Former FAMU Assistant Basketball Coach Donald L. Anderson Passes

COACH DONALD L. ANDERSON
Courtesy: FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (June 18) – Former Florida A&M University assistant men's basketball coach Don Anderson passed away on Wednesday. Anderson was on the FAMU basketball staff last season, but was not slated to return this year.

Anderson came to the Rattler program from Jacksonville (Fla.) University last summer, where he had been the Dolphins’ Director of Basketball Operations since July of 2012.

He served as head coach at Gettysburg College from 1985 to 1989, before moving to Mount Saint Mary’s College as senior assistant head coach from 1989 to 2002, where he helped them reached the NCAA Tournament in 1995 and 1999, as well as the National Invitational Tournament in 1996.

A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College (1982), Anderson also served a stint in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as the senior
associate head coach at Coppin (Md.) State University under legendary firebrand Ron “Fang” Mitchell, from 2002 to 2006.

He helped guide the Eagles to the 2003-04 MEAC regular season title and a berth in the 2004 MEAC Tournament finals against FAMU.

Prior to landing at Jacksonville, Anderson turned in a five-year run as an assistant coach at Binghamton University (2007-2012), helping lead them to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He also worked one season as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (2006-07).

FAMU head coach Byron Samuels expressed his sorrow at the news of the passing. "Don was a super human being. A gentle giant in many ways. He did a phenomenal job helping to mentor our student-athletes this year. I will greatly miss him as a friend and our profession will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Don's family," he said.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Avery Johnson: ‘My roots are still in Louisiana’

COACH AVERY JOHNSON

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Basketball courts dotted the city, spread in points from the Lafitte Projects in New Orleans like uneven spokes on a bicycle wheel.

Tonti Courts. Lemon Playground. Treme Center. Hike it to Algiers or City Park or Lawrence Square. Any place with a net and a hoop and a game.

And that’s all Avery Johnson and his friends in the 1970s in the heart of New Orleans needed: a bicycle and a basketball and a place to play.

Johnson kept finding courts, first the concrete ones at home and later the best courts in the world, hardwood that welcomed him into one town and one coliseum after another throughout a 16-year NBA playing career.

Metaphorically, as he did year-round as a boy looking for a place to play, he’s never quit pedaling. It’s been a passionate journey, one that’s led Johnson into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, where he’ll be enshrined on Saturday, June 27.

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Miami Hurricanes Schedule Preview - Bethune Cookman vs Miami

MIAMI, Florida -- The 2015 Miami Hurricanes football season will start as many do for Power 5 teams: by playing and FCS school. This year, the Canes schedule gets started with a team who has been the early season matchup several times in recent years, when the Bethune Cookman Wildcats visit a partially renovated Sun Life Stadium on September 5th.

No longer an FCS pushover

Let me start with this: Miami is going to win this game. More likely than not, by a sizable margin. But, if you're looking at this game like we did when Savannah State was on the schedule a few years ago, I'm here to tell you that Bethune Cookman is better than you think.



Former Head Coach Brian Jenkins was the head man at Bethune Cookman for 5 seasons. And, in those 5 seasons, the Wildcats were very successful with 4 MEAC championships, 3 trips to the FCS playoffs, and a 46-14 record (34-6 in conference). When you consider that Bethune Cookman had 3 MEAC championships IN THEIR HISTORY before Jenkins too over, that run is even more impressive.

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MEAC/SWAC Challenge 2015 Legends Class Announced

Coach Willie Jeffries
Courtesy: MEAC Media Relations

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida -- In recognition of their accomplishments and contributions as distinguished alumni of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU), four honorees will be presented with the 2015 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Legends Award, to be given during the 11th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge Legends Reception, now in its seventh year, will be held Saturday, Sept. 5, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The event precedes this year’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge, which features South Carolina State University and University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Orlando Citrus Bowl. The game will be televised on ESPN.

The Legends Class of 2015 includes five-time NFL Pro Bowl player and four-time All-Pro safety Donnie Shell, a standout from South Carolina State; three-time Super Bowl winner and former Washington Redskins linebacker Monte Coleman, now head coach at University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff; legendary South Carolina State head coach and College Football Hall of Fame member Willie Jeffries, the first African-American head coach of a NCAA Division I-A football program at a predominantly white college (Wichita State, 1979); and, posthumously, six-time Pro Bowl player and two-time All-Pro defensive end L.C. Greenwood, named the 1968 Ebony All-American defensive end of the SWAC while at Arkansas AM&N, now University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Greenwood was one of the four members of the Steel Curtain who remains one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top two franchise leaders in sacks.

“Every year, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Legends Award proves to be a remarkable representation of the contributions and successes across Historically Black Colleges & Universities,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president, ESPN Events. “We are delighted that in 2015 we will again enjoy an outstanding class, with four distinguished men whose careers in sports started at HBCUs.”

Each honoree will receive an HBCU Trailblazer Award in recognition of the impact made to his or her respective career, community or alma mater. ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris will host the evening’s festivities.

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge, owned and operated by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, annually pits a MEAC team against a SWAC opponent at a neutral site located within the footprint of one of the conferences. Several additional events will take place around the game, including a high school career panel, pep rally and the halftime Battle of the Bands.

Tickets to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney can be purchased through Ticketmaster online, by calling 800-745-3000 or by logging on to meacswacchallenge.com. For more information about the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, or to join the event’s following on Facebook and Twitter, please visit the event’s official website at meacswacchallenge.com.

The 2015 Legends Class

L.C. Greenwood (Honored posthumously; Representing University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Monte Coleman (Representing University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Willie Jeffries (Representing South Carolina State University)
Donnie Shell (Representing South Carolina State University)

Experienced guard Deron Powers will transfer from Hampton

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton junior guard Deron Powers will transfer a source confirmed to NBCSports.com. The 5-foot-11 guard started 94 games during his three-year career at Hampton, and helped the team reach the 2015 NCAA tournament, but he told Dave Johnson of the Daily Press that he wants to play at a higher level.

“Honestly, I want to play for a better program,” Powers said to Johnson. “I’m definitely up for anything, and it doesn’t have to be at the highest level. There are a lot of good programs I wouldn’t mind going to, but I am looking for a higher-profile team that needs a point guard.”



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Joe Thomas could turn some heads in the Green Bay Packers LB competition

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin  -- It’s no secret that both the inside linebackers and the special teams both went through major struggles last season for the Green Bay Packers. The coaching staff rotated numerous players through both groups and seemingly found a combination that worked at linebacker but never could figure out what to do with the special teams. The kick-off return unit, both coverage units, and the blocking for punts and field goals all could have been classified as arguably the worst in the league. Unfortunately, a player that could have made an impact on both defense and special teams had his season end before it ever really got going.

After the 2014 NFL Draft came to its end and teams and undrafted free agents were scrambling to find fits, the Green Bay Packers ended up signing three inside linebackers after not taking one in the draft. Among them was Joe Thomas, a highly productive player out of South Carolina State. As a senior, Thomas recorded 116 tackles (84 solo), 7.5 sacks, and broke up 5 passes on his way to being named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, an All-American, and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award which is given to the best defensive player at the FCS level. Coming out of the college ranks, Thomas was known as an undersized yet very physical run-stuffing linebacker that was the main cog in a defense that led the FCS level in run defense.

During last year’s training camp, Joe Thomas competed in ...

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WSSU chancellor wants to play A&T, Central again

ADVANCE, North Carolina – Heading into his first summer as chancellor at Winston-Salem State, Elwood Robinson says he’ll look at a lot of different areas within the university, including athletics.

Robinson, a definite hands-on chancellor when it comes to athletics, has some ideas that he hopes will spring to life at some point. He has made it known that WSSU needs to play N.C. A&T in football again. He also hopes to strike a deal with UNC Charlotte to play an exhibition basketball game there.

“We have a vision for a lot of things, and one of those visions is for our football schedule,” Robinson said earlier this month while attending the Big House Gaines Golf Tournament at Oak Valley. “We also have a vision for what we are trying to do overall in athletics.”

Robinson has already had discussions with Harold Martin, the chancellor at N.C. A&T, about playing again. Robinson doesn’t have a timetable but a guess is it could happen in 2017.

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Jackson State's Jovany Felipe Signs to the Tampa Bay Rays

Jovany Felipe
Courtesy: JSU Athletics

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State’s senior catcher Jovany Felipe signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent on Monday, June 15.

During the 2015 season, Felipe maintained a .317 batting average with 40 runs, and 59 hits (12 doubles, two triples, and five home runs) for 54 RBIs. He posted a .406 on base percentage, a .484 slugging percentage, and a .974 fielding percentage. His honors included being named to the 2015 College Sports Madness Southwestern Athletic Conference Second Team, being named to the 2015 SWAC Postseason First Team, and ranking 16th nationally in runs batted-in.

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Norfolk State transfer RaShid Gaston picks Xavier

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Six-foot-nine power forward RaShid Gaston received attention from multiple colleges after announcing plans to transfer from Norfolk State, but only one was the perfect fit.

Gaston committed to Xavier after a weekend visit. The 240-pound transfer will have one year of eligibility with Chris Mack and the Musketeers after his sit-out season in 2015-2016.

"Honestly, I fell in love with (Xavier)," Gaston said. "I went down there with my mom and my sister and they fell in love with it too. They just make you feel at home. I love the style of play there. I love how Coach Mack and his staff – they're about business but they're so down to earth. They're such good guys."

Gaston said he also garnered interest from Kent State, South Florida, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State and DePaul, among others. He liked Xavier for its proximity to his hometown of Warren, Ohio (about 20 minutes from Youngstown), and the ease of travel for mom Lisa Carter, aunt Gwen Stargell and sister Gabrielle Jackson.

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XU SID Cassiere earns 3 more NAIA writing awards

ED CASSIERE
SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR
XULA

ORLANDO, Florida — Xavier University of Louisiana's Ed Cassiere received three awards Monday, including a first place, in the NAIA's 2014-15 Dr. W. Jack Bell Writing Contest.

All three of Cassiere's entries in the season preview/review category were honored. His men's cross country preview was the winner. His women's volleyball preview placed fourth, and his women's cross country preview tied for ninth.

All three of those award-winning stories previewed teams which eventually won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships and qualified for NAIA National
Championships.

Cassiere received his awards during the NAIA-SIDA Convention, a one-day event and part of the 2015 College Sports Information Directors of America Convention.

Cassiere — who in July will begin his 10th year as Xavier's SID — has received 22 NAIA writing awards the past seven years, including five firsts. During the past four years, Xavier and Cassiere's 14 awards are the most by a university or individual in the Dr. W. Jack Bell Writing Contest. No other university or individual has more than 10 awards during the past four years.

COURTESY XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA ATHLETICS

TSU Tennis Adds Six Women, Five Men for Upcoming Season

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennis coach Monroe Walker III announced his first signing class at Tennessee State. Walker has inked six women and five men to join the two tennis teams for the 2015-15 academic year. The signees will be a part of the largest classes to be brought in for each program.

“It was really important for me to build a foundation with my first recruiting class at TSU,” Walker said. “To move forward, we have to make sure we get the right players in to build a great future. I am really excited about the young men and women we’re bringing in and hopefully we can compete well, give a good effort and work hard on and off the court. We would like to bring some success to the program this fall and spring season.”

The women welcome freshmen Ani Popiashvili, Abhilasha Vishwanath, Pragati Natraj, Phoenix Gandy and Blair Moses. Walker also added junior college transfer Taylor Patterson to round out the class.

Popiashvili will enter her freshman season after transferring from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi University in Tbilisi, Georgia. Popiashvili was ranked as high as eighth in her country as a junior and studied under coach Gaga Dolidze.

Vishwanath worked with coach Niagara Revanasiddaiah and was ranked 44th in India. Vishwanath is from Bangalore, India and attended D.A.V. Public School and Teresian University College.

Natraj is also from Bangalore and went to the National Institute for Open Schooling. Natraj earned the Most Outstanding Player and Most Promising Player in the State. Her play under coach Peter Vijay Kumar helped her reach a ranking of 15th in India.

Gandy played No. 2 singles at Greater Atlanta High School and works with coach Jimmy Chupp. Gandy was a member of the WTT Billie Jean King Junior National Tennis Team in San Diego 2014-15. The Georgia native is a National Merit finalist and is a member of the Honor Roll.

Moses earned a District and a Regional Championship in doubles action in 2014 for coach Daniel Jerden at Cordova High. As an individual, Moses finished second in District, advancing to Regionals. The Memphis, Tenn. product was a member of DECA as a senior. Moses worked privately with Arveal Turner of the Epiphany Tennis Courts.

Patterson attended Munford High School in Olive Branch, Miss. before spending two seasons at Itawamba Community College. Patterson earned State and Regional Singles Flight-2 Championships, State and Regional Singles Flight-1 Championships and a State and Regional Flight-1 Doubles Championship, while making the Dean’s List and graduating with honors. The transfer was ranked 32nd in the nation in Singles and 30th in doubles.

At Munford HS, Patterson, was a three-time Regional and District Champ, won a doubles District Championship and was named Freshman of the Year. In the classroom, Patterson made the Honor Roll and was a member of the National Honor Society.

On the men’s side, Walker has added three freshmen and two transfers. Amir Daniel, Norian Moss and Jorge Daniel Rodriguez enter as first years’, while Mathew Brown and Shashank Nautiyal come to TSU as sophomores.

Daniel played one or two singles for Arabia Mountain High School in Lithonia, Georgia and earned MVP honors for three consecutive seasons. Daniel worked with coach Robin Wesley and is ranked 200th in the South for USTA.

Moss teamed with Daniel and shared the top singles positions at AMHS as a three-year letter winner. The Decatur, Ga. product was selected as the Coan Tennis Association High School Player of the Year. Moss was a member of FBLA, the Photography Club, the Fashion Club, and the Kappa League. Moss worked with coach James Harrell.

Rodriguez hails from Bogota, Columbia where he is ranked 7th in the country. Rodriguez was recognized as top player at his high school, Colegio, Alejandria. Rodriguez is schooled by coach Hermanos Rincon.

Brown will join the Tigers after spending one year at Western Kentucky. Brown prepped at Franklin High School and earned a USTA ranking of 25th in the state and 150th in the Southern Region. Brown is a former member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was coached by his father, Mike Brown.

Nautiyal rounds out the recruiting class as he transfers in from Ball State University. The Delhi, India native finished 3-4 in his only season with the Cardinals. Nautiyal ranked second in his country and was a Junior Davis Cup Member for India. He won three Gold Medals in National School (India Juniors) and represented India in the World Junior Final Championship. Nautiyal was coached by Aditya Sachdeva and Gaurav Sharma, as well as fitness trainer Rajiv Dhingra.

“It was very important for us to have a full team,” said Walker. “We’ll have seven men and eight ladies for this upcoming year, so now we can push each other and compete. Most importantly, just to have a full squad, which we haven’t had in a long time here.”

Women’s Team Signees
Ani Popiashvili - Tbilisi, Georgia (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi University)
Abhilasha Vishwanath – Bangalore, India (D.A.V. Public School/Teresian University College)
Pragati Natraj – Bangalore, India (National Institute for Open Schooling)
Phoenix Gandy – Atlanta, Ga. (Greater Atlanta HS)
Blair Moses – Memphis, Tenn. (Cordova HS)
Taylor Patterson – Olive Brach, Miss. (Munford HS/Itawamba CC)

Men’s Team Signees
Amir Daniel – Lithonia, Ga. (Arabia Mountain HS)
Matthew Brown – Franklin, Tenn. (Western Kentucky)
Norian Moss – Decatur, Ga. (Arabia Mountain HS)
Shashank Nautiyal – Delhi, India (Ball State)
Jorge Daniel Rodriguez – Bogota, Columbia (Colegio, Alejandria)

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Top three AD candidates meet with FAMU committee (Video)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M President Elmira Mangum has three final candidates to choose from as the search for a new, permanent athletic director at the university nears its conclusion.

Interim athletic director Earl D'Wayne Robinson isn't in contention for the job. Instead, Eric McCurdy, Milton Overton Jr., and M. Dianne Murphy on Monday each met with a 10-person committee of FAMU staff members at Lee Hall.

The committee – which had three head coaches and the university's sports information director – asked questions about the candidates' reasons for wanting the job, their backgrounds and what they planned to bring to the table.

Mangum is expected to hire a new athletic director before the start of the fall semester.

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Update: FAMU AD candidate list narrowed to 3, access to meetings limited

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Reporters were told to leave a meeting on FAMU's campus with an athletic director candidate an hour after they were initially let in.

The list of candidates has been narrowed to three people: Eric McCurdy, Milton Overton Jr., and Dr. M. Dianne Murphy.

Absent from the list is D'Wayne Robinson, who has been the interim athletic director since January.

Sharon Lettman-Hicks, a consultant brought on by the university to assist with the search, told reporters because the 10-person committee was made entirely of FAMU staffers without public officials and because the meeting was only a "fact-finding" discussion with findings that will be presented to President Elmira Mangum, it was not subject to Florida's Sunshine Law.

She added the meeting was not an interview of the candidates and was only meant to gather information that would be presented later to Mangum, who will make a final appointment.

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Arizona Cardinals Rookie Profile: Defensive Lineman Rodney Gunter

TEMPE, Arizona -- Did the Arizona Cardinals get a steal when they drafted defensive end/defensive tackle Rodney Gunter?

Perhaps.

The Red Birds certainly improved their depth on the defensive line by drafting Gunter in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago, IL last month.

The Delaware State product is 6-foot-5 and weighs 305 pounds. He was a second-team All-MEAC selection in 2014, a first-team All-MEAC pick in 2013 and a second-team All-MEAC selection in 2012.



The Cards moved up seven spots to select Gunter, swapping places with the Browns in the fourth round and sending sixth and seventh-round picks to Cleveland to obtain him.

A productive player in college, some scouting services think Gunter can play both end and tackle. According to the Delaware State web site, Gunter is a cousin of former Cardinals tight end D.C. Jefferson, a seventh round pick in 2013. Jefferson lasted one year with the club. Gunter played just one season in high school. As the oldest of three sons to a single mother, he worked as a dishwasher and waiter to make ends meet. His character traits are solid.

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NCAA changes shot clock to 30 seconds, makes other changes to game

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  -- The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Monday approved a package of proposals and areas of focus for officials in men’s basketball to improve the pace of play, better balance offense with defense and reduce the physicality in the sport.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee made similar recommendations before the 2013-14 season, and it felt the changes improved the game. But after gaining some positive traction, the balance between offense and defense again tilted toward the defense last season. Scoring in Division I men’s basketball dipped to 67.6 points a game last season, which neared historic lows for the sport.

The key areas officials will focus on in the upcoming season are:
• Perimeter defense, particularly on the dribbler and strictly enforcing directives established before the 2013-14 season.
• Physicality in post play.
• Screening, particularly moving screens and requiring the screener to be stationary.
• Block/charge plays.
• Allowing greater freedom of movement for players without the ball.

Pace of play

With an eye on reducing inaction, the panel approved several proposals to improve the pace of play. The most significant is reducing the shot clock to 30 seconds. The shot clock was last reduced for the 1993-94 season when it went from 45 seconds to 35.

Teams will also have one fewer team timeout (only three can carry over instead of four) in the second half. Officials will focus more on resuming play quickly after a timeout and will issue a delay-of-game warning when a team does not comply and a one-shot technical foul on subsequent violations.

The rest of the package designed to improve the pace of play includes:
• Adjusting the media timeout procedures to allow a timeout called within 30 seconds of a break (at the 16:30 mark) or at any time after the scheduled media timeout becomes the media timeout.
• Removing the ability for a coach to call timeout when the ball is live.
• Allowing a total of only 10 seconds to advance the ball to the front court (with a few exceptions).
• Reducing the amount of time allotted to replace a disqualified player from 20 to 15 seconds.

Restricted-area arc

The panel also approved the expansion of the restricted-area arc from 3 feet to 4 feet. This arc would be effective in 2015-16 for Division I and 2016-17 for Divisions II and III. Moving the arc a foot farther from the basket is part of a continued focus on reducing the number of collisions at the basket.

Games in the 2015 Postseason NIT were played with the 4-foot arc on an experimental basis.

When compared to the 2013 NIT, which had the same block/charge standards as the 2015 event (aside from the 4-foot arc), the number of block/charge plays decreased from 2.77 per game to 1.96 per game.

Faking fouls

During the use of a video review to see if a possible flagrant foul occurred, the panel approved a rule that would allow officials to penalize players who fake fouls. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee felt that players trying to draw fouls by deception is a growing issue.

Other changes

Other proposals approved by the panel include:
• Allowing officials to use the monitor to review a potential shot clock violation on made field goals throughout the entire game.
• Making Class B technical fouls (hanging on the rim and delaying the resumption of play, for example) one-shot technical fouls. Previously, two shots were granted for these types of technical fouls.
• Eliminating the five-second closely guarded rule while dribbling the ball.
• Removing the prohibition on dunking in pregame warmups and at halftime.

Experimental rule

The panel also approved an experimental rule to allow players six personal fouls, instead of five, in the 2016 postseason tournaments other than the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

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Savannah State's Cameron Hall Finishes 8th in NCAA Championships; Earns 1st Team All-America Status

CAMERON HALL
NCAA DIVISION I FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
110-METER HURDLES
Courtesy: Savannah State University Athletics

EUGENE, Oregon — Savannah State senior Cameron Hall finished eighth in the 110-meter hurdle finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field Friday.

Hall matched his mark of 13.61 that he ran in the semifinals. Omar McLeod, a sophomore from Arkansas, won with a time of 13.01, beating Oregon’s Johnathan Cabral (13.22) and Houston’s Isaac Williams (13.31), who finished second and third.

McLeod’s mark was an NCAA meet record, besting the mark of 13.16 set by Oregon’s Devon Allen last year. McLeod’s time was a hundredth of a second off the college record set by Maryland’s Renaldo Nehemiah in 1979.

Hall, a Camden County High School graduate, equalled the SSU school record with his time, which he has run three times this year. He earned first-team All-America status with his eighth place finish.

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Ray Lewis shares powerful message at Lane College inaugural fundraiser event

JACKSON, Tennessee -- Derrick Burroughs still couldn't seem to believe Lane College was able to get Ray Lewis to come to Jackson.

The former star linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens was the featured speaker at Lane's "Dinner with the Pros" banquet Saturday night at Oman Arena, set up to raise money for improved locker room and weight room facilities for the football team.

"It's just a blessing that this guy would come way to Jackson, Tennessee and help us out and have no ties to Lane College whatsoever," Burroughs, the school's athletic director and head football coach, said.

Lewis took advantage of the moment, telling a couple hundred people gathered at tables on the Oman Arena floor about the role of faith, guidance from adults and individual motivation in his life.

Helping his mother, not starring in sports, drove Lewis' desire to work hard and stand out. He recalled being seven years old and seeing his mother beaten by a man and, despite the trauma, quickly preparing to go to work.



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Morgan State's Mason Places Ninth At NCAA Championship; Earns All-American Second Team Honors

JAILAH MASON
 NCAA Division I All-American
Second Team

EUGENE, Oregon -- Morgan State women's high jumper Jailah Mason's run to an NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship came to an end last night at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Mason, who was the only freshman to qualify for the finals, finished ninth out of 24 athletes with a height of 5-11 ¼.

Mason, who would fall just short in her goal to be among the top eight high jumpers, would earn All-American second team honors.

A native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, Mason's run to the NCAA Championship started with a combined 96 student-athletes during the East and West NCAA Preliminary Championships. Mason would capture the NCAA East Preliminary with a first-place tie with Claudia Garcia Jou of the University of Akron with a height of 5-11.50.

Mason's stellar freshman campaign included second-place finishes at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the ECAC championships. She also set a Penn Relays and school record with a height of 6-00.50 to capture the 2015 Penn Relays' high jump-college section.

Mason will now represent Morgan State at the 2015 USATF National Junior Championship held here in Eugene on June 21 through 29, 2015 with an opportunity to represent the United States of America at the 2015 World Junior Track & Field Championship to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the end of July.

"It was a pleasure coaching Ms. Mason this 2015 season because she is coachable and has the desire to reach her full potential," said Morgan State head coach Neville Hodge. "It is exciting when you have student-athletes who totally buy-in to the program and the coaching staff's philosophy. As a staff we are very proud of Ms. Mason's accomplishment during the 2014-2015 season and look forward toward a bright 2015-2016 season and beyond."

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Walker: Rhythmically named Earl Burl III, a New Orleans native, was thrilled to hear his name called in the MLB draft

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NEW ORLEANS -- The name that Earl Burl III got teased about so much as a kid finally scrolled across the bottom of his iPad screen Wednesday.

All the jokes he grew up hearing, stuff like “Earl Burl the Girl” and “Earl Burl with the Curl,” didn’t matter anymore.

The only thing that mattered for the 21-year-old from Marrero was this: Earl Burl III, 30th-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays.

“It was a relieving feeling, and everybody went crazy in my house,” said the outfielder, who just completed his third season at Alcorn State. “I knew there was a chance I’d get picked, but you just never know.”

Burl is the first member of the New Orleans Urban Youth Academy to be drafted. He could have returned and played his final year of eligibility at Alcorn, but there really was no use in doing that. He has earned a degree in business administration and plans to go to law school eventually.

“Hopefully I can build some great relationships in baseball and eventually work in the front office,” he said.

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Get to Know a DSU Hornet – Edition 1: J.R. ROBINSON

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Hopkins, Shaw go back to the future

RALEIGH North Carolina -- The good times are getting ready to roll for Shaw men’s basketball program. And that’s going to spell bad times for many a CIAA opponent.

Joel Hopkins returns to Shaw University carrying a heavy load on his broad shoulders – some of which he’s bringing on himself.

After being re-introduced to Bear Nation on Tuesday – 13 years after leaving Shaw – Hopkins quickly laid down the gauntlet.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and bringing back a CIAA championship this year to the city of Raleigh,” he said. “This train is already moving, so get on board…Tell James Stinson at Livingstone that I’m coming to see him.”

The Blue Bears are the two-time defending champions.

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NC A&T Running Back Becomes Internet Sensation

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Tarik Cohen is a star running-back at North Carolina A&T. Last month became an internet sensation when a video of him doing a back flip while catching footballs went viral.

Cohen told WFMY News 2's Liz Crawford that he and his twin brother started doing back flips when they were young. Recently, Cohen had another idea and asked his Aggie teammates to help him execute his plan.

Cohen saw a video of someone doing a back flip and catching a football at the same time on Instagram. He tried it and easily mastered the trick.



"Everybody kept saying that the first back flip catch was easy and everybody could do it, they've seen people do it before so I was thinking what can I do that no one has done before so I thought about catching two footballs at one time in the back flip." said Cohen.

Sure enough he did that too and Cohen is still soaking in the instant fame.

"I've been loving it. I'm glad all my friends and former classmates have seen me on Instagram. They saw me on ESPN."

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XU Produces Another Top-50 Finish In NAIA All-Sports Standings

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana finished 50th in the NAIA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings of 2014-15 and was No. 1 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and No. 1 among historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

It's the fourth consecutive year that Xavier finished in the top 60 and third time in four years that Xavier was among the top 50. Xavier was a school-record 42nd a year ago.

"It has been another excellent year for Xavier Athletics and Team Gold," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Jason Horn. "We are proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for their collaboration and hard work to produce this national ranking. We look forward with optimism and enthusiasm to another great year for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets in 2015-16."

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today newspaper. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 12 sports — six women's and six men's. This is the 20th year of the NAIA all-sports standings.

Xavier scored 286 points, its second-highest total ever, after a tie for third place nationally in women's tennis, a tie for fifth in men's tennis, a tie for 17th in men's basketball, a tie for 25th in women's volleyball, 36th in men's cross country, 38th in women's cross country and a tie for 52nd in women's track and field. Seven of Xavier's nine teams scored nationally.

Three other GCAC members were ranked. SUNO was 52nd with 274.25 points, Talladega tied for 136th with 83 points, and Philander Smith tied for 170th with 25 points. Xavier and SUNO were the top two HBCUs, followed by Wiley (Red River Athletic Conference) in 58th place with 249 points and Langston (Red River) at No. 79 with 181.5 points.

Xavier finished ahead of five schools it trailed a year ago.

For the second consecutive year, Xavier was the only HBCU with a top-50 finish from the NAIA or NCAA divisions II or III.

The top three NAIA schools were Oklahoma Baptist with 854.5 points, Lindsey Wilson with 823.5 and Oklahoma City with 802.75. Oklahoma Baptist led for the third consecutive year. Seven top-10 schools were the same as a year ago.

Xavier in NAIA all-sports standings
2014-15 50th
2013-14 42nd
2012-13 56th
2011-12 50th
2010-11 102nd
2009-10 83rd
2008-09 tie-92nd
2007-08 141st
2006-07 156th
2005-06 no teams (Hurricane Katrina)
2004-05 not in top 100
2003-04 86th
2002-03 tie-163rd
2001-02 tie-238th
2000-01 tie-199th
1999-2000 not in top 234
1998-99 tie-210th
1997-98 tie-194th
1996-97 164th
1995-96 146th

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Nuggets' Volleyball Recruiting Fills a Tall Order

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Friday its women's volleyball recruiting class for 2015. Two of the three signees will be the Gold Nuggets' tallest players in five years.

Signed to scholarships were:

• Ruby Hunt-Thompson, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter and right-side hitter from Evanston, Ill. She was home-schooled.
• Sarah Pitts-Groce, a 6-foot middle blocker and right-side hitter from Atlanta and Atlanta International School.
• Patricia Young Yen, a 5-9 middle blocker and outside hitter from Magna, Utah, Cyprus High School and Otero (Colo.) Junior College.

Hunt-Thompson, Pitts-Groce and Young Yen will join an XU program which was 20-6 overall and 14-0 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2014. For the fourth consecutive year, the Gold Nuggets won GCAC regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship.

"We focused on a little bigger presence at the net for blocking and terminating," third-year head coach Hannah Lawing said. "It was a thorough process of navigating the recruits. There was a lot of good talent, and it took a lot of work to narrow it down. (Assistant coach) Hilary (Lobenstein) and I are confident that these three ladies will make a difference in our program on and off the court. We think that their personalities will further diversify our team in a positive way, and they'll add something to our team coming from different parts of the country."

Hunt-Thompson was a member of the Crossroads Crusaders team which finished second in the gold division of the National Homeschool Tournament. She was MVP of the midwest regional tournament and led her team to the championship. In club she played for Sports Performance's 2014 AAU national-champion team.

"Ruby has always competed and performed at a high level in Illinois," Lawing said. "She has athleticism and technique. She has a big block, and she hits high over the net with a lot of power."

Hunt-Thompson is a multiple honor-roll student and graduated with honors. Her father is LaSalle Thompson, a 15-year NBA center and an All-American at the University of Texas.

Pitts-Groce was a two-year starter at Atlanta International and helped her club team, Atlanta Boom, win a regional tournament in 2014.

"Sarah has a well-rounded repertoire of abilities," Lawing said. "She works hard. She transitions well. She has a decent-sized block and can put a ball away. She will also be a unifying factor with a personality and sense of camaraderie that is hard to find."

Hunt-Thompson and Pitts-Groce will be the Nuggets' tallest players since 6-footer Allison Dawson and 6-1 Sierra Lyons in 2010.

Young Yen produced 485 kills, 195 blocks and 149 digs the past two seasons at Otero. Her match highs included 17 kills, eight blocks, eight digs and two aces. She was Otero's No. 2 attacker in 2014 with 272 kills and 10 matches of 10-or-more kills.

"Patricia is fundamentally well-rounded," Lawing said. "She's got the technique, and she knows how to put a ball away. She will bring to our team collegiate experience and a hunger for the ball."

Xavier will begin the regular season in late August and will announce soon its 2015 schedule.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Ray Belton named new chancellor and president of Southern U.

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Ray Belton will be the new president and chancellor of Southern University, overseeing both the Baton Rouge campus and the overall Southern system, the system's Board of Supervisors determined Friday (June 12).

Belton, who currently serves as chancellor of Southern's Shreveport campus, will be tasked with navigating a new position, as the combined president-chancellor job was only just created. He'll also have to work to breathe new life into an institution that has faced declining enrollment and funding, low graduation and retention rates, and the challenge of finding continued relevance for historically black colleges and universities in a changing world.

The board voted 13-1 to hire Belton over Ivory Toldson, who began his career as an assistant professor at Southern and now works in Washington, D.C. as deputy director for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The roles of both chancellor and president were vacant because the board opted not to renew the contracts of both system president Ronald Mason Jr. and former chancellor James Llorens.

KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

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