XU Produces GCAC-Best 37 Commissioner's Honor Roll Members in 2014-15

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has a league-best 37 members on the 2014-15 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Student-athletes qualified for the honor with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher over both semesters. Xavier accounted for one-fourth of the 147 honorees and had 10 more than any other school.

Among the Commissioner's Honor Roll members are Xavier's Brent Kitto from men's cross country/track and field, Catherine Fakler from women's cross country/track and field and Devinn Rolland and Terri Cunningham from women's track and field. Those four will learn Monday if they were selected to the Capital One Academic All-America team.

Women's volleyball led all XU sports with 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll members, followed by women's track/cross country with eight. Xavier's most prolific men's sport was tennis with five honorees.

Xavier's list of honorees:

Name Sport Year Hometown (High School)

Jarvis Thibodeaux Men's Basketball Junior Houston, Texas (St. Pius X)
Emoni Harvey Women's Basketball Junior Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
Alesha Smith Women's Basketball Junior Athens, Ga. (Clarke Central)
Adam Albrecht Men's Tennis Sophomore Ladna, Czech Republic (Gymnasium Breclav)
Jeremiah Capdeville* Men's Tennis Freshman Jennings, La. (Jennings)
Manav Chakma Men's Tennis Junior Agartala, India (Kendriya Vidyalaya Maligaon)
Vincenzo Ciccone Men's Tennis Senior Brooklyn, N.Y. (Aspirations)
Nikita Soifer Men's Tennis Senior Beer Sheva, Israel (Hof Hasharon)
Sha'Nel Bruins Women's Tennis Sophomore Colfax, La. (Grant)
Simone-Alyse Ewell* Women's Tennis Junior Detroit, Mich. (The Roeper School)
Jordyn Goody* Women's Tennis Senior Lake Charles, La. (St. Louis Catholic)
Brandi Nelson Women's Tennis Sophomore Jonesboro, Ga. (Faith Academy)
Jana van der Walt Women's Tennis Junior Houston, Texas (de Aar)
Langston Adams Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Sophomore Baton Rouge, La. (Christian Life Academy)
Emmanuel Detiege Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Senior New Orleans, La (Brother Martin)
Brent Kitto Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Junior Chalmete, La. (Holy Cross)
Erwin Simmons Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Freshman St. James, La. (St. James)
Clarke Allen* Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Freshman Mendenhall, Miss. (Mendenhall)
Carlie Calais Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Freshman Breaux Bridge, La (Ceclia)
Drew Chatters* Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Freshman Lake Charles, La. (St. Louis Catholic)
Terri Cunningham Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Sophomore Nashville, Tenn. (Martin Luther King Magnet)
Catherine Fakler*# Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Senior Phoenix, Ariz (Xavier College Prep)
Hannah Finnegan Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Junior Pekin, Ill (Tremont)
Chelsea James Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Junior Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden City)
Devinn Rolland* Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Senior Harvey, La. (Cabrini)
Jada Broussard Women's Volleyball Freshman Breaux Bridge, La. (Breaux Bridge)
Chinedu Echebelem* Women's Volleyball Senior Dallas, Texas (Duncanville)
Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova Women's Volleyball Sophomore Razlog, Bulgaria (Kanazirevi)
Jodi Hill* Women's Volleyball Junior Prairieville, La. (Dutchtown)
Kayla Jones Women's Volleyball Freshman Kansas City, Kan. (Piper)
Franziska Pirkl* Women's Volleyball Junior Munich, Germany (Theodolinden Gymnasium)
Taylor Reuther* Women's Volleyball Junior Metairie, La. (Dominican)
Kaelan Temple* Women's Volleyball Freshman Houston, Texas (Lamar)
Jelena Vujicic Women's Volleyball Freshman Belgrade, Serbia (Beogradska Gimnazija)
Simone White Women's Volleyball Freshman Hot Springs, Ark. (Hot Springs)
CeCe Williams Women's Volleyball Junior Houma, La. (Vandebilt Catholic)
Aliyah Wilson Women's Volleyball Freshman Florissant, Mo. (Crossroads College Prep)

*indicates a GPA of 3.5 or higher #indicates a 4.0 GPA

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/

WSSU's Wilhelmi is ready for rule changes

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The NCAA rule changes for the 2015-16 basketball season will barely affect Winston-Salem State.

The biggest change is the reduction of the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds. The NCAA hopes it boosts scoring in Division I, where the average of 67.7 points per team per game was the third lowest since 1952. But the rule changes are also for Division II schools.

According to Coach James Wilhelmi of the Rams, who billed themselves as “shock and awe” last season, they never had to worry about too many shot-clock violations while averaging 81 points a game.

“I really think that the 30-second shot clock won’t lead to more scoring,” Wilhelmi said when talking about Division II. “I do believe it will lead to more possessions because the shot clock will run out sooner. The shots that end up being taken might not be quality shots, so the possessions might not add up to more points.”

CONTINUE READING

Camp Tour 2015: Defense key to Parker success

COACH ANDRE ROBINSON

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A. H. Parker High School coach Andre Robinson preaches defense with fervor.

His pedigree is impressive. The former Grambling State University All-America and the SWAC’s Defensive Player of the Year — a sports writer for the school paper picked Robinson one of the top 11 defensive players all-time — also served as the Tigers defensive coordinator.

Players listen when he bellows about defensive urgency. It’ll be defense that carries the Thundering Herd in Year 2 of Robinson’s second stop at Parker.

“Defensively I think we’re going to be all right because we have seven starters back from last year,” Robinson said. “They understand the defense now. Last year they were learning the defense and they didn’t get a good grasp of it, but they played well not knowing the defense. We’re really looking forward to see how they play this year.”

Robinson first coached the Thundering Herd four seasons as defensive coordinator before taking over the head coaching position in 1997. He stayed seven seasons with a 39-37 mark that included a 10-2 record in 2002 with a team built on defense, allowing 7.6 points a game.

CONTINUE READING

Claflin University Softball Player Chelsea Hall Earns National Award

Chelsea Hall finished as the NCAA Division II softball statistical champion in runs
per game and stolen bases

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina — Claflin University's women's softball player Chelsea Hall earned two national awards as announced Wednesday (June 17) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Lady Panthers picked up a national award for the second straight season.

Hall, who will be entering her junior season in 2015-16, finished as the NCAA Division II softball statistical champion in runs per game and stolen bases. She finished the season averaging 1.62 runs per game and 1.49 stolen bases per game. The Lady Panthers, who were the 2013-14 NCAA Division II softball statistical champion in runs per game and doubles per game, finished first in 2014-15 in stolen bases per game at 3.84 per outing.

In addition, Courtney Burns, who will be a senior next year for the Lady Panthers, finished second in in the nation in runs per game and third in batting average.

"It's a wonderful feeling to finish as the best in the nation," head coach Matisse Lee said. "To finish at the top two years in a row is not easy to do and this accomplishment just shows that hard work and dedication pays off in the end." Lee continued, "I'm extremely proud of Chelsea and Courtney, they both played multiple positions but never wavered and managed to stay solid throughout."

In addition the NCAA awards the Lady Panthers softball team earned the 2014-15 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) team academic award.

COURTESY CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Former FAMU Assistant Basketball Coach Donald L. Anderson Passes

COACH DONALD L. ANDERSON
Courtesy: FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (June 18) – Former Florida A&M University assistant men's basketball coach Don Anderson passed away on Wednesday. Anderson was on the FAMU basketball staff last season, but was not slated to return this year.

Anderson came to the Rattler program from Jacksonville (Fla.) University last summer, where he had been the Dolphins’ Director of Basketball Operations since July of 2012.

He served as head coach at Gettysburg College from 1985 to 1989, before moving to Mount Saint Mary’s College as senior assistant head coach from 1989 to 2002, where he helped them reached the NCAA Tournament in 1995 and 1999, as well as the National Invitational Tournament in 1996.

A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College (1982), Anderson also served a stint in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), as the senior
associate head coach at Coppin (Md.) State University under legendary firebrand Ron “Fang” Mitchell, from 2002 to 2006.

He helped guide the Eagles to the 2003-04 MEAC regular season title and a berth in the 2004 MEAC Tournament finals against FAMU.

Prior to landing at Jacksonville, Anderson turned in a five-year run as an assistant coach at Binghamton University (2007-2012), helping lead them to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He also worked one season as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (2006-07).

FAMU head coach Byron Samuels expressed his sorrow at the news of the passing. "Don was a super human being. A gentle giant in many ways. He did a phenomenal job helping to mentor our student-athletes this year. I will greatly miss him as a friend and our profession will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Don's family," he said.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Avery Johnson: ‘My roots are still in Louisiana’

COACH AVERY JOHNSON

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Basketball courts dotted the city, spread in points from the Lafitte Projects in New Orleans like uneven spokes on a bicycle wheel.

Tonti Courts. Lemon Playground. Treme Center. Hike it to Algiers or City Park or Lawrence Square. Any place with a net and a hoop and a game.

And that’s all Avery Johnson and his friends in the 1970s in the heart of New Orleans needed: a bicycle and a basketball and a place to play.

Johnson kept finding courts, first the concrete ones at home and later the best courts in the world, hardwood that welcomed him into one town and one coliseum after another throughout a 16-year NBA playing career.

Metaphorically, as he did year-round as a boy looking for a place to play, he’s never quit pedaling. It’s been a passionate journey, one that’s led Johnson into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, where he’ll be enshrined on Saturday, June 27.

CONTINUE READING

Miami Hurricanes Schedule Preview - Bethune Cookman vs Miami

MIAMI, Florida -- The 2015 Miami Hurricanes football season will start as many do for Power 5 teams: by playing and FCS school. This year, the Canes schedule gets started with a team who has been the early season matchup several times in recent years, when the Bethune Cookman Wildcats visit a partially renovated Sun Life Stadium on September 5th.

No longer an FCS pushover

Let me start with this: Miami is going to win this game. More likely than not, by a sizable margin. But, if you're looking at this game like we did when Savannah State was on the schedule a few years ago, I'm here to tell you that Bethune Cookman is better than you think.



Former Head Coach Brian Jenkins was the head man at Bethune Cookman for 5 seasons. And, in those 5 seasons, the Wildcats were very successful with 4 MEAC championships, 3 trips to the FCS playoffs, and a 46-14 record (34-6 in conference). When you consider that Bethune Cookman had 3 MEAC championships IN THEIR HISTORY before Jenkins too over, that run is even more impressive.

CONTINUE READING