Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Tennessee State shoot past Jacksonville State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Yet another comeback attempt fell short for the Jacksonville State men’s basketball team on Tuesday night, when Tennessee State held off the Gamecocks for an 88-77 home win at the Gentry Center.

The Gamecocks (4-17, 2-11 Ohio Valley Conference) used a 55-point second half to cut a 24-point deficit with 6:27 to play to a nine-point game with just under three minutes to play, but the rally proved too little too late for JSU in its fifth-straight loss and the fifth straight to the Tigers (10-11, 7-5 OVC) in Nashville.

Tigers guard Reiley Ervin had another big night against the Gamecocks, scoring a season-high 19 points, just 17 days after he set his previous high of 16 points in a loss to JSU in Jacksonville. He set his career high last season with 29 points in a home win over the Gamecocks.

Reigning OVC Freshman of the Week Gerald Robinson added 18 for the Tigers, while Price was 10-for-10 from the charity stripe to account for the majority of his 14 points. Jerrell Houston grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to lead a TSU attack that out rebounded the Gamecocks, 47-29. Murphy led the Gamecocks on the glass with six boards.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

All-American Football League holds draft

The All-American Football League, a for-profit, professional football league, held their inaugural draft on Saturday, January 26th. In that draft were 47 alumni of schools who played Football Championship Subdivision football. Tennessee State had the most FCS draftees with six selections, followed by Western Illinois with four.

Florida A&M University
had former players drafted: Tyronn Johnson, Keith Williams and Freddie Moore.

League teams will employ only those players who have both completed their college football eligibility and earned a four-year degree. This policy is expected to have a very positive impact on universities’ NCAA Graduation Success Rate and their Academic Progress Rate. To the extent practical, graduates of host universities will play for the team hosted by their alma mater.

Currently there are six teams in the AAFL, consisting of: Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas. A total of 300 players were drafted.

CLICK ON THE BLOCK TITLE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE DRAFT LIST OF PLAYERS.

READ MORE ABOUT AAFL: http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/aboutus.php

Short-handed NSU women surge to stunning victory

Photo: Natasha Huntley, 5-6 freshman guard from Greensboro, N.C. was instrumental in win with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

NORFOLK, VA - It started with a 3-pointer. Then another. And another. All in the span of six seconds. A coast-to-coast layup tied it. A clutch free throw provided the lead. And, finally, one frenzied defensive stop later, Norfolk State experienced the joy of six.

"It's overwhelming," said a beaming Tashawna Higgins after her three-point play with 11.7 left propelled the Spartans - all six of them - to an improbable 62-61 victory against Winston-Salem State on Monday night at Echols Hall.

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NSU win over Winston Salem State

Photo: Norfolk State University 6-0/175 junior guard Michael Deloach, Rocky Mount, N.C., Bonner Academy.

NORFOLK, VA - Ugly game. Didn't do the little things. Have to get better in a lot of areas. Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans shook his head as he rattled off areas of deficiency in his team's play Monday night. Imagine if the Spartans hadn't won by 15.

It's been that kind of roll lately for NSU, which is winning big even when the overall play comes up, at least by the coach's standards, relatively small. Michael Deloach scored 23 points as NSU thumped Winston-Salem State 82-67 for its seventh victory in eight games.

The Spartans (9-9) got more good news when they learned Morgan State knocked off Hampton on Monday. Both the Pirates and Spartans are 5-1 in the MEAC, a half-game behind Morgan State (6-1).

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Texas Southern falls to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 73-58

The Texas Southern Tigers' frigid shooting continued in a 73-58 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at HOPE Arena on Monday night. They dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 4-16 and 3-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. TSU hit just 36 percent of its shots, including a chilly 3-for-14 from 3-point range.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (9-9, 5-2) put the game away with a 12-2 run, as Marcelle Goins and William Byrd combined for eight points to give the Golden Lions a 68-54 cushion. Matthew Miller led the Tigers with 16 points; Sollie Norwood added 13 for TSU. George Davis had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Byrd contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Lions, who out rebounded TSU 42-29.

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Southern picks up two football commitments


With just over a week remaining until the start of the national signing period, the outlook for Southern’s recruiting efforts continue to improve. The Jaguars persistence paid off with two more commitments on the offensive side of the football from Catholic High-Pointe Coupee’s Darian Prentiss and Lutcher’s Tyrus Harris.

Prentiss, a versatile 5-foot-9, 155-pounder, is projected to play slot receiver for Southern. Prentiss evolved into one of the state’s leading passers — regardless of classification — and directed Catholic-PC’s “Air Raid” offense to the District 6-1A championship. The 6-3, 260-pound Harris started at tight end and turned into a defensive force near the end of Lutcher’s season.

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Alabama State remains SWAC leader with win over SU Jaguars

Alabama State showcased all the facets of why the Hornets are the top team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in beating second-place Southern, 59-44, in a nationally televised showdown Monday night. And most of all, Alabama State showed how tough the Hornets can be.

With 7-foot-1 center Chief Kickingstallionsims limited to 11 minutes by foul trouble, starting forward Brandon Gordon (ankle) limited to five and senior reserve forward Richard Lott (back) not even dressing, Alabama State still dominated at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

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North Carolina A&T keeps MEAC lead with 85-66 win over SCSU Bulldogs

Photo: Leading scorer Tweet Cook, 22 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals had another complete game.

Greensboro, N.C. - Sophomore point guard Ta'Wuana "Tweet" Cook hit four 3-pointers and scored 22 points, leading host N.C. A&T (13-5, 6-0) over South Carolina State in a MEAC game Monday at the Corbett Sports Center. Brittany Taylor-James had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds for A&T. All five starters scored in double figures, and the league-leading Aggies built a 51-36 halftime lead.

Marie Reid scored a game-high 27 points off the bench for South Carolina State (6-11, 3-3). The Aggies improved to 13-5 overall and 6-0 in the conference after winning their sixth straight – their longest winning streak in 14 seasons. “We are in a position right now where everyone we play is going to give us their best game,’’ said Bibbs. “Everybody wants to be the first team to knock us off, so we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.

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N.C A&T Aggies run winning streak to five at expense of SCSU


GREENSBORO -- On a night when their backcourt was 20-20, the N.C. A&T Aggies almost didn't want to see the end. With Steven Rush and Austin Ewing scoring 20 points apiece, A&T survived a South Carolina State comeback bid for an 82-77 victory Monday night.

The Aggies led by 17 points at halftime and saw most of the lead disappear in three minutes. They built the edge back to 14 with 3:53 to go and were one Bulldogs turnover removed from terror. "When somebody outrebounds you 46-29, you're not supposed to win," said Jerry Eaves, N.C. A&T coach.

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Guards pace DSU to win over FAMU Lady Rattlers

Photo: Ashlee Burgage, 5-6 senior guard, Seaford, DE hit 3-pointer and jumper to help Hornets scored 17 unanswered points in the second half.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- On Monday, the Delaware State women's basketball team began to see signs of another title run. The defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hornets played well on defense and offense in their 50-40 victory over Florida A&M at Gaither Gym. Delaware State (9-10, 4-1) has won five of its past six games and improved to 4-1 in the MEAC after suffering five straight losses in tournaments from Dec. 17 to Dec. 29.

In DSU's seventh straight win over the Rattlers, Hornets coach Ed Davis employed a "show me" approach, rotating his guards in and out depending on their play.

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Morgan State leads MEAC with win at Hampton

Photo: Senior forward Boubacar Coly snatched 12 rebounds over Hampton University. The 6-9 Coly is the leading rebounder in the MEAC.

HAMPTON - Morgan State's rebounding and shot blocking were strengths coming in against Hampton University, but just a little better shooting made the difference.
The Bears pulled out a 64-57 victory over Hampton in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Monday night at HU Convocation Center. The result forced a three-way tie for first place in the loss column between the two teams and Norfolk State.

"We played against a good team tonight, a team that was hungry," HU coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "And they made the plays down the stretch to win."

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Technical costs DSU a second time


Three Florida A&M players ejected, but foul call goes against Hornets.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Delaware State saw another technical foul play a key role in a men's basketball game Monday night, and again it ended in a loss -- 70-68 to Florida A&M at rowdy Gaither Gym. The Rattlers (8-11, 4-3 MEAC) made 11-of-12 free throws in the final 2:23.

FAMU's Cassius Bell, Darryl Demps and Jon Mason were ejected with 4:38 remaining after DSU's Marcus Neal received a technical for shoving FAMU guard Jon Ballard under the basket after Neal fouled Ballard on a layup. No technical fouls were called against FAMU, despite a prolonged discussion between DSU coach Greg Jackson, FAMU coach Eugene Harris and the referees.

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Monday, January 28, 2008

South Carolina State faces rival N.C. A&T















Photo: Full house (5,834) at N.C. A&T Corbett Sports Center on 1/26/08 with WSSU Rams.

S.C. State Continues Road Trip at N.C. A&T Monday

South Carolina State will continue a two-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference road swing Monday at Greensboro in a doubleheader against North Carolina A&T, which gets underway at 6 p.m. with the women's contest. The men's game will follow at 8 p.m. The SC State women (6-10, 3-2) will be going for their third consecutive win and the fourth in five outings against the Lady Aggies (12-5, 5-0) who sit atop the league standings with a perfect 5-0 mark.

Both teams enter the game after easy victories on Saturday. Coach Tonya Mackey's Lady Bulldogs won 74-58 at Norfolk State behind 22 points by Sophilia Hipps and 18 by Marie Reid, while the NC A&T women defeated Winston-Salem State 71-51 at home.

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LB Tracy Sims has committed to play for Tennessee State



Loyalty guided Tracy Sims when it came time to decide his college future. The Red Bank High School linebacker has committed to sign with Tennessee State University, the program that has recruited him first and most heavily. “They showed a lot more real interest in me from the beginning,” Sims said. “They showed me love from early on, and I wanted to show my gratitude and go ahead and commit to them.”

The 6-foot, 235-pound Sims chose TSU over Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He will join former Baylor linebacker Sidney Tarver and former Howard linebacker Rico Council at TSU.


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NFL Pro Bowl Bound - Antoine Bethea, Colts safety/former Howard Bison

Photo: Former Howard University safety Antoine Bethea(41) intercepting a pass intended for Ravens Heap at the Colts’ 1-yard line.

Colts Safety Antoine Bethea to Make First Pro Bowl Appearance
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts' defense emerged as one of the NFL’s best units this past season, and a big reason was the development of a young secondary. On Friday, yet another member of that secondary earned one of the league’s most-prestigious honors.
Antoine Bethea, a second-year safety who started 13 games for the Colts this past season, has been named as an injury replacement to the 2008 AFC Pro Bowl roster, the league and the Colts announced Friday morning.

It will be Bethea’s first Pro Bowl appearance.

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Amazing story! An undersized walk-on at Howard University will be in the NFL Pro Bowl just 6 short years later. Let us not forget that Bethea won a Super Bowl with the Colts last season.
Bethea is also the 11th NFL draft pick in Bison football program history. He was selected in the 2006 NFL Draft in the 6 round, 207 overall choice by the Indianapolis Colts.

Texas Southern Reid looks to strike it big on, off field

Photo: Former Oklahoma State University quarterback Bobby Reid, 6-3/235 (Houston, Texas) is now a Texas Southern Tiger and is expected to be the starter come Fall.

Bobby Reid feels good about football again, something that not too long ago he didn't believe would happen.

What was supposed to be a breakout 2007 season for the then-Oklahoma State quarterback became a campaign of disappointment and frustration. Reid suffered an injury in the Cowboys' second game against Florida Atlantic, then endured being the focal point of a well-publicizedstory by an Oklahoma City newspaper columnist that led to coach Mike Gundy's rant that became a YouTube staple.

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South team pulls out Under Armour Senior Bowl win

Photo: Hampton University All-American defensive end Kendall Langford played outstanding in the Senior Bowl game. The 6-6/294 Langford is from Petersburg, Virginia, Petersburg H.S.

Despite a Senior Bowl record punt of 69 yards by North Dakota State’s Mike Dragosavich, the South team prevailed. Lead by outstanding play by Tennessee State University cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Hampton University defensive end Kendall Langford the South scored in the waning seconds to win.

Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell scored on an end-around run on a fourth-down play as time expired to help the South Team clinch a 17-16 win over the North Team in the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl.

It was a game that was filled with irony as play progressed at Ladd-Peebles Field in Mobile, Alabama under overcast skies and a temperature hovering around 50 degrees. Caldwell, a receiver, tied the game on a running play called by San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who is well-known for his aggressive and potent passing offenses.

Under Armour, the game’s title sponsor, presented Penn State linebacker Dan Connor and Tennessee State cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with the Under Armour New Prototype Award.

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Photo: Tennessee State University All-American Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was awarded the Under Armour New Prototype Award for his play at the Senior Bowl. The 6-2/185 defensive back is from Bradenton, Florida and majored in Psychology.

Highlights:


Hampton defensive end Kendall Langford yanked California running back Justin Forsett down just shy of the first-down marker, setting up the South's game-winning drive led by Ainge.

UD Joe Flacco sent a deep floating down the right sideline, but it hung up a bit and didn't get far enough to the outside to avoid an opportunistic interception by Tennessee State's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

DSU Coach Al Lavan leads Northeast All-stars to Heritage Bowl Win

Photo: Delaware State University head football coach Al Lavan has won both the Black College National Championship and the American Heritage Bowl in the same season.

Fullerton, CA – Delaware State head football coach Al Lavan guided the Northeast All Star squad to a 24-7 win over the Southwest in the American Heritage Bowl last night. The Southwest squad was coached by Jackson State University head football coach Rick Comegy.

Chris Wallace (UAPB) threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Arkansas-Pine Bluff teammate Jason Jones for one score. Jones also had a 24-yard reception and was honored as the offensive player of the game, which featured seniors from historically black colleges and raised funds for severely injured military personnel.

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Even in new role, Dickens lifts Delaware State

Photo: DSU senior forward Joe Dickens,6-7/205, Baltimore, MD, Western Oklahoma State Comm. College, Laurinburg H.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- On most nights during preseason practices for the Delaware State men's basketball team, Joe Dickens was hard at work but all to himself. While the team was running drills on the court at Memorial Hall, Dickens could be seen running the length of the gym or doing specialized exercises. Always out of the way, but never out of the sight of his coaches.

Dickens suffered a major foot injury after the 2005-06 season and played just two games last season before red-shirting. Still, he continued to hold the attention of his coaches, who knew that for the Hornets to have any kind of success this season, they'd need the Baltimore-born forward back in the lineup.

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The Hornets,(7-10, 4-1) play at Florida A&M (7-11, 3-3) tonight at 7:30 p.m.

DSU’s senior forward Roy Bright has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week. Bright averaged 22 points and five rebounds while shooting 57% from the floor, leading the Hornets to a 2-0 mark last week. Against Winston Salem State, he scored 24 points, connecting on four of eight from behind the arc, grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots. He followed that performance with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals against Norfolk State.

Bright also hit for 17 points and 8 rebounds against Bethune Cookman in DSU overtime win at Daytona Beach this past Saturday. Roy Bright is the MEAC's pre-season player of the year and the MEAC leading scorer, averaging 19.1 ppg.
-beepbeep

A pictorial history of the 2007 FAMU Marching 100

2007 FAMU Marching 100 - A pictorial history of innovation and perfection.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

MVSU Delta Devils get defensive in win over Texas Southern

Houston, Texas - The Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils held the Southwestern Athletic Conference “Top Gun”, Sollie Norwood to a mere three-points as they ran rampant over the hapless Tigers of Texas Southern University in a 98-66 blow out in the Tigers H&P.E. Arena. The Delta Devils received scoring from 11 different players, including five scoring in double figures as they have now reeled off four consecutive conference wins.

Valley was once again led by Larry Cox, Jr. who had a game high 18 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Stanford Speech turned in another stellar performance posting 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Carl Lucas had 13 points and two rebounds, while Michael Clark and Dwayne Harmason added 12 and 10 points respectively.

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Southern U. women manhandle A&M Bulldogs

Want an indication of the progress the Southern University women’s basketball team is making? The Jaguars had 31 turnovers and yet still easily handled Alabama A&M 50-36, never trailing Saturday at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Even with all the turnovers, including 10 by guard Deidra Jackson, and with having forward Indi Johnson go scoreless for the first time all season, SU got a balance of efforts — the kind of all-around play that would be teased but wouldn’t flow earlier this season.

Jackson nevertheless contributed 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals....

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Southern rebounds to victory over Alabama A&M

The boxscore on Southern University’s latest win, a 65-49 triumph over Alabama A&M, shows how a lot of players contributed Saturday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. That balance spills over to rebounding, with no Jaguar in particular dominant yet the team rallying to edge A&M in that department 36-35.

Guard Chris Davis had 18 points, while Joseph Jack added 13 points and five rebounds and forward Barry Honore 10 points and six rebounds for Southern (7-11, 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Guard Steffon Wiley also contributed nine points, five steals, five rebounds and four assists, and guard Geri Guillory had a season-best eight assists, six points and three steals.

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Obama routs Hillary in South Carolina


Democrats in South Carolina turned out in unprecedented numbers for their primary Saturday and handed Sen. Barack Obama a 2-to-1 victory over Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama secured his first win since the Iowa caucuses by claiming 80 percent of the African-American votes.

Six months ago, Clinton was not only leading the polls in South Carolina, she was edging out Senator Barack Obama among African Americans. But in the end, Obama got four black votes out of five and they propelled him to an outright majority of the overall vote: 55 percent to Clinton's 27 percent and Edwards' 18 percent.

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Great turnout South Carolina! If this was a football game, it would be called a rout, but the stakes here are much greater. Stay tune...

Norfok State rout over SCSU satisfies Spartans fans – for the most part

Photo: Forward Michael Deloach led four Spartans in double digit scoring with 18 points. NSU Tony Murphy scored 17, Rashid Cann, had a career-high 14 points and Corey Lyons scored 14 points.

NORFOLK - With their team well on its way to its highest offensive output in a regulation game in eight years, a small but raucous crowd at Norfolk State wanted two things in the closing minutes at Echols Hall Saturday night: The first was for the Spartans to crack the 100-point barrier. The second was for at least two of those points to come from the team’s newest player – 6-foot-7, 320-pound Brian Harman, a recent addition from the football team and instant crowd favorite.

Unfortunately for the 1,232 on hand, neither happened. But after a 97-71 win over South Carolina State, it’s unlikely anyone was complaining.

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