End of basketball dream doesn’t deter Livingstone College grad

Mark Thomas is the first recipient from a historically black college or university named an NCAA Today’s Top Ten winner.  The 2014 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year is a business administration major and graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- When Livingstone captured its first CIAA title in March, Mark Thomas couldn’t have been happier. The historic victory helped erase the sting of losing the title game the year before to Bowie State.

During the championship win over Winston-Salem State University, Thomas scored a game high 23 points and earned MVP honors for his efforts. Two months later after graduating summa cum laude, he set his sights on a professional basketball career. If he couldn’t play in the NBA, he at least hoped for a shot at playing overseas.

But in July after passing out during a pickup game and being rushed to a Charlotte hospital, Thomas received some grim news: He suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He can no longer play basketball.

“I’m not sure how I felt when the doctor told me the news,” said Thomas, who recently underwent surgery to be fitted for a defibrillator. “The whole time I still thought I was going to be able to play basketball.”

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Savannah State women stun Florida 68-58

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- They came to Tiger Arena on Thursday night with confidence and determination. What they lacked in name, they made up with moxie.

“We broke down so many barriers,” Savannah State senior guard Ezinne Kalu said.

An enthusiastic crowd of 2,260 — one of the largest to see a Tigers women’s basketball — probably agreed.

SSU (4-1) led just about the entire way and, behind Kalu’s game-high 21 points, stunned the Florida Gators 68-58.

“We are a good school, and we have a good athletic program,” Tigers point guard Bria Dorsey said.

The win was a breath of fresh air for a well-documented, struggling athletic program. The football team lost all 12 games, and when the men’s basketball team recently lost to Louisville 87-26, the Tigers were the brunt of the joke after Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said he tried to keep the game competitive by playing “four white guys and an Egyptian” down the stretch.



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NCCU Baseball Announces 2015 Schedule

DURHAM, North Carolina -- The North Carolina Central University baseball program will host 30 games at the Durham Athletic Park (DAP) during the 2015 season as fourth year head coach Jim Koerner announced on Wednesday.

"We have a great home facility and quite frankly one of the better playing surfaces in the state of North Carolina," said Koerner. "Our guys love playing at the Durham Athletic Park and we want to take full advantage of that."

The Eagles are coming off a 19-32-1 campaign that saw the maroon and gray in position to win the MEAC's (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Southern Division down-the-stretch, finishing 12-12 in league action.

"We have a very exciting schedule this year," said Koerner. "I believe we are going to really challenge ourselves with our non-conference weekends as well as our mid-week dates. In order to keep us prepared for our MEAC weekends it's our goal to play quality competition every time we take the field. This not only keeps us sharp, but it also pushes us to get better."

NCCU will battle seven in-state opponents (Campbell, UNC Asheville, UNC Wilmington, NC A&T, Gardner-Webb, and High Point) to go along with the highly anticipated crosstown showdown against Duke University.

The 2015 season begins with doubleheader action on Feb. 14 and 15, at home against Norfolk State University with the opening day action beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by game two 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest. The Eagles dropped both games in the MEAC Tournament against the Spartans last season, as NSU made a run all the way to the championship game.

After a Tuesday afternoon contest at High Point (Feb. 17, 4:00 p.m.), the maroon and gray are on the road for an in-state battle against the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb (Feb 18, 4:00 p.m.).

The Eagles return home for a season long nine-game home stand beginning with a three-game set against the Leopards of Lafayette College to take place Feb. 20 through Feb. 22. NCCU dropped all three games to Lafayette last season.

Following that matchup, the maroon and gray will host UNC Asheville and High Point on Feb 24 and Feb 25 with both days game action beginning at 4:00 p.m. from the DAP.

NCCU then hosts the arch-rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T to begin conference action. That series commences on Feb. 28 to March 1. First pitch for the league twinbill on Saturday, Feb 28, is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Durham Athletic Park. The maroon and gray went 4-2 last season against the Aggies, including a sweep in Durham.

The Eagles will end the homestand with a March 3 contest against Longwood (6:00 p.m.), and then hit the road for a mid-week matchup on March 5 road against UNC Wilmington (6:00 p.m.). NCCU heads south to the Sunshine State, to battle the defending MEAC Champion Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman on March 7-8 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla. Both days are slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The maroon and gray took the series from B-CU in Daytona last season after dropping game one.

NCCU travels back to Durham for a return match against Gardner-Webb (March 10, 6:00 p.m.) and will hit the road the following day to face Charleston Southern (March 11, 6:00 p.m.) for the first time in program history.

"I believe it's important that we schedule a few different teams each year," said Koerner. "This keeps our players excited and helps avoid any potential letdowns due to familiarity. Due to the parity in our conference, it's also important that our schedule, as a whole, keeps our guys focused on a day to day basis. If we are to accomplish our goal of winning a MEAC Championship we can't afford lapses in energy or focus. We also have more weeks this year where you will see us play multiple mid-week games. Again this should keep us sharp as the season progresses."

The Eagles jump back into league action against Savannah State on the following weekend on March 14-15 at Tiger Field in Savannah, Georgia. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. each day.

Following a mid-week, home, nonconference double header matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore on March 18 (4/7:00 p.m.), the Eagles will host Florida A&M in another crucial league series on March 21-22. NCCU and FAMU were an even 3-3 against one another last year.

