'The Secret Game' review: How a scrappy basketball team challenged segregation — and won

THE SECRET GAME
Scott Ellsworth
ISBN: 9780316244619
ISBN-10: 0316244619
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: March 10th, 2015
Pages: 400
Amazon Books: Kindle: $12.99; Hardcover: $19.47; Audible: $20.95 or Free

Coach John B. McLendon
North Carolina Central University
(Photo Courtesy: NCCU Eagles Athletics)

DURHAM, North Carolina -- At 11 a.m. on a Sunday in March of 1944, two of the best college basketball teams in the United States did something unthinkable.

They played each other.

No cameras, no cheerleaders, no screaming fans greeted the players as they took position on the court. In fact, the gym had been locked in an effort to keep spectators out. The reason for the secrecy was simple. The Duke Medical School team was white. The North Carolina College (North Carolina Central University, today) team was black. And in 1944, the color line in Durham, N.C., ran right through the basketball court. Crossing that line was not just an act of defiance — it was against the law.

This extraordinary contest — one of the first times in basketball history that a black team squared off against a white team at the college level — constitutes the focal point of Scott Ellsworth's compelling history, "The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph." But the book is about far more than a single game. It's about the evolution of a sport, the tortured legacy of race and repression, and about how basketball, which for decades had served as an instrument to defend segregation, became a tool to undermine it.

Ellsworth, a former Portland resident, combines an irresistible narrative with outsized characters, particularly the North Carolina Central coach, John McLendon, who came of age in the Great Depression, as basketball fever was sweeping across the Midwest. Too poor to afford a ball, McLendon and his friends tossed rocks and socks through a playground hoop. His stepmother forbid him to have anything to do with the game unless he read the bible for an hour every day and swore off coffee, soda, snuff, cigarettes, and alcohol.

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READ RELATED ARTICLES
Original New York Times article by Scott Ellsworth in PDF Format
Duke University Alumni Magazine article by Scott Ellsworth in PDF Format
The Hartford Courant article by Dom Amore in PDF Format

Lynn Thompson Receives Promotion from B-CU President

LYNN W. THOMPSON
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Photo Courtesy: Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman University Director of Athletics Lynn W. Thompson has been elevated to the position of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, announced Tuesday, June 30, by B-CU President Dr. Edison O. Jackson. Thompson’s duties as Vice President will begin July 1, and he will continue to lead the 17-sport Division I program.

Thompson, a native of Daytona Beach, Florida and 1980 graduate of Bethune-Cookman College, has served as Director of Athletics at Bethune-Cookman since 1991, recently completing his 24th year at the helm in Daytona Beach. Currently, B-CU has a total of 17 intercollegiate sports, all of them competing on the Division I level of athletics.

“We are so proud of the accomplishments of Wildcats Athletics under the direction of Lynn W. Thompson,” said Dr. Jackson. “Under his leadership, Bethune-Cookman Athletics has become a championship program across the board with impressive academic performances of the student-athletes, conference championships and NCAA postseason bids in several of our sports. More importantly, his integrity, leadership and creative vision for branding Wildcats Athletics has opened doors for the entire university, and we are pleased to have him join the senior leadership and university cabinet as we further the mission of our institution.”

During Thompson’s tenure at Bethune-Cookman, he has served in several Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) leadership roles. On the national level, he became the first African-American to chair the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, and also served as a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, the NCAA I-AA Football (now Football Championship Subdivision) Committee and the NCAA Football Issues Committees. Thompson has vast experience in creating policy for intercollegiate athletics on a national level. He has also served as chairman of the MEAC Basketball and Baseball Tournaments, and has been selected five times as an NCAA Peer Reviewer for the athletics certification process.

“Thompson is known across the nation as an outstanding athletic administrator who is highly respected and sought after,” continued Dr. Jackson. “We are extremely happy to have him remain as the leader of our program for years to come.”

During his tenure overseeing a sports program that is known throughout the nation, Thompson has directed the Wildcats to a total of 64 championships, beginning with 44 MEAC championships, including a dynasty of 12 baseball titles in the past 15 years; a run of five consecutive softball titles from 2000-2004 – as well as three addition consecutive titles from 2010-12. B-CU Football has won a total of six MEAC titles, including at least a share of the last three consecutive from 2012-14.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to join with Dr. Jackson and his cabinet to push forward the agenda of Bethune-Cookman University,” commented Thompson. “Dr. Jackson clearly understands the impact that a successful athletic program can have on the entire university, and I look forward to assisting in implementing his vision.”

B-CU’s golf programs for women and men have won a total of 20 PGA National Minority Golf Championship (13 women, 7 men) titles, featuring an international roster from all around the world. The men’s program won the inaugural 2014 MEAC Golf Championship, earning the school’s first-ever team bid to the NCAA Regionals in Raleigh, North Carolina. B-CU track & field has trained an indoor/outdoor NCAA hurdling champion, and were represented by the Wildcats’ first ever Olympian in the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2015, B-CU Men’s Track & Field swept the indoor and outdoor MEAC crowns, while defending the outdoor title from a season ago.

Away from the athletic fields, Thompson is heavily involved in the B-CU Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where his office is constantly open for prayer and consultation with all students. He served as a staff pastor at Calvary Christian Center in Ormond Beach, Florida, for over 10 years in addition to leading the men’s ministry.

A veteran television and radio producer and personality, Thomp
son has utilized his experience in the media with the development of B-CU’s CatEye Network which produces and distributes programs on television, live streaming of Wildcats athletic events, and he also serves as executive producer of the various B-CU coach’s television shows and the CatEye Radio Network. In addition to his duties as Director of Athletics, he was recently named as chair of the advisory committee for the university’s acquisition and management team of WELE 1380 The Cat radio station located in Ormond Beach, Florida.

For the latest information on Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (BCUathletics), Facebook (facebook.com/BCUathletics), or visit us at www.bcuathletics.com.

COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

N.C. Attorney General in ‘discussions’ with Ritz-Carlton over CIAA surcharge

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The N.C. Attorney General’s Office said it’s still in talks with the Ritz-Carlton in uptown more than two weeks after the state agency said it planned to sue the hotel for adding a 15 percent CIAA surcharge to customers’ bills during the February basketball tournament.

Earlier this month, the agency’s Consumer Protection Division sent the Ritz-Carlton a draft of a legal complaint that asks a judge to bar the hotel from automatically imposing charges without disclosure. The agency is also seeking restitution and refunds for customers who paid the CIAA gratuity while patronizing the hotel’s lobby bar.

In the draft, the attorney general’s office claims the hotel added the unprecedented service charge without disclosing it first to customers, and used the “CIAA” acronym on the bill without the athletic association’s consent.

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the nation. It has hosted its tournament in Charlotte since 2006.

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Ex-Delaware State football player will bring sport to New Zealand

Douglas Webber Events Director Craig Douglas (L) and Giesler Sports World Wide CEO Jarin Giesler (R) speak to the media during a press conference at Eden Park on June 3, 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. Organisers today announced an American football exhibition for March next year in Auckland and Wellington.

(June 2, 2015 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac)

American Football coming to Auckland and Wellington in March 2016; DSU's Giesler plays major role in New Zealand introduction to American Football

 PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Kellen Kemp still remembers the first time he saw Jarin Giesler arrive on campus in 2006 at Delaware State University in Dover.

Kemp watched as a raised Ford F-150 with 6 inches of lift added and 40-inch rims drove up.

"The first thing everyone is thinking is, 'Who is this?' " Kemp said. "Out of that hops a 5-7, 200-pound long snapper. Everyone is looking around, going, 'What is going on here?' "

"It kind of stuck out like a sore thumb," Giesler recalls.

Add to the equation that Delaware State is a historically black university, and Giesler's arrival to the football team as a short white kid from Cortez, Colorado, was certainly out of the ordinary.

Giesler and Kemp, an offensive lineman from Cardinal Dougherty High School, became friends when they both played on the offensive line.

So when Giesler went to law school at Oklahoma City University and became a certified NFLPA contract adviser, among other business ventures, he hired Kemp to play a big part in his company, Giesler Sports World-Wide.

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Howard University Volleyball Releases 2015 Schedule

Shaun Kupferberg
Head Women's Volleyball Coach
HOWARD UNIVERSITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The road the Howard women's volleyball team must take in pursuit of a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship and NCAA Tournament bid has been laid out as the Lady Bison program has released its 2015 schedule.

Here is a breakdown of the impressive 29-match slate:

•  16 non-conference contests against 15 opponents representing ten different leagues;
• Four invitationals, including the DC Invitational, which will include Howard's home opener vs. Western Carolina and a match against the University of Maryland in Burr Gymnasium on September 5;
• Two or more games against five different conferences (Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Ten, Ivy League, Patriot League);
• Ten home matches, including five straight from October 9-23;
• Rematches of the 2014 MEAC Championship Game against Hampton on October 9 (in DC) and October 30 (in Virginia);
•  Five other MEAC home-and-home series against Coppin State, Delaware State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State and Norfolk State;
• A MEAC interdivisional match with Bethune-Cookman on October 15;
• A Senior Day matchup against newly minted Atlantic Sun member NJIT on November 13.

In speaking on the schedule, fourth-year Head Coach Shaun Kupferberg said, "As our team continues to grow and develop, we have to raise our level of play each season; the best way to do that is to play higher levels of competition. We have a large turnover in the roster from last year and everyone will have to get up to speed quickly because there are no easy matches this year. Each tournament is going to be a challenge, but every match is also winnable. Last season, we were able to play at a high level in certain stretches of the season. To be successful this year, we will have to be much more consistent throughout the year."

The 2015 Howard Women's Volleyball Schedule can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.



Howard University Athletics
2015 Women's Volleyball Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time/Result
District of Columbia Volleyball Challenge
8/28/2015	American	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
8/29/2015	George Mason	Fairfax, VA	1:00:00 PM
8/29/2015	Georgetown	Fairfax, VA	4:30:00 PM
9/1/2015	Loyola (MD)	Baltimore, MD	7:00:00 PM
District of Columbia Invitational
9/5/2015	Western Carolina	Washington, DC	2:30:00 PM
9/5/2015	Maryland	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
9/6/2015	George Mason	College Park, MD	12:00:00 PM
9/6/2015	Pennsylvania	College Park, MD	5:00:00 PM
9/8/2015	UMBC	Baltimore, MD	7:00:00 PM
Villanova Classic
9/11/2015	James Madison	Philadelphia, PA	5:00:00 PM
9/12/2015	Villanova	Philadelphia, PA	1:00:00 PM
9/12/2015	Siena	Philadelphia, PA	5:00:00 PM
Rutgers Invitational
9/18/2015	Rutgers	New Brunswick, NJ	12:30:00 PM
9/18/2015	Duquesne	New Brunswick, NJ	4:30:00 PM
9/19/2015	Princeton	New Brunswick, NJ	10:30:00 AM
9/25/2015	UMES	Princess Anne, MD	7:00:00 PM
9/27/2015	Delaware State	Washington, DC	3:00:00 PM
10/2/2015	Morgan State	Baltimore, MD	7:00:00 PM
10/4/2015	Coppin State	Baltimore, MD	3:00:00 PM
10/9/2015	Hampton	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
10/11/2015	Norfolk State	Washington, DC	3:00:00 PM
10/15/2015	Bethune Cookman	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
10/18/2015	Coppin State	Washington, DC	3:00:00 PM
10/23/2015	UMES	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
10/25/2015	Delaware State	Dover, DE	3:00:00 PM
10/30/2015	Hampton	Hampton, VA	6:00:00 PM
11/1/2015	Norfolk State	Norfolk, VA	3:00:00 PM
11/6/2015	Morgan State	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
11/13/2015	NJIT	Washington, DC	7:00:00 PM
11/20-22/2015	MEAC Tournament	Princess Anne, MD

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Morgan State Varsity “M” Club, Inc. Announces 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame Class

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Varsity "M" Club, Inc. of Morgan State University announced today the six members of its 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame Class. The new class will be inducted during a banquet on Friday, September 18, 2015, at 7:00 PM at the Morgan State University – Tyler Ballroom and will be recognized at the Morgan State vs. Virginia-Lynchburg football game on Saturday, September 19, 2015.

Tickets for the induction banquet are available for $50 per seat. Tickets can be purchased by contacting the Varsity M Club at msuvarsitymclub@gmail or completing the 2015 Hall of Fame Ticket Order Form (PDF).

The 2015 Varsity "M" Club, Inc. Athletic Hall of Fame Class inductees are:

Daryl Jackson, Football (1986-1989)
During his tenure Jackson set the record for most passing yards in career (5,066), and tied the records for most touchdown passes in a career (31) and most touchdown passes in a game (4). Jackson finished his career holding fourteen Morgan season and career statistical records.

Ali Culpepper, Football (1998-2001)
Culpepper, a transfer from Syracuse University, left his imprint on the Bear football program as one of its most prolific running backs. He set the record for most rushing yards gained in a career (2,727), most carries in a game (44), most carries in a career (605) and most rushing touchdowns in a career (28), all which still stand today. He was a first team All-MEAC selection in 2001.

Tanya Elliott, Track and Field (1976-1980)
Elliott made significant contributions to the Morgan track and field legacy as a relay team competitor. She helped lead her team to a 4x100m relay Championship at the 1977 Penn Relays with a time of 47.5. In 1979, her 4x100m relay team posted a time of 45.9 as they posted their second Penn Relays 1st place finish.

Curtis Ellis, Wrestling (1978-1981)
Ellis was a standout in the Bears wrestling program in the 118 pound class. A four time MEAC champion and three time All-American, Ellis was undefeated during his four year MEAC career (36-0) and finished his career with an overall record of 102-17-1 and ranked 8th overall in the country.

Theresa Gibson & Kimberly Watkins, Coach (1983-present)
Gibson and Watkins have served as the coaches for the Morgan State University Cheer Bears for over thirty years. Their teams have combined to win ten MEAC Cheerleading Championships and became the first HBCU team to place as high as 2nd in the NCA Collegiate Cheer Championship in 2014.

Monique Liddell, Basketball (1996-2000)
Liddell made an immediate mark on the legacy of the Lady Bear program after her MEAC 1st Team All-Rookie selection after her freshman season. She finished her career ranking second in all-time scoring (1,420 points), second in steals (208) and fourth in rebounds (790).

COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

CIAA Football Media Day set to Open 2015 Season

Hampton, Virginia - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) will kick off the 2015 football season with its annual Football Media Day on Thursday, July 23rd at 1:00 p.m. at the Marriott Research Triangle Park, 4700 Guardian Drive, Durham NC 22703.

Media interested in attending the Media Day activities must RSVP via theciaa.com at: http://www.theciaa.com/forms/footballmedia15. Deadline for register is Wednesday, July 15.

The CIAA Football Coaches Association's Predicted Order of Finish will be announced along with the Preseason All-CIAA Team following the luncheon. Head coaches will then present their season outlook.

This year, four new head coaches will be welcomed to the conference: Kermit Blount of Johnson C. Smith University, Herb Pickens of Lincoln University, Michael Morand of Saint Augustine's University, and Byron Thweatt of Virginia State University.

The first game of the 2015 CIAA football season is 72 days away and counting. Winston-Salem State University will travel to Pembroke, North Carolina on September 3rd for a 7 p.m. matchup against UNC Pembroke.

The 2015 championship game will be played on Saturday, November 14 at the Durham County Stadium with a 2:00 p.m. kickoff. The nationally televised game will feature the Northern and Southern Division champions. Tickets will go on sale on July 23rd via theciaa.com.

COURTESY CIAA MEDIA RELATIONS