New Yorkers add spice to Spartans' win in home debut

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  The boroughs were represented at Echols Hall on Thursday night.

The visiting St. Francis Terriers hail from Brooklyn. Home-at-last Norfolk State had starters from Brooklyn and the Bronx and four other New Yorkers on the roster.

The game had a Big Apple feel as well, with both teams taking a straight-to-the-rim approach. They combined for 92 points in the paint, although neither had a low-post presence to speak of.

In the end, a point guard from Brooklyn grabbed the game by the lapels and shook it. Making play after heady play over the final six minutes, NSU's Jamel Fuentes steered his team to an 85-79 win in front of 3,376 in the Spartans' home opener.

"He was tremendous down the stretch. He put the game on his back," coach Anthony Evans said.

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Morgan State football coach finds out in accidental email that school is looking to replace him

Donald Hill-Eley

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Morgan State football coach Donald Hill-Eley said he might soon be out of a job after he accidentally received an e-mail earlier this week outlining the university’s plans to seek a replacement.

Hill-Eley, who has led the Bears to a 54-69 record in 11 seasons, said he hadn’t heard anything official from the university as of this morning despite receiving the e-mail on Tuesday evening.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Hill-Eley said when reached today on his cell phone. A university spokesman said he had no immediate comment about Hill-Eley’s status.

The coach said he has faced greater expectations to win since David Wilson became the university’s president two years ago but said he has not received the bump in resources he would need to achieve that goal. He said four assistant coaches, for example, don’t receive health benefits from the university.

“He said the expectations had changed,” Hill-Eley said, recalling a conversation with Wilson. “But the input didn’t change, so how do you expect things to change on Saturday?”

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Mini-doc chronicles Tuskegee's SIAC title game win against Fort Valley State (video)

ATLANTA, Georgia  --  The game was nearly three weeks ago.

But this nearly 14-minute video, chronicling Tuskegee's victory against Fort Valley State (Ga.) in the SIAC title game is well worth the wait. It was produced by the conference and it includes an inside look at both team's pregame rituals and a great narration of the Golden Tigers' 55-24 victory at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta. 

And, of course, the Golden Tigers band's rendition of Big Pokey's "Ball and Parlay" is featured rather prominently.

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Pioneer Bowl Buzz: Tuskegee vs. Elizabeth City State University

PIONEER BOWL BUZZ - Tuskegee vs. Elizabeth City State University WHAT:  Tuskegee (10-1) vs. Elizabeth City State (7-4)
WHEN: Saturday, noon
WHERE:  A.J. McClung Stadium in Columbus, Ga.
TV: None

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: Pitting Tuskegee, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, and Elizabeth City State, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner-up against each other means bragging rights will be on the line. With CIAA champion Winston-Salem State, having reached the third round of the playoffs, the winner of this game could at least lay claim to being the second-best Division II football team in the country. Tuskegee, which doesn't participate in the playoffs in order to keep its longstanding rivalry against FCS Alabama State in Turkey Day Classic alive, might think it deserves the top spot.

THREE TO THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Will Elizabeth City show signs of rust? The Vikings haven't played since November 10^th when Winston Salem State defeated them 34-19 in the CIAA title game in Durham, N.C. Tuskegee played on Thanksgiving Day, earning its 10^th straight win and seems to be getting better with each game. A three-week layoff could adversely impact Elizabeth City, especially early on.

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Ram Ramblings: WSSU fans, students, alumni should be riding this football wave

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  I don’t pretend to know what it was like at Winston-Salem State in the late 1970s when the football team, coached by a young Bill Hayes, was the talk of the CIAA. During the 1977 and ’78 regular-seasons the Rams went unbeaten.

I was 12-years-old then and living in the suburbs of Chicago and I don’t remember seeing highlights from those Rams teams on the Internet. (Insert joke here).

Anyway, my point is that from what folks tell me about that time at WSSU it was considered the best it’s ever been in football. The 1977 team didn't go to the playoffs and wound up losing to S.C. State in the Gold Bowl.



In 1978 the Rams won their first playoff game in a 17-0 win over Cal Poly then lost in the semifinals the next week to Delaware. Those two years are generally considered the bench mark of success at WSSU until recently.

Just like last year’s WSSU team that had a legitimate shot at winning the school’s first national championship in football this year’s team is on the same track.

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HBCU Football Sees Abysmal Attendance

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  In a year filled with band scandals and mediocre football teams, there have been few bright spots in HBCU football. Winston-Salem State has been one of them. The Rams have completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, won the CIAA title both years, and made it to the national semifinals of the Division II football playoffs in 2011.

Saturday, the team hosted and won its fourth playoff game in two years, defeating Shippensburg 37-14. This Saturday the Rams will host Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the third round of the playoffs. Despite having earned home-field advantage as a number one seed, however, that may be the last playoff game in Bowman Gray Stadium for a while, even if the Rams win.

The Winston-Salem Journal‘s John Dell reports that should both WSSU and fellow No. 1 seed Colorado-Pueblo both win their games this week, the Rams may be forced to go on the road due to low attendance figures in the playoffs.

Just over 3,200 fans showed up at Bowman Gray Stadium to watch the Rams defeat the Red Raiders. That’s a particularly troubling number, considering that the stadium holds more than 20,000 fans.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Bill Hayes ...

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McIntosh now a BSU Bulldog at the college level

BOWIE, Maryland  -- The last time the Bowie State women’s basketball team played a postseason game, its season ended at the hands of Shaw University in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament last spring.

With the Bulldogs scheduled to play Shaw again in January, are they looking forward to the chance to exact revenge on the Bears? Well, not exactly. Hardly any of the Bowie State players who suited up for that game are returning this season.

With roster turnover being an inevitable fact of life for Bowie State this year, some patience may be required.

One of the nine new players debuting for the hometown team this year is Bowie native and Bowie High grad Jasmine McIntosh. A junior in the classroom and sophomore on the team, McIntosh is excited to begin her second stint as a Bulldog … this time on the college level.

“Besides being close to home, I liked the campus,” said McIntosh, who transferred from East Tennessee State University at the end of the 2011-’12 school year. “I got along with the coaches. Everything just seemed like a good fit for me.”

And McIntosh appears to be a good fit for the team. At 5 feet 11 inches, she brings size to the shooting guard position. But she also provides versatility, as she can play both forward spots as well. She prefers the two guard position, however, which seems to fit her skill set best.

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