FAMU Holmes' hire spurs excitement

New coach off to busy start, welcomes 12 recruits to campus

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  A handful of FAMU football players were milling around in the parking lot outside of Bragg Stadium on Friday afternoon. They’d gathered a few minutes earlier so that Earl Holmes could tell them that he’d be their next head coach.

None of them had a wider grin than tight end Michael Morris.  “I’m ecstatic,” he yelled to a passerby.

Seemingly so was the overflow crowd that had flocked into a conference room on the top level of the Lawson Center, where Holmes was introduced as successor to Joe Taylor. He retired with a few weeks remaining on his contract.

Holmes promised to turn the program around. Boosters and alumni in the room pledged to support him.



The announcement was two months coming. The wait was becoming a little unbearable to some of the players who took their plea to interim president Larry Robinson while the search was going on to find a coach.

“I was thinking about the future of FAMU, the recruiting process and trying to see how not having a coach would affect our recruiting process,” said safety John Ojo, who will get an extra year to play next season after an injury sidelined him last season. “I was wondering if there was any way to speed the process up.”

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Smith's career-high 26 leads Gold Rush past Tougaloo

NEW ORLEANS -- Renard Smith scored a career-high 26 points and made a Convocation Center-record-tying six 3-point field goals Saturday in NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana's 85-75 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Rush (15-3 overall, 3-0 GCAC) have won four in a row and remained in a first-place tie in the conference with Philander Smith, a 75-72 winner at Edward Waters.

Smith made three consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-0 run in the final five minutes of the first half to erase Tougaloo's largest lead, 26-23. Xavier led 40-34 at halftime and 61-43 after a Denzell Erves basket with 12:07 remaining.

Erves, the reigning GCAC Player of the Week, had 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double in five games, his 11th of the season and the 18th of his career. Wanto Joseph had his second double-double of the season, 14 points and a career-best 13 assists. Anthony Simmons scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Juan Gray had 21 points, six assists and five steals for Tougaloo (3-10, 1-2). Cordaryl Campbell scored 20 points, and Denzel Hardy had 15 points and five assists.

Smith made 6-of-9 3-pointers to tie the Convocation Center men's record set by Jarvis Christian's Chris Davis against Spring Hill in the Big Easy Classic on Nov. 10.

Joseph produced the most assists in a game by a Gold Rush player since Shaun Dumas had 13 on New Year's Eve against Wiley in 2006.

Xavier shot 51.9 percent from the floor -- 65.2 percent in the second half -- and limited the Bulldogs to 41.9 percent. The Gold Rush outrebounded Tougaloo 41-25.

Xavier will continue a four-game GCAC home stand at 7:30 p.m. Monday against SUNO, which is tied for third place in the conference with Talladega and a game behind the leaders.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

TSU Extends Streak to Six With 81-69 Win Over SEMO

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tennessee State men's basketball team held on to defeat Southeast Missouri State, 81-69, on Saturday night.

The victory kept two streaks alive by winning the game as the Tigers improved to 5-0 in conference play and 6-0 inside the Gentry Center. TSU has now won 17 of its last 18 home games dating back to last season.

Kellen Thornton had a career-high 28 points in the victory (10-of-15) and tied a career-high with 16 boards.

Patrick Miller also had a strong game with 20 points (7-of-13) and five assists. Miller has now scored over 10 points in every game of TSU's six-game winning streak.
 

TSU (11-7, 5-0 OVC) started the game on an 11-4 run that featured three threes from Miller, Tashan Fredrick and Jordan Cyphers. The strong outside shooting helped the home squad drill nine of its first 12 field goals in the game (75 percent).

The Tigers eventually stretched the lead to 20-7 when Jordan Gaither poured in a contested jumper from the elbow. The score prompted SEMO head coach Dickey Nutt to call the team's first timeout of the contest.

The stoppage in play did little to slow down the Tigers, as Thornton put TSU up by 12 with a slam at the 5:10 mark.

Thornton finished the first period with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting (67 percent). The senior also had a half-high five rebounds.

Thornton added another jam with 40 seconds remaining in the half, and the Tigers went to the locker room with a 43-29 lead.

TSU shot a season-high 64 percent (13-20) from the field during the first half and drained a season-best five triples.

SEMO (10-9, 2-3) was able to cut TSU's lead down to nine during the first eight minutes of the second stanza, but Cyphers nailed his third three of the game to put the Tigers up 61-49.

Again the Redhawks made a charge, and got within three of TSU when SEMO's Nick Niemczyk nailed a three with three-and-a-half minutes to play. The shot was part of a 15-6 Redhawk run.

TSU head coach Travis Williams called a timeout after the triple and drew up a play for Cyphers. The guard was open from beyond the arc and drained another three to make the score 73-67 in favor of the home squad.

TSU only allowed SEMO to make one more basket during the game's last three minutes and the Redhawks were forced to foul TSU for the remainder of the contest. The Tigers were a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the charity stripe during the last minute of the game, and hung on for an 81-69 victory.

TSU was 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) from the free-throw line while SEMO was just 6-of-16 (37.5 percent).


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Gold Nuggets bounce back with 39-point home victory

NEW ORLEANS -- Danielle Tucker scored a season-high 16 points Saturday to lead NAIA No. 9 Xavier University of Louisiana in a wire-to-wire 80-41 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Tougaloo.

The Gold Nuggets (12-3 overall, 2-1 GCAC), playing their first conference game in their new Convocation Center, knocked the Lady Bulldogs (10-4, 2-1) out of a first-place tie in the GCAC. Xavier bounced back strongly from a 68-65 Monday loss at Talladega, the only unbeaten team in conference.

SiMon Franklin scored six points during a 13-1 run in the first 5½ minutes. Whitney Gaston-Loyd, Paige Rochelle and Jessica Savannah scored four points each during a 14-0 burst which gave Xavier a 37-9 lead at 4:03. The Nuggets led 46-12 at halftime.

Tucker, a junior forward in her first XU season after transferring from NCAA Division II Mars Hill, scored 13 second-half points. Gaston-Loyd matched her career high of 13 points for the second consecutive game, and Savannah scored a season-high 10 points. Chelsea Broussard grabbed a season-best eight rebounds and matched her career high of three steals.

Tucker's basket with 4:44 remaining gave Xavier its biggest lead, 80-33.

Erin Wells led Tougaloo with eight points. The Lady Bulldogs' Portia Craft, a junior guard who entered the game No. 2 in NAIA Division I with 20.7 points per game, scored two points in 24 minutes. She was 1-of-9 from the floor and scored her only points on a steal and layup with 7:29 remaining.

Xavier shot a season-high 48.6 percent from the floor and limited Tougaloo to 29.6 percent. Xavier committed a season-low 11 fouls and outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 45-34. Xavier committed 16 turnovers and gained 28.

The winning margin was Xavier's largest against Tougaloo in 12 years. The Nuggets extended their GCAC home win streak to 23 and defeated Tougaloo at home for the 32nd consecutive time. Xavier has won 13 straight GCAC home openers.

Xavier will continue a four-game GCAC home stand at 5:30 p.m. Monday against SUNO, which is tied for second place in the conference with Xavier and Tougaloo.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

ASU's Riley earns East-West invitation

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Alabama State’s record-setting defensive back, Wetumpka High graduate Kejuan Riley has been invited and plans to play in the 88th East-West Shrine Game Jan. 19 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Riley finished the 2012 season with four interceptions giving him 21 total for his career and making the school’s most prolific defensive back. He also set a school record with 348 interception return yards. This season he had 110 with a long return of 58.



“The East-West Shrine Game has always fielded players amongst college football’s best,” said Harold Richardson, executive director of the East-West Shrine Game. “With all 32 NFL teams represented by GMs, coach and scouts during game week, our players have the terrific opportunity to showcase their talents and get their first glimpse of life in the NFL.”

Riley finished the 2012 season, in which the Hornets finished tied for first in the SWAC East, with 55 total tackles and 163 all purpose yards. He also had 12 passes defensed and one caused fumble.

The East-West Shrine Game is scheduled for...

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Alabama A&M's Jamaal Johnson-Webb receives invitation to NFL Scouting Combine

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Alabama A&M has one former player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a current alum who has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times.

However, until now, it has never had a player invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, the showcase for potential draft picks.

Jamaal Johnson-Webb, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle, will be going to the Combine in Indianapolis Feb. 20-26.



"Four years of hard work and I got better every year," Johnson-Webb said Thursday afternoon at Louis Crews Stadium. "And now the opportunity is in front of me. It was great news I got when I was invited to the combine. I'm going to go from here and keep working hard and take advantage of my opportunities."

Johnson-Webb, an Atlanta native, will also have his chance to audition for NFL scouts at the Raycom All-Star Game at Montgomery's Crampton Bowl on Jan. 19.

"That's very important, too," he said. "The scouts will be there to evaluate you in a playing environment with pads on against the other best players in college football. That's a huge step also."

Johnson-Webb will continue to attend classes at Alabama A&M and is only five hours from graduation after this semester.

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Eugene named to NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl

NORMAL, Alabama – Known to his fellow teammates as a leader Joaquenssi Eugene has been named to the 2013 National Football League Players Association Collegiate Bowl.

“I feel great with this opportunity to play against premier competition,” said Eugene. “Playing against a different level of competition will give me an opportunity to showcase my skills.”

Eugene has anchored an offensive line that saw the all-time leading rusher in Division I history and help lead the team to two Eastern division crowns in four years in the Maroon and White.

“Congratulations to Joaquenssi on being selected for individual post season play,” said head football coach Anthony Jones. “It’s a blessing and an honor for him to be selected to participate in an event where he can showcase his talents for the next level.”



NFL prospects will be placed into two NFLPA Collegiate Bowl teams. ESPN analyst and former NFL player/coach Herm Edwards will coach the American Team, while Super Bowl-winning coach Dick Vermeil will coach the National Team.

For one week preceding the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, participating draft-eligible seniors will receive an in-depth introduction to the union – the primary resource for information on the business of football and how to succeed in the NFL and in post-football careers.

Pro-football players and coaching legends will work with the game’s future stars, giving them first-hand insight on what it takes to win on and off of the field. Player Ambassadors for the game include former NFL standouts Terrell Davis, Lorenzo Neal and Andre Reed.

The game will be played on Saturday, January 19^th at the home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California.

The annual contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN2 and WatchESPN at 5 p.m. CT.


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