Western Michigan grounds North Carolina Central Eagles

Photo: NCCU Eagles received tough introduction to Mid-American Conference basketball at WMU on Wednesday.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan opened up 2008 by holding North Carolina Central to 30-percent shooting en route to a 79-43 defeat of the Eagles in front of 2,832 fans at University Arena on Wednesday night.

Sophomore gaurd David Kool led the Broncos (6-7) with a game-high 17 points and hit a career-high five three-pointers. Kool also set a career-high with 11 three point attempts. Junior forward Derek Drews pitched in 13 points and senior center Joe Reitz scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Junior point gaurd Mike Redell scored seven points and dished out a career-high 10 assists to notch only the 10th double-digit assist game in Western Michigan history. Sophomore center Donald Lawson tied a career high with six rebounds and set a new career high with five blocked shots. Junior guard Andre Ricks scored all seven of his points in the second half. All 12 players saw at least four minutes on the court and 11 scored to give WMU a 27-6 advantage in points off the bench.

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The North Carolina Central Eagles season record is now 1-18 in their first season of NCAA Division I basketball. The Eagles next will visit East Carolina at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Lafayette Leopards pounce on Morgan State Bears

EASTON, Pa. - Junior Cristin Zavocki made Lafayette history with eight three-pointers in the Leopards' 83-62 rout of Morgan State on Wednesday night. The eight three-pointers were the most scored by a Lafayette women's basketball player in program history while her 26 total points were a career-high.

Morgan State responded by scoring 12 unanswered points to cut the lead to 12 (63-51) with 8:23 on the clock. Zavocki responded by scoring five straight points and the lead stood at 18 (74-56) after yet another Zavocki three-pointer with 4:40 remaining.

The Lady Bears found themselves trailing by 20 (80-60) after a LaKeisha Wright jumper with under three minutes to play. The Leopards took a game-high 21-point lead after a free throw by sophomore Amanda Leone and went on to the 83-62 win.

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The Lady Bears are now 6-5 on the season.

Who is this guy--Jerry Holmes, HU football coach?

HAMPTON - Events unfolded so quickly and unexpectedly last Saturday that Hampton University football fans barely have had time to process them. Joe Taylor departed for Florida A&M after 16 seasons as the Pirates' coach, and Hampton defensive coordinator Jerry Holmes ascended to head coach.

So the questions linger. Who is this Jerry Holmes guy now in charge of black-college football's most successful program? Does he have what it takes to follow in the beloved Taylor's footsteps?

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Wofford shuts down Bethune-Cookman in OT

Photo: BCU 5-9 freshman guard Demetria Frank, Miami Jackson Senior High School, dished six assists and scored 16 points.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Wofford College (8-4) needed an extra five minutes, but the Terriers took advantage of the additional time to pull away for an 83-71 triumph Wednesday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action against Bethune-Cookman inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg, S.C. The contest was the first overtime tilt for both schools this season.

Natasha Ferguson led the 3-9 Wildcats and all players with 20 points and 12 caroms. She was one of two Bethune-Cookman players with a double-double, as Keturah Newkirk added 18 points and 10 boards. Demetria Frank finished with 16 points and a team-high six assists.

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Gators out-defense FAMU Lady Rattlers

Photo: Denise Tate #40, 6-1 junior forward from Cleveland, Ohio Glenville High School grabbed seven rebounds against the Florida Lady Gators. Tate is a FAMU Pharmacy major.

Gainesville, FL - Junior center Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and blocked a personal-best six shots to lead a defensive charge that sparked the University of Florida women’s basketball team to a 71-51 win over Florida A&M at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Wednesday evening.

Junior guard Stephanie Foster led FAMU with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while senior guard Q’Vaunda Curry and junior forward Denise Tate shared the team lead with seven rebounds apiece. Junior guard Evette Young dished out five assists to pace the Lady Rattlers.

“It was our first game since the break and we were not in sync," said FAMU coach Debra Clark, whose team was playing its first game in 16 days. "It was not a good game for us. Florida was much bigger and seemed more comfortable on the court.

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The Lady Rattlers record falls to 9-2 on the season with Florida A&M scheduled to face the Savannah State University Tigers at Gaither Gym on January 4, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.

N.C. A&T Lady Aggies get routed by No. 9 Baylor Bears

WACO, Texas -- When Baylor coach Kim Mulkey saw how well North Carolina A&T played against No. 12 Texas A&M on Sunday, she didn't know what to expect on Wednesday.

What she got was an 80-percent first-half shooting performance by her Lady Bears en route to an 89-48 win. The Lady Bears shot 60 percent for the game.

Rachel Allison scored a career-high 28 points and Angela Tisdale hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 for No. 9 Baylor (11-1). The Lady Bears used a 31-4 run early in the game to put it out of reach. Tisdale hit two 3s during the stretch.

