Reynolds' Bilal commits to WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Hanif Bilal, a 6-1 shooting guard from Reynolds High School, has committed to play basketball at Winston-Salem State.

Bilal, who injured a knee last summer and needed surgery, played sparingly this past season, averaging 8.3 points. He was an All-Northwest selection by the Journal after his sophomore and junior seasons, when he averaged 14.2 points and 19.7 points, respectively.

“He played in about 10 games for us this past season,” Coach Billy Martin of Reynolds said. “I think it’s a great fit for Winston-Salem State and for Hanif, because once he gets to be 100 percent again, he’ll be an all-leaguer in that conference.”

Martin said that Bilal also can play point guard.

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Southern football seeks strong spring finish

COURTESY SOUTHERN U. ATHLETICS

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Spring football is winding down for Southern.

The Jaguars held a walkthrough Friday afternoon in the parking lot next to A.W. Mumford Stadium to preserve the wet field for the spring game at 2 p.m. Saturday inside the stadium.

The 70-75-play spring game will be a little more than half the length of a scrimmage last Saturday and will conclude the spring session. The Jaguars have managed to avoid any serious injuries over the last 3½ weeks and coach Dawson Odums would like to keep it that way.

He said the team has accomplished what he set out to accomplish and now he wants to finish on a positive and healthy note.

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TSU Volleyball Opens Spring Season With A Pair of Wins

Photo courtesy of Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics

Nashville, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State volleyball team competed at the University of Memphis Spring Tournament as a part of their non-traditional season. The Tigers finished 2-2 on the opening weekend and picked up a win over SEC opponent Mississippi State. 

 

“We had an exceptional outing on Saturday,” said head coach Kathy Roulhac. “This is a product of their training sessions and the hard work on drills and in the weight room.” 
 

TSU opened the day by grabbing the first set (25-18) from Ole Miss. The Rebels bounced back to pick up the win as the out touched the Tigers 23-25, 13-15. The Tigers came right back with their second straight match versus an SEC opponent and dropped the Bulldogs 25-23, 25-21. 
 

“We were among SEC & American Conference teams,” Roulhac said. “They are bigger in size, compared to what we see, for the most part, in conference play. We played great volleyball and by doing so, we out played most. We were able to run our tempo and were very controlled.” 
 

Tennessee State earned their second win of the day defeating Christian Brothers 2-0 (18-25, 25-22, 15-8), before closing out the day with a 0-2 (23-25, 21-25) loss to Arkansas State. 
 

“Ileanushka Maldonado and Taylor Swayzer made great strides in their roles as leaders,” Roulhac commented. “They were key components to this weekend’s success. The effort and passion we showed in Memphis, excites me for the outing in Knoxville.” 
 

The Tigers will continue their spring with another four-match day on Saturday, Mar. 29 at the University of Tennessee Spring Tournament. TSU will face East Tennessee State, Appalachian State, Tennessee Tech and the host, Lady Vols.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Virginia University of Lynchburg Names Head Football Coach and Athletic Director

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- Don Lee, the former head football coach at Concordia College (Alabama) has accepted the athletics director and head football coach position at Virginia University of Lynchburg, per reports from Football Scoop.  Lee will be replacing the legendary Willard Bailey who also served in both positions from the restart of the football program in 2011 to October 23, 2013.

Bailey announced in early October that 2013 would be his last season with the Dragons. 

VUL President Ralph Reavis appointed Luther Palmer head coach on October 24, 2013.  Palmer had served the Dragons as Bailey's defensive coordinator, who defeated Lee's Concordia College Hornets 58-20 last season.

Lee's bio is posted on the Concordia College Hornets athletic website.  Read it here.  He served Concordia in the duel positions of head football coach and athletics director for three years.

You may recall that Lee had to re-build Concordia's football program and save its season, after the team lost all its equipment and uniforms in a bus fire on their trip to Miles College on September 21, 2013.  With the outpouring of gifts from the Green Bay Packers, Adidas, Rawlings, Nike and many others, the Hornets were able to complete their commitments for last season.  The Hornets lost about $70,000 in protective equipment, game uniforms and camera equipment that was destroyed in the bus fire.

Lee will take over a football program that main revenue comes from financial guarantees with higher division programs.  The school has averaged $55,000 to $60,000 in guarantees over the last three years.  The VUL Dragons are scheduled to open the 2014 season at Alcorn State on August 30, 2014;  and at Jackson State on Sept 6, 2014. 

VUL is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 86 mostly small colleges, community colleges and junior colleges, across the United States, stretching from Washington state to Maine.  The Dragons field a total of ten competitive sport programs, including baseball, softball and volleyball.

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Cheyney Wolves Coach Lockard Tenders Resignation…Johnson Named Interim

CHEYNEY, Pennsylvania  -- Cheyney University Head Football Coach Ken Lockard tendered his resignation earlier today.  Lockard has been the Wolves head coach for the past three seasons.  Cheyney went 2-31 during his tenure with both victories coming against HBCU rival Lincoln.

Before being named Head Coach Lockard served as the Wolves Defensive Coordinator for three seasons.

Offensive Coordinator Anthony Johnson will take over the reins on an interim basis while a national search is conducted. 

Johnson came to Cheyney in 2010 after spending the previous year and a half at Division III Salisbury University. While at Salisbury, Johnson was responsible for the running and slot backs which featured a nationally ranked offense and the number one rushing offense in the nation. Four of his backs earned all-conference honors and the Seagulls participated in the ECAC Southwest Championship Game. Prior to his stint at Salisbury he was the Assistant Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach at Parkside High School in Salisbury, Maryland. Johnson was an all-conference performer at Salisbury and the Offensive MVP in 2006. He is an active member of the American Football Coaches Association.

The Wolves are set to begin spring practice March 29 as 50-60 players are scheduled to be put through their paces.

"I would like to thank Kenny (Lockard) for the time and effort he put into the job," commented Cheyney University Athletic Director Ruffin Bell.  "The team has improved over the years that he was at the helm. He was very active on campus and always placed the student in the athlete first.  We wish him well in his future endeavors."

Bell went on to say…  "I would like to have a coach named as soon as possible."

COURTESY CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

S.C. State to hold first spring scrimmage

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  After two weeks of installation and memorization, the South Carolina State football team will get to put their acquired knowledge into practice today at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

Weather permitting, the Bulldogs will hit the field at 8:30 a.m. for the first of three scrimmages. The first- and second-team offense and defenses are expected to match up between 90 minutes and two hours, which should allow the coaching staff time to evaluate the roster.

Today’s scrimmage will also mark the midway point of spring practice. The Bulldogs had some issues Wednesday with ...

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VUU 2014 Football Schedule Released, Features Six Home Games

RICHMOND, Virginia  --  The Athletic Department of Virginia Union University has released the football schedule for Fall, 2014.

Virginia Union University will open the 2014 football season on Saturday, September 6, when it faces the Saints of Siena Heights University from Michigan at 12:00 p.m. in Hovey Field in Richmond, Va.

Virginia Union will host six home games this season, including Homecoming 2014 against Lincoln (Pa.) University on October 11.

In addition to Siena Heights and Lincoln, the Panthers will play host to the University of Charleston on September 13, Shaw University on October 4, Bowie State University on October 25, and CIAA arch-rival Virginia State University on November 8.

VUU will travel to Fayetteville State University on September 20, and then to Johnson C. Smith University on September 27.  Union will also play at Chowan University on October 18 and at Elizabeth City State University on November 1.

Each home game will also have a special designation.

VUU Faculty & Staff Day will be September 6 against Siena Heights while September 13 will be Clergy & Veterans Appreciation Day.  October 4 will be the annual Hall of Fame Game with Homecoming being staged the following week (October 11).

The 2014 Lucille M. Brown Community Youth Bowl will be held on October 25 while Senior Day will be held on the regular-season finale on November 8.

The CIAA Championship Game will be played on November 15 at a site yet to be determined.

VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY 2014 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date		Opponent	Location	Time
9/6/2014		Siena Heights University (Mich.)	Richmond, VA	12:00 p.m.
9/13/2014		University of Charleston	Richmond, VA	1:00 p.m.
9/20/2014		Fayetteville State University	Fayeteville, NC	6:00 p.m.
9/27/2014	*	Johnson C. Smith University	Charlotte, NC	2:00 p.m.
10/4/2014	*	Shaw University	Richmond, VA	1:00 p.m.
10/11/2014	*	Lincoln University (PA)	Richmond, VA	1:00 p.m.
10/18/2014	*	Chowan University	Murfreesboro, NC	7:00 p.m.
10/25/2014	*	Bowie State University	Richmond, VA	1:00 p.m.
11/1/2014	*	Elizabeth City State University	Elizabeth City, NC	1:00 p.m.
11/8/2014	*	Virginia State University	Richmond, VA	1:00 p.m.

 ** - FACULTY & STAFF DAY
*** - CLERGY & VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY
**** - HALL OF FAME GAME
* - HOMECOMING 2014
***** - LUCILLE M. BROWN COMMUNITY YOUTH BOWL
****** - SENIOR DAY

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION