New Southern offensive coordinator Chennis Berry comes across loud and clear

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Chennis Berry can’t remember the last time his voice wasn’t hoarse.

At this point, it’s just the way he sounds. He doesn’t even notice it anymore.

Southern University’s new offensive coordinator never stops talking to — or, more accurately, yelling at — his players when the Jaguars take the field.

It’s a constant barrage of high-energy critiques and instructions.

If they do something right, he’ll let them know. If they do something wrong, they can be sure to get that message, too. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game-winning play or a lineman took a misstep in practice, he’s coming at them with everything he’s got.

“This is my sanctuary,” Berry said. “When I come on the field, this is what I love to do, so I’m going to be turned up when I come out here. I’ve got to bring the juice. Coach always tells me I’m the guy to bring the juice, so I try to bring the juice every day.”

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What to watch for: Alcorn State training camp

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State football players checked in for training camp on Thursday and followed that by kicking off practice Friday morning.

The first whistle of training camp represented the start of the Braves' journey for a third consecutive SWAC title. Alcorn State lost coach Jay Hopson but remain a preseason favorite to reach the conference title game.

The Braves return standouts at the offensive skill positions and the defensive front seven. But they need to fill some holes along the offensive line and secondary, which are a couple of things to watch for during Alcorn State's training camp.

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SC State opens first practice with tough road trips looming

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Just a few short weeks ago, South Carolina State was picked by the media to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

To Bulldogs head coach Buddy Pough, the prediction matters very little to him. However, his players believe it’s just the motivation they need to win yet another MEAC championship.

“All I’m going to say is since we’ve been picked fourth, we’ve got to play with a monkey on our back and a little chip on our shoulder,” Bulldogs linebacker and MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Darius Leonard said. “I don’t think that we should be fourth, but if we go out there and play each game hard, we’ll see the [final] score.”

The Bulldogs held their first practice of the season on Friday morning at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

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Scott “cautiously optimistic” as Norfolk State gets started

NORFOLK, Virginia -- As Norfolk State opens fall camp today, second-year coach Latrell Scott feels good about at least one thing.

With a season under his belt, Scott has a pretty good idea of what he’s got.

The Spartans went 4-7 overall and 4-4 in the MEAC in Scott’s first season after coming from Virginia State, where he won two CIAA regular-season titles in two seasons.



The Richmond native hopes to turn the corner toward similar success at NSU, which hasn’t won a MEAC title since 2011. That title was stripped by the NCAA in June after retroactive eligibility issues were discovered.

Winning another one is a top priority as practice begins.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Scott, 41, said. “Obviously, we’ve still got to play a tough schedule. But I think in Year 2, we know a little bit more about who we are and where we are and what we need to do to be more competitive.”

For the first time in recent memory, the Spartans will open camp with a steady presence at quarterback. Senior Greg Hankerson, who transferred from Florida Atlantic, passed for 2,052 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, his first at NSU.

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NCA&T Aggies get back to business ... chewing up the practice field

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The soft, green Bermuda grass of N.C. A&T’s practice field behind Aggie Stadium will never look better than it did Thursday afternoon.

A whole lot of spiked shoes will run on that grass in the days, weeks and months to come.

The Aggies held their first football practice of the season Thursday, taking the first steps in a promising journey.

A&T was 10-2 last year, 7-1 in the MEAC. The Aggies shared the league title for the second straight year, and they beat Alcorn State 41-34 in the inaugural Celebration Bowl.

The core of that team returned intact to the practice field Thursday, where 94 players worked out without pads, wearing helmets without logo decals.

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5 storylines to watch as GSU opens fall camp

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling's march to another Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division title officially begins Friday when fall camp opens.

The Tigers are practicing three times over the weekend and will continue with sessions the rest of the month in anticipation of the Sept. 3 season opener.

Players reported to campus earlier this week and several new transfers signed their paperwork Wednesday to officially become members of the program.

Here are five storylines to watch as practice gets underway Friday.

Transfers, transfers and more transfers

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Tarniesha Scott hired as Gold Nuggets assistant coach

ASSISTANT COACH TARNIESHA SCOTT

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Thursday the hiring of Tarniesha Scott as assistant women's basketball coach. Scott, who has experience as an NAIA head coach and an NCAA Division I assistant coach, began her XU duties Monday (Aug. 1, 2016).

"I am very appreciative of the Xavier administration for giving me the opportunity to advance my coaching career with the Gold Nuggets," Scott said. "I'm excited to be a part of such a great university and successful women's basketball program. I'm ready to assist the program in achieving our desired goals and help further our success."

Scott was on the women's basketball staff at Talladega College for two seasons (2012-14). She led the Lady Tornadoes to a 10-3 record as interim head coach to close the 2013-14 season, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship (by a half-game over Xavier), a berth in the NAIA Division I National Championship and a No. 25 ranking in the postseason coaches poll.

Scott was an assistant coach at NCAA DI Prairie View A&M during the 2014-15 season. She helped the Lady Panthers tie for third place in the SWAC and win non-conference road games against Houston and Sam Houston State.

Scott also was a volunteer assistant coach at UT Dallas, her alma mater, during the 2011-12 season. She played at UTD from 2007-11 and ranks second there in career rebounds and sixth in career points. Scott led the American Southwest Conference her senior year with 17.4 points per game and was first-team All-ASC and was honorable-mention All-America on teams chosen by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and Women's D-III News. Scott was Academic All-ASC three consecutive seasons.

"Tarniesha Scott has great passion for basketball," XU head coach Bo Browder said. "She has head-coaching experience. She has recruited at the NAIA and NCAA DI levels. Her communication skills are outstanding.

"But what I like most about Tarniesha is that she is a winner on and off the court. She possesses great integrity, and she'll be a great role model for our student-athletes."

Scott is an Arkansas native and a graduate of that state's Jacksonville High School. She replaces Darrilyn Broussard, who resigned during the spring after 15 seasons at Xavier, the last 10 as associate head coach.

Xavier's Gold Nuggets were 22-12 in 2015-16, won the GCAC Tournament for the sixth time in 11 seasons and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the 19th time in 22 seasons.

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