Coppin State Women's Basketball Signs Downs & Corbie For 2017-18 Season

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Coppin State women's basketball head coach DeWayne Burroughs announced the signing of guards Camille Downs and Tsahai Corbie on Wednesday, April 12th. Downs and Corbie will join the Eagles women's basketball program for the 2017-18 season.

"With the signing of both Camille Downs and Tsahai Corbie along with Nadia Davidson, we are looking for immediate success and taking the program to another level in the upcoming 2017-18 season," Burroughs comments.

Camille Downs is a 5-7 guard from Stafford, VA who attended Colonial Forge High School. She led the Eagles to a 25-6 overall record as a senior in 2016-17 averaging 12.2 points per game along with 3.4 steals. Colonial Forge won the first women's basketball championship in school and county history with a 52-38 victory over the Oakton Cougars. Downs scored 21 points including all 14 of her team's first quarter points. She finished with nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks to go along with her game-high 21 points.

"Camille is very versatile on the court. She will be a great addition to our team since she can play the lead guard position all the way through to the power forward. Camille finds a way to score the basketball and you can see her love for the game every time she plays. I believe that she will come in and be an immediate impact."

Tsahai Corbie is a 5-7 guard from Brooklyn, NY who attended South Shore High School. Corbie was named the Girls PSAL MVP at the 2017 NYC Mayor's Cup and is ranked as a three-star recruit by ESPN. She won three PSAL Basketball Championships (2015, 2016, 2017), was named the 2017 PSAL MVP and earned the PSAL Basketball Champion Academic Achievement Award in 2015 for the highest GPA on the team. Corbie also garnered the Conrad McCrae AAU Tournament Student-Athlete Award in 2016, National Honor Society Inductee in April of 2015 and 2016, the Victory Collegiate Instagram Founders High Climbers Award in 2016, the Victory Collegiate Michael Jordan Student Athlete Academic Award in 2015 and also won the Rose Classic Super Jam Basketball Sportsmanship Award in 2015.

"Tsahai is a threat from long range and can shoot the three-pointer well. On the court she can play anywhere from the lead guard to a small forward. She is an all-around player that can score, rebound, assist and is always looking to make her teammates better. In addition she plays with a very high IQ for the game and loves to play the game and looks like she is having fun."

COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Cal basketball has hired Coppin State's Keith Brown as Director of Basketball Operations

BERKELEY, California -- A California source has confirmed a report by Jeff Goodman of ESPN that head Bears basketball coach Wyking Jones has hired former Coppin State assistant Keith Brown as Director of Basketball Operations.

A special assistant to the head coach at Mount St. Mary's in Los Angeles during the 2015-16 season, who analyzed practices and games, Brown is a data-crunching analytics-centered mind.

He spent this last season as an assistant at Coppin State.

Brown spent six seasons at Nevada, helping to coach the Wolf Pack to the 2012 WAC title, as well as coaching teams that made the 2010 and 2012 NIT, with the 2012 team finishing 28-7.

Before Nevada, Brown served as an assistant at Seattle for two seasons, during which the Redhawks went 21-8 in 2008 -- the most wins by the program since the 1984-85 season. Prior to Seattle, Brown spent 2002-06 at Portland.

While with the Pilots, Brown helped guard Eugene Jeter become the second-leading scorer in program history, en route to earning first-team All-West Coast Conference honors in 2004 and 2006. Jeter and fellow guard Donald Wilson became the second-highest scoring tandem in Portland program history.

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JSU Pro Day: Javancy Jones DE/OLB

Overton: FAMU 'a couple of weeks' from basketball hire

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. on Saturday said FAMU is still "a couple of weeks out" from naming a new head basketball coach.

Overton said more than 150 people applied for the job, more than he expected.

He said the sheer volume of applicants caused athletic department officials to open the application process more than he anticipated.

He added the search is taking long than he thought it would take, and right now the school is in the process of vetting backgrounds.

"We have a lot of people who want this job," Overton said.

"Even though we had some folks who we were kind of keying on, because we had a really good pool, we just extended the time. It's not optimal, but we have to find the right fit here."

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2017 FAMU Tampa Classic To Renew Rattlers Rivalry with Tennessee State Tigers

RETURN OF THE FAMU TAMPA CLASSIC

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- – Confidence is high around the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Football Program as they prepare for the upcoming 2017 campaign, and that optimism is due in part to the tremendous fan support from Rattler Nation at Bragg Stadium.

Sparking the uptick in fan and alumni support has been the innovative INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS Annual Giving Program, a fundraising initiative which features a six donor levels, assuring patrons both football and basketball season tickets along with stadium parking, and other amenities all in one package.

This year’s campaign drive to raise $600,000 for Athletics to address Bragg Stadium renovations, as well as underwriting scholarships for student-athletes, and funding summer school tuition, has reached the $300,000 halfway point, thanks to the generous gifts of the Rattler faithful through the INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS program. Go to www.FAMUAthletics.com to Invest today.

The Rattler Nation commitment to athletics was a major factor in helping FAMU finish third (3rd) in NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) in Home Attendance, averaging 19,710 fans for the four home games in 2016, finishing ahead of such national stalwarts as North Dakota State, Jackson (Miss.) State, Delaware, Grambling and North Carolina A&T.

That 19,710 average was tops among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), marking the first time FAMU had surpassed traditional attendance kings, Jackson (Miss.) State and Southern-Baton Rouge out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

An added benefit for donors to the INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS Program will be the opportunity to purchase advance priority seating for the renewal of the FAMU Tampa Classic featuring longtime rivals FAMU and Tennessee State, which will be played in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

FAMU Tampa Classic Tickets go on sale Tuesday, April 18th 2017 for Investing In Champions Members for an exclusive buying opportunity until the public on-sale. Go to www.FAMUAthletics.com to become a champion member or renew your Investing In Champion membership this year.

