2008-09 Alabama A&M Basketball Preview: #143

Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #143
Conference Rank: #1 SWAC
2007-08: 14-15, 11-7, 3rd
2007-08 postseason: none

If Alabama A&M could only beat Arkansas Pine Bluff, their season would have ended much differently. As it was, the Bulldogs finished third in the conference and had a first round conference tournament exit at the hands of the Golden Lions. With a whole slew of talent returning, the Bulldogs will have the best back court in the SWAC and that should be enough for Coach Vann Pettaway’s squad to think about a conference championship.

Who’s Out: However, there is a huge, literally and figuratively, hole to fill in the front court. The 6-11 Mickell Gladness tallied 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Having a big guy like that...

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Small, three other Rattlers to be honored at awards banquet

The 2003 football season had come to this: two friends and veteran football coaches clashing in a game that would decide the MEAC championship. On the home sideline stood George Small and his North Carolina A&T Aggies. Joe Taylor had his slightly favored Hampton Pirates ready on the opposing side.

The Aggies scored first, twice in the opening quarter for a one-touchdown lead. The lead swelled to 17 points, then Hampton punched back twice. Just a field goal separated them at halftime. Small went into his playbook and found just the right schemes to win and secure the sixth league title for the Aggies.

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Choose Jackson State University

Meet JSU alumna Dr. Linda Johnson, a Mississippi Optometrist.

Former HU Denique Graves named assistant women's basketball coach

VESTAL, N.Y. -- The Binghamton University women's basketball team has announced the hiring of former Howard University Bison player, Denique Graves as an assistant coach to first-year head coach Nicole Scholl.

Graves is a three-year veteran of the WNBA and has seven years of international playing experience. She was drafted 15th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs and played for two seasons. In 2001, she signed as a free agent with the Orlando Miracle.

Around the globe, Graves played in Brazil (1997), Greece (1998), Turkey (1999) and Bulgaria (2001). In addition, she was both a professional player and a coach in Sweden (2000), Switzerland (2002), Austria (2003-04) and China (2004).

"I am very excited for Denique to join our coaching staff here at Binghamton," Scholl said. "She brings a wealth of playing experience and will be instrumental in the development of our post players. Her ties to the east coast and internationally will also benefit our program. Denique and I have the same philosophy when it comes to teaching and providing a positive experience for the young women in our program."

A 2008 graduate of Howard University, Graves starred for the Bison from 1993-97 before launching her professional career. She was a three-year All-MEAC selection and was the first player from a historically black college or university to be drafted by the WNBA.

Since 2004, Graves has been a coach at seven different basketball camps. Most recently, she was the Girls Basketball Director and Coach for the Headfirst Camp in Washington D.C.

Binghamton University, a SUNY doctoral research university for 13,000 students in beautiful upstate New York, plays Division I Women's Basketball in the American East Conference. Each of the nine institutions - University at Albany, Binghamton University, Boston University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University, and University of Vermont - offer a unique blend of academic and athletic tradition.

SSU's Jackson gets AD job at Lincoln Univ. in Missouri

Paula Jackson announced Friday that she has resigned as Savannah State University's assistant athletic director of compliance/senior woman administrator to accept the position as AD at Lincoln University, an NCAA Division II school in Jefferson City, Mo. Jackson, who joined SSU's athletic staff in May of 2005, also served as the school's interim AD from Oct. 2007 to May 2008.

"I want to thank Paula for all her hard work and dedicated service in a variety of roles at SSU," said new SSU AD Bart Bellairs. "She is going to be a big asset at Lincoln University and will be missed by many people at SSU. I appreciate what she has done during my brief time as athletics director."

Jackson came to SSU from Kentucky's Morehead State University, where she served as assistant AD and senior woman administrator. Prior to that, she held the same positions at Clark Atlanta University.

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New SCSU women’s basketball coach keeping busy, staying quiet

Since accepting the head women’s basketball job at South Carolina State in April, Doug Robertson has seemingly kept a low profile. The relative silence from his office should not be construed as inactivity, however. Over the past 2½ months, Robertson has worked feverishly to put the Lady Bulldogs’ program back on the winning track.

Step one was the formation of a coaching staff who could best maximize the talents of the current players while demonstrating an ability to recruit new talent from throughout the country. To that end, Robertson has hired Marcell Harrison and La’Nette Dillard, while retaining the services of Antonio Davis.

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ASU sends response to NCAA on alleged rules violations

Alabama State University sent to the NCAA on Friday its response to 668 alleged rules violations, according to a university spokesperson.

Janel Bell-Haynes, the now part-time director of university relations, said the school met the deadline of Friday imposed by the NCAA to submit its response. A request by the Montgomery Advertiser for copies of that response couldn’t be immediately met, Bell said, because it will "take some time to redact students' names and personal info from the document."

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ODU Football schedules SSU and NCCU in 2009

Norfolk, VA - Old Dominion University has opted out of its ontract to play William and Mary in its second football game of the 2009 season. The Monarchs found a substitute opponent rather than paying the $75,000 to buy out of that game. They will pay Central Connecticut State a $50,000 guarantee to visit William and Mary on September 12, 2009.

Old Dominion also added to its schedule three games for 2009. The Monarchs will host North Carolina Central in a homecoming game October 3, will visit Savannah State on October 24 and will visit VMI on November 21.

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Former Pirates Adams focuses on hoops for the moment

Maybe next summer at this time, Tommy Adams will decide he’s ready for a change and switch his loyalties from basketball to soccer once and for all. There are days when he thinks about it and wonders if he could step back out on the field and resume playing a sport he essentially gave up after a successful high school career at Hylton, where he earned all-state honors and scored 28 goals in leading the Bulldogs to a state and national championship.

He even considered talking with a minor-league professional soccer team near his home in Raleigh, N.C that included former Hylton teammate David Stokes on its roster and seeing where that might lead. But then a call came from his agent. The Indiana Pacers wanted Adams to attend a free-agent workout. And like that, Adams put a hold on any more soccer talk. Basketball still had the upper hand.

The NBA, a league that Adams had tried out for with at least four different teams since graduating from Hampton University in 2002, was beckoning again. “I can’t pass up on that,” Adams said.

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Tuttle shines for DSU Hornets

Frayser Tuttle has just completed her freshman year at Delaware State University in Dover Delaware. She is attending this predominately black university on a full scholarship. Those two facts do not make this 2007 Powhatan High School graduate’s situation in higher education particularly unique, however the activity which pays her tuition, books, food and housing most certainly is. Tuttle is a star on the Hornets’ equestrian team.

In just its second season competing in NCAA equestrian events, this small (3,800 students) university has gone head to head and hoof to hoof with some of the largest universities in the country and more than held its own. Competing against teams from the Universities of Georgia, South Carolina, Baylor, Auburn, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas A and M and SMU freshman Tuttle helped to propel the Delaware State riders to a top ten national ranking and an invitation to the National Championships. “She never gets frazzled,” said her first year Head Coach Jennifer Ridgely. “Frayser rides consistently and does so against the best in the country.”

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A&M regaining indoor track teams

Two years after eliminating men's and women's indoor track, Alabama A&M athletics director Betty Austin said the school will bring back the sports. The sports were cut in an attempt to balance the budget, but Austin said a series of meetings with the student-athletes compelled her to put the sports back in place.

"I started a series of conversations with the students in April and asked them what we could do to strengthen their programs, and out of that, the track athletes requested we bring back indoor track," Austin said. "You can't do everything they ask you to do, but I thought the things that they said were legitimate."

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Brisco's drive on track leads him to chase his goals at DSU

Despite finishing in the top half of the field, recently graduated Cape Henlopen High hurdler Isaiah Brisco didn't perform as well as he would have liked in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, held June 19-21 at Greensboro, N.C. He finished 13th among 32 participants in the 400-meter hurdles, and finished last in a field of 22 in the 110 hurdles.

But Brisco will have plenty of chances to improve on his times in the next four years. Best of all, his friends and family won't have to travel far to see this year's winner of the Thomas H. Fort Award, given to the state's most valuable performer in boys high school outdoor track and field as voted on by Delaware high school head coaches.

After winning the 110- and 300-meter hurdles in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions as a senior, Brisco will attend Delaware State University this fall.

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Runner Hyppolite commits to FAMU

Miami native anxious to be with Rattlers

Benedick Hyppolite doesn't intend to take too long to fit in on FAMU's men's track team. Hyppolite, who ran on the Miami Booker T. Washington High School's state champion relay teams, became the newest runner for FAMU this week. He's spent the last two years running with the same relay teammates that had the fastest time in Dade County this past season.

He is anxious to build a relationship with his new teammates that can produce similar results, Hyppolite said Thursday just after his signing was announced. "We're going to be the youngest team and I just want to help Florida A&M work its way back up," he said. "We've got all the talent so hopefully we can make it happen."

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SU’s Johnson ready to run for spot in ’08 Olympics

The 6-foot-5 guy who ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.4 seconds at Southern University’s pro day for NFL scouts this spring isn’t going to a pro football training camp. Had he made different choices, Brian Johnson might be playing pro football. The former Southern track star has no time for second guessing.

The 28-year-old ex-Iowa High standout is focused on breaking a different barrier. With a jump of 27 feet, 2Ø inches, Johnson is ranked No. 1 going into today’s long jump qualifying round at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Johnson has three of the top seven jumps in the world this year and hopes to earn his first Olympic team spot. The final round is Sunday.

Brian Johnson


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Changes are coming under former Grambling State's Robert Smith

Houston, Texas - Clear Lake Christian’s football program is about to get a different look. New head coach Robert Smith is setting his sights on lifting the Eagles from 6-man to 11-man football, upgrading the playing field and the bleachers. If anyone can do it, Smith can. He knows football inside, outside and sideways – offense and defense.

Smith played professional football in the NFL and USFL under three coaching legends: Tom Landry with the Cowboys in Dallas, Bud Grant with the Minnesota Vikings and George Allen with the Arizona Wranglers. Smith was drafted in the first round by the Wranglers in 1984 when Allen, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, was at the helm. He also played for Ray Perkins at Tampa Bay. His Tampa Bay and Detroit playing days included winning divisional championships in 1992 and 1993.

In college, Smith played for another football legend. During his four years at Grambling State University (1980-83), he was a starter at defensive end for Eddie Robinson. Before you ask the big question, yes, Smith knows coaching – a lot.

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Savannah State changing attitudes

SAVANNAH, GA -- The Savannah State Tigers will begin a new era under coach Robby Wells.

As they get prepare the new season... the Tigers have signed a pair of new recruits. Wide receiver Alakan Thomas... A 6-3, 190-pounder from McDonough... and Jordan Monico from Hawaii... a fullback and linebacker who stands 6-feet and weighs in at 225-pounds.


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B-CU hurdler to compete in track championships

Freshman Ronnie Ash has been selected to represent Team USA for the 110-meter hurdles in the NACAC under-23 Championships in Toluca, Mexico.

Ash, 19, is the first runner in Bethune-Cookman history to represent the U.S. The NACAC is the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association. The event takes place every other year, and involves teams comprised of the best athletes under 23 from the United States, Canada and Caribbean.

"This is a truly a huge honor for Ronnie," head coach Garfield Ellenwood said. "He worked extremely hard all season, earned All-America status for himself and the school, and now represents not only B-CU but also Team USA in the NACAC games. What a huge, huge honor for a freshman."

BCU Freshman Ronnie Ash (Lane #6) has All-American race for third place finish in NCAA Outdoor National Championships and does not get his name called once by TV announcers.


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Prairie View baseball coach going to TSU

Michael Robertson resigned Monday as Prairie View A&M baseball coach after six seasons, saying he has accepted an offer for the same position at Texas Southern.

Robertson said TSU athletic director Charles McClelland, who served as Prairie View's AD from 2001-08, offered him the job Wednesday. A person familiar with the situation said that Candy Robinson, who just completed his 19th season as TSU's coach, would be promoted to director of baseball operations.

Robertson, who went 163-171 with the Panthers and led them to back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championships in 2006-07, said...

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Capital City Football Classic: Texas Southern vs. Shaw University

Shaw University, the reigning 2007 CIAA Champions, will face Texas Southern University on the gridiron in the Capital City Football Classic in Sacramento, California on Sept. 13 at Hughes Stadium. Game time is set for 4:05 p.m. and will be broadcast live via Comcast Sports Net.

Events will begin on Sept. 11 with the United College Action Network, Incorporated 20th Year Anniversary United Scholarship Gala. We are extremely excited about this incredible opportunity to be a part of the Capital City Football Classic and face Texas Southern; one of the premier athletic programs in the nation,” said Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, President of Shaw University.

File Photo: Texas Southern Tigers vs. University of Texas at El Paso Miners in a 2007 regular season game.

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Former Kentucky player named head basketball coach at MVSU

JACKSON, Miss. -- Former Texas Christian University assistant Sean Woods was chosen as the new head basketball coach at Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday.Woods replaces James Green, who left earlier this year to become the new coach at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Woods, a former college basketball standout at Kentucky, served two seasons at TCU as director of basketball operations and then assistant coach. Prior to his time at TCU, Woods spent one year as an assistant coach at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

The two other finalists for the MVSU job were Texas Southern assistant Lacey Reynolds, a former head coach at Grambling State and Harvey Wardell, an assistant at Tougaloo College.

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Mitchell back home at Southern University

There was always an air about Jackie Mitchell. That maturity level melded with athleticism to drive him into being a two-sport standout at Southern. Now, in returning to his alma mater after a successful run in the Canadian Football League, Mitchell’s aura — a seamless blend of easy confidence, attention-grabbing command and seriousness — remains one of his biggest assets.

“I truly felt I just had a different agenda,” Mitchell said of his time at SU. “I knew what I wanted to do, and I wasn’t going to be deterred by anything to get there.” The Canadian experience has added another layer of polish for Mitchell, who will be SU’s defensive backs coach.

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Sprinter headed to Olympic time trials

Since the seventh grade, Romulus' Landria Buckley has been excelling in track. Now this soon to be junior at Howard University in Washington D.C. is headed to the July 6 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. "In the beginning of the year my goal was to run under 13.3 seconds and qualify for regionals," Buckley said. "I surprised myself and made to nationals and ran 13.24 in the 100-meter hurdles."

She said that the adjustment from high school to college was different. For her she had to continue to work hard and really hit the weight room. The workouts are a lot harder and a lot more," she said. "The competition ends up being the best in the country."

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DSU football opener moved to Sept. 4 for TV

Delaware State University's season-opening football game against Florida A&M has been moved to Thursday, Sept. 4, and will be telecast on ESPNU.

The home game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ESPNU also will carry two other Delaware State games during the 2008 season. The Nov. 1 matchup with South Carolina State (1 p.m.) at Alumni Stadium and the Nov. 15 game at Norfolk State (1 p.m.) will be shown on tape-delay on ESPNU at a time to be determined.

The DSU-FAMU game was previously scheduled for Sept. 6.

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Big challenge for SSU coach

Robby Wells says he likes a challenge. He’s got one, all right. Wells was named head coach of the Savannah State University football team on Dec. 22, 2007, taking over one of the most maligned and moribund football programs in Division I. The Tigers have not had a winning season since 1998. They haven’t won more than two games in a season since 1999, and they went 1-9 in 2007.

“We’re doing the same thing Georgia State is doing,” Wells said, noting the Atlanta university’s plans to start a football program. “We’re doing it from scratch.” Problem is, Georgia State doesn’t plan to put its first team on the field for another two years. Savannah State’s been playing football since 1915. They are 7-47 since moving up to Division I in 2002.

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FAMU seeks kicking coach

All-American Vasquez favored to land position

FAMU's kicking game continues to be a major concern for football coach Joe Taylor. Just as soon as he found a seasoned kicker to add experienced depth with signee Trevor Scott, Taylor finds himself searching for a special-teams coach to replace J.B. Gibboney after he unexpectedly took another job.

Taylor said he'll have a replacement hired within the next two weeks. Former FAMU kicker and two-time All-American Juan Vasquez is the leading candidate among applicants for the job.

Gibboney spent spring practice working with freshman Troy Walker, a kicker from Wakulla High School. But Gibboney left FAMU for Purdue about two weeks ago, following his former boss Danny Hope, who is associate head coach for the Boilermakers. Gibboney's departure ironically came just weeks after Orlando Mitjans resigned as defensive coordinator to pursue a business venture. Both Gibboney and Mitjans came from Eastern Kentucky and were the last two hires for Taylor's staff in January (2008).

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