Tuskegee's Dunn Adds Six Signees for 2015-16 Season

TUSKEGEE, Alabama -- Second-year Tuskegee University head men's basketball coach Jerry Dunn announced the addition of six student-athletes for the 2015-16 basketball season this week. This group will join Joshua Culver, who joined the Golden Tigers during the early signing period.

Joshua Culver, 6'-9 1/2, Freshman Forward, Berkmar High School (Lilburn, Ga.)
I am impressed with his skill set and inside presence that he brings to our team," said Head Coach Jerry Dunn. "He is a big guy that has great hands, runs the floor very well and likes playing inside. More important, Josh is a high character young man and a great teammate."



Austin Cherry, 6-2, Freshman, Combo Guard, Hoover High School (Birmingham, Ala.)
As a senior, Cherry averaged 19 points per game, three assists and five rebounds per game. An Honorable Mention pick for the Birmingham All-Area team, led Hoover in the state championship game with 14 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes of play. He was selected as the Class 7A AHSAA State Tournament Most Valuable Player in the Final Four.

"Austin can play both guard positions as well as score the basketball with consistency," Dunn said. "He brings experience at a high level as he was the MVP of his state championship team."



Andrew Jimenez, 5-11, Sophomore, Point Guard, Barton College (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Jimenez played in 19 games last season at Barton College, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the free throw line. The sophomore guard, a product of Kennesaw Mountain High School, will be eligible immediately for the Golden Tigers. As a senior at Kennesaw Mountain High School, Jimenez averaged 21 points and four assists per game, while shooting 45 percent from the floor.

"Andrew is a heady lead guard who is a pass-first player," Dunn said. "He makes others better, but is a capable scorer and competitor."



James Eads, 6-4, Freshman, Guard/Forward, Edgewater High School (Orlando, Fla.)
During his senior season, Eads played in 30 games for Edgewater High School, averaging 15 points per game. He also averaged 1.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The incoming freshman connected on 50 (156-of-313) percent of his shots from the floor, and connected on 16 3-pointers during his senior season.

"James is explosive and skilled," Dunn said. "He can play multiple positions that will help us and is tough, tough competitor."



Thomas Massey, 6-9, Freshman, Forward/Center, Shiloh High School (Snellville, Ga.)
Massey comes to Tuskegee with four years of eligibility remaining after sitting out last season.

"Thomas is a skilled big man with a huge upside," Dunn said. "He is capable of scoring in the paint or from the perimeter, and he is just scratching the surface of his potential."

DANIEL ROACH
6-6 FRESHMAN FORWARD

Daniel Roach, 6-6, Freshman, Forward, Collins Hill High School (Suwannee, Ga.)
Roach ended his prep career by averaging 12.7 point per game for Collins Hill High School. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals, to go along with one block and one steal per game as senior.

"Daniel is a multiple position player who is still growing," Dunn said. "He is a skilled player that has great potential, with his best years ahead of him."

CHRIS STEELE
6-2 FRESHMAN GUARD
 

Chris Steele, 6-2, Freshman, Guard, St. Francis High School (Alpharetta, Ga.)
Steele averaged six points per game as senior, while playing in 32 games and leading his team to a state championship. He connected on 45 (68-of-152) percent of his field goal attempts, while also connecting on 38 (31-of-82) percent of his 3-point attempts.

"Chris is a good shot maker who can score the ball in a variety of ways," Dunn said. "He is a good teammate who understands how to play the game of basketball. Chris will bring the leadership and determination to win from his senior season as he helped lead his team to the state championship."

Tuskegee (15-13, 11-8 SIAC) is coming off of a quarterfinal appearance in the SIAC Tournament last season, and will return six players from last season to go along with the seven signees for 2015-16.

For more information and up-to-the minute updates, follow Tuskegee Athletics on Twitter @MyTUAthletics, or like us on Facebook.

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WVSU Jackets' Thompson Signs Minor League Contract

Tyler Thompson
Pitcher, RH
6'-2," 175
 Resides: Athens, Ohio             

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- Former West Virginia State University (WVSU) pitching star Tyler Thompson has signed a Minor League baseball contract with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association of Independent Baseball.

Thompson saw his first action for the RedHawks Thursday, July 2.

This year's Mountain East Conference tournament MVP tossed two innings of scoreless relief allowing just one hit while striking out two as the North Dakota based RedHawks defeated Gary, Indiana, 3-1.

Thompson finished his WVSU career with a record of 25-6 and struck out 221 batters in 203.2 innings while playing an important role on conference champion teams in 2014 and 2015.

RedHawks games are streamed online here -- http://player.tritondigital.com/19461

The team's web site can be found here -- FARGO-MOORHEAD REDHAWKS

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UDC Champions Featured in East Coast Conference 2014-15 Year In Review

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York – The East Coast Conference media relations office recently released its 2014-15 "Year in Review" featuring summaries of all 17 sport seasons as well as all conference-wide community service initiatives.  (Click HERE for 2014-15 ECC Year in Review).

The University of the District of Columbia athletic highlights in this review were one regular season ECC champion (women's basketball), one ECC runner-up (women's outdoor track & field), two NCAA Division II Tournament teams (women's basketball and men's tennis), three ECC playoff contenders (women's basketball, women's tennis and men's tennis), a rookie of the year in both men's and women's tennis (Diego Pinto and Laura Dimante), a Defensive Player of the Year in women's basketball (Denikka Brent) and an Athlete of the Year in women's outdoor track & field (Simone Grant).

UDC was also recognized in the review for its involvement in two conference-wide community service initiatives: ECC Team-Up to Clean-Up and the ECC Spirit Showcase. Additionally, a conference-high three Firebird student-athletes earned ECC Scholar-Athlete awards in their respective sports.

 

Read more by following this link, and follow East Coast Conference news by going to www.eccsports.org.
 

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NSU's Kyle O'Quinn should blossom with the New York Knicks

O'Quinn has agreed on a four-year, $16 million deal with a player option for the fourth year.

NEW YORK -- Kyle O'Quinn hasn't produced much yet in the NBA. In irregular minutes as a Magicman, he showed the basic dexterity and willingness to do most things, but never quite embraced a role. Over the next 3-4 years in New York, O'Quinn will hopefully earn more stable work, and find an effective niche for himself in the process.

O'Quinn is 25. He is a large gentleman -- around 6'10 and easily 250 pounds, with broad shoulders, a 7'5 wingspan, and often sports a beard you or I could comfortably sleep inside. He smiles constantly.

O'Quinn grew up in Queens, then attended Norfolk State for 4 years, winning MEAC DPOY as a junior. He shot threes regularly in college, though with decreasing accuracy (from quite good to quite horrible) each season. The jewel of O'Quinn's fine college career was the Spartans' famous upset of Missouri in 2012, in which he dropped 26 and 14 and played grief counselor for Phil Pressey:

He kills you, then he hugs you so tenderly you forget you're dead.



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Grambling State University Begins New Era With Installation of 9th President in 114 Year History

Willie D. Larkin, Ph.D.
President
GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  Greetings Grambling Family!

I am extremely honored to have been selected as the 9^th President of Grambling State University!  As you ALL know, Grambling is an exceptional, innovative, creative, and outstanding university.  I know our university will only get better and better!

I call upon each of you to work with me as a team and embrace and confront the challenges and expand and create new and innovative opportunities to return our beloved institution to the highest level of greatness.  As my wife and I drove onto campus, a breath of fresh air welcomed us as we surveyed our new citadel of greatness–Grambling!

As I reflected on the selection and recruitment process, I knew, in every ounce of my being, that Grambling needed me as much as I needed Grambling.  I have come home; but my stay will be marked by how much we ALL can do together to restore Grambling to that once great roar!

Grambling State is hallowed grounds and many iconic legends have walked across our campus and many more will in the future.  You and I have a great opportunity before us to build on past successes. Although it will not always be easy, I am asking all Gramblinites to embrace a new tomorrow; a new day has come to our beloved institution–THE Grambling State University Tigers!

To achieve our ends, our duty, our goal is simple: to embrace and grow the university and establish a robust resource acquisition strategy.  We will ask Grambling men and women, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni to give as they have never given before!

And rest assured that every penny will be accounted for and every resource will be for the healing of dear ole’ Grambling.  My administration will be transparent and transformative as we re-brand Grambling as a phoenix Tiger rising again in the higher education arena. We will expand the university’s reach and continue to attract a broader array of talented, motivated, and achievement-oriented students.

In addition to elevating the academic standards on campus, we will rebuild our athletic prowess, and claw our way to greatness as we place competitive gamesmanship and fear into the hearts and minds of our opponents as they serve as our honored competitors.  We will be both scholars and fierce competitors to all those we encounter.

The ultimate goal is to become one of the top universities in the country.  Remember, we are “ONE GRAMBLING: Honoring History, Keeping Promises, and Fulfilling Dreams.” 

Come join me as we begin the process of rebuilding a dynasty of excellence–in all that we do!  In order for us to accomplish our shared vision, we must all push and pull in the same direction.  We are family and we must work together.

Stay tuned, as you will hear more from me in the days, weeks, and months to come. 

Again, thank you for welcoming me to the Grambling State University Family and allowing me to become a “G.”

With Great Enthusiasm,


Willie D. Larkin, Ph.D.
President
Grambling State University.

Biographical Sketch

As the son of sharecropper parents who never had the chance to go to college, Dr. Willie D. Larkin recognized the value of higher education from an early age and has always strived to help others achieve their dream of a college education. As the ninth president of Grambling State University, he vows to continue the university’s historic commitment to put students first and prepare them to become leaders, pioneers and innovators.

Dr. Larkin has served as Chief of Staff to leaders of Morgan State University and the University of Wisconsin Colleges, where he worked directly with the chancellor, and the president at Morgan State University, to provide oversight of nearly 3,000 employees and an operating budget of more than $300 million. At Auburn University, he was the faculty advisor to the university’s Board of Trustees and the first African American to chair the university’s 90-member University Senate.

With his extensive experience in education, Dr. Larkin began his career by working more than 20 years as a leadership and organizational development specialist at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, where he created leadership and economic development initiatives for the state of Alabama. Dr. Larkin is also a nationally recognized motivational speaker, trainer, consultant and writer who delivers high-impact speeches and seminars on personal and professional empowerment, leadership, conflict resolution and diversity in the workplace.

Dr. Larkin is a former Kellogg Fellow who earned his doctorate in Agricultural Education Extension from The Ohio State University, where he specialized in 4-H and Youth Development. He earned both a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education and a master’s degree in Extension Education from Tuskegee University.


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XU's Moses and Fakler receive All-Louisiana distinction

CATHERINE FAKLER AND COACH JOSEPH MOSES RECEIVES ALL-LOUISIANA
RECOGNITION BY THE LSWA

NEW ORLEANS — Joseph Moses and Catherine Fakler are Xavier University of Louisiana's representatives on the 2015 All-Louisiana women's track and field team sponsored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and announced late Saturday.
    
Moses, who led the Gold Nuggets to a third consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference outdoor team championship, was voted Coach of the Year by an LSWA panel of track sports information directors. Fakler qualified for the team in two events as the state's No. 3 performer this year in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs.
    
Moses, 47, produced qualifiers for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships in four events, and one — long-jumper Devinn Rolland — earned All-America for the third time in four years. Rolland and Fakler were Xavier's first-ever first-team CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
    
This is the first time for Moses to be named Louisiana Coach of the Year in track and field. He has won the LSWA award a combined nine times in men's and women's cross country. Runner-up for women's Coach of the Year was LSU's Dennis Shaver, who won or shared the honor eight of the past nine seasons.
    
Moses is the first from a non-NCAA university to be named Louisiana Coach of the Year in track and the second from an HBCU. Southern's Johnny Thomas won the men's award in 2003.
    
Fakler, from Phoenix, Ariz., and a graduate of Xavier College Preparatory High School, was All-Louisiana in two events for the second time in three years. She qualified with a time of 4 minutes, 51.07 seconds in the 1,500 and 18:54.34 in the 5,000. In April she four individual events and anchored a winning relay at the GCAC Championships, and in May she became the first XU student-athlete on record to graduate with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
    
Fakler is Xavier's first student-athlete to be named All-Louisiana in cross country and track. She was an all-state harrier each of the past two autumns.
    
The top three performers in each event, based on times compiled by the NCAA and NAIA, earn All-Louisiana.

 It's the third straight year that the Gold Nuggets were represented on the All-Louisiana team. Hannah Finnegan qualified in 2014 with the No. 1 time in the 3,000 steeplechase.
    
Although neither made the team, sprinter Joseph Moses III — the son of the coach — and hurdler Tylor Row were runners-up in Freshman of the Year voting.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Former WSSU and Pender County football star finds new outlook with new sport

ROCKY POINT, North Carolina -- Going into his junior year of high school, Desmond Jordan got the chance to become a pioneer in a sport he loved: football.

Now, he's charting a new path in life with a different sport: rugby.

With Trask High School about to open in his hometown of Rocky Point, Jordan transferred there from Pender High, where his parents and older brother went to school, and although he was a member of Trask’s second graduating class, he was involved in plenty of firsts on the football field.

PHOTO GALLERY

“I was the first football carrier. I was the first 300-yard guy at Trask. I was the first 1,500-plus-yard guy at Trask,” Jordan said. “There not too many times you can look in the yearbooks and say ‘I was on the first team here.'”

After high school, Jordan played football for Guilford College in Greensboro. Before his junior season, coach Mike Ketchum left for Winston-Salem State University, and Jordan decided to follow him, playing at Winston-Salem State for two years while the school was transitioning to the MEAC conference.

Coming out of college Jordan searched for opportunities to ...

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