Bullard Steps Down As SAU Head Women's Basketball Coach

HEAD COACH RACHEL BULLARD
Courtesy SAU Athletics

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Rachel Bullard will step down after five seasons as head women's basketball coach at Saint Augustine's University (SAU) to spend more time with her family, the SAU athletic department announced Tuesday, July 21, 2015. A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

"We appreciate the service she has given us the past five seasons," SAU Athletic Director George Williams said. "We wish her the best in her future endeavors."

The Lady Falcons performed well on the court and in the classroom under Bullard, earning five consecutive CIAA conference highest team grade point average awards. They also posted a winning overall record during Bullard's tenure including a 19-11 mark her first season.

Bullard coached three All-CIAA scholar-athletes, two conference players of the year and one CIAA Woman of the Year. She also coached five All-CIAA Rookie scholar-athletes including two who were selected league rookies of the year. In 2013, four Lady Falcons made the five-player All-CIAA Rookie Team

Bullard will continue her head coaching duties through August 17.

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NSU Reveals 2015-16 Men’s Basketball Schedule

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Two tournaments, several trips to high-major opponents and of course a showdown with crosstown rival Old Dominion highlight the non-conference schedule for the Norfolk State men's basketball team this upcoming season. In addition, NSU will face its normal allotment of 16 MEAC games, including eight at home, as the program revealed its entire 2015-16 schedule on Tuesday.

The Spartans will play 11 home games altogether this year and are guaranteed to face at least 11 opponents who played in the postseason last year.

2015-16 NSU Men's Basketball Schedule

"Last year we had one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, and this year's schedule looks to be as tough or even tougher than last year," said head coach Robert Jones. "This schedule will test our team early and often, and we are excited about the challenge for this year's young group."

One of the highpoints of the non-conference schedule is the renewal of the crosstown series with Old Dominion. The two teams have not played since the 2000-01 season. NSU will compete at ODU's Ted Constant Center on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

"The highlight of the schedule for local Spartan fans will be the return of our crosstown rival game vs. ODU," said Jones. "We haven't played them in 15 years. We as a staff have been diligently trying for two seasons to get this done and now it is finally here. This year ODU should be extremely good, and it will be a great challenge for us."

As was previously announced, NSU will play in a pair of tournaments this year, the 2015 Paradise Jam and the Sun Bowl Invitational. The Spartans open up their part of the Paradise Jam against Indiana State on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. EST. NSU will face either Ohio or Tulsa on Nov. 21 or 22 followed by one last game on Nov. 23 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands against one of the foursome of Hofstra, DePaul, South Carolina or Florida State. NSU will make its third appearance in the tournament, the format of which is an eight-team bracket.

The Spartans also make their second appearance in the Sun Bowl Invitational hosted by UTEP. NSU will take on the host Miners on Dec. 21 in El Paso, Texas, followed by either UC Irvine or Sam Houston State the next day. All three of NSU's potential opponents in the Sun Bowl Invite competed in the postseason last year.

The 2015-16 season officially begins for NSU at South Carolina on Nov. 14, which will be followed by a contest against Washington Adventist on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the first home game of the year for the Spartans. After competing in the Paradise Jam, NSU makes a return trip to Northern Arizona on Nov. 30 to complete a home-and-home deal.

On Dec. 2, the Spartans host Mercy College at 7 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall before playing eight straight games on the road during the next month. That journey will begin on Dec. 7 with a MEAC game at Coppin State. The Spartans then play three games in five days in a trip that will start at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 13 and will include stops at Cincinnati (Dec. 15) and Evansville (Dec. 17).

After two contests in the Sun Bowl Invitational, NSU will play at ODU after the Christmas holiday and then at Alabama on Jan. 2. The non-conference season finishes up with a home game against Princeton on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m., the second of a home-and-home series with the Tigers.

Evansville defeated Northern Arizona for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) championship last year, while Cincinnati (NCAA) and ODU and Alabama (NIT) also played in the postseason last season.

"Challenging ourselves against other quality opponents such as Cincinnati, Alabama, Evansville and in the prestigious Sun Bowl tournament will help us prepare for a well-balanced MEAC schedule this year," Jones continued. "We are also thrilled about continuing our home-and-home series with Northern Arizona and Princeton and starting a new one with Northern Kentucky."

NSU will host Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 9 and 11, respectively, to kick start the full conference schedule. The Spartans make a trip to North Carolina Central (Jan. 16) and North Carolina A&T (Jan. 18) the following weekend, the first time in four years NSU will play at N.C. A&T and the first game at NCCU in five seasons for the Spartans.

They will then return home to take on South Carolina State (Jan. 23) and Savannah State (Jan. 25) after playing at those two schools each of the last three years.

The month of January will come to a close with the Battle of the Bay at Hampton on Jan. 30. Two more road games at Howard on Feb. 6 and UMES on Feb. 8 will follow, and then the Spartans will welcome Morgan State to town on Feb. 13 and Coppin State on Feb. 20.

The Spartans travel to Delaware State for a road contest on Feb. 22 and then a rare Wednesday MEAC game on Feb. 24 at Morgan State.

The regular season comes to a close with home matchups against Howard (Feb. 29) and Hampton (March 3). All MEAC home games this year will start at their usual 6 p.m. time on Saturdays and at 8 p.m. on Mondays.

This season's MEAC schedule also mirrors last year's slate, just with the home and away designations switched. Hampton (NCAA), N.C. Central (NIT), UMES (CIT) and Delaware State (CBI) all competed in the postseason last year as well.

The 2016 MEAC tournament runs from March 7-12 at Scope Arena.

NSU brings back six letterwinners from last year's team that finished 20-14 overall and 12-4 in MEAC play. The Spartans welcome six scholarship newcomers to this year's squad, including two freshmen and four junior college transfers.

NORFOLK STATE SPARTANS 2015/16 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Date		Opponent	Location	Time/Result
11/14/2015		South Carolina	Columbia, S.C.	TBA
11/17/2015		Washington Adventist	Norfolk, Va.	7 p.m.
2015 Paradise Jam
11/20/2015		Indiana State	St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.	4 p.m.
11/21-22/2015		Ohio/Tulsa	St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.	2:30/6:30 p.m.
11/23/2015		TBD	St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.	TBD
11/30/2015		Northern Arizona	Flagstaff, Ariz.	TBA
12/2/2015		Mercy College	Norfolk, Va.	7 p.m.
12/7/2015	*	Coppin State	Baltimore, Md.	7:30 p.m.
12/13/2015		Northern Kentucky	Highland Heights, Ky.	TBA
12/15/2015		Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio	TBA
12/17/2015		Evansville	Evansville, Ind.	TBA
Sun Bowl Invitational
12/21/2015		UTEP	El Paso, Texas	9 p.m.
12/22/2015		UC Irvine/Sam Houston State	El Paso, Texas	7/9 p.m.
12/29/2015		Old Dominion	Norfolk, Va.	7 p.m.
1/2/2016		Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA
1/5/2016		Princeton	Norfolk, Va.	7 p.m.
1/9/2016	*	Florida A&M	Norfolk, Va.	6 p.m.
1/11/2016	*	Bethune-Cookman	Norfolk, Va.	8 p.m.
1/16/2016	*	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.	4 p.m.
1/18/2016	*	North Carolina A&T	Greensboro, N.C.	7:30 p.m.
1/23/2016	*	South Carolina State	Norfolk, Va.	6 p.m.
1/25/2016	*	Savannah State	Norfolk, Va.	8 p.m.
1/30/2016	*	Hampton	Hampton, Va.	6 p.m.
2/6/2016	*	Howard	Washington, D.C.	4:30 p.m.
2/8/2016	*	UMES	Princess Anne, Md.	7:30 p.m.
2/13/2016	*	Morgan State	Norfolk, Va.	6 p.m.
2/20/2016	*	Coppin State	Norfolk, Va.	6 p.m.
2/22/2016	*	Delaware State	Dover, Del.	7:30 p.m.
2/24/2016	*	Morgan State	Baltimore, Md.	7 p.m.
2/29/2016	*	Howard	Norfolk, Va.	8 p.m.
3/3/2016	*	Hampton	Norfolk, Va.	8 p.m.
3/7-12/2016		MEAC Tournament	Norfolk, Va.	TBD

Mike Bello, Asst. SID
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS

Malzahn's system influenced new SWAC head coach Simmons

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Gus Malzahn keeps it simple.

That's what first-year Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons loves about his uptempo, spread offense at Auburn.

"The way he uses formations, the way he plays fast and the way he keeps the game simple," Simmons said. "I think a lot of the spread guys' philosophy is the simpler, the better."

Like Malzahn did at Auburn in 2010, Simmons was an offensive coordinator for a conference championship team. Last season, Simmons was instrumental in Alcorn State winning the SWAC title.

The Braves led the league in scoring offense (44.0 ppg.), total offense (493.8 yards per game) and rushing offense (286 yards per game).



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SWAC Media Days: Alabama State University football

Birmingham,  Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2015 SWAC Football Preseason Teams during Media Day on Friday morning.

Alabama State tallied five selections with linebacker Kourtney Berry carrying one of the two most prestigious recognitions after being named the SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

There were 51 players named to this year's preseason teams as a result of receiving 2014 All-SWAC honors.

In the event that a player was named to the First Team during the postseason and did not return, the Second Team player at that position was elevated to First Team recognition.
Players were ranked in their position based upon the number of votes received.
Ballots were completed by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

Berry led the conference in total tackles during his first two years by grabbing over 100 tackles, including a SWAC-high 128 tackles (67 solo) last season.

CONTINUE READING 

N.C. A&T Aggies Removes Interim Tag, Name Hall Head Coach

GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Ben Hall, who held the position of interim head coach this past season, has been selected as North Carolina A&T’s new head baseball coach, director of athletics Earl M. Hilton III announced Tuesday.

“Coach Hall played under (longtime college baseball coach) Jack Leggett like (former A&T baseball coach) Keith Shumate. I see a lot of similarities between coach Hall and coach Shumate in terms of their approaches and philosophies to the game,” said Hilton. “Coach Shumate was a very successful coach for A&T, and I think coach Hall can be as well. I had a chance to observe him throughout the season, and I was impressed with what I saw from him in terms of paying attention to detail, preparation and overall leadership. While our win-loss record was not what we hoped it would be, coach Hall effectively guided the program through a difficult transition period.”

Hall was announced as an assistant coach under then head coach Joel Sanchez on October 1, 2014. Three weeks later Hall was named interim head coach after Sanchez’s dismissal. In Hall’s first season as a head coach, the Aggies finished 10-36 overall and 7-17 in the MEAC. But in the Aggies last 12 games, they went 6-6 including a win over arch-rival N.C. Central in the regular-season finale that prevented the Eagles from qualifying for the MEAC tournament.

Hall discusses the importance of pitching

“I am truly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to lead the North Carolina A&T State University baseball program forward,” Hall said. “First I want to thank Chancellor Harold L. Martin, and athletics director Earl Hilton for this opportunity and the confidence they have displayed in me through this appointment. In addition, I definitely want to thank all of the A&T staff and faculty I have had the pleasure to work with this past year. A&T is an amazing place that displays all the characteristics of a destination for student-athletes to come and chase their dreams.”

Hall’s first season saw three players earn first-team All-MEAC honors including conference rookie of the year Adan Ordonez. Ordonez was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American under Hall.

“Our program’s first priority is to lead our student-athletes as they develop into men while striving for success on and off the field. Secondly, our daily work will honor the rich tradition of Aggie baseball, yet push for new heights,” said Hall. “I am excited about the new staff we have in place. Their talent, energy for the game and consistency in their work ethic will directly benefit this program going forward. We are excited for the future of Aggie baseball.”

Before he came to A&T, Hall spent three seasons as assistant with the Winthrop Eagles baseball program. During his time with the Eagles he assisted with infielders, hitters and all aspects of recruiting, which included 2014 first-team All-Big South outfielder TJ Olesczuk who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and 2013 all-conference third baseman Chad Smith.

Before accepting the post at Winthrop, Hall worked at Division II Wingate for four seasons. He started there as a graduate assistant before being promoted to an assistant coach in 2010, where he worked with hitters and infielders. In 2011, the Bulldogs finished in the top-10 in hits, doubles, home runs and slugging percentage nationally. The Bulldogs finished 34-22, won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and earned a bid to the Southeast Regional. The Bulldogs won the SAC regular-season title in 2010.

As a player, Hall spent one season each at Stetson and Daytona Beach Community College before transferring to Clemson University where he played under Leggett. At Stetson he hit .321 and was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team. His best season at Clemson came in 2005 when he hit .319 with five doubles and nine RBI.

Hall received his undergraduate degree in sports management from Clemson in 2007 and his master’s degree in business administration from Wingate in 2009.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JSU-Southern to air on ESPN3

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State's game at Southern on Sept. 19 at Southern, will be broadcast on ESPN3/ESPNU, according to a SWAC press release.

The SWAC unveiled its television schedule in the aforementioned release on Tuesday morning. The game against the Jaguars is the Tigers' lone appearance on the schedule.

The contest will air live on ESPN3 at 6 p.m. and then on ESPNU within 24 hours.

Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State each appear once on the TV schedule, which features 13 games as of now.

The Braves' game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3 will also be on ESPN3. The Delta Devils will host Southern on Sept. 10 and the contest will air on ESPNU.

Alabama State and Southern lead the way with three broadcast appearances each.

CONTINUE READING 

Keaton said Stillman players must show improvement

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Stillman College coach Teddy Keaton isn’t sure whether his team is ready to improve on last year’s injury-riddled season.

The 5-6 Tigers graduated 22 seniors and while Keaton was impressed with several aspects of spring practice, he’s not sure whether fans will see improvement from the Tigers this fall until he sees several of the unproven players in action.

“I can’t determine that until I see what we’ve got,” he said. “I know I was very optimistic when the spring ended. The guys who were role players last year, I think they stepped in and transitioned pretty good. So it’s how much they put into the offseason and when they come back to camp, we’ll see where they’re at. There’s more to it than just the physical part of it.”

Keaton was in Montgomery on Monday for the annual Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference media day, where it was unveiled that his Tigers were picked to finish third in the SIAC Western Division behind 2014 champion Tuskegee and Miles College.

CONTINUE READING

University of Detroit Mercy rehires XU trainer Joe Fawcett

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana seeks to hire an athletic trainer after Joe Fawcett, a staff member since June 2014, left XU this past week to return to the University of Detroit Mercy.

UDM hired Fawcett as assistant director of sports medicine. He began his duties there Monday.

Fawcett was a graduate assistant trainer at UDM for two years and earned a master's degree from that school in 2014. He is a native of Zanesville, Ohio.

At Xavier, Fawcett was the primary sports medicine contact for men's basketball and men's and women's cross country and track and field. He assisted with the other teams as needed.

Jason Horn, Xavier's director of athletics and recreation, said the university will hire a new trainer as soon as possible. That person will join Xavier's other full-time trainer, Allie Wood.

The XU trainer positions are part of the partnership between Xavier Athletics and Ochsner Health System's sports medicine division.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Ram Ramblings: Coaches at media day not very forthcoming

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The CIAA media day is later this week and I usually chuckle when asked about it.

Coaches do a wonderful job of telling the media absolutely nothing on media day. And the reason for this is coaches don’t want to give away anything to an opposing coach.

I haven’t attended one of these in a while because I realized it had no bearing on what happens next month when practices open. It also usually coincides with vacation time. Coaches won’t really know who will be starting or even on the team until practices begin around Aug. 10.

So on Thursday there will be questions lobbed at the coaches and the answers will be as general as a politician who is campaigning for office.

About the only news that comes out the media day is the preseason coaches’ poll. But the coaches don’t really know about their own teams so they can’t expect to know about the other teams in the conference.

CONTINUE READING

XU's Ewell, Goody, Capdeville named ITA Scholar-Athletes

From left: Simone-Alyse Ewell, Jordan Goody, Jeremiah Capdeville

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has produced three Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athletes for the 2014-15 academic year: Simone-Alyse Ewell and Jordyn Goody on the women's team and Jeremiah Capdeville on the men's. The ITA announced the awards this past week.

Ewell, Goody and Capdeville are Xavier's first honorees for this award since 2008-09, and it's the most that the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush have combined for since four in 2004-05.

ITA Scholar-Athletes must be varsity letterwinners, have a 3.50 GPA for the current academic year and been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

Ewell, from Detroit and a graduate of The Roeper School, will be a senior at Xavier in 2015-16. Goody, from Lake Charles, La., and a graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School, has received her bachelor's degree from Xavier. Capdeville, from Jennings, La., and a graduate of Jennings High School, will be a sophomore.

Xavier's women ranked fourth in the 2015 NAIA postseason poll, and the men ranked sixth. The Gold Rush reached the national quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive year.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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SWAC Releases 2015 Football Television Schedule

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2015 football television schedule which includes 12 contests that will spread across six different networks.

Each of the 10 member institutions will either be featured on ABC, ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN3 or NBC. All games are available in the network's standard high-definition.

The defending SWAC champions will open college football’s slate of games Thursday night when Alcorn State travels to Georgia Tech live on ESPN 3. The weekend continues September 5 with Grambling State playing at California on the PAC 12 Network and Alabama A&M facing Cincinnati on ESPN 3.

Arkansas Pine Bluff highlights the weekend September 6 against South Carolina State in the 11th Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.

ESPN will begin its coverage of conference play Thursday night when Southern plays at Mississippi Valley State September 10 on ESPNU.

The TV line up concludes with the all new Celebration Bowl December 19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. The kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. on ABC

More games may potentially be added as the season progresses.

SWAC TV SCHEDULE

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

SIAC Announces 2015 Pre-Season All-Conference Football Team

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) released their annual Football Preseason All-Conference Teams as voted on by the league's head coaches on Monday, with a pair of Albany State players coming away with the top honors.

Taking home the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year award was a name familiar to those in the SIAC, running back Jarvis Small, who won the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year Award after leading the SIAC in rushing with 1,196 yards and 13 touchdowns. Joining him in the superlatives is teammate Tavarius Washington, a senior linebacker who is the top returning tackler from a year ago recording 93 tackles, with 17.5 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to these recognitions, both players were also placed on the Preseason All-Conference First Team.

Highlighting the Second Team is 2014 Freshman of the Year, Tuskegee linebacker Osband Thompson. Thompson recorded 80 tackles last season, good enough for 12th best in the conference, while adding three sacks along the way.

Three teams placed the most student-athletes on the two preseason squads, as Albany State, Central State and Tuskegee all had nine recipients, with ASU and TU having five selected to the first team.

In addition to the individual awards, the league also announced the projected order of finish for the 2015 season. Foreseeing a repeat of last season's championship game, the coaches picked Albany State to win the East Division with six first place votes, and Tuskegee in the West Division in a unanimous decision. Fort Valley State (3) and Benedict (2) were the only other schools to receive first place votes in their respective divisions.

2015 SIAC FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON ALL CONFERENCE

Pre-Season Offensive Player of the Year
Jarvis Small (Albany State)

Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year 
Tavarius Washington (Albany State)

OFFENSE

FIRST TEAM			SECOND TEAM
Josh Straughan	Stillman	QB	Monqavious Johnson	Morehouse
Jarvis Small	Albany State	RB	Otis Brown	Fort Valley State
Jonathan Clark	Miles	RB	Isaiah Grooms	Central State
Drelon Freeman	Fort Valley State	WR	Christopher Murray	Central State
Marquel Gardner	Tuskegee	WR	Devon Mann	Morehouse
Zach Thomas	Central State	TE	Leonard Walker	Albany State
D'Mon Tucker	Lane	OL	Kenneth Averhart	Albany State
Javoris Wilburn	Albany State	OL	Devin Radcliffe	Central State
Tyree Bell	Stillman	OL	Michael Brown	Fort Valley State
Kelvin Shelton	Tuskegee	OL	Justice Thomas	Morehouse
Terrence Owens	Miles	OL	Montell Collins	Miles
DEFENSE
Braysean Jones	Miles	DL	Darian Hall	Tuskegee
Artrell McMillan	Central State	DL	Grover Stewart	Albany State
Julian Morgan	Tuskegee	DL	Tayvin Ziegler	Central State
Jack Ndem	Albany State	DL	Gabriel Mass	Lane
Lydell Simon	Kentucky State	LB	Osband Thompson	Tuskegee
Jewell Ratliff	Tuskegee	LB	Gervell Morgan	Central State
Tavarius Washington	Albany State	LB	Trevon Spencer	Kentucky State
Will Lacy	Lane	DB	Okoye Bozeman	Central State
Brian Walker	Fort Valley State	DB	Dashad Tucker	Central State
Michael Robinson	Tuskegee	DB	Jermaine Graham	Kentucky State
Nick Scott	Albany State	DB	Cedric Cuff	Tuskegee
Juan Serna	Fort Valley State	K	Zachery Gayden-Holley	Albany State
Juan Serna	Fort Valley State	P	Temitayo Argoro	Morehouse
Corey Slaughter	Kentucky State	KR	Darrius Mitchell	Lane
Darius Mitchell	Lane	PR	Devozea Gaines	Tuskegee

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

EASTERN DIVISION                                           WESTERN DIVISION
Albany State University (6)                               Tuskegee University (10) **
Fort Valley State University (3)                         Miles College
Benedict College (2)                                           Stillman College
Morehouse College                                             Central State University
Clark Atlanta University                                     Kentucky State University
                                                                            Lane College

**2014 SIAC FOOTBALL CHAMPTIONS

COURTESY SIAC MEDIA RELATIONS

SIAC MEDIA DAY: New Albany State coach Dan Land embracing the challenge

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — In his first year as the Albany State head football coach, Dan Land has some big shoes to fill.

He inherits a team that finished 7-3 and came up just short of winning the SIAC championship. As though that weren’t a high enough bar, the Rams were picked by coaches as East Division favorites at the 2015 SIAC Media Day on Monday at the Holiday Inn hotel.

With all that said, Land said he feels everything that happened last year as well as Monday should serve as nothing more than motivation. He said that’s the main sentiment he’s trying to get through to his team.

“Work hard to get it, they believe in you,” he said. “They’re telling you they believe in you because they selected you number one, now go out and do it. So we’re just trying to use that as motivation for the guys.”

While the expectations are ...

CONTINUE READING

Tuskegee Picked to Win the SIAC Western Division

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) released their predicted order of finish, as selected by the league's head coaches, on Monday afternoon with the two teams who played in the SIAC championship game last season predicted to do the same in 2015.

Tuskegee, the defending SIAC champions, were selected unanimously to win the Western Division of the conference as they picked up all 10 first place votes. The were followed by Miles (November 7), Stillman (October 10), Central State (October 24), Kentucky State (October 17), and Lane (September 26). The Golden Tigers return nine starters, three on offense and six on defense, from that championship team; including nine selections to the 2015 SIAC Preseason First or Second Team.

Albany State, last year's opponent in the SIAC championship game, was picked to win the Eastern Division - picking up six first place votes. Fort Valley State was picked to finish second in the division, picking up three first place votes, while Benedict was picked to finish third and picked up the final two first place votes. The rest of the Eastern Division included Morehouse at fifth, Clark Atlanta at sixth.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Eastern Division	Western Division
Albany State (6)	Tuskegee (10)
Fort Valley State (3)	Miles
Benedict (2)	Stillman
Morehouse	Central State
Clark Atlanta	Kentucky State
	Lane

Tuskegee opens the season on September 5 against Clark Atlanta at Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium, and the game can be heard on the Tuskegee Sports Network.

COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SIAC MEDIA DAY: Albany State picked to win SIAC East Division again

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Though it’s just on paper, the Albany State Rams head into the 2015 football season on top. Monday afternoon, the Rams were tabbed as the team to beat at the 2015 SIAC Media Day at the Holiday Inn hotel.

It was there the Rams were named the favorite to finish atop the East Division. Reigning SIAC champion Tuskegee was picked to finish first in the West this season as well. The two teams met in the SIAC Championship Game last year with Tuskegee pulling out a last-minute victory and earning a berth into the NCAA Division II playoffs.

While first-year head coach Dan Land was honored that the coaches picked his squad to finish first, he said it ultimately means nothing if they can’t put in the work on the field this season.

“I’m old school, seeing stuff on paper doesn’t mean a whole lot to me,” he said. “Once we get out there and prove stuff on the field, then we will worry about the rankings. I appreciate the coaches voting us first place, but we want to prove it on the field.”

CONTINUE READING 

Statement from FAMU President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., on the Passing of Alumnus George E. Cooper, Ph.D.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and the Tallahassee community joins the White House, HBCU family, agricultural industry, family, and friends in mourning the loss of alumnus and advocate George E. Cooper, Ph.D.

Dr. Cooper served as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and recently returned to his alma mater to serve as the summer 2014 commencement speaker.

His contributions to the FAMU community and the nation at-large are underscored by his service as a senior fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities – Council of 1890 Universities, chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and his service on the HBCU and Limited Resource Institution Academic Advisory Group.

Dr. Cooper also spent 17 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and served five years at Alabama A&M University (AAMU) as vice president for academic affairs and as dean of the School of Applied Sciences at Tuskegee University. Cooper received his bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from FAMU, a master’s degree in animal science from Tuskegee University, and a doctorate in animal nutrition from the University of Illinois.

The entire nation will be forever impacted by the tireless and influential work of Dr. Cooper. He will be profoundly missed.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Norfolk State believes it can pull off the upset | Scouting Rutgers' opponents

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey -- It's the calm before the storm in college football. July is one of the few periods during the year that coaches take some time to recharge their batteries before the grind of training camp begins in August.

Still, you can bet that even as Rutgers' coaches are relaxing on a beach, they're thinking about the upcoming season. The same goes for NJ Advance Media's beat writers. As the offseason winds down, we're going to take an inside look at each of Rutgers' 2015 opponents.

I connected with David Hall, who covers Norfolk State for Virginia Pilot, for a Q&A on the Spartans.

2014 result: Did not play
2015 game: Norfolk State at Rutgers, Sept. 5 at 12 p.m. (ESPNews)

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N.C. A&T Aggies Men Basketball Hires Brown As An Assistant

JAMAL BROWN
Assistant Coach
Aggie Basketball

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T men’s basketball coach Cy Alexander has announced the hiring of Jamal Brown as an assistant coach. Brown’s primary responsibility will be to work with the A&T post players, scouting, recruiting and scheduling.

“I’m happy to have Jamal join our staff,” said Alexander. “I think he will be a valuable attribute in the development of our big guys. He has Division I head coaching experience and brings a bevy of knowledge and contacts in recruiting across the country.”

This will be Brown’s third time working under Alexander as an assistant. He also played for Alexander at S.C. State, where he helped the Bulldogs win the 1996 MEAC championship. In fact, Brown’s coaching career started under Alexander at S.C. State. The Bulldogs enjoyed the school’s most successful period in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with Brown as an assistant as they won MEAC titles in 1998, 2000 and ‘03.

Alexander would leave S.C. State after the ‘03 championship season to become the head coach at Tennessee State, where Brown joined him as his associate head coach for three seasons before becoming head coach at his alma mater S.C. State in 2006 for one season.

He spent the next five seasons in Princess Anne, Md., as an associate head coach at Maryland Eastern Shore under head coach Frankie Allen. During his time at UMES, he was selected to attend the ACE Program for Minority Coaches.

His last coaching stop was at nearby Winston-Salem State University where he started with the Rams in 2013.

“I’m excited to be a part of this staff,” said Brown. “Coach Alexander has been a mentor and confidant to me throughout my whole career. I look forward to helping North Carolina A&T piece together some MEAC championship teams.”

Brown is a 1997 graduate of S.C. State with a degree business marketing. He has one son, Gilbert Jamal Brown II.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU WR DeMario Bell gearing up for big senior season

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- DeMario Bell said he's approaching this season like any other one, but this is not like any other season for him.

This is Bell's final one at Alabama State.

To summarize Bell's college career so far, his production hasn't matched his talent. He led the Hornets in receiving yards last season with 625, but only caught 28 passes and four touchdowns in 11 games.

If the Hornets are going to have a big year, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 180-pound wideout out of Wetumpka will have to have a season unlike any he's had at ASU.

"I'm going to go out every game and do the best I can to help my team come out with a win and help myself and market myself as well as an outstanding young man who can play the game of football," Bell said.

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JSU opponent preview: Middle Tennessee State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- There's quite some time -- about a month and half -- until Jackson State hits the field for its opening game of the 2015 football season.

The wait might be long, but it won't stop us from taking a look at the Tigers' upcoming opponents.

Each weekday for the next few weeks,The Clarion-Ledger will release a preview of each one of JSU's 2015 opponents. Today we preview the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, who host the Tigers to kick off the new campaign.

Twenty-five years have passed since the last time Jackson State and Middle Tennessee State have met on the gridiron, so this contest, which will be held at the Blue Raiders' Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, will bring some newness with it.

MTSU, which was picked ...

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Sights and Sounds from FAMU 2015 Summer Band Camp Finale

 ALWAYS WATCH VIDEOS IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN


 COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AND  RATTLER ATHLETICS

Ravens rookie guard Robert 'Snacks' Myers (TSU) a hungry and raw talent, with time to develop

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The legend of Ravens rookie guard Robert "Snacks" Myers and his awesome nickname was launched inside the Tennessee State cafeteria.

Raised in nearby La Vergne, Myers arrived on the Nashville campus five years ago as a hungry young man. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound future fifth-round NFL draft pick haunted the cafeteria and typically was the first player to enter and the last to leave.

That's when Tennessee State coach Rod Reed started to call the hulking young offensive lineman "Snacks," after taking notice of Myers' habit of eating several smaller items of food, including bags of chips and pretzels, before the main course was served.

"'Snacks' definitely has a big appetite," Tennessee State offensive line coach Russ Ehrenfeld said in a recent telephone interview. "He's huge, but he carries his weight very well and is powerful and explosive."

The nickname stuck, cemented when teammates and Reed saw Myers open the trunk of his car to retrieve football equipment on the way to practice. Inside of the trunk were a bunch of snacks that "Snacks" was protecting from his roommate.

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CIAA football is all about quarterbacks in 2015

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- When the league’s media day event kicks off Thursday in Durham, they’ll be the focus of attention. Most of the contenders have a good one. Those who don’t will have to compensate.

Last year’s champion, Virginia State, has one of the best in junior Tarian Ayers. Johnson C. Smith, under first-year coach Kermit Blount, is an unknown after losing its first- and second-string quarterbacks to graduation.

Freshman Jordan Lane, who led Victory Christian to a pair of N.C. independent schools Division II championships, is in the mix for the starting job. Lane, a 6-3, 202-pounder, connected on 119-of-175 passes (68 percent) for 2,091 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at VCC. As a junior, he hit 133-of-245 for 2,450 yards and 22 scores.

The Golden Bulls (3-7 in 2014) averaged a CIAA-worst 13.2 points per game last season with Kehan Wallace and Andrew Alexander behind center. JCSU also doesn’t have much of a running attack returning with senior Richard Brannon the leading incumbent at 14 carries for 21 yards. Senior receiver Fred Scott (47 catches, 488 yards, six touchdowns) returns as the top target.

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The SWAC’s football coaches are well-aware that Southern’s Anthony Mosley is back

COURTESY SU ATHLETICS

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference’s football coaches haven’t forgotten about Anthony Mosley.

They voted the Southern offensive lineman a first-team preseason All-SWAC player for the second consecutive year Friday even though he sat out last season as an academic casualty.

“I’m glad to have him back,” Jaguars coach Dawson Odums said. “I think (the coaches) knew when they heard the name. It was unfortunate for him, but he’s still got this year and next year, and I just told him to make the best of it.”

Odums said two other key players who were academically ineligible last season — linebacker Daniel Brown and receiver Nico Talbert — are also back for Southern, which was picked second in the SWAC West, receiving a mere two points fewer than Grambling.

Mosley was a key player when the Jaguars won the SWAC championship two years ago, but he was relegated to the scout team last season as they won another West Division title before losing to Alcorn State in the SWAC title game.

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Lane takes huge step in improving athletics

JACKSON, Tennessee -- Lane College is receiving a major boost to their athletic facilities. The school unveiled their new weight room to the community on Thursday afternoon.

It was one of athletic director Derrick Burroughs immediate goals when returning to Lane in January.

"Our kids have endured so much and so with out. This gives our kids a great opportunity to get a great workout in," Burroughs said at the grand opening. "Compared to other schools, I think this may be the best field house in our conference."

Burroughs credits President Dr. Logan Hampton's for sharing the same vision as him.

He says Hampton's support says a lot about the school's commitment to athletics.



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