Once headed for ODU, Richmond running back commits to Norfolk State

NORFOLK, Virginia -- After a mutual parting of the ways with Old Dominion, a 240-pound, all-region running back from Richmond said he will play football for Norfolk State.

Shedrick McCall, who rushed
for 2,280 yards and 38 touchdowns at L.C. Bird High in Chesterfield County last season, committed to ODU in June. However, his father, also named Shedrick McCall, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that ODU coaches and his son agreed he should go elsewhere.

McCall’s father said his son wants to remain a running back and doesn’t want to redshirt next season. ODU would not guarantee where he would play or that he won’t redshirt.

ODU returns every running back on its roster, and traditionally tries to redshirt all of its freshmen. The
Monarchs recruited McCall as a prospective H back and tight end.

McCall reopened his recruiting on Saturday and quickly drew offers from several schools, including Howard. But Sunday afternoon, he tweeted that he had committed to Norfolk State.

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ASU still plays Grambling after SWAC schedule switch

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State doesn't have to face the team that handed it its worst loss in 54 years this upcoming season.

That’s a byproduct the SWAC going back to playing seven conference games.

So the Hornets won’t play Southern, which has won its last four against them that includes a 64-6 demolishing last season, but must face the defending SWAC champions again.

The Hornets drew Grambling as well as Prairie View and Texas Southern as their three SWAC West crossover games for the 2017 season. ASU plays Grambling and Prairie View at home, but has lost its last two against the Tigers and its last three against the Panthers.

Alabama State also plays at Texas Southern, which also defeated ASU last season. So that means ASU won’t play Southern and Arkansas Pine Bluff, a team it has defeated four straight years.

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Martin playing in Portugal; latest UMES Hawk to go pro

PRINESS ANNE, Maryland -- Devin Martin didn’t know what or where Portugal was, but by last Wednesday he knew it was a country that had pro basketball, and some team was going to pay him to play there.

“I just knew that it was in Europe,” Martin said with a laugh. “I got the call from the coach and the president and they flew me in. They gave me the opportunity and I just took it.”

The former University of Maryland Eastern Shore guard has had an eventful past few days.

He signed his first pro contract, with Sampaense Basket, on Jan. 25. The next day, he traveled from his home in Baltimore to Coimbra, a city in Portugal.

By Sunday, he was playing in his first pro game. He played 16 minutes in his debut with Sampaense Basket, tallying nine points, four rebounds and three steals in the team’s second win of the season.

“It was a really quick process,” Martin said. “My coach didn’t want to run me too much, because I just got here and I’m still trying to adjust to the time difference, but it was good.”

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At Savannah State, ex-Hoya Horace Broadnax speeds things up

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When he was a player under legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr., Horace Broadnax was a part of teams known for their ruthless defense. You had to earn points against those Hoyas — during their tournament run to the 1984 NCAA title, they allowed more than 50 just once, in the championship game against Houston, which had a pretty good center named Hakeem Olajuwon.

Those Hoyas also had a pretty good center in Patrick Ewing. Broadnax was the backup point guard, and thus was intimately familiar with Thompson’s defensive principles.

Broadnax would soon follow Thompson into coaching, leveraging those strict defensive tenets into three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coach of the year awards, including most recently in 2011-12 at Savannah State, directing the Tigers to the National Invitational Tournament for the first time in program history.

This past offseason, Broadnax decided to scrap the defense-first approach, at least temporarily. In its place, he installed a frenetic attack built around spreading out an opponent and taking the quickest uncontested shot available, preferably a three-pointer in transition.

After what Broadnax described as a rough go to the start the season, his players have taken to the offensive overhaul in recent weeks, with Savannah State on a five-game winning streak. Included in that run was a 73-70 victory over Howard on Saturday at Burr Gymnasium to keep the Tigers (9-12, 6-2) in the hunt for the MEAC regular season title.



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Tuskegee Golden Tigers 2016 Year in Review

Albany State Men’s Golf releases 2017 schedule

ALBANY, Georgia -- The first official men's golf season in Albany State history is ready to commence this spring. ASU head men's golf coach Gary Hilton released the 2017 schedule on Thursday. After generating the Golden Rams' first golf team, Hilton believes the six-match slate will be a memorable one for the institution.

