FAMU Men's Basketball Coach Clemon Johnson Fired

FAMU president Dr. Elmira Mangum and
athletics director Kellen Winslow.
Photo Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- Florida A&M Director of Athletics, Kellen Winslow, today announced the release of men's basketball coach Clemon Johnson and his staff.

"We thank Coach Johnson and his staff for their efforts over the past three years to improve our men's basketball program. However, we have decided to seek new leadership of this program in order to achieve our academic and athletic goals," Winslow said.

Johnson was hired in 2011 and in three seasons at FAMU, compiled a ...

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Alabama A&M football putting product on display in first spring under James Spady

NORMAL, Alabama  --  New Alabama A&M football coach James Spady isn't hiding anything.

In fact, during his spring training, the former Nevada assistant is inviting any and everyone out to see what the Bulldogs have going on. 

 

Wednesday, Spady invited local high school coaches along with their players to checkout his team's 10th practice of the spring, a controlled scrimmage during which the Bulldogs simulated real-game situations such as third-down conversion plays and long-yardage packages. 

 

"Yeah, I'm so looking forward to cultivating those relationships," Spady said. "Just a chance to meet those guys and be in a social setting with them is really cool, especially since I'm new here. We want to try and recruit all the best athletes we can get from our local area. Having those conversations with those guys is really enlightening, telling us who they think are the players and we want to continue that and do as much as we can to outreach the area coaches." 

 

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FAMU Rattlers Set For Orange & Green Game Saturday

COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Florida A&M head football coach Earl Holmes will preview the 2014 edition of the Rattler football team tomorrow at Bragg Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m.  The reloaded Rattlers will showcase several new players that were added to the roster through aggressive recruiting.

The action begins at 12 noon with a Venom Kids Easter Egg Hunt in the North End Zone.  This event is free to kids who want to participate.  There will be music, a bounce house and of course Easter Eggs.

At 2 p.m., the 2014 Rattler Football team takes the field.  The team is looking to focus on improving from last year's 3-9 record.  The game will have a scoring system, consisting of points for defensive stops, interceptions, fumble recoveries and more.

Admission to the game as well as parking is free.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Women’s Basketball Signs Markayla Parker

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  Tennessee State University head women’s basketball coach Larry Inman has announced the signing of Markayla Parker to a National Letter of Intent.

Parker, a native of Madison, Alabama played one season at Madison Academy after transferring from James Clemens High School.
 
“Markayla Parker is a great addition to the Lady Tiger program,” said head coach Larry Inman. "She’s a first class citizen,  good student and  great basketball player.”

 

During her lone season with the Mustangs she shot 46 percent from the field while helping lead the team to the Class 3A Northwest Regional championship game. The 6-1 Guard/Forward scored a team-high 15 points in a, 61-58, regional final loss to eventual state champ Lauderdale County.

 

During her stint at James Clemens HS, Parker averaged 10.2 points and eight rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field. She was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and garnered an All-Area Team selection.

 

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Parker excelled academically. The National Honor Society member served as President of the Peer Helping Organization, Vice President of the Senior Class, Homecoming Queen and a member of the Anchor Club.

 

“She’s a very talented young lady with a promising future,” Inman continued. “She is 6-1 and can play the three or the four position, which makes her versatile. Her work ethic is off the charts and we are expecting her to come in and help us early.”

 

Parker also spent two seasons at Bob Jones High School where her team finished as the runner-up in the 2012 State Tournament.

Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers http://www.facebook.com/tsutigers  and Twitter @TSU_Tigers http://www.twitter.com/tsu_tigers

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Rock Hill (S.C.) to Host 2014 SIAC Track and Field Championships

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference today announced that the 2014 SIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held from April 24-26 at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Complex on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

"We are pleased to bring our 2014 SIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships to the city of Rock Hill," said SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. "These championships showcase both our outstanding student-athletes and member institutions as we continue to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the SIAC."
 

This marks the first season that the three-day conference championships will be held in Rock Hill, with 13 SIAC member institutions vying for the 2014 conference title.

"We are very pleased to host the SIAC championships for the very first time," said Auvis Cole, sports sales manager - Rock Hill/York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We look forward to this new partnership and its success."

Events at the 2014 SIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will begin at 8:00 a.m. on April 24 -25, with the final day of competition starting at 9:00 a.m. on April 26. General admission is free to the public.

COURTESY THESIAC.COM

Kentucky State Set to Face the Marauders of Central State in Circle City Classic®

Photo Courtesy Kentucky State University Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Today it was officially announced that the Kentucky State University football program will be facing off against rival Central State this upcoming season in the 31st Annual Circle City Classic®.