After leading Texas A&M by four late in the game before eventually losing 74-65 on Sunday, A&T coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs was at a loss trying to explain her team's contrasting performances in the last two games.

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The Aggies return to Cal Irvin-Don Corbett Court on January 12 to face Morgan State, which will be their first home conference game of the season.

The Aggies Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs became the 38th active women's basketball coach to record 400 career wins and just the second women’s basketball coach to do it at an HBCU. Cage-Bibbs milestone came on November 23, 2007, in a convincing 88-62 win over UNC Asheville.

On top of all that, she has all but rebuilt her third women’s basketball program in twenty-three years of coaching. She is a 1972 graduate of Grambling State University and is in her third season leading the Aggies women basketball program.

Football coaching staff named at Hampton University

Photo: Hampton University Head Football Coach Jerry Holmes

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Jerry Holmes, head football coach, Hampton University has retained four assistant coaches from Joe Taylor's previous staff.

Coach Taylor, named head football coach at Florida A&M University is taking former Hampton running backs coach Aaron Taylor (his son), and offensive line coach Lawrence Kershaw to the Rattlers program. Kershaw is under consideration by Taylor to become offensive coordinator at FAMU.

Coach Holmes has promoted 17 season veteran Donovan Rose to defensive coordinator. Rose has been an assistant coach for the duration with the Pirates program, and served previously as the assistant head coach/secondary coach for the past five years. He is a 1979 Hampton University graduate.

Corey Sullivan was named offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach. The 2002 Tennessee State University graduate is in his second season with the Pirates and his offense scored 29.9 ppg, leading the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2007.

Roy Johnson, quarterbacks coach will also remain on the Pirates staff. Johnson is a former Pirates quarterback and 1999 graduate of Hampton University, who is in his second season with the program. Prior to coming to Hampton, Johnson spent six years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Meadowcreek High School and Redan High Schools in Georgia. He is second all-time at Hampton in passing yards (7,086) and completions (502), while ranking fourth in touchdown passes with 45.

Devan Hill is in his fifth year working as a defensive backs coach for the Pirates. The 2000 Hampton University graduate has committed to remain on Coach Holmes staff. He was a four-year letterman (1996-99) and two-year starter at cornerback for Joe Taylor and the Pirates.


Florida A&M University will receive Lawrence Kershaw and Aaron Taylor on Joe Taylor's Rattlers staff.

Photo: FAMU Football Coach Lawrence Kershaw

Coach Kershaw is a 1995 graduate of Virginia State University. He spent 2007 at Hampton University as the offensive line coach. He served in the same capacity in 2006 at Truman State in Missouri.

Prior to that, Kershaw spent two seasons at Virginia Union University where he was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach, in addition to being the recruiting coordinator and organizing the strength and conditioning program.

Kershaw was also an assistant coach for seven years at Virginia State University of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where he helped the Trojans win two conference titles. There he served as the running backs coach in 1995, the offensive line coach in 1996-97 and 2000-03, and the offensive coordinator from 2001-03.

In 2000, 2002 and 2003, Kershaw’s offensive line was the best in the CIAA in sacks allowed, while the Virginia State offense also led the conference in numerous offensive categories. From 1995-2003 the program produced 25 all-conference players on offense, including 13 first team selections and three offensive players of the year.

Kershaw also has one year of coaching experience at Fordham University, where he was a volunteer assistant offensive line coach in 1998 for the NCAA Division I FCS program.

Kershaw started his collegiate playing career at Stony Brook where in 1990 he was named to the All-Liberty Conference football team. He played his final two seasons at Virginia State in 1993 and 1994.

Kershaw graduated from Virginia State in 1995 with a bachelor of arts in sociology and in 1997 he received his masters of education in guidance from VSU.

Photo: FAMU Football Coach Aaron Taylor

Aaron Taylor served seven years on Joe Taylor's Hampton University staff. Last season he served as the running backs coach, after spending time coaching the tight ends and tackles, as well as four years coaching the defensive line.

During his tenure on the defensive side of the ball, Taylor worked with numerous all-conference performers to lead a Hampton defense that ranked amongst the best in the country. With the Pirates’ defensive unit leading Division I-AA in turnovers forced in 2004, Hampton was able to capture its third MEAC championship.

In 2005, his first season overseeing the running backs, he aided Alonzo Coleman and Ardell Daniels in becoming just the third duo in Division I FCS history to rush for 1,000 yards each in consecutive seasons.

The Charleston, Illinois native and oldest son of head coach Joe Taylor is a graduate of Phoebus High School (Va.) where he was a four-year letterman in football.

In 2001 he earned his bachelor’s degree in history/political science from Virginia State University where he also was a member of the Trojans’ football team. His outstanding senior campaign as an offensive guard garnered him All-CIAA honors.

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