Virginia State University names Latrell Scott head football coach

ETTRICK, Virginia  --  Virginia State University named Latrell Scott as the University's 23^rd head football coach on Monday, January 14, 2013.

“I believe this place is special,” Scott said at the news conference where he was introduced. “VSU has made a commitment to football.”

Scott brings 12 years of coaching experience to the Trojans. Last year, he coached tight ends at James Madison University. At JMU, Scott recruited the Metro Richmond, Williamsburg and Northern Neck areas. He spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as the wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia, respectively.

Before joining JMU, Scott was head coach at the University of Richmond, where he previously served as wide receiver and assistant head coach. With Scott as position coach, the 2007 Richmond team posted a then-school record 11 wins and the school's first ever appearance in the National Semifinals. The University of Richmond eclipsed 10 team records in 2007, setting new standards for scoring average (34.9 points per game), touchdowns (63) and total offense (5,675 yards).



Scott met with current Trojan players Sunday and together the coach and team reorganized the weight room. Scott said the experience of immediately working together meshes with his philosophy for this year's team. “Our mantra is 'right now,'” he said.

Scott was a three-year starter at tight end at Hampton University, earning All-American honors his senior season. He played on two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and NCAA playoff teams and also competed in the Gridiron All-Star Classic in Orlando, FL. Scott graduated from Hampton with a sport management degree in 2001 and is a highly-regarded recruiter.

Scott said coming to an HBCU is especially significant. “My first experience with college football was watching the Gold Bowl with my Dad.”

VSU President Keith T. Miller said he was impressed with Scott's goals for the team, both athletically and academically. “We're delighted to have Coach Scott as a Trojan,” he said. “We're ready to embrace what he wants to do with our football program.”

Scott, a graduate of Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsville, VA, is married to the former Brandi Bradby.   


COURTESY VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Quinnipiac Bobcats Wraps Up Non-Conference Play At Hampton On Monday Night

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (5-10, 1-3 NEC) at
Hampton University Pirates (4-10, 2-0 MEAC)Date: Monday, January 14, 2013
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Convocation Center – Hampton, Va.
Series vs. Hampton: First Meeting
Quinnipiac Last Five: 1-4
Hampton Last Five: 2-3
Audio: AM 1220 WQUN
Live Stats: HamptonPirates.com
Live Stats On Your Mobile Device: ESPN.Com
Tickets: QuinnipiacBobcats.com

Complete Game Notes as a PDF

Bobcats Face Hampton On Monday NightThe Quinnipiac University men's basketball team (5-10, 1-3 NEC) heads southward to Virginia for a final non-conference clash with Hampton University (4-10, 2-0 MEAC) on Monday night. The first meeting between the two schools is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center on the University's campus.

On The Air / Multimedia LinksFans can also tune into AM 1220 WQUN Radio where Bob Mortali will have the play-by-play call with Bob Tipson providing insight on color commentary. Live stats will also be available on www.HamptonPirates.com.
 
All-Time Against HamptonThis will be the first meeting between the two programs. American University serves as the only common opponent thus far – with Hampton defeating the Eagles, 72-65, on December 18, and Quinnipiac falling short, 61-55, on November 12.

Scouting The PiratesThe Pirates, in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., picked up their first road win of the season on Saturday, coming back to beat Howard, 51-49 – making it two straight wins. Freshman guard Deron Powers had a team-high 14 points, while junior guard Ramon Mercado came off the bench to add 10. So far this season, the Pirates are second the conference (MEAC) in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent (282-for-715) from the floor. The Pirates are also third in the MEAC in scoring defense, holding teams to 62.1 points per game, and fourth in blocked shots with 4.9 per game. Powers leads the Pirates offensively, averaging team-bests in points (11.4) and assists (4.1). Du'Vaughn Maxwell leads the front court with 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out Against Sacred Heart
Ike Azotam and Jamee Jackson each finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday afternoon, but Sacred Heart University fended off a late Bobcat charge and earned an 80-74 decision at the TD Bank Sports Center. Quinnipiac received double-doubles from two different players for the first time this season, but it was SHU's Shane Gibson who poured in a game-high 31 points to lift the visiting Pioneers. Dave Johnson led the Bobcats offensively with a season-high 17 points – going 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Azotam, Jackson and Hearst each chipped in with 10 points and Evan Conti added nine. Ousmane Drame and James Ford, Jr. finished with seven apiece – while combining for a total of 12 rebounds. Quinnipiac controlled the backboards, 45-35, and the paint 34-29, but left 13 at the free-throw line (14-27, 51.9 percent). SHU made 45.5 percent of its field goals compared to 39.7 percent from the hosting Bobcats.

