Former Asheville High standout Wakefield Ellison transfers to Winston-Salem State

Asheville, N.C. - As a young boy growing up, Wakefield Ellison used to marvel at the grand stage of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament each year that his parents took him to the event.

This coming spring, he’ll play in it. The former Asheville High standout announced on Friday that he’ll play for Winston-Salem State this year after requesting and receiving his full release from Division I East Carolina in March. Though Winston-Salem State competes at the NCAA Division II level, Ellison knows well that the talent level is quite high.

“The CIAA speaks for itself,” Ellison said. “That conference tournament is one of the biggest events in the country year in and year out. A lot of great players have played in the CIAA. My father (Gene Ellison) played in the CIAA (for Virginia Union). It’s a real good conference.”

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Southern's Cador savors 2-week twin bill

Coach Roger Cador (left)

Baton Rouge, LA - Southern baseball coach Roger Cador experienced a special doubleheader in the past couple of weeks. It started July 3 in Lubbock, Texas, when he witnessed Danny Goodwin, a teammate of his with the Jaguars in 1972-73, becoming the first Southern player inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

The nightcap came Tuesday night in Phoenix when Cador was at Chase Field to watch Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks become the first player he has coached to play in the Major League All-Star game.

“To see a former teammate and also the first player from Southern go into the College Baseball Hall of Fame was really rewarding,” Cador said after returning to Baton Rouge on Wednesday. “And the All-Star events are always exciting. You get to see and meet so many people, shake hands and talk to everyone. Everyone wants to talk. That’s the beauty of it.”

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Grambling State Walls' belief paid off

Grambling, LA - When nobody believed in Everson Walls, and that was often, he always believed in himself. "You're going to have to have the heart," he would tell himself. "You're going to have to come through for yourself."

Finally, after years of steady effort, the former Grambling State defensive back came to understand one of football's basic truths: "Whatever was going to happen for me," Walls said, "would have to happen because of what I did on the field."


During Walls 14 seasons, he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and won a Super Bowl with the NY Giants.

That tireless ambition to overcome whatever obstacles lay in path paid off with league titles in college, pro bowls and a championship in the NFL and, this weekend, induction as part of the third class of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame. The sold-out ceremonies will be held Saturday at the Hobdy Assembly Center on the Grambling campus.

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Calhoun County's Brown commits to NC A&T

Saint Matthews, SC - Walt Wilson called it a good day for Calhoun County football.

Turns out, Clyde Johnson, who announced his intentions to play at S.C. State, wasn't the only Saint to give a verbal commitment Thursday. Calhoun County defensive tackle Javontae Brown (6-1, 280), a T&D All-Area first team selection after finishing with 94 tackles, six sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2010, gave his verbal commitment to North Carolina A&T.

Should Brown follow through on his verbal and sign with the Aggies in February it would be a coup for the MEAC school. As a sophomore, MaxPreps ranked Brown among the top 100 prospects in the country and, at one time, he had interest from such major colleges as South Carolina.

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UMES Announces 2011 Recruiting Class

Hawks adds four transfers, five freshmen to four-time defending MEAC Northern Division champion

Princess Anne, MD - UMES head volleyball coach Don Metil has announced the addition of nine players for the 2011 season, joining five returners from last year after the Hawks won the MEAC Northern Division for the fourth time in a row.

"UMES will definitely have a different look on the court this upcoming season," says Metil, "we will need our recruiting class to make an immediate impact due to the loss of Samantha Chukwura and Stephanie Sierra."

Four players join the Hawks with collegiate experience plus five freshmen will suit up at the college level for the first time.

Coming from Indiana State University, Auriel Armstrong (Long Beach, Calif.) transfers to UMES with two years of eligibility remaining. With the Sycamores, the 6-2 middle blocker played in 31 matches in 2010, leading the team in solo blocks with 14 and finishing with 69 total. She also notched 177 kills with a hitting percentage of .224 plus 22 aces and 95 digs.

"I saw Auriel play in 2009 for MLB out of California and wanted her to join us then. Now that she's decided to finish her career with us, she'll make an immediate impact with her athleticism, ability to play back-row, aggressive serve, and her setting ability."

Also providing a boost at the middle blocker position, Ndidi Ibe (North Richland, Texas) joins UMES after two years with the United States Naval Academy. The 6-0 junior started 25 matches last season with 28 appearances overall, leading the Mids and ranking third in the Patriot League in total blocks with 96, also adding 174 kills. Last year, UMES defeated Navy 3-2 during the Kristen Dickmann Memorial Tournament in Annapolis, with Ibe notching 14 kills and eight blocks against the Hawks.

"When we played Navy in 2010, Ndidi hurt us offensively, so when the opportunity became available that she could join us, I definitely wanted her to be playing for us, and not against us."

Corey Haynes (Falls Church, Va.) will look to boost the setter position, coming in with junior standing after two years at St. Peter's College. She is the tallest setter to play for Coach Metil at UMES, standing at 6-3. Hayes played in all 31 matches for the Peahens in 2010, starting 29 of them, leading the squad with 436 assists. She contributed in a variety of ways, including offensively with 160 kills and 18 aces and defensively with 72 blocks and 218 digs.

"Corey touches a great ball and has the height we have needed in this position for a long time. She has experience running 5-1 as well as 6-2 which will give us some flexibility in our offensive systems we plan on using."

Rounding out the transfers is Raquel Rogers (Baltimore, Md.), the lone representative from the state of Maryland. Coming from CCBC-Essex, the 5-9 Rogers will contribute as an outside hitter. For the Knights in 2009, Rogers contributed 186 kills and dug out 171.

"Raquel has worked hard to become a part of the Hawk program, and we look for her to contribute on the right and left sides."

Saitaua Iosia (Long Beach, Calif.) will join the Hawks as a freshman, coming from the same high school as Zoe Bowens, Long Beach Poly. The 5-10 hitter led the Jackrabbits, ranked as high as #3 in the nation, to the state finals, averaging 12 kills and digs a match and will help bolster the outside.

"Sa has played club ball for MLB and TCA as well as for a highly success high school team and brings international experience, too. She jumps well, hits a very heavy ball, plays all the way around, and is a true leader. Sa has the skill set and drive to be one of the best athletes to come through our program here at UMES."

Also hailing from California, Victoria Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.) will play her first season for UMES. The tallest outside hitter on the team at 6-3, the left-handed Williams, who also played for TCA, will contribute primarily from the right side and is in her second year in Princess Anne.

"Tori trained off the court during the 2010 campaign and made huge gains. She is long, lean, left-handed, powerful, jumps well over 10' and is an incredible blocker. She could potentially develop into a key six-rotational player."

Finishing out the freshman outside hitters, Emily Shannon (Cross Junction, Va.) joins the maroon and grey standing six feet tall. She was the first player in James Wood High School history to record 1,000 kills, getting 344 her final season, and was named to the 2010 Winchester Star All-Area Volleyball Team.

"Emily jumps well, hits a heavy ball, is a primary S/R passer, and a six rotational player. Emily is level-headed on the court and will give us some consistency on the outside. She also has experience in the middle which gives us the flexibility to do some creative plays offensively."

With the final freshmen of the class, the Hawks bring in two international players to boost the team's strengths.

Hailing from America's neighbor up north, Jessie Vicic (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada) arrives in Princess Anne after playing for the Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, leading the Trojans to league championships all four seasons plus earning First Team All-Star status in Central Ontario. At 5-9, Vicic was the primary setter for the KW Predators in Ontario.

"Jessie has the drive, determination, ability and knowledge to run our offense. She has been trained by some well-known, respected individuals of the game, and her experience, even though a freshman, will prove invaluable to our success."

The final player of the class is Nadja Nemeth (Bettlach, Switzerland), becoming the second European player to suit up for Coach Metil, the other being Karin Vikterlof from Sweden in 2009. The 5-9 Nemeth, coming from Kantonsschule Solothurn, will serve as a utility player for the Hawks. She played in the Swiss Junior Championships, where her teams took first place three times.

"Nadja has played at a very high international level and has great S/R passing, is defensively quick, and shows great range when attacking. Nadja will be an integral part of our team play and will swing from both pins."

With these nine newcomers joining a team that went 20-12 last season and won the MEAC Northern Division, the future looks bright for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

"I'm eager to see the growth in this young squad," says Metil, "This team has the potential to achieve some of the best results since my time here at UMES."

By UMES Sports Information

VISIT: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
VISIT: UMESHAWKS

With development coming on all sides, Howard University takes a look inward

Washington, D.C. - Howard University sits in the midst of one of the country’s best real estate markets, and there are signs all around it.

A few blocks to the west, a 184-unit building, View 14, recently sold for $104 million, or $670 per square foot, maybe the highest ever for a Washington apartment building.

A few blocks to the south, atop the Metro station that bears the university’s name, the mixed-use “Progression Place” is under construction, which will add another new 205 apartments and a new headquarters for the United Negro College Fund.

While the neighborhood around it has seen an incredible growth of new housing and retail in the past 20 years, Howard has allowed large swaths of property its owns in the Cardozo-Shaw neighborhood north of U Street Northwest to be used as surface parking lots or to languish vacant.

Meanwhile Howard residence halls are currently able to house just 45 percent of the school’s students, compared with 60 to 70 percent at competing schools. Of the students who do live on campus, about three-quarters live in buildings that are at least 50 years old.

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New Howard University Campus Plan Finalized

While campus plans for American and Georgetown Universities -- the latter of which is apparently considering expanding into Northern Virginia to circumvent the wrath of its Advisory Neighborhood Commission -- Howard University's plans are rolling along. The University officially released its finalized decennial Campus Master Plan to the public on July 12, 2011.

The plan has been under development since 2009. (Neighborhood blog Left for LeDroit has a fine repository of information on the several drafts that have been produced since that time.) Among the key features of the plan are the closure of several alleys, the construction of new residence halls and the renovation of several buildings around the campus. A minority of Howard's student population lives on campus -- the overarching goal of the plan is to attempt to pull more students closer to the University's core, enrich Georgia Avenue's commercial potential and increase transportation options -- including Bikeshare -- inside the campus.

You can read an entire copy of the plan below; all of the maps in the final plan can be viewed here.

Pigskin Preview: Fort Valley State Wildcats

Fort Valley, GA - Depending on how you look at the 2010 season, Fort Valley State Wildcat fans and players alike debate on whether their 8-3 finish was successful or disappointing. After going 8-1 before the season ending SIAC championship game with Albany State, the Cats dropped two straight to end the season while losing their starting quarterback to off the field trouble in the process.

"We just fell short," says head coach Don Pittman. "We felt like we just lost our momentum. We were disappointed that we didnt make the playoff and we lost in the Pioneer bowl because of that I think that was the main reason."



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