XU Gold Nuggets Warren does honorable thing, and she's still seeking votes

Christina Warren
NAIA Division I All American
Honorable Mention

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana extended its streak with Wednesday's announcement of the 2010-11 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball All-America Team. Christina Warren is the third Gold Nugget to earn honorable mention during the last five seasons.

Warren — a 5-foot-9 senior forward/guard from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and a graduate of Los Osos High School and Chaffey College — led the Gold Nuggets with 11.9 points per game and 41 made 3-pointers this season. She was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a three-time GCAC Player of the Week. Xavier was 27-7 this season, won the GCAC Tournament for the second straight season and reached the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.

Jarryn Cleaves earned All-America honorable mention for Xavier in 2006-07 and 2007-08, and Brittany Powell did the same in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Warren was one of four from the GCAC to receive honorable mention. The others were Dillard's Jazzmin Smith, SUNO's Christine Conners and Tougaloo's Victoria Jones.

Warren is a nominee in the Heritage Sports Radio Network National Player of the Year fan poll for Division II women. Fans can visit www.hsrn.com, then scroll down to the left and vote for Warren before 2 p.m. CDT on March 30.

Xavier Gold Nuggets NAIA All-Americans

First Team
1986-87 — Demetria Lang (WBCA/Kodak team)
1988-89 — Henrietta Mitchell (WBCA/Kodak team)
1989-90 — Henrietta Mitchell (WBCA/Kodak team)
1997-98 — Cassee Davis

Second Team
1980-81 — Gwendolyn Brule
2003-04 — Jackie Tucker
Third Team
1995-96 — Cassee Davis

Honorable Mention
1981-82 — Gwendolyn Brule
2001-02 — Alisheian Graham
2006-07 — Jarryn Cleaves
2007-08 — Jarryn Cleaves
2008-09 — Brittany Powell
2009-10 — Brittany Powell
2010-11 — Christina Warren

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
Visit: XULA Athletics

Andrew is honorable mention on NAIA All-America team

NAIA All American Honorable Mention
Devin Andrew

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Devin Andrew received honorable mention Wednesday on the 2010-11 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball All-America Team.

Andrew — a 6-foot-4 senior guard from Harvey, La., a graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma and a former student at Karr High School in New Orleans — led the Gold Rush this season with 10.9 points per game, 1.2 steals per game and 111 free throws in 147 attempts. He won two January home games with points in the final two seconds.

He helped the Gold Rush finish 27-6 this season — the most victories by an XU men's team since 1983-84 — finish second in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and earn an at-large bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship. Andrew
scored 946 points and made 77.3 percent of his free throws in 113 games during four seasons.

Andrew was one of four from the GCAC to be honored. Tougaloo's Marquise Mems made the first team, and SUNO's Brent Leduff and Tougaloo's Mario Luckett received honorable mention.

Xavier Gold Rush NAIA All-Americans
First Team
1972-73 — Bruce Seals

Third Team
1981-82 — Alvin "Bo" Dukes
2006-07 — Shaun Dumas
2008-09 — Shaun Dumas
Honorable Mention
1971-72 — Bruce Seals
1971-72 — Don "Slick" Watts
1985-86 — Derrick Collins
1987-88 — Juan Mercier
1990-91 — Merlin Peters
2000-01 — David Egans, Kermit Smith
2004-05 — Timothy Green
2007-08 — Shaun Dumas
2010-11 — Devin Andrew

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
Visit: XULA Athletics

Savannah State's Davenport conducts first spring football practice

Senior RB Justin Babbs receives medical redshirt from NCAA

With the sounds of constructing a new T.A. Wright Stadium echoing across the street, Savannah State University’s football team on Wednesday conducted its first spring practice under new head coach Steve Davenport.

SSU worked out for two hours on its practice field near Tiger Arena. It was the first of 13 practices the Tigers will conduct in a four-week period, ending with their annual Orange and Blue game April 14. Players wore helmets, jerseys and shorts. Their first practice in full pads will be Saturday at 10 a.m. Their next practice is Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Davenport, who was hired Jan. 7 after four seasons as the running backs coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, said it was a strange but great feeling overseeing his assistants as they instructed players.

Spike Lee tells SSU students to seek education and passion

It wasn’t Spike Lee’s first time talking to college students in Savannah — he spoke to Savannah College of Art and Design students in 2005. But the opportunity to speak at Savannah State University — the city’s historically black university — he said, was one he could not pass up. Especially considering that Lee is a product of a historically black school, Atlanta’s Morehouse College.

“There was a time when (blacks) couldn’t go to any other school,” Lee said to applause. “We couldn’t go to the University of Georgia.”

For well over an hour Tuesday night the acclaimed filmmaker told SSU students to fight ignorance with education and find their passions. Using anecdotes from his own experiences, the bespectacled Lee told the hundreds gathered in Tiger Arena what he believes is the key to a positive, happy life.

Click here to view Spotted® photos of his lecture at SSU

SSU football begins spring practice today

Savannah State University football coach Steve Davenport will pay close attention to running back Justin Babb and offensive lineman Demetrius Edwards when the Tigers begin spring practice today.

The NCAA granted Babb and Edwards medical hardships, also called medical redshirts, giving the seniors an extra year of athletic eligibility. A medical hardship may be obtained from the NCAA to replace a season lost to injury if an athlete plays in 30 percent or less of his or her team’s games.

Babb, SSU’s leading rusher in 2009 and 2008, suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in the Tigers’ third game last season against Bethune-Cookman. Edwards suffered a season-ending knee injury against Bethune-Cookman.

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Albany State: Coach Steve Smith -- Two-and-done

ALBANY, GA — The Albany State “Gold Rush” offense has officially lost a little bit of its glow.

Steve Smith, the school’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, turned in his resignation March 7 to head coach Mike White to take over as running game coordinator and offensive line coach at Tennessee State, a Division I program in Nashville.

Stanley Jennings - 2010 SIAC MVP and Offensive Player
 of the Year. 

“I wasn’t looking for another opportunity, it just happened,” Smith, a Chicago native, told The Herald via telephone Thursday afternoon. “It was just a good opportunity, closer to home, bigger school, little better financial situation — all of that.”

Smith was afforded the opportunity by Tennessee State offensive coordinator Mike Jones, who Smith worked with during his time with the NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany.

White confirmed Smith’s resignation Thursday.

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Florida A&M's Rocker steps up as man to beat

Sophomore Eddie Rocker will tell you that he is not Philip Sylvester. He also will tell you that he's seen enough of the former Florida A&M running back to learn well.

Rocker finds himself as the one to beat for the starting running back job as the Rattlers go through the first week of spring practice. It wasn't supposed to be that way. But when Rutgers transfer Casey Turner didn't pan out, Rocker became Sylvester' heir apparent.

"Playing behind Phil is some big shoes to fill, but I know I can't be Philip Sylvester; I can only take from him what I've learned and capitalize on it," Rocker said after Tuesday's practice.

FAMU working out the kinks at spring practice

Just as soon as the play was over, receiver Kevin Elliott trotted off the field. He started a conversation with quarterback Austin Trainor.

They were quickly joined by almost every other receiver who wasn't involved in the ensuing play on the field. Trainor double-checked with Elliott to make sure they had the sequence of the play they'd just run.

"You've got to be able to play confidently otherwise you're going to play slow," Trainor said. "We definitely need everybody, me included, to figure it out."

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S.C. State's Judge earns 300th victory

South Carolina State men's and women's tennis coach reached a milestone in Bulldog history Saturday, March 19 when the S.C. State women downed N.C. A&T (7-0).

Judge, was already the winningest tennis coach in S.C. State history, earned his 300th career win with the triumph.

"When I started coaching I never thought I would reach such a milestone so early on in my career," said Judge. "It's a great feeling and I am really happy for our program and where we are headed."

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Late basket lifts Shaw women to semifinals

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Brittney Spencer's pass didn't look like it would reach the intended target. Without the junior guard's vision, Shaw's women's team likely would have seen its storybook season come crashing down. Spencer hit Brittany Ransom with a pass that eluded the fingertips of two Metro State defenders in the closing seconds of Tuesday afternoon's Division II national quarterfinal at St. Joseph Civic Arena.

Ransom's spinning layup bounced off the glass and caromed around the rim and down as time expired to give the Bears a 46-45 win.

The Spencer-Ransom connection provided a thrilling end to a game in which both teams shot just a shade over 30 percent. The hero proved to be a reserve guard who averages only 6.8 points per game.

Metro State loses at buzzer in women's Elite Eight

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Brittany Ransom's layup at the buzzer knocked Metro State out of the women's basketball NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Tuesday. The Roadrunners lost 46-45 to Shaw (N.C.) University. Their season ended at 30-3, while Shaw improved to 24-11.

"I knew the ball was coming," Ransom, who scored a game-high 13 points, told the The (Charlotte) News & Observer. "I didn't know how much time was left, but I had to make the basket somehow." Metro State, which led virtually the entire game, held a four-point lead with 19 seconds left after Jasmine Cervantes made 1-of-2 free throws for the Roadrunners.

But Kyria Buford, who was 2- for-17 from the field in the game, made a 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds remaining to cut Metro State's lead to 45-44.

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