FAMU puts trust with West

The road to Florida A&M had so many twists and turns for Isaac West that another player might have gotten lost. West didn't play football for a year after winning a team MVP award his senior season at Lincoln High School. He wanted badly to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, Ron Dugans, and play at Florida State — until he was told a year of junior college would improve his chances of making it as a walk-on.

A year of waiting was enough, so West enrolled at FAMU last August and made the team as a walk-on. There he found himself in the shadow of senior Willie Hayward. He had to wait for prime time. It might finally be here for the speedy, lanky receiver. Hayward has graduated, and the Rattlers have a new coaching staff that sees talent in West that should make this his breakthrough season.

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Monte Purvis becomes assistant coach

Former QB returns to his alma mater

Former Winston-Salem State and Parkland quarterback Monte Purvis has always wanted to be a high school football coach. Even when he was performing in front of packed stadiums for the Rams he envisioned giving up calling plays in the huddle for a shot to call the shots on the sidelines. His former high school coach Dee Bell knew that, and told Purvis that if things didn’t work out on the field he would have a place on his staff.

“It’s good to have my money man back,” said Bell. “He led Parkland to our first state championship in school history. Now he’s coming back to coach. That’s a big deal. He’s going to be a good one. I made a good hire. He will help us out a lot.”

Purvis added: Things are going pretty good so far. I like being out here with the players. They’re easy to get along with. Plus, they’re willing to work to get better. They understand that it takes a lot of work to win a state championship. And, they understand that I know how much work it takes. Hard work took my team to a state championship.”

(Photo courtesy Mark's Digital Photography)

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SU defense coping with personnel losses

Southern University head football coach Pete Richardson is starting his 16th season leading the Jaguars.

Southern’s defense will have to deal with several losses even before the season begins. Junior defensive tackle Dwayne Charles and junior cornerback/return specialist Ronald Wade are academically ineligible and won’t play this season, Southern coach Pete Richardson said.

Also, linebackers D.J. Bolton (eight tackles) and Corey Ray (11 tackles) may be out with medical issues, Richardson said. Plus, defensive tackle Calvin Cunningham, who had one tackle and would have been a redshirt freshman this season, has decided to transfer, Richardson said. Cunningham, from Winston-Salem, N.C., missed spring practice after shoulder surgery.

Richardson said the school was also checking to see if sophomore end Ted Jones, who had eight tackles last season, would be eligible.

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SU reports for preseason camp

Excerpt:

“Moving day means it’s time to go to work.” As far as the newcomers, SU had a strong showing. Southern had 18 of its 23 signees show up on campus Thursday. That’s one of the best percentages of incoming freshmen to show up on the first day in the 16-year tenure of Richardson. “You get excited about the first day, especially with the first-year individuals,” Richardson said. “They’ll be here ready to go. They’re excited to play college football.”

Five recruits will be non-qualifiers and, as such, will not be able to play or practice this school year: West Feliciana High defensive back/wide receiver Tim Berry, McDonogh 35 (New Orleans) High offensive tackle Kennon Bradford, Northside (Lafayette) High wide receiver Ryan Broussard, Kentwood defensive back/wide receiver Alfred Franklin and Madison (Houston) High offensive lineman Odell Pippins.

Richardson said ....

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Colonie's Newsome Picks Mississippi Valley State

MVSU new head basketball coach Sean Woods has first blue chip commitment from 6-2 guard, Tashan Newsome from Colonie Central H.S., Albany, New York.

Another former Section II basketball standout is will be playing Division I college ball next season, with Colonie's Tashan Newsome giving his verbal commitment to Mississippi Valley State University. The Delta Devils won the SWAC last season, advancing to the NCAA's where they lost to UCLA.

"They were very interested in me. They didn't want me to do anything else. They wanted me bad and when you show that kind of loyalty and interest in me, I'm going to show it back," Newsome said. Newsome, and his AAU coach Antwan Morrison said the list of schools interested in the 6-2 senior guard was extensive.

North Carolina Central, Villanova, Sacred Heart, VCU, Norfolk State, St. John's, Virginia Tech, George Mason were schools on that list.

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Quinn Gray working on intricacies of Peyton Manning's offense

Former MEAC star quarterback Quinn Gray (FAMU) is grasping the Colts complex offense.

TERRE HAUTE — Peyton Manning might not be on the field at Colts training camp in person, but his influence over the franchise has as much to do with mind and spirit as it does body. Just ask quarterback Quinn Gray.

After Manning had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee, Gray was one of two quarterbacks the Colts signed (Jared Lorenzen was the other) last week to bolster depth at the position. Gray was with Jacksonville from 2002-07, with a brief stay in Houston this spring before he was released in June by the Texans. Since the Jaguars ran a run-oriented, ball control offense, it was a given that Gray would have an adjustment period when he came to the pass-oriented Colts. He wasn’t shy about just how challenging that adjustment has been.

“The offense has been a real [expletive], but it’s coming, I’m getting it, I’m staying with my book constantly because everything’s in and it’s a full go,” Gray said.

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Laurel coach appears headed to Hampton University

Hampton University head basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry (Mark's Digital Photography)

Coutreyer led Spartans to Final Four

Laurel High (Maryland) boys basketball coach Keith Coutreyer plans to sign a contract Aug. 4 to become an assistant basketball coach at Division I Hampton University in Virginia, he said July 29. Coutreyer said he interviewed in person with Hampton head coach Kevin Nickelberry in mid-July.

"I have been offered the job," Coutreyer said. "It looks like it is going to be a positive move for me. The final piece to the puzzle will be Monday." Coutreyer said he plans to meet with school president William R. Harvey and other personnel at Hampton. He said he is "98 percent" sure he will leave Laurel High, where he also teaches special education students, to take the job in southeast Virginia.

Coutreyer said he informed current Laurel High players that he plans to accept the job at Hampton. Division I schools are allowed three full-time assistants in men's basketball.

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Alabama A&M Bulldogs lose huge blocker

Poor grades cost All-SWAC tackle his senior season

Alabama A&M lineman Darius Turner's college career is over after the left tackle was ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season. Turner, a 6-foot-5, 293-pound fifth-year senior named to the preseason All-SWAC squad, didn't make the necessary grades in summer school to gain his eligibility.

"He gave me the impression all summer that he was getting it done," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "He knew the path he had to travel and from all indications he was on the right path. Unfortunately, when the grades came out, I started hearing a different story." Slated to start for the third straight year, Turner was expected to bolster a unit considered one of the strengths on the team.

While the Bulldogs still return All-SWAC center Xavier Manuel and guards Charles Meade and Russell Jackson, the unit will take on a different look with Turner out.

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AAMU Bulldogs' title hopes tied to young players

If Alabama A&M is to contend for a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship, coach Anthony Jones says some of his young players will have to play key roles. Offensively, the Bulldogs must fill holes at quarterback, tight end and fullback. Defensively, help is needed at tackle and inside linebacker.

"We've got some talented players at those positions, but they're not as experienced as we'd like them to be," Jones said Monday, two days before the Bulldogs report for training camp. "Our job is to try to get those guys ready to play and that's what we're going to try to do."

The biggest concern as A&M enters preseason practice is at quarterback where redshirt sophomore Kevin Atkins takes over for All-SWAC performer Kelcy Luke. Atkins appeared in five games last season, but attempted only two passes. "I've been waiting on this opportunity for three years," Atkins said. "I haven't played a full game since high school. I'm ready."

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FAMU coach Gibson puts together staff, plan

(Mark's Digital Photography)

Excerpt:

LeDawn Gibson hasn't been able to find a quiet moment yet since beginning her job two months as the new women's head basketball coach at FAMU.

So far she has found two experienced coaches in Stephen Joyner Jr. and LaTasha Shipman. Joyner comes from Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, N.C.), where he was a women's assistant coach. Shipman played at Shaw University (Raleigh, N.C.) and is joining Gibson's staff after four seasons as an assistant with the women's team at Shaw.

Gibson also has signed two players — Tameka McKelton and Antonia Bennett — who both come to FAMU ranked by Floridahoops.com as top-40 players in the state.


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Sports information directors worth their weight in info

Bryan Harvey has a new gig. Now most of you are probably going "Bryan who?" Harvey is the soon-to-be departed sports information director at Bethune-Cookman, a historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. N.C. Central fans may remember Harvey as an assistant to current SID Kyle Serba a few years ago. (He had a good teacher.) You only had to meet Bryan one time to know he was destined for good things.

Harvey left NCCU, which was Division II at the time, for an assistant SID job at Hampton. He left there to head his own ship at B-CU, where’s he’s been for the last three years. On Aug. 1, he will become an assistant SID at Miami. There he will cover the Hurricanes volleyball, swimming & diving, women’s rowing and women’s tennis programs. He will also assist at home football games and be the secondary contact for men’s basketball.

You know that old saying, "You don't miss the water till the well runs dry?" Well, the Wildcats are going to be dying of thirst when Harvey leaves.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies pull together at first practice

GREENSBORO -- Three months ago, the N.C. A&T Aggies learned there is, in fact, something worse than losing 27 consecutive football games. What could be more disturbing than losing a teammate? In this case, the question is not rhetorical. As intolerable as Chad Wiley's death was, they said, relenting in its wake might be worse.















Quarterback Herbert Miller, 6-2/200 r-Junior, Winston-Salem, N.C. (Carver H.S.) looks to help break Aggies 27 game losing streak in 2008.

So today, they take the field as a full team for the first time since Wiley collapsed after an off season conditioning drill and died 18 hours later as a result of what was reported as heat-related illness. And they say there will be no way to go but all-out. "It was sad," said linebacker Brandon Long, a co-captain. "It was a tragedy. But guys look at it as something to pull the team together."

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Southern's Williams out to better himself

Will Michael Williams’ better be better than everyone else’s better? He hopes so. As one of the two leaders in Southern’s secondary, the team wants to see that, too. The Jaguars have always gotten the best out of the fifth-year senior and graduate student. He’s always been a model of consistency. But better is better.

Williams didn’t hang around campus this summer attending classes and going through voluntary conditioning. He sure didn’t get all flabby, though. He was out there making sure his better got better. Williams spent the summer in Houston, with a job as an Office Max salesman — to help pay for those high gas prices he said — and as a participant in a training program at Velocity Sports — to hone his conditioning.

So, what’s all this about getting his better to be better?

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SU Jaguars to report for camp today

SU Jaguars head football coach Pete Richardson signed a three year contract extension after leading the Jaguars to an 8-3 record in 2007.

Southern coach Pete Richardson is looking forward to the actual start of Camp Richardson XVI. These last few days, as his staff focused on lists of players and all sorts of paperwork related to his team checking in, aren’t his favorite. “It’s rough,” Richardson said. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, Southern’s football players report to campus.

The last few days, SU’s staff has been working through all the details related to having a football program — checking grades, assigning housing, making sure meal plans were in place. Richardson said running back Brian Threat, offensive lineman Myles Williams and defensive back Justin Foster, are expected to report late. Camp Richardson XVI starts with the first preseason practice Saturday afternoon.

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Coaches like direction SWAC headed

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff new head football coach Monte Coleman will look to move the Golden Lions forward from a 4-7 record of last season.

BIRMINGHAM - Southwestern Athletic Conference coaches said the league is getting better and more competitive. Each of the last two seasons, five teams have finished with winning records. That's the most since seven teams compiled winning records in 2000. "I think it's an outstanding league," said Grambling coach Rod Broadway, who led the Tigers to the SWAC Western Division title last season in his first year.

"There isn't much difference between the top team in the league and the middle team. The top four or five teams you can flip a coin." Prairie View coach Henry Frazier agreed.

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Former DSU's McCants hopes to stick with team No. 6

Darnerien McCants--multitalented professional artist who can compose, play and sing music, as well as paint and design. See more of McCants works at: http://www.darnerien.com

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Darnerien McCants could have given up by now, and maybe he should have given up by now. And he would have given up by now, except for one thing. "I still dream about it," he said. "And I figure that as long as I dream about it, I've got to chase it."

In that dream, he makes a spectacular catch in the end zone in a big game, maybe even a Super Bowl. It's a dream that's kept him going the past eight years, with six different teams in four different leagues.

Team No. 6 is the Baltimore Ravens, whom McCants joined just five days ago. McCants, one of the best receivers in Delaware State history, hadn't played much football since he was released by the Eagles in training camp in 2006.

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Darnerien McCants grew up in Odenton (near Fort George G. Meade) and starred at Arundel High School in Anne Arundel County.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder signed as a free agent after spending last season with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. McCants, who was drafted by the Redskins in the fifth round of the 2001 draft, spent four seasons in Washington before playing mainly on special teams for the Eagles in 2005 and 2006.

In 41 NFL games, McCants has 58 receptions for 774 yards and eight touchdowns. Last season in Hamilton, he played in one game, where he made one catch for seven yards.

