Thursday, December 21, 2017

ASU Hornets add six on initial day of early signing period

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State head football coach Donald Hill-Eley announced the signing of six student-athletes during the first day of the Early Signing Period, his first at the helm of the program.
 
The class includes three FBS (Football Bowl Sub-Division) and one junior college student-athlete who will be mid-year enrollees at the university, as well as two high school athletes who will join the program after their graduation in May.
 
High school teammates Daymon Williams (Cleveland, Ohio) and Bryan West (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) signed with the Hornets Wednesday morning, sending their letters in within one hour of each other. The pair, from Glenville (Ohio) High School will join the program following their graduation.
 
Williams, a defensive end that stands at 6'4" and weights 250, was named First Team All-League and Honorable Mention NE Ohio Lakes District. A three-year letterman and two-year starter, Williams finished with 70 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He also recorded 10 sacks, one interception, recovered two fumbles and forced three.
 
Meanwhile, West an athlete at 5'10" and 175 pounds was named First Team All-League and Honorable Mention NE Ohio Lakes District. He was a two-year starter who scored 10 touchdowns in a variety of ways, including six through the air with 27 receptions for 518 yards. He also rushed for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while returning a pair of kicks.
 
Jahmal Wynter (McDonough, Ga.), the lone junior college signee on the first day of the Early Signing Period, stands at 6'3" and 290 pounds. The defensive lineman from Highlands Community College recorded 12 tackles including four solo stops, while also recording 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
The Hornets added a trio of transfers including Ismail Saleem (Montgomery, Ala.) from Troy University. Saleem, a 5'11" wide receiver, missed last season after season-ending surgery in 2016. Prior to his injury, Saleem caught five passes for 117 yards and a touchdown (49 yards against Austin Peay). He finished his career at Troy with 12 catches for 180 yards in limited action, including five catches for 47 yards against Wisconsin. Saleem ended his prep career at Carver High School after beginning at St. Jude where he was named honorable mention all-state, and caught 47 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns at Carver.
 
Moses Marshall IV, a 6'3", 235 pound tight end, joins the Hornets from the University of Kansas. Prior to Kansas, Marshall played 10 games at Erie Community College where he recorded 13 receptions for 238 yards. He averaged 18.3 yards per game and caught a pair of touchdown passes.
 
The final signee, Leeward Brown has ties to central Alabama, as his brother was a three-time All-American offensive lineman at Tuskegee. The 6'4", 350 offensive lineman from Tulane, played in 24 games for the Green Wave after finishing his prep career at Miramar High School. Coming out of high school, Brown was tabbed the 33rd-ranked guard nationally by 247Sports.com.
 
The Early Signing Period extends through Friday, December 22 and junior college student-athletes have until January 15 to sign their National Letter of Intent (NLI).
 
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Alcorn Inks Four Signees for 2018 Season During Early Signing



LORMAN, Mississsippi – The Alcorn State University football program added depth and athleticism to three positions Wednesday with the signing of Delshun Bradwell, Daylon Burks, Wanya Morris and Jyron Russell, head coach Fred McNair announced.

All four signed National Letters of Intent.

2018 Early Signee Roster (Position, Height, Weight, Previous School, Hometown)
Delshun Bradwell (OL, 6-4, 290, Godby HS, Quincy, Fla.)
Daylon Burks (CB, 5-11, 200, Pearl River JC, Lumberton, Miss.)
Wanya Morris (OL, 6-2, 290, Southwest Mississippi JC, Brookhaven, Miss.)
Jyron Russell (QB, 6-3, 195, Timberview HS, Grand Prairie, Texas)

"We've plugged in some guys that can come in and help us right away. We addressed some specific needs and added depth at a few spots, but we're not finished," McNair said. "One of the advantages to signing guys early is that they can come in during the spring and start to learn the system. Every year we try to bring in a few signees before the spring so everything won't be brand new in the fall."

Bradwell is a 6-4, 290-pound offensive lineman from Quincy, Florida. He comes to Alcorn as a true-freshman after playing four years at Godby HS.

"Delshun plays really hard. He has a lot of size and we're looking for him to help us on the offensive line right away," McNair said.

According to hudl.com, Bradwell also had an offer from Troy.  Rivals.com reported that Bradwell turned down an offer from Howard University and also had interest from Charlotte, Kentucky, Tulane and UCF.

During the Rivals Camp Series in Orlando in March, rivals.com reported, "Bradwell won four reps in dominant fashion during 1-on-1 drills and made a couple of his opponents give up on the play. He boasts long arms and uses them to create a devastating punch that has a tendency to rock defensive linemen onto their heels."

Burks is a 5-11, 200-pound cornerback out of Lumberton, Mississippi. He played six games at Pearl River JC this past season where he tallied 13 tackles, a sack and an interception. Burks played high school ball at Lumberton HS. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining at Alcorn.

"Daylon is a high-character guy and will be a great addition to our secondary. He'll definitely provide a boost for us with his speed and athleticism," McNair said.

Morris is a 6-2, 290-pound offensive lineman from Brookhaven, Mississippi. He also has experience playing defensive end.

Morris spent the last two seasons at Southwest Mississippi JC. He played high school ball at Brookhaven HS where he was named a Max Emfinger All-American.

"One of the things we were trying to do was become strong inside on the offensive line. Wanya definitely helps us accomplish that and will give us more depth at the guard position," McNair said.

Russell is a 6-3, 195-pound quarterback from Grand Prairie, Texas. He comes to Alcorn as a true-freshman after playing four years at Timberview HS.

"Jyron is a great quarterback with eye-popping highlights. We've been impressed with what we've seen of him both in person and on tape. He's smart with a very high football IQ. Jyron will certainly help us a lot in the passing game and has gifted abilities," McNair said.

Russell played on both sides of the ball at Timberview as a dual athlete and also played at the safety position.

"The coaching staff is excited about what we've signed so far, but we're still going to be adding-on. We're very high on a few recruits and have identified some guys that can really help us. We're happy with the direction we're headed," McNair said.

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Former JSU AD Wheeler Brown files appeal

WHEELER BROWN
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State University’s former athletic director is appealing after he was relieved of his duties.

The university announced Dec. 12 that Wheeler Brown was no longer A.D. Brown had 10 days to file an appeal, which he did this week.

Brown held the position for two years and had one year left on his contract. Brown was named full-time AD in December 2015.

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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Morehouse Tigers Basketball Remain Perfect at 10-0

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Morehouse rolled to a perfect 10-0; 5-0 record, beating the Central State Marauders, 88-66.

After a slow start, the Maroon Tigers cranked it up and led 38-21, at the half, and by as many as 30 in the second half.

It was the third straight Morehouse win by an average of 20 or more points.

The Marauders out-rebounded the Tigers 45-37, but couldn't capitalize, losing the second-chance points battle, 12-13.

Morehouse won the turnover tussle, forcing 22 miscues and converting those to a 24-9 points-off-turnovers advantage.

Three Maroon Tigers posted double figures, led by scoring leader Tyrius Walker, who poured in 25 points, on 10 of 17 shooting. Walker sank five triples and added six rebounds two assists and three steals to his stats line.

Jordan Wallace poured in 15 points, on 6 of 10 shooting, to go with three rebounds and three assists.

Martravious Little hit half of his 10 shots, for 14 points and recorded two assists.

Omar Alston had an all-around solid game, with six points, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

Duby Maduegbunam contributed eight points and five rebounds.

Chris Scott led the Marauders with 20 points and a
game-high 15 rebounds. Davone Daniels put up 17 points and Frank Barber had 10 points, for Central State, which fell to 4-6; 3-3.

Morehouse will take a holiday break and return to action, on the road, against the Spring Hill Badgers, January 1, in Mobile, Ala., before returning home, January 4, to face the LeMoyne-Owen College Magicians.

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MOREHOUSE COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

CAU Wins Sixth In a Row in Defeating Kentucky State 94-67


ATLANTA, Georgia -- Shelvick Henry came off the bench to score 22 points to lead the Clark Atlanta University Panthers to their sixth straight win, a 94-67 victory over Kentucky State University Monday at L.S. Epps Gymnasium.

The Panthers are now 11-1 overall, 5-0 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference where they are tied with Claflin and Morehouse for first place in the SIAC East Division.

Monday, the Panthers combined hot shooting with stellar defense in defeating Kentucky State (3-10, 2-4 SIAC).

Henry and Michael Vigilance combined for 18 first-half points off the bench to lead the Panthers to a 45-34 halftime lead.

"I thought once again our bench with Shel and Big Mike, gave us a really big lift," said CAU head coach Darrell Walker. "It was a good win against a team that scores a lot of points and we held them to 67 points, so that's pretty good defense."

Henry's hot hand continued in the second half as he hit all seven of his shots, including three 3-pointers. Jalen Mitchell and Samson Akilo both came off the bench late in the second half to hit shots that twice gave the Panthers their largest lead at 35 points as they cruised to the victory.

Henry finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Austin Donaldson had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Vigilance finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, one block and a steal. Akil Douglas had 11 points and eight rebounds while Mitchell finished with ten points and two rebounds.

Kentucky State was led by Austin Sherell who had 23 points.

CAU out-rebounded Kentucky State 47-31, while the Panthers got 47 points from their bench. They also held KSU's leading scorer Dorian Jordan to just six points.

"I think he got fatigued at the end," Walker said. "I thought that AJ and Shel did a great job of denying him the ball and making him work for the ball the entire game. Offensively he got tired, which was good for us.

"We played Central State the last game and we shot 35 percent from the field and won the game," he said. "That was a grind out game. So when we shoot 45 to 50 percent from the field, it becomes like this, with the defense. We can win both ways."

Clark Atlanta takes time off for the Christmas break before returning to action on Dec. 30 when they visit Spring Hill College. They are back at L.S. Epps Gymnasium on Jan. 4 when they host Lane College.

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CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Morgan--NCAA Work Toward Improved Athletics Program

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- During an Academic Performance Plan (APP) data review of Morgan State University (MSU), as the NCAA routinely conducts with other universities, the NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs staffers alerted Morgan's Athletics Department of the discovery of multiple progress-toward-degree violations. The review began in 2015, was completed in 2016, and was followed by an extensive investigation and hearing process.
 
It was determined that during the 2012–13 to 2015–16 academic years, a total of 94 student-athletes, out of an annual pool of nearly 300, competed and received expenses while ineligible or not properly certified. In addition, the University failed to withhold these student-athletes from competition before the reinstatement of their eligibility. These violations pertained to the football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams, as well as the men's and women's track and bowling teams. At the time, the University's Athletics Department faced systemic deficiencies in the areas of reporting structure and senior staff knowledge related to NCAA academic support and compliance.  The department also suffered from instability caused by high staff turnover, the absence of a formal rules education process, and a lack of sufficient academic support staff.  There was a single academic coordinator with oversight of 300 student-athletes.
 
