Friday, April 30, 2010

Tampa Jefferson QB Quentin Williams has big arm, wins games, yet has just 4 offers

Quentin Williams, an upcoming senior, was the 3A Florida state high school player of the year in 2009, recording 35 touchdown passes and 3,495 passing yards, completed 64 percent of his passes and had just 10 interceptions in 304 pass attempts in an 11-2 season. Williams says he WANTS TO ATTEND an HBCU. "I'm 6-foot even. It is what it is," said Williams, who is not at all interested in playing anything other than QB at the next level."

He has scholarship offers for Towson State, Central Florida, Florida International and Purdue.

At the Orlando EA Sports Elite 11 QB Camp earlier this spring, Tampa Jefferson quarterback Quentin Williams was zipping balls all over the field, drilling them into the hands of would-be receivers, most of whom dropped the ball out of sheer shock at the velocity. He was drawing oohs and aahs and players and coaches were asking, "Who's that?" Indeed.

Fast forward to the April Steve Clarkson Dreammakers QB Challenge at the Citrus Bowl, and yet again he opened some eyes. During one drill, a receiver complained that the QBs weren't throwing the ball hard enough. Somebody hollered over at Williams, "Hey Q, did you hear that? They said you guys aren't throwing hard enough." Williams just grinned.

On his next rep, he effortlessly fired a 20-yard out at a receiver's chest. It was almost as if the receiver's hands were there for protection, not for catching. The ball sent the receiver back a few steps and more people were asking, "Who was that?" THAT is the 3A Florida state high school player of the year from last year. THAT is a player everyone should know by now, but it seems no one does. Williams put up gaudy stats and led the Dragons to the state semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Pensacola in 2009.



Tampa Jefferson High School 6-0/185 star quarterback Quentin Williams states, "I'm open right now and I would actually like to experience a black college," Williams said, but when asked if he was thinking MEAC or a similar level of university, he said, "Right now I really don't care what it is. I just want to go to school and get a good education."

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Harrisburg's Sabre Proctor picks North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies

Pennsylvania's Harrisburg High School 6-0, Class AAAA Associated Press All-State forward Sabre Proctor (#15) has signed with the North Carolina A&T State University Lady Aggies and the Division I, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Proctor selected the Aggies over Rutgers and Delaware State.

COLLEGE RECRUITING WATCH

ATHLETE: Sabre Proctor

SPORT: Basketball

HIGH SCHOOL: Harrisburg (Pennsylvania)

COLLEGE: North Carolina A&T

THE DETAILS: At the Field House at Harrisburg High School Thursday, the Cougars’ all-state forward announced her intentions to join head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs and the Division I Aggies. Over the past four seasons, the Aggies won 91 games and three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles with one NCAA Tournament appearance. Cage-Bibbs & Co. went 23-11 this season and, following a MEAC championship loss to South Carolina State, chalked up two WNIT victories at Wake Forest and Charlotte.

THE DECISION: "It was just the best fit for me. I loved the coaches, the players and the distance from home. Actually, they have one of the top business schools and that’s what I want to study," said Proctor, projected as a 3. "Coach [Cage-Bibbs] is very family-oriented and I connected with her. You can talk to her about anything.

THE ATHLETE: Among the Mid-Penn’s most aggressive players, Proctor worked hard to expand her skill set and became both a four-time conference all-star and three-time selection to The Patriot-News Big 15. Always a physical force underneath, the 6-0 recruit added a deft touch from the perimeter and shoved the Cougars into the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament with an 18.1 average. She finished her scholastic career with more than 1,600 points and over 1,000 caroms. "I always had a nice little mid-range jumper but I would never take it," Proctor said. "I had to be able to convert and do other things, create my own shot." A terrific senior campaign helped Proctor land a third-team spot on the Associated Press Class AAAA all-state team. The Cougars’ ace also gave serious consideration to Rutgers and Delaware State, among others.

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Monday, April 26, 2010

The NFL "After Draft:" Free Agent Signings

South Carolina State University Wide Receiver (#3) Oliver Tre' Young signs free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Cardinals sign SU's Stewart

Passed over during the NFL draft, Southern wide receiver Juamorris Stewart doesn’t have to wonder if he’d have a shot at the pros. Saturday night, Stewart said he has agreed to sign a free-agent deal with the Arizona Cardinals. Even as the seventh and final round plodded along Saturday, several teams started calling Stewart to offer free-agent deals. “I talked to a bunch of teams, but they have a young group and (the Cardinals) like throwing the ball,” Stewart said. “I’m just hoping I can come in and show what I can do. I’m happy and very excited.” Stewart said he and his agent, Tyron Collins, haven’t yet worked out the details with Arizona, but Stewart said he believes he’ll get a two- or three-year deal. The Cardinals’ rookie minicamp begins Thursday, he said, so he needs to be in Phoenix before then.

FAMU's Vann, Okeafor set to join NFL teams



Florida A&M record-setting return specialist LeRoy Vann got a lot of telephone calls during the past three days. Most of them were from folks wishing him well in the NFL Draft. Some even told him his height — 5-foot-8 — would be the thing that kept him out of the draft Saturday evening. The San Francisco 49ers decided to look past what Vann might lack in height and signed him to a free-agent contract.

The post-draft news also was good for offensive lineman Robert Okeafor, who was invited Saturday afternoon to attend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' minicamp next week. The two former Rattlers become the first FAMU players to be in the NFL conversation since quarterback Quinn Gray 10 years ago. Vann said he will also report to the 49ers' minicamp Thursday.

Ex-Burke star Tre'Young signs with Panthers ...

South Carolina State receiver Oliver 'Tre' Young and safety Rafael Bush did not have long to dwell on the disappointment of not hearing their names called during the NFL draft. Just over an hour following the selection of the final draft pick, the two were in the process of finalizing free agent contracts with opposing NFC South teams. The Charleston native Young inked a deal with the Carolina Panthers, while Bush will compete for a roster spot with the Atlanta Falcons.

"My agent felt that the Panthers were the best place to go, somewhere where I could possibly make the ball club," Young said. Earlier in the day, the only S.C. State player to get drafted was defensive back Phillip Adams, who was taken by the San Francisco 49'ers in the seventh round.

Alcorn State University Braves QB Timothy Buckley (#7) inked a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He will play at WR for the Falcons.

2010 Free Agent Signings

Rafael Bush, DB, South Carolina State, Atlanta Falcons
Will Croner, DE, Howard University, Buffalo Bills
Chris Bell, WR, Norfolk State, New Orleans Saints
Marcell Young, CB, Jackson State, New Orleans Saints
Juamorris Steward, WR, Southern U., Arizona Cardinals
Terrell Whitehead, S, Norfolk State, Jacksonville Jaguars
Leroy Vann, KR, FAMU, San Francisco 49'ers
E.J. Morton-Green, WR, Morgan State (Tryout), Green Bay Packers
Philip Kirkland, WR, Bethune-Cookman (Tryout), New York Jets
Oliver Tre' Young, WR, South Carolina State, Carolina Panthers
Robert Okeafor, OL, FAMU - Tampa Bay Bucs
Tim Buckley, QB/WR, Alcorn State, Atlanta Falcons
Damon McDaniel, WR, Hampton U. (Tryout), N.Y. Jets
Eric Perri, Kicker, Jackson State, New Orleans Saints
Bloi-Dei Dorzon, RB, Jackson State, Tennessee Titans
Bobby Reid, QB, Texas Southern, Tampa Bay Bucs
Gabriel Manns, OL, North Carolina Central, Cincinnati Bengals.
Will Scott, WR, North Carolina Central, Green Bay Packers

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Life threw him a curve, but it couldn't keep him down

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NORFOLK, VA - Mark Young II was coming off what he thought was a breakthrough baseball season in 2006. A Norfolk State junior, Young established himself as one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's top pitchers after compiling a 3.21 ERA - second-best in the league - and tossing a two-hit shutout against defending league champion North Carolina A&T. "I felt great about myself," he said recently. "I couldn't wait until the next season."

It never came.

These days, Young is the varsity coach at Booker T. Washington High - a few blocks from where he flourished on the mound for Norfolk State, but a long way from his playing days and his dream of pro baseball. At Granby High, Young was a hard-throwing right-hander whose fastball was consistently clocked near 90 mph. Young, a first-team All-Eastern District pick as a senior, then spent a season at Louisburg (N.C.) College. Young transferred to Norfolk State and in the spring of 2006, helped the Spartans finish 11-7 in the MEAC, the program's best regular-season finish.

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

South Carolina State Cornerback Phillip Adams Fits S.F. 49er's Tough Identity

Defensive Back Phillip Adams (7th Round, 224th overall) fills a need for the 49ers, who were hoping to come out of the draft with a cornerback. An All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selection in 2009 at South Carolina State, Adams figures to challenge for a backup role as a rookie.

There's a common theme to the eight prospects selected by the San Francisco 49ers in this year's draft. "These players are guys who will hit you," coach Mike Singletary said Saturday. "When you look at the identity of the 49ers, I think every one of these guys that we pick fit the identity." Singletary is building a tough, physical squad in San Francisco, and the four players selected by the team Saturday to complete the draft definitely fit the mold.

They also fill needs as the 49ers selected power running back Anthony Dixon, blocking tight end Nate Byham and wide receiver/punt returner Kyle Williams in the sixth round, then added physical cornerback Phillip Adams with their final pick in round 7. Each comes to San Francisco with the type of attitude the 49ers have come to expect from their players. "I like to bloody noses," said Byham, a two-time All-Big East selection at the University of Pittsburgh who was considered one of the nation's best blocking tight ends last season. "I don't shy away from contact. I'm going into the hole and I'm trying to hit somebody. I'm trying to inflict pain when I'm in there as a tight end."

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Pro Bowler Returns Home to Jackson State for Redemption

Jimmy Smith is rich - and proud of it. Jimmy Smith is arrogant - and proud of it. Jimmy Smith is on probation - and not proud of it. But he's not ashamed of it, either. The former Callaway High School and Jackson State receiver, who earned the nickname J-Smooth during a 12-year NFL career that included five trips to the Pro Bowl, has come home to Jackson with redemption on his mind.

"I've learned how to be happy," Smith said. "I learned to manage my life. Earlier, I couldn't. That's what got me into trouble, got me arrested. Fortunately, I had the right people in my life, my mom, my dad, a lot of influential people ... who knew that wasn't who Jimmy Smith was. "Now I'm able to live and tell about it."

Smith, 41, was arrested on April 22, 2009 in Jacksonville, Fla., and charged with possession of cocaine. Already on probation for a 2008 DUI, Smith pleaded guilty in November to the cocaine charge but escaped jail. Instead, he was fined and sentenced to 18 additional months of probation, and six months of house arrest.

"It's a chapter of my life I'm anxious to close," Smith said. "It definitely was a good learning experience for me. I don't look at it as something bad. I look as it as a component that I can now share with others that may be in that situation. "I've turned all my focus into developing youths, mentoring and raising my own kids."

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Golf successes continue at Jackson State

Now in this 26th season guiding the Jackson State University Golf programs, Eddie Payton is, without question, one of the nation's most successful collegiate golf coach. Payton also coaches his daughter Erica, a JSU junior golfer.

Jackson State golf coach Eddie Payton won his 22nd men's SWAC championship and 14th women's title last week. The women will play in the NCAA regionals May 6-8. The location has not been announced. The men will play in the national minority tournament before heading to the NCAA regionals. The date and location of the minority tournament have not been set. "That means we've done a real good job of recruiting great student-athletes and trying to get them to understand the tradition we're trying to establish," Payton said. "There's certain traits that you look for in people who want to be competitive golfers.

"You have to have a desire to be the best that you can be, then you have to be self-motivated to work on your weaknesses." Payton said his ultimate goal is to play in the NCAA national championship and be the first historically black university to do so. "That's what keeps me at Jackson State," Payton said. "That was my dream and it still is. ... That drives me every year."

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