Next up for FAMU football: the preseason

The rah-rah had subsided. So did the grunts and groans of FAMU football players going through strength and conditioning test. The weight room inside Galimore Fieldhouse was so quiet that running back Greg Arline could be heard breathing hard between his sets of testing. He completed 16 reps on the bench press, tying his previous high when the team was tested at the end of spring practice.

"I don't even know how I did it," Arline said. "Everything is the same."

FAMU's offensive lineman DeWayne Lanier, 6-7/315.

He completed another round of lifting from a standing position called the power clean, then went to sit-ups. Every other player did the same routine for strength and conditioning coach Antonio Wallace, who documented their scores on his computer.

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MEAC's Thomas misunderstood

Commissioner thought that FAMU, B-CU supported MEAC-SWAC clash

MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas on Tuesday clarified his response to a question from the Democrat concerning the participation of FAMU and Bethune-Cookman University in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge.

A story in Sunday's sports section quoted Thomas' initial response to the schools' decision. The story also prompted the presidents of FAMU and B-CU to issue a joint statement reiterating their position to not support the game.

Thomas said he thought the question — answered during a MEAC Media Day session last week — implied that the two universities had reversed their decision about participating, and he responded favorably. FAMU and B-CU decided last spring that they would not play in the MEAC-SWAC game after it was moved to Orlando.

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You draw your own conclusion from these articles, but if I had the authority to hire and fire--Thomas would be history!

B-CU and FAMU slaps MEAC Commissioner with Press Release

B-CU Press Release, July 28, 2008

Office of Institutional Advancement
(386) 481-2950

Joint Statement of B-CU President Trudie Kibbe Reed and FAMU President James H. Ammons Regarding Florida Classic and MEAC-SWAC Challenge

"It has come to our attention that a recent article in the Tallahassee Democrat incorrectly indicates that we, as presidents of Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) and Florida A&M University (FAMU), support the relocation of the MEAC-SWAC Challenge football game to Orlando and to play in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge.

We wish to correct the information that was erroneously printed in the Tallahassee Democrat.

As we have made clear in earlier statements, we do not support any Historically Black College and University (HBCU) athletic event in Orlando. We believe such a contest would negatively impact the annual Florida Classic. In addition to being a much-loved tradition for our alumni, the Florida Classic is a critical revenue source for both B-CU and FAMU. It is our strong belief that scheduling an HBCU football event in Orlando prior to the Florida Classic will erode its brand and put this critical funding source at risk.

We have advised MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas of our concerns, noting that HBCUs should not infringe on each other's markets for signature events, whether it be the Florida Classic in Orlando or the Bayou Classic in New Orleans.

In addition, we want to dispel a rumor that the Florida Classic will move to Miami in 2009. This is also not true.

Information regarding the official positions and statements of B-CU or FAMU are issued by the President's Office of each institution. We urge everyone alumni, friends, and media to check with our offices to get the most accurate information on this or other issues."


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Four Aggies are honored

Four members of the N.C. A&T football team are preseason second-team all-conference picks in the MEAC -- senior running back Michael Ferguson, junior linebacker Andre Thornton, senior safety Brandon Colbert and senior defensive end Tyre Glasper.




















After two straight winless seasons, the Aggies were picked to finish last in the conference by both the league's coaches and sports information directors. S.C. State was picked to win the conference. S.C. State running back William Ford was named MEAC preseason offensive player of the year, and Howard linebacker Endor Cooper was preseason defensive player of the year.

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Grambling reports today with looming question at quarterback

GRAMBLING — Old conventional wisdom at Grambling: The offense will have to adjust in the absence of departed record-smashing receiver Clyde Edwards. New conventional wisdom: Let’s worry about the situation at quarterback first.

It appears that starting quarterback Brandon Landers forgot about his responsibilities as "student" first and may be ineligible to play in his final year for the Tigers.

Grambling players report for fall practice sessions today, with Edwards in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ training camp — and fifth-year senior passer Brandon Landers teetering on the edge of ineligibility. The Monroe product confirmed his academic struggles late last week, putting into question the effectiveness of an offense built around Landers by a second-year coaching staff.

Ex-Gopher Dominic Jones: 'My name now is Inmate'

Former Gopher Dominic Jones, once an admired team leader, says he is accepting full blame for his crime.

Excerpt:

Former University of Minnesota football star Dominic Jones offered some high school football players $100 recently if they could come up with his previous jersey number and his current one. One raised his hand and said Jones was No. 2 as a Gopher. Correct. Nobody knew his current number. "Number 00425759. That's my number," Jones said. "My name now is Inmate. It's not Dominic Jones."

In the past year, the 21-year-old Jones has gone from an admired team leader with realistic NFL dreams and a college diploma within reach to a sex offender serving a one-year sentence in the Hennepin County workhouse. "I am not blaming a white man. I am not blaming a prosecutor. I'm not blaming a judge. I'm blaming me. That was hard for me to do at first," he said. "I'm human. I made a mistake."

Jones had a full-ride football scholarship to Texas Southern University. Instead, he reported to the workhouse on July 7, after the state Court of Appeals declined a stay pending his appeal. He can get out during the day for work or studies. (An appeal of the guilty verdict is still pending.)

VIEW VIDEO #1: http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=76091

VIEW VIDEO #2:


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The Skinny...

The state Appeals Court says former Minnesota Gophers football player Dominic Jones must still report to the workhouse pending his appeal. Jones had filed a motion to remain out of the Hennepin County workhouse while he appealed his fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction. To win, Jones had a prove there was no "substantial risk" that he would not appear at the conclusion of the appeal.

However, Appeals Court Judge Edward Toussaint ruled that with Jones' family in Ohio and his acceptance to Texas Southern University meant there was such a risk. In May, Jones was sentenced to a year in the workhouse after being convicted of performing a sex act on a drunken 18 year old woman that was recorded on a cell-phone camera by a team mate.

The all-star defensive back "starter" was offered a full ride athletic scholarship by new Texas Southern University head coach Johnnie Cole, who's Tigers ended 2007 with an 0-11 record. Jones was a junior strong safety from Columbus, Ohio, prior to being expelled by Minnesota. He was one of the Gophers' best defensive players, a two-year starter who was a standout kick returner and high school All-American.

Jones had faced up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine on the initial charges. The three other football players who had sex with the woman have not been charged with a crime, but are still suspended from the Minnesota football team.

Former Kentucky QB named AD at Coppin State

Former University of Kentucky quarterback great Derrick Ramsey has been named athletic director at Coppin State University, the school announced on July 25. Ramsey, a native of Hastings, Florida, served as AD at Kentucky State from 1999 to 2003. He most recently worked for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

Ramsey played tight end in the NFL from 1978 to 1987 for Oakland, New England and Detroit. He led the Cats to an SEC Championship in 1976 when Kentucky finished with a 10-1 record and #4 ranking in the final AP poll. Ramsey was named first team ALL-SEC and third-team All-American as QB in 1977 and had a long career in the NFL, playing in two Super Bowls.

Ramsey was inducted in the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame charter class of 1988.

Dr. Mary Wanza has been running the administrative side of Coppin's athletic department since June 2006, after Fang Mitchell resigned from the position to focus on his duties as men's basketball coach. Ramsey will be introduced at a news conference on a date to be determined.

Ramsey plans to keep his home in Kentucky and return to the Bluegrass someday.

FAMU Harris: His time came

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Eugene Harris always thought one day he would be a college basketball head coach. And though there were times when he might’ve seemed was a long way from that goal, Harris himself kept thinking it eventually would happen.

“I always thought I was ready for a head coaching job,” said Harris, a Scottsboro native. “You have to persevere. I’ve been one of those guys that never gives up on anything.” Last September, Harris’ patience was rewarded. That’s when he was selected from among an applicant pool of 200 to become the new head men’s basketball coach at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla.

Harris was heading into his first season as an assistant at Georgia State when the FAMU job opened after the former coach left under a cloud of controversy.

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UMES Art Shell Celebrity Golf Classic returns in September

PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Art Shell Celebrity Golf Classic will return to the Shore on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 at Glen Riddle Golf Club. A 5 p.m. "meet the celebrities" party will be held Tuesday, September 16. The tournament has an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Afterwards there will be an awards dinner.

In previous years, there have been numerous NFL Hall of Famers, including: Lenny Moore (Baltimore Colts 1956-1967 and NFL HOF Class of 1975), Bobby Mitchell (Cleveland Browns 1958-1961, Washington Redskins 1962-1968, coach for Redskins 1969-2002, NFL HOF Class of 1983) and Charley Taylor (Washington Redskins 1964-1975 and 1977 and NFL HOF Class of 1984.

The registration fee is $200 per person or $750 per foursome. The pre-tournament "meet and greet" is free to registered golfers and $10 for guests. Call Chenita Kollock 410-651-7773.



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