NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State forward RaShid Gaston has requested and been granted his release and intends to transfer, a school spokesman confirmed Monday.
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Gaston finished second on the team with 15.5 points per game last season as a junior. He said via Twitter that he has not made a decision on where he'll go.
If he goes to another Division I school, he'll have to sit out a year.
Spartans coach Robert Jones declined to comment on Gaston's status Monday.
Gaston earned second-team NABC All-District 15 honors after ranking second in the MEAC in rebounding (9.6) and field goal percentage (62.6). He compiled 18 double-doubles and averaged 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2015
College Station Regional Preview: TAMU, Texas Southern, Cal, Coastal Carolina
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With the Fighting Farmers of Texas A&M securing a Regional in College Station, but not a National Seed (a source of some consternation to the Aggie faithful), their run to Omaha, or at least Fort Worth, begins with SWAC champions Texas Southern Tigers, the third in the PAC12 Cal Golden Bears, and the second in the Big South Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.The college baseball world is familiar with Texas A&M’s march to the post season, a 45-11, 18-10 in SEC play campaign that saw them go undefeated until March 21, but not always the methods they exacted to get there.
Texas Southern
The other Lone Star Component, Texas Southern University, went 31-17 overall and 16-7 in the SWAC and claimed the championship. Senior Robert Garza hit a nifty .348 with 31 RBI, and freshman Gerreck Jimenez hitting .333. Seven Tigers total broke the .300 mark.
While not capable of being the big, swingaway type teams that sometimes dot the D1 landscape, the Tigers did prove impressive on the basepaths, collecting 74 stolen bases, a whooping 40 more than the Aggies.
The Tiger moundsmen pulled together for a group ERA of 4.47, with sophomore Ryan Rios going 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA to lead the team.
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Allen and McMillian signs to continue career at Prairie View A&M
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| Lanikki McMillian |
"It feels great," said McMillian. "They (Prairie View A&M) have a good things going and I just wanted to be a part of that."
McMillian, a 6' forward, was named as an alternate to the MACJC All-Star squad after averaging 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 28 games in his final season under Coach Nanci Gray.and
"She has been a great kid to have in our program," said Gray. "Every day she was a positive influence and in practice she made kids work hard in the post and she's going to be a great asset to Prairie View and I'm excited that she's getting that opportunity."
The Pontotoc native helped the Lady Indians reach the NJCAA National Tournament and capture the NJCAA Region 23 Championship. The Lady Indians finished 23-5 and won the MACJC North Division title.
"ICC has been more than I expected," said McMillian. "There were high and lows, but we came through it all and I'm proud of my team and all that we accomplished this season."
McMillian will join Lady Indian teammate Jeronia Allen (Mindan, LA) and the Lady Panther program that finished 14-18 overall and 10-8 in their conference and fought their way to the semi-finals of the SWAC conference tournament.
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| Jeronia Allen |
"She brings positive energy to the floor every day," said Lady Indians' head coach Nanci Gray. "She can score from the outside, but can drive the lane as well and Prairie View is getting a great guard."
Allen averaged 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assist per game last season and earned a spot on the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College (MACJC) North All-Star roster.
The 5'9" guard helped lead the Lady Indians to the MACJC North Division title, and her 16 point performance in the championship game at the regionals helped capture the NJCAA Region 23 crown to reach the NJCAA National Tournament.
"She has grown so much during her two years here," said Gray. "I expect greatness from her as she continues to pursue excellence on and off the court."
Allen will join Lady Indian teammate Lanikki McMillian (Pontotoc) in the Lady Panther program.
COURTESY ITAWAMBA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
Monday, May 25, 2015
Former XU Gold Rush Coach Bob Hopkins Dies at age 80
NEW ORLEANS — Robert M. "Bob" Hopkins Sr., the head coach of Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball teams from 1969-74, died May 15, 2015, of heart and kidney disease. He was 80 years old.
Hopkins' XU stint was his longest in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach — he also worked at Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State, Grambling, Southern and Maryland-Eastern Shore — and it was one of his best. He jump-started an XU program which had resumed in 1967 and produced NAIA District 30 championships and appearances in the NAIA National Championship in 1972 and 1973. His 1972-73 team — led by Donald "Slick" Watts and Bruce Seals, both eventual NBA players — upset top-ranked and unbeaten Sam Houston State 67-60 in the second round of the NAIA's national tournament. Until 2012, the 1972-73 Gold Rush were the only XU team in any sport to reach the NAIA national quarterfinals.
"Once I met the vice president (Anthony Rachal) and president (Dr. Norman C. Francis), I was elated," Hopkins said in November 2013 of his interview with Xavier. "They did everything in their power to enhance the program. They were very supportive. I didn't even have to negotiate with them.
"We had some great teams at Xavier. We won the City Series. We beat Tulane, a major D-I at the time. You didn't need an airplane and a million dollars a year to make a good program."
Hopkins was 82-45 in five seasons as Xavier. The Gold Rush were 22-5 in 1971-72 and 21-6 in 1972-73. Three of the Gold Rush's four NAIA national tourney victories occurred during Hopkins' tenure. His 16-year record as a collegiate men's head coach was 252-183. He also coached Grambling's women to a 10-18 record in 1983-84.
Hopkins left XU to join his cousin, legendary center Bill Russell, on the staff of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. He was a Sonics assistant for three years and head coach for the first 22 games of 1977-78. Hopkins fell in love with Seattle, bought a house in suburban Mercer Island, Wash., and settled there.
"Good, bad or whatever, he made me who I am," Watts told the Seattle Times newspaper. "And I know a whole lot of people owe an awful lot to Bob Hopkins."
Hopkins was born Nov. 3, 1934, in Jonesboro, La., and was a standout basketball player at Grambling during the 1950s. There he became the first collegian (in December 1955) to score 3,000 career points. He set an NCAA career record of 3,759 points and has been No. 2 on that list for the past 43 seasons. He is No. 4 in NAIA career points — during Hopkins' playing days, Grambling held dual membership in the NCAA and NAIA — and he still holds the NAIA and NCAA Division II career record of 3,309 field-goal attempts. Hopkins played four NBA seasons with the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) and averaged 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 273 games from 1956-60. He scored 44 points in a game against the Boston Celtics.
Hopkins is a member of at least six halls of fame. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1963, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and, in 2009, the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame and the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown. In 2013, Hopkins was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Hopkins was married to his wife, Beverly, for more than 55 years. They met at Grambling, where Beverly was a roommate of Hopkins' sister. Other survivors include four children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild. A memorial service was held May 22, 2015, at St. Monica Catholic Church in Mercer Island. In lieu of flowers, the Hopkins family requests that donations be made to the Bob Hopkins Scholarship Fund, c/o Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation, 516 22nd Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Ritsche says WSSU baseball program is in good shape
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Historic seasons don’t come around that often.Winston-Salem State’s baseball team, while it fell short of its goal of reaching the Division II College World Series, completed its best season in school history.
The Rams, who will likely be a preseason top 25 team next season, went 42-15 for the most wins in school history.
Coach Kevin Ritsche, who just completed his fifth season, is 182-93 overall and the Rams have won the last five CIAA titles.
Before heading into summer break Ritsche sat down at the Bowman Gray Stadium field house to talk about this past season and to look ahead.
Q: Coming off the school’s best season in history what is the mindset as you look ahead to next spring?
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FAMU hazing death attorney facing complaint from Florida Bar
ORANGE COUNTY, Florida — 9 Investigates has learned the attorney representing the family of Florida A&M University hazing victim Robert Champion is facing a serious complaint by the Florida Bar Association.
Attorney Christopher Chestnut is accused of lying to the court, having runners solicit grieving victims at funerals and charging excessive fees.
Channel 9's Lori Brown learned that the complaint could have serious ramifications.
Chestnut's website boasts that his is a multimillion-dollar law firm that represents clients around the United States. The site says he has been acknowledged by President Barack Obama as a national emerging leader.
One of Chestnut's high-profile cases involved representing the family of Champion in a civil case against FAMU.
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Attorney Christopher Chestnut is accused of lying to the court, having runners solicit grieving victims at funerals and charging excessive fees.
