2011 MEAC Basketball Tournament

Saadia Doyle Named HSRN National Player Of The Week

Courtesy Howard University Sports Information

Saadia Doyle is the winner of the HSRN National basketball fan poll. The Atlanta, Georgia native currently leads the MEAC in scoring (18.3 ppg, 38th in NCAA), ranks second in rebounding (8.8 rpg), and fourth in field goal percentage (.448). She was recently tabbed as MEAC Player of the week.

The sophomore is seven points away from hitting the 1,000-point milestone and has tallied over 500 rebounds for her career. In addition, she has also recorded 12 double-double performances on the year.

Doyle was nominated for her performances against Norfolk State and Florida A&M. She led the Bison to a 2-0 week averaging a double-double with 28 points and 11.5 rebounds. In the 66-49 win over Norfolk St. she had 38 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and three steals. In the 67-58 victory over Florida A&M she finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Each week during the season, HSRN's staff select the top performances from all HBCU action and give the fans across the country a chance to vote for the Player of the Week.

HSRN developed the fan poll to get all HBCU alumni, students and fans involved with the Edit HTMLnational process and to also give everyone a chance to consistently keep up with the individual performances around the country. This web site and its broadcasts are designed to keep people abreast of all action around HBCU athletic competition.

By Jamilah Corbitt
Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University

Grambling opens campaign with high hopes

Grambling's 2010 season will be a tough one to follow. After finishing the regular season with an 18-30 overall record, the Tigers became scorching hot in the postseason.

They swept through the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, outscoring the opposition 47-10 over four games to capture the program's first conference title in 25 years.

The Tigers have had a lot of turnover in their roster since then, but they still enter the 2011 season with ...

Grambling State looks to build on end of 2010

Grambling State baseball coach James Cooper can be forgiven for looking back a little bit.

Nine months ago, Cooper and his Tigers authored one of the greatest weekends in recent GSU baseball history — sweeping through the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament at Shreveport's Fair Grounds Field to earn an NCAA regional berth.

"We've actually tried to pick up where we left off," said Cooper, whose team opens the season against...

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Benedict Defeats Morehouse On Senior Night

Columbia, SC (WLTX) --- Xavier Collier scored 25 points and five assists to lead Benedict to a 72-63 win over Morehouse College Tuesday night, clinching the SIAC regular season title for the Tigers.

Marcus Goode, the reigning SIAC player of the week, scored 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for Benedict which won its fourth SIAC regular season championship in the Fred Watson era.

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JSU football could face loss of NCAA membership

Coach Rick Comegy is in final year of contract

Jackson State University's football team will be banned from postseason play this fall and the athletic department's membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association is likely to be restricted by 2012 if the NCAA does not grant the school's waiver request.

The team's Academic Progress Rate, a rolling, four-year figure that calculates academic performance, has fallen below a critical benchmark for the third straight year, according to documents obtained recently by The Clarion-Ledger through a public records request.

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JSU LATEST NCAA APR REPORT: CLICK HERE

JSU 2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result
09/03/11 Concordia (Selma, AL) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 1:30 p.m. CT
09/10/11 vs. Tennessee State Memphis, TN 6:00 p.m. CT
09/17/11 at Southern Baton Rouge, LA TBA
09/24/11 vs. Alabama State Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 4:00 p.m. CT
10/01/11 vs. Texas Southern Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 4:00 p.m. CT
10/08/11 vs. Arkansas - Pine Bluff Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 4:00 p.m. CT
10/15/11 at Mississippi Valley State Itta Bena, MS TBA
10/29/11 at Prairie View A&M Prairie View, TX TBA
11/05/11 vs. Grambling St. Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2:00 p.m. CT
11/12/11 at Alabama A&M Huntsville, AL TBA
11/19/11 vs. Alcorn State Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 1:00 p.m. CT

Arkansas - Pine Bluff DC Hampton resigns, headed to Western Kentucky

Coach Alonzo Hampton

Arkansas-Pine Bluff has officially announced in a press release that Alonzo Hampton has resigned from the school to take a position with WKU. The release did not say that Hampton has officially joined the Toppers yet, and no official word has come from WKU.

WKU may have filled one of its two football coaching vacancies.

David Harten, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff football beat writer for the Pine Bluff Commercial, reported Tuesday that UAPB defensive coordinator Alonzo Hampton has resigned from the school to join WKU as defensive backs coach.

WKU interviews Hampton for DC job

The Daily News confirmed with a source Monday that Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive coordinator Alonzo Hampton has interviewed for the open defensive backs coaching position at Western Kentucky.

Hampton - a Louisiana-Monroe product - spent the past four seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with 2010 being his first as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Before becoming the team’s defensive coordinator, Hampton served as cornerbacks and defensive backs coach for UAPB. Prior to that, Hampton served as head coach at Dumas High School in Arkansas for two seasons.

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Saint Augustine's Kindred, Benson Named CIAA Rookies of the Year

Saint Augustine’s College swept the CIAA basketball rookie of the year awards Tuesday for the second time in four seasons.

Freshman guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) was named the men’s top rookie and freshman center Umeka Benson (Charlotte, N.C.) was voted the women’s best rookie Tuesday by the CIAA-Sports Information Directors Association. The last time a CIAA school produced two rookie of year winners in the same year was 2008 when Allison Sikes (women) and Hayward Fain (men) of Saint Augustine’s College took freshman honors.

Both Kindred and Benson were also named to their respective All-CIAA rookie teams. Redshirt freshman Chris Johnson (Hampton, Va.) of the Falcons joined Kindred on the men’s rookie squad.

Kindred was a unanimous choice for men’s rookie of the year. A 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard, Kindred leads CIAA freshmen in scoring (13.2 ppg) and is also the Falcons’ best rebounder (5.0 rpg). He shoots 44 percent from the floor and has scored in double figures 17 of 25 games including five games of 20 or more points. His play this season was reflected in the voting for CIAA rookie of the week which he won a league-high seven times.

“This is a great honor for Joel, the basketball program, Saint Augustine’s College and the community,” said Ken Spencer, the first-year head men’s coach at Saint Augustine’s College. “He is the type of player I want to bring in. Joel represents the basketball program well on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”

Kindred is the first Falcon to win the honor since Fain in 2008. He played high school ball last season in Raleigh, N.C., at Word of God Academy, which produced NBA rookie standout John Wall. Current Falcon assistant coach Erasto Hatchett was Kindred’s head coach at Word of God.

“I am thankful for winning the award,” Kindred said. “I thank the coaches, my teammates, my brothers and my mom for pushing me.”

Kindred is the younger brother of former Falcon high jump standout Joe Kindred, a track and field All-American and national Division II champion who won national field performer of the year honors. Joel’s brother Jon Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) also plays for the Falcons’ basketball team.

Benson is the latest Lady Falcon to win the rookie honor since Keyona Bryant (2009) and Sikes (2008), making it three out of four seasons a Lady Falcon has claimed the award. A 6-0 center, Benson leads CIAA freshmen in scoring (10.0 ppg) and ranks second among CIAA rookies in rebounding (8.6 rpg). She debuted with 21 points against Davis & Elkins in the season opener and went on to reach double figures in points 10 times and rebounds eight times. A tenacious and athletic player in the paint, Benson has tallied four double-doubles for the Lady Falcons, who are 17-9 overall and tied for second in the CIAA’s Southern Division with one regular-season game to play.

“I am so excited for Umeka,” said Rachel Bullard, the first-year women’s head coach at Saint Augustine’s College. “She has worked very hard and has grown as a person and player throughout the year. What an awesome honor for her and the team.”

Benson plays her best against top-level competition. She had 10 points and 15 rebounds on Nov. 13, 2010, against West Liberty, currently ranked second in the Atlantic Region. Benson had 16 points and 14 rebounds on Feb. 12 in the first meeting against Johnson C. Smith. In the rematch Monday, Benson put up 12 points and 10 rebounds against JCSU, ranked seventh regionally and 24th nationally. The Lady Falcons won both games against JCSU, which is located in Benson's hometown of Charlotte, N.C.

“I am excited and caught off guard about receiving rookie of the year,” Benson said. “I am grateful to my team because I could not have won this award without them. I give thanks to my family, coaches and Saint Augustine’s College. We are looking forward to the CIAA Tournament.”

Johnson rebounded from knee injury last season to become a contributor for the Falcons. A 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward, Johnson averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes of action. His rebounding average is fourth-best on the Falcons, and he is the team’s second-best offensive rebounder.

Johnson scored a season-high 14 points in a January win over Shaw. He pulled down 11 rebounds against Armstrong Atlantic State in December 2010.

The rookies of the year and All-CIAA rookie teams will be recognized at the league’s Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tip Off Ceremonies on Feb. 27 and March 1 in Charlotte, N.C.

By Sports Information Office
Saint Augustine's College

2010-2011 Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Rookie Teams

Umeka Benson

Women:
Umeka Benson Saint Augustine's College - CIAA Women's Rookie of the Year

Umeka Benson Saint Augustine's College C 6-0 Charlotte, NC
Alisha Hardley Saint Paul's College F/C 6-0 Stafford, VA
Racquel Davis Johnson C. Smith University F 6-0 Bamberg, Germany
Leslie Slayton Virginia Union University G 5-5 Clinton, MD
Cynthia Johnson Lincoln University (PA) PG 5-7 Randallstown, MD

Joel Kindred

Men:
Joel Kindred Saint Augustine's College - CIAA Men's Rookie of the Year

Joel Kindred Saint Augustine's College G 6-4 Raleigh, NC
Chris Johnson Saint Augustine's College G/F 6-5 Hampton, VA
Tyrell Tate Fayetteville State University F 6-5 Raleigh, NC
Rasheem King Bowie State University F 6-4 Brooklyn, NY
James Theus Virginia Union University G 6-4 Portsmouth, VA

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG