Texas Southern opens season at Baylor Bears

Date	Fri., Nov. 11 | 9 p.m. CST
Location	Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)
Tickets	Purchase Tickets Online
TV	None
Live Video	Watch Online
Radio	ESPN Central TX | Sirius 137 | Listen Online
Live Stats	Gametracker
Game Notes	Baylor

Waco, Texas -- No. 12/12 Baylor opens the 2011-12 regular season with three home games in a five-day stretch beginning Friday against Texas Southern at 9 p.m. Live video (All-Access subscription required) will be available at BaylorBears.com.

Baylor enters the 2011-12 season with its highest preseason rankings in program history. Baylor is ranked No. 12 in both the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN Preseason Top 25 polls released in October.

• Baylor is ranked in both the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN Preseason Top 25 polls for the second consecutive season.
• Baylor is one of only two Big 12 schools to be ranked in each of the last five seasons (Kansas).
• Baylor is 7-1 in season openers ninth-year head coach Scott Drew. Baylor's lone season-opening loss under Drew came when the Bears opened with a 79-61 loss at Texas Tech in 2006 (no non-conference schedule due to NCAA sanctions).
• Baylor is 7-1 in home openers under head Drew, 13-2 in the Big 12 era and 19-4 all-time in Ferrell Center history.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 91-47 (22.8 wins per season) and has made three postseason appearances (2008 NCAA, 2009 NIT, 2010 NCAA) and posted three consecutive 20-win seasons.
• Baylor was picked third in the 2011-12 Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which is tied for its highest preseason selection (also picked third in 2008-09).
• Baylor has made at least one 3-point field goal in 619 consecutive games -- the second-longest active streak in the Big 12.

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Orlando East River OL Ivan Rios will take his talents to FAMU

Orlando, Florida -- Ivan Rios Jr. has just one scholarship offer. There could be more on the way, but the East River offensive lineman doesn't need to see any more offers. Rios, who plays guard for East River, liked his visit to Florida A&M so much that he nearly committed on the spot.

"When I went to visit the school, I loved it up there," Rios said. "It was a great experience and the coaching staff was great and the speeches they gave about academics and being focused was great … I just like their team overall."

Rios, 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, is part of one of the best offensive lines in the state. The Falcons' front five is anchored by 6-foot-8, 350-pound tackle Adam Duckett and bookended on the other side by tackle Josh Farr (6-5, 250), while the other guard is Micah Cross (6-1, 285) and the center Jacob Bear (6-0, 285).



But Rios knows there could be more formidable linemen to compete against for a spot on the field once he arrives at FAMU. "There are some pretty big boys over there, but I don’t think it’s a problem," Rios said. "I think I can go over there and start soon."

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TONIGHT: NCCU Eagles at North Carolina - Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina -- The Eagles of North Carolina Central University tipoff the 2011-12 campaign against in-state foe Charlotte. This will be the first official contest for NCCU as full NCAA Division I members after finishing the reclassifying process and receiving word from the NCAA and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that the Eagles are eligible for postseason play.

NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
Play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network, Chris Hooks, and color analyst Joe Simmons will call the action live from Halton Arena beginning at 7:15 p.m. online at NCCUEaglePride.com. Just simply go to the GameCentral Icon on the home page and enjoy the action. You can also follow the game live on twitter by following @ NCCUAthletics and putting in #NCCUChar as a hashtag.

THE SERIES
NCCU and Charlotte have never met on the hardwood. The Eagles are 2-1 against current A-10 opponents despite losing its last contest against league member Duquesne 97-79 on Dec. 22, 2008. The Eagles have previously beaten Xavier (85-68) on March 1, 1954 and Rhode Island (77-70) on Jan. 27, 1969.



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2011 Road To The SIAC Championship Episode 10

The Mighty Golden Rams of Albany State face off against The Wildcats of Fort Valley State in the Fountain City Classic.

DSU Hornets Host Wilmington U. in 2011-12 Opener

DOVER, Delaware -- The Delaware State University men's basketball team tips off the 2011-12 season at home against in-state rival Wilmington University tomorrow. Game time is 4:00 p.m. following the DSU/Wilmington women's basketball contest in Memorial Hall.

The Hornets are looking for a fresh start after an 9-21 overall record last season. DSU returns three starters and is expected to dress nine newcomers for the season opener.


NAIA Wilmington returns its top five scorers from a team that posted an 8-18 record last season.

Topping the list of DSU returners are point guard Jay Threatt (sr.) and reigning MEAC Rookie-of-the-Year Casey Walker. Threatt averaged 9.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.1 steals last season. He led the MEAC in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio during the 2010-11 campaign.

Threatt needs nine steals and 119 assists to hold DSU career records in each category.

Walker was tops on the Hornets and 11th in the MEAC in scoring at 13.4 points per game last season. He also ranked among the league leaders with 73 three-point field goals a year ago.

Delaware State head coach Greg Jackson is in his 12th season with the Hornets.

This will be the fifth meeting between Delaware State and Wilmington. The Hornets have won the previous four games, including a 60-44 victory in the last meeting on November 16, 2009.

Virginia Cavaliers battle South Carolina State at John Paul Jones Arena Sunday

 Charlottesville, Virginia -- The Virginia men's basketball team's season-opening game with South Carolina State at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Nov. 13) will be carried on ESPN3, ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. Joe Beninati will handle the play-by-play and Dan Bonner is the analyst for the game.

 The Virginia men’s basketball team looks to begin its season on a high note, its first game since a disastrous ACC Tournament departure last year, in which the squad surrendered a 10-point lead in the final minute against Miami.

South Carolina State finished 10-22 overall and eighth in the MEAC last season, its worst record under coach Tim Carter during his four-year tenure. The Bulldogs lost two starters to graduation but return senior guard Brandon Riley, senior forward Omar Sanders and junior guard Khalif Toombs. Riley finished second on the team with 9.4 points per game, behind then-senior guard Darnell Porter.

The Bulldogs added depth by bringing in three freshman and two transfers, all of whom will be fighting for playing time at the onset of the season.

The Cavaliers plan to counter questions about court time by ...

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Norfolk State Spartans QB followed a long, wild path to success

Norfolk, Virginia -- As a high school junior in Florida, Chris Walley was good enough that coaches from some of the country's top college programs dropped in to watch him play. Two years later, the head coach at an Illinois junior college told him he'd never start a game. And now? Walley is one win from leading Norfolk State to its first FCS playoff game.

The senior's journey to becoming the second-most-accurate passer in the FCS has been a series of ups and downs on the way to becoming a level-headed leader. One, he says, wouldn't have been possible without the other. "He has not taken the easy road to anything," said his father, Wes Walley. "I talked to his coach for the first time (last weekend), and I told him he's more of a man at his age than I was. I was already his father."

Walley has had a spectacular season. His completion percentage of 70.3 is second in the country, and he leads the MEAC in passing yardage (212.2 yards per game), touchdowns (15) and interception rate (1.4 percent).



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#1 Baylor Hosts Howard Lady Bison in Preseason WNIT

 Watch |  Listen |  Gametracker |  Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central

Date	Fri., Nov. 11 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Location	Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)
Tickets	Purchase Tickets Online
TV	None
Online Video	Baylor All-Access
Radio	ESPN Central Texas | Listen Online
Live Stats	Gametracker
Gameday Info	Gameday Central
Game Notes	Baylor Notes
Blog	N/A
Twitter	@BaylorWBB

HOWARD LADY BISON
Record	0-0
Ranking	N/A (AP), N/A (Coaches)
Last Game	N/A
Head Coach	Niki Reid-Geckeler
	Career: 41-54 (4th season)
	BU Record: same (4th season)

#1/1 BAYLOR  LADY BEARS
Record	0-0
Ranking	1 (AP), 1 (Coaches)
Last Game	N/A
Head Coach	Kim Mulkey
	Career: 298-79 (12th season)
	BU Record: same (12th season)

The 2011 Preseason WNIT marks the third time Baylor has hosted the event. The Lady Bears were also the tournament hosts in 1998 and 2006. As in previous seasons, as long as Baylor wins, it will continue to host tournament games.

All told, 16 teams are competing in the 2011 Preseason WNIT. Chattanooga, ETSU, Howard, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, UAB and UCLA are on Baylor's side of the bracket while Akron, Detroit, Drexel, Hartford, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan and Notre Dame are on the opposite side of the bracket.

The Lady Bears are 4-2 in Preseason WNIT contests, losing in the second round in 1998 to 20th-ranked Florida (70-58) and to 12th-ranked Purdue (69-55) in the 2006 championship game. Since that loss to Purdue, Baylor has won 47 straight non-league home games (including two NCAA Tournament games in 2011).

SCOUTING THE LADY BISON
Located in Washington, D.C., the Howard Lady Bison open their season in Waco. The Lady Bison finished last season at 16-18 and were runner-up in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament. All five starters return off last season's team.

Junior Saadia Doyle, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year and All-MEAC first team selection, led the MEAC in scoring with 18.4 points and was second in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game. She was recently named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.

The Lady Bison are coached by fourth-year head coach Niki Reid Geckeler (Georgetown, 1993). Reid Geckeler is 41-54 (.432) in her four seasons along the Howard sideline.

SERIES RECORD
Baylor leads the series 1-0. The Lady Bears downed Howard in Waco, 83-31, on Nov. 9, 2007, as part of the Baylor-hosted Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tournament.



COURTESY BAYLOR BEARS ATHLETICS

Bethune-Cookman 2011-12 men's basketball preview

Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats, Daytona Beach, Florida

COACH: Gravelle Craig, first season

LAST SEASON: 21-13, 13-3 MEAC; won MEAC regular-season title; lost in second round of MEAC tourney to Morgan State; lost in first round of NIT to Virginia Tech

3 REASONS TO BELIEVE

1. Holloman is back: The return of 6-6 senior forward Garrius Holloman takes some of the sting away from the losses of MEAC Player of the Year C.J. Reed and second-teamer Alex Starling. Holloman, a junior-college transfer, was second on the Wildcats last year in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg).

2. Front line: Holloman, Anthony Breeze and Adrien Coleman are the likely starters. All three 6-5 to 6-6 and good scorers. Breeze and Holloman are strong inside players for their size. Junior-college transfers Alex Smith (6-7) and David Baroum (6-8), who are both nursing knee injuries, and returning sophomore Raymoan McAfee (6-7) will provide depth.

3. Scoring balance: That's something the Wildcats didn't have with Reed bringing up the ball and taking most of the shots.

3 REASONS TO DOUBT

1. Lack of height: Not just inside, but on the perimeter as well. If Kevin Dukes (5-8) and Ricky Johnson (5-9) end up playing in the backcourt together, they'll be giving up a lot of size on defense.

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No. 14 Xavier Hosts Morgan State At Cintas Center On Friday

Xavier University Musketeers (0-0) vs. Morgan State University Bears (0-0)
Regular Season Opener on Fri., Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Cintas Center (10,250) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Television: FOX Sports Ohio with play-by-play from Brad Johansen and analysis from former Musketeer captain Steve Wolf (Xavier `83). Jim Day hosts the "Musketeers Live" half-hour pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
Radio: 700 WLW-AM with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman (`79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin (`88).

• Xavier will honor Veterans Day by saluting active military members and Veterans by displaying a 40-by-60 foot United States flag during the National Anthem prior to the game. Handling the flag will be members of the Xavier University Army ROTC along with Veterans and active members of the United States Armed Forces.

• Morgan State returns all five starters and 10 letterwinners overall from a team that finished 17-14 overall and 10-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season. The Bears of head coach Todd Bozeman are the preseason favorites in the MEAC.

• Xavier, 24-8 overall in the 2010-11 season and Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Champion at 15-1, has three starters back from last year's team: seniors Tu Holloway and Kenny Frease and junior Mark Lyons.

• Xavier has won 21 straight regular season openers (20 at home and one on the road) with its last loss in an opener coming in the 1989-90 "Sweet 16" season to Southern Utah State at Cincinnati Gardens (97-90 on December 2, 1989).

• Xavier has won all 11 of its season openers at Cintas Center, including a 68-65 win over Western Michigan last season (11-12-10).

• Xavier opens the regular season with a four-game homestand and home games in seven of its first nine games. After the Morgan State game, XU hosts IPFW on Nov. 15, Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 18 and Georgia on Nov. 25.

• Xavier, ranked 14th in the preseason Associated Press Poll and 15th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, played its one and only public exhibition this past Saturday against defending NCAA Division II National Champion Bellarmine and won 76-73. XU used the closed scrimmage option in October instead of a second exhibition.

• Xavier has high expectations entering the 2011-12 season, including the preseason favorite role in the Atlantic 10. The Xavier program is coming off a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a fifth straight A-10 Regular Season Championship. Xavier finished 24-8 overall and 15-1 in the A-10 last season.

• Xavier returns three starters from last year's team, including senior All-American guard Tu Holloway, although Holloway will sit out the regular season opener.

• Xavier returns two other starters who earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors last season, including 7-0 senior center Kenny Frease, a 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-A-10 selection who averaged 11.7 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. as a junior. Another returning starter is 6-1 junior guard Mark Lyons, a 2010-11 Third Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection who was second only to Holloway in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and assists (3.1 apg.) on last year's squad. Both Frease and Lyons were named to the 2011-12 preseason A-10 Second Team.

• Xavier made its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011, one of only 12 schools that can say that: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier. Xavier made its 10th NCAA appearance in the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.

• Xavier, 24-8 overall, secured its sixth straight 20-win season and its 14th 20-win season in 15 years.

• Xavier third-year head coach Chris Mack, the 2010-11 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, is 50-17 (.746) overall and 29-3 (.906) in Atlantic 10 regular season play.

Next Up
♦ The Morgan State Bears will host the Murray State Racers at Hill Field House, Baltimore, Maryland on Monday, November 14th.

Midnight Madness Highlight @ Xavier University of Louisiana

Friday, November 11 — Men's Basketball vs. St. Thomas (Fla.), 6 p.m.   live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Women's Basketball vs. Huston-Tillotson, noon   live on internet   •   live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Men's Basketball vs. Wiley, 2 p.m.   live on internet   •   live stats

XU Gold Nuggets 2-0 on opening day of GCAC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Top-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana defeated eighth-seeded Edward Waters 25-6, 25-11, 25-14 and fourth seeded Talladega 17-25, 25-12, 25-11, 25-21 in Thursday's opening rounds of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball tournament.

Moira Kirk had 13 kills, and Taylor Reuther had eight kills and four aces against Edward Waters. Both freshmen had 17 kills against Talladega, and Reuther had 12 digs for her team-leading 10th kill-dig double-double of the season.

Xavier (21-6) needs two victories to win the tournament and secure the GCAC's automatic bid to next week's NAIA National Championship. The Gold Nuggets will play SUNO or Dillard, which met late Thursday, at 6 p.m. Friday. The eight-team, double-elimination event will conclude Saturday.

"The girls came out and played well," Xavier first-year coach Christabell Hamilton said. "The second match we started slowly, but we got it together and finished well. We're really growing and maturing as a team, and that's the most important thing at this part of the season."

Xavier trailed 3-0 and 10-8 in the fourth set against Talladega (21-14), but took the lead for good at 17-16 on a kill by Reuther, who scored five of the Nuggets' final nine points on attacks. Reuther had eight kills in the final set.

Celeste Poe had 13 digs against Talladega, and Iva Bobkova served a season-best five aces. Bobkova and Jeanay Butler served three aces apiece against Edward Waters (4-29).

The Nuggets have won six straight, the second longest streak in the program's four seasons and their best since an eight-match streak in September. They are 7-0 this season on neutral courts.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVESITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Marshall Hosts Alabama State in Season Opener

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia – Marshall will begin its 99th season of men’s basketball on Friday at 7:30 p.m. as the Thundering Herd hosts Alabama State at the Cam Henderson Center. The first-ever meeting with the Hornets is Marshall’s first of eight opponents on the schedule that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Herd is coming off a 65-55 win over Northern Kentucky in its only exhibition game of the season. Marshall shot 56 percent from the field in the second half to pull away after trailing 32-27 at halftime. Most of the Herd roster shared playing time and senior guard Shaquille Johnson led the team with 16 points. The game gave the eight Marshall newcomers valuable playing time. Junior transfer Dennis Tinnon recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Justin Coleman scored 15 points in 25 minutes of play.

Marshall is 76-23 all-time in season openers and has won its last five. Last season, the Herd opened the season with a 92-69 win over West Virginia Tech in Tom Herrion’s first game as the head coach at Marshall.

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Game Notes | Gametracker | Media Guide

Marshall's ambitious slate opens with NCAA tournament team - Alabama State

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall will play a dozen games this season against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament. There are, of course, Big East basketball behemoths like Syracuse, West Virginia and Cincinnati that Herd Coach Tom Herrion confidently added to an ambitious schedule.

There are lesser-known 2010 Big Dancers like Belmont, which Marshall plays twice - and that won 30 games last season - and Akron, a 23-win team a year ago. Then there is tonight's Henderson Center visitor: Alabama State.

A perk of Marshall's continued involvement with the Global Sports Shootout is that the program gets to feast on three relative unknowns before traveling elsewhere to take on a big dog.

In this year's event, the Herd will start with Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Northwestern State before playing at No. 21 Cincinnati on Nov. 25. The first three opponents averaged 13.3 wins last season and none finished with an RPI higher than 237.

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ASU men's basketball: Hornets open at Marshall tonight

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The quest for another Southwestern Athletic Conference championship for the Alabama State men's basketball team begins tonight at Marshall University. Tipoff has been schedule for 6:30.

The Hornets will be led by seventh-year head coach Lewis Jackson, who has welcomed eight newcomers to team with a solid core of six returnees from the conference championship squad. He said he is ready to see this team hit the floor.

"It is always good to get the season kicked off," Jackson said. "We are excited and we have a group of guys that always seem eager to get on the floor. We are just excited about this opportunity."

ASU was able to defeat Fort Valley State 65-57 in an exhibition game to open the season. Kenderek Washington led the way with 21 points and Jeff Middlebrooks added 13 and freshman Luther Page had 10.

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Jackson State Tigers Basketball at Florida Gators

GAME NOTES: Pre
Jackson State men's basketball notes vs Florida

Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Jackson State (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Venue: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (11,548) - Gainesville, Florida
Game 1 - Nov. 11, 2011 - 7 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Florida

RADIO | Gator IMG Sports Network: GRN | Sirius 219 | XM 203

RANKINGS AP COACHES
Florida 8 10
Jackson State - -

COACHES
Florida: Billy Donovan
360-147 | 16th season at Florida
395-167 | 18th season overall

Jackson State: Tevester Anderson
131-128 | 9th season at Jackson State
234-180 | 14th season overall

FLORIDA PROBABLE STARTERS (0-0)
# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
33 Erik Murphy F 6-10 229 Jr. 4.3/2.3
4 Patric Young C 6-9 247 So. 3.4/3.8
1 Kenny Boynton G 6-2 189 Jr. 14.2/1.5
11 Erving Walker G 5-8 177 Sr. 14.6/2.9
23 Bradley Beal G 6-3 207 Fr. -/-

JACKSON STATE PROBABLE STARTERS (0-0)
# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
34 Jamarious Sykes C 7-2 270 So. 2.6/1.1
1 Jenirro Bush G 6-7 190 Sr. 14.2/3.5
2 Derrell Taylor G 6-5 195 Fr. -/-
12 Kelsey Howard G 6-3 190 Fr. -/-
13 Christian Williams G 6-1 180 Jr. 1.8/0.8

TIPOFF
• Florida takes on Jackson State in both teams’ season opener. The Gators are 15-0 in the season tipoff under head coach Billy Donovan.
• Overall, UF has started 20 straight seasons with a win, the last loss in an opener coming vs. USF on Nov. 24, 1990.
• Florida and Jackson State have met once previously, with the Gators notching a 112-69 win in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. UF is 4-0 all-time against SWAC teams.



LAST TIME OUT
• Florida won its lone exhibition game, 114-57, against Division III Catholic University (Washington, D.C.).
Six Gators scored in double figures, led by Kenny Boynton’s 21 and Bradley Beal’s 20. Boynton also added 10 assists to claim a double-double.
• UF shot 20-for-40 from three-point range in the game, putting up what would have been school-record numbers for threes made and attempted had it not been an exhibition.
• Catholic University was led in scoring by sophomore guard Billy Donovan, the oldest son of UF head coach Billy Donovan, with 13 points.

SETTING THE SCENE FOR JSU
*Jackson State opens the 2011-12 season on the road to face the Florida Gators.
*Jackson State won its exhibition game, against Miles College, 78-57 in Jackson, MS (Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center).
* Jackson State returns only one regular starter from last season’s team and five other players from last year’s squad.
* Guard Jenirro Bush is the only senior on the Tigers team.

COURTESY: GATORZONE.COM AND JSUATHLETICS

Preview: Southern Jaguars at Alabama State Hornets

GAME: Southern University Jaguars at Alabama State University Hornets
WHEN: Saturday, November 12, 2011, 1:00 PM CT
Venue: Cramton Bowl (19,500), Montgomery, Alabama
Records: SOUTHERN (3-6, 3-4 SWAC); ALABAMA STATE (7-2, 7-1 SWAC)
Radio: WVAS-FM 90.7, Jonathan Spells (play-by-play), Tony Fleming (analyst), Robb Taylor (sidelines), Jay Holcey (studio)
INTERNET STREAMING VIDEO - Bamastatesports.com   WVAS-FM 90.7  Live Video  Live Audio  
2011 Alabama State Football Media Guide



THE GAME: The Alabama State Hornets will play their final conference game of the 2011 season when they host the Southern Jaguars. Saturday is the Black Out Game, and the Hornets are encouraging all fans to wear black. Saturday is also the Military Salute Game as we thank those who protect our freedom.

THE SERIES: Southern leads the series over the Hornets, 23-10. Last season, Alabama State ended a four-game losing streak to the Jaguars, winning in Baton Rouge 21-19. The teams have met twice in the SWAC Championship Game, with SU winning 20-9 in 2003, and Alabama State winning the title
game rematch, 40-35 in 2004.

LAST TIME OUT: Alabama State got back on the winning track, winning at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 28-12. Southern lost at Texas Southern, 29-15.

DE JA VU ALL OVER AGAIN?: For the second consecutive season, the Hornets enter their final SWAC game of the season with a possible SWAC Eastern Division title on the line. Last season, Alabama State’s win at Southern, combined with Alcorn State’s loss at Prairie View, clinched the East Title for the Hornets. This season, the scenario is similar. To win the East, Alabama State must
defeat Southern AND have Alabama A&M lose to Jackson State. If both the Hornets and Bulldogs win this week, AAMU must lose at Prairie View next Saturday for Alabama State to win the East.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA: The Hornets will play their final games of the 2011 season in the state of Alabama with home games this week vs. Southern and Tuskegee in the Turkey Day Classic Nov. 24. If the Hornets advance to the SWAC Championship, they would play in Birmingham’s Legion Field.
POLL POSITIONS: The Hornets moved back into the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25, coming in at No. 23. Alabama State maintained its No. 2 position in the Urban Sports News Poll, while moving up in several other polls. The Hornets moved up one spot to third in the Heritage Sports
Radio Network poll, one spot to fourth in the Boxtorow.com Media Poll, and one spot to fifth in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Poll.

NOTABLES
• The Hornets rushed for a season-high 149 yards against the Golden Lions,
the most by ASU since rushing for 212 yards vs. Alabama A&M on 10/30/10.
• RB Tim Clark posted career highs in rushes (10), rushing yards (106) and
touchdowns (three), becoming the first Hornet RB to top the century mark
since Andrew Pitts vs Alabama A&M on 10/30/10 (6-122).
• With three takeaways against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Hornets have forced
at least one turnover in 28 straight games (76 takeaways over that time: 31
fumbles/45 INTs).
• SS Markinley Saint Fort made career highs in total tackles (13), solo tackles
(10) and made his first career interception.

By Duane Lewis, Sports Information Director/Football
VISIT: ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: BAMASTATESPORTS

XU's Kirk is freshman of year; Hamilton shares coaching honor

Coach Christabell Hamilton
GCAC Co-Coach of the Year 

Moira Kirk
GCAC Freshman of the Year

Patrice Hightower
All-GCAC

Taylor Reuther
All-GCAC

Chinedu Echebelem
All-GCAC

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Moira Kirk is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in women's volleyball, and XU's Christabell Hamilton is GCAC Co-Coach of the Year.

Kirk and teammates Taylor Reuther, Patrice Hightower and Chinedu Echebelem were chosen All-GCAC by the league's head coaches. It's the first time the Gold Nuggets have had four all-conference players in a season.

The awards were announced Wednesday at a Nashville, Tenn., banquet honoring the eight teams competing in the conference tournament, which will begin Thursday. Xavier, the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed, will play eighth-seeded Edward Waters in the opening match at 10 a.m. in Fisk University's Henderson A. Johnson Gymnasium. If the Gold Nuggets win, they'll play fourth-seeded Talladega or fifth-seeded Tougaloo at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Kirk, a freshman from Dallas, is second in the GCAC and 16th in the NAIA with a .363 hitting percentage. Eight times this season she hit .500 or higher, and she has 12 matches of 10 or more kills. She is Xavier's first GCAC Freshman of the Year since Korey Fondel in 2003, XU's first season.

Hamilton, hired in June, shared the GCAC coaching award with Tougaloo's Shandrea Taylor. Hamilton has led Xavier to a 19-6 overall record and 10-0 in the GCAC. The conference championship and winning season are Xavier's first in four seasons of volleyball. The Gold Nuggets set school records for victories, consecutive victories (8), home victories (8), conference victories and victories on opponents' courts (6).

Reuther, a freshman from Metairie, La., is second in the GCAC and 11th in the NAIA with 0.59 service aces per set. She leads the GCAC with 3.31 kills per set and leads Xavier with nine kill-dig double-doubles, six more than the Gold Nuggets produced in 2010. Hightower, a senior from New Orleans, leads the GCAC with 7.63 assists per set. Echebelem, a freshman from Dallas, ranks third on the Nuggets with 161 kills and 161 digs.

Talladega senior Shalitha Swain was chosen Player of the Year.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Grambling State University coach wins 27th SWAC title

Grambling, Louisiana -- SWAC championships haven't lost any of their luster for Grambling coach Bertram Lovell — not even after 27. Lovell, most of whose titles have come in track and field, said last week's men's cross country crown isn't any less exciting.

"It's something," he said with a laugh. "We just had a great group of kids, and the youngsters did really well, but this is the first time for the guys to win in the last three years. They've gotten to accomplish it in indoors and outdoors, but in cross country we've always gotten nipped at the end, so it was a really sweet experience."

Mississippi Valley edged out the Tigers in 2010, but this time it was Lovell and his team leaving Prairie View A&M frustrated at the Mississippi College course. Lovell, who also earned his 27th SWAC coach of the year honors, said seeing his three seniors, including Darwin Price, finally claim the title before their graduation was special.

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Southern Jags encounter stiff challenge

Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- Stump Mitchell recapped last week's loss to Texas Southern with two words: Riko Smalls. And in short, that was all Southern's second-year coach needed to say to get the point across in the wake of his team's 29-15 loss.

"He was the difference in the ballgame," Mitchell said of Smalls. "He led his team on a couple drives of more than 90 yards. He did it both with his legs and his arm." Indeed.

Smalls completed 26 of 39 passes and torched Southern's defense for 365 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. "In the secondary there's no question we got victimized this past game," Mitchell said, noting the Jaguars were without starting defensive back's LaMarkius Pettaway and Levi Jackson. "We played a couple guys who had not played before. That showed."



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Sharpless back; Elizabeth City State Vikings primed

Elizabeth City, North Carolina -- For Elizabeth City State’s men’s basketball team, 2010 started out with a lot of promise.

Coming off a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game appearance, the Vikings were picked to win the Northern Division and tabbed as one of the favorites to capture the league title.

But things did not work out quite the way they hoped. Injuries and inconsistent play plagued ECSU as it finished with an 18-10 record, but with much of the same cast returning for 2011, the league’s coaches have once again pointed to the Vikings as a team to be reckoned with, picking them to finish second in the Northern Division.

ECSU opens its season tonight at home against Southern Virginia.

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SMU Mustangs Open Season At Home Against Alcorn State Saturday

SMU HOSTS ALCORN STATE BRAVES IN SEASON OPENER
Radio: KAAM 770 AM Ray Canaveri (Play-by-Play)
Location: Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum)
Live stats and streaming available on SMUMustangs.com

UPCOMING GAMES
SMU opens the season with three games in six days, beginning with Alcorn State in Moody Coliseum on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Mustangs travel to Little Rock, Ark., to face Arkansas-Little Rock in the first road test on Nov. 14 before hosting TCU on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs return three starters from last season, including the top two scorers in Christine Elliott (10.5 ppg) and Samantha Mahnesmith (10.2 ppg). Mahnesmith connected on 55 3-point attempts last season, marking just the 12th time a Mustang hit more than 50 in a season. Alisha Filmore also returns after starting 28 games last season. As a sophomore, Filmore led the conference shooting 41.4-percent from behind the 3-point arc. Akil Simpson earned Conference USA All-Freshman honors after scoring 4.9 points and grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game in her first collegiate campaign.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
ALCORN STATE: The Lady Braves return nine letterwinners and all five starters from last season's squad, which went 13-15 overall and 12-6 in the SWAC. Alcorn State also won seven of its last 10 games. Kiara Ruffin led the team last season with 17.79 points per game, but junior Carolinsia Crumbly was the only other player to average double-figures, scoring 14.65 points per game. As a team, Alcorn State averaged 59.3 points per game, while allowing 66.8. Series History: This is the first meeting.

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Elizabeth City State stumbled early, then recovered

Durham, North Carolina -- When Elizabeth City State was 0-2 in September, coach Waverly Tillar admitted, he was a little worried. "I was like, what's going on here?" Tillar said.

But his Vikings (8-2) responded with eight consecutive victories and reached the CIAA title game, where they'll play Winston-Salem State on Saturday with a chance to avenge a 22-17 loss Sept. 3. Elizabeth City's other loss was at top-ranked Delta State, 28-21 in overtime. "Here we are," Tillar said.

Several Vikings players said they were hoping for a chance to play the Rams again, and they got it by winning the CIAA's Northern Division title.

"Basically, we were disappointed in ourselves early in the season," said Daronte McNeill, a junior running back who has 1,435 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and Elizabeth City's career record of 3,332 yards. "We had to sit down and look at ourselves and just figure out what we were missing and what we needed to get over the hump."



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Jenkines signs with Hampton

Clarksville, Tennessee -- With all the attention and focus on Clarksville High and its five senior basketball players signing Division I scholarships on Wednesday afternoon, it may be easy to forget the city had another major college talent heading to a D-I program.

Kenwood held its own signing day, early Wednesday morning, honoring forward Blake Jenkines who signed with Hampton University, adding the total of Wednesday's signings to six.

"I was very excited," Jenkines said. "The entire team came up with me. We were out in front of the whole school and my pastor from my church was there too. I was really excited to have a day like this and grateful."

Jenkines has fought hard to carve out her own niche among what is arguably the greatest assembly of basketball talent the city has produced at one time. And while most of Clarksville's stars couldn't have imagined a day like Wednesday, Jenkines figured it would happen at some point.

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Talent fuels Shaw, Bowie State

Bowie, Maryland -- There are no nights off in the CIAA, one of the country's most competitive Division II conferences. And that isn't expected to change this season.

Shaw, under coach Cleo Hill Jr., is the defending champion and should contend for the title again. Bowie State, ranked eighth in one national preseason poll, will be loaded, and those teams were picked as favorites to win their divisions in the CIAA preseason coaches' poll.

"I really think we can be very good this season," coach Darrell Brooks of Bowie said. "We're deep and pretty athletic, and I really like our experience this year. If we can rebound and defend, we can be a good basketball team."

Bowie State, which reached the second round of the Division II tournament last season, is led by 7-foot center Travis Hyman and point guard Darren Clark. Hyman was the CIAA's defensive player of the year, and Clark had 114 assists and averaged 15.1 points last season.

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Howard’s Calvin Thompson holds out hope for brighter season

Washington, D.C. -- For Howard’s basketball team, this year is all about rejuvenation. Coming off a trying season in which his five starters averaged more than 30 minutes, coach Kevin Nickelberry has brought in a talented freshman class that will give his squad much-needed depth.

Theodore Boyomo — the promising 6-foot-9 Cameroonian freshman who tore his knee in a pickup game before last season — is poised to make significant contributions in the paint. Perhaps most critical of all, though, will be the re-emergence of junior guard Calvin Thompson.



After being named second-team all-MEAC in the preseason, Thompson tore his ACL in the team’s second game. The loss of Thompson, who averaged 12 points and 30.5 minutes during the 2009-10 season, was a major blow to an already thin Bison lineup, which ended last season ranked 331st or worse among 346 Division I teams in multiple offensive categories, including scoring (58.4 points per game), assists (9.3) and field goal percentage (.376).

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Stillman coach has eye on making Pioneer Bowl

Coach Teddy Keaton

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- If the Stillman College football team can win on Saturday, it will achieve the best record since the school joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Stillman will celebrate its homecoming with a game against Concordia of Selma. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Under the direction of first-year coach Teddy Keaton, Stillman is 7-3 overall, 5-2 in the SIAC. The Tigers were in contention for a berth in the inaugural SIAC Championship Game until they lost to Miles 9-7 on Oct. 27. Miles, the West Division champion, will play Albany State from the East in the title game, which starts at 2 p.m. at Clark Atlanta University’s Panther Stadium. Miles enters the game with a 6-4 record. Albany State and Morehouse, the East runner-up, are 8-2.

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