The last captain: Xavier meant the world to Otis Washington, and then suddenly it was gone

“Xavier,” afforded me basically everything I accomplished in life.”
OTIS WASHINGTON
COURTESY XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA SPORTS INFORMATION

NEW ORLEANS -- For decades, Otis Washington’s ascent through Louisiana sports history ran parallel with resentment for his college sports home.

Washington distanced himself from the school that brought him to New Orleans from his hometown of Selma, Alabama; broadened his life experiences with road trips throughout the Southeast; gave him a reason to care about academics; and, during a period in U.S. history when many blacks — especially in the South — were disenfranchised, helped him land at St. Augustine High School, the start of his coaching saga.

All because of Xavier’s sudden decision in 1960 to disband all sports.

At the time, Washington, a junior, was a two-sport All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athlete, playing guard and linebacker on the football team and catcher on the baseball squad.

The last captain on what became the final football team of 40. Men mostly forgotten.

“I was really kind of angry,” said Washington, a 2015 inductee into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame who lives in Baton Rouge.

t marked a quiet soreness, one that lagged for decades.

Even as Washington led St. Augustine to state titles in 1975, 1978 and 1979 and a runner-up finish in 1971, served as offensive line coach for one season under LSU’s Bill Arnsparger (1980), then moved crosstown in Baton Rouge as Southern’s head coach (1981-86).

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Chowan Hawks Survive and Advance, Top Falcons 65-60

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  The Chowan University men's baketball team topped the Saint Augustine's University Falcons 65-60 on Wednesday evening in Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hawks advance to the quarterfinals with the victory and take on Bowie State University on Thursday at 3:00pm.

Saint Augustine's University ends their season with a 12-16 overall record while the Hawks advance with a 15-12 record.

Carlos Arroyo led all players in the contest with 18 points in the victory. Kyree Bethel added 15 points for the Hawks while Mark Anthony Buright chipped in 14 points. Trevis Buckhanon hauled in 12 rebounds (five offensive, seven defensive) for the Chowan Blue and White. Bethel now owns Chowan's single season three-point record with 85 three-pointers on the year.

Head coach Brett Vincent stated, "I'm very proud of our team. This is a big win for our team and for the university. We've lost some very close games this season and I think that helped prepare us for the tournament."

Anthony Gaskins led the effort for Saint Augustine's with 17 points while Raheem Jolliffe and Quincy January scored 15 points and 13 points, respectively. John Koger grabbed 12 rebounds in the setback (one offensive, 11 defensive).

Head coach MarQus Johnson commented, "I thought our team fought hard tonight. Unfortunately we got the short end of the stick on this one."

The contest featured seven lead changes and four tied scores. The Hawks' bench players accounted for 22 of the team's points. Chowan hot 38.5% from the floor while Saint Augustine's shot 33.3% from the floor over the course of the contest.

Jolliffee opened the contest with a jumper for Saint Augustine's but Buckhanon answered with a basket of his own on the Hawks' next possession. January's dunk gave the Falcons a 4-2 edge but Buright's three-pointer returned the advantage to Chowan. Gibson's jumper for Saint Augustine's led to a 6-0 run for the Falcons and left the Hawks trailing 10-5 by the 16:16 mark.

Chowan trailed until the 11:26 mark in the first half when Bethel drained two free throws to tie the score 13-13. Buright's jumper and made free throw pushed the Hawks ahead 16-13. The Falcons pulled within one point before Buright's three-pointer along with Smith's layup extended Chowan's lead to 21-15 with 8:10 on the clock before halftime.

Trailing 23-20 with 6:48 left in the first half, January's dunk followed by Joliffe's three-pointer returned the lead to Saint Augustine's with 5:24 left in the first half. Koger's jumper followed by Joliffe's free throws left the Hawks trailing 29-23.

Chowan and Saint Augustine's traded baskets for the remainder of the first half. Despite Tiron Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer, the Falcons held on to a 35-32 lead heading into halftime.

Buright started out the second half with a layup for the Hawks. Gibson answered with a basket for Saint Augustine's. With the score tied 39-39 and 15:23 left in the game, two free throws by Gibson and a jumper by Gaskins gave Saint Augustine's a 43-39 lead two minutes later. Three consecutive three-pointers, two by Carlos Arroyo and one by Bethel handed the Hawks a 48-43 advantage with 11:42 left in the game. Arroyo's bucket on Chowan's next possession gave the

Hawks a 50-43 lead and capped an 11-0 run.

Bethel's three-pointer with 7:57 on the clock gave the Hawks a nine point lead (55-46) and their largest advantage of the contest. Saint Augustine's used a 7-1 run capped by Gaskins' three-pointer brought the Falcons back within striking distance and cut the deficit to three points (56-53). Two made free throws by Chowan and a jumper by Buckhanon gave the Hawks a 60-53 cushion.

Down but not out the Falcons battled back using three made free throws by Joliffe along with his three-pointer to make the score 60-59 with 2:36 left in the game.

Both teams exchanged free throws for the remainder of the contest before the Hawks confirmed the 65-60 win with two made free throws by Bethel.

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Bethune-Cookman University Fuller's Feat: 60-40 Turns 50

CARL FULLER
COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN AHTLETICS

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Fifty years ago today (February 26, 1965) , Carl Fuller registered the greatest double-double in Bethune-Cookman basketball history: A 60-point, 40-rebound display as the Wildcats downed Fisk 107-80 in the semifinals of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Collegiate tournament in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Basketball legend John Chaney held the previous scoring record –57 points against Knoxville in 1952. Fuller did have the previous rebounding record – 38 against Florida Memorial earlier in the season.

Alas, very little physical information exists – only three paragraphs in a Daytona Beach News-Journal recap, no scorebook, no stat sheets. And after 50 years, the memories are starting to fade.

“The thing I can remember is that everything I did went right,” said Fuller. “I was a super hero that night.”

Some memories do remain strong, though.

HOW FULLER GOT TO BETHUNE-COOKMAN: Wildcat legend Jack “Cy McClairen” was in the first couple of years of his coaching era in 1963 when he travelled to St. Augustine to recruit Fuller. It went easier than expected.

His dad told him `You’ll do a great thing if you go to Bethune. You’re going to Bethune.’” McClairen said. “I’m glad he [Fuller’s dad] said that.”

Fuller averaged just 8.7 points, but had 16.3 rebounds as a freshman in 1963-64. Jerome Hamler was the primary scoring threat, averaging 22.9 points a game. Doing the dirty work on the boards, Fuller’s scoring averaged vaulted to 19 a game his sophomore season.

THAT ONE NIGHT: Fuller started hitting early, had little resistance underneath, and his teammates recognized it.

“They kept passing me the ball,” Fuller said. “I couldn’t miss.”

Two things that Fuller and McClairen agreed on: The coach wanted to see him dunk the ball and the reason McClairen took him out with eight minutes remaining.

“He didn’t want me getting a big head,” Fuller said.

“I wanted him to dunk …. He was trying to put the ball off the glass and he didn’t need to do that,” McClairen said. “And I didn’t want him going crazy and thinking he was going to score 80 points in the championship game.”

SO WHAT DID HAPPEN THE NEXT NIGHT? (AND AFTER THAT): Fuller “only” scored 15 points as the Wildcats dropped a 62-61 loss to Clark in the championship game. Fuller still garnered tournament MVP honors, the first Wildcat to do so since McClairen led the 1953 team to a championship.

“Their coach [Clark legend L.S. Epps] was a heck of a coach and he could come up with a plan to stop Carl,” McClairen said. “He did.”

By virtue of their 20-7 record and taking the SIAC’s regular season championship, the Wildcats earned their first berth in the NCAA Division II championship. But in the first round, Bethune-Cookman went up against top-ranked Evansville, which featured future Chicago Bull standout and Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, and Evansville posted a convincing 116-77 decision in the opening round. Norfolk State, then a member of the CIAA, downed the Wildcats 91-74 in a consolation game.

ENTER MR. ALLEN: Fuller would be teamed with Johnnie Allen the following year, and all the duo did was set scoring and rebounding records that still stand today. The penultimate was the 1967-68 team that went 24-7, won the SIAC championship with a 104-101 victory over Florida A&M and earned the program’s second berth in the NCAA tournament. Allen averaged 32.1 points a game that year, while Fuller pulled down 12.9 rebounds per night.

FULL-ER PERSPECTIVE: Fuller finished his career with 1,685 rebounds. The Division I record is Michael Williams II with 754. The Division I single-season record for rebounds is Don Hill’s 1986 total of 317—171 shy of Fuller’s overall program record of 488 set in 1965. Of Bethune-Cookman’s 101 recorded games with 15 rebounds or more, 20 of those were by Fuller.

Fuller’s also the Wildcats’ sixth-leading all-time scorer with 1,573 points. After the 60-40, he would score more than 30 in a game just once – a 31 point night against Albany State the following year.

Allen racked up 3,056 points during his Bethune-Cookman career, but never got past the 51-point mark for a single game high. The Division I record is held by Richard Toussaint, and he needed double-overtime to get 49 points against Morgan State in a 2003 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament game.

THE FAMU PERSPECTIVE: “I felt Carl Fuller was the best big man in the SIAC,” said Al Lawson, who was a forward for Florida A&M who would go on to be a state senator and has the Rattlers’ arena named after him. “I still have marks on my eye from when he hit me with an elbow. The only player who even came close to him was [former University of Florida star] Neal Walk. Even when I coached basketball, none of the players I had was greater than Fuller. They didn’t have his tenacity to rebound.”

THE PROS: Fuller was actually drafted twice. In 1967, the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks took him in the seventh round but he elected to stay for his senior year. The Detroit Pistons took him in the fifth round the following year, but he would spend the 1970-71 season with the Miami Floridians of the ABA, where he averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 71 games. His pro career ended the following year.

TODAY: Fuller was inducted in the Bethune-Cookman Athletic Department Hall of Fame in 2012. He currently resides, in Houston, Texas after being displaced from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

OTHER ANNIVERSARIES: In addition to Fuller's 60-40, Bethune-Cookman is also celebrating the 60th anniversary of John Chaney's senior season and the 35th anniversary of the 1980 team's surprising SIAC championship.

Chaney, who would go on to a legendary coaching career, led the Wildcats to two trips to the NAIA District 29 tournament -- essentially the Black College national championship in three season, the 1955 team lost to eventual champion Texas Southern in the opening round.

The 1980 team struggled to a 10-14 regular season record, but caught fire at the tournament, beating Morehouse 84-67, Tuskegee in 2OT 74-72 and Benedict 76-72 in the title game for a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament. The Wildcats went up against Florida Southern on their home court, lost that one 81-72, then dropped a75-63 to West Georgia in consolation action. The leading scorer was Anthony Chester, who averaged 24.7 ppg while Norris Clemons averaged 14.1 and Coach Cy McClairen’s son , Dwayne, was leading rebounder at 10.0. This was the Wildcats' final season as a Division II; they went to Division I the following year.

NOTE: Bethune-Cookman athletics and the Daytona Beach News-Journal have partnered on a centerpiece to tell to the story of Carl Fuller and other great Wildcat basketball achievements.

Click here to read Ken Willis' feature on Fuller.

Click here to read Brent Woronoff's feature on John Chaney.

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Larry Richardson's Big Night Propels Shaw To 77-70 Win Over Virginia Union

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Feb. 24, 2015) – Shaw University's Larry Richardson scored a season high 29 points, including knocking down 9 of 11 free throws, as the Bears knocked off the Panthers of Virginia Union in the first round of the CIAA Men's Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday evening.

The Shaw Bears would get on the board first, when with 17:44 on the clock, AliBaba Odd would go the free throw line and sink two free throws to give the Bear an early 2-0 lead.

Virginia Union would get on the board with 17:05 on the clock as Avery Jirmnson would go to the line and make one of two to cut the Bears lead to 2-1.

The game would go back and forth over the next three minutes, and by the first media timeout, Shaw would hold a slight 5-3 advantage.

Virginia Union would remain close and would tie the game twice over the next three minutes.

Shaw U. would stay in the lead for the majority of the half, but the game would feature first half ties.

The Shaw Bears lead would reach seven points twice, last, at the half, where Shaw was able to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room at the half.

Shaw started the second half hot, as Larry Richardson hit a three pointer to begin the half, followed by a dunk from Karon Reed, and a jumper from AliBaba Odd, and the Bears were up by their largest lead of the night at 12 points, 35-23.

The Panthers were not going to go away easily, and by the first media timeout of the second half, had trimmed the lead back down to seven points, at 37-30.

Virginia Union's D'Andre' Bullard would help keep the Panthers close, with a pair of jumpers, and a layup by Karo Adjekughele at 11:44 brought Virginia union to within six points at 46-40.

A key point in the game came at the 11:09 mark, when Virginia union had trimmed the lead to 48-44, but they would miss a three pointer, and Shaw's Larry Richardson would answer with a pair of jump shots, followed by two jumpers from Jamar Cooper, and the Bear lead would surge back to double digits at 55-45 with just over seven minutes left to play.

Avery Jirmnson would get the Panthers back into the game once again, with five straight points, but the night would belong to Larry Richardson, as he would put the Shaw Bears on his back with his hot shooting, and timely free throws coming down the stretch.

The Panthers would have one last run in them to try and extend their season, but the Shaw Bears would get fouled and convert seven of eight free throws in the final 50 second to hold on for 77-70 win.

Defensively, the Shaw Bears limited Virginia Union to just 1 of 16 from behind the three point line
(6%).

The Shaw Bears were led by Larry Richardson, who dropped a season-high 29 points to lead all scorers. Joe Reid added 10 points, and Karon Reed chipped in nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Jamar Cooper also added nine points and a game high three steals. AliBaba odd scored eight points. John Savoy added a team high seven rebounds.

Virginia Union was led in scoring by Ray Anderson, who finished with 22 points and four rebounds, while Avery Jirmnson added 15 points and five rebounds. Karo Adjekughele chipped in 11 points and team high seven rebounds. Colton Lewis added a game high four blocked shots.

Richardson also received the Food Lion's Most Valuable Player award for his performance in the win over Virginia Union.

Quotes:

Shaw University Coach Cleo Hill
On starting quick and limiting Virginia Union to just 21 first half points - One of the things we like to do is try to limit teams to six points every four minutes, and to hold them to just 21 points at the half, meant we were putting forth the defensive effort that I expect we can play.

On the quick turn around and playing for the second straight night – These guys are young and resilient. We will get them back to the hotel, get up late, watch some game film and luckily we have the late game tomorrow, so I think we will be just fine.

On Playing JCSU – JCSU handled us pretty the first time we played them. We answered back a little better when they came to Raleigh, but one thing we know is Coach Joyner will have his team prepared to play.

On Facing Steve Joyner, Sr – We are talking about one of the very best coaches in the CIAA, maybe in the history of this conference.

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Written By: Kevin Manns
COURTESY SHAW UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Inside The CIAA Tournament with Jacqui McWilliams, CIAA Commissioner

Lady Rams Take Hard-Fought 88-59 Loss to Shaw in Second Round of CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (11-17) gave it all they had, but they just couldn't overcome some foul troubles and some tough defense in an 88-59 loss to the Shaw Lady Bears in the second round of the 2015 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament, Wednesday. The Lady Rams finished the game with 31 total team fouls and three key foul outs in the game while shooting just 33.3% from the floor in the hard-fought loss.

"In today's game, we got into foul trouble early and we had to go to some kids off the bench who weren't quite ready. I thought we could at least keep the game close until the second half and that didn't happen," WSSU head coach A.G. Hall said. "It was one of those things were where we got into too big of a hole and we spent our energy in the second half trying to battle back and it didn't go our way."

The Lady Rams' effort was on display for all 40 minutes of the game at both ends of the court. The Lady Rams forced 21 Shaw turnovers and shot a solid 33.3% (23-of-69) from the floor, but sent Shaw to the free throw line for 48 attempts in the game. WSSUS sophomore forward Jasmine Carter played another stellar game as she finished with a game-high 10 points, including hitting a pair of three-pointers. The senior duo of guard Taylar Wells and Briana Wilder both added nine points in the game while junior guard Kesheria McNeil finished with nine points as well.

The first half was a competitive affair for both teams, but a late slump by the Lady Rams put the team into a major deficit from which they would not recover. The Lady Rams looked good early with an 11-6 lead after Carter's first three-pointer of the game with 15:21 left in the half. However, Shaw answered the WSSU run with a six-point run of their own that left the Lady Rams trailing, 12-11, but Graham soon had an answer when a jumper from senior forward Jovanah Graham put the Lady Rams back on top, 13-12 with 13:24 left. From there, the troubles began for the Lady Rams as the team allowed six straight points by the Lady Bears and fell behind, 18-13 with 11:12 left in the half.

The Lady Rams had an answer with a five-point run to tie the game. The run was capped by a Wilder three-pointer at the 9:08 mark that tied the game, 18-18. From there, the Lady Rams continued to challenge the Lady Bears as a lay-up from junior guard Awa Kalmstrom kept the team within one point, 21-10 with 7:48 left, but a late slump by the Lady Rams proved costly.

Down the stretch of the game, the Lady Rams went through a five minute scoring drought with just one field goal made over a five minute span. The effort left the team trailing, 33-22 with 2:12 left in the half. Though a pair of WSSU jumpers softened the blows for the Lady Rams, the team was outscored 21-4 in the final seven minutes of the half and left the team trailing, 44-24 at halftime.

Unfortunately for the Lady Rams, the second half was far too similar to the first half. The Lady Rams started off strong in the first minutes of the half when they scored five straight points to cut their deficit down to just 15 points after a McNeil three-pointer. The effort proved to be all that the Lady Rams could muster, however, as Shaw continued their push. Carter's second three-pointer of the game came at the 15:18 mark, but was the only field goal by the Lady Rams over a five-minute span.

The drought left the Lady Rams trailing by 25 points, 57-34 before a jumper from senior forward Jovanah Graham broke the spell. From there, things gradually got worse for the Lady Rams as Shaw pushed its lead to as many as 31 points, 77-46 with 4:45 left to play. Late in the half, the Lady Rams made a valiant effort to cut down the deficit as they worked their deficit down to 26 points, 83-57 after a Wells free throw at the 1:34 mark. However, the effort was not enough as the Lady Rams finished the day with the 88-59 loss.

Unfortunately, the loss ended the careers for four Lady Rams seniors. Senior forward Dionna Scott ended her playing career with 896 total points and 443 total rebounds. "I've been here for all three years and these seniors have been with me for all three years so I'm extremely proud of the effort they've given and what they've given to the program," Hall added.

With the loss, the Lady Rams complete the 2014-15 season with an 11-17 record. For more information on Lady Rams basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.

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CIAA Tournament: Lady Trojans Survive Late Rally, Advance to Semifinals with Win over Elizabeth City State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Virginia State University women's basketball team survived a late rally by Elizabeth City State University and secured a 58-53 victory over the Lady Vikings on Wednesday, February 25th in Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Lady Trojans advance to the semifinal round with the win. Virginia State will face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal game between Shaw University and Winston-Salem State University. Tip-off for Friday's semifinal game is slated for 3:00pm.

The Lady Trojans advance with an 18-9 overall record while the Lady Vikings' season comes to an end with a 13-14 mark.

All-CIAA team member Tiffanie Adair led all players in the game with 21 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive, eight defensive). All-CIAA honoree Dashae Jones and Jessica Lyons added 13 points and 11 points, respectively in the victory.



Virginia State totaled 44 rebounds in the win while Elizabeth City State grabbed 27 rebounds in the loss. The Lady Vikings had six turnovers in the contest while forcing 17 Virginia State turnovers.

Virginia State head coach James Hill Jr. noted, "Our game plan was to come out hard and slow Breona Jones and Jada Jefferies down. We allowed them to take a lot of open shots against us earlier in the season so today we talked about slowing the game down and being disciplined."

All-CIAA performer Jadda Jefferies paced the Lady Vikings with 15 points in the setback. CIAA Rookie of the Year, Breona Jones chipped in 13 points.

Elizabeth City State interim head coach Ron Woodard stated, "Today's game was a tough loss. We had a tough start in the first half but we weathered the storm in the second half. I though overall we fought hard."

Adair opened the contest with a layup for Virginia State, ending a two-minute scoring drought for both teams. Jefferies answered with a bucket for Elizabeth City State on the Lady Vikings' next possession. Arrielle Harris used a rebound and putback to put the Lady Vikings ahead 4-2 at the 16:27 mark.

After Adair's made free throw put the Lady Trojans within one point, Jefferies' three-pointer pushed Elizabeth City State ahead 7-5. Deanna Water's layup for Virginia State knotted the score but two made free throws by Jones for the Lady Vikings tied the score 9-9 by the first media timeout of the game.

With 13:36 on the clock, a free throw by Jones along with Adair's layup and free throw for Virginia State pushed the Lady Trojans ahead 13-9. Jones responded with a three-pointer for Elizabeth City State but Adair answered with a bucket to make the score 15-12 with 10:42 remaining before halftime.

After Adair's made free throw at the 9:59 mark, both teams exchanged baskets until the 6:10 mark when Jones' three-pointer for Virginia State gave the Lady Trojans a 23-18 advantage. Lyons added a layup to extend the Lady Trojans' lead to seven points by the final media time out of the first half.

Cana Marriott's layup for Virginia State with 2:19 on the clock left the Lady Vikings trailing 31-21 and gave the Lady Trojans their largest advantage of the half. Jones made good on a free throw opportunity with 28 seconds on the clock but Elizabeth City State still trailed 32-23 heading into halftime.

Lyons' layup followed by Marriott's three-pointer solidified Virginia State's lead to 37-23 by the 18:19 mark in the second half. A layup by Lyons with 15:16 on the clock gave the Lady Trojans a 15 point lead (42-27).

Trailing 45-27 with 13:52 left in the game, the Lady Vikings orchestrated an 8-0 run capped by Jefferies' three-pointer to cut the deficit to ten points. Virginia State maintained a 47-37 lead with eight minutes left in the game when two made free throws by Jones for the Lady Vikings followed by an additional free throw by Ashley Hughes put Elizabeth City State back within striking distance with 5:25 left in the contest. Virginia State led by as many as nine points (49-40) with 4:53 on the clock when Chalise Greenwood's three-pointer sparked a 5-0 run and brought Elizabeth City State within four points.

With the Lady Trojans clinging to a 51-47 advantage with 3:12 left in the game, two made free throws by Lyons pushed Virginia State ahead 53-47. Elizabeth City State pulled within three points using Jones' free throw and Jasmine Nixon's layup. The late rally was not enough to overcome Virginia State's momentum as Adair netted two free throws with nine seconds on the clock to secure the 58-53 win for Virginia State.

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