The University cooperated fully with the NCAA during its investigation and vowed to further examine its athletic program. Morgan officials pledged to disclose any additional NCAA infractions to take aggressive action toward a remedy. Since learning of the violations, MSU has voluntarily taken corrective action to strengthen its program for student-athletes. These steps have resulted in the entire football team improving its Academic Progress Rate (APR), along with an increase in the grades of student-athletes. Also, the University has received the welcomed support of the NCAA in the form of a nearly $890,000 Accelerating Academic Success Program Comprehensive Grant award, which is being used to fund student-athlete success and support many of the corrective actions Morgan has put in place. Those steps include:
  • Hiring a new athletic director, who has a strong background in academics and NCAA compliancy, to assist in overhauling the Athletics Department;
  • Adjusting the reporting structure to have the athletic director report directly to the University president as well as serve in the president's cabinet, which is consistent with the best practices of Division I athletics;
  • Adding a new position in the Office of the Registrar to oversee the certification process of student-athletes;
  • Instituting a new compliance office, in which the deputy athletic director has direct responsibility for compliance oversight and the rules education process for athletics and the campus;
  • Implementing a mandatory monthly rules education workshop for all coaches and staff;
  • Installing an APR projection database that enables the Athletics Department and its head coaches to gauge team academic progress and forecast APR scores by semester;
  • Moving the review of the academic certification process and APP data to an external entity to protect the integrity of the process;
  • Adding a dedicated athletics assistant registrar to review all certifications and the results from the University's newly integrated degree auditing software;
  • Partnering with the Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) to provide tutorial assistance for student-athletes; and
  • Increasing academic support staff from one to five dedicated persons, who will ultimately enhance the student advisor-to-student-athlete ratio while encouraging more one-on-one academic support.
The infractions listed do not reflect the way in which Morgan generally conducts its affairs nor do they represent the University's tradition of excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. Morgan is dedicated to the success of all student-athletes and our commitment to providing the appropriate resources to ensure compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations is unwavering. For this reason, the University accepted the initial findings of the NCAA investigation, recognized the severity of the infractions and elected to self-impose significant and appropriate penalties, such as:
  • Relinquishing six football counters (2016–17), one men's basketball scholarship (2017–18), two women's basketball scholarships (2016–17 and 2017–18), equivalency scholarships in men's track (2016–17 and 2017–18) and equivalency scholarships in women's bowling (2018–19);
  • Imposing an off-campus recruiting ban for the fall 2017 semester on men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, men's and women's tennis, bowling and men's and women's track;
  • Imposing a recruiting ban for the fall 2017 semester, limiting the football program to 21 evaluation days during the month of November;
  • Reducing official visits for men's and women's basketball to 15 during the next two years (2017–18 and 2018–19);
  • Reducing official visits for football to 30 during the next two years (2017–18 and 2018–19);
  • Imposing a three-year probation period; and
  • Applying a self-imposed fine of $5,000 (to remain at the University for reinvestment in compliance and additional rules education).
In addition to the aforementioned self-imposed penalties, the NCAA Division I Infractions Panel imposed the following additional penalties on the University's athletic programs. The committee decided that Morgan State University shall:
  • Be publicly reprimanded and censured;
  • Receive four years of probation through Dec. 18, 2021;
  • One-year postseason ban for softball, tennis and football;
  • A $5,000 financial penalty plus one percent of the 2017-18 budgets of the football, softball and women's tennis programs;
  • During the 2018-19 academic year, scholarship reductions of five percent in the 10 sports where violations occurred; and
  • Recruiting restrictions in the 10 sports, including a seven-week ban on unofficial visits and off-campus recruiting, official visit reductions, and communications restrictions.
In the lead up to today's announcement from the NCAA, the University's Athletics Director Ed Scott and President David Wilson made the decision to appeal the judgment of the Infractions Panel.  The University was granted an expedited hearing this past November in Indianapolis. At that hearing, the University presented a strong case to challenge the NCAA's verdict, and to seek relief from those penalties deemed as excessive, unwarranted or unfair. As a result of the presentation, the University was successful in convincing the NCAA Infractions Panel to reevaluate and lessen a number of penalties in key areas. These included: 
  • Reducing the number of affected sports banned from post-season play from 10 to just three (football, women's tennis and softball)
  • Decreasing the number of probation years from five to only four
  • Confining a 1% financial penalty to only the three sports penalized as opposed to 10 sports
Despite the infractions and resulting penalties imposed, Morgan remains committed to its responsibility to students, faculty, alumni, supporters and also the NCAA, to operate its athletic programs in a manner that is consistent with the highest principles of intercollegiate athletics and in adherence to our institutional values. This commitment includes the obligation to be forthcoming and thoroughly transparent in our response, regardless of consequences, whenever the University learns of any possible transgressions in conduct that run contrary to those principles.
 
Our pledge is to quality education, integrity, honesty and fairness in all University endeavors, which requires that we adhere to a higher standard. We are troubled by the notion that past mistakes will negatively impact the University and our students. And, as we move forward, we will use this experience as a learning opportunity, one that builds upon and does not stain an otherwise rich and impressive academic and athletic history.

 
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York High standout Khalid Dorsey has change of heart, backs away from commitment to Howard Bison



YORK, Pennsylvania -- Khalid Dorsey has apparently had a change of heart about his college future.

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the all-state running back from York High announced on his Twitter feed (@BmoreUpNext) that he was verbally committing to Howard University, a Football Championship Subdivision program in Washington.

Just two weeks later, on Wednesday, Dec. 20, Dorsey again used Twitter to announce that he was backing away from his Howard commitment.

His latest tweet read: "I will officially be decomitting from Howard University and opening my recruitment back up! Thank you to all the coaches from Howard who recruited me. I appreciate it big time!"

Immediate attempts to reach Dorsey were unsuccessful.

Dorsey was the heart and soul of the Bearcats for the last two seasons, when York High went from a 1-9 season in 2016 to a 9-2 campaign in 2017.

In 2017, Dorsey was second in the York-Adams League with 1,728 rushing yards, while scoring 15 touchdowns. He was a Y-A Division I First-Team All-Star. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, Dorsey was named to the Class 5-A All-State Team by the Pennsylvania Football Writers.


KHALID DORSEY #21

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