MEAC women's champ Hampton draws 15 seed; opens against Duke

Hampton University gives coach David Six a three-year contract extension.

HAMPTON, VA - One by one, David Six introduced the people responsible for the Hampton University women's basketball team's first NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons --the managers, the assistant coaches, the players. He paused when he saw 4-year-old Sallie Dawson standing in the doorway. "This is our inspiration," Six said. Sallie, who's had four surgeries because of heart and kidney abnormalities, sat with the players as the NCAA women's selection show aired, holding a stuffed Pirate and wearing her Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship cap backward. An avid Lady Pirates fan, Sallie watched with a crowd of people at an Armstrong Stadium football meeting room as HU learned it will play Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Pirates (20-11), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champions and a 15th seed, will take on second-seeded Duke (27-5) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Durham, N.C., in the Memphis regional. "To be honest, it still hasn't hit me yet," said junior forward Quanneisha Perry, the MEAC defensive player of the year who, like several of her teammates, had a piece of the net HU players cut down in Winston-Salem, N.C., tied to her cap. "It's like just another game. When the horn sounded, it was like, 'I'm a MEAC champion,' but it still hasn't got to me yet."

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UAPB To Face Winthrop In NCAA Tournament

Selection Sunday came with the announcement that the UAPB Golden Lions will take on Winthrop in the "Play In" game on Tuesday. The Golden Lions won their first ever SWAC Title game to get to the big dance. Head coach George Ivory is in his second year as head coach and since taking over he's led them to their best conference record in school's history. They've also captured their first SWAC title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament under Ivory. The game will be Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. Gametime set for 6:30 p.m. (CST)

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What A Long, Rewarding Trip It's Been For University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff

We call them "Champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the UAPB Golden Lions."

Arkansas-Pine Bluff is certainly battled-tested entering the NCAA Tournament. UAPB, which clinched a berth with a 50-38 victory against Texas Southern in the SWAC Tournament, hit the road in search of competition and money early in the season. Playing at eventual NCAA tournament teams like UTEP and Missouri and Georgia Tech and Kansas State was a good way to make money for the athletic department as those programs paid to have the Lions come essentially with the understanding that it would be a loss. What was good for the pocketbook (a similar schedule last year raised $700,000) wasn't good for the record. UAPB started 0-11.

Here's more from an early season New York Times piece:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff's entire basketball season has been a road trip.The Golden Lions began their season with a game at Colorado. They lost. Two days later they played at Denver. They lost again. Three days after that, they had a game at Texas-El Paso. And they had another loss. By the time they had finished their first week on the road, the Golden Lions had traveled nearly 2,800 miles. And they were just getting started. A peek at the Golden Lions' schedule revealed that their first 11 games all had the dreaded @ next to their opponent.

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Morgan State glad to be back in NCAA tournament

Buffalo? No sweat. Fifteen seed? Could've been worse.

For the second straight year, Morgan State got slapped with a 15 seed and a first-round NCAA tournament game against a team that perhaps should have had a No. 1 seed in West Virginia. Todd Bozeman, though, wasn't sweating the details. "We aren't a 16 seed, we aren't in the play-in game," the Bears coach said after a Selection Sunday celebration at the school's new student center.

Morgan vs. West Virginia: Preparation, perspective of last season will guide Coach Todd Bozeman and the Bears

The Bears have the same seed they had a year ago when, as a 15 seed, they were sent to Kansas City to play Oklahoma, which carried top-seed credentials. The result was a 28-point loss and - a year later - the loss of 6-foot-4 Ameer Ali, who faces a one-game tournament suspension for flipping Blake Griffin to the court in that defeat. This year, they're headed to Buffalo's HSBC Arena on Friday in an East bracket matchup against the Mountaineers (27-6), whose championship in the Big East tournament could have earned them a top seed.

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NFL Jacksonville Jags will conduct private workout today with FAMU's LeRoy Vann

Folks know about all the big dogs entering this year’s NFL Draft. But a name Jags fans should file into their mental Rolodex as April approaches is LeRoy Vann, a former standout at Florida A&M, who will conduct a private workout today in Tallahassee for the Jaguars, according to an NFL source. Originally scheduled to work out for Tampa Bay later this week (with Jacksonville set to help guide the session), Vann had also planned to perform for the Jaguars shortly after the session with the Buccaneers. But the plans quickly changed thanks, in part, to a buzz beginning to build concerning Vann, who holds the NCAA record for career returns for touchdowns (eight punts – including five last season – and three kickoffs for TDs).




Instead of waiting until later this week to conduct the session they’d originally planned for Vann, the Jaguars contacted his representatives and asked for the workout to be moved up to today. Vann plans to conduct his pro day at FAMU next month. According to the league source, the Jags also plan to attend that session, despite conducting the private workout today with Vann.

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Make the Bracket Big Enough for Everyone to Have a Shot

Morgan State University athletic director Floyd Kerr

(New York Times) - Floyd Kerr was halfway back from his trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sunday, on schedule to reach Baltimore just in time for the Selection Sunday broadcast. Kerr is the athletic director at Morgan State University. On Saturday he watched the Bears earn an automatic berth to the N.C.A.A. tournament by defeating South Carolina State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championship game. For those of us who attended Morgan, the revitalization of the basketball program has been astounding.

Last season the Bears, coached by Todd Bozeman, earned their first men’s Division I N.C.A.A. bid. Morgan, seeded 15th, was pitted against Oklahoma. The Bears lost, 82-54. On Sunday, Kerr learned that Morgan (27-9) would be seeded 15th again and matched against West Virginia (27-6). “We knew we were going to play a powerhouse team, that’s real,” Kerr said in a telephone interview. “But our approach is that we want to maximize the benefits to Morgan State out of this process. We want to go up against the giants, yes. But we don’t want to focus on that.”

Programs like Morgan’s, with limited budgets, make the strongest argument for why the N.C.A.A. field should be expanded to 96 teams from 65.

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Profile of Morgan's athletic director Floyd Kerr

Morgan's athletic director Floyd Kerr impact goes beyond the greater Baltimore/Washington region. With one ingenious hire (Todd Bozeman), Kerr has advanced the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference further in the past three years, than anything it had accomplished in the past decade in college basketball. Not only are star quality local players making their way to the Morgan campus, but Coach Bozeman is proving he is capability of building the Bears into a Mid-Major powerhouse, whereas others in the MEAC just make excuses.

Coach Bozeman range for recruiting star players goes from the West coast to the East coast. He is quickly proving it is not the name of the school, but great coaching that makes a competitive program. Morgan State will be making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after beating South Carolina State 68-61 for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship Saturday. The Bears finished 26-9 and enter the NCAA tournament having won their last seven games dating back to Feb. 22. They have a formidable foe in Big East Champion West Virginia, but the Bears will be prepared to be competitive.

It is very refreshing to watch the transformation of Morgan State's athletic programs and the great works of Mr. Kerr and Coach Bozeman. The Bears are truly now "a Beast in the East."

Who is Floyd Kerr?

Oxford, Mississippi born Floyd Kerr, is a native of South Bend, Indiana. He attended Colorado State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. He held the position of Assistant Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Youngstown State University from 1992 to 2000 and Director of Athletics at Southern University from 2000 to 2005. He was appointed Director of Athletics at Morgan State University on July 17, 2005.

He has coached high school basketball teams to state championships in New Jersey and Ohio. He spent 22 years coaching basketball before moving into athletic administration at Youngstown State, under football coach Jim Tressel, currently the head football coach at the Ohio State University. Kerr is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Youngstown State University. He has also completed a certification as a Sports Marketing Professional (SMP) at the University of Kentucky Gatton School of Business.

Kerr has received many honors. Among them are: one of the Most Influential Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated Magazine (May 2004), a Fellow in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Fellows Leadership Program, and recipient of the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director's Award by the All-American Football Foundation (2004). He has served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and is currently serving on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subcommittee and the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Board of Directors.

Kerr has been recognized as an All-American Collegiate Basketball player at Colorado State University, was drafted by three professional sports teams, including the Phoenix Suns (NBA), the Utah Stars (ABA), and the Dallas Cowboys (NFL). Ranked 75th on Sports Illustrated's 101 Most Important Minorities in Sports in June 2004, Kerr has served as a member of two of the NCAA's most prestigious committees, the Division I men's basketball tournament selection committee and the issues committee.

Mr, Kerr has a vision to take the Morgan State Bears program to the next level, create a better image for the university through sports, and build a business model for the athletic department to generate new revenue streams. This all starts with recapturing the competitive edge in sports that Morgan historically enjoyed. No doubt, he has achieved this vision and beyond with the men's and women's basketball program.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff wins SWAC title for first NCAA bid

Bossier City, LA - Tavaris Washington had 14 points and four rebounds as the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions took home the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 50-38 win over Texas Southern. Allen Smith had 11 points while Lebaron Weathers, George Davis and Savalance Townsend each chipped in with six points for the second-seeded Golden Lions (17-15), who are going to the NCAA Tournament on a tear as the team has won 11 of their last 12.

"This means a lot for our school and our fans," UAPB coach George Ivory said. "We worked all year to get to the Big Dance and now we can always brag that at least for one year, we got to The Dance."

DeAndre Hall had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Junior Treasure added 14 points for the fifth-seeded Tigers (17-16), who were looking to win their fifth tournament title. Texas-Southern held the early lead, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff chipped away and took a 12-9 lead on Washington's layup with 11 1/2 minutes left in the first half. The Tigers rallied with a 7-0 spurt, but then went almost the rest of the half without any points as the Golden Lions closed the half with a 12-2 run to take a 26-20 lead into the break. Texas-Southern cut its deficit to five points with 11 1/2 minutes to play in the second half, as Treasure's jumper made it a 36-31 game.

Photo Gallery:UAPB vs. Texas Southern

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AR-Pine Bluff Wins SWAC

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From 0-11 to the Big Dance

Southern University women defeat Alabama State for tourney title

BOSSIER CITY, LA — What, exactly, is a picture worth? Consider the scene at 7:13 p.m. Saturday night inside the CenturyTel Center. Zoom in to center court, where the Southern women’s basketball team gathered at the end of their 60-47 victory over Alabama State. The championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament was over, and the Jaguars had won it all.

Hannah Kador, the former McKinley High School standout who earned tournament MVP honors, nearly crashed to the floor on her backside. Kador was on the business end of a tackle-football-style hug, administered by teammate Jamie Floyd. A few feet away, guards Tenesha Brown and Tiffany Foster each threw an arm around the other’s shoulder, like old buddies from the playground. Eventually, they broke out championship T-shirts and caps, and they gathered, holding index fingers toward the roof, posing for a team picture. What was that picture worth?

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Morgan headed to NCAA tournament for second straight year

"Once you drink from that cup, you want more," said Morgan State University Coach Todd Bozeman, who will make his fifth NCAA appearance in eight years as a Division I coach; he was 3-for-4 at University of California, Berkeley.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Kevin Thompson lived through the culture shock of playing against Oklahoma and Blake Griffin in last year's NCAA tournament. In terms of lessons learned, that experience might have paved the way for Morgan State's return to the big stage. Thompson punched the ticket for the Bears' second straight trip to the NCAA tournament Saturday, delivering a 68-61 victory over South Carolina State in the championship game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

His dominant performance - 18 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots - was his second double double in three games here and earned him the Outstanding Performer award of the tournament. More than that, it might have been the formal coming-out party for the 6-foot-8 sophomore from Walbrook. In a game in which the Bears (27-9) surged and sagged, took a 10-point lead and gave it up, Thompson was a constant force inside that the smaller Bulldogs (18-14) had no answer for. Even though South Carolina State out-rebounded the Bears 36-32, it was Morgan's relentless inside game that made the difference. In a seven-point victory, the Bears outscored the Bulldogs 34-16 in the paint.

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Hampton Pirates takes title and trip to NCAA's in win over S.C. State

Quanneisha Perry scored a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hampton University to a 57-46 win over South Carolina State.


Hampton wasn't going to be denied this time. The Pirates, who lost last season's women's MEAC championship game to N.C. A&T, rolled to the title yesterday behind forward Melanie Warner, beating upstart S.C. State 57-46 at Joel Coliseum. As for interim Coach David Six, the director of intramurals at Hampton this time last year, it's probably time to lift the interim tag. "I've never said to the players anything about the interim label, I was just their coach," said Six, who before going to Hampton was a successful high-school coach.

"Things will work themselves out. … This is a dream come true and I'm living the dream. It wasn't that long ago I was a high-school coach, and Hampton gave me an opportunity and I had a ball with it." The Pirates (17-13) won their first title since 2004 and their fourth in school history. Warner led the way with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Quanneisha Perry had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Bernadette Fortune scored 12 points. "It's great that we are going to the NCAA Tournament, and I don't think that's hit us yet," Warner said of securing the conference's automatic bid.

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Amazing Mr. MEAC is bustin' a move, evoking smiles

Dancing 68-year-old performed on sidelines for years without title.

Mr. MEAC wants people to do a double-take when he drops into a crouch, then reaches around to grab his coat collar and "pull" himself back up. "It looks like you are pulling yourself right up with your hand," said Al Ford, "Mr. MEAC" to the people who watch him dance and move to the rhythms of James Brown and others during games of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Ford, 68, of Georgetown, S.C., was in Winston-Salem for the MEAC Tournament at Joel Coliseum, which ended yesterday. Ford's been dancing ever since he was a kid. But he's been called Mr. MEAC for only the past three or four years, after someone with the conference noticed him dancing on the sidelines.

I was doing the James Brown, and she came and took my coat and draped it over me like they would for James Brown when he walked offstage," Ford said. "They asked me if I wanted to be Mr. MEAC." He did. Ford likes to change suits during the tournament to keep things fresh. He went through eight different suits on Friday, when he danced during four semifinal men's and women's tournament games.

It's not a paid job. "Oh, no no no, this is an honor," he said. "I went to a MEAC school. It is an honor to represent the MEAC colleges. I like to dance. I like to entertain. I like to dress and it gives me an outlet. They gave me a card and I can attend any MEAC school athletic function."

Although Ford spent a year playing basketball at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1961, he finished his schooling in New York and spent about 25 years there working as an auditor. Ford came back south, owned a McDonald's Restaurant franchise in Moncks Corner, S.C., and also managed a Bojangles' in Georgetown from 1995 to 2003, when he retired.

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Calvin propels UAPB Golden Lions to finals

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions guard Terrance Calvin hits another winner.

Terrance Calvin has hit a lot of memorable last-second shots during his time at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The senior hit his most memorable one Friday. The shot sent his Golden Lions to the Southwestern Athletic Conference finals for the first time since 2006. Calvin made a 10-foot jumper with a defender in his face with 1.04 seconds left to clinch a 46-44 win over No. 3 seed Alabama State at the CenturyTel Center. The Golden Lions meet the winner of Grambling State-Texas Southern in the finals at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

"This is my No. 1 shot all-time," Calvin said. "We finally get to the finals. I've never been before. This feels great. Make it or miss it, I was going to take it. I made it." How Calvin got the last-second shot was even more thrilling. Allen Smith intercepted Alabama State's Tramaine Butler inbounds pass under ASU's basket with 26.59 seconds left. Savalance Townsend shot a pass to Calvin, setting up the game-winning shot from the left side.

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Alabama State outmuscles Alabama A&M

Alabama State University Lady Hornets Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson

BOSSIER CITY, La. - The Alabama A&M women's basketball team's dream of reaching its first SWAC tournament championship game died Friday at the hands of a familiar foe. Alabama State closed Friday's semifinal game on an 11-4 run over the final 3:50 to end the Bulldogs' season with a 61-53 loss. A&M (16-13) entered the semifinal game as a higher seed for the first time and had swept the Hornets during the regular season.

Alabama State controlled the physical nature of the game, especially over the last 15 minutes. Conference player of the year Katrich Williams' only 3-point basket of the game at the 16:38 mark gave A&M a five-point lead at 32-27. Williams finished with a game-high 24 points, but struggled to free herself from Alabama State's defensive pressure. "There were a lot of bumps and pushes out there," A&M coach Altherias Warmley said. "We needed to be more responsive to their physical play, and we failed to do that today."

The Bulldogs' response to the physical play came to a head with 1:41 to play in the first half when Chelsea Marshall and Alabama's Erica Henderson entangled on an off-ball screen. Henderson was tagged with a personal foul, but officials determined that Marshall threw a punch in the altercation and was ejected. "Clearly my player made an inappropriate reaction to that situation," Warmley said.

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Bowling increases diversity at historically black colleges and universities

University of Maryland-Eastern Shore 2008 NCAA National Championship bowlers Kristina Frahm and Jessica Worsley.

(Washington Post) -- Earlier this year, the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore's athletic department posted this poll on its Web site: "Which winter team is most likely to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in their respective sport?" Sandwiched between women's basketball and men's track was women's bowling, which led all other choices with just less than 44 percent of the vote.

Conference rival Delaware State's Web site had a similar question. Of the 11 sports on the ballot, bowling had a commanding lead of close to 40 percent.

These two schools are the pace-setters among the women's bowling teams in the nationally dominant MEAC, which comprises 11 historically black colleges and universities. UMES, the 2008 national champion, is the MEAC's flagship bowling program, sitting second in the National Tenpins Coaches Association top 20 alongside national powers Vanderbilt and Nebraska. Delaware State, the conference's defending champion, is ranked third and made the NCAA semifinals last spring. In total, five conference teams, including Florida A&M, Norfolk State and Morgan State, are in the top 20 out of a pool of more than 50 in the NCAA.

But women's bowling is not just the new standard-bearer for MEAC athletics; these days, the sport is also helping to change what a historically black college looks like. As the conference's best teams have cemented themselves in the national rankings, they've attracted many non-black bowlers, which has furthered diversity on campus. UMES currently has no black bowlers and Delaware State has two on its 10-person roster.

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