Ed Hardin: A&T puts football talent on display in spring game

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Football in April.

The sun was shining again at A&T as Rod Broadway walked the sidelines Saturday and surveyed a season. He liked what he saw.

Broadway has been looking forward to this upcoming season. Even as the Aggies football program dragged itself out of the storm and into fresh air in the last couple of years, all was not well. But come fall, Broadway will have seen the sweat equity finally pay the dividends he promised.

“I think this is going to be a good team,” he said.

Fall is a long way off, and a ...

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Sterling Smith transferring from Coppin State, mulling major program options

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Coming out of high school in Chico, Calif., Sterling Smith didn't have any Division I basketball offers. After spending a year at a prep school in upstate New York, Smith had just two and chose Coppin State after former longtime coach Fang Mitchell saw the 6-foot-4 shooting guard play in a tournament in New Jersey.

Things were much different after Smith was recently granted his release from Coppin State following his junior year. Expected to graduate this spring with a degree in criminal justice, Smith began a whirlwind tour of higher-profile programs with a trip to Wake Forest earlier this week and to Rutgers this weekend.



It could get even more interesting next week when Smith is expected to visit Pittsburgh on Monday and Louisville on Wednesday. The interest from "between 20 and 30 schools," according to Smith, came after he made nearly 42 percent of his 3-point shots last season for the 8-23 Eagles.

"I'm a shooter, basically," Smith said Friday. "I want to go to a winning program and to a team that can use my talents for shooting."

Former Coppin State assistant Emeka Chiazor said he thinks Smith is more than just a shooter. Chiazor, now an assistant coach at Howard Community College, is helping Smith with his transfer.

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ITA Rankings: Abbes Remains No. 1, Montrel Climbs to No. 9

NEW ORLEANS --  Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes still was No. 1 in women's singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's NAIA individual rankings announced Wednesday, and XU's Kyle Montrel climbed to No. 9 in men's singles.
     

The rankings are the second of the spring semester and the final one before the NAIA National Championships. Postseason rankings will be announced May 27.
     

NOUR ABBES (L) and KYLE MONTREL(R)

Abbes is 5-0 since the previous rankings with three victories against top-25 opponents. She is 28-2 overall this season, 15-1 in dual matches. Abbes won the NAIA singles title at the ITA / USTA National Small College Championships in October and was runner-up to Lynn's Valentine Confalonieri in the "Super Bowl."
     

Montrel is 6-2 since the previous rankings with victories against three nationally ranked players — one from NCAA Division II — and one regionally ranked opponent. This is Montrel's highest-ever singles ranking, and he joins Loic Didavi (2011-12 and 2012-13) and Miroslav Vukicevic (2007-08) as the only Gold Rush singles players to reach the top 10.
     

The remainder of Xavier's national rankings are:
     •  Caroline Vernet, 16th in women's singles.
     •  Nikita Soifer, 36th in men's singles and 13th in doubles with Montrel.
     •  Vernet and Simone-Alyse Ewell, 11th in women's doubles.
     •  Abbes and Carmen Nelson, 20th in women's doubles.
     •  Tushar Mandlekar and Manav Chakma, 22nd in men's doubles.
     

In the South Region women's rankings, Abbes is first and Vernet seventh in singles. Vernet and Ewell are sixth in doubles, and Abbes and Nelson are seventh. In the men's South rankings, Montrel is sixth, Soifer 13th, Jordan Harrell 18th and Mandlekar 19th in singles. Soifer and Montrel are sixth in doubles, and Mandlekar and Chakma are ninth.
     

Harrell is ranked in singles for the first time at Xavier.
     

Abbes is a sophomore from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah. Vernet is a home-schooled freshman from Lyon, France. Nelson is a senior from Jonesboro, Ga., and a graduate of Faith Academy. Ewell is a junior from Detroit and a graduate of The Roeper School.
     

Montrel is a junior from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Soifer is a senior from Beer Sheva, Israel, and a graduate of Hof Hasharon. Mandlekar is a sophomore from Bhilai, India, and a graduate of Deepak Nagar. Chakma is a junior from Agartala, India, and a graduate of Kendriya Vidyalaya Maligaon. Harrell is a sophomore from Lithonia, Ga., and a graduate of Martin Luther King High School.
     

Next for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will be West Florida at noon April 26 in Pensacola, Fla. Coach Alan Green said Thursday that the duals were pushed back one day because of UWF's final exam schedule.

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Harris-Stowe president wants to help students just like him

SAINT LOUIS, Missouri -- Dwuan Warmack says his focus as president of Harris-Stowe State University is hard to forget, because it’s young men just like him.

At Friday’s formal installation in the position that he took over last July, Warmack noted that he didn’t have the best grades or the highest test scores in high school. “All the indicators said I wasn’t college material,” he told a crowd of friends, family and colleagues at the festivities, which included tributes, a bit of history and a video explaining to his young daughter why he wears a bow tie.

He added that people saw in him what he didn’t see in himself and pushed him to succeed. Now, as head of the area’s only historically black college or university, he says it’s time to give back.

“Our mission is to serve an underrepresented population that is in large percentage low socio-economic, first-generation,” Warmack said in an interview after the inauguration ceremony. “Sometimes, that’s the voice unvoiced. So my job is to make sure that population has a voice and that their voice can be heard.



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‘Bama State Style’ gives look into HBCU band life

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Lifetime is set to premiere its newest reality series “Bama State Style”

Bama State Style

Lifetime Network

Air date: Friday, April 17

Time: 11pm ET

 Friday night featuring the Alabama State University Mighty Marching Hornets.

The series chronicles the marching band from grueling practices to show-stopping performances during the fall of 2014. Viewers will get up close and personal stories of the band members, as well as interviews with their esteemed director, Dr. James Oliver.

"The viewers will really see the hard work that the Mighty Marching Hornets put in all week in preparation for our eight-and-a-half-minute halftime show. They are going to be right there with us as we go through our pre-drill, practice and performance," Oliver said. "Words cannot truly express how awesome this is for our band and for the University.”

Marching under the motto “The Price of Glory is High,” the world-renowned band was recently featured in Robin Thicke’s video for his song “Give It 2 U” and the MTV Video Music Awards.

Band members were treated to a private, advance screening of the show on Thursday on the campus of Alabama State University.

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Simmons College of Kentucky officially receives HBCU status

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- Simmons College of Kentucky is now the nation's 107th Historically Black College. Historically, the school has admitted students of all races and that will continue with this new status.

The walls and hallways of the historic college are lined with pictures of the men and women who helped organize the school more than a hundred years ago and these days, the halls are also filled with people like McCall. She is majoring in psychology and proud to be part of history.

"I'm really excited about that too," said Cheyenne McCall, Simmons Freshman. "For me to only be a freshman in college, this has definitely been a really exciting year."

Just in March of last year, Simmons received its accreditation -- before receiving its HBCU recognition this week.

"It was an amazing moment for the community; a simple phone call c Simmons College of Kentucky.
ompletely changed the aura around here," said Robert Harvey, COO


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HR Sports Star: Norfolk State baseball

PORTSMOUTH, Virginia -- PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – This week’s HR Sports Star is the Norfolk State baseball team. The Spartans are one of the hottest baseball teams in the country.

Winners of 9 straight and 11 of their last 12 games, the Spartans are currently in first place in the MEAC northern division.

The team swept MEAC honors last week. Denathan Dukes was named player of the week. Roger Hall was named the Rookie of the week and Stephan Butt was named the pitcher of the week.



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Family Christian's Mason Diaz signs with Southern U. baseball

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Another of the Baton Rouge area's top players will officially being playing his college baseball close to home.

Family Christian standout Mason Diaz, the Preseason NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune All-Baton Rouge Area Small Schools Player of the Year, signed Friday afternoon with Southern University.

"It's a big day, absolutely," Diaz said. "I'm excited to be a part of their program and just be a part of something bigger than myself, and I'll do anything I can to help them win ... I grew up probably ever summer since eighth grade playing tournaments there every summer.

"Coach (Roger) Cador's a real good guy. He's fun to be around. It's fun watching them play. I just love the atmosphere, and I'll be close to home. But yeah, once I met with coach Cador and really got to know him, I said, 'That's where I need to be.'"



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ASU: Isaiah Crowell knows something about second chances

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Since the end of his rookie season, Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell has spent some time talking to others about what got him to the NFL - a second chance. He's been to schools, football camps, even the Georgia General Assembly.

His message has been simple: Second chances are worth giving - and taking advantage of when given.

"I really just feel like with what I went through, it really molded me and grounded me into the person I am today," Crowell told UGASports.com. "It gave me a second chance, and I've had to take full advantage of it and not let anyone down. I'm not going to let anything come between me and my dreams."

Crowell entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie last year. Twenty-two running backs were drafted in 2014, but Crowell's eight rushing touchdowns topped the production of all the NFL's rookie running backs except the Cincinnati Bengals' Jeremy Hill, who had nine.

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Xavier University's Abbes in Position for Wire-to-Wire No.1 ITA National NAIA Singles Rankings

NOUR ABBES
 ITA National NAIA #1 Ranked Women's Tennis Player
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA Gold Nuggets
COACH: ALAN GREEN

ITA NAIA Men's Rankings | ITA NAIA Women's Rankings

KILLMAN, New Jersey --  The ITA National NAIA Rankings are published today, unveiling the Top 50 national singles players and Top 25 national doubles teams in NAIA men's and women's tennis. Regional Top 20 singles and Top 10 doubles rankings are also published (April 15, 2015) today.

Embry-Riddle's Deni Zmak and Xavier (LA)'s Nour Abbes are the top-ranked singles players in the nation for the third straight edition of the 2014-15 rankings. With a strong finish to the season, both players would post the second wire-to-wire No. 1 singles rankings of the past four years. Abbes would match Auburn Montgomery's Ana Veselinovic from the 2011-12 season, while Zmak would be completing his second straight wire-to-wire finish, as he held the No. 1 ranking for all of 2013-14 as well. This edition marks Zmak's eighth straight as the No. 1 singles player in the NAIA.

NOUR ABBES
XAVIER UNIVERSITY GOLD NUGGETS

Behind Zmak in singles, the Top 8 remains the same as last month's edition. Georgia Gwinnett teammates Jordan Cox, Kevin Konfederak and Matias Hatem check in at Nos. 2, 5 and 6, respectively, for the 11-2 Grizzlies. Vanguard's Stefan Kilchhofer retained his No. 3 ranking, as did No. 4 Edberg Espinosa of Lindsey Wilson behind him. Auburn Montgomery teammates Vincent Dubosclard and Nicolas Pinones-Haltenhoff are ranked No. 7 and No. 8. New to the Top 10 in this edition is No. 9 Kyle Montrel of Xavier (LA), who improved from No. 13 with a win over former No. 9 Daniel Rueda of Northwestern Ohio, who was bumped to No. 10.

On the women's side, only the Top 2 singles players remain in order from the previous rankings: No. 1 Nour Abbes and No. 2 Anastasia Baranova of Oklahoma Baptist. Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda moves up from No. 4 to No. 3 in this ranking, her highest of the season. Auburn Montgomery's Alice Baudeigne is up from No. 6 to No. 4, while Lea Jansen of Aquinas enters the rankings this month at No. 5. Jansen has posted an 11-1 record this spring and is the new No. 1 ranked player in the Central region. Lindsey Wilson College's Alicia Rodriguez is ranked No. 6, followed by Westmont's Lauren Stratman at No. 7, Graceland's Jessica Worring at No. 8, Evangel's Amy Fritz at No. 9 and Concordia-Irvine's Ivana Vlakic at No. 10.

Men's doubles has a new number one this week in rankings entrant Rafael Lenz and Alvaro Iturriaga of Northwood (FL). Iturriaga is also ranked No. 23 in the national singles rankings. Ranked No. 2 behind Northwood's pair are Christian Wickenhauser and Till Guttenberger of Concordia-Irvine, up from No. 13 in last month's rankings. Gelawdiyos Haile and David Veliz check in at No. 3 from Southeastern (FL), former No. 1 Deni Zmak and Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios from Embry-Riddle are No. 4 and Lindsey Wilson's Edberg Espinosa and Francisco Charters are No. 5.

The women's doubles Top 5 is led for the third-straight edition by Anastasia Baranova and Kateryna Shkot of Oklahoma Baptist. The new No. 2 this week is Valeria Podda and Laura Wehner of Georgia Gwinnett, up from No. 4. Ranked No. 3 is Embry-Riddle's duo of Anna Gotz and Hui-I Huang, ranked No. 4 are Lindsey Wilson's Jessica King and Alicia Rodriguez, and rounding out the Top 5 are Graceland's Katherine Rodriguez and Jessica Worring.

Also published in addition to the National Top 50 singles and Top 25 doubles rankings today are the Regional Top 20 Singles and Top 10 Doubles rankings for each of the four regions. For complete men's national and regional singles and doubles rankings, click here. For complete women's national and regional singles and doubles rankings, click here.

About the ITA Rankings
As the governing body of college tennis, the ITA administers the ITA College Tennis Rankings (Singles, Doubles, and Team) that are designed to track the top men and women teams and singles and doubles players in NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, Junior Colleges and California Junior Colleges. For full rankings information, please visit http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Rankings.htm.

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Claflin University Freshman Trisana Fairweather Named SIAC 2015 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year

Trisana Fairweather was named the SIAC 2015 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year

ROCK HILL, South Carolina -- Claflin University freshman Trisana Fairweather was named the 2015 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. In all four Lady Panthers earned All-Conference honors.

Fairweather, a 5-7, sprinter from Hope Bay Port Antonio, Portland Jamaica (Titchfield HS), currently has the second-fastest time in the league in the 100-meter dash with a NCAA provisional time of 11.94.  At the Terrier Relays, she set a provisional mark of 24.27 in the women's 200-meter dash.  Fairweather was named to the first and second team in the 200 meters and the 100 meters, respectively. 

In addition to Fairweather, sophomore Makayla Jackson, and juniors Carrie Byrd and Jameelah Thalley also earned post-season honors.  Jackson was named to the first team in the 400 meter hurdles and earned second-team honors for the 100 meter hurdles.  Byrd, who was the 2014 SIAC Cross-Country Champion, was named the second-team in the 400 meters and Thalley earned second-team honors in the javelin.

The all-conference team was announced on the first day of the 2015 SIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships which will run thru Saturday, Apr. 18 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

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CMPD officer expected to enter plea in Jonathan Ferrell (FAMU) case

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- A CMPD officer charged with manslaughter will enter a not guilty plea on Friday, according to the officer's lawyers.

Randall Kerrick's attorneys are planning to enter a not gulity plea in the death of 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell in September 2013. Kerrick is claiming self defense in the shooting that killed Ferrell.

The former FAMU football player had gotten into a wreck and ran to a home for help. The homeowner may have mistaken Ferrell for a burglar and called police. Officers confronted him. Kerrick fired 12 shots, striking Ferrell 10 times.

In court, prosecutors offered evidence and asked Kerrick's attorneys to share anything their investigation revealed. The shooting was captured on at least one police dashboard camera but the tape has never been released to the public.

This case highlights national debate over deadly force by police officers after the recent rulings in Mike Brown's and Eric Garner's grand jury decisions.



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Talladega Tornadoes Luis Benitez Signs Pro Contract With Philadelphia Phillies

Luis Benitez
6'-3"/195 RHP
Philadelphia Phillies

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Former Talladega College baseball player Luis Benitez signed a free agent contract with Philadelphia Phillies.

Benitez, right handed pitcher sign from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Appearing in 12 games for the Tornadoes in 2014. He posted 2 wins and 4 loses with. 6.03 ERA. He had 44 strikeouts for the season.

For Talladega College baseball this is the first player in school history to sign or be drafted from Major League Baseball team. We are thrilled for Luis to sign a free agent contract with the Phillies said Coach Head Coach Will Ramos. We expect that this is the first of many opportunities for our student-athletes to pursue their dreams of playing professional baseball in the future.

COURTESY TALLADEGA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Mike Garrett resigns as Langston University athletic director

MIKE GARRETT

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- Mike Garrett’s run as athletic director at Langston University is over after three years.

The 1965 Heisman Trophy winner from USC and the Trojans’ former athletic director told The Oklahoman on Thursday night that he has resigned and will move to Kansas City so his two 10-year-old boys, Michael and John, could spend more time with his wife’s family.

“Since I’m older, most of my family has passed away,” said Garrett, who turned 71 last Sunday. “So we decided a few years in Kansas City with her family would be good for them. And we get to stay in the Midwest, too. We really enjoyed Oklahoma City. Everyone was great to us, just really nice people.”

Garrett replaced Patric Simon as athletic director at the historically black university in June 2012. The former Kansas City Chiefs running back said he thinks he did a good job at Langston in fund raising and hiring quality coaches.

One of Garrett’s notable hires was legendary basketball player Cheryl Miller as women’s coach; the former USC All-American and Olympic gold medalist guided the Lions to the NAIA Tournament in her first season.

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XU'S Horn Selected Chair of GCAC Athletic Directors

JASON HORN

NEW ORLEANS -- Jason Horn, director of athletics and recreation at Xavier University of Louisiana, has been selected chair of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference athletic directors.

Horn was elected by his peers to a two-year term at a GCAC meeting at Jackson, Miss.

"I am excited to become chair of the GCAC ADs, and I look forward to moving our conference forward," Horn said.

Horn is in his second year as Xavier's athletics director. During his XU tenure he successfully negotiated multi-year deals with Ochsner Health System's sports medicine division, apparel provider A
didas and website provider SIDEARM Sports.

Xavier is a charter member of the GCAC, which consists of seven universities in five Southern states. This is the conference's 34th year.


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Karr’s D’Andre Williams commits to play baseball at Southern

NEW ORLEANS -- Edna Karr senior D’Andre Williams knows all about his school’s rich football tradition.

Williams plays outside linebacker for the Cougars during the fall.

But he also plays catcher for the baseball team, and that’s the sport he plans to pursue in college.

Williams committed to Southern University on Monday.

“I’ve played baseball all of my life and it’s always been my favorite sport,” Williams said. “We want to be able to show people this is more than just a football school.”

Williams, who bats third in Karr’s lineup, is hitting .460 with 30 RBIs. His RBI total ranks second in the city, Karr coach Donnie Russell said.

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ASU Baseball To Play Final Home SWAC Series, Honor Seniors Against Alcorn State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - The Alabama State baseball team will play its final home Southwestern Athletic Conference series of the season against Alcorn State on Friday and Saturday at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
Due to significant rain in the forecast Sunday, the series was moved up a day with Friday's doubleheader and Saturday's single game both starting at 1 p.m. The games are a part of the ASU Spring Festival in which the Swarm And Sting Football Tour begins with a kickoff event at 5 p.m. just outside the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex, and ASU Softball hosting Alabama A&M at 6 p.m. at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex.
 
Alabama State (24-11 overall, 12-3 SWAC) has won nine games in a row, the last two in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. After erasing a six-run deficit in a 15-11 win at Mississippi Valley State Sunday, the Hornets erased a five-run deficit Wednesday night in defeating Jacksonville State 8-7. After falling behind 6-1 after four innings, Alabama State stormed back with three runs in the fifth and six innings, comeback, highlighted by Ray Hernandez' three-run homer that gave the Hornets the lead for good in the sixth. The defense and pitching were clutch down the stretch in sealing the win.
 
Relievers Patrick Coffin, Darren Kelley, Michael Estevez, Jorge Pantoja and Armando Ruiz limited Jacksonville State to three hits and one run with nine strikeouts over the final five innings.
 
"I was very proud of them," Alabama State head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez said. "We had to use the bullpen earlier than we wanted to. Those guys held Jacksonville State down after they kind of scored at will. I'm very proud of their effort. It takes a whole team to win games. I've told this team many times whether they play or not, pinch run, or throw to one batter, whatever the case may be, it's always a team effort."
 
Alabama State will salute its nine baseball seniors prior to Saturday's game. Pitchers Michael Estevez, Michael Montgomery, T.J. Renda, Armando Ruiz, infielders P.J. Biocic, and Einar Muniz, and outfielders Waldyvan Estrada,Cesar Rivera and Marcus Swint will be honored before the final game of the series. Estevez, Estrada, Montgomery, Muniz, Renda, Ruiz, and Swint are a part of the winningest senior class in the history of ASU baseball, currently with 113 wins, including four consecutive 20-win seasons and back-to-back 30-win seasons, including a school record 37 in 2014.  
 
"I've coached for a long  time, and it's been since 2005 (at Bethune-Cookman) that I've been able to coach that many freshman at one time," said Melendez of this class which came to Alabama State in the fall of 2011, along with Richard Amion, Richard Gonzalez, and Emmanuel Marrero who were drafted into professional baseball as juniors in the summer of 2014. 

"They hold a special place in my heart. This group of kids has been amazing, and have paved the way for what ASU baseball is now. In all the trials and tribulations of four years ago when we trying to establish our mark in college baseball to where we are now has been great to see. They play with a lot of confidence. They bleed black and gold now. The pride they have taken into this institution and this program has been amazing."
 
This is the second series meeting between the Hornets and Braves (10-29, 4-14). Alabama State won all three games in Lorman in March in a matchup that has always been highly competitive.
 
"Anytime you go into a conference weekend, you have to expect the best out of the opponent," Melendez said. "Whether they play well midweek or not, you have to throw out the stats. It doesn't really matter. They'll play tough, and we'll play tough because conference play means something. We have to be ready for it, and I think our team is. We're playing very well right now, and we have to continue doing what we do best."
                               
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In-state hoops recruit to sign with WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Jamel McAllister, a 6-7 forward from Wake Forest High School in Wake Forest, has committed to play basketball at Winston-Salem State.

McAllister, who played as many as four positions this past season at Wake Forest, will sign his national letter of intent today, according to his father, A.J. McAllister.

“It’s kind of been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks but Jamel is excited to get this decision over with,” A.J. McAllister said by telephone on Wednesday night.

McAllister, who weighs around 190 pounds, averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two blocks a game in his senior season.

A.J. McAllister said several schools were recruiting his son, including Longwood, Radford and Cornell.

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WSSU’s Boulware at ease heading into offseason

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State keeps the lights out in his office at Bowman Gray Stadium fieldhouse, but the two computer screens he sits in front of give him all the light he needs.

Those screens keep him posted with highlights from possible recruits, e-mails and anything else he needs to stay connected. As a head coach of a Division II program the recruiting never really stops because there are always Division I players or junior college players looking for their next opportunity.

Boulware is relaxed these days because the Rams finished spring practice over the weekend and he liked what he saw. For the first time in a long time the Rams had a lot of young players who needed attention and guidance, and Boulware and his assistants were all about teaching during the 15 practices they were allowed.


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Tampa Bay Storm add Rattler to Roster

TAMPA BAY, Florida -- The Tampa Bay Storm has acquired offensive lineman Chris Jamison and defensive lineman Frances "Frank" Mays, announced Vice President of Football Operations Jeff Gooch.

“Frank provides a big body for the defensive line,” said Gooch. “His height is an added benefit that we hope can be a difference maker on the defensive side of the ball.”

Mays (6-foot-9, 295 lbs., Florida A&M) enters his rookie season with the Storm after spending all of training camp with the team this past offseason. He played at Central Lakes College (MN) before transferring to Florida A&M for his junior and senior seasons. At FAMU, Mays appeared in 21 games for the Rattlers, leading the team with 4.0 sacks in his senior season. He finished his collegiate career with 68 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Mays began his professional career with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League in 2014.

“We felt the team needed some added presence to the offensive line,” said Gooch. “Chris brings four years of veteran experience along the offensive line and can play multiple positions.”

The Five-Time World Champion Tampa Bay Storm enters its 28th season in the Arena Football League.

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