MEAC Announces 2017 Football Media Day Student-Athlete Attendees

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has announced its list of student-athlete attendees for the 2017 MEAC Football Media Day and luncheon on Friday, July 28 at the Marriott Waterside Hotel.

Twenty-two student-athletes and head football coaches from the MEAC's 11 football playing institutions will kick off the 2017 football season. ESPN college football analyst and former Howard University quarterback Jay Walker along with College Football Hall of Famer and former SC State head coach Willie Jeffries will serve as co-master of ceremonies for the second consecutive year.

A limited number of tickets are available to the public for the press luncheon and can be purchased by calling the MEAC Office at (757) 951-2055. Tickets are $30 per seat or $300 per table (10 persons) and must be purchased by 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 21 in order to obtain the special rate.

Media members may obtain a credential for the luncheon and/or one-on-one interviews by completing an application found on www.MEACSports.com. One-on-one interviews will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. followed by the luncheon at noon.

The 2017 MEAC football season kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 26 as Florida A&M will host Texas Southern in a non-conference game.

South Carolina State will travel to Baton Rouge, La. to face Southern University in the 13th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Labor Day Weekend, Sunday, Sept. 3 at 2:30 p.m. Details and ticket information can be found on www.meacswacchallenge.com.

For more information about the MEAC, log on to www.MEACsports.com.

Click the link below to access the credential application:
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https://secure.sportssystems.com/events2/?eventKey=2cf59acf-db9a-4cc9-8db4-672365db65a8


Bethune-Cookman
QB Frank Brown (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
LB Trenton Bridges (DeLand, Fla.)

Delaware State
RB Brycen Alleyne (Wilmington, Del.)
LB Brian Cavicante (Portsmouth, Va.)

Florida A&M
OL Osman Aguilera (Miami, Fla.)
DL Calvin Darville (Belle Glades, Fla.)

Hampton
RB Yahkee Johnson (Richmond, Va.)
LB Steven Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.)

Howard
TE Howard Warren (Hopewell. Va.)
LB Devin Rollins (Miami, Fla.)

Morgan State
QB Elijah Staley (Marietta, Ga.)
DL A.J. Agbelese (Lanham, Md.)

Norfolk State
WR Marcus Taylor (Highland Springs, Va.)
DL Chris Lee (Woodbridge, Va.)

North Carolina A&T State
OL Brandon Parker (Kannapolis, N.C.)
DB Zerius Lockhart (Auburn, Ala.)

North Carolina Central
RB Ramone Simpson (Wilmington, N.C.)
DL Antonio Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Savannah State
QB Tino Smith II (Carmel, Ind.)
LB Mulik Simmons (Savannah, Ga.)

South Carolina State
QB Dewann Ford, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.)
LB Darius Leonard (Lake View, S.C.)

MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

WSSU ready to be favorites yet again in CIAA

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- When you are the top dog in the CIAA, heading to yet another media day means one thing.

“I’m sure somebody will take whatever we say and use it against us,” coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State said.

The conference will hold its football media day later this week in Salem, Va., the site of the CIAA championship game in November, and when the preseason coaches’ poll is released it’s a safe bet the Rams will be the favorite again.

As two-time defending league champions who have most of their top players back, it would be a surprise if the Rams weren’t the favorite.

“It’s a great position to be in, and I don’t mind being the hunted,” said Boulware, who will begin his fourth season as head coach this fall. “It says a lot about where we are as a program, and because we are back-to-back champions, one of the hardest things we are going to do is try to defend those titles.”

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SC State LB Will Battle The Big Boys For The Butkus

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- He's the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and now South Carolina State senior linebacker Darius Leonard finds himself on a list with college football's heavyweights as they up for a national award.

Leonard joins Skai Moore from USC and Kendall Joseph from Clemson on the 51-player watch list for the Butkus Award. The award is named after former Chicago Bear Dick Butkus who wore the #51. A 51-person panel compiled the list of candidates for the award which is presented by the Butkus Foundation.

Leonard led the MEAC with 124 tackles and finished 4th in the FCS with 78 solo tackles. He also added14.5 tackles for a loss of 64 yards, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, five pass deflections, four forced fumbles (8th in FCS) and two blocked kicks. Leonard also scored two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, one on offense and one on defense.

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LSWA selects XULA' s Moses Louisiana Coach of the Year

NEW ORLEANS — For the second time in three years, Xavier University of Louisiana's Joseph Moses is Louisiana Coach of the Year in women's track and field.
     
A Louisiana Sports Writers Association of college sports publicists selected Moses. The LSWA announced the honor and its 2017 All-Louisiana men's and women's teams late Saturday.
     
Moses coached XULA to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's team championship, its fourth in five years. The Gold Nuggets won just 5-of-20 events at conference but had great depth — 20-of-24 athletes scored. Freshmen and sophomores combined for 86 percent of XULA's points at conference.
    
Additional season highlights:
     •  School records in the 1,600-meter relay, 3,200 relay and 400.
     •  XULA qualified for the NAIA National Championships in four events (five entries) and scored in two.
     •  Junior Drew Chatters (javelin) and sophomore Brianna Pace (distance) were named CoSIDA Academic All-District — and Chatters earned second-team Academic All-America.
     
Moses outpolled Loyola's Nick Dodson, LSU's Dennis Shaver and Tulane's Eric Peterson for the state award. Shaver was voted men's Coach of the Year.
     
The coaching honor is Moses' 12th at the state level. In cross country, Moses has won the women's award six times and the men's honor four times.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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RICK CLEVELAND: In college athletics, the rich get richer

JACKSON, Mississippi -- USA Today’s recent report about athletic budgets at universities around the country raised some eyebrows in Mississippi.

The headlines told us Jackson State ($7.6 million), Alcorn State ($6.7 million) and Mississippi Valley State ($4.3 million), which all compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), all were among the lowest spenders in Division I.

Valley ranked No. 228 of 230 schools, Alcorn No. 225, and JSU No. 220.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss’ athletic revenue was highest among Mississippi universities at $110.5 million, followed by Mississippi State at $94.9 million.

The Southern Miss athletic budget checked in at $25.9 million.

Of course, everything is relative, and all the Mississippi schools were near the bottom of their respective conferences. JSU, Alcorn and Valley were all at or near the bottom of the SWAC. Ole Miss and State were among the lowest spenders in the SEC. And Southern Miss was next to lowest in Conference USA.

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S.C. State quarterbacks talented, but inexperienced

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- A quick examination of the 2017 South Carolina State projected preseason football roster finds six quarterbacks listed.

Missing from that group are the two signal-callers who shared the quarterbacking duties on the 2016 team. Adrian Kollock Jr. completed his studies and playing eligibility and the once-promising Caleb York (1,116 passing yards in 2016) transferred to play at Campbell University.

That leaves Bulldog head coach Buddy Pough and his staff having to rely mostly on a youthful group of quarterbacks in 2017. The group has promise and loads of talent, but little game experience. That could prove to be big in a conference that has become more and more reliant on a top performer behind center.

The Bulldog quarterback logjam most likely signals a fierce preseason battle to win the position and lead S.C. State on the field September 3 against Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.

Leading the pack are ...

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'When Rickie says something, we listen:' Former Southern star Rickie Weeks a steadying influence for Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Inside the home clubhouse at Tropicana Field, it’s a night for good times. The sound system’s thump-thump-thump sets a fun-loving mood. Players for the Tampa Bay Rays, enjoying a victory, are making light-hearted conversation while mixing in occasional hijinks.

Over in the corner, it’s all business.

The team’s oldest player, Rickie Weeks Jr., is quietly sitting at his locker stall, slowly putting himself together, his back to the room.

Soon, he will slip away, barely making a sound.



“But when Rickie says something, we listen,’’ Rays pitcher Alex Cobb said. “He knows how to act like a pro. We respect him so much. Nobody has to say it. It’s just the truth.’’

To the untrained eye, Weeks appears to be a veteran with his best days long behind him, a name that once generated considerable buzz and All-Star votes. Now a first baseman who plays almost exclusively against left-handed pitching, the former Southern star batted .216 with two home runs and eight RBIs before landing on the disabled list.

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SWAC Basketball Tournament Trophy To Be Named After Legendary Coach Davey Whitney

LORMAN, Mississippi  -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) men's basketball championship trophy will bear the name of an iconic Alcorn State University sports figure.

The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted to name the Men's SWAC Championship Basketball Tournament trophy after the legendary Coach Davey L. Whitney.

Whitney posted a 508-292 record at Alcorn including a 259-115 mark in the SWAC. He coached the Braves for 27 seasons over two stints from 1969-89 and 1996-03.

Whitney guided Alcorn to 12 SWAC Championships and was a nine-time SWAC Coach of the Year winner. His 508 wins are the most in school history, ahead of Dwight Fisher who recorded 190 victories from 1948-56.

Furthermore, Whitney coached three SWAC Player of the Year winners (Larry Smith twice and Michael Phelps once) and six SWAC Tournament MVP's (Larry Smith twice, Aaron Brandon twice, Albert Irving and Marcus Fleming).

President Alfred Rankins Jr. commended the Council for recognizing Whitney's achievements.

"I am pleased that the SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors recognized the great accomplishment and contributions of Coach Whitney by naming the tournament championship trophy in his honor," said Rankins. "Coach Whitney was one of the best Division I coaches of all time."

Whitney, who passed away in 2015, coached at Alcorn to a win over Mississippi State 80-78 in the 1979 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Whitney led Alcorn to a win against South Alabama in the first round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament, which was the first time a historically black college and university had won in the tournament. Whitney also guided Alcorn to NCAA Tournament wins in 1983 and 1984 and six appearances in the dance.

Whitney was elected to the Kentucky State University Hall of Fame in 1976, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, the Alcorn State University Hall of Honors in 1993, the Alcorn State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Whitney family expressed their appreciation upon receiving the good news. Gail Whitney, Coach Whitney's daughter, said that the family is grateful for the love and support that the SWAC and the University has shown for her late father.

"The Whitney family would like to extend our appreciation to the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Alcorn State University for honoring the legacy of our father, Davey "The Wiz" Whitney, Sr.," said Whitney. "We look forward to the first presentation of the trophy at the 2017-2018 SWAC Basketball Tournament Championship."

Alcorn renamed its basketball gym to the Davey L. Whitney Complex in 1995. It was previously known as Scalpin' Grounds Arena. Whitney was one of the few coaches in the history of the sport to ever coach in a building that was named after him.

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Fobbs: GSU Offense may take time to be as potent

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Expectations on the offensive side of the ball soar when the conference Offensive Player of the Year returns to the huddle.

With rising senior quarterback DeVante Kincade piloting the attack, Grambling State’s offensive firepower in 2017 has the chance to pack more gunpowder than last season’s potent arsenal that put up almost 40 points per game and scored 66 touchdowns.



Kincade, in his first year starting, accounted for 35 of those scores, with 31 coming through the air along with 3,022 passing yards, making him the lone 3,000-yard passer in the SWAC last season and landed him Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors at the conference’s annual Media Day Friday in Birmingham.

Preseason first-team All-Conference running back Martez Carter, looking to improve off his successful junior campaign of 891 yards and 10 touchdowns, also comes back to fully load the backfield chamber, giving the Tigers the most proven one-two punch in the league.

But standout wide receiver Chad Williams is gone and now lines up wide with the Arizona Cardinals. Three of GSU’s offensive linemen have graduated, and while those departures don’t diminish fourth-year head football coach Broderick Fobbs’ confidence, they do illicit some pause.

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FAMU High School Band Camp Halftime Show 2017

COURTESY: Derrell Smith, Videographer

Southern University High School Band & Dance Camp (2017) | Full Performance

COURTESY: trin.t productions

2017 Chicago Bears training camp preview: Running back Tarik Cohen (N.C. A&T)

CHICAGO, Illinois -- The star of the Bears’ offense this summer is at running back in the form of Jordan Howard, and he has a couple of new teammates in the position room with fourth-round rookie Tarik Cohen and former Rams back Benny Cunningham. The Bears also have a couple of fullbacks and bring back Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey. Here are the key questions to be answered at running back during training camp.

How will the offense utilize Cohen? One of the highlights in OTAs and minicamp was Cohen, a human highlight reel in college. He clearly has the shiftiness and playmaking ability to be a force in the open field, but making plays in minicamp in shorts is one thing. Doing it against a padded defense (albeit one that is not supposed to bring down the ball carrier) will be a challenge, especially as he makes the transition from the MEAC defense he faced in college. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has a Swiss Army knife in the backfield to get creative with, and we’ll start to see how involved Cohen can be in the offense during camp.

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XULA Gold Nuggets sign 2; recruiting class increases to 6

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Thursday the signing of Vivica Price-Spraggins of Chicago and Whitney Young Magnet High School and Kayla Black of Magnolia, Texas, and Houston's St. Pius X High School to athletic scholarships for volleyball.

The Gold Nuggets have signed six for the 2017 season, which will begin in August. XULA won the last six Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and earned six consecutive automatic bids during that time to the NAIA National Championship.

Price-Spraggins is a 5-foot-11 middle blocker/right-side hitter. She helped Whitney Young's Dolphins in 2016 go 24-12, win a regional playoff and advance to sectionals. Price-Spraggins hit .402 as a senior with 105 kills, 47 blocks, 22 aces and 53 digs.

Price-Spraggins played five years of club ball — first with Club Kace, then with Chicago Elite. She was a starter for a bronze-medal-winning team at 2016 nationals.

Black, a 5-9 outside hitter, helped St. Pius in 2016 reach the Class 6A quarterfinals of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools playoffs. She was second-team all-state as a senior and junior. Black was her team's MVP in 2016.

Black has nine years of club experience, most recently with Willowbrook but also with Waves and Revolution. She was a starter for a Waves team that placed eighth in nationals in 15s.

Black's paternal grandfather is former NFL player and executive James "Shack" Harris, a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the first African-American quarterback to start and win an NFL playoff game (1974: Los Angeles 19, Washington 10).

Price-Spraggins will major in early elementary education, and Black will be a biology/pre-medical major with plans to pursue a career in pediatric cardiology.

2017-18 XULA Volleyball Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Yr.* Hometown High School

Ariel Bell # OH 5-7 Fr. White Castle, La. White Castle
Kayla Black OH 5-9 Fr. Magnolia, Texas St. Pius X
Jaida Dowd OH 5-8 Fr. Aurora, Ill. Metea Valley
Eva Le Guillou S 5-9 Fr. Velizy-Villacoublay, France Emmanuel Mounier
Vivica Price-Spraggins MB/RS 5-11 Fr. Chicago, Ill. Whitney Young Magnet
Lauryn Taylor RS/OH 5-9 Fr. Sairburn, Ga. Booker T. Washington

* XULA athletic classification in 2017-18
# also will compete in track and field

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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LU's Donnita Rogers Honored as 2016-17 RRAC Athletic Director of the Year

WACO, Texas --  Langston University's (Okla.) Donnita Drain-Rogers has earned the distinction of 2016-17 RRAC Athletic Director of the Year, two years after returning to the school to take the lead role with the Lions' program. Rogers was the head women's basketball for Langston from 2000-08 and, since her return in 2015, the department has reached new heights.

The RRAC AD of the Year award recognizes the athletic director who had the best year in overall program improvement, facility development, game administration, NAIA Champions of Character commitment, ability to hire and keep quality coaches, program growth in sports and revenue opportunities, contributions at the conference and national levels, and student-athlete development.

Rogers was previously recognized as the 2003 NAIA Region VI Athletic Director of the Year while at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. In the last year, she improved Langston's promotional tools, created a new national event and has overseen a number of program honors such as the Lions first trip to the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinals.

"Although I am not surprised, I am proud that our Director of Athletics, Donnita Drain-Rogers, was selected for this prestigious award by the RRAC," says Langston President Dr. Kent J. Smith, Jr. Donnita exhibits daily the rare combination of having a remarkably high work ethic while maintaining exemplary character at all times"

"We are blessed and honored to have her at Langston University and we appreciate the RRAC for recognizing her value and effort."

Led by Head Coach Stan Holt, the Langston men's basketball team reached the RRAC Basketball Tournament championship game before climbing to the Elite Eight of the NAIA tournament. The Lions won the RRAC tournament in 2016. Langston's women's basketball team also reached the RRAC tournament.

In the spring, Langston hosted the first ever National HBCU Softball Classic at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. In addition to the Lions, seven visiting teams competed over two days including Grambling State University (La.) and Southern University (La.). Langston followed that with two upsets in the RRAC Softball Tournament to finish fourth in the event. The Lions placed third in RRAC men's track & field and fourth in the women's meet.

Langston had five volleyball all-conference selections, four in women's basketball, five in men's basketball and two NAIA All-Americans.

During the last year, Langston redesigned its athletics website to enhance its coverage and stepped up its efforts to provide news and content through social media.

Rogers graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in December of 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education and an endorsement in Biology. She obtained her Master's degree in Education Administration at Texas A&M University-Commerce. While attending NWOSU, she obtained such honors as NAIA National Player of the Week, Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Scholar-Athlete, OIC and NAIA District IX All-Conference Teams and Northwestern Ranger Queen in 1988. Rogers was inducted into the NWOSU Hall of Fame in January of 1998. After gruaduating, she served four years as Athletic Director for Women's Sports at her alma mater.

During her coaching tenure at Langston, Rogers led the Lady Lions to six NAIA Division I National Tournament appearances. The 2007 season also marked Coach Rogers's first trip to the Elite Eight of the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship. Rogers has more wins than any other Langston women's basketball coach and recorded nine consecutive winning seasons prior to leaving. Rogers' teams went undefeated in conference play their last two seasons and won 34 consecutive conference games. Her 2008 team had a 27-game winning streak and consisted of Jamie Skinner, the RRAC Player of the Year, First Team All-American and State Farm All-American, as well as Dominique Thomas, the RRAC Defensive Player of the Year. Rogers' 2007-2008 team finished with a #6 national ranking, a record of 31-2 and a berth to the round of 16 at the NAIA tournament.

Rogers coached for four years at Grambling and led the Tigers to two consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal appearances. Rogers was named the SWAC Coach of the Year during the 2010 season and had the ninth-ranked recruiting class among NCAA Division I mid-major colleges in her last season.

Prior to becoming the athletic director at Langston, Rogers served as the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Shreveport, La., and is the first female to coach a varsity boys' basketball team in Caddo Parish. Rogers picked up her 300th career win during her first season and finished 22-9 and ranked #13 in 3A boys' basketball this yea
r. Rogers' Lions made it to the LHSAA quarterfinals to achieve their best finish since the mid-1980s.

Rogers' husband, Eric, is Youth Minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Grambling, La., and a business entrepreneur.

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Langston Volleyball Signs Three Players

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- Langston University head volleyball coach Jacob Rodriguez announced the addition of three incoming student-athletes for the 2017 season. The Lions welcome Allexus Frazier, Cynamyn Temple and Courtlyn Harris.

Allexus Frazier joins the Lady Lions as incoming freshman; she most recently played at Trimble Tech in Fort Worth, Texas. The 5'9 freshman is projected to play middle/front row for the Lady Lions.

Cynamyn Temple is a 5'9 middle from Westmoore High School in Moore, Okla.; Temple is another incoming freshman for Coach Rodriguez and is projected to play middle/front as well.

Courtlyn Harris is a 5'7 outside/defensive specialist from Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas. Harris is another incoming freshman and is projected to continue playing as an outside/defensive specialist.

"We're really excited about how this recruiting class came togeth
er," Rodriguez noted. "Not only are these incoming student-athletes highly skilled but there are also incoming freshman which helps us continue to build for a brighter future. We're ready to get everyone here and start come August."

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GLVC Honors Eight Lincoln Football Players

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  --  Eight members of the Lincoln football team were honored by the Great Lakes Valley Conference for their academic performance during the 2016-17 school year, the league office announced on Tuesday (June 27).

Junior defensive back Aaron Brown (Quincy, Calif.) was recognized by the GLVC for having a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Seven other Blue Tigers who had cumulative GPAs of 3.3 or higher were also honored by the conference.

Junior defensive end Jervonta Jones (St. Louis, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Justus Schulte (Jefferson City, Mo.) each received the third Academic All-GLVC awards of their Lincoln careers. Senior running back Miles Drummond (Centralia, Mo.), senior linebacker Daniel Mande (Cuthbert, Ga.) and sophomore defensive back Zeke Smith (Kansas City, Mo.), meanwhile, each earned their second career Academic All-GLVC award.

The other two first-time Academic All-GLVC honorees, besides Brown, included junior kicker Alexander Templeton (Poway, Calif.) and junior linebacker Addison Tucker (Memphis, Tenn.).

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

KSU FOOTBALL | John L. Smith excited for second season with Thorobreds

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- The Kentucky State football team won the SIAC western division in its first year under head coach John L. Smith, and as he enters year two, the standards are set even higher.

The Thorobreds are picked to finish third in standings this season, but after a year of overachieving, coach Smith says his players are hungry for an outright conference championship.

Sports Night producer Garrett Moore spoke with Coach Smith, and Smith says he is happy to see the progress his players and program are making.

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WSSU Rams Women's Basketball Announces 2017 Signing Class

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The Winston-Salem State University women's basketball team will welcome a stellar cast of newcomers to the team in the fall of 2017. The Rams will welcome a quartet of players who will look to build upon a promising effort by the team in its second season under the guidance of head coach L'Tona Lamonte. The Rams wasted little time in getting their signees as the team signed three student-athletes in the fall and one in April.

"I am excited for this recruiting class and the future of WSSU women's basketball. We focused on bringing in winners with high character, a strong work ethic, and great students," Lamonte said. "I look forward to meshing them with our returners and watching this team develop. Each player brings something different to the table, but they all have an understanding of basketball."

One area of concern that the Rams addressed was the backcourt. The Rams will welcome the duo of Teara Johnson and Nyona Shields. Both players come to Winston-Salem State with some impressive resumes. Johnson is a well-decorated athlete from Dudley High School in nearby Greensboro, N.C. During her career, she earned Metro 4A All-Conference honors twice and was named the team's offensive MVP during her senior season. She also earned both all-district and all-area honors during her career as well. Her accomplishments also extended to the classroom where she holds a 4.3 grade-point average and will come to college with 50 credit hours. Shield is a four-year starter from Union Pines High School where she led the team to a 93-20 overall record during her career and scored 1,657 total points with 500 assists and earned Cape Fear Valley (CFV) first team all-conference honors three times and she was also named the CFV Conference Player of the Year during her senior season. She was also a four-time CFV Academic All-Conference honoree as well.



