Wednesday, March 16, 2011

NCCU Eagles: A new hill to climb for Frazier

DURHAM, N.C. -- Hills: Henry Frazier III knows a few things about hills.

He learned how to win from the high school coach who made him run up the hill behind the field, over and over again, and he never forgot, becoming a winning quarterback at Bowie State and a winning coach there.

He climbed what may the biggest hill in all of college football, making a winner out of Prairie View A&M. The Panthers, famous for an NCAA-record 80-game losing streak, hadn't had a winning season in 31 years. Frazier needed only four to do it.


Videographer: NCCUEagles

Now Frazier faces a new challenge: seeing how far he can take N.C. Central in Division I and the MEAC. The Eagles have a long tradition of success in Division II, but this is a whole new ballgame.

FRAZIER ANNOUNCES NCCU FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – Henry Frazier III, who was named North Carolina Central University’s new head football coach on Dec. 16, has announced his coaching staff.

Among the 10 assistant coaches, four rejoin Frazier from his prior coaching position at Prairie View A&M University, including Dwayne Foster (Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator/Offensive Line), Michael Bryant (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Roy Jones (Director of Football Operations/Tight Ends) and Lamar Manigo (Wide Receivers).

Four coaches have been retained from last season’s Eagles staff, including Mike McGlinchey (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs) and Antoine Rivens (Defensive Line), along with former NCCU gridiron student-athletes Jamar Harp (Assistant Offensive Line/Video Coordinator) and Andre George (Assistant Defensive Backs).

Rounding out the staff are John Morgan (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs), who served as defensive coordinator at NCCU in 2007, and Mike Mendenhall (Linebackers/Assistant Special Teams).


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Today's NIT: Texas Southern vs. Colorado

CU Buffs' resiliency will be tested in NIT opener in Boulder

The prevailing feeling from coast to coast is that Colorado deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament. Well-respected Seattle Times columnist Bud Withers on bubble teams scorned: "Clearly, the team with a beef is Colorado, which was 6-7 against the top 50, usually a figure that would guarantee entry."

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, known for his love of all things Big East and ACC, said if this were a beauty contest, at-large selection Alabama-Birmingham would be Roseanne Barr and shunned CU would be Scarlett Johansson.

TEXAS SOUTHERN (19-12, 16-2 SWAC) vs. COLORADO (21-13, 8-8 BIG 12)
INTERNET STREAMING BROADCAST: 7 p.m., ESPN3.com
GAME NOTES: Game Notes #35: NIT 1st Round


BOULDER - In most cases, the NIT is all about appetite - that is, which teams can summon the hunger to stay competitive and keep playing in the aftermath of an overlook by the NCAA or being bounced out via an upset in a conference tournament.

Colorado is an uncomfortable fit in the first category, having been passed over by the NCAA Selection Committee, while Texas Southern falls into the second. They could commiserate Wednesday night at the Coors Events Center (7 p.m., ESPN3.com) in the first round of the NIT, but CU Coach Tad Boyle isn't expecting that from the Buffaloes.



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Today's NIT: Tech, a top seed in NIT for third time, hosts Bethune-Cookman

Bethune Cookman Wildcats (21-12) at Virginia Tech Hokies (21-11)
TELEVISION: 8 p.m. EDT, ESPNU

While Virginia Tech was still trying to come to grips with yet another NCAA Tournament snub Sunday evening, Bethune-Cookman’s players and coaches waited excitedly to find out who they would play in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

They cheered wildly as ESPNU revealed their matchup with Tech.

The Wildcats (21-12) take on the Hokies (21-11) tonight in Blacksburg in the first round of the NIT. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. The winner advances to play the Witchita State-Nebraska winner in the second round.



DAYTONA BEACH -- C.J. Reed doesn't need to glance at the newspaper box scores from the MEAC tournament to recall his rare back-to-back off nights. The league's Player of the Year has every aspect of his struggles memorized.

"Four for 19, four for 17, three free throws in the first game and five in the second," Reed said of his stat lines during two games in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"I know those numbers inside and out. I don't think I made the shots I normally make and didn't get to the line enough. That hurt us in the long run."

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Today's NCAA Tournament: Alabama State vs. UTSA

No. 16 Texas-San Antonio (19-13) vs. No. 16 Alabama State (17-17)
WHEN/WHERE: 5:40 p.m.CDT, Dayton, Ohio
TELEVISION: truTV Channel



A CLOSER LOOK: Texas-San Antonio likes a fast pace; Alabama State tries to keep games low-scoring. The winner will be the team that imposes its will. Alabama State was an upset winner of the SWAC Tournament. The Hornets have an RPI of No. 257 but have won 11 of 12 games. The Roadrunners upset McNeese State in winning the Southland tournament title. Area hoops fans might remember Texas-San Antonio coach Brooks Thompson, who played at Oklahoma State in the early 1990s before a short NBA career. The winner meets top-seeded Ohio State in the East Region.

