Gold Nuggets' Howell is second-team NAIA All-American

Kourtney Howell

NEW ORLEANS — Kourtney Howell, the leader of a Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis team which earned a berth in the national tournament, has been named second-team NAIA All-American for 2012.

She is the fourth XU women's player in six seasons to earn that honor, joining Dominique Bell (2007 first team, 2008 second team), Angelina Callis (2009 second team) and Anastesia Opata (2008 and 2009 first team).

Howell, a sophomore from Cypress, Texas, and a graduate of Cypress Woods High School, was 17-16 in singles and 15-17 in doubles this season, her first at Xavier since transferring from Navy in January 2011. She recorded five singles victories against ranked NAIA players, and she won a three-set super-tiebreaker against Chane Hines of NCAA Division I South Alabama. The Gold Nuggets trailed 2-0 in the semifinals and finals of an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament in April, but they got doubles and singles victories from Howell to rally for 5-2 decisions which gave Xavier an automatic berth at nationals.

Howell tied a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference season record with four Player of the Week awards, and she was NAIA Player of the Week for April 23-29.

"Kourtney is a very talented player," XU coach Alan Green said. "She is the first female I have coached who has the ability to finish almost every point at the net. She is a very smart and powerful young lady."

Xavier ranked 19th in the NAIA postseason coaches poll after qualifying for nationals for the sixth time in eight seasons.

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

Grambling's Ellis to direct Baton Rouge Regional

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - The 2011 college baseball season has started winding down, but it’s only getting started for former Grambling State coach Wilbert Ellis.

As he’s done for nearly 15 years now, Ellis will again serve as director of NCAA regional and super regional tournaments this postseason. He starts his tourney action today as director of the Baton Rouge Regional hosted by LSU.

Louisiana-Monroe, Oregon State and Belmont are the other three teams in the LSU Regional. Belmont plays Oregon State this afternoon to open things up before LSU and Louisiana-Monroe face off tonight.

READ MORE

Green Bay Packers claims Hampton Pirates' Pellerin from Waivers

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin -- The Green Bay Packers have claimed safety Micah Pellerin off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts and waived WR Marcus Rivers. The transactions were announced Friday by Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations.

Pellerin, a 6-foot, 195-pound rookie out of Hampton University, signed with the Colts as a non-drafted free agent on May 4. He earned first-team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors in 2011 after leading the conference with 19 passes defensed and finishing second in the MEAC with four interceptions. Pellerin also led the conference in passes defensed in 2010 with 16 on the season.

During his three seasons at Hampton, Pellerin registered 124 tackles (80 solo), seven interceptions and 43 passes defensed. He began his career at Southern Mississippi before transferring to Hampton. Pellerin will wear No. 32 for the Packers.

Rivers, a rookie from the University at Buffalo, signed with the Packers as a non-drafted free agent on May 4.

Samantha Edwards from Elmont, N.Y., named ‘Women’s NCAA Athlete of the Year’

ELMONT, New York - Virginia State University’s Samantha Edwards and head coach Jason-Lamont Jackson were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the NCAA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year and the NCAA Atlantic Region Women’s Head Coach of the Year, respectively, for the 2012 NCAA Division II outdoor track and field season.



The Lady Trojans’ five-time All-American, Edwards was named the NCAA Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments during the 2012 outdoor season. She entered the NCAA Championship ranked No. 1 in the women’s 400-meter dash and No. 3 in the women’s 200-meter dash. Edwards is the 2012 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion in the 400-meter and runner-up in the 200-meter. Edwards has the fastest time in NCAA Division II in the 400 meters, with a season-best of 52.15, and the second-fastest time in the 200 meters at 23.80. Edwards competed in those events over three days at Pueblo, Colorado.

READ MORE

George Zimmerman's bond revoked in shooting of Trayvon Martin

SANFORD, Florida -- A Florida judge on Friday revoked the bail for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, saying he had misled the court about his finances, and ordered him to present himself to the court within 48 hours.

Prosecutors alleged that Zimmerman, 28, hid from the court the fact that he had raised $135,000 on a website he set up before he was granted $150,000 bail on April 20. Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Martin, 17, in February.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In a hearing in Sanford, Fla., that Zimmerman did not attend, Judge Kenneth Lester said Zimmerman engaged in a "material falsehood" about his finances.

Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda said Zimmerman's wife, Shelly, led the court to believe they were penniless, which he called a “blatant lie."

READ MORE

College World Series 2012, Florida Vs. Bethune-Cookman: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

GAINESVILLE, Florida -- In last year's NCAA Baseball tournament, the Florida Gators rolled through their competition, only to get swept by South Carolina in the championship series of the College World Series. This year, all of last season's star sophomores return as juniors, making Florida one of the clear favorites to win the tournament. They're a No. 1 seed, and they begin their trek towards a title on Friday against Bethune-Cookman in Gainesville.

Poor Bethune-Cookman. They're pretty good. They're always pretty good, actually. They played well in an 8-6 loss to Florida in Gainesville earlier in the year and they won the MEAC tournament, but they were 'rewarded' with a very difficult draw.

READ MORE

Advocates outline anti-hazing campaign, legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lawmakers, fraternity leaders and civil-rights advocates on Thursday outlined details of a national anti-hazing campaign conceived after the November death of a Florida A&M University drum major.

The campaign will include a national ad campaign, anti-hazing training on campuses and creation of a national anti-hazing day, leaders said at a press conference at the National Press Club.

Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida laid out the key provisions of an anti-hazing bill she plans to introduce by July 1.



STORY: Robert Champion Hazing Death: 2nd Fla. A&M drummer reportedly beaten on same bus before Champion died

READ MORE

Congresswoman Wilson Announces Framework for Anti-Hazing Legislation

PRESS RELEASE: Thursday May 31, 2012

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) introduced the framework for her anti-hazing legislation at a press conference at the National Press Club with Jonathan Mason, international first vice-president of Phi Beta Sigma, a video greeting from the Rev. Al Sharpton (founder of the National Action Network and a Sigma brother), members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Dan Robbins, a rising senior at Cornell University.

“Hazing is dangerous, and hazing is deadly,” said Congresswoman Wilson. “Hazing is not a university problem. It is not a Greek problem. It is not a student problem. It is an American problem.”

According to research performed by Franklin College professor Hank Nuwer, there has been at least one hazing-related death on a college campus every year since 1970, and hazing deaths in the U.S. date back as far as 1838.

According to “Hazing in View: College Students at Risk,” authored by professors Elizabeth J. Allan and Mary Madden of the University of Maine, more than half of all college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing.

“No mother sends their child to college to be killed in an act of hazing,” Congresswoman Wilson said. “College is where we send our children to shape society’s next generation of leaders.”

Under the anti-hazing bill that Congresswoman Wilson plans to introduce, students convicted of a hazing crime under state law or who are officially sanctioned by an institution of higher education would lose their eligibility for student financial aid.

The bill would establish an “Advisory Committee on Hazing Prevention and Elimination,” to be housed within the U.S. Department of Justice.

Additionally, states that do not currently have, or fail to enact, a felony criminal hazing statute will have their federal transportation funds restricted.

Congresswoman Wilson has been continuously holding meetings with university presidents and Greek letter organizations for the past several months to gather their input, and she will continue to work with them moving forward.

When Congresswoman Wilson was the South Atlantic Regional Director for Alpha Kappa Alpha, she earned the nickname “The Haze-Buster” for her efforts to end hazing in her sorority.

The press conference was to announce a coordinated campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of hazing.

Norfolk State Signs Anthony Evans to 3-year Contract Extension

NORFOLK, Virginia - Norfolk State University athletics director Marty Miller announced Friday that Spartan men’s basketball coach Anthony Evans  has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2016-17 season.

Evans, whose current contract would have expired after the 2013-14 season, will also have his annual salary increased from $125,000 to $175,000 beginning July 1, 2012.



“The overall performance of the men’s basketball team has improved under the supervision of coach Evans,” Miller said. “We are fortunate to have one of the great up-and-coming basketball coaches in America leading our men’s basketball program for the next five years.”

Evans led the Spartans to an historic season in 2011-12. NSU set a new Division I era school record with 26 victories en route to its first MEAC title and NCAA Division I Tournament berth. The Spartans, seeded 15th in the West Region, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern day NCAA Tournament history by defeating No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84 in the West Region second round in Omaha, Neb. Evans’ accolades from the season include being selected 2012 MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach and the Clarence “Big House” Gaines Award winner as the nation’s top Division I minority head basketball coach.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that (NSU President) Dr. Atwater and Mr. Miller have given me in continuing to lead the men’s basketball program,” Evans said. “I look forward to building on the program’s recent success in the coming years.”

Overall, Evans has a 78-82 record in his five seasons as NSU’s head coach. His ledger also includes two winning seasons (16-15 in 2007-08, 26-10 in 2011-12) and the first two MEAC Tournament finals appearances in school history (2009, 2012).

By Matt Michalec, Sports Information Director
VISIT: NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: NSUSPARTANS.COM

What's the buzz on NSU...
1. 67 NSU Athletes Make MEAC All-Academic Team
2. NSU Wins 8th Consecutive MEAC Men’s All-Sports Award

Ethiopia native Holobowicz signs to run for XU Gold Rush

DAVID HOLOBOWICZ

NEW ORLEANS — David Holobowicz, born in Ethiopia but living in Montgomery, Texas, is Xavier University of Louisiana's first men's cross country signee for the 2012 season.

Holobowicz (pronounced holla-bob-itch) was a four-time team MVP for Montgomery High School and will graduate Saturday. He had the third-fastest 4,000-meter time — 12 minutes, 47.7 seconds — during the 2010 U.S. prep cross country season, according to the website MileSplit.us.  Holobowicz qualified four times for the regional meet and twice for the state meet. As a junior he was second-team all district and finished 41st in the state in Class 4A.

In track and field, Holobowicz was a 2011 regional qualifier in the 3,200 outdoors. His best times include 16:03 for 5,000 meters in cross country and 4:41.61 in the 1,600 and 10:00.78 in the 3,200 in track.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Johnsonville's Turner signs on to play for Claflin in 2012

JOHNSONVILLE, S.C. -- After helping lead her team to a lower state title appearance, Johnsonville’s Keyarah Turner will be taking her game to the next level as a member of the Claflin University volleyball team in 2012.

Turner, a middle setter on one of the school’s most successful volleyball teams in recent memory, will leave behind her time as a Flash to carry out her dreams of studying sports medicine and playing for the perennially powerful Panthers volleyball program.

On Wednesday, May 30, Turner signed to play volleyball for Claflin in the fall, which brought out classmates, friends and family – something that let Turner know why Johnsonville will always be special to her.

“It’s good, but then again, I’m going to miss everybody,” she said. “I don’t really know how to say it. It’s good, but then again, it’s kind of sad. I’m glad to be moving on, but I’ll miss everyone.”

READ MORE

Xavier's Jackson to serve as USA Basketball court coach

Coach Dannton Jackson led Xavier to a 23-9 record in
2011-12  and was voted GCAC Coach of the Year.

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Dannton Jackson is one of four selected as a court coach for the 2012 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team training camp June 5-7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Jackson, South Carolina's Frank Martin, Chattanooga State's Jay Price and North Carolina Wesleyan's John Thompson will assist the national team coaching staff and the 24 players who will attend the training camp, which will determine the 12-member U.S. roster for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Brazil later in the month.

"It's an honor to be able to represent, first of all the NAIA, as well as Xavier and our country," Jackson said. "It will be an honor to work with some of the best coaches in the country, as well as some of the most talented under-18 players in the country. I’m looking forward to the experience and can't wait to get to work."

Jackson is 202-90 in nine seasons as Xavier's head coach with three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season co-championships, seven 20-victory seasons and six appearances in the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. His Gold Rush were 23-9 this past season, sharing the GCAC regular-season title with Tougaloo, qualifying for nationals for the second straight year and ranking 24th in the NAIA postseason coaches poll. Xavier is the only men's team in the NAIA or NCAA to rank in the top six in scoring defense in its division each of the past five seasons.

The U18 coaching staff consists of Florida's Billy Donovan, Gonzaga's Mark Few and VCU's Shaka Smart.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Mead, Pieri make Capital One Academic All-District team

JAVON MEAD

MATT PIERI

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Javon Mead and Matt Pieri have been chosen to the Capital One Academic All-District 4 college division men's track and field/cross country team. The College Sports Information Directors of America selected the five-member team.

Xavier has produced six Academic All-District athletes, all in the past four seasons.

Mead, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, is an accounting major at Xavier with a 3.66 grade-point average. Mead is a two-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference cross country runner who finished third in the conference meet in 2010 and fifth in 2011. He has four top-10 finishes and two top-5s in two years.

Pieri, a junior from New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School, is a pharmacy major with a 3.79 GPA. Pieri is a three-time All-GCAC runner and was the league's 2010 individual champion. He was a 2011 Daktronics Scholar-Athlete and was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Pieri has won a GCAC career-record 10 Runner of the Week awards, four this past season. He has 13 top-10 finishes and nine top-5s in three seasons.

District 4 in the college division comprises athletes in Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. Xavier and Morehouse (District 5 of NCAA Division II) were the only HBCUs to be represented on the any of the Academic All-District men's track/cross country teams this year. Nominees must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. They also must have completed at least one full calendar year at their current institution and reached sophomore athletic eligibility. First-team Academic All-District members advance to the Academic All-America® ballot.

Xavier's previous Academic All-District honorees were Kelechi Okoroha in men's basketball, Joe Drexler-Dreis in men's track/cross country and tennis player Terry Richardson (at-large) in 2008-09 and Brianna Dekine in women's track/cross country in 2010-11.

Xavier is a six-time defending GCAC team champion in men's and women's cross country. Both squads qualified for the NAIA National Championships three of the past four seasons, including 2011.

Academic All-District teams  (PDF file)

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

MSU student charged with killing, eating man's brain, heart

BALTIMORE, Maryland - The 21-year-old college student allegedly told detectives that he hadn't just killed the man who'd lived with his family for months, but had eaten his heart and portions of his brain. The victim's severed head and hands were found in the men's Harford County home; more remains were left in a trash container outside a church.

Authorities outlined the macabre circumstances Thursday in charges against Alexander Kinyua, an electrical engineering major at Morgan State University and member of his school's ROTC program, of first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, a Ghanaian national and a former master's degree student.



Kinyua's father reported that Agyei-Kodie went missing last Friday after going for a jog, but the investigation eventually led back to the family home. Kinyua was being held Thursday without bond, and authorities were exploring whether ...

VIDEO: Suspect says he ate victim's heart, brain

VIDEO: Charges against man who says he ate heart, brain of housemate


READ MORE

Accused Maryland cannibal's online postings show him in war paint

BALTIMORE, Maryland - For an image to accompany his "Warrior Syndicate" Internet radio show, alleged cannibal Alexander Kinyua apparently chose a photo of his face covered in green and white war paint.

The show, he said, was for "warriors skilled in combat or warfare … coming together to form a syndicate learning portal for Warrior Clans."

The web page is part of a disturbing online trove on accounts linked to Kinyua, made all the more chilling by charges from police in Harford County that he admitted this week to killing a 37-year-old man and eating his heart and portions of his brain.

MD DISTRICT COURT STATEMENT OF CHARGES
Pictures: Missing man found dismembered, partially eaten

READ MORE 

Brown becomes first female All-American for Claflin University

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Tanekka Brown, a senior from Columbia, SC, has earned the status of All-American in Track and Field. The Sociology major accomplished the feat during the NCAA II National Track and Field Championships in Pueblo, CA, last week. Tanekka finished 8th in the 400M Hurdles with a time of 1:00.87.


TANEKKA BROWN
NCAA DIVISION II ALL- AMERICAN
 SIAC CHAMPION
CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY

 Brown is a four year letter winner for the Claflin University Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field teams.  Tanekka, ran the 100M Hurdles for the past three years finishing 1^st in the SIAC Track and Field Championships the past two seasons. That was her specialty until this season when Coach Harry Freeman suggested that she try the 400M Hurdles.  The advice paid off for Taneeka as she won the 400M Championship this spring, which qualified her for the NCAA II Nationals.

Tanekka completed her goal of becoming Claflin University's first women, All-American.  The NCAA II Track and Field All-American obtained the distinction at the NCAA II National Championships.  Coach Freeman said, “Tanekka has become a model for all of the female student-athletes here at Claflin University.  Now women who participate in any sport will be able to not only become an All-American, but a National Champion if they are dedicated and contentious about their sport.  She has set the bar high and is worthy of this distinguished honor.”

Tanneka graduated in May and plans to move to Florida and apply for a coaching position in the track and field profession.

COURTESY CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY
VISIT: CLAFLIN PANTHERS

Banks, Southern U. Men's Basketball set to host camp June 11

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Southern head men's basketball coach Roman Banks will host the Future Jaguars Basketball Camp June 11-14 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Campers will learn basketball fundamentals directly from Banks and members of his coaching staff, present and past Jaguar greats. The camp, which is open to students entering the first grade through the sixth grade in the Fall, will emphasis basic fundamentals needed to build a solid foundation for basketball.

Admission to the four-day camp is $70 and is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A snack for the camp attendants is included.

For more details, contact Rodney Kirschner, director of basketball operations, at 225,771.5609 or via email at rodney_kirschner@subr.edu.

Click here to download the application for the Future Jaguars Basketball Camp.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

California defensive specialist is sixth to sign with Xavier Nuggets

ALEXIS CLAY
photos from the signing ceremony
 (via Facebook)

NEW ORLEANS — Alexis Clay, a 5-foot-1 defensive specialist from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is Xavier University of Louisiana's sixth women's volleyball signee for the 2012 season.

Clay signed with the Gold Nuggets on May 22.

Clay was a four-time defensive player of the year on the Palos Verdes Peninsula High School varsity, and she was second-team All-Bay League as a senior. She led the Panthers this past fall with 247 digs and averaged 3.58 digs per set.

"We are very excited to add Alexis to our volleyball family," XU coach Christabell Hamilton said. "She will definitely bring in a high level of play as well as a thirst for competition. So far she's our only true libero we've signed and she's excited to take on such a big role, especially coming in as a freshman."

Clay will be a communications major at Xavier.

"I was most interested in attending an HBCU," Clay said. "After researching Xavier and visiting the campus, I knew it was a place where I would fit in. And I am so looking forward to playing for Coach Hamilton. I love that she can be fun and serious at the right times."



Previously signed with the Gold Nuggets were defensive specialist Darian Harris of Gretna, La., middle blocker Claudia Haywood of Memphis, Tenn., middle blocker Jodi Hill of Prairieville, La., right-side hitter Patrice Smith of Glenn Heights, Texas, and outside hitter CeCe Williams of Houma, Louisiana.

Xavier was 23-7 in 2011, won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.

2012-13 Xavier women's volleyball signees

Name Pos. Ht. Yr.* Hometown High School (College)
Alexis Clay DS 5-1 Fr. Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Palos Verdes Peninsula
Darian Harris DS 5-3½ Fr. Gretna, La. McGehee
Claudia Haywood MB 5-11 Fr. Memphis, Tenn. Cordova
Jodi Hill MB 5-9 Fr. Prairieville, La. Dutchtown
Patrice Smith RS 5-9 Fr. Glenn Heights, Texas DeSoto
CeCe Williams OH 5-6 Fr. Houma, La. Vandebilt Catholic

* classification at Xavier in 2012-13

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Chuck Landon: Former MU assistant is first white SWAC coach

ALCORN STATE, Mississippi -- Doesn't Jay Hopson's new job count as a minority hiring? It should. When a black man is hired as a head football or basketball coach at a college, isn't it hailed as a progressive move in racial equality? Yes. So, shouldn't the converse also apply? I believe so.

And that's precisely what happened when Hopson, a well liked and fondly remembered former Marshall University assistant coach, was hired Monday to be Alcorn State University's head football coach. Hopson is white, you see.

But Alcorn State is a historically black school. So, when Hopson became the Braves' 18th head coach in school history, he also became Alcorn State's first white football coach.


Videographer: cameraguy06

READ MORE

S.C. State AD Charlene Johnson Joins NCAA D-I Football Championship Committee

CHARLENE JOHNSON
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina - South Carolina State Athletics Director Charlene Johnson has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee, as announced by Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Media Relations Office.

Johnson will join a committee that will focus on developing policies and procedures that govern the administration of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Her term on the committee began immediately and will run through September 1, 2015.

"I'm excited and pleased to ...

READ MORE

MSU men's basketball team signs three

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Morgan State University men's basketball team signed three players to national letters of intent.

The new additions are: Donte Pretlow, a 6-foot, 185-lb., guard from Baltimore, Cedric Blossom, a 6-6, 225-pound forward from Columbia, Md. and JuCo transfer Daryl Traynham, 5-9, 180-pound point guard from Upper Marlboro, Md.

Pretlow played at Dunbar where he played for head coach Cyrus Jones. While there, he helped guide the Poets to Class 1A state championships in 2011 and 2012.

“Ever since he came up to varsity, he's been winning state championships,” Jones said. “He's played a valuable role in those titles. He was really the leader out there on the court.”

“Donte is a tough hard-nosed guard in the tradition of a long list of Dunbar-Baltimore point guards,” said MSU head coach Todd Bozeman. “He brings that Baltimore inner-city toughness to the program. He can really run a team, can defend, has tremendous poise and can make the open shot. He's certainly going to give us added depth in the backcourt.”

Pretlow, whose Poets (24-3) finished the 2011-12 season as The Baltimore Sun's No. 1 boys basketball team, averaged around 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals. At Morgan, he'll be expected to continue filling up the stat sheet and serving as a leader.

Blossom spent a season at Hammond before transferring to powerhouse Montrose Christian where he started in just about every game during his two years. Last season he was named co-captain and was a supporting player on a team that featured Tyrone Johnson (Villanova), Tyler Hubbard (Loyola) and Justin Anderson (Virginia), among others.

“Cedric is a young man that is a 6-foot-6 versatile player who will allow us to play in different ways,” Bozeman said. “He can play on the perimeter or in the post, in terms of the wing or the four. Something he did in high school.”

“He comes from Montrose Christian, a perennial basketball powerhouse, and has played with great players and knows what it takes to win. He is a good rebounder with a great nose for the ball, as well as a great defender and is extremely athletic. He's going to add depth to our team for sure.”

Traynham spent last season as the starting point guard for Palm Beach State, which is one of the most renowned junior college basketball programs in the country. He helped lead the head coach George “Butch” Estes' Panthers to a 26-5 record and the FCSAA/District 8 State Semifinals.

“He's a general,” Bozeman said. He can really run a team and create for others. He started his career at UMass, before transferring to junior college. I've been knowing him ever since he was a young kid.”

Traynham completed the 2011-12 season by averaging 10.8 points per game, 5.7 assists and 2.5 steals for the Panthers.

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Breakout freshman softball season for SAU's White

RALEIGH, North Carolina - Jolanda White’s St. Augustine’s College softball team practiced on a baseball field. It’s hardly surprising that she maintained her baseball-length hitting when the Falcons played on softball dimensions.

White, a freshman from Leland, bashed a Central Collegiate Athletic Association-leading 10 home runs, while batting .396, 10th best in the league. She also stole 18 bases, third best in the conference, was first in slugging percentage (.783) and was fourth in total bases (83). She led St. Augustine’s in nearly every offensive category.

“I was expecting to do good, but I wasn’t expecting to ...

READ MORE 

Who will be the next commissioner of the CIAA?

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Who will be the next commissioner of the CIAA? That is the question on everyone’s mind around the conference.

Leon G. Kerry, who had led the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) for the past 22 years retired unexpectedly this year. While the CIAA suggests that Kerry stepped down on his own volition, there is speculation that the CIAA's chief might have departed involuntarily due in part to ethical questions surrounding $100,000 in payments that went to Ereka Crawford-Brim, an employee with Charlotte's Regional Visitor Authority. Kerry was also a big part of the move that shifted the conference tournament from Raleigh to Charlotte.

Peggy Davis, who had ...

READ MORE

Black Nouveau | Program: New Orleans - Xavier and Dillard Universities and more...

Black Nouveau and the Running Rebels Community Organization, which serves at-risk youth from the Milwaukee area, travel to New Orleans to volunteer, learn, and gain new experiences. The group visits the French Quarter, tours Xavier University and Dillard University (both Historically Black Colleges and Universities), views the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and cleans up the town of Violet. In Oxford, Mississippi, they visit the University of Southern Mississippi--Brett Favre's Alma mater, and later, they experience horse riding.   Let us never forget the challenges ahead ... And Still We Rise!

NCAA Baseball Tournament 2012: Prairie View A&M Glad To Be Playing In Houston

HOUSTON, Texas - The ultimate underdog in the Houston Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament has to be the Prairie View A&M Panthers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a league of Historically Black Colleges and Universities that are rarely expected to compete with the larger schools for college baseball supremacy.

But Prairie View is no slouch and Rice would be wise not to overlook the Panthers in their first-round matchup on Friday. In 2006, it took a ninth-inning single with the bases loaded to keep Prairie View from upsetting Rice in the first round.

Panthers head coach Waskyla Cullivan is glad to be playing in Houston for the sake of the PV fan base.

READ MORE

TSU Coaching Legend Gilliam, Sr. Honored in Roast

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Former Tennessee State University football players, alumni and fans showed their gratitude last Saturday as the group honored TSU coaching legend Joe Gilliam, Sr. in a roast at the Sheraton Music City Hotel.

Coach Gilliam was greeted by hundreds of supporters including NFL Hall of Famer Richard Dent and former Dallas Cowboy Ed 'Too Tall' Jones. Several other players also showed their gratitude to Coach Gilliam, who spent two-plus decades at Tennessee State.

As an assistant coach under John A. Merritt, Gilliam helped create one of the best defenses in the country.

While at Tennessee State, Gilliam posted a record of 164-31-6 in his 25 years. The Tigers posted four undefeated seasons and won seven Black College National Titles.



COURTESY TSU ATHLETICS

Gilliam then returned to TSU as the head coach in 1988 and was named OVC Coach of the Year in 1990. Over 80 TSU student-athletes reached the NFL during Gilliam's tutelage.

Not only was Coach Gilliam a success on the field, approximately 74 percent of his student-athletes graduated from Tennessee State. The men have professions in the business, education and in the medical field to just name a few.

In 2007, Coach Gilliam was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. At the ceremonial roast on Saturday, Gilliam received recognition from the State of Tennessee and the City of Nashville.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Southern Football: A New Era Begins