Rison's NCCU Eagles ready to soar‎

Mose Rison has made no secret of the fact that he believes 2010 is the year of the Eagle. Rison, entering his fourth year as N.C. Central's head football coach, has been bubbling over with enthusiasm since spring football.

Redshirt junior quarterback Michael Johnson says Rison's confidence is genuine. For the first time since the university left the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association - after back-to-back conference championships - NCCU is starting to see the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. "The atmosphere is great, and it's going good right now just for the simple fact that we have a lot of guys returning this year," said Johnson, a Tulsa transfer and Hillside High graduate.



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Delaware State Hornets football: Jones stepped in, stepped up

DOVER, DE -- The running back position for Delaware State University proved to be an express route to the hospital last year. While the three tailbacks above him on the depth chart suffered injuries, somehow Jaashawn Jones remained healthy and started the Hornets' final four games. In eight games, Jones powered his way to a team-high 632 yards on 151 carries (4.2 yards per carry) to rank fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a rushing average of 79 yards per game.

This season, Jones, a redshirt junior from Asbury Park, N.J., is atop the DSU depth chart at running back. "You just work hard. You've got to push," said Jones, a 6-foot-1, 220 pounder. "If you don't push then nothing's going to come to you, basically. You've got to go and get everything you can in life. "I think I've got a nice combination of vision, power and speed -- just a little bit of everything."

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A&M's experienced secondary ready for big year

HUNTSVILLE, AL. - Experienced. Talented. Versatile. It sounds like an advertisement for a big name company. Instead, the words describe Alabama A&M's secondary. The Bulldogs, under long-time defensive coordinator and secondary coach Brawnski Towns, believe they can be one of the best units in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They certainly have the experience to be.

Starting cornerbacks Korey Morrison and Chris Faush are fifth-year seniors. So are strong safety Ray Segura and will linebacker Marcus Thomas. Throw in junior free safety Rico Porch, who had 44 tackles and three interceptions last season, junior cornerback Clarence Morris and sophomore will linebacker Vernon Marshall, who had 49 tackles last season as a true freshman, and A&M has all of the ingredients to be solid in the secondary.

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ASU sanction-free and hoping for improvement

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow doesn't have to manufacture ways to motivate his players this season. The Hornets are eligible to compete for a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship after a one-year NCAA postseason ban for violations under a previous regime. Now, they at least have a chance to get in the SWAC mix.

"As a head coach, I had to try and motivate these guys that, 'Regardless of if we can't go to the SWAC championship, we can crown ourselves. Let's just win the games,'" Barlow said. "But in the back of their heads, I imagine it was, 'We can't win it.' "That will change the motivation for our guys." But will it change the results?

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Jackson State Tigers try out Air Raid attack

The Air Raid offense has arrived at Jackson State. The team had an impromptu scrimmage Monday that featured several different formations and personnel, characteristics of the new pass-happy Air Raid scheme offensive coordinator Earnest Wilson is installing. The team aligned in 10 different formations during the 28-play scrimmage. Plays included sets out of the shotgun, the regular I-formation and two three-back formations.

Some plays had as many as four receivers, some had as few as one. There were two tight ends used, one tight end and none. There were up to three running backs or none at all. QB Dedric McDonald and transfer Casey Therriault continued their fight for the starting role. McDonald, who is still first in the rotation, passed for 59 yards, hitting 4 of 8 attempts (two drops). Therriault passed for 33 yards and completed 6 of 7 attempts. Also, six receivers caught a total of 10 passes from the top two QBs. "The offense is doing a real fine job," coach Rick Comegy said.

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Rison has great expectations for NCCU Eagles

Kearse still believes in A&M's defense

Defensive tackle Frank Kearse doesn't appear to be too concerned that Alabama A&M's first defense has struggled mightily against the first offense in two preseason scrimmages. Last Wednesday, quarterback Deaunte Mason got the best of Kearse and company. On Saturday, running backs Tony Green and Kaderius Lacey carved up the Bulldogs' defense.

"They caught us in some bad situations and made some big plays," Kearse said. Despite that, Kearse says the Bulldogs have more than enough time to get ready for the season opener against Tennessee State on Sept. 4. "I want us to play with more intensity and know our assignments," he said. "Getting in the playbook will help us out a lot."

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FVSU Enters Year Two Under Pittman

The FVSU Wildcats had their uniforms on Saturday afternoon, but won't do so in a true game situation until August 28th. Instead, it was picture day at Fort Valley St., another sign that the football season is fast approaching. For the blue and gold that means year two under head coach Donald Pittman, who guided the Wildcats to a 7-4 mark in 2009.



In year two Pittman has a squad that features seven preseason all-conference picks, and plans to go beyond their projected 3rd place finish in the SIAC. Both players and coach say their familiarity with one another in season two will help them do just that. "We know each other, we know the different temperaments, we know what kids we can really approach in a certain way," Pittman said. "We became more of a team, we're a family now."

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Hampton University head coach Donovan Rose is ready for CMU

In the 20 years Hampton head coach Donovan Rose has been associated with Hampton University he has never had the opportunity to play a D-1 team. Rose will get his chance when he steps into Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on Sept. 2nd to take on the reigning Mid American Conference champions, the Central Michigan Chippewas.

In only his second season as the head coach, Rose is looking to improve upon a 5-6 campaign last year by catching newly minted CMU head coach Dan Enos off guard.

Rose admits the task of beating the Chips' won't be easy; he fully expects them to unleash their full arsenal of weapons...

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S.C. State Football Practice Report

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- South Carolina State, following its first day away from the gridiron Sunday, resumed preseason workouts Monday with a morning and evening practice. In the 8:30 a.m. drill in full pads, the Bulldogs devoted much of the session to reviewing and correcting mistakes made in Saturday’s scrimmage. The evening session was a light one in shorts and helmets only.

”It was back to work for us today,” said Bulldog head coach Buddy Pough following Monday’s morning drill. “We worked much of the period trying to correct mistakes made in the scrimmage on Saturday. We are pass the installation stage and are attempting to develop...

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LaSalle Volleyball Adds Cassandra Joyner To Coaching Staff

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Former Delaware State University volleyball standout Cassandra Joyner joins the La Salle volleyball staff as an assistant coach, announced head coach Dave Stever. Joyner, a 2010 graduate of Delaware State with a major in Psychology, became the school's first player to reach 1,000 kills and ended her career with 1,272 winners to go along with 888 career digs and 310 career blocks.

"I appreciate this opportunity to be part of the LaSalle University Explorers volleyball staff, working hand-in-hand with Coach Stever and the student-athletes," Joyner said. "I am looking forward to working with the team and helping the players see their potential and execute to their highest level."

A four-year letter winner and team captain, Joyner led the Hornets in kills, blocks and digs in both 2008 and 2009. A two-time All-MEAC first team selection, Joyner finished third in the MEAC in points (4.13 pg), fourth in kills (3.32 pg) and sixth in hitting percentage (.283) during her final season with the Hornets. In 2009, she helped her team set several school records, as well as a 20-13 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in the MEAC.

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FAMU's Taylor unsatisfied after first practice

There were bright spots by the Florida A&M defense, but coach Joe Taylor didn't see enough of them to come away from the Rattlers' first light-contact practice satisfied on a steamy afternoon when a few players were forced to the sidelines with cramps. "I was expecting more," Taylor said. "I saw some good things in 7-on-7 flying around. I thought the defense did some good things. We've got a long way to go but they shouldn't let things (like the heat) affect them."

Coaches spent most of the afternoon concentrating on techniques and play executions. Taylor, who usually watched from a distance, was close up on each segment for most of the two hours on the field. "In a game, the coach is not on the field so I've adopted the idea of being in the background," he said. "I would go up and say something to a guy, but I really don't like to be all over the field yelling because I like everything to be as game-like as possible. But there are times that I don't have a choice."

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SU Jaguar coach Mitchell promises run game

When it comes to running backs, Southern coach Stump Mitchell is so very particular. He is, in fact, awfully demanding of them. It didn’t take long for Gary Hollimon to figure that out. “One day, when we (were) in spring practice, we were working on routes. I was running a route, and I kept messing it up,” Hollimon recalled.

The story is long, but here’s the short version: Hollimon, standing in the backfield, was supposed to run diagonally toward the sideline, then cut sharply toward the middle of the field. Only his cut wasn’t sharp. In fact, it wasn’t even a cut. “I rounded my route instead of sticking it,” Hollimon said. What, then, did Mitchell tell him? “You can’t print what he said,” Hollimon said, laughing. “The good version was that you have to plant and come out of your stick a little better.” So began a new era at Southern.

Fresh from an 11-year stint as an NFL running backs coach, Mitchell arrived at Southern seven months ago and joked that one of his new assistants, running backs coach Elvis Joseph, might have the toughest job of anyone on staff, because Mitchell will be watching closely.

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Derek Horne formally introduced as FAMU AD

The cell phone ringtone interrupted the speaker's voice Tuesday afternoon just as the words "Mr. Derek Horne" were spoken. The theme song to the old "Superman" television series blared loud enough for everyone in the banquet room at the Al Lawson Center to hear. "That was planned," someone yelled from across the room. Maybe," came the response. Though Florida A&M President Dr. James Ammons may not have hired Superman to run the university's athletics department, he certainly found a man many people believe has the strength, wisdom and instincts to help reshape the future of the Rattlers' sports programs.

Derek Horne, formally introduced Tuesday as the new director of athletics, wasted little time endearing himself to a crowd of nearly 100 FAMU employees, trustees, alumni, friends and media representatives. "I'm humbled and honored to stand before you today as the next director of athletics at Florida A&M University," Horne said. "Of all the places in the world this day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be."

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2010 MEAC Press Conference

QB Riley runs Benedict on right path

Coach Stan Conner arrived at Benedict in 2007 with the stated goal of leading the mired-in-mediocrity Tigers to a SIAC championship. Conner endured a 7-15 record his first two seasons, but he never stopped scouring the nation’s junior-college ranks for players whose skills fit into his system.

Last year, Benedict finished with an 8-3 record — winning eight of its final nine games to land in a tie for third place with Morehouse behind Albany State and champion Tuskeegee. Now, the Tigers figure to reach title-contender status for the first time since the school revived the sport, initially as a club team, in 1995. “We’re getting to the point where we have the talent in place to make a run,” Conner said. “The schedule is front-loaded again (season-opening games against Morehouse and Tuskegee), but if we get through that OK we should have a shot.”

The program’s rise can be attributed to the arrival of Pat Riley — Conner’s first quarterback recruiting coop.

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B-CU Adds Two More D-I Receivers

Bethune-Cookman Wildcats coach Brian Jenkins

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- One would think a football team transitioning from a triple-option offense to a more conventional pro-style attack would experience some unique problems. Finding enough quality receivers for example. But with two Rutgers transfers recently joining the mix, receiver has suddenly become the deepest position at Bethune-Cookman.

"Our No. 1 goal of our coaching staff was to try to make each position more of a competition to get some depth where the guys had to compete and be on their 'A' game every day," B-CU first-year coach Brian Jenkins said. "It just so happened the receiver spot filled up a little bit more or faster with talent than we thought, but it's a good thing to have, and we'll see how they fit into our offensive system."

After the first week of preseason practice, Eddie Poole and Pat Brown are both fitting in well, said Jenkins, who coached them last year when he was the receivers coach at Rutgers. Poole, a 6-foot-3, redshirt sophomore from Belle Glade Glades Central, and Brown, a redshirt senior from Newark, N.J., were not getting much playing time with the Scarlet Knights. They both enjoyed playing for Jenkins last year and decided to follow him to the Sunshine State.

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TSU enjoys good depth in backfield

Preston Brown realizes he is being chased by more than defenders at Tennessee State's practices. New Coach Rod Reed said the Tigers came into preseason camp with four running backs other than Brown capable of starting and now a freshman is threatening to get into that mix.

"I never imagined we would have this kind of depth," said Brown, a senior and former Antioch star who was the team's running back last season with 474 yards on 128 carries and four touchdowns. "They stay on me and are making sure I work hard. If I stop one of them can do the same thing I do."

TSU ran the ball 64.5 percent of the time last year, and Reed said the offense would lean even more heavily on the run this season. Behind Brown is senior Terrence Wright, junior Dante' Thomas and sophomores Ryan Berry and Trabis Ward. Freshman Jeremy Coffey from Brentwood has turned heads in camp and Reed said he also could figure into the rotation.

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Karl Malone's Hall moment included Grambling legend Willis Reed

Willis Reed hasn't played in the NBA in more than 30 years, but the New York Knicks great dished out an unlikely assist Friday night. He introduced Louisiana Tech product Karl Malone for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Reed played college football just a few miles down the road, at Grambling.

Reed said he received a surprising phone call while the former Utah Jazz standout was fishing in Alaska. "Being a homeboy," said Reed, 68, who, like Malone, is also a Louisiana native, "he likes to hunt and fish like me. That's one of the things I admired about Karl is his great work ethic. "But I thought he would've asked (former Jazz coach Jerry) Sloan or (teammate John) Stockton."



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JSU O-line taking shape under Black

There were times during Jackson State's fall camp last year when center Antonio Colston glanced to his left, then to his right and had to do a double take in both directions. t was always someone different. "We were always rotating," Colston said. "One day it might be this guy starting. The next day it might be another."That didn't help cohesiveness. It didn't help communication. It didn't help anything. Things have changed, though.

During the first week of this year's fall camp, a selected five offensive linemen have received most of the reps. New line coach Gregory Black said there are no starters named thus far. Asked about those five, he said that group could always change. But, for now, the crew includes left tackle Terrael Williams, left guard Darius Mitchell, Colston at center, right guard Chris Holmes and right tackle Roderick Gladney. Players say this group is beginning to act like one cohesive unit - something that's been missing on this squad for a couple of years.



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2010 Sprite Queen City Battle of the Bands

All eyes will be on the marching bands from six historically black colleges and universities as they take the field to perform at the first annual Sprite Queen City Battle of the Bands.

The invitational showcase will be held in Charlotte's Memorial Stadium, 310 N. Kings Drive, on August 28, 2010 at 7 p.m. The inaugural event will feature the bands from Florida A&M University, Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Shaw University and South Carolina State University.



Bragging rights and more than $60,000 in scholarship money will be on the line as the talented band members display their school's dynamic music programs during show-stopping performances.

Tickets for the Sprite Queen City Battle of the Bands can be purchased for $15 in advance at www.QueenCityBattleoftheBands.com and for $20 the day of the event at the stadium box office.



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Loss Of Starters May Hurt Morgan Bears

2010 preseason All-MEAC first team senior defensive back Darren McKhan

Following a promising start to the 2009 season in which Morgan State won five of its first six games, the Bears stumbled down the stretch to a 6-5 record. The fourth-place Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference finish is nearly the same conclusion predicted for the 2010 season; preseason polls tab the Bears to finish fifth.

This year’s squad will look fairly different after the departures of five starters on both offense and defense. The three most significant losses include starting quarterback Carlton Jackson, MEAC Defensive Player of the Year George Howard, and All-MEAC first-team defender Justin Lawrence. Devan James, the team’s leading rusher who totaled 639 yards, also moved on.

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ASU Hornets find positives from first scrimmage

Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow stood near midfield, challenging his players to keep up their intensity in sprints as the Hornets' first scrimmage drew to a close.

There were positives he saw in the offense's performance, hard licks passed by the defense and surprisingly few errors on Saturday morning at Hornet Stadium. But as he urged his players on, the one negative that stayed at the forefront of his mind was his players' conditioning. To win the game, he told them, they had to win the fourth quarter. To win the fourth quarter, he added, they had to be in shape.

"We need to get in shape," Barlow said. "The offensive line was a bit lethargic. They have the talent but they're not in very good shape. They're going to have to do some extra running."

Overall, though, he had to be pleased with the effort. The offense wasn't as explosive as he had hoped, but it was productive. And that was without star receiver Nick Andrews, who made an exciting 35-yard catch and run on the scrimmage's first play, then sat out most of the remaining 60 plays.



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Southern irons out wrinkles with first scrimmage of fall

Southern running back Gary Hollimon runs away from defense during scrimmage.

OK, so maybe fall classes haven’t yet begun at Southern University.

But by Saturday morning, the football program had time to do a little bit of simple math. Between Aug. 3 and Saturday morning, the team had practiced 11 times during preseason camp. Each session lasted about 2 1/2 hours. That, in theory, gave the Jaguars some 30 hours to improve by the time Saturday’s first scrimmage of the season got under way. So what else, exactly, did the Southern football team learn about itself by the end of the scrimmage?

Two things, in particular. No. 1: This week, when a few key starters recover from some minor setbacks, the team will probably look a lot better. No. 2: No matter who returns and who doesn’t, the Jaguars have work to do between now and their Sept. 5 season opener in Orlando, Fla., against Delaware State. “This was really the first time it was a game-type atmosphere for them. So it’s good to get the jitters out,” first-year coach Stump Mitchell said. “We do have two more scrimmages, and that’s a good thing that I’m taking.”

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The voice of black college sports

Cueing a voice-over introduction, Donal Ware bobs his head while punching computer keys and adjusting a microphone. It takes only a second for him to slip into a high-pitched, rapid-fire radio voice where sentences pour from his mouth. "Two more weeks before the start of the college football season," he says. "Thanks for joining me on another edition of 'From the Press Box to Press Row.'"

Ware, 35, sits in a high-back chair in a studio office in his Fuquay-Varina home. His equipment rests on a custom-made wooden bar top, a fitting place for someone whose preoccupation is talking about sports. In Ware's case, it's black college sports. His radio program celebrates its fifth anniversary this week, a major milestone for a niche show that focuses mostly on sports news involving historically black colleges and universities.

The one-hour show airs in Raleigh every Saturday on St. Augustine's College's WAUG station and is syndicated nationally on 30 stations, airing in such major markets as Washington and San Francisco. "I'm not saying that we've made it," Ware says, "but we've come a long way."



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