MVSU Softball Pounds A&M

DEVILETTES DEFEAT BULLDOGS 14-7

The Mississippi Valley State Devilettes women's softball team pushed its undefeated conference win streak to 12 with a competitive 14-7 victory over the visiting Alabama A&M Bulldogs. MVSU (28-12, 12-0 SWAC) were led by Ashley Hobbs and Haleigh Eubanks - both going 3-for-4 in the contest. Rashundra Brass, Ta'Niya Wallace and Angelia Jones each had two hits in the contest. Eubanks also drove in three runs shile Brass and Wallace each drove in two.

Alabama A&M (7-17-1) were paced by Re'Quincia Mack and Sabrina Hurns, who each had two hits in the contest. Hali Buie drove in three runs for the Bullogs. The contest opened with both starting pitchers (Buie for AAMU and Lauren Derting for MVSU) going strong for two innings. After both no-hit bids were broken by singles to left field, MVSU got on the scoreboard in the third inning as Angelia Jones homered to center field. A Eubanks single to right center gave the Devilettes a 2-0 lead after three innings of action.

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Hampton U. athletics undergoes three major coaching changes, raising issues

According to U.S. Department of Education data submitted by the schools for 2007-08, the average head coach's salary for Hampton U. men's sports was $73,000 and $42,290 for women's head coaches.

HAMPTON, VA — Hampton University will enter the 2009-10 school year with new leadership in its three most visible sports, unusual flux in what is traditionally one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's most stable and successful athletic programs. HU is the only Division I athletic program in the country to replace its football and men's and women's basketball coaches this year. All three replacements were hired within a matter of hours and promoted from the previous staffs or within the university.

"I consider myself to be a student of Vince Lombardi," HU athletic director Lonza Hardy said last week, referring to the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach. "Vince Lombardi said, 'Never apologize for trying to win.' Consequently, I don't apologize for putting what I believe are the right people in the right places at the right time." Though the changes within HU's marquee sports coincide with competitive dips, all three situations were different.

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BC Lions ink receiving trio

(Vancouver) - The BC Lions Football Club announced today that import receivers Dereck Faulkner, Jason Jones and Eric McCain have signed with the team. Faulkner attended Hampton University and recorded 75 career receptions for 1,017 yards and five TD's over four seasons (2003-'06). The native of Lundstuhl, Germany signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007. Jones played three seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he became just the fifth player in NCAA history to average more than 20 yards per catch for his career. The two-time All-SWAC selection signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2008.

McCain spent two seasons at Glendale Community College ('04-'05) and starred in the 2005 NJCAA championship game notching six catches for 177 yards earning MVP honours. After going undrafted in 2007, McCain most recently spent time with Quad Cities of the Arena2 Football League.

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Grafton pitcher Robbie Brownschidle commits to Norfolk State

Grafton High senior Robbie Brownschidle said today that he will play baseball next season at Norfolk State. Brownschidle will sign and send the paperwork to NSU within the next couple of days. Brownschidle said that between academic aid and the athletic grant he will sign, that he will not have to pay to attend NSU. Brownschidle carries a 3.65 grade point average.

Brownschidle batted .406 last season with 26 RBI and five home runs, earning Group AA All-State honorable mention honors as a first baseman. He was 5-0 pitching last season for Grafton's Region I tournament semifinalists. He is batting .350 this season for the Clippers (7-1) and is 2-1 on the mound. He has moved into the role as Grafton's No. 1 pitcher, and his only loss was a complete-game 3-2 decision at unbeaten Poquoson (9-0). Brownschidle, 6-foot, 175 pounds, said that NSU is recruiting him as a pitcher, but that Spartans coach Claudell Clark is interested in Brownschidle batting after seeing his hitting numbers from last season.

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JSU running game to test Southern's Hall

Frazier Hall is already used to the beating he takes behind the plate. The next two days, he figures his knees will snap and crackle even more than they usually might. That’s what happens when you’re the starting catcher at Southern and you face a team like Jackson State, which tries to steal more often than Rickey Henderson. Hall knows this much: In his attempt to throw out base runners, he’ll pop up and down all weekend. “With a team like Jackson, we might pick over (to first base) a little more often, just to keep the runners honest,” said senior right-hander James Spear, who will start today’s game.

SU Jaguars Coach Roger Cador congratulates Brad McDavid after homer

“I know Frazier will be expecting them to run whenever. But we basically take the same approach with every team.” Southern (17-8) visits Jackson State (23-11) at 3 p.m. today in the first half of a two-game home-and-home series. The teams play again at 1 p.m. Sunday in Baton Rouge. (To borrow a term from soccer, these games are “friendly;” they don’t count in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings and serve, more or less, as the traditional halfway mark of Southern’s SWAC schedule.) While the stolen base has almost vanished from baseball the last 20 years, giving way to an emphasis on the three-run homer, the Tigers have proven, the stolen base is still a deadly weapon.

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Delaware State Bowling Reaches NCAA Final Four; UMES Knocked Out in 2nd Round

Canton, Mich. --- Delaware State has reached the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Women's Bowling Championship. Despite a 4-games-to-2 loss to No. 1 seed Nebraska in their final match today, the seventh-seeded Hornets are one of four teams remaining in the race for the national championship. DSU is competing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history.

Delaware State and Nebraska will square off in a rematch in one semifinal, while No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 6 Central Missouri will battle in the other semifinal on Saturday beginning at 5:00 p.m. The winners will compete for the national championship on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. The championship match will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360. A re-broadcast is scheduled for Sunday (Apr. 12) on ESPN from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore will not repeat as NCAA Bowling Champion, losing two games on Friday in a double-elimination format tournament. The Hawks lost the first game to No. 6 ranked Central Missouri 4-0. The Hawks lost their sets 159-198,169-184,180-203,176-212. The Hawks fell to the loser side of the bracket when they faced the host team New Jersey City University, who was the No. 2 seed, and the Hawks lost 4-1-1. The sets were 200-208, 167-205,163-169,210-185, 202-202, 203-245.

Delaware State University bowling coach Kim Terrell-Kearney was named the National Tenpins Coaches Association coach of the year during the NCAA Tournament Banquet on Wednesday.

"The champion of this tournament will have certainly earned it," said Delaware State head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney, the 2008-09 National Tenpins Coaches Association and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. "The competition is extremely tough, but we are right where we want to be. Each team is in the same position, so our chances are as good as everyone else."

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TODAY'S SCHEDULE: Fifth Round, Saturday, April 11, 5 p.m.

MATCH #13: (5) Fairleigh Dickinson University (112-28) vs. (6) University of Central Missouri (87-37) (Loser eliminated)

MATCH #14: (1) University of Nebraska-Lincoln (69-20) vs. (7) Delaware State University (119-37) (Loser eliminated)

Sixth Round, Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. - Televised live on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (MATCH #15): Winner of Match #13 vs. Winner of Match # 14

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Remembering Marvin Webster (Morgan State), Once a Knicks Savior

He came to New York to be a savior. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. “Can Marvin Webster turn the Knicks around?” the magazine asked. Instead, Webster — who was found dead of possible coronary artery disease in his Tulsa, Okla., hotel room Monday at the age of 56 — became one of the sadder chapters in the history of the franchise.

During a brief coaching run, Willis Reed campaigned publicly for the Knicks to sign The Human Eraser, as Webster was known, when he became a free agent. Webster had been the shot-blocking defensive hub for the rising Seattle SuperSonics during a run to the N.B.A. finals, where Seattle lost to the Washington Bullets. Reed, a great believer in post defense for obvious reasons, got his man at what was then a considerable financial cost: $650,000 a season over six years.

And then — those being the days when the league’s commissioner, Larry O’Brien, was empowered to impose compensation to the team shorn of a player — it got worse. O’Brien awarded the Sonics the Knicks’ athletic power forward, Lonnie Shelton, as well as a first-round draft choice and $450,000.

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FAMU shows off its new gym

The FAMU men’s and women’s basketball coaches had seen their new arena many times during the past few months, but they came away from Wednesday’s official opening with many “wow moments” and promises of bringing titles to their new digs. From the freshly painted hardwood floor with logos representing the Rattlers and the MEAC to the snazzy locker rooms, coaches Eugene Harris and LeDawn Gibson said every bit of it has been inspired.

Hundreds of visitors who toured the building got a first-hand look at what Harris and Gibson felt.
Gibson, seemingly captivated by the gym, gave her impression in one word. “Man!”

The state-of-the-art, multi-million dollar arena, which seats 9,000-plus, will become home of Rattler basketball teams next season. “This is a great day in the history of Florida A&M University,” said Harris, the men’s basketball coach. “Listening to the president talk about putting this program as one of the top in the country, I was glad to hear it.”

Photo Gallery of Rattler's new gym:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Sh..._-view_photos_button

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JSU's Braddy in limbo about 11th game

Jackson State will not be able to schedule an 11th game unless the date of the Capital City Classic is changed, athletic director Bob Braddy insists. Braddy would like to see the game against Alcorn State moved to Thanksgiving day or, at least, during that week. The switch would open Nov. 21 for another nonconference game.

"We get inquiries (about playing) all the time," Braddy said. "Certainly, we'd love to have a money game. ... We've got Southeastern Louisiana, UAB and other schools in Alabama. "We can't do anything until we have the capability of having that open date." JSU currently has open dates on Sept. 26 and Oct. 31. Braddy said they could fill the Oct. 31 slot, but would need to move the Alcorn game to avoid playing eight consecutive weeks in a row.

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NSU won't have to move Nov. 14 Delaware State game

Norfolk State picked up its first victory of the 2009 football season Wednesday. The Spartans learned they won't have to give up their valued midseason open date to re-schedule a game at Delaware State. The Hornets had asked NSU to move its Nov. 14 game to Oct. 3 so they could play a $500,000 "guarantee game" at Michigan. That would have left the Spartans playing 10 straight games without a break.

















North Carolina A&T State University athletic director Wheeler Brown holds the trump card on whether the DSU Hornets will play at Michigan for a $500,000 pay day in 2009.

Norfolk State balked at the request. With the schools at an impasse, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Dennis Thomas had the final say. NSU President Carolyn W. Meyers was told Wednesday that the Spartans' schedule can remain as is, athletic director Marty Miller said. The conflict arose when the Hornets signed to play Michigan on Oct. 17, the same day Delaware State was scheduled to play North Carolina A&T. The Aggies agreed to move the game to Nov. 14, which is when Delaware State was scheduled to play NSU.

The Spartans weren't consulted and refused to budge from the Nov. 14 date. At a news conference last week, school officials said the MEAC schedule is set more than a year in advance, and Delaware State needed to abide by it.

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Steeler report: Norfolk State corner to pay South Side a visit

PITTSBURGH, PA - The parade of potential draft picks continues this week at the South Side facility, as at least four players have been scheduled for pre-draft visits. On April 8, Norfolk State CB Don Carey will be in town. Carey has already worked out for the Miami Dolphins who are said to be extremely interested in him and will have him back the day before he is in Pittsburgh on April 7. He has also worked out for the Seattle Seahawks and they plan on having him back in for another interview next week.

The 5-foot-11, 186 pound corner had an informal interview with the Steelers at the NFL Scouting Combine. Carey plays very physical at the line and in coverage and he gets back into the play even if a receiver makes a nice head fake to get an advantage. He has also done a good job with run support. On March 20th during the Norfolk State Pro Day, he recorded a 32 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump, 4.20 short shuttle and a 6.87 three-cone drill time.

Don Carey miss arm tackle on Kentucky's Kyrus Lanxter. The four- year starter had the highest GPA on the Spartans team.

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Mixed results in ASU Hornets' scrimmage

Photo Gallery: ASU football offices, practice field
Photo Gallery: ASU football practice

Alabama State defensive coordinator Jo Nixon wants his players to think. It's not enough for the ASU defensive players to just play a position and execute a predetermined set of movements. Nixon wants them to understand why they're being asked to make those moves. Even more important: He wants his players to learn how an offense is going to attack in every conceivable situation, and then make the necessary adjustments before the play develops.

Year of the Hornets will be 2009 as the Coach Reggie Barlow led ASU Hornets have a schedule deep with in-state home games (see schedule below).

Because of those expectations, the first-year coordinator couldn't call the Hornets' first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday morning a defensive success. But he couldn't call it a failure, either. "We had a lot of situations today where we just didn't play very smart football -- where we weren't ready for what was likely to happen," Nixon said. "We're going to get that corrected. If you're going to play in this defense, you've got to understand how an opponent is going to attack us. We've improved in that area, but there were still some gaps."

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HORNETS' 2009 SCHEDULE (Tentative)
9/5 Concordia-Selma 7 p.m.
9/12 at Savannah St., GA 4 p.m.
9/19 Edward Waters 7 p.m.
9/26 at Miss. Valley St., MS 1 p.m.
10/10 Prairie View A&M 1 p.m.
10/17 Grambling St. 1 p.m.
10/24 Alcorn St. 1 p.m.
10/31 Ala. A&M in Birmingham 2:30 p.m.
11/7 at Jackson St., Jackson, MS 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. Southern U. in Mobile 2:30 p.m.
11/26 Tuskegee 1 p.m.

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Elmore shines in South Carolina State scrimmage

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Lennel Elmore’s smile was too big to be hidden following the South Carolina State football team’s first scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. Elmore, a former Allendale-Fairfx standout, redshirted last season, seeing the majority of his action on the Bulldogs’ scout team. Saturday morning, Elmore showed how he earned the nickname “Superman” while in Allendale, hauling in three quick hitch passes and turning them into 79 yards of offense and a touchdown.

Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough Bulldogs are not favored to repeat as MEAC Champions in 2009, based on fan response to a MEAC/SWAC Sports Main Street poll last month. The hardcore football fans believe the FAMU Rattlers will be league champions.

“It feels great,” Elmore said. “They are expecting a lot out of me, and I just feel like I have to step up to their expectations and play to the best of my ability.”

Elmore’s ability was put on display early in the scrimmage when he snagged a pass from quarterback Malcolm Long on the third offensive series, turned up field, juked a defender and headed for what appeared to be a touchdown. Instead, officials ruled that Elmore stepped out of bounds after gaining 53 yards and marked the ball down at the 3-yard line.

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Several FAMU players stand out in spring game

The Green team of mostly starters from last year did what it was expected to do at Bragg Stadium, handily beating the Orange squad with plenty of help from a defensive unit that scored three touchdowns. But on a balmy Saturday afternoon, a handful of Florida A&M players whose Orange squad fell 48-0 performed well enough to cause an argument that they have no intentions of being overlooked. "There are about four or five guys that really showed today that they in some kind of way need to be in that 90," coach Joe Taylor said, referring to the players who will be invited to preseason two-a-days in August.

Taylor was especially impressed with Andre Jacob who led the Orange team with 40 yards rushing on 12 carries. Red-shirt freshman receiver Jeremy Tillman also showed that he could be a candidate to bring depth to the receiving corps. Last season, the Rattlers had the league's leading scoring offense with 55 touchdowns, but just two weeks into spring practice the defense is clearly a step ahead of the unit that amassed 4,299 yards last year. "Overall I was satisfied," Taylor said. "I thought we competed as a team. I was a little concerned that we were a little bit sluggish with our punts and special teams but offensively I thought we competed."



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2009 PHOTO GALLERIES:
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New TSU coach wants to turn up tempo

Style of offense will take full advantage of players' talents

Lots of players are quick to say they prefer fast-break basketball over a half-court attack. Tennessee State's men's team got to experience both styles last season. With Cy Alexander as coach, the Tigers relied on the slower, half-court style. After Alexander was fired Feb. 6 and assistant Mark Pittman took over on an interim basis, the Tigers kicked it into a much higher gear. After the change, a team that started 6-16 went on a tear, winning six of its last eight games.

Not surprisingly, several players said they hoped to stick with the faster pace, and with former Auburn assistant John Cooper taking over, they'll get their wish. "One of the things I noticed is that if you look at this team at the beginning of the year and then toward the end, they averaged almost 10 points more per game,'' the 40-year-old coach said during his first news conference Monday. "I've been able to watch a little bit of videotape and get a general feel for the players in the program and I think there are some that it will certainly help their style if we're able to get out in the open court and execute."

Cooper met the Nashville media for the first time since he was named Alexander's replacement Friday. Pittman was also among those considered for the job.

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JSU football: Jamison can help Glover fit in

Something is missing in the middle of the Jackson State defense. The presence of No. 56 patrolling and barking out orders is gone for the first time in what feels like forever. Marellus Speaks was the unquestioned leader of the entire team and was named SWAC defensive player of the year in 2008. For two years he and Marcus Jamison filled the two middle linebacker positions and were as inseparable as conjoined twins. Now, Jamison stands alone.

"I could just look at Speaks and feel Speaks sometimes," Jamison said. "I could just look at Speaks' eyes and just know it was time to play hard, regardless, to the end."

Jamison is now trying to form that same relationship and bond with will-be senior LeBrandon Glover. The transfer from South Florida has made his mark primarily on special teams during his two-year tenure at JSU. Glover is holding down the starting position this spring - arguably the most important slot on a defense that ranked among the best in the nation last year.

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Southern, Prairie View split doubleheader

The Southern baseball team cooled off all at once Saturday afternoon at Lee-Hines Field. The Jaguars’ bats went silent. Their winning streak ended at nine, and it ended with a thud. They lost 12-1 against Prairie View in the second game of a doubleheader, thanks to a near-perfect performance from Panthers pitcher Mark Almaguer. And yet, none of that qualified as the scariest part the afternoon.

That happened at 1:14 p.m., in the fourth inning of the first game — a 12-5 victory for Southern. At that moment, ace pitcher Jarrett Maloy took a line drive to his right ankle. He collapsed and spent two minutes face-down on the mound, then eventually got up and walked around, testing the ankle. Maloy threw two warm-up pitches, then got back to work. Better yet, he worked himself out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the fourth. That was his last inning.

GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE

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Bulldogs Smalls trying to become the man behind ‘The Franchise’

Kenneth Smalls is a realist when it comes to his goals heading into his senior year at South Carolina State University. “If I can get at least five or six carries a game, that would be good,” he said. “They could use me for small yards or something like that.”

This may sound like the former James Island standout has resigned himself to seeing limited action for the Bulldogs. After all, Smalls looks at the depth chart and sees two players - the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in William Ford and team touchdown leader Travil Jamison - who accounted for 73.7 percent of S.C. State’s carries and 75.8 percent of the rushing yards.

Yet through six spring practice sessions, Smalls has not looked like a running back content with limited playing time after working his way from the practice squad. Having dropped 12 pounds during the off-season, the 5-8, 233-pounder is determined to put himself in position to be a third option out of the backfield.

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NSU wants a day off; foe wants to cash in

NSU president Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers says DSU offered to pay NSU between $25,000 and $30,000 for changing their schedule.

Delaware State wants a record pay day. Norfolk State just wants a day off. The conference rivals, accustomed to knocking heads on the football field, are beginning early this year, in a tussle over scheduling. The Hornets, hoping to bank $500,000 by playing at Michigan, have asked Norfolk State to move a game at Delaware State from Nov. 14 to Oct. 3. The problem, that's the Spartans' open date. Move the game, and NSU would play 10 straight weeks without a break - after four weeks of preseason camp.

That's unacceptable, said school officials, who went on the public relations offensive by holding a news conference Friday. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule has been set for more than a year. Delaware State knew that when Michigan called, offering what is believed to be the most lucrative "guarantee" game in MEAC history. "We should not have to be disadvantaged because another university did not respect the conference schedule," NSU president Carolyn W. Meyers said.

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WSSU's Ketchum tinkers with defense

Defense was a strength for Winston-Salem State last season, and it should be even stronger next season. To get it there, however, coordinator Mike Ketchum has become a mad scientist and is experimenting during spring practice. One experiment involves correcting a flaw with his base defense against opponents that use tight ends. The Rams' base last year was a 3-3, but Ketchum has converted it to a 3-4.

Juan Corders, a talented 6-2, 250-pound senior, is a linebacker by definition but also quick enough to cover tight ends. He has been shifted around in the new alignment. "We're experimenting to try and become a little stronger against tight-end sets," Ketchum said. "It gives you a little better look with Juan on the tight end, and it gives you a bigger body. And if they spread it, we'll jump back into the 3-3 some." The tight end who hurt the Rams most last season might have been Octavius Darby of S.C. State. He had three catches for 108 yards in a 43-17 win. On one of those catches, a 79-yard touchdown play, he was unguarded and untouched.

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Morgan State's missing the point with Bozeman

Morgan State president Earl S. Richardson got creative three years ago when he hired banished coach Todd Bozeman to resurrect a destitute basketball program. Now he needs to get creative again to save his basketball program. Despite attempts to get an extension, Bozeman has completed the three years on his contract and is free to leave. That Morgan -- and Richardson -- have put themselves in this position seems unthinkable. The school had one winning season (15-14, at that) in 26 years before Bozeman arrived.

Another historic first for the MEAC -- Coach Todd Bozeman, 2009 Hugh Durham Award as the outstanding mid-major coach in the country. It's a sad state of affairs that Morgan State does not have Bozeman under contract.

The Bears have won back-to-back MEAC regular season championships the last two years, and this season went to their first-ever NCAA Division I tournament. The NCAA bid has earned Bozeman the Hugh Durham Award as the outstanding mid-major coach in the country, announced today. Morgan doesn't appear to appreciate what that means, or the attention that brought. They are quibbling over an extension that has taken far too long to resolve. Bozeman won't speak to negotiations, preferring to take the high road. But sources indicate the sticking point is more about benefits than salary.

His salary is sub-par, even by MEAC standards, however. His original contract called for $135,000 in annual salary, with a bonus of $25,000 for making the NCAA tournament. It is believed that he received a $10,000 raise last season after winning 22 games. That would put this year's earnings at $170,000.

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Six takes over HU women's program

Former Hampton High girls basketball coach David Six was named the interim women's basketball coach at Hampton University late Tuesday in a quick move by athletic director Lonza Hardy. Six will replace four-year coach Walter Mebane, whose contract expired Tuesday and was not renewed. "I'm very excited," said Six, who coached 14 years at Hampton High before resigning in May 2008 to become HU's Director of Intramurals for the 2008-09 school year. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me. I'm very appreciative for the administration at Hampton University to think that I can come in and do a good job."

Six won two Group AAA state titles (2001, 2007) and compiled a 331-93 mark in his time at Hampton High. Six also coached Gloucester's boys basketball team from 1995-97 and went 24-39. Six officially was named the interim coach for the upcoming season, but Hardy is looking beyond. "Our thought process was that this would evolve into a permanent position," Hardy said late Tuesday. "We wanted to get him started and have him get our program back on track. We have every intention of making it a full-time position after the upcoming season.

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FAMU Well Armed At QB

There is no quarterback controversy for the Rattlers this Spring. When it comes to the two play callers that led the MEAC's top scoring offense in 2008, if the system's not broken, don't fix it. "We're going to probably start the way we finished with Curtis being the guy," Head Coach Joe Taylor said. "I just feel good that you got a guy that for whatever reason, he's winded or temporarily gets knocked out of a game, you got a guy like Eddie that can just come in and keep things going. Look to see Eddie playing, but the starter is definitely Curtis."

Last season, Pulley and Battle combined for the best pass efficiency in the MEAC, and tied for the fewest interceptions. It's a duo that understands the needs of the team come before the individual. Eddie Battle says, "He comes in, he's having an equal opportunity, knowing the system, but it's never combative. We're friends first and we're teammates, and then we compete for a spot, and that makes the both of us play better." Taylor adds, "You want to be able to create an atmosphere of competitive spirit, and certainly we're hopeful that there are going to be some battles."

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HU men's basketball coach resigns

Coach Kevin Nickelberry joins the exit train of successful former HU Pirates coaches -- Patricia Cage-Bibbs, Steve Merfeld, Bobby Collins, Joe Taylor, Jerry Holmes and Walter Mebane.

Hampton University men's basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry resigned Wednesday with one year remaining on his multi-year contract. Hampton athletic director Lonza Hardy said in a release that Nickelberry resigned now so that his decision would not affect recruiting. "I want to thank coach Nickelberry for his three years of service to Hampton University," Hardy said. "While we hate to lose him, I respect his decision to resign in order to pursue other opportunities."

Hardy said assistant head coach Edward Joyner will be the Pirates interim head coach through the 2009-10 season.Nickelberry, 44, said in the same release that the decision was a tough one. "I want to thank Hampton University for giving me my first college head-coaching opportunity," Nickelberry said. "Everyone here has helped to work to make me a better coach." Joyner joined Nickelberry's staff when Nickelberry was hired at Hampton in 2006. Joyner, a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., served as an assistant for 11 years at his alma matter.

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FAMU Baseball Splits Doubleheader

Tallahassee, FL - The Florida A&M Baseball team split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with North Carolina A&T Sunday, winning the opening game, 8-5, before dropping the second game, 10-2 here at Moore-Kittles Field. FAMU (9-12, 2-3 in MEAC) had 11 hits in Sunday's opener. Led by Derrick Shaw and Antonio Burke with two hits apiece. Gabriel Rodriguez and Adam Gordon each drove in a pair of runs.

The Rattlers erased a 1-0 A&T lead with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first, then added a single run in the second to build a 5-1 lead. FAMU extended their lead to 8-1 by the sixth inning with a run in the fourth and two more runs in the sixth. The Aggies (7-15, 3-2 in MEAC) scored once in the eighth before pushing across three more in the ninth to make the game interesting. Sophomore Anthony Espin (2-4) turned in a complete game in the opening, scattering nine hits and allowing five runs in nine innings. He struck out six and walked three Sunday.

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