Southern Jaguars sweep Prairie View Panthers

Photo: Southern's head coach Roger Cador said, “We finally won an ugly game. We made more errors than hits and we came out on top by two runs."



Pitching stands out in wins over Panthers

Saturday was a day long in coming for two of Southern’s senior relievers. First, Theo Ycoy, in his fifth year, got his first win, going 1 1/3 innings as the Jaguars rallied for a 6-3 win over Prairie View.

Then, Cody Elliott, a sixth-year senior who has had Tommy John surgery and just got cleared to play earlier this month, earned his first save by pitching a scoreless seventh in a 4-2 victory at Lee-Hines Field.

As SU (10-9, 8-3 Western Division) rebuilds its bullpen, those are the performances the Jaguars will need as SU seeks its first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 2005.

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Delaware State and UMES Hawks split doubleheader

Photo: Mike Roberts threw a six hitter in the second game win for the Hawks. The 5-11/165 junior LHP is from Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright H.S.

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - In one of the most exciting game played at Hawks Stadium in recent memory, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) picked up a very important conference win over local rival Delaware State University (DSU) 2-1 in extra innings. The Hawks dropped game one of the doubleheader 12-7 but with the one win moved to 4-1 overall in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

Game two was the definition of a pitcher's duel. UMES southpaw Mike Roberts faced off against the Hornet's Josh Schmidt and both went the complete game each allowing just one earned run. It was Roberts' day however as he would pick up his second win of the season, allowing just six hits, one walk and recording six Ks.

Schmidt took the hard-luck loss, giving up five hits, one walk and ringing up 10 strike outs. He may have gotten the win, but we will never know because with two on no outs Phillip Vaughn hit a ball to DSU third baseman Jose Portella that looked like a routine out but he overthrew first base, Vaughn reached and Michael Guy, who led-off the inning with a single, scored from third, giving the Hawk's the win.

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Southern Jaguars Coach Richardson not satisfied after first week

Southern coach Pete Richardson didn’t leave satisfied as the Jaguars closed their first week of spring practice by running 30 plays Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

“We were inconsistent, as far as not finishing on plays,” Richardson said. “Some of that is coming from conditioning, with some of them going a lot of plays. But some of the upperclassmen I’m not real pleased with, as far as going full speed.”

The Jaguars, who donned full gear for the first time, ran 10 plays from their own 20-yard line, then 10 from their own 5 and then 10 from the defense’s 20. The ball was never advanced.

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FAMU Rattlers' offense runs in first football scrimmage

Photo: No doubt, with MEAC all-purpose yards leader Philip Sylvester, #30, the Rattlers can run; but, can their 2008 defense stop the run of the other teams? That's the question the Joe Taylor staff will determine in spring training.

FAMU's first football scrimmage Saturday morning left coach Joe Taylor with a lot to think about. His analysis won't cover just the three phases of the game. Sacks and penalties will be right up there.

Through all of that on a balmy day, there were glimpses that hinted the Rattlers' meat-and-potato plays might be on the ground.

"I was glad to see that we're building our personality; we're trying to run the ball," Taylor said. "The best thing about this is we will go back and look at this on film. The plays that were positive we will keep running and the players that were zero we would probably take out."

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Southern University 'X' marks the spot

Photo: Southern's #88 Juamorris Stewart, 6-3/195 junior, Baton Roughe, LA/So. Miss. is nearly unstoppable.

Stewart ready to step in as SU’s 'go-to' receiver

Southern junior Juamorris Stewart has been around long enough to know the significance of his moving to the “X” receiver position as the school looks to replace Gerard Landry.

“In our system, the ‘X’ is the big man, the go-to position,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be a little different from last year, when I played on the side of the ‘X’ (at ‘H’). That’s the spot where you have to carry the team when you’re called on, the fourth downs and the third downs.

“It’s the big spot in our offense.”

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SCSU Bulldogs focusing on 'mental and fundamental' this spring

Photo: S.C. State coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough keeps watchful eye on the Bulldogs development during spring training.



Only 154 days remain before South Carolina State opens the 2008 season at Central Florida.

This provides the Bulldogs plenty of time to master the "mental and fundamental" part of their game, an area head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough has focused upon constantly during spring practice.

As SCSU conducted its first scrimmage Saturday before close to 100 onlookers at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, Pough continued to harp upon those themes as much as the overall team's execution.

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Norfolk State grad named one of Milwaukee's best

Dandridge proud of legacy he left with Milwaukee Bucks team.

The way Bob Dandridge sees it, he is the one who started a forward-thinking tradition with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The skinny player from Norfolk State was the first in a line of talented frontcourt players for the Bucks. When Dandridge looked around the room at a gathering to honor the Bucks' 40th anniversary team Friday morning inside the Bradley Center, he saw a few of his most successful replacements.

Marques Johnson, the third overall pick in the 1977 draft and former UCLA star, was sitting at one table.

Vin Baker, the eighth overall pick in the 1993 draft, was at another table.

And sitting nearby was Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, the former Purdue star and No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 draft.

"I'm proud when I look at Marques, Glenn Robinson, Vin Baker," Dandridge said. "I can look down the line and say this tradition started with me."

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Bobby Dandridge legacy is even greater with the 1978 Washington Bullets NBA World Championship, i.e., Washington Wizards today.

FAMU Rattlers Tennis edges SCSU, 4-3

Photo: Artiom Podgainii, senior, 6-1/155, Secondary School No. 71, Chisinau, Maldova.

Win gives Florida A&M top spot in MEAC South Division

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida A&M Men's Tennis team won some hard-fought bouts in singles to edge past Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival South Carolina State, 4-3 at the FAMU Tennis Courts Saturday afternoon.

FAMU's Artiom Podgainii defeated SCSU's Ivan Milivojevic, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 at #1, while Michael Moore went three sets with David Grund at #5, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Senior Clifford Malivert was a straight set winner over SCSU's Dmitry Lomakin, 6-2, 6-3 at #2 singles.

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Detroit native, CBS broadcaster Johnson's fame speaks for itself

Photo: Gus Johnson joined CBS Sports in 1995 as a play-by-play announcer for the CBS Television Network's coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Johnson graduated from Howard University with a degree in political science and attended the university on a baseball scholarship.

Wherever he goes, Gus Johnson's head is on a swivel.

A longtime broadcaster of NFL and professional basketball games, he's often just another excitable announcer talking into a microphone.

But put Johnson, a Detroit native, in front of an NCAA tournament microphone and he becomes a rock star. His enthusiasm and passion have spilled over into many of the recent great moments of the tournament, and he's reminded everywhere he goes.

Best of Gus Johnson - Rise and Fire


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Dallas Cowboys Hayes deserves better place in sports history

Photo: The late FAMU Rattlers Hall of Famer, Olympic Gold Medalist and Super Bowl Champion Robert 'Bob' Hayes deserves a better place in sports history. Once considered the world's fastest man, Bob Hayes was a handful for opposing defenses. Despite averaging 20 yards per catch and being largely responsible for the advent of zone defenses, Hayes is often overlooked when the topic turns to WR greats.

It is now official, beyond quarrel or question. Bob Hayes is captain of the all-time All-Snub team.

The monopoly of indifference toward the former Dallas Cowboys receiver's NFL career has received another jolt of nonsupport. This time it was from an ESPN.com panel that help select the top 10 receivers in NFL history. Hayes wasn't on the list even though Terrell Owens made it and Raymond Berry didn't.

The top 10 list included:

(1) Jerry Rice; (2) Randy Moss; (3) Don Hutson; (4) Michael Irvin; (5) Paul Warfield; (6) Charley Taylor; (7) Steve Largent; (8) Cris Carter; (9) Owens; (10) Marvin Harrison.

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Savannah State announces 2008 football schedule

Savannah State on Friday released its 2008 football schedule featuring 12 games - the most since 2003.

The Tigers will play four home games - two on campus at T.A. Wright Stadium and two at Memorial Stadium. They will play three opponents - Jacksonville, Concordia and Webber International - for the first time.

SSU, which moved to NCAA Division I from Division II in 2002, competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in football. Since the move, the Tigers have not been affiliated with a conference, forcing them to scramble to find opponents.

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SSU FOOTBALL 2008 SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Location Time

Aug. 30 JACKSONVILLE Memorial Stadium TBA
Sept. 6 LIVINGSTONE T.A. Wright Stadium TBA
Sept. 13 Winston-Salem St. W.-Salem, N.C. 6 p.m.
Sept. 20 Bethune-Cookman TBA TBA
Sept. 27 *Howard Miami, Fla. TBA
Oct. 4 Clark-Atlanta Atlanta 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN Memorial Stadium TBA
Oct. 18 Mississippi Valley St. Itta Bena, Miss. TBA
Nov. 1 #CONCORDIA T.A. Wright Stadium TBA
Nov. 8 Edward Waters Kingsland TBA
Nov. 15 Webber International Babson Park, Fla. TBA
Nov. 22 N.C. Central Durham, N.C. 1 p.m.

HOME GAMES INCAPS *Miami Classic #Homecoming

UAPB Golden Lions head on down the Valley Road

Sometimes in sports, whenever a certain team has success, the other teams in that respective sport will “copycat” the formula that allowed the team before them to have success.

Guess what? (No, I don’t have a fever.)

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff went down The Valley Road.

No, Bruce Hornsby didn’t make the trip to southeast Arkansas. But George Ivory did.

Ivory is back in southeast Arkansas. He’s the new head men’s basketball head coach at UAPB and not a moment too soon for some folks.

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Alabama A&M Bulldogs set to play Tuskegee on Oct. 4

Alabama A&M will rekindle an old football rivalry this season when the Bulldogs travel to Indianapolis on Oct. 4 to take on Tuskegee University in the Circle City Classic.

It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1999 when A&M came away with a 54-0 victory. The Bulldogs lead the series 22-19-4.

Betty Austin, A&M's athletic director, released a trio of big games from the 2008 schedule, which is incomplete at this time.

Also, A&M will host Grambling for homecoming on Oct. 11 and will take on Alabama State in the Magic City Classic at Birmingham's Legion Field on Oct. 25. Start times are yet to be finalized.

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Southern, Prairie View working their way back

The teams which finished in the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament’s title game last season — Southern and Prairie View — will meet today to start a three-game series.

Both are still among the Western Division contenders, but both lost two of three to division leader Grambling, both make way too many errors and both are trying to find some consistency as they retool.


In short, even this weekend, both have a lot of work to do.

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S.C. State's Campbell, Smalls looking to emerge as Ford's backup

Photo: RB William Ford #28 is back for his junior campaign in leading the Bulldogs rushing attack. The 5-11/185 RB is from Travelers Rest, S.C./Travelers Rest H.S.

Anthony Campbell and Kenneth Smalls fit the description of what type of player new South Carolina State running backs coach Danny Lewis wants to see.

Both last saw significant playing time in high school, yet remain hungry and eager to finally prove themselves as worthy of contributing after spending last season on the scout team. Each player is also motivated by a sense of urgency as the clock ticks down on their collegiate eligibility.

"I'm fortunate to have a coach like coach Buddy Pough to give me an opportunity to play my last season here and just to be a part of this and just see the future, try to play and compete with some of these guys in the MEAC and try to be the best at South Carolina State and move on and do great things," Campbell said.

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FAMU RBs compete for time

Photo: FAMU's Greg Arline #33 (5-9/190, RS senior RB, Lake City, FL/Columbia H. S. ) is competing for playing time for the 2008/09 season.

FAMU RB is over last year's chronic hamstring issues

If there was any question whether running back Demitric Henry is healed from the hamstring injury that sidelined him last season, he answered it during the first day of workouts in pads. A herd of defensive players swarmed him, some lifting him by one leg off the ground.

Henry gathered himself and trotted back to the huddle. There he joined Philip Sylvester. Before the afternoon was over, senior Greg Arline, another player who saw limited time on the field last season, and walk-on Xavier Smith got their fair share of carries.

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Southern's Michael Williams: Going through it all

Photo: SU Michael Williams #7 (5-11/195 DB, Natchez, LA/Natchez H.S.) makes open field tackle on FAMU Rattlers' sensational TB Philip Sylvester #30 (5-10/185, Marianna H.S./Marianna, FL) in last season's MEAC/SWAC Challenge, won by the Jaguars 33-27.

Southern DB keeps up solid play despite adversity

Michael Williams will graduate at Southern with his concentration in early childhood education and child development on May 9.

He’s not going anywhere right away, though. Williams will return in the fall to enter graduate school for administration and supervision and he has his final year at cornerback, where he’s started the past three seasons after redshirting in 2004.

“I’ve seen it all,” Williams said. “I’ve seen the good times and bad times. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go.”

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Spring football drills begin for Grambling State Tigers

Photo: GSU head coach Rod Broadway starts his second season preparation for the Tigers after toying in the off-season with coaching vacancies at Duke University and Florida A&M University.

by Grambling State University Sports Information

The Grambling State Tiger football team began spring practice Thursday afternoon in the friendly confines of Robinson Stadium.

The Tigers began the first day with non-contact drills as they wore only helmets, jerseys and shorts. The players opened practice with station drills followed by offense/defense breakout sessions before wrapping up the first day with conditioning exercises.

Grambling State, which finished 8-4 last year, begins year two of the Rod Broadway era with a total of 14 starters returning on both sides of the ball. While that number bodes well in terms of experience, the eight starters who departed were mainstays the past four years such as Clyde Edwards (WR), Tavarus Cockrell (OL), Zaire Wilborn (DB), Jason Banks (DL), Tim Manuel (P/PK), DeMichael Dizer (DB) and Reginald Jackson (WR).

Per NCAA rules, the Tigers are allotted 15 practice sessions which concludes with the annual Black and Gold Game on Apr. 19 at 1 p.m. in Robinson Stadium With only a limited to evaluate players, each practice is critical to both the staff and players as the Tigers won’t suit back up as a team until the first week of August for the start of fall camp.