The Rams will also look to bolster their front court with the additions of incoming freshmen Tamani Manning and Lenzi Brown. Manning is a 6'2" forward from William Fleming School Roanoke, Va. She will come to WSSU after a great high school career at William Fleming High after beginning her career at nearby Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro, N.C. Her career includes 505 career points with 488 rebounds, and 38 total blocks. During her career, she led her team to a runner-up finish in the 2015-16 state championships and a regional appearance during the 2016-17 season. During her career, she led her teams to a combined 44-12 overall record with back-to-back Blue Ridge District championships. She is no stranger to WSSU as her brother, Shaquan Manning, was a member of the Rams' 2012 football team that reached the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. Joining her in the front court will be Brown, a 5'10" forward who comes to WSSU after attending Hopewell High School in Huntersville, N.C. She also spent time at Northside Christian Academy where she earned MAC All-Conference honors before completing her career at Hopewell High School.

The sole transfer among the Rams' newcomers is Ziara Doe, a 5'9" sophomore guard from Alabama State University. She is a graduate of Hilton Head Academy in Hardeeville, S.C. where she led the team to the 2015 South Carolina Independent Schools Association (SCISA) State Championship and earned All-Area Player of the Year and All-State honors. She also scored 1,900 points during her career. She played in 28 games with 11 starts for the Hornets and averaged 4.5 points per game.

The Rams and their recruiting class will look to build upon a solid 2016-17 season after a 14-14 overall record and finished third in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division. For more information on Rams women's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Jenkins warns SWAC of breakout season for ASU

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Alabama State football coach Brian Jenkins was fashionably late for the 2017 SWAC media day at the Birmingham Marriott, but was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Jenkins spoke confidently about his team coming off his first losing season as a head coach.

The Hornets went 4-7 and suffered their first losing season since 2009, but Jenkins said his program is coming back with a vengeance.

“We’re really looking forward to playing this season,” Jenkins said. “They know how they felt and how I felt (about last season). You can tell that the feeling runs deep, because they haven’t repeated anything they did last year.”

Last year, the Hornets lost four games by seven points or less. They had leads in the fourth quarter against Texas Southern (31-27 loss) and Alabama A&M (42-41 overtime loss).

Hornets senior cornerback Ronnie Scott said the difference this season will paying attention to the smaller things.

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Picks to click: Four SWAC players sure to stand out this season

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- DeVante Kincade, QB, Grambling

The reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year guides a Grambling squad that is the heavy favorite to repeat as league champion. Kincade, who transferred from Ole Miss a year ago, is a capable runner but is at his best when attacking through the air. He posted an outstanding 31:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season to go with a league-best 3,022 passing yards. Kincade looked phenomenal in Grambling’s spring game, completing 38 of 47 passes for 502 yards and three scores.

Lenorris Footman, QB, Alcorn State

Footman was slowed by injury last season, but he could be primed for a big campaign in Year 2 under coach Fred McNair. When healthy, there are few players in the league who can match Footman’s ability to take over a game, particularly when he gets room to run. He gashed Southern in a losing effort for 147 yards and three touchdowns on the ground (in addition to 304 yards and two scores through the air). Three weeks later, he ran for 122 yards and three more scores against Alabama A&M.



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Can anybody catch Grambling in the SWAC? 'Everyone wants to exceed that standard'

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs doesn’t see the target on his team’s back, but he feels it.

After his Tigers went 10-0 against Southwestern Conference competition last season — including a come-from-behind win in the SWAC championship game — and then followed it up with a win in the Celebration Bowl, Fobbs knows everybody is gunning to take his team down a peg.

“Absolutely,” Fobbs said. “At the end of the day, every time you set the standard, everyone wants to exceed that standard. We understand that, that’s the reason we worked extremely hard.



“We don’t want to play the same way we played last year, we want to play better than we played last year. Of course we want the same result, but we realize we have to play better than we did last year in order to achieve so many goals.”

Grambling is expected to set the standard again this season. With several key pieces coming back, including SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Devante Kincade, Grambling was picked to win the SWAC west for the third consecutive year.

Asked if the gap between Grambling and the rest of the league is too big to overcome, Alcorn State coach Fred McNair was not so sure. McNair’s club was picked to win the SWAC east for the fourth straight year.

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Rabalais: The end of its title game and a seven-game slate makes this a big season of change in the SWAC

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — It’s a season of change in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and the reason for that change was summed up succinctly Friday by Southern coach Dawson Odums.

“At the end of the day,” Odums said at SWAC Media Day, “football is a business.”

For the SWAC, the business of continuing to put on a conference championship game no longer made financial sense. So this year’s game, Dec. 2 at NRG Stadium in Houston, will be the final edition of a game that made its debut in 1999 but in 2017 has outlived its usefulness.



Get your T-shirts and hats now, because when it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

From a business standpoint downsizing the conference schedule from nine to seven games also made financial sense for the SWAC’s members — at least for the time being.

More on that later. The biggest story for this season is the end of the championship game.

The SWAC, along with its playing partner the MEAC, has decided to put its nest egg in the Celebration Bowl’s basket. The game between the two conference champions, the de facto black college football national championship C, is moving this year into the Atlanta Falcons’ sparkling new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the heart of Georgia’s capital city. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. Dec. 16 on ABC.

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Alcorn ready to move on after turbulent off-season

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- None of the Alcorn State football players involved in an on-campus brawl in April will miss playing time when the season begins, ASU coach Fred McNair said Friday at SWAC media day.

Seven of the 21 players arrested in relation to the fight were found guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanor, and ordered to pay $100 restitution. They were also subject to the school's disciplinary board, which addressed each of the players individually.

In the end, the Braves' coach said he felt the players involved had been through enough.

"We're ready to move on from it," McNair said. "I feel like the university did things the right way, and those guys have done everything they've been asked to do, been compliant and handled it the way they should have handled it. Now I think they are anxious to get back on the field."

That's big news for a team that was voted as the overwhelming favorite to win the SWAC's Eastern Division in the annual preseason poll.

McNair's Braves are eager to erase the bad taste left in their mouths coming off a 27-20 loss to Grambling in the SWAC Championship. If they can stay healthy, they might very well get their chance.

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Southern is eligible to compete in this year's Celebration Bowl, Odums hopeful for spring practice in 2018

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — For the first time since the inception of the Celebration Bowl, Southern will be eligible to play in it.

The NCAA lifted its postseason ban on Southern, which had prohibited the football team from participating in the Southwestern Athletic Conference's only guaranteed postseason football game. The conference championship game is considered to be part of the regular season.

That said, coach Dawson Odums said not to expect his team to treat the season any differently.

“That opportunity doesn’t present itself if you don’t do what you’re supposed to,” Odums said. “That’s always been the approach. Nothing at the end matters if you don’t go through the beginning and the middle.”

While he hasn’t received official word, Odums said he is assuming it means his team will be able to go through full spring practices as a team in 2018.

Neither of Southern’s two representatives at Southwestern Athletic Conference media day, seniors Austin Howard and Danny Johnson, has gone through spring practice, as Southern has gone three years without it.

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Luke Johnson's SWAC media day Four Downs: Some good news for Southern, a suggestion for the SWAC

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  1. An end in sight.

Southern can finally go into a season knowing that, if it plays well enough, it will be able to compete for a bowl championship just like everybody else in the conference. While coach Dawson Odums said that having the end-of-season incentive doesn’t change anything for how his football team must approach the day, it is nice for the program to know it can be rewarded for a strong season.

2. New rule, same Odums.

A rule was implemented college football-wide this offseason aiming to penalize coaches for going onto the field of play to argue a call. “I’m rarely on the field arguing calls,” Odums said. “I think it also sets an example for your following to think that it’s okay to argue calls. I try to be the best role model for our players. Officials make mistakes just like we make mistakes. You live with it, they give you a good explanation.”

3. Money game.

The SWAC is abandoning its championship game to focus on the Celebration Bowl, but what it really boils down to is money — money for fans traveling, money to play in a fancy stadium with all the bells and whistles. What about this for a solution: Play the games on a campus site. The Conference USA has been using that system for years, and the Sun Belt is adopting it this season. The league is better with a championship game.

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