Evans to be inducted into SWAC Hall of Fame

SELMA, Alabama  -- Selma Mayor George Evans is one of seven honorees that will be inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Hall of Fame in December.

Evans began officiating SWAC games in 1979 and quickly became one of the conference’s most recognizable officials. He officiated 16 conference tournaments and more than 10 championship games during his time with the conference.

“I’m honored and thankful and feel honored and blessed to be selected,” Evans said.

He also spent more than a decade coordinating officials for men and women’s basketball. Evans said he worked with several current NBA officials during his time with the SWAC.

“A lot of the NBA officials today went through SWAC to become NBA officials,” Evans said. “A lot of the officials you see nowadays in the other divisions and conferences got their start in SWAC, so I know so many of them because I officiated with a lot of them.”

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Mississippi Valley State coach Rick Comegy faces former team on Halloween

ITTA BENA, Mississippi   -- Mississippi Valley State hasn't beaten Jackson State in consecutive years since the 1980's.

The winless Delta Devils (0-8, 0-6) play host to Jackson State (2-5, 2-4) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium in a surprising matchup of the two worst SWAC teams.

Valley won 27-23 last season at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, snapping a 20-game losing streak.

Former Jackson State coach Rick Comegy goes up against his former team and interim Tigers coach Derrick McCall, whom he hired as an assistant years ago.

"I know he loves the game," Comegy said in a SWAC Teleconference call. " I know he's excited, I'm happy for him. I don't think there's a better person they could have chosen to step up and take the reigns at this point. He's a guy that will love the team, he's a guy that will motivate them he's going to work. He's not going to sit back. I know he wants to come out with the win as well as I."

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Magic City Classic is must-win football wrapped in party atmosphere

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It didn’t take James Spady long to start contributing to the Classic part of the Magic City Classic, or to know how vitally important the game was to his career and his constituents.

Day one on the job as Alabama A&M’s head football coach, he already knew the importance of the game.

“Since I first got off the plane in Huntsville, I have heard about the Classic,” Spady said.

He heard about it at the tent revival that was his press conference. He heard about it at the VIP reception at the downtown hotel two weeks later. He heard about it in the campus meeting room when fans gathered to hear reports from his first recruiting class.

Lord knows he’s heard about since the Bulldogs’ last game, a victory over Jackson State on Oct. 17.

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HU's offense needs to reverse course for final three games of season

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HAMPTON, Virginia — In its 40-7 loss to William and Mary last week, Hampton University was the very definition of inept on offense. The Pirates averaged 1.1 yards per rushing attempt, 2.9 yards per play from scrimmage. Just about every offensive stat from that game was a season low.

Which led to the following comment from head coach Connell Maynor: “We played like it was week one.”

The truth is, HU looked far more in sync in the early weeks of the season than it has lately. In their first five games, the Pirates averaged 29 points and 393 yards a game. In the last three, those numbers dropped to 16 points and 273 yards a game.

True, the schedule should be considered, and Hampton was shut down by the nation’s 16th-ranked team last week. But in the season’s second game, the Pirates hung 28 points and 352 yards on Richmond, now No. 6 in FCS.

The Pirates were expected to have one of the most prolific offenses in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and early on they did. Quarterback David Watford was on a record-setting pace, and wideout T.J. Mixson was among the nation’s leading receivers.

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FAMU’s seniors ready to take field at Bragg one last time

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Akil Blount is in his fourth year with Florida A&M’s football team.

During his first three years, the Rattlers were coached by three different men while compiling a 10-26 record.

Blount, now is his senior season, has put together an impressive individual campaign (47 total tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns) while the Rattlers (1-6, 1-3 MEAC) have adjusted to life under yet another new regime.

Still, heading into Senior Night against North Carolina A&T, Blount said there’s nowhere he’d rather be. He and FAMU’s other seniors will take the field at Bragg Memorial Stadium one last time on Saturday against the FCS No. 20 Aggies (6-1, 4-0 MEAC).

“It’s a bittersweet feeling to come in here and finish all four of my years and really have a better career than what I thought I would have,” Blount said.

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Gold Rush 19th, extend NAIA's longest poll streak

NEW ORLEANS — The rankings streak continues for Xavier University of Louisiana's men's basketball program.

The Gold Rush were 19th Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Coaches' Preseason Top 25 poll. The XU men are in the top 25 for the 51st consecutive time — the longest active streak in the division — and the 64th time in the last 65 polls.

Xavier, 24-10 a year ago, will open the 2015-16 season with home games against Webber International at 7 p.m. Thursday and Carver at 6 p.m. Friday in the Convocation Center.

Xavier is one of three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference teams in the top 25. Talladega, the GCAC defending regular-season and tournament champion and a 2015 national semifinalist, is No. 3.

Philander Smith is 20th. It's the first time since Jan. 27, 2015, that the GCAC has three teams in the top 25 and the first time since Feb. 4, 2014, that there are three among the top 20.

The Gold Rush are one place ahead of Philander Smith nationally after finishing one spot behind the Panthers — Philander Smith was second, Xavier third — in the GCAC coaches poll announced earlier this month.

Philander Smith will visit Xavier Jan. 11, and Talladega will visit Jan. 25. Non-conference XU home opponents in the top 25 are LSU-Shreveport (Dec. 29) and William Carey (Feb. 11). The Pilots and Crusaders are tied for 14th.

This is the sixth consecutive time that the XU men start the season in the top 25 and the fourth consecutive year they're in the top 20.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches'
Preseason Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2014-15 season)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Dalton State (9) 32-4 250 1
2 Pikeville (1) 27-5 238 6
3 Talladega 32-5 230 2
4 Arizona Christian 25-9 222 15
5 LSU-Alexandria 23-4 210 17
6 Georgetown (Ky.) 28-8 199 19
7 Hope International 32-3 197 4
8 Evangel 21-13 196 12
9 Freed-Hardeman 29-4 195 9
10 Mid-America Christian 25-11 179 10
11 Martin Methodist 30-5 163 7
12 Wayland Baptist 27-6 159 13
13 Lewis-Clark State 25-8 132 23
14-tie LSU-Shreveport 21-11 129 RV
14-tie William Carey 20-11 129 NR
16 Columbia (Mo.) 26-7 116 18
17 Westmont 25-11 115 3
18 Campbellsville 29-6 113 8
19 Xavier 24-10 112 21
20 Philander Smith 20-10 107 RV
21 MidAmerica Nazarene 11-17 105 NR
22 Benedictine (Kan.) 24-9 92 22
23 Montana Western 23-10 72 14
24 Southwestern Assemblies of God 22-11 64 RV
25 Our Lady of the Lake 25-6 61 16

Dropped from rankings: No. 5 Cal State San Marcos, No. 11 Concordia (Calif.), No. 20 Missouri Valley, No. 24 Oklahoma City, No. 25 Cumberlands
Others receiving votes: Cumberlands 59, Peru State 28, Faulkner 27, Vanguard 25, Rocky Mountain 21, William Penn 12, Bethel (Tenn.) 10, Park 7, Lindenwood-Belleville 6, John Brown 5, Carroll (Mont.) 4, Oklahoma City 3, La.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets in NAIA preseason top 25 for 6th straight year

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was 21st in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 poll announced Tuesday. The Gold Nuggets, 18-15 in 2014-15, are in the preseason top 25 for the sixth consecutive season.

Xavier, announced earlier this month as the preseason coaches pick to win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, is in the top 25 for the first time since Dec. 9, 2014.

Five XU opponents made the top 25, including home opponents Shawnee State (Nov. 26, ranked 16th), Langston (Nov. 27, 18th) and LSU-Shreveport (Jan. 2, 25th). Another home opponent, Eastern Oregon, was 14th in the NAIA Division II poll. The Gold Nuggets will play EOU Nov. 21 for homecoming.

SUNO, which won the GCAC regular season and tournament a year ago, was among others receiving votes and was 27th.

The Gold Nuggets will open their season with games in Florida at Webber International ar 5 p.m. EDT Saturday and at Warner at 7 p.m. EST Monday. The first XU home game will start at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 against LeMoyne-Owen at the Convocation Center.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches'
Preseason Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records from 2014-15 season)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Campbellsville (8) 33-4 219 2
2 Freed-Hardeman (1) 35-2 209 3
3 Vanguard 22-8 201 16
4 Bethel (Tenn.) 32-4 199 4
5 Westmont 27-7 195 7
6 Montana State-Northern 29-6 178 8
7-tie Our Lady of the Lake 27-7 171 10
7-tie Oklahoma City 30-2 171 1
9 MidAmerica Nazarene 27-7 170 11
10 Wayland Baptist 19-12 155 22
11 Great Falls 24-10 140 tie-12
12 Cumberland 16-13 133 RV
13 Loyola 27-4 130 tie-12
14 The Master's 24-9 124 19
15 Benedictine (Kan.) 26-9 119 17
16 Shawnee State 25-10 116 15
17 Lyon 27-7 115 20
18 Langston 29-4 114 14
19 Lewis-Clark State 21-11 92 RV
20 Martin Methodist 25-8 73 RV
21 Xavier 18-15 60 NR
22 Pikeville 23-9 59 23
23 Baker 21-10 57 25
24 Carroll (Mont.) 18-11 54 24
25 LSU-Shreveport 20-12 51 RV

Dropped from rankings: No. 5 Westminster (Utah), No. 6 Oklahoma Baptist, No. 9 Concordia (Calif.), No. 18 Wiley, No. 21 SUNO
Others receiving votes: Texas Wesleyan 48, SUNO 35, Wiley 22, Auburn Montgomery 18, Columbia (Mo.) 16, Lindsey Wilson 10, Hope International 10, William Woods 9, Mid-America Christian 7, John Brown 6, Culver-Stockton 3

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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