"Building a team from scratch has definitely had its obstacles, but I believe we have put together a team of very hardworking players to start a successful program for the future," Hilton said. "We brought in three junior college players that have experience in college golf and three local players that will make an immediate impact.

"We were waiting for several players to transfer in during the Christmas break before beginning our inaugural season. The schedule consists of six regular season tournaments and postseason, two of which will be against NCAA DI competition."

Albany State will open its historic season on Feb. 12-14 in Brunswick, Ga. The Golden Rams will participate in the College of Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational. ASU will then travel to Savannah, Ga. to compete in the Armstrong State University Invitational on Feb. 26-28.

In March, Albany State will contend in two matches in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. On March 5-7, ASU will vie in the Butler Collegiate Tournament before competing in the Bulldog Florida Invitational on March 8-9. The team will close out the month on March 27-29 in the University of North Alabama Invitational in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Albany State will host is first match with the Hurricane Invitational on April 2-4. The event will take place at the Doublegate Country Club in Albany, Ga.

After the regular season, the Golden Rams' golf team will continue it momentous run in the postseason. ASU will compete for is first SIAC championship on Monday, April 17-19. The site will be determined at a later date.

"When preparing the schedule, I wanted to set a precedent for the future of our program by playing a very difficult schedule against some of the best competition."

ASU 2017 GOLF SCHEDULE
DATE EVENT HOST LOCATION 

2/12-14/2017 College of Coastal Georgia Winter Invitational-Sea Island Golf Club Retreat Course Brunswick, Georgia

2/26/2017 Armstrong State University Invitational-Savannah Quarters CC Savannah, Georgia

3/5-7/2017 Butler Collegiate Tournament-Jacksonville Beach CC Jacksonville Beach, Florida

3/8-9/2017 Bulldog Florida Invitational-Windsor Parke GC Jacksonville, Beach, Florida

3/27-29/2017 University of North Alabama Division II Spring Review Ford City Alabama

4/2-4/2017 Hurricane Invitational-Doublegate CC Albany, Georgia

For more information regarding the Albany State men's golf program, contact Coach Hilton at (229) 317-6833 and james.hilton@asurams.edu.

ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Gold Rush fall to Dillard in Crosstown Classic

NEW ORLEANS — Jalen McGaughy's fifth consecutive double-double, 22 points and 12 rebounds, led NAIA No. 14 Dillard in a 104-71 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the Crosstown Classic before 3,191 fans at XULA's Convocation Center.

McGaughy, a 6-foot-10 junior, also blocked eight shots, five in the first half, and had three steals. He made all three of his 3-point attempts and is 13-of-19 from behind the arc in his last six games.

The Gold Rush (7-13, 3-2 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) opened the game with consecutive 3-pointers and led 8-2 in the third minute. But the Bleu Devils (15-5, 6-0) answered with runs of 7-0, 9-0 and 12-0 to take a 48-28 halftime lead.

"Dillard beat us in transition, they beat us at the free-throw line, they beat us in rebounds," XULA coach Alfred Williams said. "We've got to keep working to get better."

Quinton Jackson scored 20 points, Demetric Austin 16, Dennis Hightower 12 and Patrick Thompson 10 for Dillard. Hightower and Montrey Thomas had eight assists apiece, and Jackson had seven.
Mike Williams scored 23 points and Jalen David 11 for the Gold Rush. XULA made 12 3-pointers, its most in a game since February 2008. Williams made four treys to match his career high, and Jerry Gibson made a career-best 3-of-3.

Dillard outshot XULA 54.4 to 30.4 percent from the floor and made 22-of-25 free throws to XULA's 17-of-21. The Bleu Devils had a 49-29 rebound advantage.

The winning margin was the largest in the longtime series since 1969. Dillard scored its biggest-ever victory margin against the Gold Rush at XULA. The previous best was 23 points in 1960.

Attendance was the second largest in the five-year history of the Convocation Center.

XULA will travel to NAIA No. 15 Talladega for a 7:30 p.m. GCAC game Monday. The Gold Rush and Philander Smith are tied for second in the conference, and Talladega is a half-game behind at 2-2.

BOX SCORE

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