Alabama State has tourney's worst record

Alabama State reached the NCAA tournament with a lousy record and a remarkable turnaround. The Hornets (17-17) have the worst record in the 68-team field. Everyone else has more wins than losses.

Alabama State must win its first-round game on Wednesday night against Texas-San Antonio (19-13) to improve to a winning record. Their reward? Heading up to Cleveland to try to knock off top-seeded Ohio State.

Roadrunners battle Hornets in "First Four" encounter

Dayton, OH (Sports Network) - Day two of the inaugural "Field of 68" play-in format for the 2011 NCAA Tournament has the champions of the Southland Conference, Texas-San Antonio, squaring off against the Southwestern Athletic Conference champs, Alabama State, from Dayton, Ohio.

Dubbed the "First Four", Wednesday's matchup is the third of four games over two days at UD Arena as part of the NCAA's re-formatted expansion of the traditional 64-team field. The winner of this matchup moves on to face the tournament's top overall seed, Ohio State, in the East Region Friday in Cleveland, Ohio at Quicken Loans Arena.

ASU basketball: White works to get job done for Hornets

Ivory White spends the first few minutes of every basketball game trying to figure out how he can help his Alabama State team­mates. Need an offensive spark? White is your guy. Looking for someone to shut down the high-octane perimeter offense of your opponent? Call on White.

Hoping someone can bol­ster your inside game with a few rebounds and help speed up the transition game? Then the junior guard from Greensboro is the perfect answer to your problems.

Duncan sparks Hornets' streak

Chris Duncan came to Alabama State with one thing on his mind.

And while he has excelled at defense in his two years with the Hornets, he has started to understand his value to the team as an offensive performer. The Hornets have won six consecutive games, transforming from a team that had underachieved and showed little chemistry to one that has dreams of earning an NCAA tournament bid.

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Stillman's Dream Run Ended by Alabama-Huntsville

For a while, it looked as if Stillman's dream run in the NCAA Division II tournament might continue as the Tigers held a 43-42 halfttime edge against regional host Alabama-Huntsville Tuesday night. Alas, the Chargers proved too much, overcoming Stillman and eventually holding on for an 88-81 victory in a Sweet 16 matchup at Spragins Hall.

Alabama-Huntsville (29-4) will now take on Minnesota State-Mankato in the Elite 8. Stillman (25-8), which began its run in the tournament by upending heavily-favored second-seeded Harding and then defeated Florida Southern, began this game on a similar high note. The Tigers took...

Stillman Tigers Enter Sweet 16

Huntsville, AL-- Stillman reached yet another milestone with a win over the Florida Southern Moccasins 92-86 and advanced to the NCAA DII South Region final for the first time in school’s history in Spragins Hall at the University of Alabama campus.

The Tigers trailed 38-51 at the half. Following the half, the Tigers overcame a 13-point deficit to tie the game 56-56 at the 14:43 mark. Both teams exchanged baskets and enjoyed the lead until the 5:31 mark when junior LaDarius Rhone made a 3-points basket and the Tigers went ahead for the last time and held it to the end of regulation.

LaJay Sears led the Tigers with 31 points on 10-20 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Sears was followed by Kevin Johnson and Lee Riley both with 16 points. LaDarius Rhone chipped in 14 points. Rakee Anderson, despite not having a great shooting performance, added a game-high 11 assists.


HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Josh Magette, who typically holds the basketball game in his hands, was at the moment holding a thin strand of twine in his right hand. It was a piece of a basketball net, surgically removed Tuesday night in the middle of the warmest, loudest, lovingest, darndest bit of celebration and history this building has seen.

"You can't dream of something like this," said Magette, the UAH point guard. A couple of weeks ago, he had collected another piece of twine, from UAH's official coronation as Gulf South Conference East Division champion.

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PV's Wilson shines in own right

Coach Toyelle Wilson
Prairie View A&M’s Toyelle Wilson probably had the toughest act to follow of any first-year women’s basketball coach in the area at the beginning of the season.

Wilson took the reins in May after former coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke stepped down to take the top job at North Carolina-Wilmington. Cooper-Dyke, a Basketball Hall of Famer, went 86-72 in five seasons at Prairie View, leading the Panthers to four postseason appearances, including their first two NCAA Tournament appearances, and three Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season titles.

Wilson, a former assistant under Cooper-Dyke, had a huge shadow cast over her first season as head coach once athletic director Fred Washington opted to promote her. Some doubted she would be able to duplicate her predecessor’s success.

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Historical Black College All-Star Classic

Columbus, GA - The 8th Annual Historical Black College All-Star Classic is coming to Columbus (Georgia) on April 23rd with the game being played the Civic Center. The event pits the best players from the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, and CIAA against each other in a battle of East and West.



In addition to the College game the event will also feature matchups including local boys and girls high school all stars. Among those expected to attend include: Jordan's Harry Short, Kendrick's Elbert Elliot, Dwayne Belfield, Erica Stanley, and Janai Merritt, Hardaway's Valenta Williams and Jamaine Burrey and many more.

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