Monday Morning Football Punts

• Tickets for the Crosstown Classic, a basketball doubleheader involving New Orleans city rivals Xavier University of Louisiana and Dillard University, are on sale.  The Crosstown Classic will be played Saturday, Jan. 25 at XU's Convocation Center. The women's game will start at 5 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7.  Click here for more Crosstown Classic info and Tickets or visit: XULAATHLETICS.
• Super Bowl XLVIII will have three players from HBCUs.  Playing for the Denver Broncos at starting right cornerback, No. 45 is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Tennessee State University.  Rodgers-Cromartie was apart of the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 when they played in Super Bowl XLIII.  Rodgers-Cromartie is in his sixth season in the NFL having played for Arizona and Philadelphia, before signing with Denver.  Representing the Seattle Seahawks are: second string QB Tarvaris Jackson, No.7 from Alabama State University and Ricardo Lockette, wide receiver No. 83 from Division II Fort Valley State University.  Jackson is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.  Lockette, who has blazing speed is from Albany, Georgia and originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Seattle July 26, 2011. He spent the first 13 games on the Seahawks practice squad before signing to the active roster December 22, 2011. Rodgers-Cromartie is a native of Bradenton, Florida and was drafted in Round 1/Pick 16 in the NFL 2008 draft.
• Tampa Bay (Florida) Springstead High School OL/DL Shane Wiggins has picked up his first offer, from Cheyney University, a Division II program located in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Wiggins’ 73 tackles and six sacks as a senior helped the Eagles to their best season in school history.
• Former Mississippi Valley State University head football coach and legend Willie Totten has been hired to coach QBs at Alabama A&M University under new head coach James Spady.  Coach Spady has indicated that he plans to run "the pistol offense" and Coach Totten will have input into the passing game.
• Word out of Itta Bena, Mississippi indicates that the Valley was unable to raise the necessary funds to hire Coach Rick Comegy and his two coordinators that were unceremoniously let go by Jackson State.  The Clarion-Ledger Newspaper posted two interesting articles yesterday -- Records contradict cause for firing and Breaking the Bank: SWAC recruiters deal with shortage of money.  Both articles put into perspective the challenges facing MVSU and JSU -- regardless who the head coach is at each institution. Some administrators may clearly be delusional ... 
• Moving forward, Mississippi Valley is expected to name well-traveled Rich Freeman from Morehouse College as their new head football coach, tomorrow. He will be teaming up with the former "House of Funk" director of bands, Mr. Blake Gaines, who has been hired to direct the MVSU Delta Devil Bands.  Mr. Gaines is an extraordinary talented music composer, arranger and performing jazz bassist.  The Morehouse "House of Funk" Marching Band will be performing in the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase on January 25, 2014, in Mr. Gaines final performance at Morehouse.
• South Carolina State University assistant football coach Joel Taylor has left the Bulldogs family after four seasons to hitch up with Mike Houston, the new head coach of The Citadel.  Taylor will be an assistant coach responsible for the safeties/pass defense coordinator. Houston is coming from Lenoir Rhyne in Hickory, NC, where Taylor served as his outside linebacker coach for 2009.
• CoachingSearch.com is reporting Lane College head football coach Derrick Burroughs is signing on to the Jackson State University football staff as the new defensive coordinator, under new head coach Harold Jackson. 
• CoachingSearch.com is also reporting per source, former Georgia Southern defensive backs coach Orlando Mitjens Jr. has withdrawn from the Virginia-Union head coaching search.
• Good News for Bethune-Cookman and the MEAC for now ... University of Alabama-Birmingham has offered its head coaching job to Jacksonville State head coach Bill Clark, per The Football Scoop.  The Wildcats Coach Brian Jenkins had interviewed for the UAB position last week.
• Alabama State University juniors Isaiah Crowell and Jamel Johnson have filed the necessary paperwork for the 2014 NFL draft.
• Bethune-Cookman's defensive back Nick Addison and offensive tackle Terrance Hackney have also declared for the NFL draft. Hackney was academically ineligible for his junior season and did not play. Addison is projected by the NFL for the 7th round or free agency at best.
• Tennessee State Tight End A.C. Leonard has declared for the 2014 NFL draft.  The former Florida Gator transfer was a top recruit of the Gators.
• If you are in the Atlanta area, do not forget the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Georgia Dome, 3 PM - 6PM.  Tickets are as low as $10.00 while quantities last! Big Sean is the special performer... The Bands order of performance are: 1. Morehouse 2. Arkansas Pine Bluff 3. North Carolina A&T 4. Bethune-Cookman -- Special Guest Performance -- 5.  Winston-Salem State  6. Alabama A&M  7. Alabama State   8.  South Carolina State.

-beepbeep

TSU's Rodgers-Cromartie Headed to Super Bowl XLVIII

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- With the Denver Broncos’ 26-16 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, former Tennessee State defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will represent TSU in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Rodgers-Cromartie will be the third Tiger in the last four years to play in the NFL Championship Game joining former teammates Anthony Levine who was on the Green Bay Packers’ roster in 2011 and the Baltimore Ravens’ in 2013 and Lamar Divens whose San Francisco 49'ers fell to the Ravens last year.

