Florida A&M Cagers Open New Season At Home, Nov. 13

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  The 2015-16 FAMU Rattler Basketball schedule features two rare events - home games to open the season for the first time in many years.

Coach Byron Samuels' second-year squad will tip off the season in the friendly confines of the Al Lawson Center on Friday, November 13 against Johnson University at 7:00 p.m.

After a Sunday road game at Southern Illinois (Nov. 15) which is part of a month-long MTE Tournament, FAMU returns home for a Tuesday night bout against Thomas (Ga.) University.

The Rattlers will spend the rest of November out in the Lone Star State of Texas, opening  at Houston (Saturday, Nov. 21). 

The remaining three dates: Texas-El Paso (Tuesday, Nov. 24) and in Corpus Christi to face Abilene Christian (Friday, Nov. 27) and either Troy (Ala.) or Oakland (Saturday, Nov. 28) will be in the MTE Invitational.

FAMU will play a road date at Kennesaw State (Monday, Dec. 2), before returning home to open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday, December 5 against South Carolina State.

The full FAMU Men's Hoops schedule is online at www.FAMUAthletics.com.

FAMU RATTLERS 2015/16 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Fri, Nov 13	JOHNSON UNIVERSITY	AL LAWSON CENTER	TBA
Sun, Nov 15	Southern Illinois	at Carbondale, Illinois	TBA
Wed, Nov 18	THOMAS UNIVERSITY	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Nov 21	University of Houston	at Houston, Texas	TBA
Tue, Nov 24	UTEP	at El Pasco, Texas	TBA
Fri, Nov 27	Abilene Christian	at Corpus Christie, Texas	TBA
Sat, Nov 28	Troy Univ. or Oakland	at Corpus Christie, Texas	TBA
Wed, Dec 02	Kennesaw State	at Atlanta, Georgia	TBA
Sat, Dec 05	SOUTH CAROLINA STATE *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Dec 12	SAMFORD	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Tue, Dec 15	SE LOUISIANA STATE	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Dec 19	University of North Florida	at Jacksonville, Florida	TBA
Mon, Dec 21	Jacksonville University	at Jacksonville, Florida	TBA
Tue, Dec 29	FIU	at Miami, Florida	TBA
Tue, Jan 05	SAVANNAH STATE *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Jan 09	Norfolk State *	at Norfolk, Virginia	TBA
Mon, Jan 11	Hampton University *	at Hampton, Virginia	TBA
Sat, Jan 16	MORGAN STATE *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Mon, Jan 18	COPPIN STATE *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Jan 23	Howard University *	at Washington, D.C.	TBA
Mon, Jan 25	UMES *	at Princess Anne, Maryland	TBA
Sat, Jan 30	Bethune-Cookman *	at Daytona Beach, Florida	TBA
Mon, Feb 01	NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIV. *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Mon, Feb 08	DELAWARE STATE *	TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA	TBA
Sat, Feb 13	NC A&T University *	at Greensboro, North Carolina	TBA
Mon, Feb 15	North Carolina Centeral Univ. *	at Durham, North Carolina	TBA
Sat, Feb 20	BETHUNE-COOKMAN *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Sat, Feb 27	NC A&T UNIVERSITY *	AL LAWSON CENTER - TALLAHASSEE	TBA
Thu, Mar 03	Savannah State *	at Savannah, Georgia	TBA

* Conference Games

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5 things we’ve learned about TSU

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- This is Tennessee State’s bye week and it comes at a good time because the Tigers are so beaten up.

Several key players were missing in last Saturday’s 30-14 win over Florida A&M and more joined them on the injury list.

The Tigers already were without starting quarterback O’Shay Ackerman-Carter, wide receivers Isaiah Jeffries-Freeman and Andrew Bather, offensive tackle James Lewis and guard Duaron Williams along with middle linebacker Justin North and strong side linebacker Demetro Stephens.

Offensive tackle Evan Clay left the FAMU game with an injury early in the first quarter and cornerback Bernell Brooks joined him later in the same quarter.

Most, if not all, are expected back when the Tigers return to action on Oct. 10 at UT Martin.



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Tennessee State Tigers on the Road (Week 3&4 Highlights)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State University's football team has been on the road. First stop Jacksonville, AL against the Gamecocks. Then the Tigers travel down to Tallahassee, FL to take on the FAMU Rattlers.



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FAMU AD Overton: 'No quick fixes' for Rattlers

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. is still optimistic about where the university’s athletic department — particularly the football program — is going.

Overton said the Rattlers 0-4 start to the season is a product of years of attempted “quick fixes” for the program. Coaches have been fired before having time to build programs, and that instability has led to a glaring depth issue the Rattlers are competing with in 2015.

Overton on Wednesday said he fully expects FAMU head coach Alex Wood to be with the school for at least three years – the length of Wood’s current contract.

“I know what Alex Wood needs,” Overton said.

“We are in agreement with what he needs. He needs to fix the talent and the depth issue. And the resources and recruiting. Those are really the biggest things. What I’m not saying we don’t have talent on the football team. What I’m saying is we need widespread talent. Talent from the 1’s to the 3’s.”

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'Beat-up' N.C. A&T Aggies head to Hampton for MEAC opener

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — A month into the season, N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway still isn’t exactly sure what kind of football team his Aggies are.

They’re 2-1, a record that could’ve been scripted back in August. They clobbered inferior Shaw, got clobbered by superior North Carolina and eked out a victory against Elon.

But now what? A&T hits the road for its MEAC opener at Hampton at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Pirates (2-2, 1-1) are coached by A&T Hall of Famer Connell Maynor, a star quarterback for the Aggies in his playing days.

“They’re the favorites. They’re the team to beat, the big Aggies,” Maynor said this week. “They’ve got a great football team. ... That team last year could’ve been undefeated and should’ve been a playoff team.”

Maybe so. But this year’s Aggies have struggled with a young offensive line through three games, and they’re not the same team they were in August.

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Alcorn State heads to UAPB in crucial SWAC contest

LORMAN, Mississippi -- The Braves (3-1, 2-0 SWAC) travel to Arkansas-Pine Blufff at 4 p.m. Saturday at Golden Lion Stadium, hoping to remain unbeaten in league play. A victory over the Golden Lions puts Alcorn in the Driver's seat for the Eastern Division title at the mid-season mark.

Senior wide receiver Jordan Payne has emerged as a big-play threat for All-SWAC quarterback Robert Gibbs Jr., making an already dangerous Braves offense more explosive.

Grambling at Jackson State, 6 p.m.: Quarterback LaMontiez Ivy is having one of the best seasons in school history. The junior leads the SWAC with 317 yards passing a game and has thrown for over 1,100 yards this season.

The Tigers (1-3, 1-1 SWAC), however, must generate a running game and improve defensively to support Ivy in the toughest stretch of their season.



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Well-rounded SU Jaguars in position to make SWAC title run

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern’s open date this week gives it an opportunity to analyze the first month of the season before entering the heart of the Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule.

The Jaguars are just 2-2, but most importantly they are 2-0 in the SWAC, and so far they have been about as well-rounded a team as they could be in a 50-13 win at Mississippi Valley State and a 50-31 victory against Jackson State in their only home game.

In SWAC games, Southern is second in the league in scoring offense and total offense as well as second in scoring defense and total defense. Offensively, it ranks third in rushing and fourth in passing yards (first in passing efficiency). It is second in rushing defense and sixth in passing yardage defense (second in pass efficiency defense.)

“I think we’ve been able to run the football, I think we’ve been able to throw the football,” coach Dawson Odums said. “On defense, I think we’ve been able to stop the run and I think we’ve been able to stop the pass and I think we’re getting better at doing that.”

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Walker resigns as JSU interim AD

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Robert Walker, Jackson State’s interim athletic director, announced his resignation from his position during an athletic department meeting on Wednesday afternoon, a JSU spokesperson told the The Clarion-Ledger.

Wheeler Brown, associate athletic director of compliance, will move into the interim athletic director role.

The timing of the news seems quite abrupt. Walker was interviewed on JSUTV as recently as Monday to discuss athletics and this Friday’s JSU Sports 2015 Hall of Fame Banquet.

But Walker, who was retired before assuming the interim position, contends he originally looked at the position with a six-month window.

“I’ve reached a point in life where I desire and need to spend more quality time with my family,” Walker said in a phone conversation Wednesday afternoon. “I made a decision myself. I shared with (JSU President) Dr. (Carolyn) Meyers that I needed to get out into the private world. I’ll always be a Tiger and bleed blue and white.



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JSU defense aims to keep energy high

JACKSON, Mississippi -- The energy level on Jackson State’s defense appeared low when it gave up 50 points against Southern in the SWAC opener two weeks ago.

Maybe there was some desperation after an 0-3 start, but the intensity level went up a notch against Texas Southern, and defensive coordinator Alonzo Lee feels that was the key to a better showing on defense last week.

“That intensity level we played at was a solid level,” Lee said. “If we can bring that energy and those things every week, we’re going to be fine.

“When your energy level is up and you’re getting after it, it looks like you’re attacking more than you really are.”

The Tigers’ defense, which is allowing 46.2 points per game, will need to use all the energy it has when Grambling steps onto the field to face it at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Grambling (2-2, 2-0 SWAC) has the No. 1 scoring offense in the conference and ranks second in total offense. The offense is spearheaded by quarterback Johnathan Williams.

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Is there a blueprint for SWAC teams to stop GSU’s offense?

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Eric Dooley paused, started to speak, then paused again when asked how to stop Grambling’s offense.

It was a difficult question for Dooley to answer since he’s the man running Grambling’s high-powered attack as the offensive coordinator of a unit that is averaging 42.8 points per game this season and 52.3 points in the last three weeks.

Before Dooley could answer, Grambling defensive coordinator Everett Todd, who was sitting four feet away from Dooley, chimed in.

“You can’t,” Todd deadpanned.

That’s about the same feeling defensive coordinator in the Southwestern Athletic Conference have when trying to defend Grambling’s offense.

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SWAC Game of the Week Tonight on ESPNU: ASU vs. TSU

Alabama State (1-3/1-2 SWAC) at Texas Southern (2-2/1-2 SWAC)

Oct. 1, 2015
BBVA Compass Stadium (22,000)
7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Houston, Texas
 

Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Stats	Stats
Game Notes	Game Notes

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Claflin University Women’s Basketball Releases 2015-16 Schedule

Orangeburg, South Carolina  --  The Claflin University women's basketball program has released its 2015-16 schedule, which includes five teams which participated in the 2015 NCAA Division II tournament. For the third straight season, the Lady Panthers will open their season at home.

Claflin will open the season with five-of-six games at home, beginning with Florida Tech University on November 14. The Lady Panthers will then host Brevard College (Nov. 15), Newberry College (Nov. 18), and Allen University for homecoming on Nov. 21. Claflin will travel to Fayetteville, NC to face Fayetteville State University on November 23 before returning home versus Florida Southern University.

Claflin University 2015-16 Women's Basketball Schedule

"Playing against five 2015 NCAA Division II Tournament participants early in the season will definitely help prepare us to meet the challenges we will face later," said head coach Deont'a McChester, who is in his third season at the helm of the Lady Panthers. "Our conference opponents will be a tough go night-after-night and facing the high caliber of competition early will definitely prepare us for the challenges." McChester continued, "I believe our senior leadership will provide us with the tools we need to be competitive inside and outside of the conference."

The Lady Panthers will open Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Lane College. Claflin will play its next two conference games on the road as well, traveling to Kentucky State University (Dec. 5) and Central State University (Dec. 7).

All Claflin home games are played at the Tullis Arena inside of the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center on the campus of Claflin University. You can keep up to date with the Claflin University women's basketball team and purchase tickets by visiting athletics.claflin.edu. Live streaming for all home games will be available via pay-per-view on the Claflin athletics website. Live stats will also be available at no charge on the Claflin athletics website.

For a complete schedule visit the 2015-16 schedule link on the Claflin University women's basketball page at athletics.claflin.edu.

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Claflin University Men’s Basketball Releases 2015-16 Schedule

COACH RICKY JACKSON
3rd. YEAR

Orangeburg, South Carolina — The Claflin University men's basketball program has released its 2015-16 schedule, which includes, non-conference opponents from five different NCAA Division II conferences. In all, the Panthers will have six non-conference matchups and 13 home games including a New Year's Eve matinee.

Claflin will open the season on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Millersville University in Millersville, Pa. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Panthers will open their 2015-16 home season versus Georgia Regents University. Following the home-opener, Claflin will host the College of Bahamas for homecoming (Saturday, Nov. 21) before hitting the road for its next six contests.

Claflin University 2015-16 Men's Basketball Schedule

"We look forward to the upcoming season," said third year head coach Ricky Jackson. "The non-conference schedule we have in place is very competitive and will prepare us for conference play."

The Panthers will open the six-game road swing on Monday, Nov. 23, at Fayetteville State University. They will then travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. to participate in the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 27-28. The Panthers will open Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Lane College. . That contest will be followed by games at Kentucky State University (Dec. 5) and Central State University (Dec. 7) before returning home on Saturday, Dec. 12 to host Fayetteville State University in the second half of a home-and-home series. The team will then face Limestone College on the road on Friday, Dec. 18.

Claflin will close out the 2015 calendar year on Thursday, Dec. 31 when they host Winston-Salem State in its final non-conference game of the season.

All Claflin home games are played at the Tullis Arena inside of the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center on the campus of Claflin University. You can keep up to date with the Claflin University women's basketball team and purchase tickets by visiting athletics.claflin.edu. Live streaming for all home games will be available via pay-per-view on the Claflin athletics website. Live stats will also be available at no charge on the Claflin athletics website.

For a complete schedule visit the Claflin University men's basketball page at athletics.claflin.edu.

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WSSU's Bazemore signs with pro team in Spain

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- WyKevin Bazemore, a four-year starter at Winston-Salem State and one of the best rebounders in school history, has signed a contract to play pro basketball overseas.

Bazemore, a 6-3 forward, was a four-time All-CIAA player and is the 12th leading scorer (1,337 points) in school history and third in career rebounds (984). During his four seasons at WSSU, he helped the Rams to three CIAA title games and one CIAA title.

A relentless rebounder, Bazemore usually guarded taller players during his time with the Rams.



“I’m excited about getting this opportunity to play,” said Bazemore, who stayed in Winston-Salem over summer training. “My agent (James Blackburn) and I think this will be the best chance for me so getting to go over to Spain is going to be pretty cool.”

Bazemore will play for Ule Puertalia Leon, a team in the fourth division of the Spanish League. Bazemore’s team plays in the Liga EBA Division.

He will leave next week for training camp and games will run from October until May.

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Manzo’s foot gives Livingstone Blue Bears an edge

SALISBURY, North Carolina — Livingstone’s trip to Bowie State, 20 miles from Washington, D.C., resulted in a football loss but an educational gain. The Blue Bears took in the standard tourist sights, including the Washington Monument and the White House.

The highlight for many team members was a stop at the Lincoln Memorial, the venue from which Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I have a dream” speech still echoes. That was the defining moment in a Civil Rights Movement that changed the world.

“We have a total program,” Livingstone coach Daryl Williams said. “We want to provide opportunities for culture as well as football. We’ve got players from junior colleges, from Florida, from California. We’ve got a lot of guys who had never seen their nation’s capital.”

Williams said many players quietly thanked him for the opportunity. In the big picture, the D.C. visit, will stay with the Blue Bears long after they’ve forgotten Saturday’s 45-17 CIAA gridiron setback.

“Seeing the White House definitely was on my bucket list,” senior kicker Leo Manzo said. “The trip was cool. I really like where playing football at Livingstone has taken me.”



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St. Aug’s fires football coach

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- St. Augustine’s football coach Michael Morand, who had been placed on administrative leave two weeks into the season, has been relieved of his duties, the school announced Wednesday.

Contacted by phone, athletic director George Williams would only say, “We have decided to go in another direction. We will open up the job at the end of the season, and (interim) coach (Tim) Chavous is welcome to apply for it at that time.”

Morand took over a St. Augustine’s football team in the midst of a crisis.

Thirteen-year coach Michael Costa had just been released after the first game of the 2014 season, and several of the players’ relatives had gone to the national media to protest “unsafe travel conditions and inadequate food.”

Morand, who was the offensive coordinator at the time, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

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Upstart Chowan hopes to break WSSU's conference win streak

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Chowan will come into its game against Winston-Salem State on Saturday in unfamiliar territory.

Since moving from a junior college to a four-year college in 1992, the football team has never been 3-1. That changed Saturday with a convincing 49-0 win over St. Augustine’s in its conference opener.

The Rams have won 29 straight CIAA regular-season games with their last loss in 2010, but the Hawks are hoping to halt that streak. They come into Saturday’s game with plenty of momentum.

The Hawks are in the conversation as a contender in the Northern Division of the CIAA thanks to a quarterback who hasn’t shied away from making big plays. Randall Dixon, a junior college transfer who redshirted last season at Chowan, is one of the top newcomers to the CIAA.

Coach Tim Place, who is 25-49 in his eight seasons at Chowan, says Dixon’s play has been very good.

“We’ve done a decent job of protecting the ball, and our turnover margin is a lot better,” said Place, whose team also beat Division I Delaware State earlier this season.

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Bowie State Bulldogs Predicted To Finish First in the CIAA Northern Division

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The 2015-2016 CIAA Men's Predicted Order of Finish and Pre-Season All-CIAA Team were announced at the Annual Basketball Press Conference held at the Crowne Plaza Executive Park Hotel on Thursday (October 1st) afternoon.

The Bowie State Bulldogs were picked to finish atop in the CIAA Northern Division as voted by the CIAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association. Defending CIAA Champion Livingstone College is picked to finish first in the CIAA Southern Division.
 
When asked about this year's team, sixth year head coach Darrell Brooks said, "We're really excited about the start of a new season and believe our guys are in really good shape".  "With the addition of four newcomers combined with 11 returning players, we're a lot longer and more athletic than we were last year."

Of the individual student-athletes honored Bowie State senior Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) was selected by the CIAA Coaches. Beck played in all 30 games last season, ranked second on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and first in rebounds (6.0 rpg).

Last season, the Bowie State University Bulldogs were Co-Champions in the Northern Division and finished the season with a 22-8 overall record and 13-3 CIAA record. A complete list of the 2015-2016 Pre-Season Team and Predicted Order of Finish is as follows;

MEN'S PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Northern Division
Bowie State University
Virginia State University
Lincoln University
Chowan University
Virginia Union University
Elizabeth City University

 
Southern Division
Livingstone College
Winston-Salem State University
Johnson C. Smith University
Saint Augustine's University
Fayetteville State University
Shaw University

2015-2016 Men's Pre-Season Basketball Team
Ray Anderson (Virginia Union), Justin Beck (Bowie State), Jamar Cooper (Shaw), Joshua Dawson (Fayetteville State), Eric Dubose (Livingstone), Anthony Gaskins (Saint Augustine's), Quincy January (Saint Augustine's), Elijah Moore (Virginia State), Stedmon Lemon (Johnson C. Smith), Ty Newman (Livingstone), Diondre Pratt (Johnson C. Smith) and Larry Richardson (Shaw).

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MEDIA ADVISORY - BSU Bulldogs Football at Johnson C. Smith Moved Up to 12 p.m. Kickoff

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Bowie State University football game scheduled for this Saturday (10/3) at Johnson S. Smith University has moved up kickoff time to 12 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. due to the pending hurricance moving up the east coast. You can still follow the game via audio stream by CLICKING HERE

CSU (1-3, 0-1 CIAA) comes off a 33-3 loss at Virginia Union last week.  The Golden Bulls were led by senior linebacker Austin Jacques (Springdale, Md.), as he finished with 18 total tackles, 4.0 for loss.  For his performance against the Panthers, Jacques was named CIAA Linebacker of the Week.  Defensive back Carlo Thomas (East Orange, N.J.) also continues his solid play, as he tallied 7.5 tackles, with six being solo stops.

Offensively, JCSU struggled against a stout Virginia Union defense, only gaining 58 yards of offense.  JCSU's score came from a career-long 46 yard field goal in the third quarter from junior kicker Erik Amaya (Kannapolis, N.C.).  

Bowie State (3-1, 1-0 CIAA) counters with quarterback Matthew Goggans, as he has earned CIAA quarterback of the week on three occasions thus far this fall.  Goggans has thrown for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception in 2015.  Last week, Goggans torched the Livingstone defense, tossing for 345 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-17 home win over the Blue Bears.  Goggans' favorite target is receiver Nyme Manns, as Manns has collected 29 catches for 431 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Defensively, Bowie State is led by linebacker Kevaugn Townsend.  Townsend has racked up 41 tackles on the season, including 19 solo stops.  He also has 2.5 sacks to his credit along with a fumble recovery.

This week's game will once again be broadcast on AM 1450 WGNC.  Dave Friedman and Josh Diggs will have the call with the pregame show kicking off at 2:30 p.m.  Fans can access the live video and audio stream at jcsn.wgnc.net.

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WSSU's Gaddy being moved to hospital in Charlotte

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Marquise Gaddy is making steady progress in his recovery from neck and spinal cord injuries suffered a week ago at practice at Winston-Salem State.

Gaddy, a freshman safety from Charlotte, has been in Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center since the Sept. 23 incident. His father, Juan, says his son will be moved to a rehabilitation center in uptown Charlotte.“He’s making real progress, and that’s what we are all excited about,” Juan Gaddy said Wednesday morning just before checking out of his hotel. “He’s going to go a rehab center in uptown Charlotte, and he’ll probably be there for three or four weeks.”

Marquise Gaddy suffered a broken neck and was knocked unconscious during a tackling drill, according to his father. He was first able to wiggle his toes and move his legs about 24 hours after being rushed to the hospital.

The progress since then has been steady, according to Juan Gaddy. Marquise started rehabilitation at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center last Thursday.



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Florida A&M Baseball Continues Fall Practice and Announces 2016 Schedule

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The Florida A&M baseball team, which is coming off its' first MEAC Baseball Championship since 1994, continues to work through its' fall practice schedule as the Rattlers are in the second week of practice that will conclude at the end of October.  FAMU will wrap up fall practice with five games against junior college opponents over the final two weeks of October, in Tallahassee.

"We broke the fall up into two segments," said head coach Jamey Shouppe. "The first segment will be a three week segement in which we go six days a week to get our 20 hours a week in. We do that to get our system in place and because it mirrors what we'll do when we come back in January to get ready for our 2016 season. When we come back, we'll have six weeks to prepare for our first game. We will play five games our last three weeks of our fall."

2016 FAMU Baseball Schedule

Florida A&M will face Darton College (Oct. 13), Chipola State College (Oct. 15), Gulf Coast State College (Oct. 19), and NW Florida State College (Oct. 21) all at Moore-Kittles Field before wrapping up the fall schedule at Tallahassee Community College on October 27. All games are scheduled for a 5:00 PM first pitch.

OCT      

13                Tues        Darton College (JC)                               Tallahassee, FL   5:00 pm

15                Thurs       Chipola State College (JC)                   Tallahassee, FL   5:00 pm

19                Mon         Gulf Coast State College (JC)               Tallahassee, FL   5:00 pm

21                Wed         NW Florida State College (JC)              Tallahassee, FL   5:00 pm

27                Tues        at Tallahassee Community College (JC)  Tallahassee, FL   5:00 pm

FAMU returns 21 players, including nine pitchers, from a 2015 team that was a part of a historic season that saw the Rattlers advance to the programs first-ever NCAA Regional as Florida A&M reached the Gainesville Regional.

"Been impressed with the talent that's there, Shouppe continued." "There's very good competition behind the plate between Brian Davis and Jacky Miles, Jr., a transfer from Chipola. We feel like offensively we're going to be better. At first base, we brought in a fifth year transfer from Jacksonville University in Dylan Dillard, who we think is going to be a good asset to us offensively. We've just been very pleased so far in how the fall has gone."

Florida A&M’s roster will have 13 newcomers, including six freshmen, five junior college transfers and one collegiate transfer.

Of those 13 newcomers, five are additions to the pitching staff that only lost one senior from 2015. Last year's staff posted the first-ever sub-5.00 team ERA in program history.

"We've got a lot of new guys in the system and the guys returning have done a good job of helping them out and guiding them to the things that we do on a consistent basis," said pitching coach Bryan Henry. "The scrimmages have been great so far and has given me a chance to learn their stuff. It's also a chance to see what pitches they like to throw in certain situations and how hitters react to them. The best part about it is the competition we have going on between the pitching staff. It's a little deeper than it was last year with us only losing one senior and we brought in a few guys. It's no secret that there's some great competition for those innings and it will bring out the best in everybody. We've got some guys that can throw secondary pitches for strikes and anytime you can throw an off-speed pitch in a fast ball count, you're going to have success. We've got multiple guys who know how to pitch and when you combine that with the guys coming back from last year, and returning your whole weekend rotation, that's always a good thing. The depth is there we may not have had last year."

Shouppe also announced the 2016 Florida A&M baseball schedule as the Rattlers will see 16 games against in-state opponents. On top of the home MEAC schedule, FAMU will host games against Marshall, Western Michigan, Toledo, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, Jacksonville, Alabama State and Mercer. Florida A&M also has a mid-week game at Auburn (Feb. 24) and a three-game weekend series at Miami (April 29-May 1) for a very strong 51-game schedule.

Under head coach Jamey Shouppe the Rattlers have won 29 regular season games against MEAC opponents (29-19), which is the most conference wins over any two-year period in program history.

The 2016 season will open on Friday, February 19 against Marshall for a three-game series at Moore-Kittles Field.

As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @FAMUAthletics and the 2016 baseball schedule is now available on www.FAMUAthletics.com.

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