Gold Rush fall 50-47 at Paul Quinn to open 4-game trip

DALLAS, Texas — Xavier University of Louisiana opened a four-game men's basketball trip Thursday with a 50-47 loss to Paul Quinn.

Freshmen Donovan Armstrong and Mike Williams, playing in their home state, scored seven points apiece to lead the Gold Rush (3-8). Chris Ward grabbed a game- and career-high 10 rebounds, and Wesley Pluviose-Philip had a season-best nine rebounds.

Jalen Johnson scored 11 points for the Tigers (2-12), and SirPatrick Reynolds and Jesse Williams scored 10 apiece. Williams grabbed nine rebounds.

XULA led 21-20 at halftime. There were 10 ties and 14 lead changes. XULA missed a 3-pointer on its final possession.

Both defenses were effective. Paul Quinn shot 28.1 percent from the floor — the lowest by a XULA opponent this season — but the Tigers also allowed their fewest points in a game in the last 14 seasons.

XULA shot 37.8 percent from the floor and a season-low 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the line. The Gold Rush committed 26 turnovers, and XULA's minus-17 turnover margin was its widest since February 2011.

Paul Quinn beat XULA for the first time in their last 13 meetings. The Gold Rush lead the series 17-4, including a 92-73 victory Dec. 1 at XULA.

XULA will play its next three games in Florida. The Gold Rush will play Barry — ranked 10th and 12th in the NCAA Division II polls — at 4 p.m. EST Saturday. Then the Rush will play a pair of games in Keiser's Chuck Daly Classic: 5 p.m. Monday against Concordia (Canada) and 7 p.m. Tuesday against Keiser, No. 23 in NAIA Division II. The next XULA home game will start at 5 p.m. Jan. 7 against Tougaloo.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Top 10 Stories of 2016 — No. 4: ECSU's Earnest Wilson makes impact in first season

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- When Earnest Wilson was tabbed as the new football coach at Elizabeth City State back in February, there was some skepticism.

Wilson, who had spent the previous three season at FCS program Savannah State, was only able to produce a 2-32 record in his first head coaching job.



The coach was able to make his mark in his first season leading the Vikings as ECSU fell a game short of playing for a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in November.

ECSU’s success on the gridiron led to Wilson to be named the CIAA Coach of the Year.

The process to hire Wilson took months following the dismissal of former football coach Waverly Tillar in November 2015.

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Focus on recruitment paying off for Florida A&M University

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M University is realizing a 30-percent increase in admitted freshmen as of mid-December over this time last year.

William Hudson, vice president for student affairs, also said FAMU has received about an 18 percent increase in freshmen applications compared to last fall.

“For summer 2017 applications, we are seeing approximately a 28 percent increase in freshman applications over last year, and an approximate 29 percent increase in admitted freshman students over last year,” he added.

Hudson said the university expects to continue to see an increase this spring, as students work to meet the May 1 deadline.

“We continue to recruit with a laser focus and have had strong turnouts at our recent recruitment events, such as those held in Atlanta last week and Orlando last month,” Hudson said. “The Orlando recruitment fair attracted thousands of students, and we had a full house at our Atlanta recruitment program.”

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FAMU athletics deficit above $7 million, repayment plan in place

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- There’s a plan in place for Florida A&M’s athletic department to repay its $7 million deficit, but there are already a few bumps in what’s expected to be a long road.

According to a preliminary chart shown to Board of Trustees members in September, the plan is for the FAMU Foundation to pay $681,833.29 over three years toward the deficit. After that, the Foundation will make yearly payments of $269,593.54 with FAMU’s athletic department making increasing yearly payments until the deficit is paid in full.

In total, the repayment will take 12 years.

The plan calls for some prudent spending by FAMU athletics. Part of Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr.’s corrective action plan to ensure FAMU doesn’t fall further into debt is to use just 75 percent of the department’s annual budget.

In that regard, the FAMU has already hit a snag. As of Dec. 1, the department has a projected $6,981,759 in encumbrances and expenses, which represents 78.12 percent of the $8,937,500 budget. Plus, the athletic department's revenue is projected to fall $651,724 short of that number.

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WSSU will honor NCAA title team from 50 years ago

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Earl “The Pearl” Monroe says he’ll never forget the best championship he ever won.

“There’s no doubt that title we won at Winston was my highlight,” said Monroe, the leader of Winston-Salem State’s march to the Division II national championship in the 1966-67 season. “You know why it was so special? It was special because of the guys with me and the guy coaching us (the late Clarence ‘Big House’ Gaines).”

Monroe, now 72, won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1973. But his best memories in the game of basketball came his senior season when the Rams went 31-1 on their way to the school’s lone national championship.

That it’s been 50 years is something that Monroe says he knows all too well.

“My knees tell me it’s definitely been 50 years,” he said by telephone recently from his home in New York.

Those aching knees and Monroe are expected to be on hand in February in Winston-Salem when an athletic fundraiser will be held to highlight the anniversary of that special season. Monroe and the late Cleo Hill, two of the most dynamic players in school history, will also have their numbers retired again.

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CFL/AFL Tryouts set for 1/21/17 in Baltimore Metro Area

GAMBRILLS, Maryland -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) and all other HBCU football standouts -- past and present -- will have the opportunity to showcase their talents for Canadian Football League and Arena Football League scouts at a free agent tryout sponsored by Supreme Sports and Entertainment.

The tryout is set for Jan, 21, 2017 in Gambrills, Maryland (Anne Arundel County) at the API Training Center.

Representatives from the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, and representatives from the AFL's Tampa Bay Storm are set to be on hand. Various strength and agility drills will take place.

Cost to attend is $100 if you register online, and $140 at the door. Interested parties can sign up at http://www.supremese.com/wp/event.
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For more information, contact info@supremese.com

Canadian Football League Tryout Informational Flyer






SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS

Head Coach Steven Smith Adds Four to Lincoln Football Staff

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- Lincoln head football coach Steven Smith announced four additions to his staff.

Jefferson City native Phil Pitts has joined the Blue Tigers as the defensive coordinator while his brother Andy will be the defensive backs coach. Rodricel Williams has joined the program as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach while Damien Goosby is the new defensive line coach.

Phil Pitts was the head coach at Helias High from 2011-2014, winning four district championships while posting a 40-15 overall record. Pitts coached 20 all-state players, including one All-American, and led the Crusaders to the state title game twice. Pitts, who was named the Missouri Sportswriters State Head Coach of the Year in 2012, additionally earned four district head coach of the year awards and guided the Crusaders to a top-10 finish in the state four times.



Following his tenure at Helias, Pitts joined the University of Missouri as a defensive analyst and helped the Tigers finish second in the nation in tackles for loss, seventh in both scoring defense and passing yards allowed and ninth in total defense. After the retirement of Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, Pitts became the head coach at Central High in St. Joseph, Mo., and coached 16 all-conference players, including the conference player of the year, this fall.

Andy Pitts spent this fall as a defensive backs assistant at Northwest Missouri and, on Saturday (Dec. 17), helped the Bearcats win the NCAA Division II national title. Pitts coached with his brother at Helias from 2011-14, serving as the defensive coordinator for a program that set single-season records for sacks (44) and interceptions (22). Over the course of three of those seasons, the Crusaders' defense forced at least one turnover in 33-straight games. Pitts additionally served as the cornerbacks coach at St. Thomas in 2015, helping the program finish with a 14-1 record.

Williams has four years of experience coaching in Tennessee and Florida, including serving as an assistant as ASA Miami in 2015. Williams helped the Silver Storm post an 8-2 record that included five shutouts. Williams previously was a head coach with the Green Dot Charter Schools in Memphis, Tenn.

Goosby spent the last two seasons coaching the defensive line with Smith at Albany State, and directed a unit that led the SIAC, and finished ranked in the top-10 nationally, in each season. Goosby coached a two-time All-American and helped Albany State finish third in the conference in sacks and fourth in rushing defense.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS