Nuggets' preseason rankings: 3rd in GCAC, 32nd in NAIA

NEW ORLEANS — The preseason women's basketball polls of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and NAIA do not rank Xavier University of Louisiana as high as they have in recent years. But 18th-year head coach Bo Browder isn't concerned.

"We understand that we're a very young team with a lot of new players replacing some talented seniors from last season," Browder said. "But I'm excited about how good this year's team could be. We're working hard, and we're going to get better as the season progresses."

The Gold Nuggets received two first-place votes and finished third out of seven teams in the GCAC coaches poll. In the NAIA Division I preseason coaches poll, XULA was in the "others receiving votes" list, collecting five points and ranking 32nd.

For the first time since 2009, XULA is not picked to win the GCAC or in the NAIA preseason top 25.
XULA will have several opportunities in the early part of the season to impress the national raters. Before the next national rankings Dec. 6, the Gold Nuggets will play seven times against teams ranked ahead of them: No. 3 Our Lady of the Lake, No. 7 Lewis-Clark State, No. 24 Loyola (N.O.), No. 25 Carroll (Mont.), No. 26 LSU-Shreveport (twice) and No. 29 Langston.

No Gold Nuggets were selected to the preseason All-GCAC team.

XULA will open the season Nov. 4 — one week from Friday — at 5:30 p.m. against Florida Memorial at the Convocation Center.

SCHEDULE NOTES: XULA this week announced several starting times and one opponent change to the 2016-17 schedule . . . The Nov. 5 home game against Webber International will tip off at 3 p.m.

. . . The Nov. 25 Xavier Classic matchup with Langston will start at 5 p.m. . . . A Dec. 15 home game against Concordia (Ala.) will start at 1 p.m. . . . A Dec. 31 game at Dallas Christian will tip at 6 p.m. .
. . A Jan. 2 game against Oklahoma City was dropped and replaced with a visit to Paul Quinn at 2 p.m. Jan. 3.

GCAC Women's Basketball 2016-17 Coaches Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

Rank School Points
1 Talladega (4) 45
2 Edward Waters (1) 38
3 Xavier (2) 37
4 Dillard 24
5 SUNO 23
6 Philander Smith 22
7 Tougaloo 7

Xavier in previous GCAC polls
2015-16 — 1st
2014-15 — 1st
2013-14 — 1st
2012-13 — 1st
2011-12 — 1st
2010-11 — 1st
2009-10 — 2nd
2008-09 — 1st
2007-08 — 2nd
2006-07 — 3rd
2004-05 — 1st
2003-04 — 2nd
2002-03 — 2nd
2001-02 — 1st
1999-2000 — 1st
1993-94 — 1st

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches'Preseason Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2015-16)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 MidAmerica Nazarene (7) 32-5 218 1
2 Westmont (2) 29-4 213 3
3 Our Lady of the Lake 30-3 203 2
4 Campbellsville 27-8 194 5
5 Lindsey Wilson 28-7 177 15
6 Vanguard 25-7 175 tie-10
7 Lewis-Clark State 27-7 168 tie-10
8 Freed-Hardeman 27-8 165 13
9 Lyon 30-4 158 4
10 Bethel (Tenn.) 27-7 155 12
11-tie Shawnee State 29-6 149 6
11-tie Benedictine (Kan.) 29-7 149 8
13 Baker 28-9 136 7
14 The Master's 25-6 130 9
15 Central Methodist 26-5 125 19
16 Montana State-Northern 23-9 121 20
17 Pikeville 26-9 115 14
18 Great Falls 24-11 103 16
19 Oklahoma City 20-9 93 22
20 Columbia (Mo.) 27-6 91 18
21 Talladega 23-6 72 21
22 Wayland Baptist 25-5 64 17
23 Cumberland 18-12 63 23
24 Loyola (N.O.) 23-8 61 25
25 Carroll (Mont.) 22-9 57 24

Dropped from previous rankings: none
Others receiving votes: LSU-Shreveport 42, Martin Methodist 39, John Brown 33, Langston 16, Edward Waters 8, Mobile 8, Xavier (N.O.) 5

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Rush beat Carver in opener, earn No. 25 NAIA ranking

NEW ORLEANS — Newcomer Jalen David scored 17 points Tuesday to lead NAIA No. 25 Xavier University of Louisiana to a season-opening 66-44 men's basketball victory against Carver College of Atlanta.
     
XULA won its opener for the 21st consecutive season and allowed its fewest points in an opener since 1995. It was the first game as head coach for XULA's Alfred Williams, a former Gold Rush assistant and standout player.
     
David, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and a transfer from Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College, was 6-of-12 from the floor and made 5-of-6 free throws in 22 minutes as a reserve. He grabbed four rebounds and had a game-high three steals.
     
Seth Jackson had 12 points, five rebounds and a career-high six assists for the Gold Rush, and Leland Alexander had career highs of 11 points and 11 rebounds and his first collegiate double-double.
     
Tivius Guthrie had 10 points and six rebounds for Carver (0-2).
     
XULA made three of its first 17 floor shots and trailed 17-11 in the 14th minute before rallying to grab a 28-20 halftime lead. Twice the Gold Rush led by 25 points in the second half, the second time on Lucas Martin-Julien's basket with 2:46 remaining.
     
XULA outshot the Cougars 36.4 to 33.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 48-29. The Gold Rush were plus-9 in turnovers, committing 14 and gaining 23.
     
The NAIA announced its Division I preseason coaches poll approximately one hour before tip-off. XULA appears in the preseason top 25 for the seventh consecutive season.
     
XULA will play Wayland Baptist at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4 — one week from Friday — at the Convocation Center. It will be the second game of doubleheader; the XULA women will open their season at 5:30 p.m. against Florida Memorial.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2015-16)

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last
1	Mid-America Christian (6)	28-9	247	1
2	Georgetown (Ky.) (1)	32-4	237	2
3	William Penn (2)	29-7	228	6
4	Biola (1)	30-4	225	5
5	LSU-Alexandria	29-4	215	3
6	Columbia (Mo.)	29-6	208	10
7	Talladega	25-6	206	7
8	MidAmerica Nazarene	28-9	191	4
9	Carroll (Mont.)	23-10	177	9
10	William Carey	20-12	166	22
11	Campbellsville	25-11	165	11
12-tie	Westmont	21-11	155	RV
12-tie	Dillard	17-16	155	20
14	Our Lady of the Lake	22-9	137	13
15	Lewis-Clark State	29-5	125	12
16	Park	20-10	113	24
17	Hope International	26-7	107	14
18	Oklahoma City	15-11	106	RV
19	Pikeville	25-6	97	8
20-tie	Lindsey Wilson	17-14	93	NR
20-tie	Texas Wesleyan	24-8	93	16
22	Faulkner	20-14	82	NR
23	Central Methodist	16-16	61	NR
24	LSU-Shreveport	18-14	51	RV
25	Xavier	21-13	42	RV
Dropped from previous rankings:  No. 15 Cumberlands, No. 17 Arizona Christian, No. 18 Langston, No. 19 Freed-Hardeman, No. 21 Peru State, No. 23 William Jessup, No. 25 Montana Western      Others receiving votes:  Southwestern Assemblies of God 38, Montana Western 36, Langston 29, William Woods 27, William Jessup 25, Cumberlands 22, Arizona Christian 12, Benedictine (Kan.) 8, Voorhees 6, Peru State 6, USAO 5, Dalton State 3 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

Eight newcomers to help XU Gold Rush open 2016-17 season

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will open the 2016-17 men's basketball season Tuesday with eight student-athletes in their first season with the program.
     
The Gold Rush, 21-13 and a qualifier for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship a year ago, will play host to Carver College of Atlanta at 7 p.m. in XULA's Convocation Center.
     
Alfred Williams, a Gold Rush standout player from 2004-08 and a XULA assistant coach from 2009-15, will begin his first season as head coach. Carver, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, opened its season in the Crescent City Monday with a 74-60 loss at Loyola.
     
New to the Gold Rush this season include:

 •  Donovan Armstrong, a 5-foot-9 guard from Round Rock, Texas, and Round Rock High School. He's a business sales and marketing major at Xavier.
     
•  Jalen David, a 6-4 guard/forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and Mount Vernon High School and Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College. His major is business management.
     
•  Jerry Gibson, a 6-5 forward from Alexandria, La., and Alexandria Senior High School. He is a biology/pre-medical major.
     
•  Monte Lambert, a 6-3 guard from the Bronx, N.Y., and James Madison High School. He's majoring in business management.
     
•  Khalil McCoy, a 6-2 guard from Suwanee, Ga., and Newman High School. He is a chemistry/pre-pharmacy major.
     •  Hakeem Simon, a 6-10 center from St. Patrick, Grenada, St. Mark's Secondary School and Seminole State (Okla.) College. His major is business management.
     
•  Mike Williams, a 6-3 guard from Houston and Fort Bend Travis High School. He's a computer engineering major.
     
Another XULA newcomer is Evan Howard, a 6-8 forward/center from Biloxi, Miss., whose signing was announced in February.
     
Armstrong was first-team all-district in basketball and football. As a senior he averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The website texasbasketballreview.com said of Armstrong, "Quick and strong, good ballhandler, hits the 15-footer or floaters." In football Armstrong intercepted five passes his final season and scored on an 87-yard punt return.
     
David averaged 7.2 points, reached double figures 17 times and made 32 3-pointers for a Moberly team that reached the final 16 of the NJCAA Division I national tournament. As a prep senior he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds for a 29-4 team and had 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine steals in one game.
     
Gibson led ASH in rebounding his senior year and was second-team all-district. He was an four-year honor-roll student, and he amassed 250 hours of community service.
     
Lambert was a conference scoring leader his senior year at James Madison, scored a school-record 44 points in one game and reached 30 points five other times. Between James Madison and XULA, he spent a year at Trinity Pawling, a New York prep school where he was a starter. The website HoopGroup.com said of Lambert, "Skilled guard that can score in transition. He is crafty with his finishes and rebounds well for his size."
     
McCoy was all-region and was chosen Coweta County Player of the Year by the Newnan Herald newspaper his senior year. Three times he reached 30 points, with a high of 32 his final season. Academically, he was in the top five percent of his graduating class.
     
Simon — the tallest Gold Rush player since 6-10 Ronald Allen in 2004-05 — averaged 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds for Seminole State and had career highs of 11 points and 12 rebounds in the same game. He shot 51.5 percent from the floor the past two seasons; he spent his first collegiate year at another two-year school, Western Oklahoma State.
     
Williams was second team District 23-6A as a senior, and his game highs included 36 points and 14 assists. He started in football (wide receiver and running back) as a senior, and he logged service hours through All Saints Anglican Church.
     
David and Simon will have two years of eligibility apiece at Xavier; the others will have four seasons apiece.
     
Returning XULA players are Seth Jackson at guard, Leland Alexander and Lucas Martin-Julien at guard/forward and Wesley Pluviose-Philip at forward. Also back is guard Innocent Kukulu, who redshirted as a freshman in 2015-16.

2016-17 Men's Basketball Roster

2016-17 Men's Basketball Roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	Exp.	Hometown	High School	Previous School
2	Seth Jackson	G	6-1	176	Sr.	1L	Baton Rouge, La.	Redemptorist	Baton Rouge CC
3	Leland Alexander	G	6-5	180	So.	1L	Houma, La.	Ellender
4	Khalil McCoy	G	6-2	180	Fr.	HS	Suwanee, Ga.	Newnan
10	Wesley Pluviose-Philip	F	6-7	230	Sr.	3L	Albany, N.Y.	Albany
11	Lucas Martin-Julien	G	6-2	187	Jr.	2L	Reserve, La.	Riverside Academy
12	Jalen David	G/F	6-4	208	Jr.	JC	Mount Vernon, N.Y.	Mount Vernon	Moberly Area CC
13	Monte Lambert	G	6-3	200	Fr.	HS	Bronx, N.Y.	James Madison
14	Evan Howard	F/C	6-8	235	Fr.	HS	Biloxi, Miss.	D'Iberville
21	Innocent Kukulu	G	6-0	180	Fr.	RS	Staten Island, N.Y.	Curtis
23	Mike Williams	G	6-3	190	Fr.	HS	Houston, Texas	Fort Bend Travis
25	Donovan Armstrong	G	5-9	172	Fr.	HS	Round Rock, Texas	Round Rock
30	Hakeem Simon	C	6-10	240	Jr.	JC	St. Patrick, Grenada	St. Mark's	Seminole State (Okla.) JC
33	Jerry Gibson	F	6-5	221	Fr.	HS	Alexandria, La.	Alexandria Senior

Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff

Name	Title
Alfred Williams	Men's Basketball Head Coach
Tyrone Mitchell	Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
Ryan DeRousselle	Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
Devin Andrew	Men's Basketball Assistant Coach

Goals have changed at A&T since Broadway's first homecoming

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — It's homecoming week at N.C. A&T.

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s just another football game.

“Yeah, we treat it different,” A&T head coach Rod Broadway said. “Because I was told when I was hired, ‘All we want to do is win homecoming.’

“But as you go along, the rules change. You go from winning homecoming to, ‘Now we want to win championships,’ and then, ‘Now we want to win them all.’ It’s a moving target. But that’s OK. Because I want to win them all, too.”

A&T had lost seven consecutive homecoming games before hiring Broadway in February 2011. The Aggies have won all five homecomings since.

The Aggies (4-0 MEAC, 6-1 overall) will host Florida A&M (3-5, 3-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday, the second time in the last three years the Rattlers will be A&T’s homecoming opponent.

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Surging FAMU Rattlers face FCS No. 12 North Carolina A&T on Saturday

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- After an 0-4 start during which the Rattlers were beaten by an average of 35.75 points per game, Florida A&M has won three of its last four games and is above .500 in MEAC play.

Over the last four weeks, FAMU has played some of its best football in recent years. The Rattlers are 3-1 over four games for the first time since 2011 – that season was also the last time the Rattlers finished the regular season with a winning record.

Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley, the Rattlers have averaged 26 points per game over their last four contests after failing to score more than 17 points in their first four games.

Head coach Alex Wood, speaking during his weekly press conference, said he’s pleased with where the Rattlers are eight weeks into the season. FAMU is coming of a 31-14 homecoming victory over Hampton.

“After that performance on Saturday, I am (pleased),” Wood said. “We can build on that and go forward, absolutely.”

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S.C. State Bulldogs football at the 'real' part of the MEAC schedule

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The ride in 2016 has gone from disappointing to both entertaining and pleasing for the South Carolina State football team.

But, literally, this is where the rubber meets the road in two tough conference road games the next two Saturdays.

It was hard for supporters of the Bulldogs program to see this year's team keeping its balance and focus after three straight season-opening losses to more powerful Football Bowl Subdivision programs (Central Florida, Louisiana Tech and Clemson).



But, three games into the Football Championship Subdivision schedule - and three games into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference portion of the schedule - S.C. State has three consecutive wins in its pocket.

The Bulldogs took a 30-3 homecoming win against Delaware State this past Saturday. That, along with recent wins at Florida A&M and at Howard, has the Bulldogs (3-3 overall, 3-0 in MEAC play) warmed up and a bit battle-tested to play higher-ranked MEAC competition this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hampton (3-2 in MEAC) and the following Saturday at top-rated North Carolina A&T (4-0 in MEAC).

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Fobbs goes to bat for Grambling assistants in new contract

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Quarterbacks coach Kendrick Nord sent a text last week to congratulate Grambling head coach Broderick Fobbs on his new contract extension.

Fobbs had no interest in the praise. Instead, he dished it back to Nord and the rest of the Tigers' staff.

"He says, no, man. It's us. Everything is about us," Nord said. "No matter what you try to get him to do to give him that credit he's not gonna take it."

It was about the assistants, not Fobbs in the latest two-year contract extension he signed. Fobbs didn't receive a pay raise from his base salary of $195,000, but instead negotiated bonus incentives for he and his staff.

His contract, which runs through 2018, has a section of $95,000 'bonus pool' money the assistants are eligible for based on certain achievements, including a regular season record of .500 or better, a Black College National Championship, a Celebration Bowl Championship and a SWAC Championship.

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'He balled out' Southern's defense remembers Lenorris Footman after Alcorn QB's big game last year

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Blake Monroe was not eligible to compete in last year’s Alcorn State game, but he was there on the sideline when Braves starting quarterback John Gibbs went down with an injury on Alcorn State’s second possession of the game.

When his backup, Lenorris Footman, came in the game, Monroe admitted to feeling like that was probably a good thing for the Jaguars.

“But Footman just came in and went off,” Monroe said. “He balled out.”



That’s one way to describe what Footman did to Southern’s defense last season.

In mucky conditions that left the A.W. Mumford turf looking more like a mud pit than a football field, Footman carried the ball 16 times for 274 yards.

“Whenever he saw an open lane, he took it,” junior corner Danny Johnson said. “He scored some touchdowns.”

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ASU's Jenkins calls Classic ‘opportunity to create memories’

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It’s time to talk the Magic City Classic.

Alabama State (2-5, 2-4 SWAC) is coming off a bye week after a 56-24 win over Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 15.

Hornets coach Brian Jenkins said the bye week came at a great time for his team.

“It was much needed,” Jenkins said. “The bye week gave us time to take a step back and fine-tune some things. The players got a chance to be with their families and get caught up on academics. We can always use a break, especially during a time like this.”

The Hornets will wind up at Birmingham’s Legion Field where they will take on rival Alabama A&M in the 75th edition of the Magic City Classic at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Bulldogs (2-5, 2-4) are also coming off a bye week, following a 40-7 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Oct. 15.

Alabama State earned a 35-20 victory last year’s Magic City Classic, which was its third win in the last four meetings. A&M leads the all-time series 39-37-3.



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NC A&T & Grambling Hold Firm, Tuskegee Survives Upset To Stay On Top in Week 8 of HSRN Polls

HARTLY, Delaware – North Carolina A&T and Grambling State remained on top and Tuskegee survived a homecoming upset to stay in first place in this week’s HSRN Football Polls.

N. C. A&T and Grambling have been ranked #1 and #2 for most of the season in the HSRN FCS Poll. Tuskegee University fell from the undefeated with a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to Kentucky State but still held on to the top position in the Division II/NAIA Poll.

The top eight positions in the Division I FCS poll remained the same from last week with Jackson State and Hampton rounding out the top 10.

In Division II/NAIA, despite a weekend of upsets, Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers held on to the top spot by just one point over Winston-Salem State. Upset losses by Bowie State and Chowan caused positions to shuffle in the poll.

Virginia State and Virginia Union moved up while Bowie State fell to #5. Chowan joined four SIAC teams led by Albany State to round out the top 10.

from THE EDITOR Dwight Floyd: Rattlers Revived?

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- As word spreads throughout the MEAC and perhaps the sports world that FAMU handled the Hampton University Pirates on Saturday and won handedly 31-14, many will see this as a game Hampton should have won. Some will wonder what happened to the Pirates while Rattler fans will view this as a potential moment in history where FAMU signifies that perhaps the losing ways are finally over.

When interviewed after the win, head coach Alex Wood was asked if the Rattlers are finally turning the corner. He is hesitant in saying yes to that though he seems to feel that the pieces needed to be a winner are finally falling in place. We may see Wood as not necessarily positive or enthusiastic, but I have come to realize that he is a pragmatist, one who is practical and full of candor. Just over the midway point of his second season and building a program almost from scratch, he maintains a higher standard than that which is imaginable for those Rattler fans who are ready to have a Pentecostal moment just at the thought of winning.

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Jamie Walker: “The Road to Celebration” 2016

ATLANTA, Georgia -- As we are rounding into shape of the HBCU Football Season, we are a little less than two months away from the 2nd Annual Air Force Reserves “Celebration Bowl” on December 17 at Noon, taking place right here in Atlanta, from the Georgia Dome. Last years’ event celebrated the absolute best in HBCU Football from the MEAC and SWAC Conferences; North Carolina A&T Aggies from the MEAC and the Alcorn State Braves from the SWAC. A&T was the eventual winner 41, 34 over Alcorn.

On the road to the “Celebration Bowl” this season, the SWAC representative from last season Alcorn is currently sitting at 3-2 in the conference and 3-3 overall and leading the East Division but out of the West Division the Grambling State is sitting pretty at 4-1, and 4-0 in the conference, already having defeated the Braves. The Tigers only loss was to Arizona, where they were leading deep in that contest. The Southern Jaguars are also undefeated in the West Division at 4-0.

From the MEAC side of things, the Eagles of North Carolina Central are leading the conference at 5-0 by virtue of total wins, followed by last years’ Celebration Bowl winner North Carolina A&T at 4-0, and South Carolina State at 3-0. A&T will play both the Bulldogs and Eagles but they will not be playing each other which may cause another repeat dilemma. Stay tuned for the MEAC side of thing.



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Howard Bison Clinches SWAC Regular Season Crown On Senior Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Howard University women's soccer team clinched the 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) regular season title with a 1-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-7-1, 6-2-1 SWAC) on Sunday afternoon at Greene Stadium.

On Senior Day, junior Kela Gray tallied the lone goal of the game to help the Bison end their regular season schedule on a high note.

Prior to the game, Howard honored seniors Taylor Ester, Jaelin White, Sara Vaughan, Carmen Suarez, Sandra Bond and Zion Clarke for their accomplishments over their careers.

Howard (12-4-2, 9-0-1 SWAC) outshot the Lions by a 19-5 margin and took a total of six corners. UAPB only attempted one shot in the first half, while the Bison got off 11 tries.

Junior goalkeeper Gabrielle Emilien made three saves. Gray paced the squad with a ga
me-high five shots, while junior Noelle McCullom was close with three shots.

Gray put the Bison on the board in the 28th minute. Sophomore Makela Davidson slid the ball over to Gray in the box, who got around her defender before executing a beautiful strike for the decisive 1-0 lead.

Howard will have the week off as it waits for the SWAC Tournament pairings to be released.

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