2013 D2Football.com All-America Team

LIBERTY, Missouri  -- Offensive Player of the Year Franklyn Quiteh and Defensive Player of the Year Matt Longacre highlight the 2013 D2Football.com All-America team.  Players from 62 schools were selected with West Texas A&M leading the way with eight selections.  Adam Dorrel, coach of National Champion Northwest Missouri, is the 2012 Coach of the Year.  It is the first time he has received this honor.

 

The D2Football.com All-America Team was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from coaches, scouts, media members, and sports information directors from around the country. 

 

D2Football.com has named an All-America Team since its inception in 2000.

2013 D2Football.com All-America Team

 

QB	Dustin Vaughan	6-5, 220, Sr.	West Texas A&M
RB	Franklyn Quiteh	5-9, 206, Sr.	Bloomsburg
RB	Rondell White	5-10, 185,Sr.	West Chester
WR	Jeff Janis	6-3, 218, Sr.	Saginaw Valley State
WR	Marquez Clark	5-11, 190, Jr.	Central Oklahoma
TE	Joe Don Duncan	6-4, 270, Sr.	Dixie State
OL	Matt Feiler	6-7, 325, Sr.	Bloomsburg
OL	Brian Clarke	6-3, 290, Sr.	Bloomsburg
OL	Jeremy Gatson	6-4, 325, Sr.	Shaw
OL	Matt Armstrong	6-3, 290, Sr.	Grand Valley State
OL	William Wright	6-3, 310, Sr.	West Georgia
DL	Jake Metz	6-7, 255, Sr.	Shippensburg
DL	Larry Webster	6-7, 250, Sr.	Bloomsburg
DL	Matt Longacre	6-3, 240, Jr.	Northwest Missouri State
DL	Darius Allen	6-3, 239, Jr.	CSU-Pueblo
LB	Carlos Fields	6-2, 220, Sr.	Winston-Salem State
LB	Tavarius Wilson	5-11, 235, Sr.	North Alabama
LB	LeRon Furr	6-3, 225, Sr.	Fort Valley State
DB	Pierre Desir	6-2, 206, Sr.	Lindenwood
DB	Brandon Dixon	6-0, 195, Sr.	Northwest Missouri State
DB	Dexter Moody	6-3, 204, Sr.	Albany State
DB	Michael Green	6-0, 195, Sr.	Lenoir-Rhyne
K	Sergio Castillo	5-11, 195, Sr.	West Texas A&M
P	Brandon Kliesen	5-10, 221, Sr.	CSU- Pueblo
AP	John Brown	5-11, 170, Sr.	Pittsburg State
Second Team
QB	Kevin Rodgers	6-3, 215, Jr.	Henderson State
RB	Keidrick Jackson	5-9, 210, Sr.	Midwestern State
RB	Tyler Tonderum	5-10, 191, Jr.	Southwest Minnesota State
WR	Trevor Harman	6-2, 210, Jr.	Shippensburg
WR	Freddie Martino	6-0, 195, Sr.	North Greenville
TE	Ryan Corbin	6-4, 250, Sr.	Southwestern Oklahoma State
OL	Craig Watts	6-4, 335, Sr.	West Texas A&M
OL	Cole Manhart	6-6, 300, Jr.	Nebraska-Kearney
OL	Matthew Reece	6-3, 310, Jr.	Tuskegee
OL	Byron Dovales	6-3, 290, Sr.	IUP
OL	Jamal Ellis	6-4, 315, Sr.	Newberry
DL	Charles Tuaau	6-5, 310, Jr.	Texas A&M Commerce
DL	Zach Moore	6-6, 278, Sr.	Concordia St. Paul
DL	Ethan Westbrooks	6-4, 275, Sr.	West Texas A&M
DL	Jamie Meder	6-2, 304, Sr.	Ashland
LB	Taylor McCuller	6-2, 240, Sr.	West Texas A&M
LB	Chris Pope	6-1, 215, Sr.	Valdosta State
LB	Keaton Stigger	6-2, 245, Sr.	Henderson State
DB	Brian Dixon	6-0, 195, Sr.	Northwest Missouri State
DB	Thomas Wolfe III	6-0, 185, Sr.	Fort Valley State
DB	Justin Bell	5-10, 185, Sr.	Ohio Dominican
DB	Jack Moro	5-11, 190, Sr.	St. Cloud State
K	Steve Wakefield	5-11, 175, Sr.	Mercyhurst
P	Scottie Gallardo	6-0, 215, Sr.	Fort Lewis
AP	Nathan Slaughter	5-10, 185, Sr.	West Texas A&M
Honorable Mention
QB	Jonathon Jennings	6-2, 205, Sr.	Saginaw Valley State
QB	Joe Clancy	6-3, 210, Sr.	Merrimack
QB	Jon Wolf	6-4, 230, Sr.	Minnesota State
QB	Bo Cordell	6-0, 205, Sr.	Tusculum
RB	Glen Clinton	5-10, 200, Sr.	Chadron State
RB	Daiquone Ford	5-7, 190, So.	Findlay
RB	Anthony Taylor	5-11, 209, Jr.	Ashland
RB	Terrell Watson	6-2, 230, Jr.	Azusa Pacific
WR	Robert Holland	6-3, 190, Sr.	Chowan
WR	Vernon Johnson	6-1, 190, Jr.	Texas A&M-Commerce
WR	Gregory Moore	6-4, 200, Sr.	Lane
WR	Corey Washington	6-4, 200, Sr.	Newberry
WR	Torrence Allen	6-1, 190, Sr.	West Texas A&M
WR	Darius Davis	5-11, 212, Jr.	Henderson State
TE	Reggie Jordan	6-3, 235, Sr.	Missouri Western State
TE	Michael Flacco	6-5, 245, So.	New Haven
TE	Scott Simonson	6-5, 255, Sr.	Assumption
TE	Jamie Potts	6-3, 235, So.	Grand Valley State
OL	Marcus Cuellar	6-4, 320, Sr.	Western Oregon
OL	Viondy Merisma	6-4, 285, Sr.	American International
OL	Mike Nelson	6-4, 305, Sr.	Central Washington
OL	Joe Ray	6-0, 245, So.	Lenoir-Rhyne
DL	Julian Howsare	6-3, 255, Jr.	Clarion
DL	Kraig Akins	6-2, 290, Jr.	Western Oregon
DL	Chris Schaudt	6-4, 272, Sr.	Minnesota State
DL	Mike Pennel	6-5, 363, Sr.	CSU-Pueblo
DL	Troy Harris	6-4, 260, Sr.	Mars Hill
DL	Donnie Owens	6-3, 295, Sr.	Winston-Salem State
DL	Howard Jones	6-4, 238, Sr.	Shepherd
DL	Lawrence Virgil	6-5, 290, Sr.	Valdosta State
DL	Robert Hayes	6-2, 278, Sr.	Shepherd
DL	Blake Baker	6-1, 215, Jr.	Lenoir-Rhyne
LB	Jake Edmiston	6-2, 225, Sr.	Colorado Mesa
LB	Nate Dreiling	6-4, 226, Sr.	Pittsburg State
LB	Colby Ring	6-1, 225, Sr.	Minnesota Duluth
LB	Ronell Williams	6-1, 230, Jr.	West Chester
LB	Isaiah Fleming	5-11, 220, Jr.	Cheyney
LB	Grant Singer	6-1, 215, Jr.	Mary
LB	DJ Gnader	6-2, 225, Jr.	Northwest Missouri State
DB	Dewey McDonald	6-0, 215, Sr.	California
DB	Neiko Conway	5-10, 185, Sr.	Midwestern State
DB	Devin Wallace	6-0, 201, Sr.	Virginia Union
DB	Curtis Slater	5-9, 195, Sr.	West Texas A&M
DB	Tyler Thornton	5-8, 182, Jr.	Azusa Pacific
DB	Dashaun Phillips	5-10, 180, Sr.	Tarleton State
DB	Caleb Massey	6-0, 226, Sr.	North Alabama
DB	Darnell Evans	5-8, 181, Sr.	Shaw
DB	Malcolm Butler	5-11, 180, Sr.	West Alabama
P	James McCombie	6-0, 170, Sr.	Slippery Rock
AP	Mike DeCaro	5-9, 191, Sr.	New Haven

COURTESY D2FOOTBALL.COM

Southern teams enjoying each other’s success

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- This championship stuff could become contagious.

The 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship trophy has found a home in Southern coach Dawson Odums’ office.

From there, it’s just a short walk to the F.G. Clark Activity Center, which houses both first-place basketball teams from the SWAC.

Earlier in this school year, the women’s soccer team won the SWAC regular-season title.
Right now is a good time to be a Southern Jaguar — and it’s not a real good time to be a Jaguar opponent.

The Southern men’s and women’s basketball teams have played eight doubleheaders in conference play, and only once did they fail to come away with a sweep. The women have won eight consecutive league games by an average margin of 12 points.

CONTINUE READING 

Texas Southern featured on ESPN Sports Nation

Fans turn up and videobomb the camera pregame of a college basketball game betweeen Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Texas Southern.

Kicker Jacquemin sticks with Jackson State

MIAMI, Florida  -- Former Jackson State kicker Eric Perri sees glimpses of himself in Chris Jacquemin.

Perri — JSU’s all-time leader in made field goals (17) in a season and longest field goal made (50) — owns a kicking academy in Miami and trains Jacquemin. He’ll soon see one of his top students donning his alma mater’s uniform.




“I haven’t seen a kid with more accuracy and consistency coming out of high school, especially in Florida, than Chris,” Perri said. “He has a lot of power and is an all-around guy who can kick and punt.”

Jacquemin, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound left-footed kicker who made 8-of-8 field goals as a senior, committed to Jackson State previously. But he stumbled across a dilemma after learning that Rick Comegy was fired as head coach in December.

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Ex-Wesley Chapel QB’s ‘long journey’ leads to NFL

WESLEY CHAPEL, Florida — For a moment, sitting in the metal bleachers, overlooking his old high school’s football field, Greg Jenkins allowed the memories to flood back.

It was a time when a frail high school kid dreamed of playing college football and then, maybe, in the National Football League.

Jenkins, 24, is living those dreams as a college graduate and member of the Oakland Raiders.

“It feels like I’m in a dream and I haven’t even woke up yet,” said Jenkins, a 2008 Wesley Chapel High School graduate who recently completed his first season with Oakland. “I was thinking about it the other day and I just thought, ‘Wow, I’m blessed. Fortunate.’ I worked hard for it.

“One percent of college athletes make it to the NFL and (when) you can say you’re one of those guys, that’s amazing.”

Jenkins signed a three-year contract with the Raiders in ...

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Biloxi QB Damion May headed to Alabama A&M

BILOXI, Mississippi  -- Biloxi quarterback Damion May has verbally committed to Alabama A&M.

Indians coach John Shannon confirmed to the Sun Herald on Thursday that May will play for the SWAC school based in Huntsville.

May transferred Biloxi from Texas last year, but battled a few injuries during his only season with the Indians.

May's father, Damion Sr., played football for the Indians during the 1990's.



CONTINUE READING

SWAC Men's Basketball Release - January 30

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Saturday Feb. 1
Alcorn State at Southern 5:00 p.m.
Prairie View at Alabama State 5:00 p.m.
Jackson State at Mississippi Valley State 5:00 p.m.
Texas Southern at Alabama A&M 6:00 p.m.
Grambling State at Arkansas Pine Bluff 7:30 p.m.

Monday Feb. 3
Texas Southern at Alabama State 7:30 p.m.
Jackson State at Arkansas Pine Bluff 7:30 p.m.
Prairie View at Alabama A&M ESPNU/WatchESPN 8:00 p.m.
Grambling State at Mississippi Valley State 8:00 p.m.

---

CONFERENCE NEWS & NOTES

The 2014 SWAC Basketball Tournament will be held at the Toyota Center from March 11-15. The Southwestern Athletic Conference will host the 2014 Championship for the first time in Houston, Texas
• Two four-game winning streaks were snapped last week. Alabama State’s was snapped by Southern and Alcorn State’s was ended by Alabama State
• Aaric Murray has scored 20 or more points on 14 different occasions this season and scored in double figures 17 out of the team’s 19 games
• Brandon West (Jackson State) is the only player currently averaging a double-double in the league with seven on the season. He is averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds per game. West is the only player in the confereance that leads the league in more than one statistical category. The center leads the way in rebounds and blocked shots (45)
• Marshall transfer D’Aris Scarver made his debut for Texas Southern on Jan 1. Through six games, the senior guard is averaging 18 points per outing
• After winning its first two conference games, Arkansas Pine Bluff has since dropped five straight
• Top leaders in the conference in points, assists and rebounds:
Points - Aaric Murray(TXSO) - 23.6 /game
Assists - Jamel Waters (ALST) 5.8/game
Rebounds - Brandon West (JKST) 10.9/game
• Out of 100 NCAA Div I players, Jamel Waters is currently ranked 14th in assists and averaging 6.3 per game. Brandon West is ranked sixth in rebounding
• Texas Southern’s Aaric Murray scores 48 (20-of-28) at Temple. No player in college basketball 6-10 or taller in college basketball has scored this many points in a decade and Murray is the first player since BYU’s Jimmer Fredette in 2011 to knock down 20 field goals
• Marcel Mosley (UAPB) leads the SWAC in three-point field goal percentage .425. He’s made a total of 14 in the last five games
• A’Torri Shine (Grambling State) holds the longest stre
ak of posting double figures consecutively with nine games.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG

Three Rattlers Elected To SIAC Hall Of Fame Class

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M ATHLETICS
VISIT: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
VISIT: FAMUATHLETICS.COM

ATLANTA, Georgia – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced it’s 2014 class of inductees, which includes three FAMUans.  Andre Dawson, Clemon Johnson and Willie Galimore will be inducted in a ceremony surrounding the 2014 SIAC basketball championship in Birmingham, Ala., on March 5.

 

Florida A&M was a member of the SIAC from 1913-1979, where it competed against some of the best athletes in the country, barring no division status.  Florida A&M established it’s history of dominance during Alonzo “Jake” Gaither’s tenure as head coach of the Rattler football team.  He captured 22 championships in 25 seasons as head coach.  That feat has not been duplicated.  FAMU also won several basketball championships and stood out in baseball, and track and field.

This year, the SIAC Hall of Fame will pick up induction into the hall after an absence of 13 years; with the last inducting class being in 2000.  Recognizing that the history of athletics in the conference represented some of the best athletes in the world, the SIAC began their hall of fame with a ceremony in 1992.

 

Dawson, known as the “Hawk," for his trademark stare, was outstanding defensively in the outfield.  He was a three-time All-SIAC baseball player at Florida A&M, where he played under legendary coach Costa “Pop” Kittles. He finished his 21-year big league career with a .279 batting average, 438 home runs, 1,591 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases. Dawson was the National League Rookie of the Year with the Montreal Expos in 1977 and the NL Most Valuable Player in 1987 with the Chicago Cubs. He managed the MVP season while playing on the last place Cubs, the only time that feat has been done.  The eight-time All-Star became the second player (Willie Mays) to join the 400 HR/300 SB club.  His speech at Cooperstown was considered by many to be one of the greatest ever.  Dawson was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

 

Johnson, known as “CJ,” was an All-SIAC and All-American selection as a senior and finished his career as the all-time leading rebounder at FAMU, as well as one of the top scorers in school’s history. Johnson played 10 seasons in the NBA and won an NBA championship as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. He won the NBA championship on the team with Andrew Toney, Daryl Dawkins and NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving.  Today, he serves as the head basketball coach at Florida A&M.  Johnson was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

 

Galimore, known as “Gallopin Gal,” is considered one of the greatest running backs of his time. He was a four-time All-SIAC selection and three-time Pittsburgh Courier All-American. He also led Florida A&M to four SIAC Football Championships and one Black College National Championship. He holds the current career rushing yards title at FAMU with 3,592, averaging an astronomical 7.0 yards per carry in 1955.  He holds these records despite not playing much more than a half, as the powerful Rattlers, under Jake Gaither, often were able to play reserves for the duration of the game after halftime.  Galimore played six seasons with the Chicago Bears until he died tragically in an auto accident in 1964.  He was also a member of the College Football and FAMU Hall of Fame.  He was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Greg Jackson, Men' Basketball Coach Fired by Delaware State

CANDY YOUNG
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY

DOVER, Delaware  -- Delaware State University has made a decision to move its men’s basketball program in a new direction, according to Candy Young, DSU Director of Athletics.

Greg Jackson is being released from his head coaching duties effective immediately.

Assistant coach Keith Walker will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2013-14 season.

During his 14-year DSU coaching career, Jackson posted an overall record of 200-216. His tenure included three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season titles (2005-2007), as well as the school’s first-ever MEAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2005.

A national search will begin immediately for a permanent head coach for the men’s basketball team.

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

2014 Urban Invitational to be held in Southern Louisiana

Collegiate Baseball Tournament Designed to Place a Spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Their Baseball Programs

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The 2014 Urban Invitational will be held in Southern Louisiana, with games shared between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, for the first time in the event's history. The annual, round-robin collegiate baseball tournament, designed by Major League Baseball to place a spotlight on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs, will feature returning Division-I HBCUs Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana) and Southern University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), plus Division-I programs Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and the University of New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana).

The weekend will consist of six games played between the four schools and ancillary activities, from Friday, February 14^th through Sunday, February 16^th. Louisiana State University (LSU) will host games on Friday and Sunday, with the Sunday contests called live by Paul Severino, Darryl Hamilton and Joe Magrane on MLB Network. The fields at Southern University, New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy and Zephyr Field, home of the New Orleans Zephyrs, will also host games throughout the weekend. In addition to a game on Saturday, February 15^th, the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy will host a baseball clinic and a college & career fair. All ticketing, parking and additional information can be found at MLB.com/UrbanYouthAcademy.

"Collegiate baseball represents a significant element of the game's future, so it is important to give these programs the opportunity for exposure to a larger audience," said Frank Robinson, MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Development. "We are thrilled to host this year's Urban Invitational in Southern Louisiana, and thank all of our participating schools."

The baseball clinic on Saturday will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (CT) featuring players from each of the participating teams in the Urban Invitational who will provide instruction to New Orleans MLBUYA youth as well as boys and girls from local Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs.

The college and career fair will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (CT). Participating colleges and universities will provide attendees with information about college preparation, undergraduate and graduate degree programs, financial aid and scholarship opportunities. Local businesses will also be on hand to provide career advice and discuss potential job opportunities. High school and college students from the New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama region are invited to attend at no charge. Parking at the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy is free for all events throughout the weekend.

Major League Baseball is dedicated to its ongoing diversity efforts, including the implementation of programs that make it easier for underserved and inner city youth to participate in baseball and softball. With three operating MLB Urban Youth Academies in Houston (Texas), Compton (California) and New Orleans (Louisiana), plus groundbreaking on sites in Cincinnati (Ohio) and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and the announcement of an academy in Hialeah (Florida), MLB has continued to allot resources to bring America's pastime to young people in urban communities.

HBCUs have long offered quality educational and athletic programs and have a proud tradition of attracting outstanding baseball players. Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Brock (Southern University) and Andre Dawson (Florida A&M), as well as current Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks (Southern University) played in HBCU baseball programs. Since 2008, the year of the inaugural Urban Invitational, 16 HBCU athletes who have played in the tournament have been selected in the MLB Player Draft; most recently being Cory Jordan, a Grambling State University alumnus, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 35^th round of the 2013 MLB Player Draft.
           
This will be Southern University's seventh Urban Invitational, making them the only school to have participated in every Urban Invitational. Grambling State will make its third appearance, while LSU and the University of New Orleans are each participating for the first time.

Complete Game Schedule (Central Time):

Friday, February 14, Grambling University at Southern University, 6:00 p.m. at Southern University

Friday, February 14, University of New Orleans vs. Louisiana State University, 7:00 p.m. at Louisiana State University

Saturday, February 15, Southern University vs. Grambling University, 1:00 p.m. at New Orleans MLBUYA

Saturday, February 15, Louisiana State University vs. University of New Orleans, 2:00 p.m. at Zephyr Field

Sunday, February 16, Southern University vs. University of New Orleans, 12:00 p.m. at Louisiana State University

Sunday, February 16, Grambling University vs. Louisiana State University, 4:00 p.m. at Louisiana State University

Orlando begins $200 million Citrus Bowl renovation

The Citrus Bowl is home to the Florida Classic

Artist renderings

ORLANDO, Florida -- A $200 million renovation of the Florida Citrus Bowl began Wednesday with hopes of bringing a college football national championship and other major events to Orlando.

A crane yanked down the stadium's scoreboard during a cold, rainy ceremony, beginning a 10-month project that will raze and rebuild the lower bowl, and add club seats, luxury suites and a digital video scoreboard.

About 80 percent of the 77-year-old stadium will be torn down, with only the upper deck remaining intact.

The rebuilt stadium will feature wider concourses, modernized restrooms, more leg room for fans and an open-air exterior, according to early plans released by the city.

Seating capacity will decrease from 71,000 to 65,000.

Crews will work in 24-hour shifts to complete the project by November before the annual Florida Classic football game between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.



CONTINUE READING

NSU's season not like the last, but at least the Spartans' hats fit

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Maybe losing two of its last four conference games is the sort of reality check that can benefit Norfolk State when the basketball season actually starts to mean something.

A coach can hope.

Robert Jones was an assistant on the Spartans team that thought it was unbeatable going into last year's MEAC tournament at Scope, only to be bounced in its first game by Bethune-Cookman.

After sweeping through the conference at 16-0, "we kind of went into the tournament big-headed," said Jones, who is now in charge of checking players' hat sizes.

Under the 34-year-old Jones, Norfolk State picked up where it left off before last year's tournament debacle, stretching its regular-season MEAC winning streak to 23 before falling to Morgan State on Jan. 18. After righting the ship against Coppin State, the Spartans lost at South Carolina State on Saturday.

CONTINUE READING

AAMU Men's and Women's Basketball Weekly Presser 1-30-14

Final month of CIAA promises to go down to wire

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- One thing is clear with a month to go before the CIAA basketball tournament: The South is wide open.

Four teams are 2-1 in division games and are within a game of each other in the conference, which sets up a wild February. Winston-Salem State and Livingstone, the preseason favorites, have one loss each, while Johnson C. Smith and Fayetteville State have been surprisingly strong. St. Augustine’s and Shaw is in the rear with a combined 1-5 division record.

“It’s certainly a Southern Division tournament type atmosphere,” JCSU coach Steve Joyner said after his Golden Bulls stopped Livingstone 76-73 on Jan. 25. 

Winston-Salem State (11-8, 6-3 CIAA) has been much better against league foes than its overall record indicates. The Rams and JCSU square off on Jan. 30 in Winston-Salem, with the winner locking down first place in the division. Marquez Jones leads the Rams in scoring at 19.6 points a game and forward Wykevin Bazemore hauls down a league-leading nine rebounds an outing.

