‘Championship or bust’: After success of ’12, WSSU has its sights set on the big prize

1. WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- When Coach Connell Maynor hears that Winston-Salem State has nothing to prove this season, his eyes bulge and his voice rises.

"We have to keep that chip on our shoulder,” said Maynor, whose Rams have a 20-game winning streak in the regular season and the No. 5 ranking in the AFCA Division II preseason poll. “I had that chip there when I took over and we were coming off a 1-10 season. That chip hasn’t gone anywhere.”

The Rams lost plenty of offensive firepower from last season, when they finished a school-best 14-1 and as Division II runners-up. The defense, on the other hand, could be one of the best in school history and will have to carry the load early.

One benefit of last season’s success is that Maynor, who is entering his fourth season, and his staff have fielded calls from players at Division I programs looking for a place to play — WSSU opened camp with close to 120 players, including nearly 30 D-I transfers.

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PVAMU Panthers Conclude Camp, Focus On Labor Day Classic

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- After three weeks of training camp, the Prairie View A&M Panthers enter game week mode as the 2013 football season opener is only six days away.

The Panthers recently completed their third training camp under head coach Heishma Northern and broke camp full of enthuisam as the team focuses solely on SWAC rival TSU this week. This year's camp had a different tone due to coaching changes on the defensive side of the ball while the offensive and special teams units focused on fine tuning their areas in addition to developing quality depth. Northern was pleased with what he saw during the final days of training camp.

"We're paying attention to detail and the small things that we think Texas Southern will do on offense, defense and special teams," said Northern. "The biggest thing is getting our defense on the same page. We've dramatically improved in terms of the checks they need to know while our offense needs to play with a little more effort and concentrate on catching the ball. Our kicking game has improved on special teams even though we've been pretty good but I think we have some guys that may be a little bit better or more suited to what we want to do."



On Monday afternoon, Northern will kick off the annual Labor Day Classic game week with a noon press conference at BBVA Compass Stadium in Downtown Houston. On Wednesday, Northern along with several Prairie View A&M officials will speak at the annual Touchdown Club of Houston Luncheon at The Power Center at noon. Tickets to Wednesday's luncheon are available by e-mailing houtdclub@att.net, or calling Neal Farmer at 713-849-9860.

The 29th annual Labor Day Classic takes place this Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Downtown Houston. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available at the PVAMU Bookstore (PV side only) in the Memorial Student Center, Wolfe's Department Store (both sides), BBVA Compass Stadium Ticket Office and www.AXS.com. All seats for this year's game are reserved.

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Best: At NCCU, the show must go on

DURHAM, North Carolina -- When N.C. Central football’s team met for the first time after winter break, quarterback Jordan Reid wrote one thing on the bulletin board: “1999.”

That’s the last year a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference won a Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA) playoff game.

“Nobody knew what it meant. I explained it a week later,” the redshirt senior said. “And that’s definitely one of my goals – to not only win the MEAC but a playoff game and a national championship.”

The Eagles are coming off their first winning season (6-5) since 2007. Coaches took notice and picked them to finish fourth behind conference champion Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and archrival N.C. A&T. But with 40 returning letter winners, plus a mixture of transfers and redshirt freshmen waiting in the wings, many feel fourth place is still too low.

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Grambling Tigers Break Camp and Get Ready for Game Week

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- The Grambling State University Tiger football team moves into game week mode as they get ready for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Saturday night at Robinson stadium. The Tigers have stepped it up a notch and you can tell in the way practice is going. "The past few practices have been pretty good", said Head Coach Doug Williams. "We had more of a mental practice on Saturday as we went over a lot of situational things. We want the players to know that things can come up during the course of the game and we want them to be ready."

The intensity of practice has been increased by not only the coaches, but also the players. "They (the players) know what's at stake", said Coach Williams. "We want the players focus this week to be on school and Alabama A&M. If they can keep that focus and give 110 percent in

the classroom and on the field, we feel like we have a chance.

As the Tigers came into camp there was a different look and attitude. The coaches encouraged to let the things of the past motivate them and dedicate themselves to getting into good shape. "A lot of the work went on this summer in preparation for fall camp, "said Junior starting quarterback D.J. Williams. "We had a lot of guys that came in this summer and pushed themselves to be the best and prepare for the season."

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Murray seeks redemption at Texas Southern

HOUSTON, Texas -- Aaric Murray is a classic archetype. "Talented but troubled." So named because the alliteration is usually too much for our sportswriting brethren to resist, but also because it deftly sums up the situation. Murray, like so many before him, is a very good basketball player. When he's interested and engaged -- and sometimes even when he's not -- he's an excellent interior scorer and rebounder, an obvious asset.

The only problem is, well, everything else. In 2011, in search of more exposure and in the doghouse of the coaching staff, Murray left La Salle. His departure was greeted with dismay by some, because it seemed to rob a rebuilt La Salle team of its interior anchor just as the Explorers were cresting. But the response also included a few "good riddance" rumblings from around the team. In December 2011, Murray was sitting out his transfer year en route to West Virginia when he was arrested and charged with marijuana possession. When he became eligible, he was supposed to play a large role in Bob Huggins' transfer-heavy Mountaineers reconfiguration. Instead, Huggins suspended him for a violation of team rules in 2012, and when the season rolled around, his minutes, points and rebounds all dropped. WVU limped to a truly ugly 13-19 campaign. In July, Huggins announced he and Murray had arrived at a "mutual decision" -- the polite way to say, "I kicked him off the team" -- and that Murray would finish his final year of eligibility elsewhere.

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CIAA at a glance

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Players to watch: RB Colon Bailey (Fayetteville State), DL T.J. Batchelor (Chowan), PR Denzel Duchenne (Va. Union), KR Darnell Evans (Shaw), LB Carlos Fields (WSSU), OL David Gatlin (Elizabeth City), WR Robert Holland (Chowan), TE Khari Lee (Bowie State), RB Maurice Lewis (WSSU), DL Donnie Owens (WSSU), LB Chaz Robinson (St. Aug’s), WR Fred Scott (J.C. Smith), DB Sean Smith (Virginia State), PK Brett Symonds (Elizabeth City), QB Keahn Wallace (J.C. Smith), LB Ken White (Livingstone).

Key games: Sept. 28, Fayetteville State vs. Elizabeth City in Rocky Mount. Oct. 12, Chowan at Bowie State; Shaw at Fayetteville State. Oct. 19, WSSU at St. Aug’s. Oct. 26, Elizabeth City at Chowan. Nov. 2, Shaw at WSSU.

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The Tuition is Too Damn High, Part II: Why college is still worth it

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Before diving into the causes of rising higher education spending, it’s worth asking if we ought to care. It’s obvious that we should care about, say, our rising spending on health care. It is very important for cancer patients to be able to afford chemotherapy; any argument that it’s not fails the laugh test. But it’s become somewhat fashionable of late to claim that higher education isn’t really that essential. Perhaps the answer to the cost problem is for kids to simply stop going.

“For an increasing number of kids, the extra time and money spent pursuing a college diploma will leave them worse off than they were before they set foot on campus,” Megan McArdle concluded in a Newsweek cover story last fall. Peter Thiel, the billionaire PayPal co-founder, has been paying smart undergraduates to drop out and start working on something, anything, other than college.

So does college raise incomes? Is it an investment good enough to make widely accessible?

Yes, it is. Period. Usually, this would be the part of the article where I note that there’s disagreement and perhaps a slight weighting of evidence to one side or the other. I won’t. Even McArdle and other college skeptics acknowledge that the average college graduate today will make far more over the course of his or her life than the average high-school graduate who doesn’t attend college. And the bulk of the information indicates that college really is the cause.

Going to college means you make more money than you otherwise would, and that benefit far, far outstrips its upfront price.

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READ RELATED ARTICLE

Part 1 Why is college so damn expensive?

Tennessee State Volleyball to Host Meet and Greet

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee State volleyball team welcome the public and fans to join them for their annual meet and greet. The event will take place tomorrow evening, Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 6:00 p.m. in room 302 of the Floyd-Payne Campus Center. 

Head coach Kathy Roulhac and the 2013 Tigers will be available for pictures and autographs. They will also be signing and handing out their 2013 Tiger Nation posters. 

TSU returns five players from 2012 including senior Erika Moss, sophomore Jordon Piper, and juniors Naomi Wells, Sherryce Butler and Jaime Cooper. Coah Roulhac will also introduce eight new Tigers, which includes a sophomore and four junior transfers along with three incoming freshman.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SSU Athletics Getting A Boost

SAVANNAH, Georgia  --  Savannah State University alumnus Henry Nash has decided to give SSU Athletics a little incentive. More specifically, he is giving the SSU football team some incentive to score points. Nash, a 1974 graduate of SSU, has committed to donating $20 to the athletics department for each point the SSU football team scores this season.

Nash's incentive is not only a gesture of support for his alma mater, but a "challenge", call to arms for all his fellow alumni. Nash hopes the donation will be motivation for other SSU alumni, boosters, and stakeholders to join him.

The SSU athletics department will accept pledges of $1, $5, $10 or any amount for every point the football squad scores this season. Nash's "challenge" has already been met by The Grovner Family , Arthur and Judy , of the Augusta Alumni Chapter, with a pledge of $4 per point scored.

If you are interested in being a part of history, contact the athletics business manager Selena Warner at 912-358-3429 or warners@savannahstate.

Nash, a resident of the Washington, D.C. area, has been one of Savannah State's biggest contributors and a major part of the athletic booster club. During the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) basketball tournament, he was honored by Savannah State president Cheryl Davenport Dozier, DSW with the 2013 SSU Distinguished Alumni Award for his continual support of SSU.

This season, SSU football has entered into a new era under head coach Earnest Wilson III. The 22-year coaching veteran has surrounded himself with a coaching staff chalked full of experience
, and will undoubtedly lead SSU into a bright future.

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard football preview: Bison aim to build on recent success

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Following its highest win total in more than a decade, the Howard football team was brimming with optimism entering spring practice. Former Bison wide receiver Gary Harrell, who had returned to his alma mater two years earlier, directed an upswing in which the Bison contended for a MEAC championship last season and had designs on another push in 2013.

Then shortly before the team was to begin practice in April, Harrell announced he would be taking a one-year leave of absence for personal reasons. The revelation initially left players stunned and saddened, but following time to process the news, they emerged energized for training camp thanks in part to upperclassmen who preached elevated individual responsibility.

“Coach Flea, he’s been a big help to this program,” senior safety Julien David said, referring to Harrell’s nickname. “There’s definitely no replacing a guy like that. As men, we know we’ve just got to learn to be strong and be able play no matter what the situation is. We’ve got to be able to adjust even if we had gotten a brand new coach we’ve never even seen before.”

The transition, players said, has been as smooth as could be expected because Howard officials did not need to look outside of their campus for Harrell’s temporary replacement. They instead promoted defensive coordinator Rayford Petty to interim coach.

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XU's Reuther is GCAC Player of the Week for 6th time in career

Taylor Reuther

NEW ORLEANS — For the sixth time in her women's volleyball career at Xavier University of Louisiana, Taylor Reuther is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
      
Reuther — a 5-foot-7 outside hitter, a junior from Metairie, La., and a graduate of St. Mary's Dominican High School in New Orleans — won the award for Aug. 19-25 after producing three kill-dig double-doubles during the season-opening UMobile/Spring Hill Tournament at Mobile, Ala. Reuther finished the tournament with 59 kills and 57 digs in 15 sets over four matches. She had 18 kills and 11 digs in a three-set sweep of Asbury and a career-high-tying 21 kills and 22 digs in a five-set victory against Southern Wesleyan.
          
Xavier, the two-time defending GCAC regular-season and tournament champion, will travel to Houston for matches Friday and Saturday in the UST Labor Day Tournament. On Friday the Gold Nuggets will play city rival Loyola at 11 a.m. and St. Thomas (Texas) at 3 p.m. On Saturday the Nuggets will play Columbia (S.C.) at 10 a.m. and Montana Tech at 4 p.m.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Xavier Gold Rush to conduct tryout for walk-ons on September 7

The Gold Rush are two-time defending
GCAC co-champions.

NEW ORLEANS — Walk-ons wishing to earn a spot on the 2013-14 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team will need an early wakeup call . . . on a Saturday.
    
The XU men will conduct their annual tryout at 7 a.m. on September 7 in the Convocation Center. Candidates must be enrolled at Xavier during the fall semester, which began Monday.
    
For more information, contact assistant coach Alfred Williams at (504) 520-6778 orawilli39@xula.edu.
    
The Gold Rush were 24-8 in 2012-13 to extend Xavier's state record for 20-win seasons to 28. The Gold Rush reached 20 victories for the third consecutive season and the eighth time in Dannton Jackson's 10 seasons as head coach. The Gold Rush shared the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship with Philander Smith and qualified for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship for the third consecutive year and the seventh time in nine seasons.

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

MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Does FAMU have a Coaching Advantage?

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Dwight Floyd, theeditor@sportedit.org has developed an interesting poll for Mississippi Valley and FAMU fans for the upcoming MEAC/SWAC Challenge.  You definitely want to skip over to the Sportsedit.org site and provide your input.  For the haters of MVSU and FAMU, its acceptable for you to cast your votes in the Poll and to buy tickets for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge by Disney.  This is shaping up to be a great contest for both programs.

So, who has the Coaching Advantage?

Check it out at SportsEdit.Org

#1 in USA -- Da’Shawn Hand: A vaunted college football recruit with a hefty decision on his mind

WOODBRIDGE, Virginia  --  In the last daylight hours of the last aimless day of the last carefree summer of Da’Shawn Hand’s childhood, he stood in front of a dusty trophy case full of ancient glories and daydreamed.

“Freshman year, I stood right here and looked at this,” he said in a near-whisper, his eyes locked in on the trophies and plaques inside, some of them dating from the 1960s. “I was like, ‘Dang, I want to lead this team to some championships. I want to be in this trophy case.’ ”

Late afternoon was melting into evening, the last day of July, the day before the Woodbridge High Vikings’ first football practice. The only sound in that part of the school’s main lobby was the hum of a nearby soda machine and the distant chants of the cheerleading squad practicing down some unseen hallway.

“When I was 8, I had a dream,” said Hand, a 6-foot-4, 256-pound senior defensive end who is one of the most sought-after high school players in the country. “I couldn’t make this up. I had a baby-blue suit on. I was committing to a college. I was a wide receiver — ’cause that’s what my dad was. ‘The number one player in the nation — Da’Shawn Hand! What school is he going to choose?’ ”

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Da'Shawn's college choices

WOODBRIDGE, Virginia  --  There were 94 official offers, recalls Da'Shawn Hand, the senior defensive end at Woodbridge High who is rated as the nation's No. 1 high school recruit by Rivals.com.

 

Once Hand, who has a 3.71 GPA, investigated academic considerations such as which schools offered one or all of his potential majors (civil engineering, architecture/design and sports marketing/management), he whittled the list to a top 10: Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

 

According to Rivals.com's Mike Farrell, Hand was down to five by early January: Alabama, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Farrell said Hand replaced North Carolina with Florida by February, and further streamlined his list in July ...

 

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Da'Shawn's inner circle

WOODBRIDGE, Virginia  --  Hand, a 6’4”, 256-lb 5-star recruit, has earned the moniker “The #1 recruit in the country.” Hand received more than fifty scholarship offers, but has narrowed his list to Alabama, Florida and Michigan. Despite his accomplishments on the field, Hand has consistently said he considers academics just as important as football. He is planning to major in some combination of architecture, engineering, and sports marketing and management. Hand’s goals for the 2013 season include 30 sacks and a state championship.

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Alcorn Athletics Gears Up for the 2013 Football Season

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL

LORMAN, Mississippi  -- With only five days remaining until the Braves kick off the 2013 season vs. Edward Waters at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium, Alcorn Athletics promises to give the fans more excitement than ever before.

After his first season as the Braves head coach, Jay Hopson is going to break down game by game on the new and thrilling "Jay Hopson Show" which can be heard on WPRL 91.7 FM Radio every Monday at 6 p.m. beginning August 26 for the entire 2013 football season. Braves fans will have the opportunity to ask Coach Hopson questions by calling 601.877.6595. and sending an email to football@alcorn.edu. You can also follow the "Jay Hopson Show" on twitter @BRAVESSPORTS #CoachHopsonShow.

Our opponents and future opponents should be intimidated by the noise made in Spinks-Casem Stadium. Football Noisemakers will be handed out to the first 1,000 fans during the home opener next weekend. So don't hang around in tailgating too long, get in line early to receive a free noisemaker courtesy of Alcorn Athletics.

Each week following the previous game, fans can go to www.alcornsports.com and read information about the upcoming game, view videos of the offensive and defensive players of the week, and get the opportunity to meet the "New Braves on the Reservation," and much more. The weekly schedule is listed below:

Monday: "Coach Hopson Show"
Tuesday: "Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week and Play of the Week
Wednesday: "One-on-one interviews with position coaches and players
Thursday: "New Braves on the Reservation" and "Throwback Thursday"
Friday: Preview of the Saturday's game
Saturday: Game Day Central
Sunday: Recap of Saturday's Game

So don't miss out on all of the action this 2013 football season as Coach Hopson and his team strive to earn a bid to the SWAC Football Championship Game in Houston.

Game one is only five days away and with classes starting on Monday the Braves will turn their attention to the classroom and Edward Waters this Saturday at 4p.m. Keep up with the Braves day-by-day going into Saturday's game vs. Edward Waters at www.alcornsports.com, on twitter @BRAVESSPORTS #Alcorn Football2013, and instagram ALCORNSTATESPORTS.

ALCORN STATE BRAVES 2013 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

8/31/2013	4:00 PM	Edward Waters	Lorman, MS	H
9/7/2013	TBA	Mississippi State	Starkville, MS	A
High School Day
9/14/2013	2:00 PM	Mississippi Valley State	Lorman, MS	H	*
9/21/2013	6:00 PM	Arkansas Pine-Bluff	Pine Bluff, AR	A	*
9/28/2013	5:00 PM	Alabama State	Montgomery, AL	A	*
Homecoming
10/5/2013	2:00 PM	Warner University	Lorman, MS	H
Circle City Classic
10/12/2013	3:00 PM	Grambling State	Indianapolis, IN	N	*
10/19/2013	2:00 PM	Texas Southern	Houston, TX	A	*
10/26/2013	5:30 PM	Southern	Baton Rouge, LA	A	*
11/2/2013	4:00 PM	Alabama A&M	Lorman, MS	H	*
11/7/2013	6:30 PM	Prairie View	Lorman, MS	H	*
11/16/2013	2:00 PM	Jackson State	Jackson, MS	A	*

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State RB Isaiah Crowell stars in Hornets' new pregame hype video

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  The anticipation for Week 1 of the college football season is at a fever pitch.

Now, Alabama State fans have 31 seconds added motivation to keep them looking forward to the Hornets' opener against Jacksonville State Saturday at home. The game will be aired live on CSS. 

 

ASU, picked to win the SWAC east division, released a hype video staring none other than Georgia transfer and former SEC Freshman of the Year running back Isaiah Crowell. 

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Byron Dobson: Marching 100: celebration and challenge

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- And now, the real work begins.

 

Florida A&M University’s revered Marching 100 band will return to the field Sept. 1, it was announced Thursday in a brief news conference that was well orchestrated and deliberate in tone.

 

It had to be that way. This is a serious step in in the university’s rebuilding efforts. It’s been 21 months since the beginning of the fallout from the hazing-related death in November 2011 of Marching 100 drum major Robert Champion. Champion’s death and a subsequent extended investigation into FAMU’s operations cost then-President James Ammons his job, speeded up retirement plans for Julian White, who was director of bands and chairman of the music department at FAMU, and led to criminal charges brought against some who were listed as band members. Legal matters still remain unresolved.

 

But the cost was much deeper than that, making the Marching 100’s return that much more challenging



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Holmes gets high praise from FAMU's interim president

Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
Interim President
Florida A&M University

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The way FAMU interim president Larry Robinson introduced head football coach Earl Holmes on Sunday was fitting for the occasion.

He was addressing a crowd of hundreds, which came to the annual Rattlers Boosters Kickoff, where fans are supposed to get a good dose of hype. The Marching 100 even surprisingly made its first public appearance in almost two years. .

But that couldn’t overshadow the moment. It was about Holmes and the football team.

“It is his time now,” Robinson said, as Holmes began a slow walk to the stage at The Moon. “I introduce the next winningest football coach in FAMU history, Earl Holmes.”

Afterward, Robinson took it farther, saying that his decision to hire Holmes eight months ago has rejuvenated supporters of the football program and the university.

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Fort Valley State Coach: 'This is the Best Preseason Practice We've Ever Had'

FORT VALLEY, Georgia --   A year removed from an appearance in the SIAC Championship Game, the Fort Valley State Wildcats want to get right back in it.

Saturday, the Cats held a scrimmage on the FVSU campus, just two weeks away from their opening game against Valdosta State.

Last season, Fort Valley lost the SIAC Championship Game and then fell in the first round of the Division II playoffs to finish its season 8-4.  However, two years ago, they were just 2-8.

Coach Donald Pittman enters his fifth season as head man in Fort Valley, where his 2013 defense returns eight starters.

"I've been here for four seasons, and this is the best preseason practice we've had," Pittman says.  "Everything seems to be going great, and the young men are ready for it to carry over into the season.  If anybody comes to see us play, I think they will enjoy a good, good football team."

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2013 AT&T Nation's Football Classic -- Morehouse vs. Howard

Howard Coach To Appear on Weekly Coach's Show

COACH RAY PETTY
(Courtesy Howard University Athletics)

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Howard University head football coach Ray Petty will make his debut on his weekly coach's show on Sunday. The show will air every Sunday at 11:45 am on In and Out of Sports on WOL1450 am or on the worldwide web at www.wol1450am.com.

The show will be hosted by The Coach, Butch McAdams. Coach Petty will discuss the upcoming opponent, and will analyze the previous game each week through the 12-game season. The final show will air on November 24 following the regular season finale.

In other related media notes, Coach Petty is scheduled to appear on Let's Talk Sports on NewsChannel 8, Wednesday at 9 pm with HU alum and host, Glenn Harris.

The Howard University season opener at Eastern Michigan University will be carried on ESPN3. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 pm. The Bison will play before a national audience when play rival North Carolina A&T on ESPNU, Thursday, September 26 at 7 pm.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Ram Ramblings: And one more thing about the WSSU-A&T rivalry

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- During the dog-days of preseason football practice there’s nothing like talking about rivalries. But in the case of Winston-Salem State and N.C. A&T there can’t be rivalry if the schools don’t actually play each other.

There was plenty of Internet banter – and still is – about why the schools don’t play in football.

While watching the WSSU scrimmage on Saturday afternoon there were plenty of folks still talking about the game that isn’t on the Rams’ schedule.

It’s interesting that fan bases at N.C. A&T and WSSU are riding high these days because for the first time since 1999 both schools have a chance to win its conference championship. It hasn’t happened since that season but it could happen this year.

CONTINUE READING AND LISTEN TO EACH COACH AUDIO

WSSU scrimmage has a little of everything

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- There were about 100 curious onlookers at Winston-Salem State’s first full-team scrimmage on Saturday.

Those expecting to see perfection were disappointed.

The Rams, who were using their main practice field for the first time this season because of all the recent rain, went two full hours of offense against defense. Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams, who lost 11 starters from last season and is coming off a 14-1 season, said afterward that there weren’t many surprises.

"We’ve got a lot of young guys on offense and that’s what I’ve been telling people — but we have a strong defense, also," Maynor said. "So I think it’s a combination of our young guys being under the lights with the referees out there and fans watching; so, I thought the scrimmage went as expected."



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Tennessee State Golf Hits the Course for First Practice

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tennessee State men’s and women’s golf teams took to the course for the first time for the 2013-14 season. The two teams played 18-holes at the Harpeth Hills Golf Course on a calm day with temperatures reaching 88 degrees.  

Both squads paired off in two groups of three for a head-to-head matchup. The men split up as lefties versus righties, with the latter picking up the victory by a stroke. On the women’s side, the newcomers earned a six stroke win over the returners. 

“It was good to get everyone together and out on the course,” said head coach Parrish McGrath. “One of the good things on the ladies side was our newcomers were able to beat our returners. It is always good to know you brought in players who are going to help the team and it shows the program is heading in the right direction.” 

The men’s team sports a veteran team with two seniors and four juniors. Last season the Tigers finished 8th out of 11 teams at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships last year. Junior James Stepp and Cameron Scitern tied for third and were named to the All-Tournament team. Coach McGrath will look to his experienced team to fill the shoes of Scitern who spent four successful years at TSU. 

“We are a little older on the men’s side,” McGrath stated. “James needs to gain the confidence knowing he belongs at the top of the conference. A few other guys need to realize they too can play at that level. It starts sooner rather than later and we need to start to make some gains from the fall season into the spring and building towards OVC championships.” 

The Tigers open play at the Alabama State University Fall Golf Classic on Sept. 1-2 in Montgomery, Ala. 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Tennessee State reaching for another level after 8-3 mark in 2012

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  At one point earlier this summer, Tennessee State University football coach Rod Reed moved his team’s practice to the TSU indoor facility and asked the building manager to turn off the air conditioning to make it hot.

With early-season games scheduled in locales like Memphis and Tallahassee, Fla., Reed knew the Tigers would be facing some miserably hot weather — and since Mother Nature wasn’t providing the proper conditions for his team to prepare, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“For a while, it seemed like the temperature was never going to get out of the 80s,” Reed said, referring to the unseasonably cool temperatures this summer in the Mid-South. “That makes players comfortable at practice, but it doesn’t get us ready for what we’re likely to face during the season. We need to be ready.”



If the past three seasons are an indicator, Reed’s team will be ready — even if it takes some extra handiwork with the thermostat.

After a 3-8 campaign his first season in 2010, the Tigers improved to 5-6 in 2011 and then started last season 7-0 on their way to a mark of 8-3.

Now as he prepares to enter his fourth season with improved depth at every position, Reed seems to be focusing on the little things in hopes of taking TSU to the next level.

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