How One Black College Survived The Leap From Division I To Division II And Back Again

The once-proud athletic department at Winston-Salem State tried to compete in big-time (and big-money) college sports — a rarity for an HBCU. When that backfired, the school returned to its roots and its former glory.

COACH CONNELL MAYNOR AND STAR QB KAMERON SMITH

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- During his first press conference as a head coach in December 2009, Connell Maynor talked about something that was unheard of for Winston-Salem State University — let alone black college football programs.

Maynor confidently talked about going undefeated and winning championships. And Maynor meant national championships, not just conference titles, which were something the Rams hadn’t won in a decade.

“That was a surprise — I almost wet on myself,” said Bill Hayes, Maynor’s boss as the school’s athletic director and himself the winningest football coach in school history. Winston-Salem State had won only one game the previous season. “I knew a good season would have been 8–2, 9–1, maybe 7–3. But this guy was standing up in his first press conference and saying he was going to go 15–0.”

Maynor was only one game off on delivering on his bold promise. In his third year, the Rams went 14–1, losing only the Division II championship game. Winston-Salem State was just the second HBCU to play in that game and the first in nearly 30 years.

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Albany State football team looks to make the city proud

Rams play Miles College in SIAC Championship game

ALBANY, Georgia -- Albany State University has been through a great deal this fall. Headlines haven’t been as favorable as they would’ve liked, and now with the announcement of the merger made official, a wave of uncertainty has washed over the campus.

One constant bright spot this year has been the Rams football team. After starting 0-2, the Rams turned things around to win six of their next seven and achieve their goal of making it back to the SIAC title game on Saturday. For assistant coach Anthony Kelly, he hopes their achievements gives the community something to be proud of in the midst of the change.



“We’re hoping it means a lot,” he said. “There are a lot of people in this community, as well as on our coaching staff, who are Albany State people. We’re very prideful in our program and our university and the students are very excited about this opportunity.”

After the exciting victory over Fort Valley, ASU president Art Dunning said he’s thrilled at what head coach Dan Land has been able to do in his first season.

“I think he’s done an extraordinary job,” he said. “This is a great way to finish the regular season, with a win and it’s also against our arch rival.

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B-CU women's hoops preview: Walker out as Wildcats prepare to open season

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Flagler Palm Coast’s Armani Walker freshman season at Bethune-Cookman has ended before it every really began.

The 5-8 guard injured her ACL in practice and will miss the season, according to coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis.

“Armani went down with an ACL and we were counting on her giving us some minutes,” Blair-Lewis said Wednesday at B-CU.

Former Deltona star, freshman forward Chasimmie Brown, is the other local on Blair-Lewis' roster.

“(Brown) does a good job coming in for Kailyn (Williams) and I would love to have them both on the floor at the same time,” Blair-Lewis said.

As the Wildcats open the season at 6 p.m. Friday vs. Brown University, here’s five things to watch for this season:

1. Williams’ paint presence

Williams is simply an imposing defensive player. At 6-4, the redshirt junior center has made herself a shot-blocking machine. She put B-CU on the national radar by finishing third in the nation in Division I in blocks per game (4.43) last season.

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Black college football and basketball players are the most powerful people of color on campus

The protests at the University of Missouri show what can happen when they wield it.

COLUMBIA, Missouri -- A research team from the center I direct at the University of Pennsylvania is spending three days this week assessing the campus climate at a predominantly white university in the Midwest, not far from the University of Missouri.  Based on our findings and experiences elsewhere, I am certain they have heard students, faculty members and staff members of color tell horrifying stories of encounters with racism. 

By now, one of our researchers has probably heard a black student describe the pain she experienced when someone called her the N-word on campus. Others have probably reflected on how they felt when racial epithets were spray-painted on their dorm-room doors or the numerous times their white peers and professors presumed they were admitted only because of affirmative action, not academic talent. Depending on what the fraternity scene is like at this particular university, some students of color my colleagues interview may recap the insults they felt when photos emerged from a recent party with a blackface theme. When the team gets back at the end of this week, I predict they will say very little that shocks me. I fully expect to hear that tears were shed in interviews they conducted, which happens every place we do racial-climate research.

Each year, administrators at several predominantly white colleges and universities across the nation hire us to spend a few days on their campuses assessing the racial climate. People of color not only supply numerous examples of racial harm that has been inflicted on them at the institutions we study but also convey frustration and disappointment with the lack of response from campus administrators. They often tell us that their institutions do not care about people of color, despite the diversity-related values expressed via mission statements, in admissions materials and on Web sites. 

“The president doesn’t listen to us,” is a common complaint. In fact, many participants in our studies meet us quite skeptically. They wonder whether they are, once again, about to waste their time unpacking and reliving painful encounters with racism for the mere sake of institutional window dressing. Most ask us, “Are administrators really going to do something this time?” Sometimes, administrators do. But too often, they don’t.  Jonathan Butler, a graduate student at Missouri, and others there were tired of waiting for their campus leaders to do something about the institution’s long-standing racial problems.

I have been engaged in racial-climate research for more than a decade, including an assessment of the University of Missouri at Kansas City eight years ago. I am repeatedly saddened by the powerlessness that people of color often feel on predominantly white campuses. Having spent my career as an administrator and professor at universities where my people are in the numerical minority, I know firsthand the feelings participants of color in my research routinely express. It is a familiar, lived experience of mine.

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

BYRON SAMUELS
HEAD COACH MEN'S BASKETBALL
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY

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.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

BASKETBALL: Savannah State men, women hoping to get back to the past

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Recent tastes of national postseason tournament play have the men’s and women’s basketball teams of Savannah State craving more.

The SSU men are three years removed from appearances in the National Invitational Tournament and the CollegeInsider.com tournament in back-to-back years.

The SSU women danced in the NCAA Tournament last March.

“We talk about our philosophy and our vision — what are we going to do to be on that national level?” said Tigers women’s coach Cedric Baker, whose squad lost to top-ranked South Carolina in the first round last season.

The men were competitive in postseason matchups with Tennessee in 2012 and East Carolina in 2013.

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NCCU women’s basketball coming to a crossroads

DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central women’s basketball coach Vanessa Taylor enters her fourth season at a crossroads.

Gone is associate head coach Ronnie Enoch after parents complained over alleged inappropriate conduct with some of the players. Also gone are some of those same players.

The Eagles (5-11 MEAC, 7-22 overall) finished a disappointing No. 9 last season and are predicted to finish 12th in the MEAC. NCCU has yet to get its engine roaring under Taylor, and with just two seniors, this may be another rebuilding season.



“I think we learned a lot,” Taylor said. “But last year we had four seniors that started for us. We have moved into somewhat of a facelift. You will see eight new faces playing on the floor this year.”

Junior guard Morgan Jones is the only returning starter. She was second on the team in scoring COwith 9.1 points per game. Senior forward Tisha Dixon will try to get her groove back after an injury-filled season, while senior Kristin Askew will add needed veteran leadership and experience.

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HU closing in on its first winning season since 2011

HAMPTON, Virginia — Last week, Hampton University played its most complete game of the season in a 33-0 blowout of Florida A&M.

The Pirates' running game piled up 266 yards, the most in Connell Maynor's 22 games as head coach. The defense pitched a shutout and held the Rattlers to 168 yards, the fewest HU has allowed since 2011.

Which is all good. And bad.

"It's good because it was our most complete game," Maynor said Wednesday. "It's bad because it was the second-to-last game of the season. We need to be clicking on all cylinders a little quicker. But it's better late than never."

With the win, which broke a two-game losing streak, HU improved to 5-5 overall, 4-3 in the MEAC. By beating Savannah State on Saturday, the Pirates can clinch their first winning season since 2011. That became the goal for Hampton after the MEAC title and playoff spot slipped away.



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Basketball approach leads to Williams' career year

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Johnathan Williams is a quarterback in the body of a point guard. He even jokes he's the Steve Nash of Grambling's campus.

No, Williams isn't some MVP-level basketball player. He's just an athlete who just so happens to throw a football pretty well, well enough to establish himself as as one of top quarterbacks in the country.

The redshirt senior, who is listed at a point guard-like 5-foot-11, has racked up 29 passing touchdowns in nine games, which is just one behind only Eastern Washington's Jordan West for the FCS lead.

"Being the point guard of the offense changes a lot of things. It takes a lot of pressure off yourself knowing you don't have to make every play," Williams said Monday. "You just get the ball to the right person and they'll do the work. Film shows a lot of lot from our receivers and running backs taking slants and flat routes the distance. It's really just make the right reads and getting the ball out of your hands."

Williams is a key reason why Grambling (7-2, 7-0 SWAC) has won seven straight games and is one win away from clinching the SWAC West title.

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Battle-tested ASU Hornets come home for SWAC finale

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State has certainly grown since its season opener back in September.

An 0-3 overall start wasn’t enough to derail the team’s confidence. Two months later, the Hornets are a win away from clinching its sixth consecutive winning season.

Alabama State (5-4, 5-3 SWAC) hosts Prairie View A&M in its SWAC finale at 2 p.m. Saturday at ASU Stadium.



The Hornets are coming off a 17-12 win at Jackson State last Saturday and are in second place in the SWAC East behind Alcorn State.

Hornets head coach Brian Jenkins said the team’s turnaround shows the true quality of the players he inherited this season.

“Our guys have figured out the brand of football we want to play,” said Jenkins during Monday’s SWAC teleconference. “We were in all three games to start the season. We just couldn’t put a complete game together. These young men have stayed the course and have a lot of character.”

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Albany State University and Darton State College to Consolidate to Serve Southwest Georgia

ATLANTA, Georgia (Nov. 10, 2015) -- Albany State University (ASU) and Darton State College (DSC) will consolidate to form one institution under a new dynamic vision for public higher education. Today, the Board of Regents approved a proposal from Chancellor Hank Huckaby to consolidate the two institutions to increase education attainment levels and transform how the University System impacts southwest Georgia. Today’s action marks the fourth round of consolidation within the University System.

The new institution will be named Albany State University, and the Board named Albany State Interim President Art Dunning as the permanent president of the new institution to lead this bold new effort.

“The consolidation of Albany State University and Darton State College is a historic milestone for these institutions, our University System, the Albany community and our state,” said Chairman Neil Pruitt. “We are creating an institution of nearly 9,000 students, which would be the largest institution of higher education in Southwest Georgia. We have the opportunity to transform how we serve the community and the region.”

“The consolidated institution, Albany State University, will continue to serve the HBCU mission and build on its mission and that of Darton State to serve students, the community and region,” said Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “We respect the passion the community, students and alumni hold for these institutions. The new Albany State University will blend the strengths and values of each institution to strengthen the community and region more deliberately.”

The decision to consolidate the two institutions, whose combined enrollment this fall is nearly 9,000 students, follows the six guiding principles for consolidation approved by the board in Nov. 2011:

http://www.usg.edu/news/release/regents_approve_principles_for_consolidation_of_institutions.

An implementation team with representatives from both institutions will soon be formed and charged with the responsibility to work out the many details associated with consolidating the two universities. A website will be created and dedicated to providing information and updates about the consolidation to both campuses and the Albany community.

The University System, Albany State and Darton State will hold campus and community listening sessions in the coming months to seek and hear input on ways to best design the new institution to serve Albany, the region and the state.

Albany State University, a state university in the University System of Georgia, fosters the growth and development of Southwest Georgia and the state through teaching/learning, research, creative expression and public service. Through its teaching, research and service, and collaboration with other institutions, the University anticipates and responds to the needs of its constituents; and enhances the quality of life of its public through advocacy of educational, cultural, artistic and social development in the region. Both traditional and non-traditional students make up the more than 3,000 students who attend Albany State. The university offers more than 30 undergraduate degree programs, the Board of Regents’ engineering transfer program, a dual degree program in engineering with Georgia Tech and six advanced degrees.

Darton State College is a state college in the University System of Georgia. Its principal mission is to provide educational programs, services, and opportunities in southwest Georgia. Over 5,400 traditional and non-traditional students attend Darton State College. The college offers a challenging array of associate-degree programs and limited bachelor’s degree programs as well as online degrees. As the nursing and allied health education center for southwest Georgia, Darton offers 13 allied health programs to serve the needs of the health-care industry in the region.

Spring Hill men to open season at home on Friday

MOBILE, Alabama – Spring Hill College (SHC) head men's basketball coach Aaron Niven says that his team learned a lot in their first season of play in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and NCAA Division II.

"It's not that we learned that much new about the competition," he says. "The SIAC was just as athletic as we thought it would be last year, but they had much bigger players then we faced in our old conference. That being said, we found out that we can compete in the SIAC and compete at a good level. We also learned that the SIAC loves its basketball. It's a great atmosphere in all the gyms. The gyms are packed with loud, fun crowds every night."

Starting the new season, Niven is happy with the progress his team is making. "Where we are in the building process – and we are still in a building process – is good," he says. "We are still a young team, but my instinct says that we are a lot better this year. You never know how that will translate into wins and losses on the court, but talent-wise there is no doubt we are better."

While Niven's squad is still young on paper, his team is much more experienced this year than in his previous two seasons at SHC. His roster features 11 returning players and four freshmen.

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ASU Golden Rams expect different Miles offense Saturday

ALBANY, Georgia -- Albany State has a chance to bring home their 16th SIAC Title in program history.

They'll have to beat Miles to do it.

The Golden Rams will take on the Golden Bears for the second time this season Saturday in Montgomery, AL in the SIAC Championship Game.

ASU beat Miles 29-16 in October to kick start the Golden Rams' current five-game winning streak.



But head coach Dan Land says a lot has changed for Miles, especially offensively, since that game.

"They're running the quarterback a lot. A lot of quarterback power, a lot of read option," he says. "We looked at the last three films, and they changed a lot of their offense. They changed a whole bunch of things they do now that they didn't do back then. Defensively, we've got to make some changes. We're going to make the changes that we need to make to be able to win this game."

Land says one topic he discussed with several coaches on the SIAC conference call Tuesday morning is the NCAA Playoffs.

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WSSU facing questions heading into title game

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State will be heading into its CIAA championship game with Bowie State with plenty of question marks.

The Rams are still without assistant coach Jason Mai, who has been suspended, and two wide receivers, Eric Williams and Kenny Patterson. Mai, the quarterbacks coach who helps offensive coordinator John Eder call plays, didn’t coach in last week’s 24-22 win over Fayetteville State, and neither Williams nor Patterson dressed for the game.

Patterson was supposed to be among the seniors honored before the game, but he wasn’t at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Mai hasn’t been reinstated and his status with the program is uncertain. He was arrested Oct. 25 in an alleged domestic violence dispute, but did coach in the Oct. 31 double overtime loss to Shaw. After a report came out about his arrest, Mai was suspended and hasn’t been heard from since.

“That’s a personnel matter, and that’s up to the university right now so I won’t discuss it,” coach Kienus Boulware of the Rams said Tuesday.

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Men's Basketball Preview: North Carolina Central at Clemson

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015
TV: 7 PM ET, ESPN3

CLEMSON, South Carolina -- Clemson's season opener Friday night against visiting North Carolina Central will be unlike any past home games as top-to-bottom renovations at Littlejohn Coliseum will force the Tigers to play host out of state this season in Greenville, S.C.

Jaron Blossomgame should look familiar to Clemson fans as he returns for his junior year after leading the Tigers in scoring (13.1) and rebounding (8.2) last season. Blossomgame was the only player to average double figures in scoring for Clemson last season, but the 6-7 forward will have experience around him as Jordan Roper, Donte Grantham and Landry Nnoko also played in all 31 games last season.

Nnoko is a 6-10 center and Grantham a 6-8 forward who will team with Blossomgame to give the Tigers good size up front, and 7-foot junior college transfer Legend Robertin should provide a nice lift off the bench once he's academically eligible.

Avry Holmes sat out last season after transferring from San Francisco and it appears he'll take over the starting point guard duties with freshman Ty Hudson in line for the backup minutes.

North Carolina Central lost four starters from a team that went unbeaten during Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season play last season and then lost to Miami (Fla.) in the first round of the NIT.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (2014-15: 25-8, 16-0 MEAC):

Earning a postseason tournament berth for a third straight year might be a stretch for the Eagles, who lost several key players while assistant coach Brian Burg left for a similar position at Arkansas Little Rock.

Dante Holmes will be leaned on to cover some of the scoring void after he bumped his average from 3.4 points two years ago to 10.4 last season. Jamal Ferguson, who began his college career at Marquette, will be asked to make a similar jump after averaging 8.6 minutes last season while appearing in every game for North Carolina Central.

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Men's Basketball Preview: North Carolina A&T at Purdue

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana -- From the moment highly touted freshman Caleb Swanigan ditched a commitment to Michigan State to come to Purdue, the Boilermakers have been considered a contender for this year's Big Ten title. Now coach Matt Painter's squad gets a chance to start proving the hype is justified when it hosts North Carolina A&T on Friday in the season opener for both teams.

Swanigan, a 6-9, 250-pound forward, will team with returning big men Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammons, both 7-footers, to give Purdue one of the biggest front lines in the league if not the country. With four starters returning, led by leading scorer Hammons (11.9 ppg) and senior G Rapheal Davis (10.7 ppg), the Boilermakers should be ready to hit the ground running.

North Carolina A&T has had back-to-back nine-win seasons, but coach Cy Alexander is hoping an influx of transfers from Division I and junior college can help turn the Aggies' fortunes around. But against a veteran team like Purdue looking to make its mark early, it could be a very long night for the visitors from the MEAC.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA A&T (2014-15: 9-22):

Graduate transfers Ede Egharevba (Albany) and Joshea Singleton (Bucknell) join junior college transfer Mike Owona to give the Aggies an influx in experienced talent this season. For Alexander, its a big switch from the team's loss of seven seniors off the 2012-13 squad as well as a handful of transfers, which led to a couple of lean seasons.

"During our meetings, we expressed the need to bring in guys that can help us right away because of some of the setbacks we've had," Alexander said. "I think my staff did an excellent job of doing that."

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Men's Basketball Preview: Morgan State at Virginia

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- Two-time defending ACC regular-season champion Virginia has high expectations as it begins the 2015-16 campaign with a visit from Morgan State on Friday night. The sixth-ranked Cavaliers return senior standouts Anthony Gill and co-ACC preseason Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to lead the way for a team that won 30 games a season ago.

"We have a target on our back," Gill told the Daily Progress. "That's just something we have to expect and have to be ready for."

Virginia, which led the nation in points against per game (51.4) last season under coach Tony Bennett, should be just as tough to score on and boast an experienced point guard in London Perrantes. The Cavaliers will be looking for more consistent perimeter scoring to augment Brogdon and Perrantes with Justin Anderson lost to the NBA (Dallas Mavericks).

Morgan State expects improvement after a rough 7-24 season and 10th-year coach Todd Bozeman told the school's website the Bears will push the pace more with a smaller lineup in 2015-16.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE (2014-15: 7-24):

The Bears return 10 letter winners and were picked seventh in the preseason MEAC poll, looking to rebound after averaging just 61.2 points last season.

"They always say in church that you should welcome challenges because they only make you better," Bozeman told the team's website. "That's how I'm approaching it."

Forward Cedric Blossom, who led the team in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (7.1), is the go-to player, and guard Donte Pretlow averaged five points and 3.3 assists in 2014-15.

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Gold Nuggets clinch fifth straight GCAC championship

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana defeated city rival Dillard 30-28, 25-16, 25-15 at Dent Hall Monday to clinch a share of its fifth consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season volleyball championship.

The Gold Nuggets (17-7, 11-1) shared the title with SUNO, but Xavier won a tiebreaker to earn the No. 1 seeding in the conference tournament. Xavier won the GCAC regular season outright the previous four seasons.

Xavier finished the regular season with its ninth consecutive victory and defeated Dillard (8-21, 7-5) for the 13th consecutive time.

The No. 1 seeding gives Xavier a bye into Saturday's semifinals of the GCAC Tournament at Little Rock, Ark. The Gold Nuggets will play at 10 a.m. against the No. 3 seed, Dillard, or the No. 6 seed, Talladega. The championship match will start at 3 p.m. Saturday. Xavier is the four-time defending champion of the GCAC Tournament.

Xavier has won 59 of its last 60 GCAC regular-season matches. Including tournaments, Xavier has won 70 of its last 71 matches against GCAC opponents.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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August, Jackson win final GCAC awards of 2015

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christopher August and Zahri Jackson are the winners of the final Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week awards of the 2015 cross country season.

August and Jackson were Xavier's top finishers Friday in the Red River Athletic Conference Championships at Windcrest, Texas. (The GCAC, which lost its automatic bids this year to the NAIA National Championships, did not conduct a championship meet.)

August, a junior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, earned All-Red River honors by finishing 10th out of 46 runners in the men's 8,000-meter race. His time was 28 minutes, 30 seconds.

Jackson, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School, concluded her cross country career by finishing 14th out of 53 women. Her 5K time was a season-best 20:56. Jackson led the Gold Nuggets to a third-place team finish.

The Runner of the Week awards are the fifth this season for August and the second for Jackson. With 10 career awards, Jackson ranks second in GCAC women's cross country history, one behind former teammate Catherine Fakler.

Next for the XU distance runners will be the outdoor track and field season, which will begin in early March.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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Men's Basketball Preview: Southern at Arkansas

FRIDAY, NOV. 14, 2014
TV: 7 PM ET, SEC NETWORK

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas -- Arkansas begins its quest for a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance Friday night when it hosts non-conference foe Southern University Jaguars to open the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately for coach Mike Anderson, the Razorbacks will open without their top three scorers from last season, including NBA first-round pick Bobby Portis (Chicago Bulls).

Still, with Anderson's uptempo offensive philosophy and full-court pressure, Arkansas will still be a tough team to beat, especially in the early going as teams are just getting into form.

The Jaguars of the Southwestern Athletic Conference are coming off a season that saw them come within four points of an NCAA Tournament berth, falling to Texas Southern in the conference championship game. Southern returns two of its top three scorers from a year ago, but it won't be easy for them to keep pace with the high-scoring Razorbacks. Arkansas averaged 78 points last season and with Anderson calling the shots, the team's style won't change even if the personnel has.

ABOUT SOUTHERN (2014-15: 18-16):

Typical of many teams from the SWAC, Southern will play much of its early-season schedule on the road against much bigger schools. Last year, the Jaguars lost their first eight road games, losing seven of them by 10 points or more. But coach Roman Banks is hoping to be more competitive in the early going this year, with a veteran backcourt duo of Adrian Rodgers (13.3 ppg) and coach's son Trelun Banks (10.3) leading the way.

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Men's Basketball Preview: Alabama A&M at Tulane

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015
TV: ESPN3. 9 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane had a habit in recent years of getting off to strong starts only to slow when conference play hits. The Green Wave will begin the process of building momentum to carry them through the season when they host Alabama A&M in the season opener on Friday.

Tulane has reason to be optimistic with leading scorer Louis Dabney (13.6 points) returning and redshirt junior Malik Morgan set to make his debut. Morgan, who spent two seasons at LSU before sitting out last year, scored a team-high 24 points as the Green Wave closed out the exhibition season with an 89-69 win over nearby Loyola.

The guard should slot nicely into the holes left by departed guards Jay Hook (11.2) and Jonathan Stark (10.6). The Bulldogs were 302nd among all Division I teams in scoring last season with an average of 62 points per game but are hoping to take a step forward with all five starters returning.

ABOUT ALABAMA A&M (2014-15: 9-20):

Senior guard Ladarius Tabb was named the preseason Player of the Year by the SWAC in conference polling after leading the league in scoring (17.9 points) last season. The senior is one of nine on the roster including Nick West, who was second on the team in scoring (12.4 points) and combined with Tabb to average 15.7 rebounds.

The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Men's Basketball Preview: Jackson State Tigers at Oregon Ducks

FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

EUGENE, Oregon -- While Oregon appears to have the pieces to make a run at the Pac-12 title, the Ducks will be missing two starters for Friday's season opener against visiting Jackson State.

With forward Jordan Bell and point guard Dylan Ennis both out indefinitely due to foot injuries, the Ducks will rely on their depth during a challenging non-conference schedule.The Ducks' backcourt is in flux without Ennis, a veteran leader who averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 assists while starting every game last year at Villanova.

"He's going to be out for a while," coach Dana Altman told reporters. "I'm not sure how long, but we won't see him, November for sure, maybe not even December, I'm not sure."

Fortunately for Oregon, the roster features a solid mix of returnees such as forwards Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks along with talented freshmen Tyler Dorsey and Kendall Small in the backcourt. Sophomore Casey Benson will likely start at point guard until Ennis returns in January, while junior college transfer Chris Boucher looks ready to step in for Bell.

ABOUT JACKSON STATE (2014-15: 11-21):

The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll and could struggle to keep pace with the Ducks after averaging 60.7 points on 38.7 percent shooting last season.

The offense revolves around junior forward Treshawn Bolden, an All-SWAC second team selection who blocked a team-high 17 shots while averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds last year. The undersized Tigers will also look for continued growth from guards Kaven Bernard and Raeford Worsham, who scored 13.5 points and grabbed 7.9 rebounds per game last season.

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Tuskegee Golden Tigers 20th in latest D2football.com Poll

LIBERTY, Missouri -- The Tuskegee University Golden Tigers find themselves still in the hunt for a playoff berth, and they also find themselves ranked 20th this week in the D2football.com poll released Tuesday afternoon.

The Golden Tigers fell seven spots after their loss to Miles last Saturday, but maintained their spot in the top 25.

Tuskegee (8-2, 4-1 SIAC) is the only SIAC school, as well as the only HBCU, receiving votes in this week's poll. They also join four other teams from the region in the poll this week - West Georgia (sixth, down from first), North Alabama (10th, up from 11th), Valdosta State (16th, up from 19th), and Florida Tech (24th, unranked before last week's upset of then top-ranked West Georgia).

The Golden Tigers have completed their season, and now must wait until Selection Sunday when the NCAA Division II football playoffs are revealed to find out their fate. Currently the Golden Tigers are fifth in the region rankings, placing them on the road in a first-round matchup.

For more information on Tuskegee University athletics follow us on Twitter @MyTUAthletics, and like us on Facebook.

Rk	Team	Rec	Last Wk
1	Ferris State	9-0	2
2	Northwest Missouri	10-0	3
3	CSU-Pueblo	9-1	4
4	Ashland	10-1	5
5	Minnesota State-Mankato	9-1	6
6	West Georgia	9-1	1
7	Shepherd	9-0	8
8	Texas A&M-Commerce	8-2	9
9	Slippery Rock	9-1	10
10	North Alabama	7-2	11
11	Midwestern State	9-1	12
12	Humboldt State	8-1	14
13	Central Missouri	8-2	15
14	Grand Valley State	8-2	17
15	Henderson State	9-1	18
16	Valdosta State	7-2	19
17	Sioux Falls	8-2	7
18	Assumption	9-1	21
19	Minnesota-Duluth	7-3	23
20	Tuskegee	8-2	13
21	Charleston	9-1	25
22	Augustana	8-2	NR
23	Emporia State	8-2	16
24	Florida Tech	7-3	NR
25	Indianapolis	9-1	NR

COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Kentucky State Fires Football Coaching Staff

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Kentucky State University fired head football coach Josh Dean and the entire coaching staff Monday.

“KSU is going in a new direction of all things excellence and that includes football,” KSU Chief of Operations Dr. Candice Love Jackson said. “We are at the interview stage, and a new coach will be named shortly.”

Dean had an 11-19 record over three seasons as head coach. Dean came to KSU as an assistant coach before the 2012 football season after serving as a defensive assistant coach at Fort Valley State University.

KSU finished this season with a 3-7 record. The Thorobreds finished third in the SIAC West division at 2-3 and ended the season with a 34-7 victory over Stillman College Saturday.

“We are looking for a capable and competent coach who understands football from both sides of the ball — offensively and defensively,” Jackson said. “We are looking for somebody who has an experienced track record of having been successful at building and rebuilding teams.

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Wright reaches milestone, leads Xavier past Loyola

NEW ORLEANS -- Morris Wright scored 22 points Monday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 86-73 men's basketball home victory against city rival Loyola and became the 27th Gold Rush player to reach 1,000 career points.

Wright's final score, a left-side layup with 53 seconds remaining, gave him 1,001 career points in three XU seasons. Wright is a senior point guard from Zachary, La., and a graduate of Zachary High School.

Xavier (4-0), ranked 19th in the NAIA, trailed 13-4 in the sixth minute but rallied to take a 42-26 halftime lead. The Wolf Pack (2-2) never drew closer than five points in the second half.

Seth Jackson had season highs of 14 points and four assists for Xavier, and Charles Savoy scored a career-high nine points. RJ Daniels had seven points and a season-high-tying eight rebounds. Elex Carter blocked three shots.

Jalen Gray scored 17 points and Johnny Griffin 14 for Loyola, and Nick Parker and Tre'Von Jasmine scored 11 points apiece. Griffin grabbed 11 rebounds.

Xavier outshot Loyola 52.7 to 34.4 percent from the floor. The Gold Rush made 25-of-31 free throws, and Loyola made 26-of-40. The teams will meet again Dec. 3 at Loyola.

Xavier will play Miles at 7 p.m. Thursday at the
Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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