Southern to open spring practice Wednesday

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Despite recent reports regarding his future at Southern University, head football coach Stump Mitchell opens 2012 spring football practice on Wednesday, the university announced.

The Jaguars begin the first of 15 scheduled practices at 4:15 p.m.Wednesday afternoon in shells before moving to full pads for the first time on Feb. 24. Southern's spring game is scheduled for March 17.  Mitchell, who is 6-16 in two seasons at Southern, embarks on his third season as head football coach on the Baton Rouge campus and has one year remaining on a three-year contract signed in Jan. 2010.

Interim Director of Athletics Sandy Pugh said Tuesday that while it has been reported that Mitchell has been interviewed for a position with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, the university is going forward with Mitchell leading players during their first day of practice.

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Kyle O'Quinn sees pro future after Norfolk State

NORFOLK, Virginia - If you had asked Kyle O’Quinn back in high school if he thought he would have a future in professional basketball, he would have laughed at you.

After all, O’Quinn was just 5-foot-11 as a high school freshman in New York, and only played one year of high school basketball. He had just one scholarship offer coming out of high school, from the MEAC’s Norfolk State. Others were sniffing around, but no one else was willing to take a chance on the raw big man. His family didn’t want him to go to prep school, so he jumped on the opportunity to head to Virginia and play for Norfolk State.


#10 Kyle O'Quinn in the Spartans win over NAVY.

Now, as a 6-foot-10 senior, O’Quinn is dominating on the inside. Over the last two seasons, the big man is averaging 16.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Because of his potential, he could have a future in the sport.

“I’m getting a lot of good feedback,” O’Quinn said. “I didn’t think I would play college basketball, of course not. You couldn’t have told me that.”

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SU Mitchell stumps for job with St. Louis Rams

COACH LYVONIA 'STUMP' MITCHELL

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - Stump Mitchell, a former Cardinals running back and currently head football coach at Southern University-Baton Rouge, interviewed for the Rams' running backs coach position Monday.  Mitchell, 52, met at Rams Park with coach Jeff Fisher and visited with members of the coaching staff. The visit went well, though it was uncertain Monday night if Mitchell has been offered the job.

League sources said Fisher could be interviewing another candidate or two for the position, which is one of the last remaining berths on Fisher's staff. A Georgia native, Mitchell played with the St. Louis and Phoenix Cardinals from 1981-89. He ended his career with Kansas City in 1991, but didn't post any stats with the Chiefs because of knee problems.

A ninth-round pick by the Big Red out of The Citadel in 1981, Mitchell was a popular and productive player in St. Louis.

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Report: Rams talk to Mitchell

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Stump Mitchell came to Southern University with big dreams and big goals, vowing to bring the Jaguars football program back to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.  Now, after six wins in two years, he might be on his way out.

According to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mitchell interviewed Monday with the St. Louis Rams and is a candidate to become their running backs coach.  The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said Mitchell met with new head coach Jeff Fisher and members of the staff, and that the interview went well.  What’s unclear at the moment, however, is whether the Rams actually offered Mitchell a job.

Attempts to reach Mitchell were unsuccessful Monday night.  Asked last week if he were considering other jobs, Mitchell said he was happy to be at Southern and believes his team can win this season.

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Coppin State has more than a triple threat from beyond the arc

With a team full of long-range shooters, Eagles are the No. 2 team in the country in 3-pointers per game

BALTIMORE, Maryland - Before every Coppin State practice this season, a band of shooters from one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in Division I gathers around a rim inside the Physical Education Complex for a little friendly competition.

The goal is simple, guard Tony Gallo explains, and the battles typically taut. Knock down 10 shots from beyond the arc before anyone else does, and you win. Lately, Gallo's won a lot. Or has he? "He said he was in the lead?" forward Logan Wiens exclaimed in mock disbelief Monday. "I don't know about that one."


Mute the background rap music/noise for better enjoyment.

On a team that has 3-pointers account for more than 40 percent of its scoring, perhaps these kinds of grudges are only natural. The Eagles' 9.9 3-pointers per game trail only Florida (10.2 per game) nationally, and three players shoot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc.

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Sammeika Thomas makes it work at Miles College

SAMMEIKA THOMAS
6-2 FORWARD, SENIOR
HOMETOWN: BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
TRANSFER: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Senior forward juggles parenting, school, work and basketball

FAIRFIELD, Alabama - When she's not rubbing off a screen, she's screening passengers. When not picking up her teammates with a solid season, she's picking up her kids and making sure they are taken care of. Such is the life of Sammeika Thomas, Miles College's 6-foot-2 senior forward.

Thomas, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's reigning Player of the Year, is doing it all. She's a fulltime student, a TSA passenger screener at the Birmingham Airport and a basketball standout – all while raising two small children on her own.

"It's not really hard for me because I'm a very motivated person," Thomas said. "I know that I have to work in order for my kids to survive. I also understand I have to finish school to earn the money that I want to make, or have the career that I want to have. So it's really not hard balancing it. My job helps me a lot. My coaches help me a lot, and my teammates. So it's not very hard as people would think. But it's very tiring."

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Shaw University ranked 6th in NABC Division II Poll

RALEIGH, North Carolina — Shaw moved up three spots in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, coming in at sixth. This is the highest ranking in the history of the men's basketball program at Shaw. Last week the Bears were ninth in the poll.

The program's previous high ranking was in 2002-2003 when they were tenth in the first poll of the season.

Last week, the Bears handily defeated Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State to raise their record to 23-2 and continue what is now a 19-game winning streak. Shaw is 15-0 in the CIAA and 9-0 in the Southern Division. The Bears have already clinched the division title.



After last week’s number one team, Bellarmine, suffered a loss, West Liberty takes over the top spot in the poll. Last season, West Liberty knocked Shaw out of the NCAA tournament in the second round.

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Virginia State wins fifth straight, blowing out Lincoln (Pa.)

ETTRICK, Virginia - There is no team in the CIAA that has improved more than Virginia State, and now they're playing good enough basketball that they're a dangerous team headed into the conference tournament.

The Trojans dominated Lincoln (PA) Monday night, 75-51 at Daniel Gymnasium, avenging an earlier season 20 point loss to the Lions.



VSU stormed ahead to a nine point halftime lead, but outscored Lincoln 45-30 after halftime to make it a rout. Mike Bynum led all scorers with 18 points. There were three other players in double figures, Daniel Awosanya had 13, Kenny Mitchell put in 12 points, and Ibn Rassoull scored 12. Denzel Mooney had a team-high 17 points for Lincoln. VSU shot 51 percent from the floor, while Lincoln managed just 28 percent.

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