Channel 9's Lori Brown learned that the complaint could have serious ramifications.
Chestnut's website boasts that his is a multimillion-dollar law firm that represents clients around the United States. The site says he has been acknowledged by President Barack Obama as a national emerging leader.
One of Chestnut's high-profile cases involved representing the family of Champion in a civil case against FAMU.
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DI Baseball Committee releases field of 64 teams for 2015 tournament
NDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The field of 64 teams competing for the 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced Monday by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.The national top eight seeds are UCLA (42-14), LSU (48-10), Louisville (43-16), Florida (44-16), Miami (Florida) (44-14), Illinois (47-8-1), TCU (43-11) and Missouri State (45-10). The top eight seed for Missouri State marks a first for a Missouri Valley Conference institution.
Interactive Bracket Printable
The ACC and SEC lead all conferences in the number of teams in the championship field with seven. The Pac-12 has six institutions, while the Big 10 had a league-record five selected.
Making the tournament for the first time includes Radford of the Big South Conference, Florida A&M of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Houston Baptist of the Southland Conference and Cal State Bakersfield of the Western Athletic Conference. Overall, 27 of the 64 teams were in the field last year.
Miami (Florida) is in the field for the 43rd consecutive year, extending its own record. Florida State is making its 38th consecutive appearance, second all-time. Other long consecutive streaks: Cal State Fullerton (24), Rice (21) and Arkansas (13).
Each of the 16 regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 29, to Monday, June 1 (if necessary). Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced at approximately 11 p.m. ET June 1.
The 69th Men’s College World Series begins play Saturday, June 13, at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
| 2015 AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONFERENCE | TEAM | RECORD | YRS* | W | L | PREV. APP. |
| American East | Stony Brook | 34-14-1 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 2012 |
| American Athletic | East Carolina | 40-20 | 27 | 31 | 53 | 2012 |
| Atlantic Coast | Florida State | 41-19 | 53 | 178 | 117 | 2014 |
| Atlantic Sun | Lipscomb | 39-18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2008 |
| Atlantic 10 | VCU | 37-22 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 2010 |
| Big East | St. John's (N.Y.) | 39-14 | 35 | 63 | 62 | 2012 |
| Big South | Radford | 43-14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First |
| Big Ten | Michigan | 37-23 | 22 | 59 | 43 | 2008 |
| Big 12 | Texas | 30-25 | 57 | 233 | 114 | 2014 |
| Big West | Cal St. Fullerton | 34-22 | 37 | 146 | 78 | 2014 |
| Colonial | UNCW | 39-16 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 2013 |
| Conference USA | FIU | 29-29 | 11 | 8 | 21 | 2011 |
| Horizon | Wright St. | 41-15 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2011 |
| Ivy | Columbia | 31-15 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2014 |
| Metro Atlantic | Canisius | 34-28 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2013 |
| Mid-American | Ohio | 36-19 | 11 | 14 | 20 | 1997 |
| Mid-Eastern | Florida A&M | 23-23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First |
| Missouri Valley | Missouri St. | 45-10 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 2012 |
| Mountain West | San Diego St. | 40-21 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 2014 |
| Northeast | Sacred Heart | 23-30-1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2012 |
| Ohio Valley | Morehead St. | 38-20 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1983 |
| Pacific-12 | UCLA | 42-14 | 20 | 60 | 30 | 2013 |
| Patriot | Lehigh | 25-29 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2006 |
| Southeastern | Florida | 44-16 | 31 | 85 | 64 | 2014 |
| Southern | Mercer | 35-21 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2013 |
| Southland | Houston Baptist | 28-25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First |
| Southwestern | Texas Southern | 31-17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2008 |
| Summit | Oral Roberts | 41-14 | 25 | 34 | 48 | 2012 |
| Sun Belt | La.-Lafayette | 39-21 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 2014 |
| West Coast | Pepperdine | 30-27 | 28 | 58 | 54 | 2014 |
| Western Athletic | Cal St. Bakersfield | 36-22-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | First |
| *Includes 2015 | ||||||
| COURTESY NCAA.COM |
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