Arkansas-Pine Bluff wins SWAC title for first NCAA bid

Bossier City, LA - Tavaris Washington had 14 points and four rebounds as the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions took home the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 50-38 win over Texas Southern. Allen Smith had 11 points while Lebaron Weathers, George Davis and Savalance Townsend each chipped in with six points for the second-seeded Golden Lions (17-15), who are going to the NCAA Tournament on a tear as the team has won 11 of their last 12.

"This means a lot for our school and our fans," UAPB coach George Ivory said. "We worked all year to get to the Big Dance and now we can always brag that at least for one year, we got to The Dance."

DeAndre Hall had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Junior Treasure added 14 points for the fifth-seeded Tigers (17-16), who were looking to win their fifth tournament title. Texas-Southern held the early lead, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff chipped away and took a 12-9 lead on Washington's layup with 11 1/2 minutes left in the first half. The Tigers rallied with a 7-0 spurt, but then went almost the rest of the half without any points as the Golden Lions closed the half with a 12-2 run to take a 26-20 lead into the break. Texas-Southern cut its deficit to five points with 11 1/2 minutes to play in the second half, as Treasure's jumper made it a 36-31 game.

Photo Gallery:UAPB vs. Texas Southern

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AR-Pine Bluff Wins SWAC

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From 0-11 to the Big Dance

Southern University women defeat Alabama State for tourney title

BOSSIER CITY, LA — What, exactly, is a picture worth? Consider the scene at 7:13 p.m. Saturday night inside the CenturyTel Center. Zoom in to center court, where the Southern women’s basketball team gathered at the end of their 60-47 victory over Alabama State. The championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament was over, and the Jaguars had won it all.

Hannah Kador, the former McKinley High School standout who earned tournament MVP honors, nearly crashed to the floor on her backside. Kador was on the business end of a tackle-football-style hug, administered by teammate Jamie Floyd. A few feet away, guards Tenesha Brown and Tiffany Foster each threw an arm around the other’s shoulder, like old buddies from the playground. Eventually, they broke out championship T-shirts and caps, and they gathered, holding index fingers toward the roof, posing for a team picture. What was that picture worth?

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Morgan headed to NCAA tournament for second straight year

"Once you drink from that cup, you want more," said Morgan State University Coach Todd Bozeman, who will make his fifth NCAA appearance in eight years as a Division I coach; he was 3-for-4 at University of California, Berkeley.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Kevin Thompson lived through the culture shock of playing against Oklahoma and Blake Griffin in last year's NCAA tournament. In terms of lessons learned, that experience might have paved the way for Morgan State's return to the big stage. Thompson punched the ticket for the Bears' second straight trip to the NCAA tournament Saturday, delivering a 68-61 victory over South Carolina State in the championship game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

His dominant performance - 18 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots - was his second double double in three games here and earned him the Outstanding Performer award of the tournament. More than that, it might have been the formal coming-out party for the 6-foot-8 sophomore from Walbrook. In a game in which the Bears (27-9) surged and sagged, took a 10-point lead and gave it up, Thompson was a constant force inside that the smaller Bulldogs (18-14) had no answer for. Even though South Carolina State out-rebounded the Bears 36-32, it was Morgan's relentless inside game that made the difference. In a seven-point victory, the Bears outscored the Bulldogs 34-16 in the paint.

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Hampton Pirates takes title and trip to NCAA's in win over S.C. State

Quanneisha Perry scored a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hampton University to a 57-46 win over South Carolina State.


Hampton wasn't going to be denied this time. The Pirates, who lost last season's women's MEAC championship game to N.C. A&T, rolled to the title yesterday behind forward Melanie Warner, beating upstart S.C. State 57-46 at Joel Coliseum. As for interim Coach David Six, the director of intramurals at Hampton this time last year, it's probably time to lift the interim tag. "I've never said to the players anything about the interim label, I was just their coach," said Six, who before going to Hampton was a successful high-school coach.

"Things will work themselves out. … This is a dream come true and I'm living the dream. It wasn't that long ago I was a high-school coach, and Hampton gave me an opportunity and I had a ball with it." The Pirates (17-13) won their first title since 2004 and their fourth in school history. Warner led the way with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Quanneisha Perry had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Bernadette Fortune scored 12 points. "It's great that we are going to the NCAA Tournament, and I don't think that's hit us yet," Warner said of securing the conference's automatic bid.

