Norfolk, Virginia -- As a high school junior in Florida, Chris Walley was good enough that coaches from some of the country's top college programs dropped in to watch him play. Two years later, the head coach at an Illinois junior college told him he'd never start a game. And now? Walley is one win from leading Norfolk State to its first FCS playoff game.
The senior's journey to becoming the second-most-accurate passer in the FCS has been a series of ups and downs on the way to becoming a level-headed leader. One, he says, wouldn't have been possible without the other. "He has not taken the easy road to anything," said his father, Wes Walley. "I talked to his coach for the first time (last weekend), and I told him he's more of a man at his age than I was. I was already his father."
Walley has had a spectacular season. His completion percentage of 70.3 is second in the country, and he leads the MEAC in passing yardage (212.2 yards per game), touchdowns (15) and interception rate (1.4 percent).
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Friday, November 11, 2011
#1 Baylor Hosts Howard Lady Bison in Preseason WNIT
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Listen | 
Gametracker | 
Notes | Tickets | 
Gameday Central| Date | Fri., Nov. 11 | 6:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284) |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets Online |
| TV | None |
| Online Video | Baylor All-Access |
| Radio | ESPN Central Texas | Listen Online |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Gameday Info | Gameday Central |
| Game Notes | Baylor Notes  |
| Blog | N/A |
| @BaylorWBB |
| HOWARD LADY BISON | |
| Record | 0-0 |
| Ranking | N/A (AP), N/A (Coaches) |
| Last Game | N/A |
| Head Coach | Niki Reid-Geckeler |
| Career: 41-54 (4th season) | |
| BU Record: same (4th season) | |
| #1/1 BAYLOR LADY BEARS | |
| Record | 0-0 |
| Ranking | 1 (AP), 1 (Coaches) |
| Last Game | N/A |
| Head Coach | Kim Mulkey |
| Career: 298-79 (12th season) | |
| BU Record: same (12th season) | |
The 2011 Preseason WNIT marks the third time Baylor has hosted the event. The Lady Bears were also the tournament hosts in 1998 and 2006. As in previous seasons, as long as Baylor wins, it will continue to host tournament games.
All told, 16 teams are competing in the 2011 Preseason WNIT. Chattanooga, ETSU, Howard, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, UAB and UCLA are on Baylor's side of the bracket while Akron, Detroit, Drexel, Hartford, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan and Notre Dame are on the opposite side of the bracket.
The Lady Bears are 4-2 in Preseason WNIT contests, losing in the second round in 1998 to 20th-ranked Florida (70-58) and to 12th-ranked Purdue (69-55) in the 2006 championship game. Since that loss to Purdue, Baylor has won 47 straight non-league home games (including two NCAA Tournament games in 2011).
SCOUTING THE LADY BISON
Located in Washington, D.C., the Howard Lady Bison open their season in Waco. The Lady Bison finished last season at 16-18 and were runner-up in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament. All five starters return off last season's team.
Junior Saadia Doyle, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year and All-MEAC first team selection, led the MEAC in scoring with 18.4 points and was second in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game. She was recently named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
The Lady Bison are coached by fourth-year head coach Niki Reid Geckeler (Georgetown, 1993). Reid Geckeler is 41-54 (.432) in her four seasons along the Howard sideline.
SERIES RECORD
Baylor leads the series 1-0. The Lady Bears downed Howard in Waco, 83-31, on Nov. 9, 2007, as part of the Baylor-hosted Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tournament.
COURTESY BAYLOR BEARS ATHLETICS
Bethune-Cookman 2011-12 men's basketball preview
Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats, Daytona Beach, FloridaCOACH: Gravelle Craig, first season
LAST SEASON: 21-13, 13-3 MEAC; won MEAC regular-season title; lost in second round of MEAC tourney to Morgan State; lost in first round of NIT to Virginia Tech
3 REASONS TO BELIEVE
1. Holloman is back: The return of 6-6 senior forward Garrius Holloman takes some of the sting away from the losses of MEAC Player of the Year C.J. Reed and second-teamer Alex Starling. Holloman, a junior-college transfer, was second on the Wildcats last year in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg).
2. Front line: Holloman, Anthony Breeze and Adrien Coleman are the likely starters. All three 6-5 to 6-6 and good scorers. Breeze and Holloman are strong inside players for their size. Junior-college transfers Alex Smith (6-7) and David Baroum (6-8), who are both nursing knee injuries, and returning sophomore Raymoan McAfee (6-7) will provide depth.
3. Scoring balance: That's something the Wildcats didn't have with Reed bringing up the ball and taking most of the shots.
3 REASONS TO DOUBT
1. Lack of height: Not just inside, but on the perimeter as well. If Kevin Dukes (5-8) and Ricky Johnson (5-9) end up playing in the backcourt together, they'll be giving up a lot of size on defense.
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No. 14 Xavier Hosts Morgan State At Cintas Center On Friday
Xavier University Musketeers (0-0) vs. Morgan State University Bears (0-0)
Regular Season Opener on Fri., Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Cintas Center (10,250) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Television: FOX Sports Ohio with play-by-play from Brad Johansen and analysis from former Musketeer captain Steve Wolf (Xavier `83). Jim Day hosts the "Musketeers Live" half-hour pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
Radio: 700 WLW-AM with play-by-play from XU Hall of Famer and former Musketeer standout Joe Sunderman (`79). Analysis will be provided by Xavier Hall of Famer and XU all-time leading scorer Byron Larkin (`88).
• Xavier will honor Veterans Day by saluting active military members and Veterans by displaying a 40-by-60 foot United States flag during the National Anthem prior to the game. Handling the flag will be members of the Xavier University Army ROTC along with Veterans and active members of the United States Armed Forces.
• Morgan State returns all five starters and 10 letterwinners overall from a team that finished 17-14 overall and 10-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season. The Bears of head coach Todd Bozeman are the preseason favorites in the MEAC.
• Xavier, 24-8 overall in the 2010-11 season and Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Champion at 15-1, has three starters back from last year's team: seniors Tu Holloway and Kenny Frease and junior Mark Lyons.
• Xavier has won 21 straight regular season openers (20 at home and one on the road) with its last loss in an opener coming in the 1989-90 "Sweet 16" season to Southern Utah State at Cincinnati Gardens (97-90 on December 2, 1989).
• Xavier has won all 11 of its season openers at Cintas Center, including a 68-65 win over Western Michigan last season (11-12-10).
• Xavier opens the regular season with a four-game homestand and home games in seven of its first nine games. After the Morgan State game, XU hosts IPFW on Nov. 15, Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 18 and Georgia on Nov. 25.
• Xavier, ranked 14th in the preseason Associated Press Poll and 15th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, played its one and only public exhibition this past Saturday against defending NCAA Division II National Champion Bellarmine and won 76-73. XU used the closed scrimmage option in October instead of a second exhibition.
• Xavier has high expectations entering the 2011-12 season, including the preseason favorite role in the Atlantic 10. The Xavier program is coming off a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a fifth straight A-10 Regular Season Championship. Xavier finished 24-8 overall and 15-1 in the A-10 last season.
• Xavier returns three starters from last year's team, including senior All-American guard Tu Holloway, although Holloway will sit out the regular season opener.
• Xavier returns two other starters who earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors last season, including 7-0 senior center Kenny Frease, a 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-A-10 selection who averaged 11.7 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. as a junior. Another returning starter is 6-1 junior guard Mark Lyons, a 2010-11 Third Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection who was second only to Holloway in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and assists (3.1 apg.) on last year's squad. Both Frease and Lyons were named to the 2011-12 preseason A-10 Second Team.
• Xavier made its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011, one of only 12 schools that can say that: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier. Xavier made its 10th NCAA appearance in the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.
• Xavier, 24-8 overall, secured its sixth straight 20-win season and its 14th 20-win season in 15 years.
• Xavier third-year head coach Chris Mack, the 2010-11 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, is 50-17 (.746) overall and 29-3 (.906) in Atlantic 10 regular season play.
Next Up
♦ The Morgan State Bears will host the Murray State Racers at Hill Field House, Baltimore, Maryland on Monday, November 14th.
Midnight Madness Highlight @ Xavier University of Louisiana
Friday, November 11 — Men's Basketball vs. St. Thomas (Fla.), 6 p.m. live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Women's Basketball vs. Huston-Tillotson, noon live on internet • live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Men's Basketball vs. Wiley, 2 p.m. live on internet • live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Women's Basketball vs. Huston-Tillotson, noon live on internet • live stats
Saturday, November 19 — Men's Basketball vs. Wiley, 2 p.m. live on internet • live stats
XU Gold Nuggets 2-0 on opening day of GCAC Tournament
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Top-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana defeated eighth-seeded Edward Waters 25-6, 25-11, 25-14 and fourth seeded Talladega 17-25, 25-12, 25-11, 25-21 in Thursday's opening rounds of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball tournament.
Moira Kirk had 13 kills, and Taylor Reuther had eight kills and four aces against Edward Waters. Both freshmen had 17 kills against Talladega, and Reuther had 12 digs for her team-leading 10th kill-dig double-double of the season.
Xavier (21-6) needs two victories to win the tournament and secure the GCAC's automatic bid to next week's NAIA National Championship. The Gold Nuggets will play SUNO or Dillard, which met late Thursday, at 6 p.m. Friday. The eight-team, double-elimination event will conclude Saturday.
"The girls came out and played well," Xavier first-year coach Christabell Hamilton said. "The second match we started slowly, but we got it together and finished well. We're really growing and maturing as a team, and that's the most important thing at this part of the season."
Xavier trailed 3-0 and 10-8 in the fourth set against Talladega (21-14), but took the lead for good at 17-16 on a kill by Reuther, who scored five of the Nuggets' final nine points on attacks. Reuther had eight kills in the final set.
Celeste Poe had 13 digs against Talladega, and Iva Bobkova served a season-best five aces. Bobkova and Jeanay Butler served three aces apiece against Edward Waters (4-29).
The Nuggets have won six straight, the second longest streak in the program's four seasons and their best since an eight-match streak in September. They are 7-0 this season on neutral courts.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVESITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Moira Kirk had 13 kills, and Taylor Reuther had eight kills and four aces against Edward Waters. Both freshmen had 17 kills against Talladega, and Reuther had 12 digs for her team-leading 10th kill-dig double-double of the season.
Xavier (21-6) needs two victories to win the tournament and secure the GCAC's automatic bid to next week's NAIA National Championship. The Gold Nuggets will play SUNO or Dillard, which met late Thursday, at 6 p.m. Friday. The eight-team, double-elimination event will conclude Saturday."The girls came out and played well," Xavier first-year coach Christabell Hamilton said. "The second match we started slowly, but we got it together and finished well. We're really growing and maturing as a team, and that's the most important thing at this part of the season."
Xavier trailed 3-0 and 10-8 in the fourth set against Talladega (21-14), but took the lead for good at 17-16 on a kill by Reuther, who scored five of the Nuggets' final nine points on attacks. Reuther had eight kills in the final set.
Celeste Poe had 13 digs against Talladega, and Iva Bobkova served a season-best five aces. Bobkova and Jeanay Butler served three aces apiece against Edward Waters (4-29).
The Nuggets have won six straight, the second longest streak in the program's four seasons and their best since an eight-match streak in September. They are 7-0 this season on neutral courts.By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVESITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Marshall Hosts Alabama State in Season Opener
HUNTINGTON, West Virginia – Marshall will begin its 99th season of men’s basketball on Friday at 7:30 p.m. as the Thundering Herd hosts Alabama State at the Cam Henderson Center. The first-ever meeting with the Hornets is Marshall’s first of eight opponents on the schedule that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.The Herd is coming off a 65-55 win over Northern Kentucky in its only exhibition game of the season. Marshall shot 56 percent from the field in the second half to pull away after trailing 32-27 at halftime. Most of the Herd roster shared playing time and senior guard Shaquille Johnson led the team with 16 points. The game gave the eight Marshall newcomers valuable playing time. Junior transfer Dennis Tinnon recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Justin Coleman scored 15 points in 25 minutes of play.
Marshall is 76-23 all-time in season openers and has won its last five. Last season, the Herd opened the season with a 92-69 win over West Virginia Tech in Tom Herrion’s first game as the head coach at Marshall.
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Game Notes
| Gametracker | Media GuideMarshall's ambitious slate opens with NCAA tournament team - Alabama State
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall will play a dozen games this season against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament. There are, of course, Big East basketball behemoths like Syracuse, West Virginia and Cincinnati that Herd Coach Tom Herrion confidently added to an ambitious schedule.
There are lesser-known 2010 Big Dancers like Belmont, which Marshall plays twice - and that won 30 games last season - and Akron, a 23-win team a year ago. Then there is tonight's Henderson Center visitor: Alabama State.
A perk of Marshall's continued involvement with the Global Sports Shootout is that the program gets to feast on three relative unknowns before traveling elsewhere to take on a big dog.
In this year's event, the Herd will start with Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Northwestern State before playing at No. 21 Cincinnati on Nov. 25. The first three opponents averaged 13.3 wins last season and none finished with an RPI higher than 237.
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ASU men's basketball: Hornets open at Marshall tonight
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The quest for another Southwestern Athletic Conference championship for the Alabama State men's basketball team begins tonight at Marshall University. Tipoff has been schedule for 6:30.
The Hornets will be led by seventh-year head coach Lewis Jackson, who has welcomed eight newcomers to team with a solid core of six returnees from the conference championship squad. He said he is ready to see this team hit the floor.
"It is always good to get the season kicked off," Jackson said. "We are excited and we have a group of guys that always seem eager to get on the floor. We are just excited about this opportunity."
ASU was able to defeat Fort Valley State 65-57 in an exhibition game to open the season. Kenderek Washington led the way with 21 points and Jeff Middlebrooks added 13 and freshman Luther Page had 10.
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall will play a dozen games this season against teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament. There are, of course, Big East basketball behemoths like Syracuse, West Virginia and Cincinnati that Herd Coach Tom Herrion confidently added to an ambitious schedule.
There are lesser-known 2010 Big Dancers like Belmont, which Marshall plays twice - and that won 30 games last season - and Akron, a 23-win team a year ago. Then there is tonight's Henderson Center visitor: Alabama State.
A perk of Marshall's continued involvement with the Global Sports Shootout is that the program gets to feast on three relative unknowns before traveling elsewhere to take on a big dog.
In this year's event, the Herd will start with Alabama State, Jacksonville State and Northwestern State before playing at No. 21 Cincinnati on Nov. 25. The first three opponents averaged 13.3 wins last season and none finished with an RPI higher than 237.
READ MORE
ASU men's basketball: Hornets open at Marshall tonight
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The quest for another Southwestern Athletic Conference championship for the Alabama State men's basketball team begins tonight at Marshall University. Tipoff has been schedule for 6:30.
The Hornets will be led by seventh-year head coach Lewis Jackson, who has welcomed eight newcomers to team with a solid core of six returnees from the conference championship squad. He said he is ready to see this team hit the floor.
"It is always good to get the season kicked off," Jackson said. "We are excited and we have a group of guys that always seem eager to get on the floor. We are just excited about this opportunity."
ASU was able to defeat Fort Valley State 65-57 in an exhibition game to open the season. Kenderek Washington led the way with 21 points and Jeff Middlebrooks added 13 and freshman Luther Page had 10.
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