Milestone Approaching For Moore
Head Coach Tom Moore picked up his 98th career win against LIU Brooklyn (1/5) and remains two shy of 100 for his career at Quinnipiac. His .566 winning percentage is fifth best among Division I Coaches in New England, only trailing Vermont's John Becker (.654), Harvard's Tommy Amaker (.623), Fairfield's Sydney Johnson (.589) and CCSU's Howie Dickenman (.572). (Winning percentage among coaches with at least one season at respective institution)

Coach (Team)	Wins	Losses	Winning %
John Becker (UVM)	34	18	0.654
Tommy Amaker (HARV)	101	61	0.623
Sydney Johnson (FAIR)	33	23	0.589
Howie Dickenman (CCSU)	171	128	0.572
Tom Moore (QU)	98	75	0.566

Climbing The Ladder
Azotam surpassed Bill Romano '02 (580) on Quinnipiac's Division I career rebounding list when he grabbed five rebounds against LIU Brooklyn (1/5). The junior power forward currently sits in second place, only trailing Justin Rutty '11 (1,032). Azotam also collected his 21^st career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Sacred Heart (1/12). Azotam ranks third in career double-doubles among active NEC players – sitting just one shy of LIU's Jamal Olasewere (22).

Dimes For Dave
Dave Johnson moved into fifth place among Division I career assist leaders at Quinnipiac. Johnson's 348 career assists trail Jared Grasso '02 who finished his career with 404 assists.

Rejection Is Key
Jamee Jackson recorded his 81st career block against Lehigh (11/27) and moved ahead of Justin Rutty '11 into second among Division I career block leaders at Quinnipiac. Jackson's 91 blocks trail C.J. Vick '05 who finished his career with 106 blocked shots.

Rebounding Margin Factors In
Rebounding has become the identity of the Bobcats under the direction of Head Coach Tom Moore. Through 173 games with Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has only failed to out-rebound an opponent 27 times. In 50 of the 173 games, QU has posted a plus-10 or better rebounding margin, including 12 with plus-20 or better and a rebounding-margin high of 28 against FDU on February 27, 2011. The Bobcats hold a remarkable 45-5 mark when holding a plus-10 edge and a 10-2 record with plus-20.
 
Conti Cashes In
Evan Conti has been called upon to fill a starting role of late which recently featured a career day for the sophomore guard. Conti set new career-highs in points (15) and rebounds (9) against LIU Brooklyn (1/5), falling one rebound shy of a double-double. In seven career starts for the Bobcats, Conti is averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Last season, Conti earned his first career nod in the CBI Tournament and posted 14 points and four rebounds against Penn.


COURTESY QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS ATHLETICS

Ram Ramblings: Assistant Wilhelmi pays tribute to mentor with bow tie

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  To find out just how big a game it is for Winston-Salem State looking to see what kind of tie assistant coach James Wilhelmi is wearing is a good place to start.

Wilhelmi, and fellow assistant Tim Wells, do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for Coach Bobby Collins. One thing Collins tries to do after every game is make sure he mentions that Wells and Wilhelmi did a good job in preparing the scouting report.

 For Wilhelmi, if he’s wearing a bow tie, then that means it’s an important game. Chances are he’ll be wearing a bow tie tonight when 17^th-ranked WSSU puts its 11-game win streak on the line at the Gaines Center against Elizabeth City State. It’s an important game because the Rams can sweep the Northern Division of the CIAA with a 6-0 record.

Wilhelmi doesn’t wear a bow tie all the time but when he does he’s paying homage to one of his mentors, Gil Jackson. It was Jackson, the former head coach at Howard, who gave Wilhelmi his second chance in the college game.

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In the FCS Huddle: Change on coaching carousel often not pretty

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The number of head coaching hirings and openings since the start of this past Football Championship Subdivision season has risen to 15 - a typical number, and perhaps one not at its apex.

But the firing of Delaware mentor K.C. Keeler on Monday showed there is nothing ordinary about the changes going on this offseason.

Few, not even Keeler, saw the stunning firing coming.

The decision ranks up there alongside Appalachian State showing the door to legendary coach Jerry Moore one day after his 24th season ended and then giving the keys to the Southern Conference power to assistant Scott Satterfield.

Keeler led the Blue Hens to an FCS national title in 2003 and two other national runner-up finishes in 11 seasons, including against Moore in 2007 when Appalachian State won the last of three straight national titles.

Of course, the 53-year-old Keeler is 20 years younger than Moore, so it's not like his career was winding down.

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Money games termed fiscal necessity for S.C. State football, basketball

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  Tim Carter has a realistic approach toward the Upper Division I portion of South Carolina State men’s basketball schedule.

“This is our ‘pay bills’ games,” he said. “We’ve got to pay some bills.”

The Bulldogs head coach is equally candid with his players about the necessities of the games, while at the same time trying to keep their spirits and confidence up through those “brutalizing” losses often experienced in these match-ups.

“One thing that I have done is that I’ve been completely honest with our players about what they’re going through from the standpoint as to why we’re playing these type of teams,” Carter said. “I’ve been very candid with them and when you’re honest with your team, they can handle something a little bit better if you do it like that.”



On Jan. 5, the Bulldogs fell 80-69 to the University of South Carolina in Columbia. The 11-point loss proved to be the team’s best showing during a winless five-game stretch against Upper Division I opponents Maryland (61-46), nationally ranked Missouri (102-51), Iowa (90-46) and Clemson (77-41) in which the average margin of defeat was 31.4 points.

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NSU Spartans get rare TV starring role Monday night

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Norfolk State University's basketball team returns to the national spotlight tonight for the first time since the Spartans shined on the NCAA tournament stage last March.

The Spartans play at Howard at 7 p.m. in Washington, in a game to be broadcast on ESPNU. It is Norfolk State's first national television appearance since the NCAA tournament.

Last season the Spartans won their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, then stunned Missouri, 86-84, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

This season, after surviving a difficult early schedule that included 14 of 16 games on the road, NSU (8-10, 3-0 MEAC) has won two in a row and is atop the MEAC.

Howard (4-13, 1-2) fell at home to Hampton on Saturday night, 51-49.

Norfolk State has won six in a row against Howard and ousted the Bison from the the MEAC tournament the last two seasons.

"Howard is going to have some motivation," Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans said. "That's going to give them a little edge."

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Update: Alabama A&M's Joaquenssi Eugene to Participate in 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  The NFL Players Association is proud to announce that Joaquenssi Eugene of Alabama A&M has committed to playing in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

The offensive lineman from Miami will be one of the talented draft-eligible seniors competing in the all-star game on Saturday, January 19 at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on ESPN2. ESPNU will also air live broadcasts from practices on Thursday, January 17.

The 6-3, 325-pound center and offensive guard was named to the preseason All-SWAC First Team. He’s viewed as the O-line’s leader, identifying defensive formations and communicating to the signal-caller to help him make the correct reads. Eugene also contributes to Bulldog athletics as a thrower on the men’s varsity track and field team.

For player confirmations and news surrounding the game, follow @NFLPABowl on Twitter and on Facebook at Facebook.com/NFLPACollegiateBowl.

For one week preceding the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl presented by Winnol, participants 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. Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil will serve as the head coaches for the American and National Teams. Player Ambassadors for the game include former NFL players Terrell Davis, Hank Baskett, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Lorenzo Neal and Andre Reed.

Tickets are on sale now: http://collegiate.nflpa.com/.