament while Swope finished with a 1-over par 145.

Virginia State followed its opening round 301 with a final-round 302 to win the team title by 14 strokes ahead of Winston-Salem State, which shot a two-day total 617.

Fayetteville State finished in third place with a two-day score of 645 (322-323) while Chowan finished fourth (650, 319-331) and Virginia Union came in fifth (693, 345-348). Livingstone pulled in the sixth-place finish (699, 349-350) followed by St. Augustine’s in seventh (723, 368-355), Elizabeth City State in eighth (756, 394-362), Johnson C. Smith in ninth (768, 394-374) and St. Paul’s in 10th (918, 471-447).

The all-tournament team, which consists of the top five golfers by score for the two-day tournament, included: Mason Simpson (Virginia Union), Mike Swope (Virginia State), Glendon Mabe (Winston-Salem State), John Cole (Fayetteville State) and Brian Wood (Virginia State).

The all-conference team was also announced and included: Brandon Bailey (Virginia Union), John Cole (Fayetteville State), Cliff Forbes (Chowan), Stephen Grenchi (Virginia State), Rashad Hunt (Virginia State), Glendon Mabe (Winston-Salem State), Lawrence McKenzie (Livingstone) Zack Sheets (Winston-Salem State), Mike Swope (Virginia State), Michael Thornton (Livingstone), Brian Wood (Virginia State). The all-conference team is selected based on overall average scores from the two divisional tournaments and the conference championship. To be eligible players must have competed in all three tournaments.

Virginia State will now represent the CIAA as a team in the 2011 NCAA Super Regional Golf Tournament.

By Virginia State Athletics

VISIT: VIRIGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: VSUTROJANS

Coach who twice helped turn Norfolk State University into a winner dies

Charles Christian, who won more men's basketball games than any other coach in the history of Norfolk State University, died Monday. He was 83.

Christian, who served as Norfolk State's coach on two occasions, compiled a career mark of 319-95 in 14 seasons, winning seven CIAA titles.

Known for his trademark toothpick hanging from his mouth, Christian's final NSU team went 27-4 in 1989-90. That team won the CIAA tournament and finished the year ranked No. 7 in Division II. He was named CIAA Coach of the Year four times, and 11 of his teams won 20 or more games. Three of his teams won regional titles and made it to the Division II national quarterfinals.

Christian remembered as father, coach

The man whom generations of Suffolk basketball players called “Coach” died Monday.

Charles Christian, who coached at schools including Booker T. Washington and John F. Kennedy high schools before going on to Norfolk State University, had battled cancer in the hospital for nearly two months. He was 83 years old.

Under Christian, Booker T. Washington’s basketball team racked up a record of 101-1 from the 1962-63 season into the 1967-68 season.  “Everyone knew Booker T. of Suffolk because of his abilities,” said Ronald Hart, who played for Christian until he graduated in 1960. “Our school got recognition because of Coach Christian.”

Christian was known for focusing on defense and stressing intense practices, as well as enforcing strict curfews at Norfolk State.

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CAU's Darryl Jacobs Named Head Coach at Virginia State

Virginia State University has named Darryl Jacobs as the new head coach of the men’s basketball program on April 4th.

Darryl Jacobs will be the 19th Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Virginia State University. Jacobs comes to Virginia State University after spending the last five years at Clark Atlanta University as the Head Men's Basketball Coach. During his tenure at Clark Atlanta University, Jacobs led the program to its first winning season in 10 years during the 2007-2008 season. That same season he also led the program to the semi-final round of the conference tournament.

 During the 2008-2009 season, Jacobs led the program to its second consecutive winning season in 12 years. Clark Atlanta also won its first SIAC conference championship in 14 years under Coach Jacobs’ leadership during the 2009-2010 season. Clark Atlanta also advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament as the #5 seed. Prior to the 2010-2011 Clark Atlanta was ranked #25 nationally. Clark Atlanta finished the past 2010-2011 season with a 22-9 record overall and made it to the SIAC championship for the second season in a row. Clark Atlanta again advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

VSU introduces new men's basketball coach

ETTRICK - Standing behind a lectern in the two-day old Gateway Dining and Events Center, Virginia State University Athletic Director Peggy Davis introduced another welcome addition to the Ettrick campus at a press conference on Monday.

Amid much applause and even a few "woo-woos," Darryl Jacobs was unveiled as the 19th coach of the VSU men's basketball team. Formerly at the helm of Clark Atlanta University, Jacobs boasts 22 years of coaching experience.

 Image Gallery for VSU introduces new men's basketball coach

Jacobs Steps Down As Clark Atlanta's Hoops Coach

Stepping out on a high note, Darryl Jacobs announced Friday that he will step down as head men's basketball coach at Clark Atlanta to pursue an as-yet unnamed opportunity.

Jacobs guided the Panthers to the 2010-2011 SIAC championship, finished second in the postseason tournament and led the team to the NCAA Division II national tournament.

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CIAA Tournament: Lady Trojans, led by Taylor, pick up 65-44 win in CIAA Tournament's opening round

CHARLOTTE, NC - There will be a new CIAA Women's champion. Fayetteville State, the defending CIAA Tournament champion, was defeated 65-44 by Virginia State in the opening round of the 2011 CIAA Tournament on Monday.

The Lady Trojans (18-8), led by All-CIAA selection Rhon'Neshia Taylor's 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, got a measure of redemption by knocking off the Lady Broncos, who had beaten the Lady Trojans in the semifinals of the tournament a year ago. And this one wasn't close.

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WATCH LIVE ACTION FROM THE CIAA TOURNAMENT - CLICK HERE
Women's Basketball: Wedensday, Mar. 1st at 3pm, Virginia State vs. Shaw