Caribbean sings (literally) Obama's praises

Obama Girl, move over. Your I've Got a Crush on Obama video has got some rhythmic competition and it comes in the form of reggae and calypso from some hot Caribbean icons.

With big-name U.S. celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney already stumping for him, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is also striking a chord with Caribbean-born artists.

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Mighty Sparrow: Barack the Magnificent


Coco Tea's tribute to Barack Obama


Barrack Obama and hit song by Prince Thompson

Delaware State University Equestrian Team to compete for national championship

Photo: DSU Hornets 2008 Esquestrian Team (Courtesy: Carlos Holmes)

DOVER, DE -- Delaware State University's equestrian program has been selected to compete in the Varsity Equestrian National Championships, April 17-18 at the Heart O' Texas Fairgrounds in Waco, Texas.

Delaware State will compete in the Hunt Seat (English) Division championship. The Hornets are ranked 10th among the 12 teams in the tournament.

The national championship field is selected on the basis of winning percentage, strength of schedule and number of competitions. In 2007, University of South Carolina defeated the University of Georgia to win the national championship for the Hunter Seat Division.

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Alabama State's NCAA case still ongoing

The longest NCAA rules investigation in history still has no definite end in sight.

Alabama State's rules infraction case, which began when the school submitted a self-report to the NCAA in July 2003, is still ongoing, with an investigator requesting an interview in the case within the last month. In the meantime, the three coaches at the heart of the investigation have new college jobs, several key figures have passed away and a mountain of paperwork in the case continues to grow by the day.

"Honestly, this case might not be wrapped up in a year or a year and a half," said Montgomery attorney Don Jackson, who has represented several witnesses in the case and reviewed numerous documents. "If (the NCAA) sent out a notice of allegations (the next step in the process) next week, you're still looking at this case not going before the NCAA Committee on Infractions for a hearing until February at the earliest."

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Featured Multimedia: SCSU James Lee

Former S.C. State standout James Lee speaks about his performance at Pro Day and the performance of his former teammates.



Scouts from three NFL teams -- the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and Saints -- showed up to workout the 25 athletes in attendance for the S.C. State Pro Day.

It has been reported that James Lee, the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, shined. Lee tied for the second most bench-press reps of 225 pounds with 26, ran a 5.2 40, and had a 31.5-inch vertical jump. He also turned in one of the days best broad jumps, 9'7".

"I feel like I went out there and made me some money today by increasing three of the six events, the bench, the broad and the vert, from last week in Athens,Georgia" Lee said. "I talked to the scouts and they said they were impressed. I feel like I put myself in a better predicament."

Lee said he also had a strong workout with the Cleveland Browns Sunday, and that the Browns, Chiefs, Saints and Bears all want him to come in for private workouts. Lee is a former transfer player from the University of Georgia and stands 6-6/300. The Bell Glade, FL/Glades Central HS native played offensive line for the Georgia and S.C. State Bulldogs, respectively.

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Southern U O-line eager after tough '07

Photo: SU head coach Pete Richardson will need to replace a defensive coach after losing line coach David Geralds to Shaw University. Richardson is also unsure if running backs coach Elvis Joseph will return.

As Southern huddled as a team at the close of football practice Thursday, center Ramon Chinyoung let out a challenge to the defense that the pads were coming on in the next few days.

Though some of that bellow is eagerness after being academically ineligible and missing last season, the enthusiasm — combined with just having Chinyoung and two others in similar circumstances, tackle Adrian Banks and guard Joshua Keelen, back at work — is welcome.

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Practice intensity picks up on FAMU Rattler football field

Photo: RS senior LB Vernon Wilder, 6-0/248, Miami Carol City H.S., Miami, FL

An unusually large crowd of onlookers gathered closer to the fence that separated them from the Florida A&M practice field, as the Rattlers lined up in pads for the first time Thursday during spring practice.

The onlookers were close enough to see some of the things that left coach Joe Taylor believing his team is finding its identity.

Running back Philip Sylvester dashed for 40 yards into the end zone. Kicker Troy Walker hit a 30-yard field goal before he had two blocked by special teams defense.

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UAPB to name Mississippi Valley assistant George Ivory head coach

Mississippi Valley State assistant coach George Ivory will be named the new head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, according to UAPB Athletic Director Louis “Skip” Perkins.

A press conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Golden Lion Stadium. The press conference is open to the public.

Ivory served under James Green at MVSU for one season as the Delta Devils won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship and played UCLA in the NCAA Tournament last Thursday. Mississippi Valley State ended the Golden Lions’ season on March 14 in the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

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Coach Ivory is expected to sign a four year deal worth $ 85,000 annually, not including incentives.

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