Florida offense pounces early in NCAA baseball region victory over Bethune-Cookman

GAINESVILLE, Florida — Former Plant High standout Peter Alonso hit two home runs in his first game since returning from a broken hand as host and top national seed Florida beat Bethune-Cookman 9-3 Friday in the first day of the NCAA baseball tournament's Gainesville Region.

Alonso hadn't played since May 13, when a bone in his left hand was broken by a 95 mph fastball from Vanderbilt's Jordan Sheffield. On Friday, Alonso delivered a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the fourth, giving him 11 on the season. He also singled in the eighth.

UF ace Logan Shore (11-0) allowed two earned runs in 61/3 innings. Tyler Norris surrendered six runs, four earned, in 22/3 for the Wildcats, the MEAC tournament champion.

The Gators (48-13), who improved to 31-0 all time against Bethune-Cookman, face Connecticut today at 6 p.m. in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination region. UConn, the No. 3 seed and American Athletic Conference tournament champion, defeated Georgia Tech 7-6. Bethune-Cookman (29-26) faces the Yellow Jackets today at noon in an elimination game.



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SC State Women''s Basketball Adds Three More For 2016-17 Season

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina – South Carolina State head women's basketball coach Doug Robertson announced Friday the signing of three more student-athletes who will play for the Lady Bulldogs in the upcoming season.

Robertson welcomes five-foot-nine forward Schekinah Bimpa (Kinshasa, Congo/Loganville HS (Ga.)), 5-4 point guard Bryeasha Blair (Chicago, Ill./University of Central Florida), and 5-9 guard Chantel Williams (Charlotte, N.C./Mallard Creek HS).

Bimpa averaged 13.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 steal per game as a senior last season at Loganville High School in Loganville, Ga. She helped the Red Devils to a 21-9 overall record during the 2015-16 season and a 12-2 mark in regional play.



"Schekinah is a tough inside player who can score the ball, crash the boards and create turnovers", Robertson said.

Blair played two seasons at the University of Central Florida and graduated with a bachelor's degree in interpersonal communications in May 2015. She will work towards an MBA at SC State and will have two years of eligibility with the Lady Bulldogs. Prior to UCF, she was a four-year player at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Ill., leading her team to the 2008 Illinois State Championship and the Chicago City Championships in 2009 and 2010.

"Bryeasha has previous Division I playing experience that will help us tremendously at the point guard position", said Robertson.

Williams played in 28 games this past season as a senior at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, N.C. She averaged 11.9 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals per game while helping the Mavericks to a 26-2 overall record. As a sophomore, she tallied 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and two steals per game.

Williams Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/7140969/chantel-williams

"Chantel is a quick guard who will create scoring options for us", Robertson said.

Bimpa, Blair and Williams join 6-1 power forward Alexis Scott (Anderson, S.C./West Side HS) who signed during the early period. Scott helped the Lady Rams to an 18-5 overall record and an appearance in the 2015 SC HS Class AAAA playoffs during the 2014-15 season. Scott also led WHS to the Region 1-AAAA title while averaging 14.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game in 2014-15.

Scott Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4802227/highlights/244149376

"Alexis is great athlete we were fortunate to sign in the early period," Robertson said. "She will give our game an added dimension in the paint with her ability to score and defend the basket."

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

City of Houston makes offer to move SWAC headquarters here

HOUSTON, Texas -- The City of Houston has made an offer to the Southwestern Athletic Conference to move its headquarters from Birmingham, Ala. to Houston.

“We’re trying to move them here from Alabama and set them up in the city of Houston,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

“We have made an offer for them to consider, and they are taking a look at it. Hopefully, we can get them here.

The SWAC headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Alabama since 1999. Before that the conference headquarters was in New Orleans.

“If they accept our offer we have told them where they would be,” Turner said. “Their offices would be in the downtown area. We’ve given them a pretty good deal from a financial point of view, much, much better than where they are right now.”

