Patricia Cage Bibbs shares long-term vision for Grambling athletics

BASTROP, Louisiana  -- Patricia Cage Bibbs has hit the ground running in her new capacity as interim athletic director at Grambling State University.

Relinquishing her duties as women's basketball coach, Bibbs accepted her current position on July 1. She has hardly had time to catch her breath ever since.

“I thought I worked hard when I was coaching basketball, but I have never worked as hard and diligently as I have over the past 45 days,” said Bibbs, who was among the contingent of guests from the athletics department attending Thursday night's gathering sponsored by the Bastrop Chapter of the GSU Alumni Association.

Since taking on her new role, Bibbs typically leaves home at 5:30 a.m. and returns somewhere around 10 p.m.

“I don't have a clock in my office,” Bibbs said. “We don't leave until a particular job is finished.”

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Big crowd expected for Southern at UL game

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana  – Add Southern University’s Jaguar Nation to an anticipated large Cajun Field crowd and UL head football Mark Hudspeth coach feels his team’s Saturday night 2014 season opener could be something special.

The last time Southern played UL in 2009, the 41,357 who witnessed the game set a Cajun Field single game attendance record.

Hudspeth said at his weekly Monday press luncheon that crowd record five years ago could be surpassed when the teams meet beginning at 6:05.

“There have been more than 100 requests for (recreation vehicle parking) for the game. Now tell me where you are going to find more RV’s at a single event .

“If we don’t blow (the Cajun Field attendance record) out of the water I’ll be shocked,” Hudspeth said.

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KHOU College Preview: Prairie View A&M Panthers

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  Next up on my College football preview series is Prairie View A&M.

After a 6-6 season in 2013, head coach Heishma Northern is looking for a couple of more wins during his fourth season. There's a good chance that will happen considering the Panthers feature one of the most explosive offenses in the SWAC.

When you talk Panther football, it all begins with quarterback Jerry Lovelocke The senior from Baltimore already holds numerous offensive records at Prairie View. He threw for 2,833 yards and 23 touchdowns last season and he is one of 8 starters that return.

Running back Courtney Brown will also a factor in offensive game plan, he racked up 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus, he can dance.

 

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AAMU Football With Two More Practices Before First Game

NORMAL, Alabama  -- With just two more practices this week before the team leaves for the MEAC-SWAC Challenge, Alabama A&M Head Football Coach James Spady wants his players to concentrate on Bulldog football.And one important item: Game week.

The Bulldogs open their season Sunday against North Carolina A&T in the 10th annual MEAC-SWAC Challenge in Orlando.

Though Alabama A&M will represent the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the game, Spady makes it clear that the players know they are representing the Maroon and White.

"We know we represent the SWAC… we’ll represent the SWAC in a stellar way,” the first-year head coach said Monday in a SWAC teleconference.

“We have to make sure Alabama A&M takes care of Alabama A&M.”

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Stokes to start at QB in NSU season opener

HEAD COACH PETE ADRIAN
NSU SPARTANS ATHLETICS

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  Junior quarterback Malik Stokes will start Norfolk State's season opener at Maine on Saturday, coach Pete Adrian said.

Stokes, who threw for 465 yards and two TDs in seven games, including three starts, last season, gets the nod with fellow junior Tyler Clark still nursing an injured hamstring.

"We don't want to play musical chairs, and (Stokes) has had a real good camp," Adrian said Saturday morning at NSU's inaugural Fan Fest.

Stokes' most memorable performance last season was in a 27-24 loss to Old Dominion when he came off the bench to complete 7 of 14 passes for 87 yards and a score. His most forgettable was an 0-for-10 outing in a 38-0 loss at Rutgers.

"I played in some big games," said Stokes, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Bowling Green. "I had a lot of mental errors and a lot of mistakes. I did some good things. All of that is just growth."

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A coaching pioneer: Willie Jeffries helped blaze trail for black coaches and players

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Oh, the irony of it all. Willie Jeffries, raised by a mother who was a servant to white families in Union for more than 50 years and the product of the segregationist South, scheduled a recent lunch meeting at the Orangeburg Country Club.

When Jeffries entered South Carolina State University as a freshman in 1953, the only blacks at the Orangeburg Country Club were caddies, cooks and waiters. Even as S.C. State’s head football coach – during his first stint from 1973 through 1978 – Jeffries was not allowed to so much as dine, let alone be a member at the all-white, private club.

So, his lunch in the Club’s dining room on that steamy hot afternoon served as an example of how far race relations have advanced over the decades. The color of a person’s skin no longer is important to the Club’s membership. Dining at the adjacent table were three black women. Both waiters were white.

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Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/08/23/3272953/a-coaching-pioneer-willie-jeffries.html?sp=/99/419/#s

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DSU Hornets ready to be a contender again in the MEAC

Delaware State opens the season at Monmouth University on Aug. 30. Game time is 1 p.m. in West Long Branch, N.J.
Courtesy Delaware State University Athletics

DOVER, Delaware  — Kermit Blount’s first three years at Delaware State University were all about trying to close the gap between the Hornets and the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

As he enters his fourth season as head coach, Blount thinks he has succeeded. That was evident last year as the Hornets were in a rebuilding season but contended for the MEAC title and ended up third.

But there’s another step Blount wants DelState to take. He wants to be where the Bethune-Cookmans and South Carolina States are in the MEAC. He wants to be competing to make the playoffs.

“We’ve been close here or there,” Blount said. “But it’s time for us to take the lead in this conference.”

Delaware State hasn’t won the MEAC since 2007, also the last year the Hornets made the postseason.

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ASU preview: Are Hornets finally SWAC title material?

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Secondary still a question: The Hornets may not know their starting secondary players until they line up in the season opener, and that unit is certain to face challenges. "It's a work in progress in the secondary," Barlow said. "There isn't a group of guys playing with the confidence that we would like to see them play with. From a scheme standpoint, what we do is what we do. We're aggressive and we're going to get after it. If we have to adjust that according to how guys are playing (in the secondary), then we'll do it."

2. Best front seven?: With NFL prospect Derrick Billups anchoring a line that includes Justin Mitchell, Chris Terry and Edward Mosley (and occasionally Roderick Henderson in the middle), along with Dareus Washington, Kourtney Berry and Deontrelle Silmon at linebacker, the Hornets' front seven may be the best in all of HBCU football. "I hate to say that to them because (of how) they may read it," Barlow said, "but they're combative and they're coming on. The biggest question is their conditioning. If they're in great shape, they can be very dominant."

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Cheyney University Wolves penalized after committing eligibility certification violations

CHEYNEY, Pennsylvania -- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania lacked institutional control over its certification processes, according to a decision issued Thursday by the Division II Committee on Infractions.

During the 2007-08 through 2010-11 academic years, the university violated NCAA rules in the certification of initial, transfer and continuing eligibility involving all sports programs. During the four-year period, numerous student-athletes competed while ineligible due to improper certification. In amateurism certification alone, 109 student-athletes practiced, competed and received travel expenses and/or athletically related financial aid before the university received their amateurism certification status from the NCAA Eligibility Center. The committee also concluded that a former compliance director failed to monitor when she did not follow proper procedures in the certification of student-athletes’ eligibility.

CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC INFRACTIONS DECISION (Full Report .pdf)

PENALTIES, CORRECTIVE MEASURES
• Public reprimand and censure.
• Five years of probation from August 21, 2014 through August 20, 2019.
• Relinquished voting privileges in the NCAA for two years, beginning on August 21, 2014.
• Postseason ban for all sports during the 2013-14 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• Vacation of all wins in which ineligible student-athletes competed during the 2007-08 through 2010-11 academic years. The public report contains further details on the vacation.
• Five-year show-cause order for the former compliance director. The public report contains further details.
• Attendance at an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar each year during probation beginning in 2015 for the athletics staff members.

Penalties include five years of probation, a postseason ban, a vacation of wins and a five-year show-cause order for the former compliance director. If the former compliance director seeks employment at an NCAA member school during her show-cause period, she and the new employing school must appear before the Committee on Infractions to determine if the school should restrict athletically related duties. Because the institution is considered a “repeat violator” due to an infractions case in 2007, it must relinquished voting privileges in the NCAA for two years.

In an instance of improper certification, six student-athletes in several sports practiced and completed in their initial year without the university completing the academic certification process through the Eligibility Center. The university could not produce any documentation to explain why the student-athletes were allowed to complete without the certification.

A men’s basketball student-athlete was allowed to compete while he was not enrolled in the minimum required credit hours and did not meet the appropriate progress-toward-degree requirements. The university utilized a campus-wide program that could verify full-time enrollment status, but it was not reliable, forcing staff to access student-athlete records by hand. The university did not have systems in place within the registrar’s office to monitor full-time enrollment for student-athletes or to alert the athletics staff if a student-athlete fell below full-time status.

Additional certification violations occurred when the university allowed a second men’s basketball student-athlete to compete during his year in residence after transferring to the university. He was also allowed to compete after his fourth season of competition. Despite not meeting the two-year college transfer rules, two other men’s basketball student-athletes were permitted to compete. Additionally, two football student-athletes competed after being certified as academic nonqualifiers by the Eligibility Center.

The university lacked institutional control when it did not establish adequate compliance processes, monitor and evaluate its athletics programs, and provide rules education and training to staff to ensure the athletics program complied with NCAA rules. Contributing to the lack of institutional control, the university did not maintain student-athlete records and did not establish policies and procedures to allow the university to monitor certification.

A former compliance director failed to monitor when she neglected to follow proper procedures in student-athletes’ eligibility certification. The failure resulted in violations of initial, transfer and continuing eligibility certification; financial aid; and extra benefits involving numerous student-athletes in all of the university sports.

COURTESY NCAA.COM MEDIA RELATIONS

College Preview: Texas Southern Tigers

HOUSTON, Texas  -- It's been a rough three years for the Texas Southern Tigers. 

After having to vacate the SWAC title they won in 2010 because of NCAA violations, TSU has only won 8 games since. 

But they have now come in compliance with the NCAA and several sanctions are starting to go away. Now the program can focus on getting back to their championship form.

The first good thing the Tigers have going for them is experience. Because the program put so much emphasis on recruiting freshman instead of bring in transfers, the team returns 17 starters and 50 players overall to the 2014 team. 

Head coach Darrell Asberry called last season's 2-9 campaign one of the worst he's ever gone through but he's anxious to see what his guys do now that the weight of sanctions is starting to come off.

Offensively, quarterback Homer Causey will have to ...

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Atlanta Falcons bring back B-CU's Eric Weems

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  The Atlanta Falcons brought back a familiar face Thursday by signing wide receiver/special-teamer Eric Weems to a one-year contract. 

Weems (5-9, 195) entered the NFL with the Falcons back in 2007 as an undrafted free agent from Bethune-Cookman. He spent five seasons with the team before signing withChicago Bears in 2012. 

Weems was waived by the Bears last week in favor of Santonio Holmes, allowing Weems to test the free-agent market. Weems apparently took a physical with the Tennessee Titans this week and was poised to sign, but negotiations hit a last-minute snag. 

Weems' deal with the Falcons materialized late Wednesday night, according to a source familiar with the talks. Star receiver Roddy White actually went to bat for Weems with the coaching staff. 



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The Prospector: Bethune-Cookman thriving under head coach Brian Jenkins

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  This offseason when members of the Bethune-Cookman football coaching staff traveled the state on their recruiting rounds, they had a bit more of a swagger in their step.

The Wildcats, under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Brian Jenkins, have established quite a winning attitude and atmosphere at the Daytona Beach school and it’s starting to catch on.

Not only did the Wildcats win their second straight MEAC title a year ago, and third in the past four seasons, but B-CU also knocked off FIU, its first victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. In fact, the Wildcats hit the recruiting path with this little nugget as a selling point: B-CU, at 37-11, is the second-winningest college football program in Florida over the past four years. FSU is 45-10, UCF 36-15, UF 30-21 and UM 29-21. 

The Wildcats have qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in three of those four years. Jenkins took over the program after the Wildcats went 5-6 in 2009. Now winning is expected at B-CU.

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Jackson State turns to youngsters with back-up QB out

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Jackson State is tapping deeper into its quarterback pool.

Evan Ingram, a reliable backup to LaMontiez Ivy, has sat out the last three practices due to a right knee injury he suffered during Saturday’s scrimmage.

“His role is very important, he’s got the next, most experience on this football team,” coach Harold Jackson said. “We’re depending on him just as much as we are depending on the next guy in line. The other guys behind him have to be able to know what’s going on too because they could be one play away from getting into the ball game.”

The Tigers are optimistic Ingram won’t be out for long. In the meantime, they’ll have to look deeper into Plan C, which consists of young talents in Benjamin Thomas and Brent Lyles.

Neither has played a collegiate game, but that’s not what offensive coordinator Timmy Chang is looking at in the upcoming practices.

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Coach Jackson eyes ways to keep JSU D-line fresh

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  As a freshman last year, Jackson State defensive lineman Cornelius Henderson thought his playing time would be limited.

He sold himself a bit short. 

“(Former defensive line coach Jonathan Thompson) said, ‘I got you in the next series,’” Henderson recalled for the opener against Tulane last August. “My eyes got real big. The first play kind of shocked me a bit, but after that I was good.” 

Henderson went on to play in eight more games, finishing the season with five tackles. It’s not an attractive stat line, but it’s his early experience that matters for the defensive line this year. 

The Tigers need to replace three starters from 2013’s Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game, but they’ll have to turn to a group short on experience.

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Holmes says he doesn’t feel pressured to win

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  After a highly-anticipated first year as head football coach at FAMU ended at 3-9, you’d expect Earl Holmes to feel somewhat pressured. 

He actually is, but he said what he feels is self-applied – not because last season might have left some fans questioning whether he can right the ship before it sinks. 

“When I took this job, I knew what it would be all about,” Holmes said. 

“I’ve been in this business for a very long time as a player and as a coach. I know the demands, the challenges. And I know it’s ‘what have you done for me lately.’ ”

A lot was thrown at Holmes quickly.



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New RB coach on mission to improve running game at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- When reoccurring injuries forced Shawn Bryson to retire before he turned 30, he decided to catch up on some things that playing in the NFL made difficult for him to do – raise his child and try his hand in business.

But football kept beckoning and he couldn’t swear it off. Bryson, 37, had to find a way to give back to the sport that was his ticket out of rural Franklin, N.C. 

“I got into (coaching) because I played for a long time and I have all this knowledge that I need to give to somebody, especially the young kids that are striving to make it,” Bryson said. 

After stops at Lenoir–Rhyne University as an assistant coach and most recently at Temple University, where he was a graduate assistant, the one-time leading rusher for the Buffalo Bills – Bryson also played for the Detroit Lions – believes he’s found his niche at FAMU.

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Board OKs contracts for four SU coaches

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The Southern Board of Supervisors approved contracts for four Jaguars coaches at its monthly meeting Friday.

The board OK’d a four-year deal for men’s basketball coach Roman Banks ($165,000 average salary) and a three-year deal for women’s coach Sandy Pugh ($100,800 average salary), both of whom were named Southwestern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading Southern to aregular-season championships last season. Baseball coach Roger Cador’s two-year deal ($106,250) also was approved.

For the first time, the university gave a multi-year deal to its tennis coach as Jeff Conyers’ three-year contract ($47,000 average salary) was approved. Southern has won five consecutive SWAC women’s tournament titles under Conyers.

The board also approved the athletic budget for 2014-15 and a new parking plan for football games this season.

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Morgan State Bears complete final scrimmage of fall camp, shift focus to Eastern Michigan

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- The Morgan State defense recorded four turnovers Wednesday at Hughes Stadium in the team's final scrimmage of preseason camp. The scrimmage lasted two hours and was 84 plays long.

Senior linebacker Cody Acker and freshman Damare Whitaker led the Bears with six tackles, registered a forced fumble apiece, and had two of the team's six sacks.

Senior safety Nate Ayers had four tackles and had a 30-yard interception return. Junior Delonte Hall and freshman Anthony Fludd each also had an interception during the scrimmage.

Redshirt senior quarterback Robert Council completed 7-of-12 passes for 85 yards, including a 30-yard hookup with redshirt sophomore Ricky Fisk (3 rec., 40 yds). Redshirt junior Moses Skillon added 48 yards on 5-of-10 passes, including two interceptions.

Redshirt sophomore running back Lamont Brown III led the Bears with 74 yards on 15 carries, including a long of 17 yards. Fellow redshirt sophomore Herb Walker Jr. added 54 yards on 12 carries and scored on a 1-yard touchdown.

Marcolm Banks recorded one of the highlight plays of the scrimmage. The sophomore running back took a handoff off tackle, spun in the hole, and raced 23-yards for the first touchdown of the day.

Morgan State first-year head coach Lee Hull thought the team looked solid in its final scrimmage of preseason camp.

"I think training camp started off strong, " said Hull. "We had a couple of bad practices in the middle of camp, but I think we finished strong at the end with today's scrimmage."

There are still a few areas that Hull is looking to develop, but one in particular as the team prepares for the season-opener.

"We need to improve in our passing game: said Hull.  "I think we're a little bit behind in our passing game, compared to our running game. That's a little bit due to the fact that they had always been a run-oriented team, and now we're trying to throw the ball a little bit more.

"Everybody -- quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends, running backs and o-line will need to learn all the nuances of pass protecting, running routes, throwing the ball on time… all of those things. We just need to hone up a bit."

The team's attention will now turn to Eastern Michigan, where the Bears will start their 2014 campaign on the road Aug. 30.  Morgan State's home-opener is on Saturday, September 13 when they welcome Bowie State to Hughes Stadium for Family, Friends, Youth & Faculty Day.

Game Tickets: Season tickets for all four contests at Hughes Stadium are on sale now. Tickets for the Whitney Young Classic at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sept. 20 will be on sale on campus soon. For Morgan State football ticket information click here 

THE BEARS 2014 SCHEDULE 
Aug. 30    at Eastern Michigan       6 p.m.
Sept. 6     at Holy Cross                 1 p.m.
Sept. 13   vs. BOWIE STATE       1 p.m.
Sept. 20    vs. HOWARD*%           4 p.m.
Sept. 27    at Norfolk State*           4 p.m.
Oct. 4        at Florida A&M*            5 p.m.
Oct. 11      BYE
Oct. 18      N.C. CENTRAL*@       1 p.m.
Oct. 25      at Villanova                   3:30 p.m.
Nov. 1        at Hampton*                 2 p.m.
Nov. 8        at N.C. A&T                  1 p.m.
Nov. 15     S. CAROLINA STATE*    1 p.m.
Nov. 22    DELAWARE STATE*      1 p.m.


COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

PVAMU Offensive Line Plans To Set A Higher Bar In 2014

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  Assistant head coach and offensive line coach Prince Pearson talks about his offensive line and the expectations they face for the upcoming season.

The Labor Day Classic will be played on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. in NRG Stadium in Houston. Log on to www.LABORDAYCLASSIC.com for more information.



COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

LB Blount making his own name at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Even before NFL scouts starting inquiring about former FAMU linebackers Brandon Hepburn and Brandon Denmark three years ago, incoming freshman Akil Blount kept his eyes peeled on the pair of upper classmen.

He saw their speed, agility and just how hard they worked to become two of the most skilled players on the team. They made such an impression on Blount that he decided to emulate them to the letter.

"I said that was going to be my goal," said Blount, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Mel Blount. "They set the benchmark for me and I'm trying to go a step above of what they did so the next guy can go above and beyond what I do."

Blount is setting some pretty high standards at linebacker -- just by looking at how much his muscular physique resembles his two former teammates who are now in the NFL.

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Southern names Deonte Shorts its starting quarterback

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Deonte Shorts officially became Southern’s starting quarterback Wednesday.

Coach Dawson Odums informed each of his four quarterbacks of their roles heading into the season opener Aug. 30 at Louisiana-Lafayette.

The naming of Shorts, a redshirt freshman from Southern Lab, was expected after he worked almost exclusively with the first team during preseason camp.

“I figured it was going to happen,” Shorts said after practice. “I was just waiting on the bossman’s words.”

Still, Odums gave him the word at a midday meeting in the coach’s office.

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Southern University football has put aside its 2013 championship season and is ready for 2014

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  The 2013 SWAC football championship trophy still shines brightly on the campus of Southern University. But to Jaguars coach Dawson Odums and the 2014 squad, it's ancient history.

When the Jaguars arrived back from winning the SWAC title in Houston in December of 2013, Odums let the players enjoy it until the end of the semester. But he told them before the Christmas break that when they returned for the spring semester to start preparing for 2014 and put the 2013 season in the rearview mirror.

With the 2014 campaign at the doorstep, mission accomplished, said Odums, who led Southern to the SWAC title in his first full season as the head coach.

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NC Central LeVelle Moton signs contract extension worth $2M through 2022

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- N.C. Central basketball coach LeVelle Moton has signed a contract extension worth a total of $2 million through 2022, making him the highest-paid coach in the school’s history.

Moton’s contract, which was extended in May, has an annual base salary of $250,000 for eight years. He now makes more than twice as much as he did when he was hired as coach in 2009, when his base salary was $100,000 and the team was a Division II program.

By comparison, Henry Frazier III, the former football coach who was fired last year, made a base salary of $225,500.

Among the benefits in Moton’s contract are a “courtesy” car for team-related business. Most of the bonuses he already was eligible for such as winning the conference, making the tournament, and improving players’ academic standing and graduation rates have also gone up.

It was Moton’s second raise in as many years. Last year, he made $158,000 a year.

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Mike Davis commits Chris Thomas, Deverell Biggs to bolster Texas Southern

HOUSTON, Texas  -- Some coaches have a niche when it comes to recruiting. John Calipari's mastered reeling in one-and-done freshmen at Kentucky. Fred Hoiberg's the king of hauling in ready-to-breakout eligible transfers.

At Texas Southern, coach Mike Davis has made the Houston campus a destination for second-chance players. 

STARTING FIVE: Previewing the 2014-15 season 

Following the success of West Virginia transfer Aaric Murray, who became the SWAC Player of the Year after averaging 21.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a game, Davis revealed to USA TODAY Sports the commitments of his incoming influx of talented players. Some are following a similar path to Murray — having played at marquee programs before being dismissed.






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Season Opener Preview: A&T Aggies Have Room to Grow

U KNOW THE DRILL: WATCH ALL VIDEOS IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -- Coming off a 7-4 season in which its average margin of defeat was 4.0 points per game, N.C. A&T has the look of a definite dark horse in this year’s scramble for the MEAC football title.

Entering the season, the Aggies appear to have the requisite tools to give predicted league frontrunners Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State all they can handle. A&T opens the season against Alabama A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Fla. On Aug. 31.

Defense is A&T’s calling card. A year ago, the Aggies topped the MEAC in rush defense (90.3 yards per game) and was fourth in total defense (277.9 yards per game). Linebacker D’Vonte Grant (102 tackles, three interceptions and four recovered fumbles) rates among the league’s elites. During his career, Grant, a fifth-year senior, has scored four defensive touchdowns – a school record.

Up front, Michael Neal and Daniel Pinnix – who combined for ...




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