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Amazing Mr. MEAC is bustin' a move, evoking smiles

Dancing 68-year-old performed on sidelines for years without title.

Mr. MEAC wants people to do a double-take when he drops into a crouch, then reaches around to grab his coat collar and "pull" himself back up. "It looks like you are pulling yourself right up with your hand," said Al Ford, "Mr. MEAC" to the people who watch him dance and move to the rhythms of James Brown and others during games of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Ford, 68, of Georgetown, S.C., was in Winston-Salem for the MEAC Tournament at Joel Coliseum, which ended yesterday. Ford's been dancing ever since he was a kid. But he's been called Mr. MEAC for only the past three or four years, after someone with the conference noticed him dancing on the sidelines.

I was doing the James Brown, and she came and took my coat and draped it over me like they would for James Brown when he walked offstage," Ford said. "They asked me if I wanted to be Mr. MEAC." He did. Ford likes to change suits during the tournament to keep things fresh. He went through eight different suits on Friday, when he danced during four semifinal men's and women's tournament games.

It's not a paid job. "Oh, no no no, this is an honor," he said. "I went to a MEAC school. It is an honor to represent the MEAC colleges. I like to dance. I like to entertain. I like to dress and it gives me an outlet. They gave me a card and I can attend any MEAC school athletic function."

Although Ford spent a year playing basketball at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1961, he finished his schooling in New York and spent about 25 years there working as an auditor. Ford came back south, owned a McDonald's Restaurant franchise in Moncks Corner, S.C., and also managed a Bojangles' in Georgetown from 1995 to 2003, when he retired.

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Calvin propels UAPB Golden Lions to finals

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions guard Terrance Calvin hits another winner.

Terrance Calvin has hit a lot of memorable last-second shots during his time at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The senior hit his most memorable one Friday. The shot sent his Golden Lions to the Southwestern Athletic Conference finals for the first time since 2006. Calvin made a 10-foot jumper with a defender in his face with 1.04 seconds left to clinch a 46-44 win over No. 3 seed Alabama State at the CenturyTel Center. The Golden Lions meet the winner of Grambling State-Texas Southern in the finals at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

"This is my No. 1 shot all-time," Calvin said. "We finally get to the finals. I've never been before. This feels great. Make it or miss it, I was going to take it. I made it." How Calvin got the last-second shot was even more thrilling. Allen Smith intercepted Alabama State's Tramaine Butler inbounds pass under ASU's basket with 26.59 seconds left. Savalance Townsend shot a pass to Calvin, setting up the game-winning shot from the left side.

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*** Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Recaps *** (Friday, March 12th)

SWAC TOURNAMENT Calvin carries Lions into final

Alabama State outmuscles Alabama A&M

Alabama State University Lady Hornets Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson

BOSSIER CITY, La. - The Alabama A&M women's basketball team's dream of reaching its first SWAC tournament championship game died Friday at the hands of a familiar foe. Alabama State closed Friday's semifinal game on an 11-4 run over the final 3:50 to end the Bulldogs' season with a 61-53 loss. A&M (16-13) entered the semifinal game as a higher seed for the first time and had swept the Hornets during the regular season.

Alabama State controlled the physical nature of the game, especially over the last 15 minutes. Conference player of the year Katrich Williams' only 3-point basket of the game at the 16:38 mark gave A&M a five-point lead at 32-27. Williams finished with a game-high 24 points, but struggled to free herself from Alabama State's defensive pressure. "There were a lot of bumps and pushes out there," A&M coach Altherias Warmley said. "We needed to be more responsive to their physical play, and we failed to do that today."

The Bulldogs' response to the physical play came to a head with 1:41 to play in the first half when Chelsea Marshall and Alabama's Erica Henderson entangled on an off-ball screen. Henderson was tagged with a personal foul, but officials determined that Marshall threw a punch in the altercation and was ejected. "Clearly my player made an inappropriate reaction to that situation," Warmley said.

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Bowling increases diversity at historically black colleges and universities

University of Maryland-Eastern Shore 2008 NCAA National Championship bowlers Kristina Frahm and Jessica Worsley.

(Washington Post) -- Earlier this year, the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore's athletic department posted this poll on its Web site: "Which winter team is most likely to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in their respective sport?" Sandwiched between women's basketball and men's track was women's bowling, which led all other choices with just less than 44 percent of the vote.

Conference rival Delaware State's Web site had a similar question. Of the 11 sports on the ballot, bowling had a commanding lead of close to 40 percent.

These two schools are the pace-setters among the women's bowling teams in the nationally dominant MEAC, which comprises 11 historically black colleges and universities. UMES, the 2008 national champion, is the MEAC's flagship bowling program, sitting second in the National Tenpins Coaches Association top 20 alongside national powers Vanderbilt and Nebraska. Delaware State, the conference's defending champion, is ranked third and made the NCAA semifinals last spring. In total, five conference teams, including Florida A&M, Norfolk State and Morgan State, are in the top 20 out of a pool of more than 50 in the NCAA.

But women's bowling is not just the new standard-bearer for MEAC athletics; these days, the sport is also helping to change what a historically black college looks like. As the conference's best teams have cemented themselves in the national rankings, they've attracted many non-black bowlers, which has furthered diversity on campus. UMES currently has no black bowlers and Delaware State has two on its 10-person roster.

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Howard defeats FAMU in MEAC women's basketball tournament

Howard University Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler

Zykia Brown scored the go-ahead basket, then came up with a key steal, as Howard edged Florida A&M, 56-54, in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C. The fourth-seeded Lady Bison (16-13) will face eighth-seeded South Carolina State at noon Friday. The Lady Bulldogs upset top-seeded North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals.

Brown, a first-team all-MEAC selection, and Saadia Doyle, the conference rookie of the year, combined for 21 of Howard's 25 first-half points. Brown finished with 20 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, while Doyle recorded her 20th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. "We know that it is a new season when you get into the tournament," said Brown, a junior guard. "We came out focused and ready to play." In each of the two previous matchups between the teams, Howard won by a point. The Lady Rattlers are 18-11.

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Stadium Renovations Impact Savannah State 2010 Football Schedule

Savannah State University Tigers athletics department has announced its tentative 2010 football schedule. Major renovations to Theodore A. Wright Stadium have forced SSU to schedule less home games. In 2010, the Tigers will play nine road games and two home contests with teams from six conferences--Southern, Southern Intercollegiate, Mid-Eastern, Big South, Colonial and Southwestern.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced on March 10, 2010, that Savannah State University has been extended provisional membership to the MEAC beginning July 1, 2010.

“Scheduling was a difficult task for us this season,” said interim athletics director Marilynn Suggs. “We wanted to play our usual complement of home games, but with the stadium renovations we will not be able to do so.” “We have scheduled six games in the state of Georgia in order to give our students, alumni, boosters, fans and supporters the best opportunity to see us play. We are extremely excited about the renovations to the stadium and look forward to playing on our campus in 2011,” added Suggs.

When completed in the summer of 2011, the new Theodore A. Wright Stadium will accommodate 8,000 patrons – 4,500 on the home side and 3,500 on the visitor side – in a combination of bleachers and seats. The existing concrete bleachers will be ground up and used during construction.

Nearly all stadium structures will be demolished as part of the upgrade, but the skybox, built in 2008, and track and field will remain intact. An elevator and restrooms will be added to the skybox and team locker rooms, concession areas and restrooms for the home and visitor sides of the stadium will be constructed. A 500-seat student section will be located below the President’s Club section, and the SSU Student Government Association will have its own skybox for use during football games.

SSU students voted last year to begin paying in the fall an extra $150 semester fee to help fund both the stadium renovations and student center construction, expected to cost a combined $17 million. The expected cost for stadium renovations are $4.5 million. Students were involved in the design process for both projects and will be able to use the stadium for other events at no additional cost.

The stadium renovations – and construction of a new student complex, also slated to begin in July – will be financed by the Georgia Higher Education Facilities Authority (GHEFA), which enables pooled financing of multiple projects under a single bond issue to help fund capital projects for the University System of Georgia and Department of Technical and Adult Education.

The Tigers will kick off the season on the road against local rival Georgia Southern in Statesboro on September 4. Savannah State will end the year with back-to-back home games on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20. North Carolina Central will come to Savannah on Nov. 13 and Norfolk State will be SSU’s Homecoming opponent on Nov. 20. SSU will announce the site of its home games at a later date.

DATE OPPONENT EVENT LOCATION TIME

9/4/2010 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Ga. - Paulson Stadium
9/10/2010 Fort Valley State University TBA
9/18/2010 Bethune Cookman University Daytona Beach, Fla. - Municipal Stadium
9/25/2010 Albany State University TBA
10/2/2010 Liberty University Lynchburg, Va. - Williams Stadium TBA
10/9/2010 Georgia State University Atlanta, Ga. - Georgia Dome TBA
10/16/2010 Florida A&M University Tallahassee, Fla. - Bragg Stadium TBA
10/23/2010 Alabama State University Montgomery, Ala. - Cramton Bowl 1:00 p.m.
10/30/2010 OPEN
11/6/2010 Old Dominion University Norfolk, Va. - Foreman Field 2:00 p.m.
11/13/2010 North Carolina Central University Savannah, Ga. H TBA
11/20/2010 Norfolk State University "Homecoming" Savannah, GA H TBA

WELCOME TO THE MEAC SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, ALUMNI AND BOOSTERS.

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Harris to stay on as FAMU men's basketball head coach

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Florida A&M men's basketball coach Eugene Harris wants more time to turnaround the program after three losing seasons, and it appears that he will get it, at least to the end of his current five-year contract. The Rattlers finished the season with a 9-22 record, the worst since Harris took over the program three years ago. FAMU was eliminated from the MEAC tournament by Bethune-Cookman University on Tuesday night, after coming in as the No. 10 seed with a 5-11 conference record.
























FAMU retains Eugene Harris as men's basketball coach with career record 34-60 (20-29 MEAC) and home game attendance average at all-time low of 1,539.

Fans have been calling for Harris' ouster since the team's 0-10 start, but with FAMU's athletic budget in the red, buying out the remainder of $150,000-a-year contract apparently isn't an option. The outcry reached a fever pitch last week when signs were placed around campus urging that Harris' firing. Rumors also have been circulating that some of his players might not return. But FAMU president James Ammons said he is honoring the university's contract with Harris.


"Coach Harris is our coach," Ammons said during a telephone interview Wednesday. "We are as disappointed as he is."

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Savannah State University granted provisional MEAC membership

Commissioner, Dr. Dennis E. Thomas welcomed the 13th member to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference -- the Savannah State University Tigers.

March 10, 2010 - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today that Savannah State University has been extended provisional membership to the MEAC beginning July 1, 2010, as voted on by the conference's Council of Chief Executive Officers (CCEO's). A press conference is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12, in the post game interview room of the Joel Coliseum. An additional press conference will take place on Wednesday, March 24 in Savannah, Georgia.

"We are pleased to extend membership and welcome Savannah State University to the MEAC family," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. "The addition of SSU keeps us in compliance with our long range and strategic plan of adding up to 14 members. Adding SSU to the membership completes the geographical footprint that bridges our South Carolina and Florida institutions." Commissioner Thomas added, "I would like to commend Dr. Yarbrough, President, Dr. Flythe, and the entire SSU family for all their hard work as we welcome this outstanding academic institution into the conference."

As a provisional member, SSU must be in compliance with three (3) stipulations by September 1, 2011 before full membership status into the MEAC is granted. The stipulations include (1) student-athlete scholarships, (2) athletic budget, and (3) staffing.

"We are very proud to be admitted to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The MEAC affiliation will enhance our status in terms of athletic competitions while building valuable relationships that will go well beyond the playing fields and courts," said Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., Ph.D., president of Savannah State. "On behalf of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and boosters, we extend appreciation to MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas, MEAC presidents/chancellors and others for this vote of confidence."

"MEAC membership means a lot for our student-athletes because they'll spend less time on the road and more time in class," said Claud Flythe, vice president for Administration, which includes athletics. "This gives our students the opportunity to interact with their peers from other HBCUs, and for the first time in a long time, they can look forward to post-season play.

Savannah State originally applied for membership into the MEAC in 2006 but faced an NCAA probationary period soon after. The membership application was deferred until the completion of the probation in May 2009. Savannah State resubmitted the application again in 2009. The Tigers will become the only MEAC institution to compete from the state of Georgia.

The addition of SSU marks the second expansion for the MEAC this academic year. North Carolina Central University was announced as a new conference member to the conference in September, 2009. Prior to NCCU, Winston-Salem State became the 12th member but will return to Division II following the 2009-10 academic/athletic season. The MEAC expanded in the 90's with the inclusion of Norfolk State in 1997 and Hampton in 1995.

About Savannah State University
Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public HBCU in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher education in Savannah, Ga. As a senior coeducational unit of the University System of Georgia, Savannah State provides a comprehensive college experience that adds value to the academic, personal, social and cultural growth of its student body. The 196-acre residential campus is located on a picturesque bluff that is minutes away from the renowned historic district of Savannah and the Atlantic Ocean beaches. Approximately 3,800 students are enrolled in 23 undergraduate and degree majors and five graduate programs in three colleges: Business Administration, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology.

Press Release: March 10, 2010, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Morgan's Todd Bozeman does it his way

Turnaround of MSU Bears shows compromises aren't an option for the determined Coach Todd Bozeman. With 82 wins and three championships in four seasons, the Bears are dominating the MEAC and are ready to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Even after the severe NCAA sanctions, the cold shoulder from needy colleges and the long fall from grace to Morgan State, Todd Bozeman was in no mood to make concessions. Especially not in the players he brought to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. If there was any doubt about his approach, it was dispelled in a phone conversation with a coaching rival shortly after Bozeman took over Morgan's struggling basketball program in the spring of 2006. The coaching rival had a friendly suggestion and the name of a marginal player Bozeman might want to check out. Bristling, Bozeman wanted no part of the suggestion or the player.

"He said, 'This is the kind of player you're going to be able to get in the MEAC,' " Bozeman remembered. "I said, 'I don't recruit like that. I'm going to recruit the players I want, [and] I want players who can play at a high level."

Four years, 82 wins and three regular-season titles later, Bozeman took the right track. When his top-seeded Bears (24-9) open defense of their MEAC championship in a quarterfinal at 7 tonight in Winston-Salem, N.C., the rest of the conference will be playing catch-up. After a get-acquainted season in 2006-07, Bozeman's Bears have dominated the MEAC, going 42-6 in conference play over three years. They advanced to the NCAA Division I tournament in 2009 for the first time in school history and will play in a postseason tourney this year for the third straight season regardless of what unfolds in Winston-Salem.

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Coach Bozeman's recruits at Morgan read like a Who's Who of MEAC basketball: Reggie Holmes (2010) and Jamar Smith (2008) are MEAC Players of the Year; Kevin Thompson (2010) and Boubacar Coly (2008) are Defensive Players of the Year; Dewayne Jackson is this year's MEAC Rookie of the Year. Photo: MSU #4 Boubacar Coly (6'-10") MEAC Defensive Player of Year - 2008

Baltimore's best-kept basketball secret


If you haven’t seen my feature on Morgan State senior guard Reggie Holmes, Baltimore’s best-kept basketball secret, check it out below. Holmes is a local product who starred at Southern High then St. Frances, then went on to become the all-time leading scorer at Morgan last week.

Before Holmes, Jamar Smith (2008) was MEAC Player of the Year.

Holmes has averaged 22.4 points per game in his senior season. Even though he’s among the Division I leaders in shot attempts, he’s an unselfish player who is greatly respected by his teammates and coach (I discuss this hardcourt dichotomy in the story). Holmes has shot 39.7 percent from the field this season, including 37.0 percent from beyond the arc. The slick shooter is a throwback, and a lot of fun to watch. If you didn’t get the chance to see him play, you missed out.

Laidback assassin: An inside look at Reggie Holmes, Morgan's sharpshooter

Reggie Holmes likes to say he cares only about winning, because if the W's pile up, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. What may seem like a canned quote belies the fact that he really means it. But the senior guard realized the magnitude of the moment as a silky-smooth two-pointer Thursday night solidified his place in Morgan State hoops history. The basket, which came late in the second half of the Bears' 74-54 victory over Coppin State, pushed the 22-year-old Cherry Hill native past the late Marvin Webster, a Baltimore legend, to become the school's all-time leading scorer.

"Breaking that record, it feels good," said Holmes, who finished with 36 points. "Where I'm from, being the all-time leading scorer at a Division I college, it means a lot." In four seasons on Cold Spring Lane, Holmes hasn't always been flashy, but there is plenty of substance to his game. He can dunk but settles for layups. He can dangle the ball on a string but keeps it simple instead of trying to break an opponent's ankles with a crossover dribble. And instead of being a ballhog, he uses his high hoops IQ to get his teammates involved.

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FAMU Men Bounced From MEAC Tourney by rival Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

FAMU Coach Eugene Harris has not lived up to RattlerNation expectations with another first game exit from the MEAC Tournament. Harris has compiled a record of 19-43 with his recruits in the past two seasons, with attendance averaging at 1,539 in the new 10,000 seat Al Lawson Center.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Arch rival Bethune-Cookman ended the Florida A&M University Men’s Basketball 2009-10 season as they defeated the Rattlers 64-53 in the opening round of the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, here Tuesday evening at the Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum. “I thought when our guys took the floors, we were ready to play, but we had some untimely turnovers that dug ourselves in a hole and was never able to recover,” said third year Men’s Basketball Coach Eugene Harris.

Brandon Bryant was the high man for FAMU (9-22) as he scored a team high 11 points. Both Rasheem Jenkins and Christopher Wallace finished with 10 points each. The Rattlers were led on the boards by Larry Jackson with nine rebounds, while Jenkins dished out five assists. B-CU (17-15) was paced by Clifford Reed, Jr., as he scored a game high 23 points and dished out five assists. Stanley Elliott added 12 points, while Kevin Dukes dropped in 10. The Wildcats were led on the boards by Elliott, who finished with a team high eight rebounds.

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The Florida A&M University Rattlers have the best Division I basketball arena in the South with the 10,000 seat Al Lawson Center, opened in late 2009.

The Coach Eugene Harris File:

Florida A&M University: NCAA Division I

Salary: $155,000 annually (Completed 3rd season of 4 year contract)

Seasons: 3 (2007-2010)

FAMU Career Record: 34-60, (0.361) Winning Percentage

MEAC Conference Record: 20-29 (0.408) Winning Percentage

MEAC Conference Titles: 0

NCAA Tournament Teams: 0

NIT Tournament Teams: 0

All-Americans: 0

NBA Draft Picks: 0

Average Wins per season: 11

Average Losses per season: 20

Blowout Games (decided by >19 points: 1-25) - 0.038%

Arena: Al Lawson Center (2009) - Capacity: 10,000 seats

Men's home attendance: Low: 202; High: 5419;

Total men's team home attendance for 12 games: 18,469

Average men's game home attendance: 1,539

Savannah State without 33 players for football spring practice

Starting QB Kurvin Curry is missing from SSU spring drills. The Tigers finished '09 with a 2-8 record.

Savannah State University's football team conducted the first of 15 spring practices Monday without 33 players. The Tigers' spring roster includes 49 players. Missing from the two-hour workout, which began at 5:15 a.m. at T.A. Wright Stadium, were 13 ineligible players and 20 players who quit or were dismissed from the team, SSU sports information director Opio Mashariki said. He declined to identify who was ineligible and who had left the team.

Starting quarterback Kurvin Curry, a sophomore last season, is among those missing from drills, although the veteran was present at practice. He is absent for a second consecutive spring. Five players are in the Chatham County jail on charges stemming from a Feb. 5 attack on two fellow students on campus.

Defensive backs Edward Ndem, Jevontae Jefferson and Patrick Thomas, defensive lineman Juvaro Goodman and running back Rashard Russell are charged with aggravated assault. All but Russell also are charged with aggravated battery. Their cases will go to a Chatham County grand jury, where prosecutors are expected to seek indictments within 90 days. Chatham County Recorder's Court Judge Tammy Stokes last Tuesday denied bond for the five defendants.

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Jackson State: McDonald on spot in Spring

Dedric McDonald spoke with an assuredness Saturday that just wasn't there last year. The Jackson State quarterback was concise but also expounded on his thoughts when needed. Interviews and a lot of other things weren't so smooth in 2009 for the then-redshirt freshman. But McDonald swears that's changing as Jackson State begins spring practices today.

JSU quarterback Dedrick McDonald fumbles the ball against Alcorn State last season.

A lot has to change for McDonald if he plans to hold onto his job as the No. 1 quarterback when JSU starts the season against Delta State on Sept. 4. The Tigers went 3-7 with a horrid offense that ranked No. 9 in the SWAC (13.9 points a game) and subpar contributions from the quarterback position. Tray Rutland and McDonald were constantly flip-flopped in and out of the lineup as coach Rick Comegy searched for a playmaker. Neither ever separated himself as the duo combined to throw twice as many interceptions (12) as touchdowns (6).

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Alabama State: The revolving door

Barlow has ushered assistants in and out of program at alarming rate

In the days immediately following Alabama State football coach football Reggie Barlow’s selection as interim head coach, two coaches – Darryl Williams and George Copeland – left for other jobs. Since the interim label was removed from his title in May 2007, 16 other coaches have come in and then followed them out the door. Barlow’s fired 10 of them. On the field, the Hornets’ play has reflected the inner turmoil.

ASU hasn’t recorded a winning season since Barlow took over – going 5-6, 3-8 and 4-7 the last three seasons. In the SWAC, where the Hornets were consistent contenders for the first half of the decade, they’ve gone just 7-16. Fans have started to notice.

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Fans get peek at Mitchell's first Southern University squad

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, they gathered in A.W. Mumford Stadium to get their first look at the Southern football team under new coach Stump Mitchell. The gates were open for the final scrimmage of spring practice, and a few hundred fans passed through them to take a look. Birds chirped. Players hustled from station to station, moving to the sounds of whistles and cheers. Most fans took a seat in the stands on the west side. And here’s what they saw:

-- Jeremiah McGinty taking most of the snaps at quarterback. That wasn’t much of a surprise, given that McGinty is the only quarterback on scholarship this spring. Record-setting senior Bryant Lee completed his eligibility, and freshman LeAndre Thompson moved to the secondary, leaving McGinty and a handful of walk-ons, including Ramal Ellis of Destrehan and Hasoni Alfred of Ville Platte. “It’s a different feeling, but there’s nothing guaranteed about where I’m going to be in the fall,” McGinty said, “so every day I have to work hard.” McGinty attempted five passes as a freshman last season.

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FAMU rallies past Jackson State, 11-10

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Tobi Adeyemi’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth scored Daniel Lee as the Florida A&M University Baseball team rallied past Jackson State 11-10, here Saturday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field. FAMU (3-4-1) tallied a game high 17 hits, while JSU (2-6) finished with 10 hits. The Rattlers were paced by Adeyemi, who went five-for-six from the plate with five RBI’s, and scoring two runs, while the Tigers were led by Braneric Holmes, who went three-for-five from the plate with four RBI’s and scoring three runs.

FAMU head baseball coach Robert Lucus

Tobias Lee (1-0) picked up the win for FAMU, allowing two hits, one earned run and striking out two in three and one-third innings of relief. Cortney Nelson took the loss for JSU, allowing seven hits, five earned runs and striking out six in four and one-third innings of relief. The Rattlers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Darryl Evans scored on a Jimmie Terrell single. Holmes tied the game at 1-1 for the Tigers in the top of the second inning as he scored on a Louis Mila ground out to first base. In the bottom of the second inning, FAMU took a 3-1 lead as Scott Sheplak homered to left field and Jared Jeffries scored on an Adeyemi single up the middle.

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Wherry leads S.C.State offense in 1st scrimmage

Running back Devin Wherry had one mission in mind entering spring practice for South Carolina State. “I came with the mindset of getting me a job in a spot” he said. “I treat it as everything is open.” Used primarily as a blocking fullback as a freshman, Wherry used Saturday’s scrimmage at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to display his versatility. He had a 2-yard touchdown run and was a primary receiving target out of the backfield.

“Devin is coming along real good,” quarterback Malcolm Long said. “He was a freshman last year, really didn’t a chance last year. He came out and had a really good day today running and catching.” Long led the Bulldogs on three scoring drives, utilizing short passes to Wherry, Lennel Elmore and Erin Norwood to move the football. “Our first offense had some some success against our second-team defense and that’s generally a possibility,” S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said.

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