CONTINUE READING 

PVAMU Breaks Ground On New Bowling Alley, Retail Center

Center To Serve As Home For PVAMU Bowling Team

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M bowling team recently participated in the groundbreaking for the new Prairie View A&M Retail Center. The center, scheduled to open in mid-spring, will feature a highly anticipated 10-lane bowling alley which will serve as the home for the team after 10 years of shuttling 60 miles roundtrip for practice.

The new building will also include a supermarket and a restaurant for now, but businesses such as a dry cleaner, hair salon, a dollar store and t-shirt company may soon be added.

Head Coach Glenn White spoke with PVPanthers.com at the ceremony about what the center means for his team and how will it enhance the program and the surrounding community.

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alcorn coach Jay Hopson talks recruiting in the SWAC, evaluation and more

LORMAN, Mississippi  --  There is no question Jay Hopson has Alcorn State on the rise.

The Vicksburg native guided Alcorn to an impressive 9-3 record last season, including a dominating win over rival Jackson State at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Alcorn State returns the majority of its starters and has a few key recruits like Brandon defensive lineman Michael Brooks expected to join the program.

Hopson is an interesting coach for a lot of reasons. He is the first ...

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Ram Ramblings: Boulware settling into his role as head coach

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Kienus Boulware is settling in nicely as head football coach of Winston-Salem State.

Boulware, who was promoted from defensive coordinator earlier this month, is transitioning into Connell Maynor’s old office at the Bowman Gray Stadium field house. He is slowly moving down the hall from his former office to one that is a little bigger.

Boulware is also making head-coaching decisions that must be made.

Those decisions range from when spring practice will be held to how many players to sign for this fall. He also is busy filling out his staff which includes hiring an offensive coordinator.

Boulware also had time to talk about the challenging schedule that was released earlier this week.

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College athletes take step toward forming union

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Calling the NCAA a dictatorship, Northwestern's quarterback and the United Steelworkers announced plans Tuesday to form the first labor union for college athletes - the latest salvo in the bruising fight over whether amateur players should be paid.

Quarterback Kain Colter detailed the College Athletes Players Association at a news conference in Chicago, flanked by leaders of Steelworkers union that has agreed to pay legal bills for the effort. The NCAA and the Big Ten Conference both criticized the move and insisted that college athletes cannot be considered employees.

Colter said the NCAA dictates terms to its hundreds of member schools and tens of thousands of college athletes, leaving players with little or no say about financial compensation questions or how to improve their own safety. That college football generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue only bolstered the argument for a union, he said.

''How can they call this amateur athletics when our jerseys are sold in stores and the money we generate turns coaches and commissioners into multimillionaires?'' Colter asked.

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Tonight: MVSU's Jerry Rice to be featured in NFL documentary

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Mississippi Valley State icon and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice will be featured in a documentary on the NFL Network on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CST. To watch the trailer, click here.

The documentary examines the career of the iconic receiver who set numerous receiving records at MVSU before becoming one of the most accomplished NFL players in history.

Interviews were conducted with former MVSU quarterback Willie Totten and coach Archie Cooley for the documentary.

For those with DirecTV, the NFL Network is on channel 212.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

SWAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week - January 28

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has selected Texas Southern University center Aaric Murray as its SWAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for January 28.

Saturday in a 94-56 win against Mississippi Valley State, the Philadelphia, Penn. native notched his fifth double-double of the season scoring 26 points and 19 rebounds to complement six blocked shots.

He turned around and tallied 34 points and recorded eight rebounds with three blocks against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday to lead the Tigers to a 72-71 win on ESPNU.

The 6-9 center has scored 20 or more points on 14 occasion on the season and scored in double figures 17 out of the team’s 19 games.

This marks the fourth time Murray has earned the weekly honor.  In December, he scored a career high 48 points against Temple.

COURTESY SWAC.ORG