FAMU rallies past Jackson State, 11-10

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Tobi Adeyemi’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth scored Daniel Lee as the Florida A&M University Baseball team rallied past Jackson State 11-10, here Saturday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field. FAMU (3-4-1) tallied a game high 17 hits, while JSU (2-6) finished with 10 hits. The Rattlers were paced by Adeyemi, who went five-for-six from the plate with five RBI’s, and scoring two runs, while the Tigers were led by Braneric Holmes, who went three-for-five from the plate with four RBI’s and scoring three runs.

FAMU head baseball coach Robert Lucus

Tobias Lee (1-0) picked up the win for FAMU, allowing two hits, one earned run and striking out two in three and one-third innings of relief. Cortney Nelson took the loss for JSU, allowing seven hits, five earned runs and striking out six in four and one-third innings of relief. The Rattlers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Darryl Evans scored on a Jimmie Terrell single. Holmes tied the game at 1-1 for the Tigers in the top of the second inning as he scored on a Louis Mila ground out to first base. In the bottom of the second inning, FAMU took a 3-1 lead as Scott Sheplak homered to left field and Jared Jeffries scored on an Adeyemi single up the middle.

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Wherry leads S.C.State offense in 1st scrimmage

Running back Devin Wherry had one mission in mind entering spring practice for South Carolina State. “I came with the mindset of getting me a job in a spot” he said. “I treat it as everything is open.” Used primarily as a blocking fullback as a freshman, Wherry used Saturday’s scrimmage at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to display his versatility. He had a 2-yard touchdown run and was a primary receiving target out of the backfield.

“Devin is coming along real good,” quarterback Malcolm Long said. “He was a freshman last year, really didn’t a chance last year. He came out and had a really good day today running and catching.” Long led the Bulldogs on three scoring drives, utilizing short passes to Wherry, Lennel Elmore and Erin Norwood to move the football. “Our first offense had some some success against our second-team defense and that’s generally a possibility,” S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said.

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Oregon State University and University of Oregon sports finances in the red

This story has absolutely nothing to do with the MEAC and SWAC -- other than the economy that impacts Oregon and Oregon State sports program is the same economy that impacts Texas Southern and Delaware State athletic programs. Add the recession, which has affected state appropriations and private giving at most colleges and universities, and college sports, especially HBCU sports, faces unprecedented economic challenges. So, if these guys are in the red, where does your favorite university stand on the sports financial radar?

Let's be truthful here--on the financial status of all athletic programs--playing big-time college sports is, on balance, a money-losing enterprise. Based on the October 2009 report, 2004-08 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report, on the Football Championship Subdivision level (Division I-AA), there was a less visible gap between haves and have-nots, because not a single athletics program had positive net revenues in 2006. The median net loss for the 118 programs at that level was $7.1 million, although programs generated as much as $15.2 million in revenues and spent as much as $34.9 million, far above the medians of $2.3 million and $11.4 million, respectively.

Among the remaining programs in Division I -- those that don't play football at all -- all 94 had expenses that exceeded their generated revenues, and the median net loss was about $5.8 million (See NCAA.Org. Table below).

	Median Total Revenues	Median Generated Revenues	Median Total Expenses	Median Net Revenue (or Deficit)
Football Bowl Subdivision	$35,400,000	$26,342,000	$35,756,000	-$7,265,000
Football Championship Subdivision	$9,642,000	$2,345,000	$9,485,000	-$7,121,000
Division I -- no football	$8,771,000	$1,828,000	$8,918,000	-$6,607,000

In November 2009, a story was published regarding the University of New Orleans. It appears the university has been operating off a borrowed future. After Hurricane Katrina, athletics officials had obtained a waiver from the NCAA to field less than the required 14 teams and operate at the Division I level for five years. Beset by financial woes in the range of -$6 million, reduced funding and budget cuts across the university, and expectant fund raising "did not materialize" the donations expected, the Privateers had to turn to its students to cover the gap in athletic funding.

However, in a campus-wide referendum, the majority undergraduate student population rejected a proposal to increase UNO student fees to cover the $1 million annual subsidy to athletics in the $5 million athletic operating budget. Unless some big donor can be found, it appears the Privateers will be moving to Division III, in order to run a more cost-effective program.

More recently, Mississippi Valley State University could not schedule a money game with Texas Christian University for the 2010 season, because the Delta Devils football program cannot fill the 63 scholarships allotted to Football Championship Subdivision (formerly, 1-AA) teams. The Delta Devils had to settle for a date with defending MEAC champion South Carolina State University Bulldogs, a far cry from cashing into a big pay day in the range of $300,000 to $600,000 for a date with an FBC or 1-A program.

In the four years that Winston Salem State University moved on its path from Division II membership to Division I with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Rams racked up a -$6 million deficit. After careful study in 2009, the Rams further realized that the projected gaps could mount as high as -$15 million by Fiscal Year 2012, if they stayed the course to NCAA Division I membership.

WSSU was basically financing their move to the bright lights of Division I on the backs of their students. At a cost of $579 per student, their athletics fee is among the highest in the University of North Carolina System--but one of the lowest in the MEAC, the Division I league the Rams had joined in 2005.

In February 2009, the State University System's Board of Governors made the right decision and rejected a WSSU proposal to increase the student fees for the athletic program. This effectively killed any hope the Rams had of raising additional revenue by using the easy street method. It was noted that Officials at WSSU had been diverting funds from elsewhere in the university budget to cover the athletic budgetary gaps, which came at the expense of the academic needs of the university.

The Rams have now moved back down to Division II and rejoined their previous conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). It remains to be seen if Winston Salem State will drop any of its 14 sports teams to address the deficit from its ill advised move to Division I. WSSU has a new athletic director in William "Bill" Hayes, who proved in the past two years at Florida A&M University, that he is not a fundraiser. He was hired at Winston Salem State on January 1, 2010.

Last month, Hayes unveiled the $1,000 Horns Club, a fund-raising effort he had moderate success with as the A.D. at North Carolina Central University, before the economic recession. He attempted the same program at FAMU and had little -- if any success with this program.

Now, the rest of the story...

Oregon State University Reser Stadium (Corvallis, OR) record capacity is 46,319.

Despite winning football seasons in recent years, sports finances for Oregon State University and the University of Oregon both fell in the red by the end of the last fiscal year, according to a report the State Board of Higher Education's finance committee will review Friday. Oregon State intercollegiate athletics' ending balance, what the board calls working capital, was $5.9 million in the hole as of June 30, 2009, and the University of Oregon's sports programs posted a $642,000 deficit.

State Board policy requires universities to keep their ending balances positive. The board probably will ask administrators from each university to come up with a plan to bring working capital, current assets minus liabilities, into the black. Athletics finances for the state's five other universities all showed positive ending balances for 2008-09. After making headway in 2008 on a four-year plan to wipe out its athletics deficit, Oregon State University lost ground last year in part because of the recession, donations that flowed 20 percent below expectations and a timing glitch that forced the university to wait until this fiscal year to collect on $1.9 million in pledged contributions, said Mark Spencer, associate athletic director for business operations.

In the 2007-08 school year, nearly 80 percent of major athletic programs reported operating deficits, with programs in the red losing an average of $9.9 million, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

If the university could have collected the $1.9 million last year, it would have had only a slight dip deeper into the red, he said. "We won't have that problem this year," he said. The university also has set a goal of expanding its donor base from 6,000 people to 12,000, said Todd Stansbury, executive associate athletic director. "Fund raising ends up being key in our success in balancing the budget," he said, "but also the one (factor) most affected by the economy.

The University of Oregon Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR) record capacity is 59,597.

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With Deficits Mounting, Winston-Salem State Steps Back From Division I.

NCAA Invites should go to best conference record

In a stretch from 2005 to 2007, Greg Jackson's Delaware State Hornets were the toast of the MEAC, winning 32 of a possible 36 league games over that two-year span. Yet they were never able to go dancing. That's because the NCAA mistakenly rewards teams for reeling off three or four consecutive wins in a conference tournament rather than handing out a bid to the NCAA tournament for a body of work compiled in more than three months. Makes no sense.

Delaware State University Hornets men's head basketball coach Greg Jackson.

"The NCAA needs to change it," Jackson said. "One team gets hot and all you've done is null and void." Sure, the NCAA recently implemented a rule in which any team that wins their regular-season title receives an automatic bid to the NIT. But what kid these days grows up with dreams of playing in the NIT? No one. Delaware State was 16-2 in league play in 2005-06 but watched a Hampton team that was 10-8 in conference action go to the NCAA tournament. The next season the Hornets finished with an identical mark yet this time it was Florida A&M and its 12-6 mark that wound up getting automatic inclusion via three wins in March.

It wasn't the only time that Florida A&M pulled the upset either. The Rattlers were 12-19 overall back in 1999 and pulled off the upset to win the league tournament and get into the Big Dance.

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NBL’s Wollongong Hawks/South Philly’s Tywain McKee out for remainder of season

The Wollongong Hawks are committed to nursing injured guard Tywain McKee back to full health. Ruled out for the remainder of the season with two stress fractures in his lower back, McKee is expected to stay in Wollongong in the off-season and undergo an extensive rehabilitation process. The Coppin State University graduate has been instrumental in the Hawks' quest for NBL supremacy and the club is keen to foster a good relationship with the skilful playmaker and re-sign him for the 2010-11 season.

