Anthony Evans earned his shot at FIU

MIAMI, Florida  --  Getting a head-coaching job is extremely difficult.

Moving upward in Division I from the MEAC and SWAC has been almost as hard as getting the first job.

Blame the ridiculous search firms that think they know the profession but don't. Point to athletic directors who are wowed by the brand name of an assistant.

But actually dig deeper and search for a head coach who has had to do a lot with a little and you'll see there are quality coaches in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities.



Florida International's new coach Anthony Evans had done wonders at Norfolk State. He won the league two years in a row, won the MEAC tournament title for the first time and had consecutive players of the year.

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WSSU gives Hayes a contract extension

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Athletics Director Bill Hayes of Winston-Salem State, who is at the top of his game as an administrator, has been rewarded with a three-year contract extension.

Chancellor Donald Reaves announced the extension Thursday afternoon, after an earlier unanimous vote by the school’s board of trustees in a conference call.

“It’s phenomenal,” Reaves said of Hayes’ accomplishments since his hiring in January 2010. “When I hired Bill, I knew he was a seasoned athletics director, a football coach, and he’d been around and knew the ropes.

“I needed somebody then to get me from that transition from the MEAC and back into the CIAA and all that stuff that came along with it.”

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MEAC/SWAC Challenge Ticket Sale Countdown

Courtesy: FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Florida A&M Rattler fans, tickets for the 2013 MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney will go on sale Monday, June 3rd!  

The Rattlers will take on Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on September 1st in Orlando, Florida to kick-off the 2013 football season.  Get your game tickets first by visiting www.­meacswacchalleng­e.­com or calling (800) 745-3000 for purchase.  

For more information contact the FAMU ticket office at (850) 599-3141.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

PVAM Repeats as Commissioner's Cup Winner

NEW ORLEANS -- For the second year in a row, Prairie View A&M has claimed the James Frank SWAC Commissioner's Cup Award for overall program success. The Panthers also won the C.D. Henry Award for the top men's team in the league. Alabama State claimed the Sadie Magee/Barbara Jacket Award for the women.

PVAM totaled 161.0 points to claim the James Frank Award. The Panthers won two first place titles in men's competition. They also recorded three second place finishes and two others in the top five. In the women's competitions, PVAM had six top five finishes, including a title and two in second place.

The Panthers outdistanced Jackson State in the race for the C.D. Henry Award 72-66.5, while Alabama State was third in the men's standings with 62.5 points.

Alabama State broke up the PVAM sweep by nipping the Lady Panthers by two points in the hunt for the Sadie Magee/Barbara Jacket Award. The Lady Hornets tallied 91 points to 89 for PVAM. It came down to the final event for the women as ASU led PVAM by half a point going into the SWAC softball tournament. ASU advanced to the finals of the tournament and earned 10 points for a second finish, while PVAM fell in the semifinals and had to split 8.5 points, preserving the slim two point win for the Lady Hornets.

Jackson State rounded out the top three with 77 points.

Sadie Magee/Barbara Jacket Award
1 - Alabama State - 91.0
2 - Prairie View A&M - 89.0
3 - Jackson State - 77.0
4 - Mississippi Valley State - 72.0
5 - Texas Southern - 68.5
6 - Southern - 57.0
7 - Alabama A&M - 52.5
8 - Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 42.5
9 - Alcorn State - 40.5
10 - Grambling State - 40.0

C.D. Henry Award - Men
1 - Prairie View A&M - 72.0
2 - Jackson State - 66.5
3 - Alabama State - 62.5
4 - Texas Southern - 57.0
5 - Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 50.5
6 - Mississippi Valley State - 44.5
7 - Alcorn State - 42.5
8 - Alabama A&M - 38.0
9 - Southern - 37.0
10 - Grambling State - 36.5

COURTESY SWAC ATHLETICS

SWAC Football and Basketball Championships Headed to Houston

NEW ORLEANS  -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to relocate the 2013 Toyota SWAC Football Championship and 2014 Basketball Tournament to Houston, Texas for the next three seasons.

The football championship game will be held at the home of the NFL Houston Texans, Reliant Stadium (Above), while the basketball tournament will be housed at the Toyota Center, the home of the NBA Houston Rockets.

The football championship will be at Reliant Stadium 2013 through 2015, while the basketball tournament will be played at the Toyota Center 2014 through 2016.

The 2013 Toyota SWAC Football Championship is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, while the basketball tournament is slated for March 11-15, 2014.

COURTESY SWAC ATHLETICS

 

Milford Mill grad Kyle Thomas talks about his Morgan State pledge

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  There was one constant in Kyle Thomas’ recruitment before, during and after he went to prep school: interest from Morgan State.

Thomas, a full qualifier out of Milford Mill in 2012, was offered a scholarship by Bears coach Todd Bozeman coming out of high school. When the 6-foot-6, 195-pound wing did a post-grad year at Central Jersey Each One Teach One Academy, Bozeman reiterated that the offer was still on the table. Thomas, who signed with Morgan State earlier this month, cited the coach’s loyalty as a major factor in his decision.

“I really liked the opportunity I would have going into Morgan,” Thomas said Tuesday. “Coach Bozeman has me doing a lot of workouts with strength and conditioning. He really just made me feel comfortable. Offering somebody a scholarship twice really shows that they want you. It seemed like the best fit for me.”

As a senior for the Millers, Thomas averaged ...

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Former Gold Rush assistant earns promotion at Richmond

Coach Kim Lewis

NEW ORLEANS — Kim Lewis, a former Xavier University of Louisiana coach, has been promoted to men's basketball assistant coach at the University of Richmond.
      
Lewis, Richmond's director of basketball operations the past two seasons, earned the promotion after associate head coach Kevin McGeehan became the head coach at Campbell in April.
      
Lewis was an assistant to Dannton Jackson during Jackson's first season (2002-03) as head coach of the Gold Rush. That XU team won 11 of its first 12 games, finished 22-12 and ranked among the top 25 teams in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage and scoring defense.
     
A former standout player at Tulane, Lewis also has been an assistant coach at Tulane, Centenary, McNeese State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Duquesne and Northeastern.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA