Former FMU Standout Jeff Henderson Jumps World-Leading 8.52M At Pan American Games

TORONTO, Canada -- Jeffery Henderson produced a world-leading 8.52m in the long on Wednesday at the Pan American Games in Toronto's York University stadium.

Coming to Toronto as the world leader, Henderson took an early lead with 8.54m, assisted by a 4.1m/s tailwind. When the wind calmed down, he sealed his victory with a wind-legal world-leading 8.52m in the sixth and final round.

"I just wanted to get my performance down," said Henderson, who took USA's first title in the men's long jump at the Pan American Games since Carl Lewis' victory in 1987. "I came out with a win; that's all I wanted to do. I wasn't worried about the competition even though it was great competition. World Championships are next for me. That's my next focus."

COURTESY FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Nine JSU Prancing J-Settes kicked off squad

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Court papers were filed Thursday in Hinds County Chancery Court on behalf of more than half of the members of the Jackson State University Prancing J-Settes dancing team suspended from the squad for the remainder of their academic careers at the university.

The Prancing J-Settes are a widely popular part of the Sonic Boom of the South marching band’s halftime show at JSU football games.

Jackson State University wouldn’t confirm nor deny the suspensions. “The Prancing J-Settes are and will continue to be an important student organization and an integral part of student life at Jackson State University. The university does not comment on internal disciplinary actions,” said Charles N. Smith, associate provost for Student Affairs.

Edna Jones Stringer, an attorney and mother of one of the suspended J-Settes, said the nine J-Settes were booted from the 16-member squad in June after a hazing allegation was made last year. They cannot have any role with the J-Settes during the remainder of their time at the school. The school also assessed a $300 fine against each student, Stringer said.

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Southern football team to start preseason practice off campus

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern football team reported to campus Sunday to get ready for the start of preseason camp. But the Jaguars will be heading off campus for the first several practices beginning Monday afternoon.

A delay in the construction of the Jaguar Park practice facility has forced Southern to practice at the Louisiana Leadership Institute on Hooper Road, just a few miles from campus.

The Jaguars practiced at Louisiana Leadership late last season after the expiration of daylight savings time caused the end of practice to occur after sunset. The existing practice field has no lights, and the current construction makes it unusable until the project is complete.

“The good thing is we’ve been over there before, so we know the plan, we know the layout,” coach Dawson Odums said. “We’re not going to a facility that we’re not comfortable being a part of. It’s a really easy transition. We load up on the busses, head over, get our work in and come back and continue to do that until we get our practice facility ready to go.”

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FAMU football players report to fall camp Monday, begin drills this week

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Alex Wood is preparing for his first fall camp as Florida A&M’s head coach and – if fall is anything like spring and summer at Bragg Memorial – fans should have plenty of reasons to cheer once the team takes the field.

Wood said he was pleased with the team’s participation in summer workouts. Wood and his coaching staff, full of new hires except for offensive line coach Edwin Pata, meet with the Rattlers today before orientation into fall camp, which begins Tuesday.

Drills without pads start Thursday, and full contact drills start Aug. 10.

“We’re looking for position battles at 66 spots,” Wood said. “Offense, defense and special teams. We’re looking for the best 11 to go into those units.”

FAMU was picked to finish ...



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Experience should help NCCU build on success

DURHAM, North Carolina — N.C. Central surprised the MEAC last season and posted the most wins as a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program.

With an overall 7-5 record in 2014, NCCU’s solid first year under rookie head coach Jerry Mack sets up encouraging springboard for his sophomore campaign. As the team reports to camp today and gets ready for the first day of practice Wednesday, we’ve got a few questions that will need to be answered this season.



1. Will NCCU be able to separate itself from a crowd at the top of the conference?

Last year, NCCU came away from the regular season with a 6-2 conference record and a ring — but so did five other teams. The milestone was huge for the Eagles, who’ve struggled to maintain a winning program in recent years. In Mack, it looks like the team may finally have a consistent leader. The goal this year is clear: win a conference championship outright. A few years ago that goal would have been met with a laugh, but this year, a conference championship is very real possibility. Last year NCCU was one of the biggest surprises in the MEAC, but after tying for the top spot, the team will lose its element of surprise this season.

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Questions heading into FAMU fall football camp

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- 1. What will FAMU’s offense look like?

Damien Fleming was the engine that moved Florida A&M’s offense, ranked eighth in the MEAC last season. He accounted for every touchdown for the Rattlers on offense and when he couldn’t move the ball – either with his arm or his legs – FAMU went nowhere.

Now he’s gone.

Redshirt junior quarterback Carson Royal has earned first-year coach Alex Wood’s trust. Wood has spoken highly of Royal on several occasions, saying the young QB is a leader and a steadying force on the team.

“When Coach Wood got here we developed a great relationship,” Royal said.

“The guys are behind me 100 percent. I have the respect of my teammates and I’m just ready to play some football. The offseason felt so long because I’ve been waiting behind Damien for three years just learning and developing my craft.”

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Predictions aside, S.C. State has ingredients for championship

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- It’s that time of year. As all in the South wonder when cooler weather will arrive, college football teams are preparing to put helmets and pads back on and gear up for a new season.

Players and coaches get excited and maybe even a little anxious. Fans get even more excited and plan gameday tailgating and how they are going to celebrate when their team wins.

It’s also the time when prognosticators (people who think they might know what could happen try to convince you they really do know something) announce their orders of finish in the national and conference standings.

It’s always interesting to see if people are making their predictions based on facts or just what they want to see happen as the season unfolds.

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