FAMU football coach Alex Wood: summer focus is on academics

 WALTER STEWART
Defensive Ends Coach
Florida A&M University Rattlers
Alma Mater: Cincinnati '12
 

Former Cincinnati DL Walter Stewart has join Alex Wood staff as defensive ends coach. Stewart served 2-years as a defensive graduate assistant under Coach Butch Jones at the University of Tennessee.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It's been a busy summer for first-year Florida A&M head football coach Alex Wood, and he said academics has been the main focus for the team since the end of spring football.

"We just need our guys to do well in the classroom this summer," he said. "There's still a lot of development that needs to happen, but right now we're focused on finishing strong academically in summer school."

Wood – who will return to Tallahassee July 13 — said the academic focus is what the team needs to battle NCAA sanctions due to low APR scores. FAMU football is ineligible for the postseason for the second year in a row, and the team can't hold full spring practices until the sanctions are lifted.

Fall football practice starts Aug. 3 for the Rattlers.

"I knew APR scores were looming and I knew that would be a problem coming in," Wood said.

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Baltimore Legend, Retiring Bob Wade lauded for his leadership, ready to 'get a little rest'

The Morgan State University graduate was the first African-American men's basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history when Maryland hired him in 1986.  Over his tenure at Baltimore’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Wade’s teams won 91.9 percent of its games.

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Having left an immeasurable mark on high school sports in the area, Bob Wade has retired as Baltimore City Public School System coordinator of athletics..

Wade, 70, began his tenure in 1996, bringing leadership, discipline and success to Baltimore City's athletic program, which had joined the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association three years prior.


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"I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with all the student-athletes and coaches involved with Baltimore City public schools and also work hand in hand with the MPSSAA," Wade said. "I feel very good that during my tenure we made giant steps toward respectability as far as the state association and we gained a tremendous amount of credibility. I think we've come a long way. I'm happy to see the number of student-athletes being given athletic scholarships to further their education and academic scholarships as well."

In addition to strengthening Baltimore's ties with the MPSSAA, Wade was pivotal in adding softball, girls tennis and badminton programs during his watch to assure compliance with Title IX.

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After 2-year hiatus, UAPB returning to Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- The Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team is coming back to Little Rock.

At least for one day.

A group of UAPB officials that included Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, Athletic Director Lonza Hardy and Coach Monte Coleman visited Little Rock on Wednesday to promote the school's football game this fall at War Memorial Stadium.

UAPB will host defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alcorn State on Oct. 3 in its first visit to War Memorial Stadium since 2012.

"It's been a long time coming," Hardy said. "We didn't just want to play a game, we wanted to play a marquee game. We believe there is no better marquee matchup than the Golden Lions playing against the defending champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference."

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UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 2015 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Stadium	Location	Time
Sept. 6	vs. South Carolina State+	Florida Citrus Bowl	Orlando, Fla.	3:30 p.m. EST
Sept. 12	Morehouse College	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Sept. 19	Texas Southern*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Sept. 26	at Alabama A&M*	Louis Crews Stadium	Normal, Ala.	1 p.m.
Oct. 3	vs. Alcorn State*	War Memorial Stadium	Little Rock, Ark.	4 p.m.
Oct. 17	Alabama State*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Oct. 24	at Jackson State*	Veteran Memorial Stadium	Jackson, Miss.	2 p.m.
Oct. 31	at Prairie View A&M*	Waller Stadium	Waller, Texas	TBA
Nov. 7	Southern*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	2:30 p.m.
Nov. 14	Grambling State* HC	Golden Lions Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	2:30 p.m.
Nov. 21	at Miss. Valley State*	Rice-Totten Stadium	Itta Bena, Miss.	1 p.m.

Former Alabama linebacker Alex Watkins helps Stillman bulk up

COACH ALEX WATKINS

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Football stars aren't usually found in the offseason.

Stillman College coach Teddy Keaton believes he has found one, and he isn't even on the Tigers' roster.

Former University of Alabama linebacker
Alex Watkins is making a difference at Stillman as the strength and conditioning coach. He was hired a little less than a year ago.

Watkins, from Brownsville, Tenn., was a senior on UA's 2011 national championship team.

“This is his first offseason with our kids,” Keaton said. “You can see a big difference. I saw a big difference during the season with their bodies changing. The things he learned at Alabama, he brought to Stillman.”

Those things aren't just about getting bigger and stronger. Stillman emphasized bulk in the past, but Watkins is working to increase athleticism.

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Hampton's Deron Powers latest MEAC hoops star to transfer

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Hampton basketball senior point guard and 2015 Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, Deron Powers, has decided to transfer.

"Honestly, I want to play for a better program," Powers, a Williamsburg, Va. native, told The Daily Press of Hampton. "I'm definitely up for anything, and it doesn't have to be at the highest level. There are a lot of good programs I wouldn't mind going to, but I am looking for a higher profile team that needs a point guard."



Powers, considered one of the best point guards in the MEAC and a third team all-conference selection, averaged 10.1 points, 29th best in the conference and fourth best on the Pirates squad, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, fifth in the league. A former MEAC rookie of the year, Powers played three years for Hampton and is fifth on the school's all-time assist list.

The decision is odd considering that he led the Pirates, a fifth seed, to the MEAC tournament title and then guided them to a win over Manhattan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hampton lost to top seed Kentucky in the second round. All three games were nationally televised. Powers joins a list of MEAC standouts who have decided to transfer following the 2014-15 season.

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Harris-Stowe State University Hires Hana Haden as Women’s Head Basketball Coach

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is pleased to announce Hana Haden as its head women’s basketball coach. Haden, 23, comes to Harris-Stowe after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) during the 2014-15 season. During that season, Haden helped lead the Tritons to an overall record of 14-14; (10-3 home record and 9-9 conference record).

“After a national search of very qualified candidates, Coach Haden emerged as the best fit for our women’s basketball program. I am positive that she will excel here at Harris-Stowe,” said Jamaal Mayo, athletic director, Harris-Stowe State University. “Coach Haden has connections in St. Louis and across the country and I look forward to her attracting quality young women to Harris-Stowe and developing those ladies into champions on and off the basketball court.”

Haden is a 2014 graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Communications and served as a team captain for the Catamount women’s basketball team. As a senior she led the team in scoring once and scored in double figures five times; averaging 4.5 points per game and tied in assists with 32.

“I look forward to leading our young ladies on the court, as well as being an inspiration in helping them achieve the ultimate goal of a four year degree.” Haden said. “I see many great things in the future and couldn't be more excited to join the Hornet family during this new era for Harris-Stowe athletics.”

Prior to graduating from Western Carolina, Haden attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis and spent one season at Mineral Area Junior College, where she was named Honorable Mention All-Region. Originally from Springfield, Mo., Haden attended high school at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

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Harris-Stowe State University’s Athletics Department Hires Alfred Williams as Men’s Head Basketball Coach

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) has hired Alfred Williams as its head coach of the Hornet's men's basketball program, the school announced today.

Williams, 31, has served on head coach Dannton Jackson's staff at his alma mater Xavier University of Louisiana for the past six seasons (2009-15). During Williams' tenure as an assistant coach, the Gold Rush were 139-55 with three consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championships (2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14) and five consecutive appearances at the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championships (2011-15).

"We're thrilled to welcome Coach Williams to St. Louis and into the Harris-Stowe State University family," said Harris-Stowe Director of Athletics Jamaal Mayo. "He comes from incredible basketball pedigree and will be an outstanding leader for our men's basketball program and a phenomenal mentor for our student-athletes."

As a player for the Gold Rush, Williams is one of three players in Xavier's storied basketball history to achieve the 800 points, 500 rebounds and 150 assists milestone his career.

"I believe we have a great opportunity to do some amazing things at Harris-Stowe and we'll be working hard to get a little better every day," said Williams. "I look forward to sharing my passion for the game and bringing a thrilling and fun style of basketball to Hornet Nation, exciting the student-body and the entire St. Louis community."

Williams is a native of Greenville, S.C. and a 2008 graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. After graduation, Williams returned to South Carolina to work with his brother Eric Williams. Eric is the founder and CEO of Fundamentals IV Success, Inc., a non-profit community agency that offers educational, personal and athletic assistance to basketball student-athletes.

Williams' other brother, Shammond was a four-year letterman at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and helped lead the Tar Heels to three NCAA Final Four appearances. Shammond went on to play 13 years professionally, which includes seven in the NBA. Currently Shammond is coaching college basketball in New Orleans as an assistant at Tulane.

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