"Tywain is a great talent and we want to make sure he receives the best medical attention and is able to recover fully," Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod said. There's no chance Ty will be back this season, so it's about getting him on the road to recovery so he can play down the track. "It's definitely a big loss for the club, no doubt about it. But this is professional sports and it's the game we play. Injuries happen and you just have to work through the adversity and continue to move forward as a team."



McKee was on the Wollongong bench when the Hawks came from behind to beat New Zealand 83-78 on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old said he was devastated by the news and would work hard to overcome his injury. McKee's replacement Luke Martin debuted for the Hawks against the Breakers and will remain with the club until the end of the season. McLeod said McKee's warm personality endeared him to his coaches and team-mates as much as his playing ability.

"It's a killer blow for Ty and it's a setback for the club, because Ty brought some characteristics that really complemented the rest of the group," he said.

Full coverage of the Wollongong Hawks

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New recruit, Darryl Hudson hopes for a smooth transition

Darryl Hudson, 24, has played at the professional level in Finland and Hungary after completing his education at Howard University. This flick is a game from this first professional season in Finland. Hudson is #5 in orange uniform.

A self-described "military baby", new Wellington Saints import Darryl Hudson hopes to carve out a career Down Under shooting hoops, not guns. The 24-year-old American guard has fashioned a solid basketball resume, playing in the top German and Finnish leagues after graduating from Howard University. And when his American-based trainer, former Australian NBL player Phil Handy, discovered Pero Cameron would be coaching the Saints this season, an unlikely connection was made. "When I had this opportunity, I had to take it," Hudson said.

"My goal is to play in this league and then get to the Australian league. [Handy] knows Pero pretty well and he wanted Pero to check me out. Pero liked me so he brought me here." Hudson seems genuinely excited to be in Wellington and is full of questions about Cameron. "I heard he was kind of a legend, he's like big time around here. Is that right? That's a good thing for our team right there and then he's also playing too. I know he's like the Michael Jordan of New Zealand/Australia, that's what I heard." Hudson hopes to bring his girlfriend out from America to live with him and explains why playing ball on the other side of the world appeals.

"Europe basketball is cool but to play in Australia, man, that's something that a lot of people don't get to do. It's far away, it's far as hell, but it's a good league and I have a couple of friends, like Tywain McKee from Coppin State University [Wollongong Hawks import] that play in that league." Just laidback man, that's my type of lifestyle. People embrace you when you meet them, instead of people just being standoff-ish in Europe, because they don't understand the language."

Hudson chuckles when told Saints chief executive Nick Mills has identified a touch of Boston Celtics superstar Ray Allen in his play. "I would say I'm a smooth player, but I'm not Ray Allen. I like players like Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, the smooth guys, Penny Hardaway, those type of players. I'll try my hardest to be him but ... "

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B-CU Vanessa Inge Named MEAC Coach of the Year

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - In an official announcement Thursday, conference officials named Bethune-Cookman women's basketball Head Coach Vanessa Inge the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year. This is the first MEAC honor for the second-year coach, but far from her first accolades. MEAC officials also announced the All-MEAC teams, and for the third consecutive year, a Lady Wildcats was on the lists, as Demetria Frank was recognized on the All-MEAC second team for the second time.

Inge guided the Lady Wildcats to 15-14 mark, and 9-7 record in conference play, including an 8-1 record at home. In her second year at the helm, the Lady Wildcats tallied their highest win total since the 1987-88 season and secured their first winning season in eight years. Inge is only the second coach at B-CU to earn such an honor since joining the MEAC, with the first being Sandra Booker, who won the award in 2003.

Although this is her first coaching award at B-CU, and in the MEAC, it is not new territory for the Lady Wildcats' head woman. In her stop at Mount St. Mary's before B-CU, Inge earned Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year in her debut season. Additionally, she earned NEC Player of the Year twice, as a post player at MSM. With her track record for success, Wildcat fans can expect this to be the first of many.

Demetria Frank earned her third consecutive conference honors, as MEAC officials tabbed her for the All-MEAC second team. So far this season, Frank is averaging 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals, and 2.8 assists per game. She leads the team in scoring, free throws, and steals, while second in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots. In the MEAC, Frank is second in steals (27th in the NCAA), eighth in scoring, and eleventh in rebounds. Demetria was named to the All-MEAC second team last season and on the MEAC All-Rookie team in her freshman season.

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