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from THE EDITOR Dwight Floyd: From football coach to acting president

SUMMATION OF LIFE & LEADERSHIP OF FAMU’S PRESIDENTS, SERIES PART 5: JUBIE B. BRAGG, ACTING [1944]

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA -- Jubie B. Bragg was born in Twiggs County Georgia in 1876. He lived with his parents in Macon, Georgia from 1881 to 1886. For that period his parents taught him how to spell simple words. He expanded his vocabulary by using a Webster’s Blue-Book Speller. He attended school on a limited basis until 1886 when at the age of only 10 years old both parents died within ten days apart.

He lived in different places and took on odd jobs that didn’t make much money. He tried to stay afresh of the things he had learned. At twelve years of age he went to live with his uncle and further developed a work ethic on his uncle’s farm. Two months of the year he attended school. After three years he returned to his home town of Macon, Georgia. Later on he was encouraged by young men who had attended Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to consider going to school there, Bragg discussed the idea of furthering his education with family members. He was discouraged from attending Tuskegee because the family members felt strongly his current education would suffice. Acting against the will of family members Bragg entered Tuskegee Institute on September 11, 1893.

Bragg had no money for tuition or living expenses and relied on the school providing work to pay expenses. He attended night school and eventually chose wheelwrighting as his primary study. He would also take academic courses. As each year progressed he was successfully promoted. About his initial experience in educational leadership J. B. Bragg writes:

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Holt Joins ASU Women's Basketball Coaching Staff

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson most definitely has done some changing to her back-to-back championship team, by adding a little more expertise to her coaching staff with bringing in veteran coach Dexter Holt as a new assistant.

Holt just completed his fifth season as an assistant men's basketball coach at Alabama A&M University and his 16th season overall as a full-time assistant coach with the Bulldogs. He has more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience with Alabama A&M - 11 seasons with women's basketball and 11 seasons with the men's team in some capacity.

"I am excited with the hiring of Dexter," said Freeman-Jackson. "I have been observing him as a coach for so many years when he was with the women's team over at Alabama A&M. He's a class act he had an opportunity once he left with the women's team to join us, but he decided to stay at AAMU and join the men's team as an assistant coach and that's where I got him from. Dexter had been with the men's team for about five years and I have been watching his professionalism, especially when he's on the road recruiting. He knows his job and I think he will fit right in the scheme of things of what we are doing as far as our quest to continue to win championships here at Alabama State."

Holt is no stranger to the SWAC as his bio reads. He began his career in 1993 on then-men's Head Coach Vann Pettaway's staff as a student assistant. Those teams won three consecutive regional championships and went to three consecutive NCAA Elite Eight appearances (1993-1996).

"One thing I know for sure is that Coach Holt is already accustomed to the SWAC and winning," Freeman-Jackson said. "With him coming from a sister school this will be an easy transition for him as well as for us."

In 2000, then-Alabama A&M women's Head Coach Press Parham sought the up-and-coming young coach to become part of his coaching staff as a full-time assistant. Holt went on to become the top assistant for Parham's final two seasons.

Holt was so dedicated to the university that, in 2002, under a new head coach that she decided to keep him on her staff as her top assistant. Their personalities fit well and the program flourished under their leadership as the team finished .500 or better six out of nine seasons, including several top five SWAC finishes.

During his coaching career with the women's team, Holt recruited and developed many All-SWAC performers as well as two SWAC Players of the Year. Some of those players were guards and they led the SWAC in scoring three consecutive years (2009, 2010, and 2011). Holt is well-respected throughout the Southeast as being a great recruiter. He recruited several state Players of the Year and several under-the-radar players who developed into All-SWAC performers.

"Between Coach Harris (Associate Head Coach of ASU women's team) and Dexter I know that we will be brining in some top notch guards," said Freeman-Jackson. "That's one thing that I am most impressed with about Dexter, when he was at AAMU they have always had great guards and I feel like in the next couple of years that we will have much better guards in place. He can really recruit some guards and I feel like he's a great hire for us."

Athletically, Holt was a standout outside shooter in his playing days at Lee High School in Huntsville, AL, under legendary Head Coach Jerry Dugan and at Snead State Community College where he played for Gid Riddle and Craig Roden. After leaving Snead, Holt decided to work on his dream of coaching so he came back to his hometown, received his degree in 1996 at AAMU and then joined the staff. Holt has always been a person who will go out of his way to help other programs at the university, such as football, volleyball etc.

Dexter and Tabatha, his wife of 17 years, are the proud parents of Diamond Samoan and Dexter Jr. "DJ".

"I am very excited about joining the Lady Hornets it's an easy transition for me coming from Alabama A&M," said Holt. "Of course everyone knows about the rivalry, but this is an awesome experience as well as opportunity for me as a coach and my family."

"I look forward to being part of Coach Freeman-Jackson's staff. I have admired her from a far for a while and I am excited to be working with her and the other members of the staff. She has been around the SWAC for some time and her winning mind-set is one of the reasons why I am here.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Margaret Richards Named Women's Head Basketball Coach at Alabama A&M

MARGARET RICHARDS

NORMAL, Alabama -- Alabama A&M Director of Athletics, Bryan Hicks, has announced the hiring of Margaret Richards as the Lady Bulldogs head women's basketball coach.

"We are excited to have Margaret Richards as our new Head Women's Basketball Coach. Margaret is a rising star in women's basketball," said Hicks. "Her leadership skills, and her enthusiastic approach to the game of women's basketball will serve our program well. She is recognized as an excellent, relentless and proven recruiter, and we are glad to have her leading our women's basketball program."

Richards comes to The Hill after one season at Clemson. Prior to that, she was head coach at St. Augustine College (2008-10); assistant coach at North Texas (2010-11); assistant coach at Weber State (2011-12); and assistant coach at Western Kentucky (2012-15).

"I would like to first thank God for this wonderful opportunity. I would also like to thank President Dr. Andrew Hugine and Athletic Director Bryan Hicks for selecting me to lead their women's basketball program," said Richards. "I'm truly looking forward to being a part of the Bulldog family and community. This is such an amazing honor and opportunity and I plan to put in the work, time and energy to enhance the program on the court and in the classroom."

While at Western Kentucky, Richards helped guide the Hilltoppers to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two Conference USA tournament titles and one conference regular-season title. WKU won 20-plus games all three seasons she was there, including a 30-5 record in 2014-15. At St. Augustine, the team won the CIAA Western Division title in 2010.

She was a four-year letter-winner at the University of Nebraska and ranked among the nation's top 25 scorers in her senior season. Richards received her degree in communication studies from Nebraska in 2003.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Richards was an all-state honoree at Louisville Central High School, averaging 35.5 points per game as a senior.

A press conference/meet and greet will be held Monday, June 6 at 11 am in the Clyde Foster Multi-Purpose Room in the school of business on the campus of Alabama A&M University.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Big Success = Big Upgrades For Florida A&M Baseball

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- College baseball teams kick off Regional play this weekend, but for Florida A&M, the season came to a close when they fell in the MEAC Tournament.

This year was no slouch for the Rattlers, as they boasted their best finish in regular season MEAC play ever, and because of their success, the future is looking even better.

"Athletics are the window a lot of people see a University through, and that window's looking pretty good right now," said head coach Jamey Shouppe.

That window to Moore-Kittles field hasn't looked better, as big success translates to big support, which means the Rattlers are getting some much needed updates. Those updates range from from special seating for boosters, to a locker room, and Shouppe has bigger ideas in the works.

"We're hoping to put a grandstand in, have a covered place that people can actually buy a season ticket," he said. "We're hoping to get a new scoreboard up. One thing we've said from day one is the money that's contributed to FAMU baseball is not my money, it's not the coaches money, but it's money that we'll use to upgrade these facilities."

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