This season, Rodgers-Cromartie has recorded 31 tackles (25 solo) and intercepted three passes, leading Denver to a 15-3 record (including the playoffs).

Rodgers-Cromartie was apart of the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 when they played in Super Bowl XLIII.

Rodgers-Cromartie is in his sixth year as a professional and has amassed 246 stops (222 solo), 19 interceptions and five touchdowns while playing for three different teams. This is Rodgers-Cromartie’s first season with the Broncos.

While at TSU, opposing quarterbacks completed just 55 of 161 passes (34.16%) thrown in Rodgers-Cromartie's immediate area. He intercepted 11 of those throws, deflected 25 and held the opposition to 3.54 yards per pass attempt.

In addition to his stellar football career, Rodgers-Cromartie was also a standout performer for the TSU track team. He qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regionals in 2007 after he captured the Ohio Valley Conference long jump title (25' 0.75").

During the OVC Indoor Track Championships, Rodgers-Cromartie was named the top male athlete with a sensational performance. He won the 60-meter dash (6.89), long jump (25' 0.75") and high jump (6' 9.5") and finished second in the triple-jump (48'8").

Rodgers-Cromartie is one of 20 Tigers who have reached the Super Bowl.

Rodgers-Cromartie and the rest of the Denver Broncos will meet the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks in New York on Feb. 2.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Road to the Honda: North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine

Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase
January 25, 2014, 3:00-6:00 p.m.
The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia.

The eight bands selected to perform are:

• Alabama A&M University, Marching Maroon & White (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• Morehouse College, The Marching Maroon Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
• North Carolina A&T State University, Blue and Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• South Carolina State University, Marching 101 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Winston-Salem State University, The Red Sea of Sound (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

HU Pirates Suffer First MEAC Loss, Fall to Coppin State

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Despite leading with less than three minutes to go, the Hampton University men's basketball team suffered its first MEAC loss of the season on Saturday, as Coppin State escaped the HU Convocation Center with a 71-68 win.

The Pirates are now 8-9 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

Senior forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) led the Pirates with 16 points, going 6-for-6 from the floor, while junior center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) came off the bench to add 11 points, and senior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) added 12 points of 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.

Sophomore forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

The Pirates took a 65-62 lead with 3:15 left in the second half after a layup from Pressley, before Coppin State began its 9-3 game-ending run with a layup from Taariq Cephas and a layup from Michael Murray to give the Eagles a 66-65 lead with 2:30 left.

Redshirt-freshman guard Lawrence Cooks (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a free throw with 1:23 left to tie the game at 66-66, but Coppin State went 5-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch – including two from Andre Armstrong with 14 seconds left to put Coppin State up 71-68.

Sophomore guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) tried a buzzer-beating trey to force overtime, but the shot fell off the rim.

Coppin State led 16-11 at the 12:18 mark of the first half, before the Pirates went on a 13-3 run to take a 24-19 lead at the 8:12 mark after a 3-pointer at the top of the key from Maxwell. Coppin State answered with a 15-4 run to take a 34-28 lead with 4:15 left in the half.

Armstrong hit a trey at the 1:40 mark to put the Eagles up 37-31, before the Pirates scored the last four points of the half to go into the locker room trailing Coppin State 37-35.

Maxwell had 11 points at the break.

Daquand Brickhouse hit a 3-pointer with 11:12 left in the second half to give Coppin State a 53-47 lead after a lot of back-and-forth play to open the half. Murray followed at the 8:33 mark with a layup to put the Eagles up 57-49.

Hampton answered with a 10-0 run, taking a 59-57 lead after a trey from Mercado with 6:24 left.

Maxwell slammed home a dunk at the 5:12 mark to put the Pirates up 61-58, and Pressley added a dunk of his own with 3:57 left to give Hampton a 63-60 lead. Cephas hit two free throws 19 seconds later to cut the lead to 63-62.

The Pirates shot 54.5 percent (24-for-44) from the floor and hit six of their 11 3-pointers (54.5 percent), but they went just 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from the free throw line. Hampton scored 21 points off of 19 Coppin State turnovers.

Coppin State (6-12, 3-1 MEAC) shot 34.5 percent (20-for-58) from the floor, but the Eagles held a 35-30 edge on the glass – including a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Daquan Brickhouse led Coppin State with 18 points.

The Pirates will return to the HU Convocation Center on Monday, when they take on Morgan State at 8 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.




COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

NSU men lose to Morgan State; MEAC win streak ends

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- It's wasn't Norfolk State's mere failure to extend its impressive MEAC winning streak that really got under the skin of first-year coach Robert Jones.

It's that the Spartans, right from the get-go, didn't even look like they wanted to.

Justin Black scored 24 points and Anthony Hubbard scored 22 to lead Morgan State to an easy 87-70 MEAC win over slow-starting NSU Saturday night, snapping the Spartans' nation-leading regular-season league winning streak at 23 games.

The loss bumped NSU (10-8, 4-1 MEAC) from atop the league standings for the first time since it finished second in 2011-12.

And it indicated to Jones that his team, which went 16-0 in the MEAC last season and was a heavy preseason favorite to repeat as regular-season champion, might be better off trying to start another streak.

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Jackson State picks up mid-year transfer from Arkansas State

Raeford Worsham #5

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Raeford Worsham is back in Mississippi.

The former Wayne County High School player transferred to Jackson State from Arkansas State. He played seven games as a sophomore this season with the Red Wolves, averaging 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. During his freshman year, Worsham also averaged 6.4 points and grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game in 29 games.

As a mid-year transfer, the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder would be eligible to play at the end of the Fall 2014 semester. He is officially enrolled in Jackson State for the spring.

Raeford comes to Jackson State under odd circumstances. He quit the Red Wolves, according to a press release by the school in Dec. 14, 2013.  But Arkansas State coach John Brady alleged tampering involved.

“We believe some NCAA Rules may have been breached as it relates to tampering and we will use all avenues to protect the investment we made,” Brady said in the release.

CONTINUE READING

JSU's records contradict cause for firing

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Increasing local recruiting efforts became a rallying cry for Jackson State in its decision to fire Rick Comegy and hire Harold Jackson.

JSU spokesman Eric Stringfellow, who played football at the school, cited it as a major reason for why Comegy was let go in December.

“It’s clear there is some work to be done in terms of recruiting student-athletes from the Jackson metro area (and) Mississippi recruiting area,” he said.

Jackson then touched on it again during his introductory press conference Monday.

“We (aren’t) going to go outside Mississippi until we saturate Jackson and the outer areas,” the new JSU coach said.

CONTINUE READING

Breaking the Bank: SWAC recruiters deal with shortage of money

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Karl Morgan had to fill a roster on a recruiting budget of $8,800 a year.

The former Mississippi Valley State coach didn’t have enough money to fly top targets to the Mississippi Delta school. He didn’t have the resources to send hundreds of letters to one prospect, as has become a trend in the recruiting world. He even utilized a free breakfast at the nearby Hampton Inn to feed the Delta Devils’ recruits during official visit weekends.

At one of the poorest Division I programs, Morgan didn’t get a school credit card until his third year there and had to front a lot of the recruiting expenses. During big official visit weekends, he frequently had to give money out of his own pocket to player hosts.

“The head coach had to have enough money in his bank account for ...

CONTINUE READING 

from THE EDITOR: Savannah State and FAMU Streak into Tiger Arena

vs   
January 20, 2014
8:00 PM EST
Tiger Arena; Savannah, Georgia
Video Stream
Listen live at WBMQ
At the beginning of the season Savannah State was predicted to finish 5th in the MEAC conference. Florida A&M was predicted to finish 10th. The predictions didn’t do either school any favors, perhaps discouraging fans from attending home games. Fans should stay away no longer! Savannah State is on a four game win streak and at the top of the conference. FAMU is on a three game win streak and is seventh in the conference. When they clash on Monday night one should expect an exciting game. The way both teams are playing the 5,000 seat Tiger Arena should be full.

The Tigers are coached by Horace Broadnax. Dr. Broadnax played basketball under John Thompson at Georgetown University before obtaining a law degree at ...

CONTINUE READING

January 18: HBCU Basketball ScoreCard

NCAA Division I - Men

MEAC
Howard 88,  Maryland Eastern Shore 55
North Carolina Central 62, Delaware State 52
Florida A&M 78, South Carolina State 72
Savannah State 70, Bethune-Cookman 60
Morgan State 87, Norfolk State 70
Coppin State 71, Hampton 68
North Carolina A&T 88, New Jersey Institute of Technology 82

OVC
Belmont 79, Tennessee State 65

SWAC
Alabama State 67, Alabama A&M 58
Texas Southern 74, Grambling State 72
Alcorn State 65, Mississippi Valley 53
Southern 60, Arkansas Pine Bluff 56
Prairie View A&M 85, Jackson State 80

WAC
Texas-Pan American 84, Chicago State 61

NCAA Division I - Women

MEAC
Howard 77, Maryland Eastern Shore 75
North Carolina Central 75, Delaware State 61
Hampton 80, Coppin State 52
Savannah State 58, Bethune-Cookman 54
Norfolk State 61, Morgan State 52
South Carolina State 68, Florida A&M 57

OVC
Tennessee State 64, Belmont 51

SWAC
Jackson State 83, Prairie View A&M 82
Mississippi Valley 70, Alcorn State 55
Southern 84, Arkansas Pine Bluff 70
Texas Southern 77, Grambling State 63
Alabama State 92, Alabama A&M 45

 WAC
 Texas-Pan American 66, Chicago State 44

NAIA Division I - Men

GCAC
Xavier (La.) 62, Edward Waters 58
Philander Smith 76, Tougaloo 69
Talladega 84, Southern - New Orleans 66

OTHER CONFERENCES
Huston-Tillotson 84, Jarvis Christian 79
Wiley 90, Langston 85
Our Lady of the Lake 103, Texas College 76
Lindenwood-Belleville 77, Barber-Scotia 63
Missouri Baptist 73, Harris-Stowe State 71
West Virginia Tech 93, Wilberforce 86
Life (Ga.) 110, Carver Bible 97

NAIA Division I - Women

GCAC
Xavier (La.) 63, Edward Waters 40
Talladega 82, Southern - New Orleans 49
Philander Smith 84, Tougaloo 71

OTHER CONFERENCES
Wiley 85, Langston 79
Huston-Tillotson 85, Jarvis Christian 64
Harris-Stowe State 76, Missouri Baptist 75
Southwest (NM) 80, Paul Quinn 65
Our Lady of the Lake 107, Texas College 57

NCAA Division II - Men

CIAA
Winston-Salem State 76, Saint Augustine's 52 PHOTOS
Livingstone 76, Shaw 53
Elizabeth City State 60, Chowan 45
Fayetteville State 72, Johnson C. Smith 67
Lincoln (Pa.) 71, Bowie State 50

SIAC
Fort Valley State 72, Paine 68
Clark Atlanta 68, Claflin 66
Stillman 86, Lane 83
#17 Memphis 101, LeMoyne-Owens 78
Tuskegee 82, Kentucky State 72

NCAA Division II - Women

CIAA
Fayetteville State 56, Johnson C. Smith 31
Winston-Salem State 62, Saint Augustine's 52
Virginia State 73, Virginia Union 65
Shaw 96, Livingstone 71
Elizabeth City State 80, Chowan 74
Lincoln (Pa.) 54, Bowie State 43

SIAC
Fort Valley State 84, Paine 66
Tuskegee 61, Kentucky State 53
Albany State  60,  Benedict 53
Stillman 79, Lane 59
Claflin 77, Clark Atlanta 52 

Southern hold off UAPB to stay unbeaten in SWAC

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — The Southern men’s basketball team remained undefeated in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a 60-56 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday night at H.O. Clemmons Arena.

The Jaguars, 9-9 and 5-0, play at Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday in a game postponed two days because of a bomb threat against the Delta Devils’ campus and arena.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff falls to 4-12 and 2-2.

Southern was playing its first game without starting point guard Christopher Hyder, who is sidelined indefinitely because of a blood clot in his left shoulder.

Trelun Banks moved from shooting guard to point guard and finished with seven points, five assists and one rebound in 25 minutes.

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Page, Brown Lead ASU Comeback Against Alabama A&M

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Luther Page scored a career-high 22 points and Bobby Brown had 12 to lead ASU back from a 10-point deficit with 3:17 left to pace the Hornets to a 67-58 overtime win over Alabama A&M.

 The win moved ASU into second place in the conference and was also Lewis Jackson's 129^th career win moving him into third place on the all-time wins list at ASU.

"It was an ugly ball game for us," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "We came into this game as big as it is, unfocused on the things we needed to do in order to put ourselves in position to win the ball game.  We stumbled through the first half and we were lucky just to be down five.  We came out in the second half and kind of went through the same thing; we were rushing through our offense, we weren't making rotations in our defense, but we kept saying during the timeouts you can do it guys just believe."

"We wanted to speed up the game because we were just walking in slow motion and we started to get some turnovers and got some shots to fall and here we are finding a way to win."

ASU (10-6/4-1 SWAC) trailed 51-41 after a Jeremy Crutcher three point field goal to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game with 3:17 left.  From there the Hornets outscored AAMU 12-2 with the big baskets coming from Brown who hit two three point field goals. The final three with 28 seconds left evened the score at 53 to send the game into overtime.

After scoring eight of his 12 points in the final three minutes, Brown opened the scoring in the overtime period to give ASU a 55-53 lead, which was their first lead since leading 5-2 with 18 minutes left in the game.  Brown's basket started the Hornets on their 14-5 overtime run in which Jamel Waters scored six of his 17 points, including a steal and layup with 23 seconds left in the game for the final score.

Page may have had the best game of his career, with eight of his points coming in the second half after scoring 14 in the first.  He hit eight of his 14 field goals and was six of seven at the free throw line.  He also added three steals.

"Luther came up big for us," Jackson said.  "I think he had 14 or 15 points in the first half and he was the only thing we had going.  He was playing with some confidence so we wanted to ride him.  None of our shots were falling and the guys we want to shoot the basketball couldn't get anything to fall."

The Hornets struggled shooting the ball all night finishing the game shooting 37 percent from the field, and that includes hitting six of their 10 overtime (60 percent) field goals.  ASU was even worse on their three point attempts only hitting three of 13, with two of the three coming from Brown within 24 seconds of each other in the final minute of the game.

ASU was again solid at the free throw line hitting 16 of their 24 attempts for 75 percent.  ASU also won the rebounding battle 41-30 with Brown's nine leading the way.  Page had eight and Maurice Strong added six.

AAMU (6-9/3-2 SWAC) was led in scoring by Crutcher who scored 15 points, all of which came in the second half.  Demarquelle Tabb came off the bench to score 11 and also had a team-high seven rebounds.

AAMU shot 45 percent from the field until the overtime period where they only hit one of the four attempts.  They finished the game shooting 43 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs hit six of their 17 three point field goals (35%), but only one in the second half.  They hit 71 percent of their free throws hitting 12 of 17.

ASU's shooting woes started in the first half as they only shot 30 percent from the field hitting eight of their 27 field goals.  The Hornets did not record a three point field goal missing all four attempts.

Page actually kept the Hornets in the game with 14 first half points hitting five of his nine attempts.  ASU did manage to out rebound the taller Bulldogs 20-17 with Strong tallying five.

AAMU fought through some foul trouble but their three point shooting is what gave them the 28-23 advantage at halftime.  AAMU knocked down four of their 10 three point attempts and all four came by players that came off the bench.

The Hornets will hit the road for their next two games beginning with the Hornets visiting Alcorn State Saturday, Jan. 25.  The game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m.

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton's Maynor Announces Coach Staff for 2014 Season

HEAD COACH CONNELL MAYNOR
(Courtesy: Hampton University Athletics)

HAMPTON, Virginia -- University head football coach Connell Maynor, entering his first season with the program, has announced his coaching staff for the upcoming season – a staff built, in part, based on his staff at Winston-Salem State.

In all, four assistant coaches joined Maynor at Hampton.

John Eder will join Maynor at Hampton and serve as assistant head coach, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator. He served as Maynor's assistant head coach from 2010-13 at Winston-Salem State, where he was also responsible for the offensive line and recruiting.

Markus Lawrence, who played under Maynor at WSSU from 2008-12, will assist Eder in coaching the offensive live. As a senior in 2012, Lawrence was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award.

He was also a First Team All-CIAA selection.

Duane Taylor will also follow Maynor to Hampton; since 2010, Taylor had served as wide receivers coach at Winston-Salem State under Maynor, and the Fayetteville State graduate will serve in the same capacity at Hampton.

Michael Ramseur will coach the Pirates' running backs after serving in the same capacity at WSSU.

Kenny Phillips will come to Hampton to serve as Maynor's defensive coordinator, after spending the last 13 years as the head coach at Div. II Fayetteville State. Phillips led the Broncos to three CIAA championships (2002, 2003, and 2009).

Marcus Gladden will serve as linebackers coach after spending a year at Morgan State as the Bears' offensive line coach. Gladden held the same position at Fayetteville State in 2011 and 2012.

Gary Lowery will coach the Pirates' defensive line; he also spent time coaching the offensive line at Fayetteville State.

Marco Butler will coach the defensive backs for Maynor; he'll come to the Pirates after spending nine years at Norfolk State, where most recently, he coached the safeties and served as special teams coordinator.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Gold Rush defeat Tigers for sixth consecutive victory

The 2013-14 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team.

ROSTER

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier Rogers scored 14 points Saturday, and NAIA No. 22 Xavier University of Louisiana held on for a 62-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Edward Waters.

The Gold Rush (15-4, 4-0) have won six straight -- a season high -- and 10-of-11.

Anthony Goode scored 13 points and Morris Wright 10 for Xavier. Recording season highs were Wright with five steals and Sydney Coleman with four blocked shots.

Antonio Valiente led Edward Waters (9-8, 3-1) with 15 points -- he made three 3-pointers -- and Odayne Clarke had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Edward Waters reduced Xavier's 13-point lead to one in the final 10 minutes, but the Gold Rush secured the victory with three free throws in the final 13 seconds.

Xavier trailed 10-5 through six minutes before answering with a 13-3 run. Wright's basket at 7:59 of the first half put the Gold Rush ahead to stay, 15-13. Xavier led 33-25 at halftime and took its largest lead, 48-35, after an RJ Daniels offensive rebound and dunk with 9:45 remaining.

Edward Waters outshot Xavier 42 to 40.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gold Rush 36-29. The Tigers outrebounded Xavier 12-1 through 12 minutes, but the Gold Rush led 28-24 thereafter. Xavier committed 14 turnovers and gained 21 to match its best turnover margin of the season. The Gold Rush made 18-of-26 free throws, and the Tigers made 11-of-18.

Xavier, ranked second in NAIA Division I in scoring defense, allowed less than 60 points for the sixth consecutive game -- the longest Gold Rush streak since eight straight at the start of the 1951-52 season.

Xavier and eighth-ranked Talladega are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the GCAC. They'll meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.

Box score

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

Gold Nuggets clamp down on Lady Tigers, win 63-49

Paige Gauthier

NEW ORLEANS --  Paige Gauthier scored 17 points, and a lengthy second-half defensive stand helped Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 63-49 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Edward Waters.

The Gold Nuggets (14-6, 4-0) have won 10 of their last 11 games and have a 13-game home winning streak which dates to last year. They're 7-0 at home this season.

Whitney Gathright had 11 points, eight assists and four steals for Xavier. Twelve-of-14 Gold Nuggets scored.

Edward Waters (8-9, 3-1) entered with five double-figure scorers, but only two reached that level against Xavier. Kyeshia Dawkins had 15 points and three steals, and Jacqui Harries had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds. Amber Antoine, who entered with team-leading averages of 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds, finished with five points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Antoine was 2-of-12 from the floor.

Xavier led 29-25 at halftime after building a 13-point lead, and Thomia Wadley's basket with 17:48 remaining tied the score at 29. But the Gold Nuggets outscored Edward Waters 11-0 during the next 10 minutes and capped the run with a Gathright 3-point play with 8:04 remaining. Xavier maintained a double-digit lead thereafter and made it 52-32 when freshman Kelsey Joseph scored at 5:35.

It was the eighth time this season that Xavier allowed fewer than 50 points.

Gauthier had 12 first-half points and finished with her highest total since Dec. 1. The senior guard was 7-of-10 from the floor, and she and Gathright each made a pair of 3-pointers.

Xavier outshot the Lady Tigers 43.6 to 29.6 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 43-27.

Xavier and 10th-ranked Talladega are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the GCAC. They'll meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.

Box score

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

FAMU Rattlers Cage SCSU Bulldogs For 78-72 MEAC Win

COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The Florida A&M Men’s Basketball team won their third straight with a 78-72 win over South Carolina State, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest, here Saturday night at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center.

The win marks the Rattlers' third straight win at S-H-M arena as head coach Clemon Johnson goes to a perfect 5-0 against SCSU.

FAMU (7-11, 3-2 MEAC) had four Rattlers to score in double-figures with Jamie Adams scoring a game high 27 points to lead all scorers.  Trey Kellum recorded his second double-double on the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while both Jomari Bradshaw and Reggie Lewis chipped in 12 points each on the night for the Rattlers.  In addition, Adams led the Rattlers in assists with a team high six.

SCSU (5-12, 1-3 MEAC) had three Bulldogs to score in double-figures with Matthew Hezekiah scoring a team high 26 points. Adama Adams added 18, while Jalen White finished with 10 to round out the cast of double-digit performers for the Bulldogs.

A pair of made free throws by Hezekiah with 15:57 to go in the first, giving the Bulldogs, an 11-3 lead.

The Rattlers took a 19-18 lead on an Adams three pointer with 8:45 to go in the first, capped off by a 16-7 run by FAMU.

White would tie the contest at 30-30 for SCSU with 2:06 to go in the first.

Adams would then convert on a three-point play to give the Rattlers a 36-30 lead with 1:01 to go, capping a 6-0 run by FAMU.  The Rattlers went into the break with a 36-31 lead over the Bulldogs as FAMU finished the first half shooting 37.5 percent (12-of-32), while SCSU shot 38.7 percent (12-of-31).

FAMU would extend their lead to 46-37 in the opening minutes of the second half on a Lewis three pointer with 17:25 to go in the game.

SCSU would cut FAMU’s lead to 54-50 with a 10-0 run, capped off by a Daryll Palmer dunk with 12:53 to go in the game.

The Rattlers would extend their lead to 68-57 on a Jomari Bradshaw put back with 6:48 to go in the game, capped off by a 14-7 run.

Adama Adams would cut the Rattlers’ lead to 75-72 with a made three pointer with 42 second left in the game.

That would be the Bulldogs' final field goal of the game as FAMU held on for the 78-72 win. 

FAMU vs SCSU Box Score

FAMU will return to action on Monday, Jan. 20 as they will travel to Savannah, Ga., to take on Savannah State in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Tiger Arena.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

B-CU Wildcats Celebrate 2013 MEAC Football Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Under the direction of head coach Brian Jenkins, the Bethune-Cookman University football team held its annual end-of-year banquet, celebrating the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the 500 Club of the Daytona International Speedway.

The M.C. for the evening was veteran sports commentator Charlie Neal, while comedian Rod Z performed a special standup act during the dinner portion of the event. The event was limited to season ticket holders, trustees and specially invited guests, due to limited seating inside the 500 Club. As expected, it was sold out occasion.

Performed much like the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, the evening included special team awards named after several people associated with the Bethune-Cookman University football family. Videos highlighted the nominees for each award, while the winner was revealed from an envelope by the presenter.

With assistance from Darian McCaskill of the award-winning CatEye Network, Tiffany Todd revealed the end-of-year video with a special look inside the Wildcats program. Other presentations from the CatEye Network included clips of celebrations around the season from student-athletes, coaches and support staff, as well as a “Then and Now” portion, including baby pictures and much more.

The night ended with Director of Athletics Lynn W. Thompson and Brian Jenkins giving a special award to Charlie Neal for his outstanding career announcing and broadcasting Historically Black College/University (HBCU) games for more than 40 years.

A “Herald” is the word used to describe Neal in the award.

Name of Honoree	Award Received
Tevin Toney	Charles Bingham Humanitarian Award
Cary White	Lee Bryant Outstanding Leadership Award
Isidore Jackson	Jack “Cy” McClairen Trailblazer Award
Erik Williams	Willie “Foots” Lee Defensive Lineman Award
Andrew Edouard	Larry Little Workman Award
Nesley Marcellon	Scholar Award
Rashard Brown	Dean Montgomery Gridiron Scholar Award
Eddie Poole	Bill Flynt Achievement Award
Jarkevis Fields	Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Award
LeBrandon Richardson	Lee Williams Workman Award
Dyron Dye	Mathis-Collins-Weems Perseverance Award
Jordan Murphy	Donavan Wells Excellence Award
Rahdeese Alcutt & Preston Cleckley	Special Cat Award

The next event for B-CU football will be the national signing day bash on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 5. A time and location for the annual event will be announced in the days to come.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all B-CU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/BCUathletics, in addition to the official football twitter page at Twitter.com/BCUGridIron. You can also become a fan of the Wildcats on Facebook at Facebook.com/BCUathletics.

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Lady Tigers Down Belmont, 64-51

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team imposed its defensive will against Belmont Saturday night as the Lady Tigers defeated the Bruins, 64-51, in the Gentry Center.

 

Tennessee State (6-12, 3-2 OVC) held Belmont (7-13, 4-3 OVC) to 16 first-half points and led by as many as 25 points in the win.

 

Rachel Allen led all TSU scorers with 13 points while Alana Morris added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Brianna Lawrence chipped in 11 points for the Lady Tigers. Although Chelsea Hudson was held to eight points she pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds in the contest.

 

Jordyn Luffman led Belmont and recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 boards. Frankie Joubran also posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

 

Tennessee State shot 34.3 percent from the field in the game, including 40 percent from long range. TSU only connected on 56 percent of its free-throw attempts but held the advantage in rebounds, 51-48.

 

Defense was the theme of the first half as the score was tied, 6-6, at the first media timeout.  Over the next seven minutes, TSU held BU scoreless as the Bruins went 0-6 from the field.

 

In the meantime, the Lady Tigers posted 10 straight points to go ahead, 16-6. At the 7:35 mark Belmont finally was able to score on a couple free-throws.  The Lady Tigers, however, responded with a 7-4 run to increase the advantage to, 23-12.

 

TSU went into the halftime break leading, 26-16, after holding BU to a .259 shooting percentage (7-of-27) and forcing the opponent into nine turnovers.  The 16 points was the lowest TSU has held an opponent to in the first half.

 

An old fashioned three-point play from Rachel Allen got TSU on the board in the second half. Following a free-throw from Chelsea Hudson, Alana Morris scored to put TSU on top, 37-21, with 16:12 on the clock.

 

With about 13 minutes left to play, The Lady Tigers stretched their advantage to, 47-22, after Brianna Lawrence buried back-to-back three-pointers.

 

TSU was leading, 50-26, when Belmont posted six straight points to make the score, 50-32, in favor of the home team.

 

With 5:49 remaining in the game, Alana Morris found Chelsea Hudson in the paint to make the score, 56-36.

 

Although Belmont went on a 12-3 run and outscored TSU, 22-10, over a span of 10 minutes, the Lady Tigers maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the game.

 

Belmont shot 30.4 percent from the field but only managed to make 1-of-18 from beyond the arc. BU went 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

 

Tennessee State will have a short break before returning to action on the road at Jacksonville State. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Pete Mathews Coliseum.

FINAL STATS

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

SCSU Adams Among Top Coordinators In FCS Division I-AA

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- South Carolina State defensive coordinator Mike Adams was one of five finalists for the 2013 FootballScoop.com FCS Coordinator of the Year award.

Under Adams, the Bulldogs finished first in the FCS in four defensive categories — total defense (238 yards allowed per game), sacks (62), team tackles for loss (9.9 per game) and pass efficiency defense — second in third-down conversion defense (.274) and rushing defense (90.9 yards allowed per game), and third in Red Zone Defense (.667) and scoring defense (15.2 points allowed per game).

Despite Adams' credentials, 1 Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert won the award based on voting by the previous winners. Under his leadership, the Panthers led the FCS by averaging 589.5 yards of total offense per game, placed second nationally with 372.4 passing yards per game and ranked 20th in the FCS with 217.1 rushing yards per game. Gilbert's unit was the only FCS offense to rank among the top five nationally in passing offense and the top 20 nationally in rushing offense.

In addition, quarterback Jimmy Graoppolo connected on 375-568 passes for 5,050 yards with 50 touchdowns against nine interceptions (a 168.33 pass efficiency rating) while adding 209 rushing yards and four scores. For his efforts, the senior Panther was named the Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in the FCS.

Other FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year finalists included defensive coordinators Scott Boone (William & Mary) and Chris Klieman (now the head coach at three-time FCS champion North Dakota State) and offensive coordinator Aaron Best (Eastern Washington).



COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Memphis meets Lemoyne-Owen in non-conference action

MEMPHIS, Tennessee  -- The 17th-ranked Memphis Tigers will take a break from their American Athletic Conference schedule and their Division I slate for that matter, as they play host to the Lemoyne-Owen Magicians on Saturday afternoon at FedEx Forum.

Josh Pastner's Tigers enter this contest off a tough 83-73 home loss against Connecticut on Thursday. The setback dropped Memphis to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Tigers are still a healthy 6-2 at home this season.

The Magicians play in the Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). William Anderson's squad was picked to finish fourth in the SIAC West Division and has struggled to a 4-9 record thus far, including a 2-4 mark in-conference. The Magicians have lost four of their last five games and enter this contest off an 85-75 setback to Fort Valley State on Thursday.

Memphis has won all six previous meetings with Lemoyne-Owen, although all have been exhibitions. This is the first regular-season matchup between the two teams.

The Magicians shot a cool ...

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Hampton's Pierce Named Head Men's Coach of Team USA U-23

Maurice Pierce
Director of Track & Field
Hampton University

HAMPTON, Virginia  –  Hampton University Director of Track & Field Maurice Pierce has been named Head Men's Coach as part of the U.S. Track & Field National Team for the 2014 NACAC Under-23 Championships, it was announced on Thursday.

In his 12th season at Hampton, and his second coaching both programs, Pierce has won four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) cross country titles (2004, '06, '10, '11), 10 MEAC indoor track & field titles (2003-09, '11-13) and nine MEAC outdoor championships (2003-04, '06-11, '13).

He guided the Pirates to the 2013 MEAC outdoor title, giving the men's program its first MEAC track & field title since 2003. The Lady Pirates swept the MEAC indoor and outdoor title last season, after coming in second in cross country.

Pierce, the 2008-09 Southeast Region Women's Head Coach of the Year as named by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), has coached 20 All-Americans and watched his student-athletes bring home five individual NCAA titles – two from Yvette Lewis in the triple jump and three from Francena McCorory in the 400-meter dash.

But Pierce's success isn't exclusive to Hampton.

He has also coached Olympic athletes – most recently, Pierce coached David Payne to the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Pierce, considered one of the world's best hurdle coaches, has coached athletes in the last four Olympics – including the likes of former Pirate James Carter and Rachelle Boone-Smith.

Both athletes have won World Championships under Pierce.

Pierce, a native of Newport News, Va. and a graduate of Norfolk State, is also chair of the USATF Virginia Association Women Elite Athletes.

The 2014 NACAC Under-23 Championships will be held Aug. 8-10 in Kamloops, British Columbia.

For more information on Hampton University track & field, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Towson, Morgan State players hope to make an impression at NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- Jordan Love and Karim Barton played in relative obscurity as they finished their college football careers a few miles down the road from each other.

Love was a starting cornerback for a Towson team that went to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivison championship; Barton a first-team all-conference offensive lineman at Morgan State.

But this week, the two small-school standouts are both at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in California, trying to make a name for themselves while representing their universities as they line up against players from premiere Football Bowl Subdivision programs such as Ohio State, Missouri and Oklahoma.

"I'm just taking it all in. I'm humbled by the whole situation, considering where I come from," Barton said. "This whole week has been a blast, a great experience. And to represent a school like Morgan State, I feel pressure but at the same time I know there are a lot of people out there pulling for me."

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Hampton adds former Miami (OH) guard Reggie Johnson

MIAMI, Ohio -- Nine games into the 2013-14 season sophomore guard Reggie Johnson made the decision to leave the program, resulting in the RedHawks losing their second-leading scorer at the time. Johnson averaged 11.8 points per game for Miami, eclipsing the 20-point mark in three of the nine games he played in.

According to College Basketball Talk’s Scott Phillips, Johnson has found a new home.  Johnson will continue his career at Hampton, becoming eligible to play in games at the end of the 2014 fall semester.

The key for Johnson will be consistency, something that was an issue at Miami in the nine games he played in this season.

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UNC board suspends whistle-blower's research on literacy level of athletes

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina  -- UNC-Chapel Hill announced Thursday evening that its research review board had suspended whistle-blower Mary Willingham’s work on the literacy levels of university athletes.

The university said that its institutional review board, which governs research projects, found that Willingham had released data that could identify research subjects.

Willingham’s research indicated that more than half of 183 athletes screened for their reading skills over an eight-year period could not read beyond the eighth-grade level; it was based on tests the university administered to athletes admitted despite concerns they might be academically challenged. She said roughly 10 percent of those students were functionally illiterate.

The research, publicized on CNN last week, helped kick up more concerns about the academic fraud scandal at UNC-Chapel Hill that involved dozens of lecture-style classes that never met. Willingham, a former learning specialist with the tutoring program for athletes, blew the whistle on those classes to The News & Observer in 2011. Athletes made up nearly half of the enrollments in those classes.

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Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/16/3538799/uncs-folt-questions-literacy-findings.html#storylink=cpy

MSU's Karim Barton set for 2014 NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Former Morgan State lineman Karim Barton has been invited to play in the 2014 NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl on Saturday.

The all-star game between the National Team and the American Team will be televised on ESPN2 and kicks off at 6 p.m. EST.

The offensive lineman from Los Angeles will be one of the talented draft-eligible seniors competing in the all-star game on January 18 at StubHub Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California.

Barton is listed at 6-3, 315 lbs. and is known for his ability to play anywhere on the offensive line. The versatile lineman earned First-Team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors and took home the MEAC's Offensive Lineman of the Week honors three times in his final campaign with the Bears. In a 34-22 win over N.C. Central, Barton anchored the offensive line that accounted for 385 yards of total offense as he graded out at 97-percent of his assignments, recorded three pancake blocks and allowed zero sacks. This was a repeat from his standout performance against Army, where he also graded out at 97-percent on his assignments, added three pancake blacks and gave up zero sacks.

In a upset win against Florida A&M on homecoming, Barton paved the way for the Bears' ground game that churned for 238 rushing yards and controlled the time of possession (37-to-22 minutes). That day, he again graded out at 97-percent of his assignments as the team accounted for 382 yards of total offense.

For player confirmations and news surrounding the game, follow @NFLPABowl on Twitter and on Facebook at Facebook.com/NFLPACollegiateBowl.

Pro-football players and coaching legends will work with the game's future stars, giving them first-hand insight on what it takes to win on and off of the field. Dennis Green and Dick Vermeil will serve as the head coaches for the American and National Teams. Visit the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl site for a full list of the teams' assistant coaches.

Tickets are on sale now: http://collegiate.nflpa.com/

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS