Monday, May 8, 2017
NCCU 2016-17 Athletics Highlight Video
DURHAM, North Carolina -- It's been another great year on the Sloping Hills and Verdant Green for North Carolina Central University Athletics, including a third consecutive MEAC Championship for football and a second NCAA Tournament appearance for Men's Basketball! Relive the sights and sounds from the 2016-17 season in this highlight video! A special thanks to NCCU seniors Justice Davis and Khadijah McIntyre for their help in filming athletics this year and during their academic career, thank you for all of your dedication!
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Trisha Stafford-Odom Named Head Women’s Basketball Coach at North Carolina Central University
DURHAM, North Carolina – With a reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters and over 10 years of coaching experience, including local stints at UNC and Duke, Trisha Stafford-Odom was announced as North Carolina Central University's ninth head women's basketball coach on Monday, May 8.
"I am thrilled about having the opportunity to work with Coach Stafford-Odom," said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree. "Her varied coaching and playing experiences in collegiate and professional sports will definitely help move our women's basketball program to the next level. These experiences will enable her to recruit the best scholar-athletes and provide them with the tools and quality coaching necessary to win championships."
The former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player and collegiate hall of fame inductee returns to The Triangle to continue her head coaching career after last coaching three seasons at Concordia University Irvine from 2013-2016. Prior to that, Stafford-Odom was a successful assistant coach for four seasons with both the UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. She began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant for the UCLA Bruins.
"I am elated to be announced as North Carolina Central University's head women's basketball coach," said Stafford-Odom. "As I look to the future I see great things for us. I am very excited about the opportunity."
Stafford-Odom won the Concordia Eagles first conference championship in 18 years to highlight her time coaching in California. In her second season as head coach, CUI posted a 23-7 record and won the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Championship. She produced two All-Americans and was named the league's coach of the year.
As an assistant coach at UNC from 2011-2013, Stafford-Odom was a valuable recruiter for the No. 1 nationally-ranked recruiting class in 2013. She aided the development of two WNBA players, two ACC Players of the Year and two ACC Freshmen of the Year while working under the leadership of Naismith Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell.
Stafford-Odom brought her first No. 1 nationally-ranked recruiting class to Durham when she was an assistant at Duke from 2009-2011. The Blue Devils won the ACC Championship both seasons as she mentored WNBA draft picks, an ACC Tournament MVP, a two-time ACC Academic All-American and a ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
"We are definitely not strangers to Durham, North Carolina," said Stafford-Odom about her family. "It's the opposite coast for us, but we made it home several years ago. We are onto new and greater things by being at NCCU."
While at UCLA from 2005-2008, Stafford-Odom was the recruiting coordinator for a No. 3 nationally-ranked recruiting class her first season and went on to develop two top-5 WNBA draft picks and the Pac-10 Tournament MVP.
Stafford-Odom was enshrined into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. She led the Golden Bears to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances. She was a multiple All-Pac-10 honoree as well as a Kodak All-America honorable mention. Stafford-Odom averaged 15.3 points during her four seasons (sixth all-time at Cal) and led the Pac-10 in scoring with over 23 points her senior year.
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in mass communications in 1992, Stafford-Odom pursued a professional basketball playing career that included a couple years in the WNBA with Houston (2001) and Miami (2002) as well as time in the ABL, NWBL, NBDL, NBA Entertainment League and European leagues.
Stafford-Odom continued her education while coaching at Concordia Irvine and earned a Master of Arts degree in coaching and athletic administration in 2015, and continues to be a student in the assistant coaches program of the NBA.
"I am confident that the preparation I've had in coaching will help make me the most elite Division I basketball coach that I can be," concluded Odom-Stafford.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
"I am thrilled about having the opportunity to work with Coach Stafford-Odom," said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree. "Her varied coaching and playing experiences in collegiate and professional sports will definitely help move our women's basketball program to the next level. These experiences will enable her to recruit the best scholar-athletes and provide them with the tools and quality coaching necessary to win championships."
The former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player and collegiate hall of fame inductee returns to The Triangle to continue her head coaching career after last coaching three seasons at Concordia University Irvine from 2013-2016. Prior to that, Stafford-Odom was a successful assistant coach for four seasons with both the UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. She began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant for the UCLA Bruins.
"I am elated to be announced as North Carolina Central University's head women's basketball coach," said Stafford-Odom. "As I look to the future I see great things for us. I am very excited about the opportunity."
Stafford-Odom won the Concordia Eagles first conference championship in 18 years to highlight her time coaching in California. In her second season as head coach, CUI posted a 23-7 record and won the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Championship. She produced two All-Americans and was named the league's coach of the year.
As an assistant coach at UNC from 2011-2013, Stafford-Odom was a valuable recruiter for the No. 1 nationally-ranked recruiting class in 2013. She aided the development of two WNBA players, two ACC Players of the Year and two ACC Freshmen of the Year while working under the leadership of Naismith Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell.
Stafford-Odom brought her first No. 1 nationally-ranked recruiting class to Durham when she was an assistant at Duke from 2009-2011. The Blue Devils won the ACC Championship both seasons as she mentored WNBA draft picks, an ACC Tournament MVP, a two-time ACC Academic All-American and a ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
"We are definitely not strangers to Durham, North Carolina," said Stafford-Odom about her family. "It's the opposite coast for us, but we made it home several years ago. We are onto new and greater things by being at NCCU."
While at UCLA from 2005-2008, Stafford-Odom was the recruiting coordinator for a No. 3 nationally-ranked recruiting class her first season and went on to develop two top-5 WNBA draft picks and the Pac-10 Tournament MVP.
Stafford-Odom was enshrined into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. She led the Golden Bears to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances. She was a multiple All-Pac-10 honoree as well as a Kodak All-America honorable mention. Stafford-Odom averaged 15.3 points during her four seasons (sixth all-time at Cal) and led the Pac-10 in scoring with over 23 points her senior year.
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in mass communications in 1992, Stafford-Odom pursued a professional basketball playing career that included a couple years in the WNBA with Houston (2001) and Miami (2002) as well as time in the ABL, NWBL, NBDL, NBA Entertainment League and European leagues.
Stafford-Odom continued her education while coaching at Concordia Irvine and earned a Master of Arts degree in coaching and athletic administration in 2015, and continues to be a student in the assistant coaches program of the NBA.
"I am confident that the preparation I've had in coaching will help make me the most elite Division I basketball coach that I can be," concluded Odom-Stafford.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
FAMU coaching search down to final 3
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- After two months of searching, Florida A&M’s athletic department is closing in on its new men’s head basketball coach.
Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. said on Monday the school is down to its final three in the search.
Robert McCullum, Pat Kennedy and Lindsey Hunter are the three finalists, he said. No “official or unofficial offer” has been made to any of the three. Overton said all three are undergoing background checks and he hopes to make a decision by the end of the week.
All three coaches come with strong backgrounds.
More:See who applied for the job
Hunter, 46, a two-time NBA champion, was the interim head coach for the Phoenix Suns and was also an assistant for the Golden State Warriors. He is an assistant at University of Buffalo.
Overton said of the 122 applicants for the job, roughly 15 were interviewed. He said now the department is doing its due diligence in terms of hiring its next coach.
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Nuggets climb to 7th; tournament bids announced Monday
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana made its fifth climb of the season Sunday in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 poll.
The Gold Nuggets moved from eighth to seventh. Their five climbs this season are their most since 2013.
Indiana Wesleyan, a 5-4 loser to XULA Feb. 18 in the Grizzly Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga., aided the Gold Nuggets' ranking with a 5-4 victory Friday at Northwestern Ohio. UNOH fell from fifth to eighth.
XULA's ranking is its highest of the post-Nour Abbes era. Abbes, an consensus All-America player for the Gold Nuggets in 2014 and 2015, led the Gold Nuggets twice to the national semifinals.
The Gold Nuggets are the lone top-15 team with a losing record (7-13), but they have five victories against ranked opponents. All of XULA's losses are to ranked or NCAA Division I opponents.
XULA will learn by 5 p.m. Monday if it earned a bid to the NAIA National Championships May 16-20 at Mobile, Ala. The NAIA will announce Tuesday the seedings and the brackets for the event, which will consist of 24 women's teams and 24 men's teams.
NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 5)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Georgia Gwinnett (14) 21-0 374 1
2 Lindsey Wilson 19-4 362 2
3 SCAD Savannah 12-3 350 3
4 Keiser 12-7 337 4
5 San Diego Christian 15-3 319 6
6 William Carey 17-3 313 7
7 XULA 7-13 295 8
8 Northwestern Ohio 19-6 291 5
9 LSU-Alexandria 17-3 275 9
10 Indiana Wesleyan 31-7 272 12
11 Mobile 22-4 257 10
12 William Woods 11-9 248 11
13 Cardinal Stritch 15-5 231 13
14 Arizona Christian 17-8 218 14
15 Cumberlands 15-8 209 15
16 Lewis-Clark State 7-13 193 16
17 Middle Georgia 13-8 179 17
18 Davenport 14-10 167 18
19 Olivet Nazarene 10-11 154 19
20 SCAD Atlanta 12-6 148 20
21 Campbellsville 11-8 137 21
22 McPherson 12-2 107 23
23 Georgetown (Ky.) 16-7 105 25
24 St. Thomas (Fla.) 4-10 91 22
25 Tennessee Wesleyan 12-7 88 RV
Dropped from rankings: No. 24 Reinhardt
Others receiving votes: Marian (Ind.) 65, Reinhardt 57, Cumberland 50, Coastal Georgia 40, Brenau 19, Missouri Valley 12, Asbury 9, Southwestern (Kan.) 9, Southeastern (Fla.) 5, Biola 4
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Gold Nuggets will take their 11th trip to nationals
NEW ORLEANS — After achieving success against one of the nation's most challenging schedules, Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis was announced Monday as one of 24 teams selected for the NAIA National Championships.