2017 FLORIDA A&M FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 

The Jake Gaither Classic 
Sat, Aug 26 TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY Tallahassee, FL TBA 

(Central Time * War Memorial Stadium * SEC-TV)
Thu, Aug 31 University of Arkansas at Little Rock, AR 7:00 PM

FAMU Tampa Classic
Sat, Sep 16 Tennessee State University at Tampa, FL  TBA 

Sat, Sep 23 Savannah State University * at Savannah, GA 6:00 PM

Sat, Sep 30 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL * Tallahassee, FL TBA 

Sat, Oct 07 Norfolk State University * at Norfolk, VA TBA

2017 Homecoming Game 
Sat, Oct 14 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE * Tallahassee, FL TBA 

Sat, Oct 21 Hampton University * at Hampton, VA 2:00 PM

Oct 28 Morgan State University * at Baltimore, MD TBA

Sat, Nov 04 HOWARD UNIVERSITY * Tallahassee, FL TBA 

The Florida Blue Florida Classic 
Sat, Nov 18 BethuneCookman University * at Orlando, FL TBA 

* Conference Games

ATLANTA IS IN THE FUTURE

Rattler Football fans can also look forward to an annual FAMU Atlanta Classic return beginning in 2018. The 2018 FAMU Football Schedule will include three FAMU Classic Games.

Rattlers Strike, Strike and Strike Again !!!

TSU Tigers Cap Spring with Annual Blue and White Game

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Fans of the Tennessee State football team got their first glimpse of the 2017 Tigers on Saturday with the annual Blue and White Spring Scrimmage at Hale Stadium. Using a specialized scoring system, the offense wearing blue topped the defense in white by a 37-16 final score.

Quarterback Treon Harris engineered scoring drives on two of the first three possessions to lead the offense on the afternoon. The transfer from Florida rushed for a touchdown on the day, while fellow quarterback Michael Hughes also had a touchdown pass for the offense.

PHOTO GALLERY - BY SAM JORDAN



A five-play opening drive featured a 25-yard connection from Harris to wide receiver Patrick Smith down the left sideline. Harris, who was 3-for-3 passing on the first possession, capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.

On the next drive, highlighted by Terrell Bonds’ pass breakup for the defense, the offense was forced to punt. Going 5-for-6 on the offense’s third possession, Harris was able to move the offense down the field for another score. Steven Newbold reeled in a pair of first down catches with tight end Aaron Cauthen adding an 18-yard reception near the red zone. Andrew Knox punched in a two-yard touchdown run to finish off the drive.

Hughes took over at quarterback for the offense for the remainder of the first half. The defense forced two punts on the next two possessions with Justin North securing a tackle for a loss to force a third and long on the first drive.

On the final possession of the half, Hughes orchestrated a six-play drive for a score. Wide receiver Ronnie Killings caught a 20-yard pass to set up first and goal before hauling in a seven-yard touchdown on the next play.

The defense stood up to the test to open the third quarter, forcing a pair of three-and-outs.

Hughes ran for a first down and the offense added another on an eight yard first down catch from DeVon Johnson before three-straight stops forced the third punt of the half.

On the final full possession of the game, which included three-first downs, the offense missed a field goal when the drive stalled.

The Spring Game concludes spring action for the Tigers. TSU opens the fall season on Aug. 31 at Georgia State in Atlanta, Ga.

TSU Head Coach Rod Reed
“I thought it went really well. I was pleased to see the offense come out and be able to move the football. We knew we were going to be very vanilla on defense today. There were a lot of things you didn’t see. No pressure, no blitzes or anything like that. I just wanted to see us sitting back in our base defense. Get to their assignments, make the blocks they needed to block, protect who they needed to protect. We broke down in protection a couple of times today but as you can see, Treon (Harris) is really athletic back there, and he’s able to get out of a lot of some situations that some kids just can’t do. That’s a great attribute that he has. I think it’s going to bode well for our program. Defensively, we wanted to see some young guys. We saw the older guys in there probably the first three or four series, and then we watched some young guys. We’re trying to develop a little bit of depth.”
- Thoughts on the scrimmage

“I think the attitude is a lot different. The kids are buying in. Like I said, today, we wanted things to be pretty vanilla. We’ve got a lot of stuff, if you were at the last scrimmage, you saw how dominant that the defense really was. Today, we wanted to sit back and be basic. The main thing is we wanted to come out and showcase a football team for next year. We wanted the fans to be able to come out to see some of the guys they’re going to see next year and to not get anybody injured. I think we accomplished all of that today.”
- On the defense

“He’s very illusive back there. He’s not just a scrambler. He’s got really good pocket awareness. He slides around in the pocket and he’s going to hold it until the very last minute before he gets out of there. You have to like that about your quarterback. He keeps his eyes down field.”
- On the play of quarterback Treon Harris

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Five questions FAMU's spring game should answer

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M plays its first spring game since 2015 at 2 p.m. today in Bragg Memorial Stadium. The Rattlers didn’t have full spring practice this year – teams can usually hold 15 practices, including a spring scrimmage, and FAMU got 10.

The Rattlers enjoyed their return to the football field, though. Senior defensive lineman Elijah Price said the group truly felt “like a football team” while working out during spring. He added the Rattlers are excited to return to their winning ways after winning three more games in 2016 than they did in 2015.
Head coach Alex Wood said he tried to create competition in spring camp.



“We want competition,” Wood said. “Competition is what makes us better. Iron sharpens iron, you know the cliché. We want the units to be as competitive as possible.”

Here are five questions fans should hope are answered by the end of the Orange and Green game.

Which quarterback will show out?

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