B-CU football begins preparation for another MEAC title run

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins can be high-strung and excitable on the football field, but he was calm and collected earlier this week as he and his staff completed final preparations for the team's preseason camp.

For Jenkins, it was business as usual.

“I'm kind of used to it,” he said. “You have to stay on an even keel and focus in on what you want to accomplish. You don't want to get too high or too low.”

Despite losing eight defensive starters and two of its most accomplished offensive players over the past four seasons, B-CU was picked last week to win its fourth MEAC title in five years.

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SWAC Football 2014 Season Preview

DALLAS, Texas  -- The winds of change howled fiercely following the 2013 SWAC football season, claiming three of the conference’s top coaches and creating a high level of anticipation as the 2014 season approaches.

Doug Williams, the most recognizable name among SWAC coaches – and the conference’s most successful coach with five championships during his nine-year tenure at Grambling State – Anthony Jones, the dean of SWAC coaches with 12 seasons at Alabama A&M where he led the Bulldogs to five championship game appearances and won the 2006 title, and Rick Comegy, the elder statesmen among college coaches with 23 seasons on the sidelines, including the last eight at Jackson State, where he guided the Tigers to a 55-35 record, won the 2008 SWAC crown and made back-to-back appearances in the title game in 2012 and ’13, are all gone Also out is Karl Morgan, whose 8-35 record in four years at Mississippi Valley State belies the stride the Delta Devils made.

Roderick Fobbs has taken over at Grambling, James Spady is the new man in charge at Alabama A&M; Harold Jackson has returned to his alma mater and is the head man at Jackson State, while Comegy moved from Jackson to the Mississippi Delta to run the program at Mississippi Valley.

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Xavier Gold Rush sign six more for 2014-15 recruiting class

Chris Adams Malik Harrison

Langston Adams Erwin Simmons

Devante Bailey Alex Xavier

NEW ORLEANS — Coach Joseph Moses on Wednesday announced six more signings to Xavier University of Louisiana's men's track and field recruiting class. Newcomers signed to scholarships for the 2014-15 academic year were:

       •  Chris Adams, a hurdler from Richardson, Texas, and Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas.
     •  Langston Adams, a long from Baton Rouge, La., and Christian Life Academy.
     •  Devante Bailey, a long sprinter from Baton Rouge and Southern Lab High School.
     •  Malik Harrison, a horizontal jumper from Baton Rouge and Christian Life.
     •  Erwin Simmons, a hurdler from St. James, La., and St. James High School.
     •  Alex Xavier, a hurdler and sprinter from Naples, Fla., and Golden Gate High School and a transfer from Warner (Fla.) University.

Bailey, Harrison and Simmons will be freshmen at Xavier. Chris Adams and Langston Adams, who are not related, will be sophomores — they were biology/pre-medical majors at XU in 2013-14 — and Xavier will be a junior. Bailey will major in business marketing, Harrison will be a chemistry/pre-pharmacy major, and Simmons will be part of XU's dual-degree engineering program, studying physics and mechanical engineering.

 

Chris Adams finished third in the 110-meter hurdles in Class 5A at the 2013 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state meet. His best times are 14.9 seconds for the 110 hurdles and 40.8 for the 300 hurdles. He was a standout in basketball, averaging 16 points per game as a senior with a high game of 27 points. At Xavier he was runner-up in the voting for Mr. Freshman.

Langston Adams was a member of Christian Life's 400 relay team which placed fourth at the 2013 Class 1A state meet. He also was a regional qualifier in the long jump. Adams was first-team all-district as a football middle linebacker his senior year and made the second team as a junior.

Bailey was a member of Southern Lab's 800 and 1,600 relay teams which finished first at the 1A state meet this year, and he was a member of the Kittens' state runner-up 400 relay team. He helped Southern Lab finish second at state in the 1,600 relay in 2012, and he was a starter in basketball as a junior and a senior.

 

Harrison was a district champion this year in the triple jump for Christian Life. His best marks were 43 feet, 11 inches in the triple jump and 19-6 in the long jump. As a senior in football, he accounted for 1,623 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 regular-season games.

 Simmons was a district champion in the 110 hurdles this year and helped St. James finish second in the district meet. His best time in the 110 hurdles was 15.32. He was voted his team's track MVP in 2014 and was the track MVP at Lutcher's Bulldog Invitational after winning the 110 and 300 hurdles and anchoring the winning 800 relay squad.

Xavier, a native of Haiti, placed 14th for Warner in the 110 hurdles at the 2013 NAIA National Outdoor Championships and was a two-time athlete of the week in The Sun Conference that year. This past season he was The Sun's 110 hurdles champion and was fifth in the 400 hurdles. His best time in the 110 hurdles is 14.46.

 

The previously announced Gold Rush signee was Joseph Moses III, a sprinter from Baton Rouge.

 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Peele and Jordan Join TSU Men's Basketball Staff

Photo Courtesy Tennessee State University Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Tennessee State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford announced the hiring of assistants Randy Peele and Pierre Jordan on Wednesday.

Peele becomes Ford’s associate head coach after 29 years of coaching experience at seven different universities including Saint Michael’s, Tennessee-Martin, Campbell, UNCG, Winthrop, Virginia Tech and most recently, Georgia Southern.

 

Peele coached at UNCG between 1995 and 1999, taking the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament in his first year with 20 wins. He also spent five seasons at Winthrop, and when head coach Gregg Marshall left for a position at Wichita State, Peele was promoted to lead the Eagles where he won the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championship during the 2007-08 season. Winthrop also won the league’s tournament in 2009-10 for his third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

 

“We are very fortunate to add someone with the pedigree, loyalty and expertise of Randy to our program. Having led three teams to the NCAA tournament as a head coach he has an understanding of the type of student athletes that we must recruit, coach and mentor in order to get our program to the level that we all aspire,” Ford said.

 

Ford also raided Georgia Southern for Jordan, who will serve as another of the team’s assistant coaches this season. Jordan will work with the guards and his job duties include recruiting, player development, scouting and academic assistance.

 

Jordan played basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference for Florida State and Georgia Tech from 2008 to 2013. He was named to the Academic Honor Roll each of his two years at Tech and was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams at Florida State, helping the Seminoles advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time in school history in 2009.

 

He graduated from FSU in three years and a summer session, earning his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social studies.

 

“Pierre comes to us highly recommended by many in the basketball circles across the country. He is a young energetic coach who does a great job of relating to today's student athlete.  He has been around basketball his entire life as the son of one of the premier AAU coaches in the Southeast region,” Ford said.

GCAC tourney champion Nuggets sign 4 for 2014-15

Eliqua Brooks Ireyon Keith

Trana Hopkins Donyeah Mayfield

NEW ORLEANS — Coach Bo Browder on Wednesday announced that four have signed women's basketball scholarships with Xavier University of Louisiana. Newcomers signed to scholarships for the 2014-15 academic year were:
    
• Eliqua Brooks, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward from Upper Marlboro, Md., Wise High School and Angelina College.
    
• Trana Hopkins, a 5-6 guard from Marietta, Ga., Marietta High School and Chattahoochee Valley Community College.
    
• Ireyon Keith, a 5-7 guard/forward from Tickfaw, La., and Independence High School.
    
• Donyeah Mayfield, a 5-11 forward from Vicksburg, Miss., and Vicksburg High School and a transfer from the University of South Alabama.
    
Brooks, Hopkins and Mayfield will be juniors at Xavier. Keith will be a freshman.
    
Brooks averaged 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a freshman at Angelina and concluded her sophomore season with a 25-point performance in the quarterfinals of the Region XIV tournament. She averaged 20.2 points as a second-team all-metro senior at Wise — she scored 40 in one game — and helped the Lady Pumas finish second in the Class 4A state tournament each of her final two seasons.
    
Hopkins averaged nine points, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals this past season to help Chattahoochee Valley win the Alabama Community College Conference North Division and reach the semifinals of the state tournament. She ranked second in the ACCC in assists per game and fourth in steals per game.
    
Keith averaged 24 points this past season for Independence and scored 28 in a first-round upset of 10th-seeded E.D. White in the Class 3A state playoffs. She was a four-time all-district selection and was honorable-mention all-state as a senior. Keith also excels in track and field; she recorded multiple top-4 finishes at the LHSAA outdoor state meet and has best marks of 36 feet, 6 inches in the triple jump and 17-7 1/2 in the long jump.
    
"Ireyon can do everything," Independence basketball coach Kovi Dillon said. "She's a good rebounder, scorer and defender. She's aggressive. She'll play hard from beginning to end. She's a leader."
    
Mayfield redshirted at South Alabama in 2013-14 after transferring from Tennessee State, where she averaged 2.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 10 minutes in 38 games over two seasons. Mayfield was a two-time Vicksburg Post newspaper Player of the Year and averaged 15.8 points and 12 rebounds as a senior. Mayfield's game highs at Vicksburg included 33 points and 22 rebounds.
    
Brooks will major in mass communications at Xavier. Hopkins and Keith will major in health sciences, and Mayfield will major in psychology.
    
Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 24-10 in 2013-14, won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament for the fourth time in five years and reached the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship for the third time in four years.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Albany State has stars to replace on defense

ALBANY, Georgia  -- Albany State’s football team will take the practice field next month with several goals in mind.

First, they’d like to win the SIAC again. The 2013 Rams did just that with five straight victories and a 17-14 win over Miles College in the conference championship game. But because they started 1-4, they missed the Division II playoffs.

Getting past the SIAC and into the national playoffs will be difficult. Even though they return quarterback Frank Rivers, there are holes to fill on both sides of the ball. On defense, the Rams are now without star safety Dexter Moody.

“The name of the game at Albany State is defense,” head coach Mike White said at SIAC’s media day. “We’ve got a lot of guys that we’ve got to replace on that side of the football.”

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Walker Departs ECSU After 12 Seasons For Grambling State

After a thirteen seasons at ECSU,
Shawn Walker has resigned as
 the men's basketball coach to
assume the head coach position
at Grambling State

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina --  Elizabeth City State University basketball coach Shawn Walker has announced his resignation to accept the head coach position at Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana).

"Our department and university family wishes Coach Walker the very best as he transitions to Division I Basketball", states ECSU Athletic Director J. Lin Dawson. We appreciated his commitment to ECSU and the legacy he built. He is a solid individual who understands that the platform of Athletics provides a tremendous avenue to impact the community, and in particularly, the youth. 

Shawn will be a major asset to Grambling. He brings a successful coaching résumé, vision, stability, and a strong work ethic that is contagious.

" A search for a new basketball coach is underway and will be announced in the coming weeks.

"With student-athletes returning to campus in a couple of weeks, we must put this process on speed- dial. Our student-athletes deserve a well-rounded coach that is the right fit. Emotions fly high when a head coach leaves a program, says Dawson. "Stability is a premium factor is deciding the next leader."

Walker compiled a 196-172 record in thirteen seasons at Elizabeth City State. He coached the Lady Vikings during the 2001-2002 season and the following year took over the men's program where his teams made three trips to the CIAA title game capturing the title in 2007 ECSU's, first championship in 26 years. He was named CIAA Coach of the Year in 2008 and coached two CIAA Players of the Year Anthony Hilliard (2007, 2008) and Angelo Sharpless (2012).

COURTESY ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION