No Contest: Oklahoma blasts Hawks, 100-64

NORMAN, Ok -- Even without coach Jeff Capel on the bench, it was business as usual for No. 6 Oklahoma. The Sooners reached the century mark for the first time this season, easily beating Maryland Eastern Shore 100-64 on Monday night while Capel was being treated in a hospital for a stomach virus. Assistant Mark Cline took over the coaching duties for the first time.

Oklahoma (14-1) broke away with an 11-0 run midway through the first half and went on to lead 48-22 at halftime. Blake Griffin led Oklahoma with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Tony Crocker and Willie Warren both added 15 points for the Sooners, who are off to their best start since opening 15-1 in 1988-89. Neal Pitt had 18 points for the Hawks (1-9), while reserve Chris Conner scored 12. The starters all left the game just 5 minutes into the second half, but Oklahoma’s reserves extended the lead to 84-38 with 8 minutes left.

Final Stats
Oklahoma Basketball Photo Gallery

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History Lesson: Cline and Capel have be friends for 22 years and first met when Cline was a senior basketball player at Wake Forest. Capel's father, Jeff, worked as a first-year assistant for WF. Cline broke into coaching as an assistant under Capel's father, serving for 10 years at Fayetteville State (N.C.) State, North Carolina A&T, and Old Dominion.

Florida A&M faces final non-conference game - Nebraska

Tonight’s game against Florida A&M (2-9) could put Nebraska in first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

LINCOLN, NE — No offense to Florida A&M, Nebraska’s final nonconference basketball foe of the season tonight, but the Huskers are well into preparation for Big 12 play. Before a practice last week, coach Doc Sadler delivered a 10-minute “do-better” lecture with a list of five keys to surviving inside the conference. The first item — hard work — draws no complaints from Sadler. “I told the guys our hard work has always been there,” he said. “But the past few games, I’ve seen that we need to get the other four things going to have a chance.”

It’s a common-sense list: Sense of urgency, enthusiasm, free throws and transition defense. “We can’t control some things, like our size,” Sadler said. “But we can control all those others. And sometimes in the past few games, I haven’t seen those things taken care of like they need to.”

FAMU head coach Eugene Harris (center) and assistant coaches Reggie Sharp (r) and John "Johnny" Jones (l) are poised for a major beat down and a paycheck with the Huskers.

Tonight’s game against Florida A&M (2-9) could put Nebraska in first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Huskers beat fellow MEAC teams South Carolina State and Maryland-Eastern Shore in the past week. Nebraska (9-3) played perhaps its tidiest game of the season Saturday in routing Maryland-Eastern Shore 88-56. The Huskers shot a season-high 61.1 percent from the field and committed only three turnovers, tying the school record. Florida A&M has played two Big 12 foes, losing to Kansas State 96-57 and to Texas A&M 67-57. The Rattlers also have lost four games to Southeastern Conference teams.

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Next: FAMU vs. Howard (1-12), January 10, 7 p.m. Tallahassee

Winning resolutions for black college sports

by Herb White, Black Voices

Excerpt:
It's a new year, and many of us will resolve to do something differently. Why shouldn't black college sports? Here are a few that just beg for attention.

Develop platinum programs.
The best programs bring good athletes to campus, coach them up and put resources behind the product. That takes commitment and money for the long haul, something too many administrators and fans fail to understand. S.C. State football is an example of how to do it right. The Bulldogs win consistently, including the 2008 MEAC title with a competitive effort in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Grambling is on the same level if the Tigers could actually get into the playoffs, which the SWAC championship game prevents. Among non-revenue sports, St. Augustine's track is a national program that can hold its own on an international stage. Coach George Williams has produced a string of all-Americans and Olympians, proof that the program is top of the line.

Better support.
HBCU fans may love their team, but something's not right when half the crowd at a football team goes missing after the bands do their thing at halftime. Is the music really that much better than the game itself? If so, then perhaps the on-field product is in need of an overhaul. Basketball seems to be an afterthought on many campuses, where good seats can be found from tip-off to the final horn.

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FAMU's Coach Tony Trifonov has succeeded in leading FAMU to the top of the heap nationally in women's volleyball despite inadequate funding, incompetent athletic department support, seven less scholarship players, no recruiting budget, and attempts by ineffectual school administrators to destroy international recruiting pipelines for this valuable, inclusive program.

Herb White hits the nail squarely with this timely blog, especially in his comments regarding basketball and non-revenue sports. I can understand 1,000 fans not showing up for an NCAA Division I national championship bowling match at a local bowling alley (2008 NCAA Division I National Champions - University of Maryland Eastern Shore), but how do you explain only 100 fans or less consistently showing up at Florida A&M's Gaither Gym to support the Volleyball team? FAMU's volleyball program (until 10/18/08) had won 98 consecutive conference games over 10 seasons, eight straight MEAC conference championships and eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.

The conference games win streak would probably be alive today, if the team had greater than EIGHT student/athletes in 2008. Division I volleyball is played with a SIX player team each -- i.e., the eight players on FAMU's roster made the Rattlers the smallest team in the NCAA Division I 64-team national championship tournament. How can the Lady Rattlers and other HBCUs truly compete at the Division I level with SEVEN less scholarship players than the other major conference opponents? How does FAMU compete successfully in the MEAC with FOUR less scholarship players than their own conference opponents? How does FAMU practice or scrimmage for an opponent with six starters and possibly two subs (if there are no injuries) for a 27 game season?

Although the deck is consistently stacked against Coach Trifonov, he has succeeded with his ability to select high quality new players from film and referral, which are typical of his teams in the past in that they’re very mature and have a lot of international experience. The Lady Rattlers come with a ton of game necessary to run with Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Michigan State, Long Beach State or Nebraska which have dominated the Rattlers out of conference schedule in guaranteed payment road games, necessary to keep the program afloat.

More importantly, the Lady Rattlers have been ranked nationally in the NCAA Top 25 Division I polls over the past few seasons, which brings increased positive notoriety to Florida A&M.

Do you think the 12,000+ FAMU student body and administration is punch drunk with the exceptional success of the underfunded and under supported Lady Rattlers volleyball team, so much so, that they believe the program can operate with neither adequate funding, less scholarships and little, if any, fan support?

No doubt, non-revenue programs need fan/student support and sufficient funding, too. It is a disservice to the student-athletes when HBCU administrations breach their commitment to the athletic program with disingenuous management of the university resources and facilities. The business community will never support athletic programs that are run into the ground with little support by the university stakeholders and fans.

FAMU sets a great example of how poorly managed athletic departments at HBCUs can totally destroy an existing championship program by cutting back funding to the point the program cannot possibly succeed on a regional or national level. Athletic administrators and fans should not expect to win NCAA Division I national championships on a budget less suitable for a intramural athletic program. After 30 years of trying, HBCUs -- especially Division I classified programs -- should know the outcome and set their sights on developing platinum programs as Mr. White describes.

Believe it or not, bloggers are tired of writing about the everyday occurrence with HBCUs that hit the road for a beat down--and a paycheck, that are routed, pounded, steamrolled, smashed, over-matched and blasted unmercifully in athletic competition by non-HBCU programs that didn't even field a sports team 25-30 years ago. And all HBCUs do in response is send their bands to shake their booty and entertain the opposition drunken fans as our sport teams, fans are embarrassed time and again by our lack of competitive capability. If money is so much in short supply--the bands should stay on campus as marching and pep band is not a collegiate sport.

A change is overdue!

-beepbeep

FAMU's Vann Earns His Place In History

A First-team All-American.

It is the goal of every elite college football player, but only a select few can be recognized with that special distinction. That's why Florida A&M University junior return specialist LeRoy Vann, a Blake High graduate, will always consider 2008 as his most special season. Vann, after a record-setting season, was named to the Walter Camp Foundation NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) All-America Team.

Vann runs into permanent Rattler lore with a sizzling 92 yards kickoff for TD against 2008 MEAC Champions, S.C. State Bulldogs 10/4/2008.


"He's creating a larger recognition base for himself, but it goes to show no matter where you are, if you work hard, it will not go unnoticed," FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. "Individually, it brings him great recognition, but it brings recognition to Florida A&M University in a very positive way. It's going to help with our recruiting, because young men are going to see that Florida A&M is where you can play and still get recognized."

FAMU's LeRoy Vann returns kickoff 80 yards for Rattler touchdown against MEAC foe Delaware State before national television audience on ESPNU Thursday Night game, 9/4/08 at Dover, DE.

His accomplishments were difficult to ignore. Vann, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound cornerback, was the only Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player to make the team. He set an FCS single-season record for combined kick-return yardage (1,583 yards), breaking the mark of 1,469, set by Samford's David Primus in 1989. Additionally, Vann had six touchdowns on kick returns, tying the single-season record of Eastern Washington's Bashir Levingston (1998) and Montana State's Corey Smith (2003). He had 66 combined returns - another national record - breaking the mark of 64, set by Connecticut's Joe Markus in 1981. Vann shared the glory, giving credit to FAMU special-teams coach Rod Plummer.

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Bulldogs Rally to Claim 58-57 Victory over Bethune-Cookman

Courtesy: CitadelSports.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Bulldogs rallied from as many as 15 down to claim a 58-57 victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Saturday night. Demetrius Nelson and Cameron Wells recorded double-figures for the Bulldogs with 18 and 10 points, respectively. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wildcats, 29-22 with 18 of their rebounds coming in the second half. Not only diCourtesy: CitadelSports.comd the Bulldogs win the battle on the boards, but their bench outscored the Wildcats, 17-7. Bethune-Cookman was in control for most of the game.

“We were able to get stops, therefore, we didn’t have to go against their press as much,” said Head Coach Ed Conroy. “We were able to get into more of a rhythm and it was easier to look for things that we really wanted to, which was Demetrius Nelson inside. It all started on our defensive end. Our guys did a good job there with the intensity and communication, which led to us executing and getting the ball to Demetrius.”

On offense, the Bulldogs shot 47.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line. The Citadel continued to dominate from the foul line, shooting 63.6 percent. Bethune-Cookman shot 50 percent from the field and from behind the arc, and shot 60 percent from the foul line.

Bethune-Cookman scored the first four points of the game to take an early 4-0 lead on the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored their first basket of the game at 18:30 after a layup by Nelson. The first half was a back-and-forth battle for both teams with four tie scores and four lead changes. The Wildcats managed to stay in control going into halftime after they scored seven of the last nine baskets in the half. Bethune-Cookman claimed a 12-point lead at the end of the half after Alexander Starling nailed a 3-pointer to close the half.

Austin Dahn led the Bulldogs in scoring in the first half with six points, followed by Nelson with five points. Bethune-Cookman had two players in double-figures in the first half with C.J. Reed leading with 14 points. Starling recorded 10 points.

The second half opened with the Wildcats taking a 15-point lead after Jerry Jones converted a three-point play. Bethune-Cookman wouldn’t stay in control for very long as the Bulldogs continued to chip at the lead. With 15:19 on the clock, the Bulldogs cut the lead to five after Wells nailed two free throws. With 13:51, Wells hit a basket to cut the Wildcat lead to three, getting the Bulldogs within reach of a lead. The Bulldogs were able to get within one after Streeter hit a layup, making the game 45-44. Nelson followed with a layup to give the Bulldogs a one-point advantage. The Wildcats refused to go away with three tie scores and five lead changes.

A layup by Nelson with 3:48 would seal the deal and give the Bulldogs a permanent lead, putting them up, 54-52. The Citadel managed to get up by as many as five after Wells hit a jumper to put the Bulldogs up, 58-53. The Wildcats continued to battle, cutting the lead to three after back-to-back free throws by John Holmes. Reed was able to get the Wildcats within one with six seconds on the clock after he scored a layup. A quick foul would put Wells on the line for a 1-in-1. A missed foul shot gave the Wildcats one last chance to take the game. Reed shot a 14-footer that rolled off the rim to give the Bulldogs a 58-57 victory.

The Bulldogs had only four turnovers in the second half and forced five turnovers against the Wildcats. They shot 56 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the line, which was much improved from the first half. The Bulldog defense held Reed to nine second half points and only allowed Starling to score four points in the second half. Reed finished with 23 points, while Starling collected 14. The Wildcats drop to 6-7 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 6-7, tying their winning record from last season with six wins.

“This is an excellent basketball team,” added Conroy. “They are very well coached and they made us pay.”

Box Score

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Fast Start Leads Kent State To 68-43 Win Over Hampton

Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications

HAMPTON, VA — Kent State used a 14-0 run to start the game on the way to a 68-43 win over host Hampton University tonight at the Hampton Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes improved to 7-6 with their fourth win in the last five games after holding the Pirates (6-7) scoreless for the first seven minutes of the game.

Playing in his home state, junior Tyree Evans (Richmond, VA/Motlow C.C. (Tenn.) scored six points during the opening run and finished the game with a team high 21 points, including five three pointers Junior guard Chris Singletary (Chicago, IL/Florida Prep.) added 11 points while handing out five assists. Singletary now has 24 assists in his last four games. “I was very amped up for the game and I was excited that my family came out and supported me” said Evans. “It was a good game for Kent State basketball. We talked on defense and let the offense take care of itself.”

Behind the 14-0 start Kent State took a 35-18 halftime lead by forcing the Pirates into 13 turnovers. The Golden Flashes started the second half with a 14-4 run as they built up a 27-point cushion and never looked back. Evans, who is shooting 53.8 percent (14-26) from three this season hit two three-pointers during the stretch.

Senior Julian Sullinger (Columbus, Ohio/Fork Union Military Academy (VA)), scored 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for Kent State which shot 48.2 percent from the field. Hampton connected on just 23.2 percent for the game. “We played solid defense, but it was a tough shooting night for them,” said Head Coach Geno Ford, “It was nice to get the win, but our defense look a lot better because they missed some open shots.”

Kent State travels to Temple on Monday. Hampton travels to Bethune Cookman on January 10th for a 4 p.m. contest.

Nebraska Huskers down Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks

Courtesy: NU Media Relations

Lincoln, NE --- Senior guard Ade Dagunduro continued his torrid shooting to help Nebraska post season highs in points and field-goal percentage as the Huskers ran past Maryland Eastern Shore, 88-56, on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The 88 points were the most in a regulation game under Coach Doc Sadler, and equaled the high set against Oregon in overtime last year. The 61.1 percent shooting, which included an impressive 64.3 percent after the break, was a season high, bettering NU's previous high which came four games ago as the Huskers hit 60.9 percent against Alabama State.

To get to the season-high totals, Nebraska took care of the ball at a record pace. The Cornhuskers tied the school record with just three turnovers, matching the mark originally set in 2002 at Iowa State. NU had just one turnover at the break and notched two miscues in the second half.

The 6,146 in attendance nearly saw another record as Dagunduro came close to matching the same school mark for the second time in four games. The senior from Inglewood, Calif., hit his first eight shots from the floor before missing his last attempt on a layup off an inbounds pass. He finished the day 8-of-9 from the field, just missing the single-game school record he tied against UMBC by going 9-of-9. Over the past four games, Dagunduro has hit 26-of-32 for a scorching 81.3 percent field-goal accuracy.

Behind Dagunduro's 18 points, the Huskers blew past the Hawks, taking a 12-point halftime lead out to as many as 36 points in the final four minutes of the contest. Dagunduro was followed by Steve Harley, who had 12 points, including 10 in the first half, while 10 other Huskers scored in the contest. Nebraska blew out of the gates in the second half, hitting nine of their first 10 shots from the field to open a 60-38 lead on Paul Velander's only 3-pointer of the game with 12:00 remaining in the contest. His basket was part of a 7-0 run that came just before the Huskers' biggest defensive stand of the night.

UMES' Michael Pitt hit a 3-pointer at the 8:29 mark to pull the Hawks to 68-45 before Nebraska reeled off 13 straight points to push out to an 81-45 lead on Toney McCray's breakaway dunk. McCray got free with the ball after collecting his career-high fourth steal of the game, one of 12 Husker thefts in the contest. Sadler cleared his bench just seconds later and the third team did a solid job, holding UMES to just two baskets in the final four minutes.

Box score

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Next: Nebraska vs. Florida A&M, Monday, Jan. 5, 7 p.m., Devaney Center,
Lincoln, NE.

Next: UMES at Oklahoma, Norman, OK, Monday, Jan 5, 7 p.m. ET; TV: Sooner Sports Network.

#4 Oklahoma shoots down Coppin State Eagles, 93-62

Coppin State University head basketball coach Ron 'Fang' Mitchell and the Eagles faces Big 12 -Missouri (12-2) next in a January 6th game televised by Fox Sports Midwest.

Coppin State has now lost 32 straight games vs. ranked opponents.

Oklahoma vs. Coppin State Basketball Photo Gallery
Final Stats

NORMAN, OK -- Oklahoma was looking for a fast start on Saturday, and Tony Crocker was more than happy to provide it. The junior guard scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the opening half, helping the fourth-ranked Sooners roll to a 93-62 win over Coppin State. Four days earlier at Arkansas, the Sooners (13-1) lost for the first time when they fell behind 21-8 early and trailed by as many as 25 before mounting a frantic comeback.

Although Coppin State (2-11) did not figure to present a challenge for Oklahoma, coach Jeff Capel was adamant about his team opening the game with more energy. "We definitely wanted to get off to a good start -- play with a sense of urgency. I thought we did that today," said Capel, whose team opened with an 11-2 run and never trailed. Crocker, who hit six 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the loss to Arkansas, played a key role early by burying a 3 just 16 seconds in, and added three more 3-pointers before the half. Crocker's fourth 3 of the half pushed OU's lead to 31-11, and Willie Warren followed seconds later with another 3-point basket that kept the Lloyd Noble Center crowd on its feet.

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Next: OU closes out the non-conference portion of its regular season schedule at home against MEAC foe (2-8) Maryland Eastern Shore (Monday at 7 p.m.). "When" Oklahoma wins, it will post the best regular season non-conference record (14-1) since 1987-88 (15-1).

Hawkins' Three-Pointer Helps Morgan Defeat Rival Coppin, 56-53

Tower of Power: 6-3 center Whitney L. Cunningham had a monster game with career high 24 rebounds and 14 points to lead the Lady Eagles. The senior Psychology major is a product of Western H.S., Baltimore, MD

by MSU Sports Information


BALTIMORE, MD - Morgan State’s Erin Hawkins hit a three-pointer from the right elbow with 1:10 left in the game, which proved to be the game winner, as the host Lady Bears defeated crosstown rival Coppin State, 56-53 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Hill Field House on Saturday afternoon. The victory ended a two-game losing skid for the Lady Bears (9-3, 1-0 MEAC), who earned their third win in the last four meetings over the Coppin State, while improving to 5-1 at home this season. Morgan’s win, also put an end to Coppin State’s eight-game winning streak on Morgan’s home floor.

For Coppin State (1-10, 0-1 MEAC), the loss overshadowed a rebounding clinic by the Lady Eagles. Whitney Cunningham finished with a career- and game-high 24 rebounds and added a team-high 14 points for the Lady Eagles. Behind Cunningham’s effort, Coppin State held a 60-26 rebounding advantage over Morgan State.

Hawkins, who finished with 14 points, all in the second half, shot 5-of-10, including 4-for-8 from three-point range. Her game winning three-pointer was part of a 6-0 run in which she hit back-to-back treys to help the Lady Bears overcome a 53-50 deficit for the win.

Morgan State stayed in the game by forcing 27 Coppin State turnovers. Moneshia Davis tallied a career- and game-high four steals, while Corin Adams, who led Morgan with a game-high 21 points added three steals. Adams also finished with a game-high six assists.

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Solid Free-Throw Shooting Secures UK Women's Win over N.C.A&T

Box Score

Quotes

Notes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s basketball team hit 29-of-32 free-throw attempts, including 13-of-14 in the final four minutes to lead the Wildcats to their fourth consecutive win with a 72-63 win over North Carolina A&T on Thursday night in Memorial Coliseum.

It was a sloppy game from the start as both teams seemed out of rhythm and sluggish. The teams committed a combined 24 turnovers in the opening half, 13 from the Blue and White. With the game knotted at 22 apiece with 1:43 left in the half, the Wildcats finally kicked it into gear thanks in large part to the heady play of Dunlap. The sophomore All-Southeastern Conference performer grabbed two defensive rebounds and scored the next seven consecutive points, including an old-fashioned three-point play, to give the Cats a seven-point 28-22 lead with 40 seconds to go. UK went on to lead 29-25 at the break after a three-pointer by Brittanie Taylor-James of N.C. A&T.

In the second half, the Wildcats seemed to be pulling away from the Aggies after Morrow and Edelen combined to hit two three-pointers a piece in the first eight minutes of action. Their hot shooting sparked a 16-2 run, giving the Cats a 46-30 lead en route to an eventual game-high 19-point advantage with 4:34 remaining. However, turnovers continued to plague the Cats and North Carolina A&T (6-5) took full advantage of UK’s season high-tying 26 miscues. The Aggies, led by 25 points from Taylor-James, held the Cats without a field goal for the final four minutes and pulled within seven (66-59) with 1:05 left. The Cats remained poised down the stretch, hitting 13-of-14 free-throw attempts in the final 3:36 to take the 72-63 win.

“We were very happy to get this win because North Carolina A&T has a very good team,” Mitchell said. “While we didn’t play our best tonight, I was pleased that we went on a big run in the second half to get control of the game. We didn’t finish off the game particularly well, but still a good win for us and we are happy with the win.”

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SWAC preview 2009

Excerpt:


Men: Is the glass half-empty?

1. What’s the state of SWAC men’s basketball?
Simply put, it’s not good. Sixteen years ago, when Southern upset Georgia Tech in the 1993 NCAA Tournament, the Jaguars were a No. 13 seed. These days, the mere thought of a 13th-seeded SWAC team is laughable.

Of the 31 conferences in Division I men’s basketball, the SWAC currently ranks dead last; teams often spend their nonconference season playing “guarantee” games, and they all have grim records to show for it. Alabama State has the best record at 3-7. Southern is 0-12 — but two more teams, including Texas Southern, have it worse at 0-13. Of course, with that in mind, maybe the Jaguars have a shot at a decent conference record.

Women: Or is it half-full?

1. Has the SWAC improved? According to the latest RPI ratings, it still ranks 31st among Division I conferences. Still, SU ninth-year coach Sandy Pugh said she thinks the SWAC has improved. “When I came into this league, I basically walked in with four players — and of those four players, two of them were the top two players in the league,” Pugh said. “The recruitment here in the conference has grown.” So has the coaching pedigree. It started with Freda Freeman-Jackson at Alabama State and continued with Pugh. More recently, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has turned Prairie View from also-ran to league favorite in a short time.

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Auditors: UAPB Payment to coach broke law

State auditors said Monday that the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff had no statutory authority to pay $175,000 in severance to its former football coach by funneling the money through its alumni association. A finding by the Division of Legislative Audit stated that the attorney general has opined that using public funds for private purposes likely violates the "public purpose" doctrine that public funds should be used for public purposes and, thus the "illegal exaction" provision of Article 16, Section 13 in the Arkansas Constitution.

University officials said the Arkansas Supreme Court has already ruled that severance paid to former Little Rock Superintendent Roy Brooks didn't violate the state constitution. "How did you all pay off the superintendent of Little Rock?" asked UAPB Chancellor Lawrence Davis of reporters after the meeting. "Our attorneys said we had a precedent in that case."

Davis said paying the money to the alumni association was the only option to meet the terms of former coach Maurice Forte's contract that included language that any severance would be paid by a third party. Forte was fired in November 2007. "We don't have a strong support group right now. So we said we'll let you have it, take care of it for us, and we'll get it back eventually," Davis said. By negotiating a severance with Forte, "we saved some money," Davis said. "We had to make a change, I'm telling you, somehow."

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SWAC teams feel lost on the road

Photo: UAPB First Year Men's Basketball Coach George Ivory (right) with Athletic Director Louis B. 'Skip' Perkins (left), the architect behind the Golden Lions ELEVEN guaranteed games -- through four time zones -- out of conference schedule.

The San Diego Union-Tribune referred to the UAPB Golden Lions as "mercenaries bouncing from gym to gym picking up a paycheck." The same is true of the entire SWAC with a current record of 15-101, with three teams --Southern, Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley currently at 0-38.

Duer Sharp has a problem: His basketball teams can't stop losing.

Sharp celebrated his first full year as commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Friday, but there wasn't much to celebrate. When you're presiding over arguably the worst of the 31 Division I basketball conferences, self-congratulation seems rather inappropriate. Sharp will be the first to say the SWAC, made up of 10 small, Southern, historically black colleges, has a problem with basketball. When those teams begin conference play tonight, the men's teams will be doing so with a combined record of 15-101. Three of those men's teams - Southern, Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley State - currently sit at 0-38. The women's teams have fared slightly better, going 20-75 since the start of the season.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff's men's team, which opens SWAC play at 7 p.m. tonight against Mississippi Valley State in Pine Bluff, could be the poster child for the problem. The Golden Lions are 1-10 after an 11-game road trip that included losses at Texas A&M (76-47), Missouri (95-41) and San Diego State (93-61). UAPB received between $75,000 and $80,000 for each game, and pocketed a total of $715,000 for the 11-game ordeal. Skip Perkins, the university's athletic director, said such "guarantee" games are necessary for keeping UAPB's cash-strapped athletic department in the black.

The SWAC's other nine schools face similar problems, and each loads its schedule with guarantee games as a solution. But some, including Sharp, worry that irreparable damage is being done in the process. "We cannot continue to have this situation," said Sharp, who plans to bring the issue to the conference's 10 school presidents at its annual meeting in May.

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Orlando's Citrus Bowl in sad state of disrepair

Seedy venue gives the city a black eye; home to Florida A&M University vs. Bethune-Cookman University annual "Florida Classic" that holds all-time Citrus Bowl football game record for attendance at 73,358 (2003).

Since 1997, a total of 689,592 fans have watched the Florida Classic in the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, an average of 68,708 per year. The game is televised nationally by ESPNU as a part of a multi-year contract with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). For the last two games, the game has been televised by ESPN Classic.

This is the best bowl trip in America. Best attractions. Best weather. Best hotels. One of the best payouts. Some of the best TV ratings. And then you show up at the stadium for the actual game.

"This place is a dump," says Tim Butera, a Michigan State fan from Washington, D.C., who was in town to watch Georgia's 24-12 victory over the Spartans Thursday. It's old and nasty," says Greg Stillwell, a Georgia fan from Palm City who was attending Thursday's game with his wife, Jennifer.

Better get used to it. Because of the slumping economy, it's looking more and more like this nasty, dumpy ol' Citrus Bowl will be the dingy, dog-eared face of Orlando sports for tourists who come here for holiday bowl games. Then again, we might not have to worry about it. If the stadium doesn't get renovated — and it's looking more and more like it won't — then the Capital One Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl and other major college football games might not be here much longer anyway.

"A 63-year bowl tradition is at risk," warns Steve Hogan, executive director of Florida Citrus Sports, the non-profit group that organizes Orlando's college football games. Hogan tries to be the optimist and says a $250 million stadium renovation is "not a matter of if, but when." Maybe so, but it's hard to imagine that Hogan's "when" is going to be anytime soon. But more than 100,000 fans attended two bowl games here this week. And that doesn't count the annual Florida A&M-Bethune-Cookman game or future regular-season games involving Notre Dame and Florida State that are contingent on a new stadium being built.

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Landers completes journey at Grambling, headed to Division II Shaw University program

Fourth-year starter Brandon Landers was declared academically ineligible on the eve of the fall 2008 practices and did not play in the Tigers championship season.

GRAMBLING, LA — Brandon Landers, the playmaking former Carroll High and Grambling quarterback, only gained a few yards on Friday morning. They meant more than any touchdown. Landers walked across the stage at GSU to accept a criminal justice degree, something that once seemed unlikely after the fifth-year senior starter was lost to ineligibility last August. “To come so close and fall so short,” Landers said, “I had to stay positive.”

Landers, who continued his studies while working as an assistant coach last season at Richwood High, will finish his playing days at Shaw University, a North Carolina Division II program. Shaw, which just earned its second consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship, is led by former Jackson State coach Darrell Asberry. His staff includes ex-GSU running back Vyron Brown, an assistant at Grambling during Landers’ tenure. The Monroe native also sought advice from several members of the current GSU staff who have deep roots in the North Carolina area.

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Harris' exit from NFL's Jaguars was all about the green

James “Shack” Harris, the local quarterbacking hero, found a pursuer he couldn’t outrun this season. Harris, vice president of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2003, was ousted last week after the club stumbled amid Super Bowl expectations. Not the starting passer. Not the coach. Those guys own new goal-mine contracts. It was Harris, somehow, who got the shaft.

Granted, it’s true this was one of the NFL’s most confusing turnarounds. Jacksonville came into 2008 having posted an 11-5 mark and a playoff victory over Pittsburgh the year before. With principal rival Indianapolis struggling, the Jaguars were a trendy pick to go all the way. But pre-season predictions like that are based on talent – something put in place by the front office, where Harris sat.


Photo Gallery: Memories of Doug and Shack

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Saturday: Kent State at Hampton Pirates

Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications

Complete Notes in .pdf

The Game
Kent State (6-6) rings in the new year with games at Hampton on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and at Temple on Monday. The Golden Flashes are beginning a three game road swing looking for their first win away from home since a Nov. 19 overtime victory over Saint Louis.

Coming off a 93-42 win over Shawnee State on Tuesday, Kent State has won three of the last four. Six players reached double figures in the game for KSU led by 2008 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Al Fisher with 16 points. Fisher, who played just 22 minutes for the game, tied a career high with four three-pointers - all coming in the first half. The Golden Flashes well balanced offense was fueled by a season high 30 assists - including seven from senior Jordan Mincy - on 36 made field goals. In the his first start of his KSU career, junior guard Tyree Evans scored 12 points and is now averaging 15.0 points and 2.0 steals in his three games Evans is also shooting 50.0 percent (9-18) from three. Freshman Justin Greene led the team with a career best eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of action.

Hampton (6-6) is coming off a 58-56 win over Yale on Tuesday. Led by a season high 21 points from Christopher Tolsen the Pirates snapped a three game losing streak with the win. Tolsen is averaging 19.5 ppg in the last two games, while Vincent Simpson leads the squad with 10.0 ppg this season.

Series Notes
• Kent State leads the series 1-0. The Golden Flashes won the only other meeting 77-71 last season at the M.A.C. Center.
• Kent State is 4-2 all-time against the MEAC after wins against Hampton and Coppin State last season.
• This is just the third game in Kent State history in the state of Virginia (George Mason, 2007; James Madison, 1987).

TV/Radio WNIR 100.1 FM (Tom Linder)

Next Up For Kent State
Kent State heads up east coast for a game at Temple on Monday.

Pdf. Game 13 - at Hampton (1/3/09)

A&T keeps football coach a secret

GREENSBORO -- N.C. A&T athletics director Wheeler Brown said Tuesday he knows who he wants as the Aggies' next football coach. But here's the rub: State hiring guidelines prohibit him from announcing his decision until Jan. 6. Brown said he interviewed three candidates for the job -- interim coach George Ragsdale and two coaches from outside the program.

Brown declined to name the other two candidates. A source with knowledge of the search process who declined to be identified said one of those interviewed was Morgan State defensive coordinator Alonzo Lee, a former A&T assistant coach. "Unless I get another resume that really impresses me," Brown said, "I could be happy with one of the three as our coach." Asked if one candidate stood out over the other two, Brown said, "I believe so, yes." Neither Lee nor Ragsdale could be reached for comment Tuesday.

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Happy New Year AggieNation! While you guys are sorting through the hiring process with suspects-- George Ragsdale, Alonzo Lee and the mystery man--Division II, North Alabama goes out and hire Terry Bowden for less than A&T paid Lee Fobbs. The former Auburn, Samford University and Salem College head coach is the son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and brings a 111-53-2 record to North Alabama, which finished the 2008 season 12-2 and reached the semifinals of the Division II playoffs.

Can't wait to see who Wheeler Brown selects that will make a winner out all of that great talent in Aggieland. Anything less than Prairie View head coach Henry Frazier III will be a huge disappointment. Please, no more trainees for the MEAC...

SDSU Aztecs pummel road-weary (UAPB) foes

UAPB first year head coach George Ivory accepts that economic reality dictates that the Golden Lions play all of their OOC games on the road for a paycheck to support the basketball program. Results: 1-10 record!

They are opponents that pose minimal risk of marring one's record but offer little reward in terms of RPI. They are mercenaries bouncing from gym to gym, picking up paychecks while paying dearly in the process. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which has yet to work up so much as a bead of sweat in its own building this year, playing its first 11 games on the road, exited another town in tatters last night in being leveled by San Diego State 93-61.

“These are hard games for coaches, because you want to make sure your players are prepared mentally,” Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said. “Often times, players look at (opponents') records and they come out and don't perform.” Before 4,441 at Cox Arena, SDSU improved to 10-3, matching its best record after 13 games since 1984-85. The road-weary Golden Lions, preseason favorites to win the Southwest Athletic Conference, fell to 1-11.

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Dolphins/Former HU Pirates Kendall Langford Unfiltered

Dolphins rookie DE Kendall Langford attempts to knock the snot out of Bills QB J.P. Losman in road game several weeks ago.

Kendall Langford has stood tall all season, anchoring one end of the Dolphins' front line. The Hampton University product, who has contributed 31 tackles, two sacks and three pass deflections this season has been one of the Dolphins' four rookie starters who have held their own this season. His steady play as a run stuffer has not only provided hope for the future, but the present looks pretty bright.

During this unfiltered Langford, the Dolphins' third-round pick, explains why he wouldn't do anything different with his football career if he had to do it all over again, he breaks down the other rookie contributors, and he talks about his team's storybook turnaround.

I'm disappointed to inform you that Langford did dodge my bar fight question, calling it a "trap." Considering he beat out Matt Roth for the starting spot during training camp it's hard to believe he's scared of the team's resident tough guy. But exactly how am I going to force a guy twice my size to answer a question. I tried, but much like this season, Langford held his ground.

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