The Gold Nuggets — 7-13 with five victories against ranked opponents — qualified for the sixth consecutive season, the ninth time in 10 years and the 11th time overall. XULA received one of 10 at-large bids.
The final pretournament step — the NAIA's announcement of the bracket and seedings — will occur Tuesday. The five-day tournament will begin May 16 at Mobile, Ala.
The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes and play their first matches May 17. The XULA women — No. 7 in the coaches poll announced Sunday — received a bye in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
All of the Gold Nuggets' losses this season are to ranked or NCAA Division I opponents.
A year ago the Gold Nuggets lost 5-2 to Northwestern Ohio in the first round. The Nuggets reached the national semifinals in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
This is the sixth consecutive year and the eighth time in nine years that both XULA tennis teams qualified for nationals. The XULA men received their ninth consecutive bid to nationals Monday.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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The Gold Nuggets — 7-13 with five victories against ranked opponents — qualified for the sixth consecutive season, the ninth time in 10 years and the 11th time overall. XULA received one of 10 at-large bids.
The final pretournament step — the NAIA's announcement of the bracket and seedings — will occur Tuesday. The five-day tournament will begin May 16 at Mobile, Ala.
The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes and play their first matches May 17. The XULA women — No. 7 in the coaches poll announced Sunday — received a bye in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
All of the Gold Nuggets' losses this season are to ranked or NCAA Division I opponents.
A year ago the Gold Nuggets lost 5-2 to Northwestern Ohio in the first round. The Nuggets reached the national semifinals in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
This is the sixth consecutive year and the eighth time in nine years that both XULA tennis teams qualified for nationals. The XULA men received their ninth consecutive bid to nationals Monday.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold
Gold Rush do the two-step again in NAIA coaches poll
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana made its 85th consecutive top-25 appearance Sunday and remained No. 2 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Poll.
The Gold Rush (11-5) have been No. 2 in all eight polls of 2017. This is the final ranking before Monday's announcement of the 24 men's teams and 24 women's teams that qualified for the NAIA National Championships. The NAIA will announce Tuesday the brackets and seedings.
XULA possesses the longest active NAIA streak of men's tennis top-25 appearances. The streak began April 4, 2007.
The national tourney will be played May 16-20 at Mobile, Ala.
The Gold Rush active poll streaks:
• 85 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
• 76 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
• 61 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
• 55 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
• 17 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
• 15 consecutive appearances in the top 3 . . . streak began March 1, 2016.
• 9 consecutive appearances in the top 2 . . . streak began May 25, 2016.
NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 5)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Georgia Gwinnett (14) 19-0 374 1
2 XULA 11-5 362 2
3 Keiser 18-4 350 3
4 Northwestern Ohio 21-1 338 4
5 Campbellsville 20-3 319 9
6 William Carey 17-5 315 6
7 Lindsey Wilson 16-6 299 5
8 Arizona Christian 15-12 289 7
9 William Woods 13-5 287 8
10 Cardinal Stritch 18-5 262 10
11 Mobile 22-4 254 11
12 Westmont 13-7 245 12
13 San Diego Christian 6-10 228 13
14 Coastal Georgia 14-7 218 14
15 Reinhardt 13-5 206 15
16 Middle Georgia 9-8 192 16
17 Tennessee Wesleyan 12-4 169 23
18 Olivet Nazarene 12-7 152 19
19 SCAD Savannah 8-8 150 20
20 Lawrence Tech 20-6 146 24
21 McPherson 12-3 122 21
22 Aquinas 17-7 120 17
23 Cumberland 7-6 116 22
24 SCAD Atlanta 11-4 114 18
25 St. Thomas (Fla.) 5-10 84 25
Dropped from rankings: none
Others receiving votes: Asbury 76, Warner 40, Davenport 30, Missouri Valley 25, Cumberlands 22, Judson (Ill.) 11, Point 10, Marian (Ind.) 10, Bethany (Kan.) 10, Lewis-Clark State 9
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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