Echebelem is All-Louisiana, Player of Year runner-up

Chinedu Echebelem

NEW ORLEANS -- When Xavier University of Louisiana's 2014 women's volleyball season started, Chinedu Echebelem was a 3-year standout player transitioning to student manager. She was looking ahead to completing her academic obligations in December. But when the Gold Nuggets opened with two straight losses, she rethought her role.

"I decided I had much more that I could contribute to the team," Echebelem said.

Echebelem asked to rejoined the team, was accepted without hesitation, and she helped get the Gold Nuggets back on track. Xavier won its first 10 matches after Echebelem's return -- the second-longest streak in the program's history -- won its fourth consecutive regular-season and tournament championships in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and earned a fourth straight automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.

Echebelem, a 5-foot-6 outside hitter from Dallas and a graduate of Duncanville High School, added to her 2014 honors late Saturday when she was named All-Louisiana first team by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. She was runner-up for Player of the Year; Louisiana-Lafayette setter Andrea Hole edged Echebelem by one vote.

"Nay (Echebelem) picked up where she left off last year," XU coach Hannah Lawing said. "When she rejoined the team she was in shape and ready to go. She stepped in and gave us great senior leadership."

Echebelem recorded 205 kills, 264 digs, nine aces, 25 assists and 17 blocks in 22 matches and reached career highs for kills per set, digs per set and hitting percentage. She had eight kill-dig double-doubles, including 21 kills and 21 digs Oct. 1 in a five-set victory at SUNO.

Echebelem was selected GCAC Player of the Year and, for the third time, All-GCAC. She was CoSIDA Academic All-District and repeated as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

It's the fourth straight year that Xavier has All-Louisiana representation and the third straight year the Nuggets have a first-team selection.

Lawing, whose Nuggets finished 20-6 overall and 14-0 in the GCAC, was runner-up in voting for Louisiana Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Earning that honor was Northwestern State's Hugh and Stephanie Hernesman, who are co-coaches and married to each other.

An LSWA panel of sports publicists selected the All-Louisiana team, which consists of players from NCAA Division I and NAIA members.

2014 All-Louisiana Women's Volleyball team

FIRST TEAM
Chinedu Echebelem, senior, Xavier
Kaci Eaton, sophomore, Nicholls State
Andrea Hole, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette
Briana Holman, sophomore, LSU
Cati Leak, junior, LSU
Mackenzie Neely, senior, Northwestern State
Kalynn Egea, senior, Nicholls State

SECOND TEAM
Eva Allen, junior, Loyola
Rachel Cagnina, senior, McNeese State
Stacey DiFrancesco, senior, Northwestern State
Glynna Johnson, junior, Northwestern State
Tea Juric, sophomore, Tulane
Malorie Pardo, senior, LSU
Rebecca Redgen, senior, Louisiana Tech
Marcela Araya, senior, Louisiana-Monroe

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrea Hole, Louisiana-Lafayette
Voting: Hole 4, Echebelem 3, Holman 2, Neely 2, Allen 1

LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Kalynn Egea, Nicholls State
Voting: Egea 7, Araya 2, Morgan Todd (Southeastern Louisiana) 2, Haley Smith (LSU) 1

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Kaci Eaton, Nicholls State (only nominee)

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Sarah Ray, Tulane
Voting: Ray 5, Bayleigh Hoffman (Louisiana-Monroe) 4, Gina Tillis (LSU) 3

COACH OF THE YEAR: Hugh and Stephanie Hernesman, Northwestern State
Voting: Hernesmans 6, Hannah Lawing (Xavier) 3, Fran Flory (LSU) 2, Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot (Louisiana-Lafayette) 1.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

XULAATHLETICS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

https://twitter.com/xulagold

https://www.facebook.com/

Florida A&M's President Hires a Winner in Head Football Coach Alex Wood

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- With the announcement today of the hiring of Head Football Coach Alex Wood, Florida A&M University president Dr. Elmira Mangum delivered on her promise.  In all respects, she selected a strong leader and winner!  I like this hire and the University has my financial support.



THE ALEX WOOD FILE

Overall, Wood brings an impressive coaching resume to FAMU, spanning nearly four decades of work on both the collegiate and professional levels.

From 1989-93 he was part of Dennis Erickson’s staff for the Miami Hurricanes, coaching the running backs, while helping the Canes to a pair of National Championships (1989 and 1991) and a perfect 12-0 season in 1991.

After serving as offensive coordinator for two seasons at Wake Forest (1993-94), he was named as the head football coach at James Madison University.

Wood led the Dukes to an 8-4 record in his first season including a trip to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. In his four-year tenure at JMU, Wood compiled a record of 23-22.

Wood moved into the pro ranks in 1999, when he was hired by Dennis Green as the quarterbacks coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He spent four seasons with the Vikings’ organization.

In his first year with the team, the Vikings selected Daunte Culpepper in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. By Culpepper’s second season, the young star not only took over the starting quarterback job but earned a start for the National Football Conference (NFC) in the Pro Bowl.

He tied for the NFL lead with 33 passing touchdowns and ranked second in the NFC with 3,937 yards. Culpepper led the Vikings to the NFC Central title and a spot in the conference championship game.

In 2001, Culpepper was lost to a season-ending injury but still managed to finish third in the NFC in completion percentage (64.2).

The Culpepper-Wood combination was back at it again in 2002. Culpepper spearheaded the NFL’s second-ranked offensive unit and in the process the Vikings’ quarterback finished second in the NFC in passing yardage (3,853) for the second time in Wood’s tenure.

Wood was named wide receivers coach by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003. In his one year in Cincinnati, Wood coached two players in the top 10 of receiving yards in the AFC (Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick). Johnson led the AFC with 1,355 yards on 90 receptions. He also had 10 touchdown receptions.

In 2004, Wood rejoined Green on the staff of the Arizona Cardinals. Wood served one season as the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals, overseeing the offensive staff and handling play-calling responsibilities.

He spent the 2006-07 seasons as the passing game coordinator at the University of Arkansas and ultimately ended up back in the Midwest, helping the RedHawks of Miami of Ohio become the first team in Division I history to go from one victory to double digit wins.



WOOD’S IMPACT AT BUFFALO

The four seasons Wood led the Buffalo offense, the Bulls featured one of the nation’s most prolific attacks both in yardage gained and points scored.

In 2014, The Bulls’ offense rolled up 4,820 total yards (2,855 passing, 1,955 rushing), while averaging 32.3 points per game.

In 2013, UB's offense again flourished, as for the second straight season, the Bulls rushed and passed for over 2,000 yards (2,176 yards rushing, 2,955 yards

passing). The Bulls scored 30 or more points in a school-record eight straight games. Wide Receiver Alex Neutz set the school record with 30 career receiving touchdowns en route to being named All-MAC First Team.

In 2012, UB’s offense rushed for 2,120 yards and passed for 2,391 yards, becoming the first team in the Division I-A era to rush and pass for over 2,000 yards. In addition, Neutz became just the third receiver in school history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

In 2011, his first season as offensive coordinator, the Bulls’ offense saw significant improvement. UB averaged eight more points and 68 more yards of total offense per game than in 2010. Buffalo had 13 plays of 40 or more yards in 2011 - the most in its Division I era.

As wide receiver coach, Wood coached Marcus Rivers to his first All-MAC selection. In addition, Alex Nuetz had the best season of his young career with a team-high 641 receiving yards in only nine games.



COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

FAMU hires Alex Wood as new head football coach

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M announced the hiring of Alex Wood as its 17th head football coach on Tuesday during a 3 p.m. news conference at the Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse. 

Wood has more than 35 years of coaching experience at the high school, collegiate and professional levels

Prior to accepting the top job at FAMU, Wood served as offensive coordinator at the University of Buffalo (UB) from 2011-14. This past October, he was tapped to serve as interim head coach replacing head Jeff Quinn, who was relieved of his duties, for the final four games (2-2).

Wood is credited with directing a prolific offense at Buffalo, which averaged over 400 yards and 30 points per game during his four-year stint. In 2014, the team finished fourth in total offense and third in scoring offense in the Mid-American Conference, and in 2012 became the first Division I FBS program to amass over 2,000 yards rushing and passing in the same season.

He served as running back coach at University of Miami from 1989-93 helping the team to a pair of national championships, including a perfect 12-0 in 1991.

Wood served as head coach at James Madison University (JMU) from 1995-1998 and led them to an 8-4 record and the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 1995.

Wood also served as a coach in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Minnesota Vikings.

“When President (Elmira) Mangum tasked me with completing the search for a head coach with a proven record of developing a competitive program, possessing high moral and ethical character, capacity to inspire our student -athletes, and the capabilities to take the program in a new direction, one of the first persons that came to mind was Alex Wood,” said Interim AD Nelson Townsend. “The stars aligned perfectly for FAMU to get a coach of the caliber of Alex,” added Townsend.

“I am delighted to join the Rattler family,” said Wood at the news conference. After meeting with Interim AD Nelson and President Mangum, I am thoroughly convinced that working together with Board of Trustees, students, faculty, alumni, and supporters that I can build a competitive football program that will play a positive role in helping FAMU enhance its brand and achieve its mission of becoming a best-in-class academic institution.”

Commenting on the hiring of Wood, President Elmira Mangum said, “I applaud the ability of Interim AD Townsend to swiftly, yet carefully and deliberately, complete the search for a new head coach. Moreover, I commend him for identifying a person with the capabilities and integrity of Alex Wood.”

ALEX WOOD PERSONAL: Wood is a native of Massillon, Ohio, and was a standout football player and wrestler at Washington High School. He and his wife, Rosa, have three children--Jerrel, Alex and Natalie. His son Alex is the defensive coordinator at Wayne (NE) State College.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Commentary: B-CU’s hiring of Terry Sims looks like the right move

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Quite often, when a head coach leaves a program, many people within that program call out for the promotion of an existing staff member.

But usually, when a coach leaves a program, it’s not his choice. While promoting an existing assistant might comfort the players, recruits and current coaching staff, it makes little sense. It’s time to change directions entirely.

Sometimes, however, continuity isn’t just popular and convenient. It also can be the right move.

The promotion of Terry Sims from assistant to head coach at Bethune-Cookman looks like the right and proper move. It looks for all the world like an athletic program that didn’t try to outsmart itself.

“Continuity of leadership,” was a phrase tossed around a few times Monday when Lynn Thompson, B-CU’s athletic director, introduced Sims for the first time as the top Wildcat.

CONTINUE READING 

Dawson Odums is staying at Southern, Bethune-Cookman promotes assistant head coach Terry Sims to head coach

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern coach Dawson Odums isn’t going to Bethune-Cookman.

The Wildcats received permission from the Jaguars on Friday morning to interview Odums, who has led Southern to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship games in each of his two seasons as head coach.

But they apparently never met with Odums, who was defensive line coach at B-CU from 2005-07, before promoting assistant head coach Terry Sims early Monday afternoon. Sims replaced Brian Jenkins, who resigned last week to become head coach at Alabama State.

B-CU, which won a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and was ranked No. 2 nationally this past season, also received permission to speak with Tennessee State coach Rob Reed, but he agreed to an extension Friday night.

The Wildcats were paying Jenkins $265,000 per year after he received a raise two years ago when he was a finalist for the Southern job before the Jaguars promoted Odums from interim coach to head coach.

CONTINUE READING

Bethune-Cookman promotes Terry Sims as new head football coach

TERRY SIMS
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman University introduced Terry Sims as the Wildcats new head football coach Monday at a press conference on the B-CU campus.

"I'm very confident. I'm a confident person," Sims said after being introduced. "I will be different from Coach [Brian] Jenkins. I'm a people person and so we will be different in that sense."

"I'm trying to hold it all back ... I'm bubbling right now. It's a great Christimas gift and I can't wait to get going."

Sims, who served as assistant head coach/special teams/safeties for the past five years, takes over the reins following the departure of Brian Jenkins, who left for a similar position at Alabama State.

"I thought I had the job after he left," Sims said of Jenkins, to much laughter from those in attendance.

It was important for athletics director Lynn Thompson that the search zeroed on Smis to stay in house with the success of the program over the past five years.

CONTINUE READING

B-CU Football Sets Monday Press Conference at 1 p.m.

COACH TERRY SIMS
(Courtesy: B-CU Athletics)

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman University is set to hold a press conference in the Harold V. Lucas Hall of Fame, located on the first floor of the Larry R. Handfield Athletic Training Center on the campus of B-CU. The press conference, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., will feature Bethune-Cookman Director of Athletics Lynn W. Thompson as he discusses the future of Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats Football. All media wishing to attend are asked to be present and in place for the event by 12:45 p.m. The press conference will be streamed live via CatEye Network.

The event is also open to the public, and all are asked to attend.

However, the front row will be dedicated to the working press. Plenty of standing room is available as well.

Who: Lynn W. Thompson (B-CU Director of Athletics)
What: Media Availability
When: Mon., Dec. 22, 2014 – 1 p.m.
Where: Harold V. Lucas Hall of Fame (Larry R. Handfield Athletic Training Center)

Please contact B-CU Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Bryan J. Harvey via email or phone if you have any further questions.

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Offensive Coordinator Mark Orlando Walks Away From Texas Southern for Alabama State

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern University head football coach Darrell Asberry has announced that recently hired Offensive Coordinator Mark Orlando has resigned effective immediately to accept a similar position at Alabama State University.

"Coach Orlando has informed me of his decision to join the Alabama State football coaching staff," said Asberry. "We wish him well and we'll begin the process of identifying someone to fill the now vacant position."

Asberry hopes to name a new Offensive Coordinator within the upcoming weeks.

"We hope to move quickly in the naming of our next Offensive Coordinator," said Asberry. "There are several that I have in mind which should expedite the process of bringing in a qualified replacement."

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NOTE: Coach Mark Orlando is one of the six named finalist for the Florida A&M University head football coach vacancy.  Is Orlando taking himself out of the running for the Rattlers top position or increasing his personal economic stimulus package?  An educated guess says the short list now consists of: Joker Phillips, Corey Fuller, Tony Samuels, EJ Junior and Charlie Weatherbie.  Just pick a winner, FAMU!   

Bluefield State outplay Bowie State for Sims Classic Championship

BLUEFIELD, West Virginia -- The Herb Sims Classic finished up with another Lady Blues victory over the Bowie State Lady Bulldogs 90-68 Saturday afternoon in the Ned E. Shott Gymnasium.

The first game of the day was West Virginia Tech against Kentucky State. West Virginia Tech had a good showing, but couldn't overcome the deficit they kept facing. Kentucky State defeated West Virginia Tech 85-60.

The Lady Blues had another hot streak in the beginning of the game with a 7-2 lead. Midway through the half, the Lady Blues pushed the lead to 12 after an old fashioned 3-point play, a layup and a free-throw, by Senior Tasia Nolan (pictured) and a layup by Sophomore Shakima Wiggins.

Bowie State came back to take a 2 point lead under two mins left, but Shakima Wiggins grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup to tie the score 35-35 at the half.

In the second half, both teams were scoring back and forth baskets, but by the midway point, the Lady Blues were up by 21 points, 70-49. The Lady Blues pushed the lead to 27 at one point, but ultimately won by 22 points.

Four players for the Lady Blues were in double-figures. Senior Tasia Nolan had a double-double with 13 points (5-for-6 shooting) and 11 rebounds, she also had 4 assists. Senior Charity Harris had 22 points on (6-for-11 shooting) and 2-for-4 from 3-point land. She also had 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Senior Hope Smith was efficient with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting and grabbed 4 rebounds. Sophomore Shakima Wiggins had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.

The Lady Blues next game will be against North Carolina Central University in an exhibition on Jan. 3rd, 2014 at 2pm in Durham, NC.

COURTESY BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

HBCUGameday: HBCU Coaching Moves

Steven J. Gaither and Tolly Carr break down a wild week of coaching moves around the MEAC, SWAC and CIAA in Dec. 2014.

Claflin men defeat Florida Tech, 85-66

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Florida Tech (9-2) was unable to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit on the road Saturday afternoon, falling 85-66 to Claflin (3-6) at Tullis Arena. 

Claflin held the Panthers to a season-low 38.2 field goal percentage and an 18.8 three-point percentage. Coincidentally, the opposition shot the best an opponent has on the Panthers this season, connecting on 56.9-percent. Claflin also hit 5-of-13 from long distance, while holding FIT to 3-of-16 from three-point range.

Chris Carter paced all scorers with a season-high 27 points, 13 were earned from the free throw line. Jermaine Jackson finished with 16. Claflin surrendered only seven points to Corbin Jackson, who entered the game averaging just over 15 points. Defensively, Jackson totaled five blocks, one off his season-high.

“Hats off to (head coach) Ricky Jackson and his staff,” head coach Billy Mims said. “They had a great game plan. They exposed a lot of our weaknesses today. They did a great job taking away things we like to do and they forced us to do things we don’t like to do. They played harder and smarter than we did.”

Trailing by 17 points with 16:07 remaining, FIT trimmed its deficit to nine in less than three minutes following a three-point play by Jermaine Jackson. However, Claflin’s Fare’al Walker pushed his team’s lead back to double figures with a layup at the 12:53 mark.

Claflin never let up the rest of the game, winning by 19 points for its third win. Adolph Caldwell scored a team-high 21 points. Walker led all rebounders with 12 and he helped his team outrebound FIT 40-30. Claflin also won points in the paint, 42-30, and bench scoring, 39-4.

The Panthers will have a 10-day break before they take on Stetson on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. in DeLand. The game is an exhibition contest for the Panthers and a regular-season match-up for the Hatters.

The game will be carried on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. FIT fans can also tune into Jim Mitchell’s audio broadcast at FloridaTechSports.com/live.

COURTESY FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Texas Southern Tigers upset Michigan State for 1st win over AP Top 25 team since '94

EAST LANSING, Michigan  --  It's been almost twenty years to the day the last time Texas Southern defeated a ranked opponent. On Saturday the Tigers captured the biggest win in the Mike Davis era versus one of the top programs in the nation.

History once again repeated itself in the month of December as the Texas Southern Tigers won a thrilling 71-64 contest over Big Ten member Michigan State on the road.

The game went into overtime tied at 55. TSU's Chris Thomas scored 22 points, and Texas Southern never trailed in the extra session. The Tigers had not beaten an AP Top 25 team since a win over 16th-ranked Minnesota on Dec. 21, 1994.

"We did know it was possible as long as we stayed as a team," Thomas said. "We've played good teams before. We knew we were getting better."



Michigan State needed a free throw with 6.8 seconds left in regulation just to force overtime.

The Spartans came in leading the nation at 44 percent from 3-point range, but they went 4-of-21 against Texas Southern.

In the final seconds of overtime, the Tigers converted key free throws to finish off the game.

The Spartans led 30-25 at halftime, and after the Tigers tied it early in the second, Michigan State seemed to begin to get in a groove. But after a 3-pointer gave the Spartans a 50-42 lead, Texas Southern went on an 11-2 run and took a 53-52 advantage on Jason Carter's 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining.

The Tigers were up one when MSU came up with an offensive rebound and the Spartans drew a foul in the final seconds of regulation. Michigan State got one of two free throws to tie it at 55.

Texas Southern regrouped and scored the first four points of overtime, and the Tigers defense got the needed stops to win the contest. The Spartans didn't make a field goal in overtime until the final minute.

TSU turned the ball over only 11 times and shot a season-best 53 percent from the field.

"It means a lot, but we're not done yet," Thomas said. "We've got to win a lot more games to get to the tournament. It doesn't stop here."

Malcolm Riley scored 20 points for Texas Southern in what will go down as one of the biggest wins in the history of the TSU Tigers basketball program.

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Southern Stuns #25 Michigan State 71-64 in OT

EAST LANSING, Michigan -- Chris Thomas scored 22 points, and Texas Southern beat 25th-ranked Michigan State, outlasting the Spartans 71-64 in overtime Saturday.

The Tigers (2-8) were coming off a loss to Gonzaga, but coach Mike Davis' team was poised throughout against Michigan State.

The Spartans (8-4) were without starting forward Branden Dawson, who fractured his wrist in a win over Eastern Michigan earlier in the week. Michigan State needed a free throw by Javon Bess with 6.8 seconds left in regulation just to force overtime, and the Spartans never led in the extra session.

The Spartans came into the game shooting 44 percent from 3-point range, but they went 4 of 21 against the Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Tigers won the SWAC tournament last season to advance to the NCAA tournament, but they have endured struggles against a tough nonconference schedule.

But the Spartans struggled from the perimeter all game. They led 30-25 at halftime, and belief began to build on the Texas Southern bench when the Tigers tied it early in the second.

Texas Southern took a 53-52 lead on Jason Carter's 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining, and the Tigers were up one when Bess came up with an offensive rebound and was fouled in the final seconds of regulation. A freshman playing only his second game, Bess made one of two free throws to tie it at 55.

Texas Southern regrouped and scored the first four points of overtime. The Spartans didn't make a field goal in overtime until the final minute.

The Spartans had 18 offensive rebounds, but they were outscored 36-32 in the paint.

Box Score »  Play‑By‑Play »  Videos »  Photos »   Photo Gallery 

COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

U.Houston Men's Hoops Falls to South Carolina State

HOUSTON, Texas -- University of Houston sophomore forward Danrad Knowles scored a career-high 22 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars, but it would not be enough as South Carolina State claimed a 71-63 win on Saturday afternoon in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Regional Round inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

Knowles enjoyed the first double-double of his collegiate career. The Nassau, Bahamas, native connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc, and snared 11 offensive rebounds.

With his performance, Knowles became the fourth different Cougar to post a double-double in 2014-15. He joined teammates Devonta Pollard, Cavon Baker and LeRon Barnes.

The Cougars (5-3) fell behind early and played catch-up for most of the game. Trailing 32-27 at the half, the Cougars continued to threaten and used a 10-3 rally early in the second half to take a 43-41 lead on a Knowles' 3-pointer.

However, South Carolina State took advantage of a 15-4 run over the next 8:27 to build a 56-47 advantage. Houston could move no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Although the Cougars committed a season-low five turnovers in the game, South Carolina State outrebounded Houston 50-35 and connected on 47.2 percent from the field while limiting the Cougars to only 31.3 percent.

Guard Edward Stephens led four Bulldogs in double digits with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while guard Jalen White added 17 points with four rebounds. Forward Darryl Palmer posted 10 points with 13 rebounds, five assists and eight blocked shots, and forward Tashombe Riley finished with 10 points and five assists in the win.

In addition to Knowles, junior point guard L.J. Rose posted 14 points with two rebounds and three assists, while junior guardJherrod Stiggers totaled 12 points with three rebounds and a pair of steals.

BOX SCORE

UP NEXT
Houston opens the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Championship Round play at 9:30 p.m. (CST) Monday against Boise State inside Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Cougars then meet the winner/loser of Texas Tech-Loyola (Ill.) on Tuesday evening in the final game before Christmas.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

North Carolina A&T Aggies Escape Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles At Christmas Classic

BOX SCORE

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee  –  It took a complete team effort for the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team to defeat Tennessee Tech 54-49 Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the Chattanooga Christmas Classic at McKenzie Arena. 

The Aggies (7-4 overall) used 11 players, including nine who scored, to shoot a season-best 49 percent (24 of 49) from the field. Redshirt junior Eboni Rossmade it hard for the Golden Eagles (2-9) offensively as she recorded a career-high eight blocks, a team-leading eight rebounds and eight points.

“Before the game we talked about being positive, and we focused on having good vibes so that we could get over the back-to-back losing hump,” head coach Robinson explained about the Aggies who lost two straight before facing Tennessee Tech. “It was a great defensive effort. Everyone who played contributed. I’m excited about the win.”

Redshirt junior Adriana Nazario finished with nine points ahead of redshirt juniors Aprill McRae and Christina Carter who recorded eight points each.

After taking a 27-22 lead at the half, the Aggies opened the second half on a 7-2 run to push the score to 34-24 with 16:44 left. Tennessee Tech answered and scored seven consecutive points capped off with a 3-pointer from Hannah Goolsby to trail A&T 38-35. The Aggies slowly pulled away and held a solid 50-41 lead after Ross hit a short jumper with 6:02 remaining. But Goolsby nailed another three as the Golden Eagles orchestrated an 8-2 rally to cut A&T’s lead to 52-49 at the 3:35 mark.

Tech had several opportunities to score but it missed six shots over a three-minute span. A fast-break layup by McRae from redshirt sophomore Dana Brown made it a two possession game as A&T clung to its 54-49 lead with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

A&T held a 12-10 edge with 10:44 remaining in the first half but used an 11-4 rally to stretch its lead to 23-14 at the 4:06 mark. The Golden Eagles cut the lead to five after scoring four straight points to trail the Aggies 27-22 at the half. During the first half Tech held a 21-12 advantage on the glass over the Aggies.

“We didn’t do a good job boxing out,” Robinson said. “Tech played hard to crash the boards. We’ve got to get better in that aspect.”

Candace Parsons led all scorers with 11 points on 5-for-10 (50 percent) shooting. Samaria Howard finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Catherine Taylor also added 10 points.

A&T will face host Chattanooga on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m., in its final game of the tournament.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jackson State Conquer Northwestern State Lady Demons 62-61 in Home Opener

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Ayanna Hardy-Fuller and Alisa Ross led the Lady Tiger to a 62-61 overtime win over Northwestern State in their first home game of the season on Saturday.

Both Hardy-Fuller and Ross led the Lady Tigers with 16 points apiece. Hardy Fuller shot 7-9 in field goal range and 2-4 from the free-throw line. Ross shot 5-13 at the field goal, 4-9 in the three-point range, and 2-5 at the free throw line. Hardy-Fuller recorded her fourth double-double of the season tying the game high of 10 rebounds.

    Box Score 

The Lady Tigers were able to out-rebound Northwestern 49-35 but had issues with turnovers. JSU had 39 turnovers while forcing 29 from the Lady Demons.

“We had to really focus on our defense,” said head coach Surina Dixon. “We had to make the stop and then we had to score.”

The Lady Tigers played an intense first half, leading most of the first half. Ayanna Hardy-Fuller went 4-5 at the field goal with 8 points and 5 rebounds. JSU shot 30.0 percent at the field goal, 11.1 percent at the three-point range, and 50.0 percent at the free throw line. The first half ended with Northwestern up by 3 points.

Entering the second half down by three points, the Lady Tigers struggled to regain the lead. At 6:04, Northwestern was up by 10 points.

Refocusing, JSU got back in the game with 3 three pointers from Ross, ending the second in a 54 point tie. The Lady Tigers increased their field goal percentage shooting for 43.5 percent in the second half, 44.4 percent in the three-point range, and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.

In overtime, the Lady Tigers were able to close the game by out-scoring Northwestern 8-7, shooting 2-4 at the field goal, 0-2 in three-point range, and 4-9 at the free throw line.

The Lady Tigers will be back in action when they play their final game of the non-conference season at Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday, Dec. 28. The game is set to tip off at 4 p.m.

COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SCSU: Eddie Moe: "He Was Loved by Everyone"

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- This week, the South Carolina State University and the Orangeburg community is mourning the loss of one of their own.

Eddie Moe - arguably one of the most iconic people in Orangeburg--was hit and killed Thursday.

"Eddie marched and danced the heels off of his shoes and he came to me and said, I need another pair of shoes," said Marching 101 Band Director Eddie Ellis.

At every South Carolina State University football game, halftime is show time for many. But often times all eyes weren't on the band, they were on Eddie Moe.

  CONTINUE READING

Dan Land named interim ASU head football coach

DAN LAND
Courtesy: Albany State Athletics

ALBANY, Georgia  -- Albany State has announced that ASU football assistant coach Dan Land has been named the interim head coach for the program.
 
"We are pleased that Coach Land has accepted the position of head coach on an interim basis," ASU athletics director Dr. Richard H. Williams said. "He is familiar with our program and has been a part of our many successes. 
 
"We are confident he will do a stellar job for Albany State football during our continue search."
 
Land has served as an assistant coach for Albany State since 2002. During that time, he has coached the defensive backs and has been a part of six SIAC championships and 11 NCAA Division II playoffs appearances.  Land has also coached numerous defensive backs who have been named to the SIAC all-conference and NCAA South Regional teams.
 
A former standout player Albany State, Land joined the Golden Rams football program as a running back in 1983.  As a Golden Ram, he was a two-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) team member. During his junior and senior seasons, Land accumulated 2695 rushing yards and led the team and SIAC in rushing touchdowns.
 
In 1987, Land was drafted as a running back by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He later played 10 years with the Oakland Raiders as a defensive back and completed his career with the Atlanta Falcons.
 
Albany State will launch a national search for its head football coaching position.

COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Hampton Pirates Back With Win Over Tennessee State

HAMPTON, Virginia  --  The Hampton University men's basketball team got back into the win column Friday night, as the Pirates swept the season series with Tennessee State after a 66-54 win at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (5-6) have won four of their last five games.

Three Pirates finished the night with a team-high 15 points: junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.), guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.), and junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.). Chievous also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

Powers also had seven assists, while Darden came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers.

Head coach Edward Joyner Jr., in his sixth season, is now four wins away from becoming the program's all-time winningest coach at the Div. I level. He has 87 wins during his tenure.

Hampton shot 34.3 percent (23-for-67) from the floor and hit four of 22 3-pointers (18.2 percent). The Pirates also turned 21 Tennessee State turnovers into 20 points and held a 44-39 advantage on the glass.

Tennessee State led for much of the first half, controlling from the opening tip, and the Tigers held a 24-15 lead with 4:38 left in the half after Christian Crockett hit a jumper. But that marked the last time Tennessee State scored in the half.

Meanwhile, the Pirates kicked off a 14-0 run to close out the half after Chievous hit four straight free throws. Those shots cut the lead to 24-19 with 3:18 left in the half, before Darden added a trey at the 2:20 mark.

Powers tied the game at 24-24 with two free throws with 1:32 left, before senior forward Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) converted an off-balance, reverse layup to put the Pirates up 26-24 with 53 seconds left in the half.

Powers hit a deep 3-pointer with eight seconds left to send Hampton into the half with a 29-24 lead.

A one-handed slam from redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) with 18:22 left in the second half put the Pirates up 33-25, but the Tigers answered by scoring the next five points to cut the lead to 33-30 with 16:51 remaining.

Hampton answered with a 10-0 run, taking a 43-30 lead at the 14:48 mark after a Meikle jumper.

Tennessee State scored 19 of the next 29 points, cutting Hampton's lead to 53-49 with 7:52 remaining after Jay Harris hit a pair of free throws. But the Pirates scored the next six points to go up 59-49 after a fastbreak layup from junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.).

The Pirates held control from them on, never leading by fewer than nine points.

Tennessee State (2-9) shot 34.7 percent (17-for-49) from the floor and hit three of 10 3-pointers, but the Tigers went just 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) from the free throw line.

Harris led the Tigers with 16 points.

The Pirates will play host to Northern Arizona on Sunday at 4 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.

Next Game:

Northern Arizona
12/21/2014 - 4 p.m.

Buy Tickets
Live Stats
Watch Live

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY PIRATES SPORTS INFORMATION

Norfolk State Spartans cruise past Northern Arizona

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The opponents may change but their production does not. And after leading the Norfolk State men's basketball team to another solid win on Friday night at Joseph Echols Hall, juniors Jeff Short and RaShid Gaston have become arguably the top duo in the MEAC.

For the third time in five games, both players reached the 20-point plateau in the same contest, and the most recent result was an 81-62 victory over Northern Arizona in NSU's last home game in nearly a month.

Short tallied 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Gaston added 20 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Spartan offense. NSU outscored Northern Arizona by 18 in the first half while shooting better than 57 percent overall for the game.

The Lumberjacks were coming off an upset of mid-major Saint Mary's on Tuesday on the road, but the Spartans used an efficient offense and some tight defense to move to 8-5 on the season.



CONTINUE READING

Bethune-Cookman gets permission to talk to Southern coach Dawson Odums

MEAC school, searching for new coach, gets permission from Southern athletic director to make contact

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  For the second time in a year, another university is looking at Southern football coach Dawson Odums as a candidate for its vacant head coaching position.

Last season, it was North Carolina Central that interviewed Odums, who turned down his alma mater before signing a new contract with the Jaguars.

On Friday, Bethune-Cookman received permission from Southern Athletic Director William Broussard to talk to Odums, who has taken the Jaguars to consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference championship games, winning the 2013 title and losing to Alcorn State 38-24 two weeks ago.

Bethune-Cookman seems to have a greater sense of urgency about filling the opening than Odums does. Wildcats Athletic Director Lynn Thompson told the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Wednesday that he planned to fill the position quickly.

CONTINUE READING 

Message to FAMU President: Pick a Winner for Rattler Football

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a few days, Florida A&M University President Dr. Elmira Mangum will make one of the most important decisions of her career in the selection of the Rattlers new head football coach. This won't be nuclear science, but it’s an important decision.

We all have our opinions on who from the pool of eight (now six) should be selected.

I have one thought on this matter -- pick a winner!

Like you, I have two choices. But I am ready to financially support any choice that Dr. Mangum makes. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters and that's what true Rattlers do.
 

What we have observed so far is no one cares about Florida A&M's bureaucratic selection process, established to save Kellen Winslow's job. Winslow is gone. So are two winners -- Willie Simmons (PVAMU) and Latrell Scott (Norfolk State).

Simmons had the North Florida connections and Scott is just a darn good coach that will make NSU a FCS powerhouse.
 

Playing it political correct is not always the best policy. We just watched the most successful, young head football coach since Jake Gaither (Brian Jenkins) leave a tiny, Florida private school for Alabama State. Are you kidding me?  Really!
 

So the short list now consists of: Charlie Weatherbie, EJ Junior, Tony Samuels, Corey Fuller, Joker Phillips and Mark Orlando. No disrespect intended for all of these highly qualified candidates, but two stand above the crowd in my view.
 

Dr. Mangum, if you have time to read this blog, please consider my choices in this order: (1) Mark Orlando (2) Joe "Joker" Phillips, Jr.
 

Mark Orlando

• Can successfully recruit Tallahassee, the Big Bend and Florida talent
• Strong offensive coordinator/QB Coach
• Won FCS National Championship at FAMU in 1978, on Rudy Hubbard's staff
• Salary won't bust athletic department budget for FY 2015
• Understands the challenges of running a successful HBCU football program
• Ready to step up to HC position
• Will sign Cory Fuller on as defensive coordinator
• Will build an exciting championship program and satisfy the Rattlers stakeholders

Joker Phillips

• Strong Florida recruiter with connections
• Marque name in HBCU community
• Last salary at Florida was $260,000 as WR and recruiting coordinator
• Phillips signed on as Kentucky's HC for $11M over 5 years. Need an opportunity to prove his failure at Kentucky was a fluke
• FAMU is perfect for what Phillips needs right now -- a marque brand to re-build his coaching career.

Just pick a winner, Dr. Mangum. Go with your instincts! No, your motherly instincts that didn't want to fire Earl Holmes during homecoming week.

(beepbeep) 

From the Mailbag 12/20/14:

carlishamckissic@ymail.com says...
 
Here are some items, I feel, which were left out for Joker Phillips.

-Although Wikipedia has his first name listed as "Joseph", it's just "Joe".
-Randall Cobb (enough said there)
-He has been on the following teams' coaching staff: Kentucky, Notre Dame, Minnesota, South Carolina and Florida.
-He is ranked by ESPN as one of the top football recruiters

Thank you in advance for considering my cousin as one of your top picks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope to one day wear FAMU colors!

Sent from my iPhone