Nomadic life costly for Jackson State

Starting season with 14 road games results in 2-12 mark

In so many ways, it all adds up. Close to $500,000 for the athletic department. The experience of trips to places like Tempe, Ariz., Providence, R.I., and Champaign, Ill. Playing in front of 16,000-plus at Kansas' historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse. In other ways, it doesn't add up to much at all. Spending two straight months on the road. Winning twice in 14 tries.

Jackson State basketball coach Tevester Anderson rolled all of the figures around in his head while standing courtside at Alabama A&M's Elmore Gym on Monday morning and said something he's probably thought dozens of times. "It's something I wouldn't want to do again," Anderson said of his team's ambitious pre-SWAC schedule, which included more guarantees than a first-time politician.

"We've played some tough teams and it's helped us evaluate ourselves. It has been fun at times. At other times, it's taken a toll on us." For one day, at least, the hard knocks helped. The preseason SWAC favorites beat A&M 62-53 Monday night to even their conference record at 1-1 and move their overall record to 2-12. When he looked at the schedule, A&M coach Vann Pettaway wondered if Anderson, in his sixth year with the Tigers, had gotten sideways with the Jackson State administration.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

FAMU football reels in BCS transfers

Florida A&M's Joe Taylor is methodically adding impact players to the Rattlers roster to make a run for the FCS title in 2009. FAMU finished '08 at 9-3 and second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor has searched schools as far away as Kentucky and West Virginia to bring a few players closer to home, primarily to beef up the Rattlers’ offensive line. In all, Taylor has signed three offensive linemen transfers from BCS schools with possibly two others expected on defense if they can pass Taylor’s screening. Those players are junior defensive back Marques Barnes from University of South Carolina and defensive end Jamil Paris from Kentucky.

Taylor also confirmed that former Madison County Cowboy Jay Culpepper will transfer from FSU. The 6-4, 268-pound offensive lineman will be used as a long snapper, Taylor said. The other two linemen are Chris Little from Georgia and Braden Curry from Marshall University. Curry of Hollywood and Paris of Vero Beach were both top recruits coming out of their respective Florida high schools. Neither Paris’ nor Barnes’ move is completed, but even if they don’t make Taylor’s standards, he said the new additions will bring some depth to the offensive line.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Second-half burst guides Florida A&M women to basketball win
Leading rebounder for FAMU women's basketball out indefinitely »
FAMU bowling adjusting to interim coach »

Huskers Roll Past Florida A&M

Courtesy: NU Media Relations

Lincoln, NE – The Nebraska basketball team scored inside and out on Monday evening, as the Huskers topped 80 points for the second straight game in an 81-56 victory over Florida A&M at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. With the win, Nebraska closed the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 10-3 record. The Huskers now turn their attention to the Big 12 Conference, as NU hosts Missouri to open league play this Saturday at the Devaney Center. In a change from the original schedule, the Huskers and Tigers will tip off at 1 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN2.

The Huskers’ offense was firing on all cylinders in the non-conference finale, as NU hit 10 3-pointers, while shooting 47.6 percent from outside the arc and 56.6 percent overall. Down low, Nebraska outscored Florida A&M 34-8 in the paint. Sek Henry tied his season high with 19 points to lead three Huskers in double figures. Paul Velander was two shy of his season high with 12 points, while Steve Harley added 15 to score in double figures for the 11th straight game.

Ten players scored in the victory as the Husker offense continued its strong play. Nebraska has scored at least 77 points in each of its last three games after reaching that mark just once through its first 10 contests. The last time Nebraska scored at least 75 points in three straight games was in Head Coach Doc Sadler’s first season in 2006-07. The Huskers also owned a decisive edge on the glass for the second straight game. After winning the rebounding battle for the first time in five games the last time out against Maryland Eastern Shore, Nebraska enjoyed its best rebounding performance of the season against Florida A&M. The Huskers pulled down 37 boards while posting a season-best plus-14 advantage on the glass.

Defensively, Florida A&M became the ninth Husker opponent held to fewer than 60 points this season. The Rattlers managed only 56 points, despite hitting 12 3-pointers. Dale Hughes led the FAMU (2-10) with 20 points, as he connected on 6-of-8 3-point attempts. It was Nebraska who bombed away from long range early, as NU hit seven first-half 3-pointers while building a 39-23 halftime lead. Henry led the Huskers in the first half with 10 points, including two 3-pointers, while Velander nailed three treys to contribute nine points off the bench.

Nebraska sprinted to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:18 of the game, behind a Henry reverse layup and a three from the right wing and a free throw by Harley. Florida A&M cut the Huskers’ lead to one with five straight points, before Nebraska built a 14-5 lead by rattling off eight in a row and holding the Rattlers without a point for 4:25. Strong perimeter shooting drove the Huskers in an 11-3 run that gave them a 27-13 lead with 6:55 remaining in the half. After a Toney McCray basket from the right block, a three by Cookie Miller and two more threes from Henry gave Nebraska breathing room late in the half. The Huskers pushed the lead to 19, their largest of the half, at 38-19 with 1:31 remaining behind back-to-back baskets in the paint by Ade Dagunduro and a three by Velander.

Florida A&M cut the lead to 16 at the half, but despite hitting 9-of-13 second-half 3-point attempts, the Rattlers were never able to overcome the halftime deficit. They trailed by at least 16 points for the entire second half. Nebraska held Florida A&M scoreless for the first three minutes of the half while stretching the lead to 20. A quick 6-0 Husker run two minutes later pushed the lead to 49-26. The teams played even on the scoreboard for the next several minutes before another string of six straight points stretched the Nebraska lead to 63-38 with 9:24 remaining.

Even after drilling a trey on three consecutive possessions, the Rattlers still found themselves down 69-53 with five minutes remaining. Nebraska pushed the lead right back to 20 with consecutive baskets. Henry was able to match his season high by scoring five straight in the closing minutes to give NU a 78-56 advantage. A McCray layup with 23 seconds remaining pushed the Huskers past the 80-point plateau and proved to be the final basket in the 24-point win.

Photo Album
Final Stats

No Contest: Oklahoma blasts Hawks, 100-64

NORMAN, Ok -- Even without coach Jeff Capel on the bench, it was business as usual for No. 6 Oklahoma. The Sooners reached the century mark for the first time this season, easily beating Maryland Eastern Shore 100-64 on Monday night while Capel was being treated in a hospital for a stomach virus. Assistant Mark Cline took over the coaching duties for the first time.

Oklahoma (14-1) broke away with an 11-0 run midway through the first half and went on to lead 48-22 at halftime. Blake Griffin led Oklahoma with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Tony Crocker and Willie Warren both added 15 points for the Sooners, who are off to their best start since opening 15-1 in 1988-89. Neal Pitt had 18 points for the Hawks (1-9), while reserve Chris Conner scored 12. The starters all left the game just 5 minutes into the second half, but Oklahoma’s reserves extended the lead to 84-38 with 8 minutes left.

Final Stats
Oklahoma Basketball Photo Gallery

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

History Lesson: Cline and Capel have be friends for 22 years and first met when Cline was a senior basketball player at Wake Forest. Capel's father, Jeff, worked as a first-year assistant for WF. Cline broke into coaching as an assistant under Capel's father, serving for 10 years at Fayetteville State (N.C.) State, North Carolina A&T, and Old Dominion.

Florida A&M faces final non-conference game - Nebraska

Tonight’s game against Florida A&M (2-9) could put Nebraska in first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

LINCOLN, NE — No offense to Florida A&M, Nebraska’s final nonconference basketball foe of the season tonight, but the Huskers are well into preparation for Big 12 play. Before a practice last week, coach Doc Sadler delivered a 10-minute “do-better” lecture with a list of five keys to surviving inside the conference. The first item — hard work — draws no complaints from Sadler. “I told the guys our hard work has always been there,” he said. “But the past few games, I’ve seen that we need to get the other four things going to have a chance.”

It’s a common-sense list: Sense of urgency, enthusiasm, free throws and transition defense. “We can’t control some things, like our size,” Sadler said. “But we can control all those others. And sometimes in the past few games, I haven’t seen those things taken care of like they need to.”

FAMU head coach Eugene Harris (center) and assistant coaches Reggie Sharp (r) and John "Johnny" Jones (l) are poised for a major beat down and a paycheck with the Huskers.

Tonight’s game against Florida A&M (2-9) could put Nebraska in first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Huskers beat fellow MEAC teams South Carolina State and Maryland-Eastern Shore in the past week. Nebraska (9-3) played perhaps its tidiest game of the season Saturday in routing Maryland-Eastern Shore 88-56. The Huskers shot a season-high 61.1 percent from the field and committed only three turnovers, tying the school record. Florida A&M has played two Big 12 foes, losing to Kansas State 96-57 and to Texas A&M 67-57. The Rattlers also have lost four games to Southeastern Conference teams.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Next: FAMU vs. Howard (1-12), January 10, 7 p.m. Tallahassee

Winning resolutions for black college sports

by Herb White, Black Voices

Excerpt:
It's a new year, and many of us will resolve to do something differently. Why shouldn't black college sports? Here are a few that just beg for attention.

Develop platinum programs.
The best programs bring good athletes to campus, coach them up and put resources behind the product. That takes commitment and money for the long haul, something too many administrators and fans fail to understand. S.C. State football is an example of how to do it right. The Bulldogs win consistently, including the 2008 MEAC title with a competitive effort in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Grambling is on the same level if the Tigers could actually get into the playoffs, which the SWAC championship game prevents. Among non-revenue sports, St. Augustine's track is a national program that can hold its own on an international stage. Coach George Williams has produced a string of all-Americans and Olympians, proof that the program is top of the line.

Better support.
HBCU fans may love their team, but something's not right when half the crowd at a football team goes missing after the bands do their thing at halftime. Is the music really that much better than the game itself? If so, then perhaps the on-field product is in need of an overhaul. Basketball seems to be an afterthought on many campuses, where good seats can be found from tip-off to the final horn.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.
























FAMU's Coach Tony Trifonov has succeeded in leading FAMU to the top of the heap nationally in women's volleyball despite inadequate funding, incompetent athletic department support, seven less scholarship players, no recruiting budget, and attempts by ineffectual school administrators to destroy international recruiting pipelines for this valuable, inclusive program.

Herb White hits the nail squarely with this timely blog, especially in his comments regarding basketball and non-revenue sports. I can understand 1,000 fans not showing up for an NCAA Division I national championship bowling match at a local bowling alley (2008 NCAA Division I National Champions - University of Maryland Eastern Shore), but how do you explain only 100 fans or less consistently showing up at Florida A&M's Gaither Gym to support the Volleyball team? FAMU's volleyball program (until 10/18/08) had won 98 consecutive conference games over 10 seasons, eight straight MEAC conference championships and eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament.

The conference games win streak would probably be alive today, if the team had greater than EIGHT student/athletes in 2008. Division I volleyball is played with a SIX player team each -- i.e., the eight players on FAMU's roster made the Rattlers the smallest team in the NCAA Division I 64-team national championship tournament. How can the Lady Rattlers and other HBCUs truly compete at the Division I level with SEVEN less scholarship players than the other major conference opponents? How does FAMU compete successfully in the MEAC with FOUR less scholarship players than their own conference opponents? How does FAMU practice or scrimmage for an opponent with six starters and possibly two subs (if there are no injuries) for a 27 game season?

Although the deck is consistently stacked against Coach Trifonov, he has succeeded with his ability to select high quality new players from film and referral, which are typical of his teams in the past in that they’re very mature and have a lot of international experience. The Lady Rattlers come with a ton of game necessary to run with Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Michigan State, Long Beach State or Nebraska which have dominated the Rattlers out of conference schedule in guaranteed payment road games, necessary to keep the program afloat.

More importantly, the Lady Rattlers have been ranked nationally in the NCAA Top 25 Division I polls over the past few seasons, which brings increased positive notoriety to Florida A&M.

Do you think the 12,000+ FAMU student body and administration is punch drunk with the exceptional success of the underfunded and under supported Lady Rattlers volleyball team, so much so, that they believe the program can operate with neither adequate funding, less scholarships and little, if any, fan support?

No doubt, non-revenue programs need fan/student support and sufficient funding, too. It is a disservice to the student-athletes when HBCU administrations breach their commitment to the athletic program with disingenuous management of the university resources and facilities. The business community will never support athletic programs that are run into the ground with little support by the university stakeholders and fans.

FAMU sets a great example of how poorly managed athletic departments at HBCUs can totally destroy an existing championship program by cutting back funding to the point the program cannot possibly succeed on a regional or national level. Athletic administrators and fans should not expect to win NCAA Division I national championships on a budget less suitable for a intramural athletic program. After 30 years of trying, HBCUs -- especially Division I classified programs -- should know the outcome and set their sights on developing platinum programs as Mr. White describes.

Believe it or not, bloggers are tired of writing about the everyday occurrence with HBCUs that hit the road for a beat down--and a paycheck, that are routed, pounded, steamrolled, smashed, over-matched and blasted unmercifully in athletic competition by non-HBCU programs that didn't even field a sports team 25-30 years ago. And all HBCUs do in response is send their bands to shake their booty and entertain the opposition drunken fans as our sport teams, fans are embarrassed time and again by our lack of competitive capability. If money is so much in short supply--the bands should stay on campus as marching and pep band is not a collegiate sport.

A change is overdue!

-beepbeep

FAMU's Vann Earns His Place In History

A First-team All-American.

It is the goal of every elite college football player, but only a select few can be recognized with that special distinction. That's why Florida A&M University junior return specialist LeRoy Vann, a Blake High graduate, will always consider 2008 as his most special season. Vann, after a record-setting season, was named to the Walter Camp Foundation NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) All-America Team.

Vann runs into permanent Rattler lore with a sizzling 92 yards kickoff for TD against 2008 MEAC Champions, S.C. State Bulldogs 10/4/2008.


"He's creating a larger recognition base for himself, but it goes to show no matter where you are, if you work hard, it will not go unnoticed," FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. "Individually, it brings him great recognition, but it brings recognition to Florida A&M University in a very positive way. It's going to help with our recruiting, because young men are going to see that Florida A&M is where you can play and still get recognized."

FAMU's LeRoy Vann returns kickoff 80 yards for Rattler touchdown against MEAC foe Delaware State before national television audience on ESPNU Thursday Night game, 9/4/08 at Dover, DE.

His accomplishments were difficult to ignore. Vann, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound cornerback, was the only Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player to make the team. He set an FCS single-season record for combined kick-return yardage (1,583 yards), breaking the mark of 1,469, set by Samford's David Primus in 1989. Additionally, Vann had six touchdowns on kick returns, tying the single-season record of Eastern Washington's Bashir Levingston (1998) and Montana State's Corey Smith (2003). He had 66 combined returns - another national record - breaking the mark of 64, set by Connecticut's Joe Markus in 1981. Vann shared the glory, giving credit to FAMU special-teams coach Rod Plummer.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.