After the Eagles host Charleston Southern (Mar. 25, 6:00 p.m.), the Eagles travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina to take on the Terriers of Wofford University in a three game series March 27-29. This will be the first meeting between these two programs. Game one of the series from Russell C. King Field is set for 4:00 p.m., while the final two days of the series will begin at 1:00 p.m.

Next up on the slate is Virginia State in twinbill action on Wednesday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m., as the Eagles renew their rivalry with their former CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) foe. After that affair, Koerner and his troops head over to Greensboro, North Carolina to take on North Carolina A&T at War Memorial Stadium in a huge conference series to take place with doubleheader action on Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. Sunday's series final is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start as well.

As the Eagles continue the April schedule, NCCU hosts UNC Wilmington on April 7 at 6:00 p.m. and then makes the short trip to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Campbell University on April 8 at 6:00 p.m.

April 11-12 will see the maroon and gray head back to the Bull City for a series rematch with Bethune-Cookman as the Eagles hope to be playing for the top spot in the Southern Division. Last year, B-CU escaped with the series win taking the first two games of the set before NCCU came-from-behind to win game three.

After non-conference affairs against Longwood (April 14, 6:00 p.m.) and Presbyterian (April 15, 4:00 p.m.), the Eagles return to the DAP to face Savannah State in the last home conference series of the season beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. Last season, the maroon and gray used two walk-off home runs to beat the Tigers in Durham.

Right after a mid-week game at UNC Asheville (April 21, 6:00 p.m.), the Eagles travel to face Florida A&M in league action in the final MEAC series of the year. The double header on Saturday, April 18 is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch, with the series finale on Sunday to begin at the same time from Moore-Kittles Field.

The last stretch of the year will see the Eagles make the 2.5-mile trek across town to face Duke in doubleheader action on May 3 at 1:00 p.m. from Jack Coombs Field.

The final two home games will see NCCU face Presbyterian (May 5, 6:00 p.m.) and Campbell (May 6, 6:00 p.m.) as the maroon and gray will look to end the year on a high note.

The MEAC Baseball Tournament will see a different format in 2015 as the top three teams in each division will qualify. Should the maroon and gray make the cut, NCCU will head to Purdue Stadium, in Salisbury, Maryland, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on May 13-16.

"Our conference is always challenging," said Koerner. "I feel that on any given weekend we are all capable of beating each other. In order to separate yourself from the pack, you have to pay attention to the details. With the restructuring of the conference tournament, that's going t
o be even more important this year. Each weekend has now been magnified and with that you are going to notice the overall intensity increase as well."

Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for the latest on NCCU Athletics.

2015 NCCU Baseball Schedule (PDF)   I   2015 NCCU Baseball Schedule (WORD)

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Now healthy, Mike Jones gives Southern another weapon

HOUSTON, Texas -- Mike Jones puts on a show when he’s healthy.

The Southern University redshirt junior caught three passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday against Grambling in the Bayou Classic.

Last season against Alabama State, Jones finished with six catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns in place of then-starter Lee Doss.

Jones’ ankle injury has limited him for most of this season, so nearly half of his total 288 receiving yards came during the Bayou Classic.

Wide receivers coach Chris Coleman said the speedy receiver has been patient and humble throughout the recovery process, but Jones said injuries come with playing the sport.

“It’s something that you don’t want to deal with, but it’s part of the game,” Jones said. “Everybody experiences it in football.”

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Video: Can Southern defeat Alcorn State and win the black college national title?

Opinion: Southern's ban reveals problems with NCAA structure

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Every year, construction begins on a new LSU athletic building to draw in recruits. Every LSU sporting event contains one, typically multiple, employees of the athletic department recording stats. Every season of every sport will get more than enough attention for fans and the NCAA.

Only 11 miles north, it’s a complete reversal. In the same city as the Tigers, Southern University shows the other side of college athletics.

The one-year ban on Southern athletics from the NCAA expired Tuesday, with a group of NCAA officials re-evaluating the school’s progress on Thursday. The ban was for inadequate reporting of student-athletes’ Academic Progress Rates.

The Jaguars were essentially banned from postseason NCAA play because they could not finish and turn in paperwork on time. It’s not a sign of laziness or incompetence, but a lack of manpower behind the unfinished work.

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Loyola defeats Gold Rush to gain season split

NEW ORLEANS -- Jalen Gray scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half Wednesday to lead Loyola to a 59-46 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana at The Den.

McCall Tomeny had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolf Pack (4-4), which gained a season split with the Gold Rush (8-4).

Anthony Goode scored eight points for Xavier, and Jarvis Thibodeaux and RJ Daniels scored seven apiece. Wesley Pluviose-Philip grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.

Loyola, leading 20-17 at halftime, pulled away by shooting 61.1 percent from the floor in the second half. Gray was 5-of-5 from the floor in the second half, including three 3-pointers.

Gray's 3-pointer gave Loyola a double-digit lead for the final 14:47.

For the game, Loyola outshot Xavier 43.9 to 28.3 percent from the floor. The Gold Rush attempted a season-best 40 free throws but made 20 to shoot a season-low 50 percent. Xavier did not make a 3-pointer for the first time this season.

Xavier's only lead occurred for 58 seconds in the final three minutes of the first half.

Xavier beat Loyola 72-66 in overtime Nov. 11 at Xavier.

The Gold Rush will break for final exams, then visit Mobile at 3 p.m. Dec. 13. The next Gold Rush home game will start at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 against Faulkner.

Box score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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