TSU basketball picked to repeat as SWAC champs

HOUSTON, Texas -- Last year, multi-sport star Derrick Griffin didn't begin basketball practice for Texas Southern until two days before the Tigers' first game. The lack of a preseason didn't hinder the 6-7, 230-pounder who became the SWAC player of the year.

Suspended from the football team earlier this season, Griffin's focus is strictly on playing basketball for the Tigers, who on Wednesday were picked to repeat as the conference's regular season champions in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Prairie View A&M is picked sixth among the 10 teams.

"Our talent is better this year than it has been since I've been here," said fifth-year TSU coach Mike Davis, whose Tigers return only one starter in Griffin. But Davis redshirted four transfers that will contribute this season, including 6-4 Zach Lofton and 6-10 Marvin Jones, who began his college career at Kent State.

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SCSU Bulldogs set sights on Howard after three-week hiatus

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- It’s one thing for a college football coach to describe the non-conference schedule as one season and the conference schedule as another season. That helps in measuring goals achieved against varied competition.

But, for the Bulldogs of South Carolina State, this really feels like a second season is about to begin with this Saturday’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Howard University in Washington, D.C. at 1 p.m.



The last game the Bulldogs (1-3 overall, 1-0 in MEAC play) were able to play was a 48-14 win at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla. on Sept. 24. The next week the team had its bye week after four straight road games to open the season. Then, this past week, the scheduled Oct. 8 home opener against Bethune-Cookman was postponed to Nov. 26, due to Hurricane Matthew’s destructive wind and rains delivered to the East Coast.

So, after three weeks of mid-season practices with no opponent to step on the field against, S.C. State is more than ready to have a game, a challenge, and an opportunity to see some more competition. It matters little that the opponent is 1-5 this season and 1-2 in conference play. Just being able to have a game, instead of another practice against teammates, is something the Bulldogs relish.

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HU's 'human calculator' crunches the numbers

HAMPTON, Virginia — The one and only time he choked came on the big stage.

It was last year at Hampton University's freshman talent show, and linebacker Jayso'n Davidson was asked to demonstrate why he is called "the human calculator." You see, Davidson can take any pair of two-digit numbers and multiply them in his head, usually within three or four seconds.

But when Pirates coach Connell Maynor called out two numbers, Davidson froze. Or, as he put it, "my brain died on me."

Wednesday afternoon, with video rolling and an audience watching, he got another shot — in the same team meeting room where his brain had died last fall. This time, he and Maynor were side by side. The coach had the advantage of pen and paper. The player had only his brain.

The first problem was 36 times 12. Before Maynor had even drawn the line under the 12, Davidson answered 432.

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Quarterback's development has been key to N.C. A&T's success

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Tarik Cohen is 5 feet, 6 inches tall. But he casts a long, long shadow.

All eyes are on N.C. A&T’s swift senior running back, the MEAC’s two-time offensive player of the year who set the conference’s all-time rushing record last week.

While Cohen is rightfully the center of attention, sophomore quarterback Lamar Raynard has quietly emerged as key contributor to the MEAC’s highest-scoring offense.

And that makes the injury Raynard suffered in the victory over Norfolk State a concern as A&T (2-0 MEAC, 4-1) plays at Bethune-Cookman (0-2, 0-4) Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Raynard, who ranks second in the league in pass efficiency, took a hard hit in the first half last Thursday night and sat out the second half with sore ribs.

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Aggies, Golden Tigers Stay On Top in Week 6 of HSRN Polls

HARTLEY, Delaware –  North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee were nearly unanimous choices tor first place in this week’s HSRN Football Polls.

Celebration Bowl Champion N. C. A&T has been ranked #1 since the beginning of the season in the HSRN FCS Poll. Undefeated Tuskegee University has held on to the top position in the Division II/NAIA Poll for six consecutive weeks.

Positions in the Division I FCS poll remained fairly consistent.  Grambling State held on to second place with Tennessee State close behind in third despite suffering their first loss of the season.  North Carolina Central jumped over idle Southern into fourth place with the Jaguars rounding out the top five. 

In Division II/NAIA, Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers captured all but one of the first place votes of the HSRN pollsters ahead of a strong representation from the CIAA, who took the next four places in the poll.

Bowie State remained in second place ahead of Virginia Union, Virginia State and Winston-Salem State.  Lane College returned to the top 10 after falling out a week ago.

Division I FCS School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Week 1 North Carolina A&T (15) 4-1 159 1 2 Grambling State (1) 4-1 142 2 3 Tennessee State 4-1 120 3 4 North Carolina Central 4-2 102 5 5 Southern U. 2-2 93 4 6 Prairie View A&M 4-2 89 6 7 South Carolina State 1-3 56 7 8 Texas Southern 3-2 51 8 9 Alcorn State 2-3 38 9 10 Morgan State 2-2 17 10 Others receiving votes Hampton, Jackson State

Division II/NAIA School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Week 1 Tuskegee (13) 6-0 139 1 2 Bowie State (1) 4-2 130 2 3 Virginia Union 4-2 113 3 4 Virginia State 5-1 107 4 5 Winston-Salem State 4-2 90 5 6 Miles College 3-2 59 8 7 Chowan 4-2 45 6 8 Albany State 2-2 38 7 9 Clark Atlanta 3-2 30 10 10 Lane 3-2 17 NR Others receiving votes Benedict, Morehouse, Kentucky  State, Central State, St. Augustine's