The two teams will meet on October 4, 2014 for the Circle City Classic® game which will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The two teams, who played their first game in 1947, have been longtime rivals and will meet for the 55th time this upcoming season.
 

While the Thorobreds have beaten CSU in six straight seasons (2008-13) the Marauders have a 35-18 edge in the overall rivalry. In 1957 the two teams played in their only tie of the series, ending the contest knotted at 13-13.
 

In their most recent matchup, the Thorobreds traveled to Central State in their second game of the 2013 season and defeated CSU, 38-17. In that game, KSU running back Jacquise Lockett rushed for a season-high 240 yards against the Marauders. That game also marked the first time the teams met as Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent's with Central State's football program joining the SIAC at the begging of the 2013 season.

The Circle City Classic® is a joint collaboration between Indiana Black Expo, Inc. and the Indiana Sports Corporation. The net proceeds from the classic help support youth initiatives for each organization. Additionally, each year the Classic's educational partner, the Indianapolis Black Alumni Council, host an educational college fair that exposes over 2,500 youth to colleges and universities with scholarship opportunities exceeding $3 million.

"We are thrilled to have these two teams and their strong bases of alumni to participate in Classic this year," said Tanya Bell, President & CEO. "We will rally together this year in the name of football, culture, music and tradition during the first weekend of October."
 

The theme for this year's Classic is "Buy One. Send One.," which reflects the purpose that Classic serves as a fundraiser to send Indiana students to college. "A ticket purchase will help pay for a student to attend college," Bell said. Since 1984, more than 3 million dollars in scholarships have been awarded to Indiana youth.

The Circle City Classic® game this year will feature the anticipated Battle of the Bands, one of the highlights of HBCU classics.

Kentucky State's Mighty Marching Thorobreds band is under the direction of Robert Griffin, Director of Bands. The Thorobreds marching band has performed in several classics and has participated in the Honda All-Star Battle of the Bands.

"We are so excited to be returning to the Circle City Classic," KSU Athletic Director Denisha Hendricks said. "This will be a great experience for our student-athletes and the entire KSU family."

Kentucky State's last Circle City Classic® appearance was in 2011 where the Thorobreds fell to Albany State University, 57-31. Central State has not played in Circle City Classic® since 2006.

Tickets for Circle City Classic® officially go on sale Monday, April 21, 2014. Tickets are available by calling the IBE Box Office at 317.925.2702, the Lucas Oil Stadium Ticket Office at 317.262.3389, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at any Ticket Master outlet.

More information about tickets and events at the 31st Annual Circle City Classic® can be found here: http://www.circlecityclassic.com/

COURTESY KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

VSU Trojans, WSSU Rams Advance to Semifinals of 2014 CIAA Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament

ETTRICK, Virginia – The Virginia State Trojans and the Winston-Salem State Rams kicked off the 2014 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament in style when the two teams took 5-0 wins in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. With the victories, both teams will advance to the semifinal round of the tournament where they will take on the conference regular season co-champions Shaw and Chowan respectively.

The host Trojans opened the tournament with an impressive 5-0 win over their rival Virginia Union Panthers to open the tournament. The Trojans got things started with gutsy performance in doubles play. The team kicked things off in the #2 doubles when Nicholas Pfab and Evan Dirksen took an 8-1 win which was followed by an 8-6 win by Kwamane Tonkins and Delwin McCurdy at the #3 doubles. The highlight of the match came at the #1 doubles when Matthew and Nicholas Brown took a 9-8 (7-4) win at #1 doubles. From there, the Trojans wrapped up the match when Tonkins took a 6-0, 6-0 win at #5 singles while Pfab took a 6-1, 6-0 win at #3 singles.

The Rams played the nightcap match when the team took a 5-0 win over the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls. The match got off to an exciting start when the Rams took an 8-1 win at #1 singles behind Creighton Jones and Jonathan Aubrey’s strong play. The Rams kept things going when the tandem of Christopher Jeter and Christopher Shew took an 8-4 win at #3 doubles. Joshua Aubrey and Corey Bonnette rounded out doubles play with an 8-5 victory. In singles play, the Rams fininshed the match with Bonnette taking a 6-0, 6-0 win at #4 singles while Shew ended the match with a 6-0, 6-0 win at #6 singles.

Both teams will return to action tomorrow in the semifinal round of the tournament. The Trojans will take on the Shaw Bears while the Rams will take on the Chowan Hawks in a rematch of last season’s conference championship match. Tournament play will resume at 1:00 p.m. at the VSU Tennis Complex on the campus of Virginia State University.

COURTESY THECIAA.COM