Grambling, Alcorn State favored to meet for SWAC title

About the SWAC

Player to watch
Casey Therriault, Jackson State

The quarterback took the SWAC by storm last season with 3,436 yards and 31 touchdowns - with just eight interceptions - and he'll likely be a sore spot for SWAC defensive coordinators again in 2011.

Overview
The SWAC saw an unusual amount of head-coaching turnover in its programs during the offseason. On top of that, SWAC member presidents voted to uphold the NCAA's postseason ban on Jackson State and Southern. Grambling State is the favorite in the Western Division and will be aiming for its first SWAC title since 2008. Jackson State is the favorite to win the East, but because the Tigers are ineligible to appear in the SWAC championship game, Alcorn State will be the next in line to represent that division.

Toughest schedule
Prairie View A&M



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KEYS: Upstarts have fashioned recent SWAC parity

It was quite a sight, wasn’t it?

Eleven years ago, they showed up in the tens of thousands, stuffing themselves into every corner and cranny of Veterans Memorial Stadium. They arrived by car, by motorcycle, by RV, by bus. Given no other option, Southern and Jackson State fans might’ve pulled up in a Big Wheel.

The 1999 showdown between SU and JSU was that important. That year, those two teams played for the right to call themselves The Team of the ‘90s in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Before a crowd of 62,000, the Jaguars won 26-14. Two months later, in front of 47,621 in a rematch at the SWAC championship game, Southern gave Pete Richardson his third straight title.

At the time, none of this seemed unusual. Of course, Southern and Jackson State were duking it out for SWAC supremacy. Didn’t they always do that?

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JSU, UAPB picked to win SWAC women's soccer titles

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff forward Silvia Fuentes and defender Erika Forbes, also from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, were named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Soccer Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, the conference announced today. Preseason honors were voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

The Jackson State Lady Tigers (92 points) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lady Lions (99 points) were picked as the preseason favorites in the SWAC Eastern and Western Divisions, respectively. Jackson State, the defending conference champion, received 15 out of 20 first-place votes while Arkansas-Pine Bluff tallied 19 first-place votes.

Fuentes, a 5-5 senior from Moreno Valley, Calif., was the league's Player of the Year in 2010. She led the nation with 1.00 assists per game last season and ranked first in the SWAC in points (30), points per game (1.67) and assists (18). Fuentes was an All-SWAC First-Team selection in 2010.

Forbes, a 5-5 senior from Whitby, Ontario, was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year last season. She helped the Lady Lions to the Western Division regular-season title and was sixth in the conference in goals (7). Forbes garnered SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times last season.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff posted a 4-0-0 league record and a 13-6-0 overall mark last year. Jackson State recorded a 4-0-0 conference mark and a 13-7-1 overall record in 2010 en route to the SWAC Championship.

Mississippi Valley State, the runner-up to the SWAC Championship a year ago, tallied four first-place votes in the Eastern Division and was picked to finish second with 73 points. Alabama State finished with 54 points for third followed by Alabama A&M (48 points) and Alcorn State (31 points).

Texas Southern was picked to finish second in the Western Division with 70 points. Prairie View A&M (57 points) was tabbed third followed by Grambling State (40 points) and Southern (34 points).

The 2011 SWAC Women's Soccer Championship will be held November 3-6 at the Johnny Downs Soccer Center in Alexandria, La.

By SWAC Media Relations

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE 2011 SOCCER PRE-SEASON HONORS
VISIT: SWAC.ORG

21 SWAC Games to be Broadcast in 2011

Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its football broadcast schedule Thursday, including a 10-game slate on SWAC TV, the league's internet broadcast site.

The schedule has eight games across ESPN networks, plus national and regional television dates with NBC, Versus, and SportSouth. In all, 21 SWAC games are scheduled to be televised during the 2011 football season.

Note: The tape delayed games on ESPNU can all be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Date               Game                                              Time (CT)      Network

Sat., Sept. 3 Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State 5 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 3 Alcorn State vs. Grambling 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU
Sun., Sept. 4 Prairie View A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman 11 am ESPN

Sat., Sept. 10 Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Sept. 10 Jackson State vs. Tennessee State 6 pm SportSouth

Sat., Sept. 17 Jackson State at Southern 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Sept. 24 Southern vs. Florida A&M 2:30 pm VERSUS

Sat., Sept. 24 Alabama A&M at Grambling 5 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Sept. 29 Texas Southern at Jackson State 5 or 6:30 pm ESPNU
Sat., Oct. 1 Alcorn State at Alabama State 7 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 8 Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M 1 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Oct. 13 Texas Southern at Alabama A&M 6:30 pm ESPNU

Sat., Oct. 15 Southern at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 15 Prairie View A&M at Alabama State 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU

Sat., Oct. 29 Jackson State vs. Prairie View A&M 4 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 29 Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU

Sat., Nov. 5 Grambling at Jackson State 5 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Nov. 12 Texas Southern at Grambling 8 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Nov. 24 Tuskegee at Alabama State 3 pm ESPNU

Sat., Nov. 26 Southern vs. Grambling 1 pm NBC

Sat., Dec. 10 Farmers Insurance SWAC Championship Game 12 pm ESPNU

By SWAC Media Relations

VISIT: SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Ties that bind abundant in Southwestern Athletic Conference

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Wearing a purple necktie to go with his dapper gray suit, Prairie View’s Heishma Northern, flanked by two players, strolled into a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday morning, making his big debut as a head football coach.

Northern, the former Glen Oaks standout and Southern safety, took a seat and took in the scene at the annual Southwestern Athletic Conference media day.

This, he thought to himself, is really something else.

Directly across the room, there sat the one and only Doug Williams, back for his second stint at Grambling. Northern used to work for Williams - first at Morehouse, then at Grambling.

Next to Williams was the man in shades, Melvin Spears, who’s now at Alcorn State. Spears and Northern worked together at Grambling, and Spears was head coach there from 2004-06, after Williams left.

In the far corner was Houma native...

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In the FCS Huddle: SWAC puts focus back on football

Birmingham, AL — Colorful jerseys hung prominently on all 10 of the team tables at the Southwestern Athletic Conference's football media day on Tuesday.

If all the optimistic talk of offenses, defenses and special teams weren't enough, the jerseys of some of the prominent programs in black college football history, and all of college football, reminded how the coaches and players will soon be back on the field preparing for the 2011 season.

And no FCS conference is looking forward to footballs flying, and putting the offseason behind it, more than the SWAC.



Head coaching defections, the firing of last year's SWAC championship-winning head coach and NCAA academic sanctions have rocked the conference since Texas Southern won the 2010 title over Alabama State just seven months ago in December.

They were talking football again - more so than declining national prominence or Academic Progress Rate (APR) penalties - when Jackson State and Grambling State were installed as the SWAC's preseason favorites in the East and West divisions, respectively, and Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault was named the preseason offensive player of the year and Prairie View A&M senior cornerback Moses Ellis the preseason defensive player of the year.



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SWAC issues postseason bans for low APR

Presidents Adopt Postseason Ban Policy; SWAC adheres to NCAA ban, effective immediately

Birmingham, Ala. - The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted Thursday to adopt a league policy to prohibit any member institution subject to NCAA postseason bans to include SWAC championships and tournaments. The policy is effective immediately.

Currently, the policy prohibits Southern University and A&M College and Jackson State University from being eligible to participate in the 2011 Farmers Insurance SWAC Football Championship, and it prohibits the Southern University and A&M College and Grambling State University men’s basketball teams from participation in the 2012 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament.

The NCAA already hit both schools with a postseason ban because of low APR scores, which were released last month. But the SWAC football championship did not apply because the NCAA considers the game an extension of the regular season. The league does not receive an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

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Southern University Accept WNIT Invite: Travels to Tulane on Thursday

Baton Rouge, La. - Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season women's basketball champion Southern University accepted an invitation Monday to the WNIT, an automatic berth for conference champions that do not win their respective tournament title. The Lady Jaguars will travel to New Orleans to face Tulane on Thursday in the opening round of the 64-team tournament.

There was some speculation as to whether or not the Lady Jaguars would accept the bid to the tournament when head coach Sandy Pugh announced in her post-game interview following the SWAC Tournament championship game that the school might not be able to afford to send the team to the post-season.

2011 WNIT Bracket

SU raises funds, draws Tulane in WNIT

One by one, they started to show up at Southern University with their checkbooks and wallets open, offering to support the women’s basketball team however they could. Thanks to a flood of 11th-hour donations from alumni and booster groups, the women’s basketball team collected enough money to cover last-minute travel costs for the WNIT.

That allowed the Jaguars to accept the automatic bid they received for winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

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SWAC Tournament 2011 Schedule And Bracket

The SWAC Conference tournament will be held in Garland, Texas, starting on Wednesday and running through Saturday. Most projections have the winner of the SWAC tournament being one of the absolute worst seeds in the NCAA's, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't pull a win out once they get there.

The Texas Southern Tigers, hailing from Houston, are the #1 seed with a 18-11 mark, including a 16-2 run in conference. Led by senior Kevin Galloway, who almost never leaves the floor, the Tigers defense was the best in the SWAC. They'll open up against the #8 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, which went 7-23 on the season, with all 7 wins coming in-conference. The Tigers went 2-0 against them this season.

The tournament will play four straight days...

That roar is Harvey's TSU Tigers

With conference tournaments in full force, NCAA Tournament bids are there to be won this week, and some teams can turn an otherwise sorry season into a good year by earning an NCAA bid. Texas Southern already has had a good season.

As for local schools, TSU has the best chance to prance in the Big Dance. That is apropos, says head coach Tony Harvey, who believes his Tigers are the best college basketball team in the area.

At 18-11, Harvey's team certainly has the best record, and the SWAC regular-season champions head to Garland this week as the favorite to earn the conference's automatic bid at the league tournament.

2011 SWAC Tournament Bracket: THE MAP FOR THE ROAD TO GLORY

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VISIT: SWACHOOPS

SWAC football is getting better

SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp

HUNTSVILLE, Al. - For as long as anyone can remember, the Southwestern Athletic Conference has been a three-headed monster when it comes to football.

Grambling, Southern and Jackson State have been by far the best programs in the league. Grambling has won 22 SWAC championships. Southern has won 18 and Jackson State 16. Nobody else even comes close.

Since 1960, the trio has won or shared ...

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SWAC champion TSU returns home to hero's welcome

The Texas Southern Tigers received a hero’s welcome one day after winning their first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since 1968.

The Tigers arrived at TSU’s HP&E Arena on Sunday night and were greeted by a small group of cheering fans and members of the media who had seen them beat Alabama State 11-6 on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala. For the Tigers (9-3), it was a fitting end to an amazing weekend.

Cole makes case for TSU: Black college national title to be awarded this week

Texas Southern accomplished its primary goal by capturing the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship with Saturday’s 11-6 victory over Alabama State in the league title game. Coach Johnnie Cole, however, believes his squad should also be considered for the black college national championship.

The Tigers (9-3) were ranked fourth in the previous Sheridan Broadcasting Network black college football poll with 192 points, behind Albany State (276), Bethune-Cookman (253) and Grambling State (228), which they beat Nov. 11. TSU will likely have passed Grambling when the final ranking is released early this week, but it would hard-pressed to leap the other two teams.

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SWAC Championship Game: Big defense, backup QB deliver Texas Southern victory against Alabama State

After Texas Southern secured the school's first outright SWAC title Saturday afternoon, coach Johnnie Cole didn't need to institute a 24-hour rule. Twenty years will be ample time to let an 11-6 victory against Alabama State sink in.

"I told the guys, 'You won't understand what you've done until you're my age, 20 years from now,' " Cole said. " 'You're the best team in Texas Southern history. You've taken the SWAC championship.' "

Playing at Legion Field, before a crowd of 22,350 fans, Texas Southern (9-3) turned to something old - Division I-AA's second-ranked defense - and something new - backup quarterback Riko Smalls -- to take home the trophy.

Photos from Birmingham



Cole has look of a winner

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Johnnie Cole wanted to be under this hot light, in this spotlight, for a long time. He used to sit in his dorm room at Texas Southern in the early 1980s, when he was a quarterback on teams that never once posted a winning record, thinking he could one day coach the Tigers to a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

Several times the school told Cole he could not do that and instead hired men who would fail to do what Cole was certain he could. It was painful for him to watch from afar, as he trekked around the college coaching landscape for more than 20 years, all the while dreaming of one day becoming a championship coach for the Maroon and Gray. Saturday was that day.



SWAC Championship football game at Legion Field

Texas Southern tops Alabama State, wins 1st SWAC title since 1968

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Prairie View A&M did it last year. This season, it was Texas Southern’s turn to rise from longtime cellar dweller to Southwestern Athletic Conference champion. The Tigers earned their first SWAC title since 1968 on Saturday behind coach Johnnie Cole’s swarming defense and backup quarterback Riko Smalls, holding off Alabama State 11-6 at Legion Field.

"I’ve been waiting on this job for over 20 years," said Cole, who played quarterback at Texas Southern in the mid-1980s. "I’ve been in the business for 24 (years) and I always wanted to come back to Texas Southern and get us to this championship."



Tigers Roar: TSU Wins SWAC Title

Birmingham, Ala. - Texas Southern did Saturday what it has done all year. The Tigers rode on the strength of their defense and wound up with a SWAC championship to show for it. TSU defeated Alabama State 11-6 at Legion Field in the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Football Championship Game.

The toughest defense in the SWAC, and #2 ranked in the nation, and led by SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and SWAC Championship Game Defensive MVP, Dejuan Fulghum, the Tigers held the Hornets to 72 total yards and an average of just 1.7 yards per play. The "212" defense, named for the boiling point when water turns to steam, even scored two points of its own.

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ATTENDANCE: 22,350

SWAC invites Tennessee State to join

TSU AD Teresa Phillips

Tennessee State, currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, plays two or three SWAC schools annually, and league officials believe the Tigers would be a good fit. TSU athletics director Teresa Phillips, reached earlier this week, elected not to comment on the issue, but said school officials have discussed conference affiliation in recent years.

"We had a study looking at several things, including conference affiliation, but we never had a conclusion to that," Phillips said. "That conversation is always somewhere. It's always on the tip of our tongue."

SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp chose not to comment when contacted by The Times.

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Magic City Classic on SWAC TV

Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference will carry live the 69th Magic City Classic from Legion Field on SWAC TV. The free telecast will begin Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (CT) with the kickoff between Alabama A&M and Alabama State set for 2:30.

The game will not be broadcast on television, so fans that are unable to make it to the stadium, can catch all the action on their computer at www.swac.org/allaccess.

SWAC Cross Country Championship Set for Sunday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference kicks off the 2010 Fall Championships schedule on Sunday, October 31 with the Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship held at the Choctaw Running Trails in Clinton, Miss.

The women's 5K race will start at 9:00 a.m., followed by men's 8K competition at 10:15 am. A year ago, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff men and women won team titles at the conference's championship meet in Baton Rouge, La.

SWAC Cross Country Championship Central

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Week 5: Pretenders vs. Contenders

CIAA
Winston Salem State 49, Johnson C. Smith 3
Saint Augustine's 42, Fayetteville State 36
Shaw 34, Livingstone 0
Chowan 35, Virginia Union 34
Elizabeth City State 30, Saint Paul's 12
Virginia State 16, Bowie State 15

SIAC
Albany State 43, Lane 13
Tuskegee 51, Miles 0
E. Kentucky 58, Kentucky State 7
Fort Valley State 41, Benedict 13
Clark Atlanta 19, Stillman 14

SWAC
Mississippi State 49, Alcorn State 16
Texas Southern 21, Alabama State 7
Arkansas Pine Bluff 41, Southern 23
Grambling State 25, Alabama A&M 22
Prairie View A&M 34, Mississippi Valley 13
Jackson State (Bye)

MEAC
South Carolina State 19, Florida A&M 0
Bethune Cookaman 69, Morgan State 32
Howard 28, Lincoln (Pa.) 14
Tennessee State 37, North Carolina A&T 7 (Circle City Classic)
Liberty 52, Savannah State 14
Hampton 20, Delaware State 14 (Thursday)
Norfolk State, North Carolina Central (Bye)



South Carolina State University's Marching 101 will take on Norfolk State University's Spartan Legion in the "Man vs. Beast: Brawl in the Burg" band battle. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on the campus of S.C. State.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more information or tickets, call 803-536-8579, 1-800-298-9157 or 803-533-3691.

Colleges quietly charge millions in fees to support athletics

Linda Randall says her daughter, Randi-Lyn, a student at Radford University in southwestern Virginia, is not a "die-hard" follower of the Highlanders sports teams.

Even so, by the time Randi-Lyn graduates in 2012, her parents probably will have paid an average of nearly $1,000 a year in fees to the school's athletics department. They just didn't know it from the school's billing statements or website.

"We're looking at five years because she changed majors. That's $5,000," Randall says. "That's one of her loans. That would have paid rent off-campus for a year. It's kind of disheartening. I don't think I'd have as much of a problem with it if I knew I was paying it. With what we're paying, it doesn't seem right."

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NOTE: Tennessee State University student athletic fee of $224 generates $1.95M of the Tigers $8.62M 2010/11 athletic budget. TSU is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference and has the second lowest student athletic fee of nine Division I public school programs in Tennessee.

RELATED

• Chart: Analyzing the percentage of tuition that goes to athletics
• PDF: 2010-11 Athletic spending in Tennessee

Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands performance at Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game on 9/18/2010.

Saturday's SWAC TV Schedule: Jackson State Tigers vs. Grambling State Tigers

Jackson State at Grambling State football game will be shown live on Saturday from Eddie Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana on SWAC TV. Fans will be able to view the game for free via the SWAC TV link from the SWAC website. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. with the pregame show at 3:45.

To view SWAC TV, click on www.swac.org and follow the link on the right side of the page, or use this direct link - http://www.swac.org/allaccess/

SATURDAY'S SWAC GAMES

Alabama A&M at Texas Southern, noon
Alabama State at Prairie View A&M, 3 p.m.
Alcorn State vs. Mississippi Valley State, 4 p.m. (Soldier Field, Chicago)
Jackson State at Grambling, 4 p.m.
SWAC TV: http://www.swac.org/allaccess/

Symonds Leads Group Preparing Launch Of HBCU Network

Dedicated To African-American Universities, Sports Channel Looks To Summer 2011 Bow

Historically Black Colleges and Universities will have a cable channel to call their own next summer with the proposed launch of the independently-owned and sports-themed HBCU Network.

The basic-cable service, targeting African-American and multicultural high school and college- aged students will be anchored by live Division I and II college sports programming from the major HBCU sports conferences, as well as HBCU-produced educational and entertainment programming, according to network CEO and former BET executive Curtis Symonds.

"This is an opportunity to talk about the 143-year history of HBCUs and provide opportunities for their growth and future prosperity and target a demographic that advertisers want to reach," Symonds told Multichannel News.

Independent holding company C3 Media LLC, comprising veteran cable executives Symonds, Clint Evans and Candace Walker, hold a majority financial stake in HBCU Network, which will be based in Atlanta. Symonds noted that the group is talking to other potential investors, but would not reveal specifics.

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Commissioner tries to calm Legacy controversy

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas refuses to answer the Press questions regarding the ESPN Legacy Bowl proposal. Thomas instead took a swipe at Bloggers and fans who have expressed strong opposition to dropping the conference automatic berth to the Football Championship Subdivision (1-AA) Playoffs.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --Amid the storm of controversy surrounding the proposed Legacy Bowl, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Dennis Thomas has attempted to maintain a calm front. Aside from comments made in June confirming the possibility of ESPN reviving the Heritage Bowl under a new aforementioned moniker with the MEAC and Southwestern Athletic Conference facing each other starting Dec. 17, 2011, the former South Carolina State head football coach has kept talk about the contest mostly under wraps.

"We are doing due diligence about the possibility and no decision has been made," Thomas said on Monday. "I can't make any comments until or if the deal is done. And then I can make some accurate comments about what is."

Thomas said he was hopeful a final decision on whether to participate in the game, which would require the MEAC to drop its automatic qualifying berth into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, would take place "sometime in the fall." At that point, the final decision would be left in the hands of the conference's school presidents and chancellors.

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SWAC basketball tournament expected to bring millions to Garland, area

SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp.

Dignitaries from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Garland and Richardson officially kicked-off planning for the conference's 2011 basketball tournament Tuesday at the Garland Special Events Center. The conference, which includes 10 historically black colleges including Grambling State University, Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University, will hold the tournament at the center for three years.

SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said he didn't know how much money the tournaments would bring to the area, but said Birmingham, Ala., which has previously hosted the event, realized about $10 million a year. Attendance at last year's tournament in Shreveport, La. was about 15,000 but he expected that to be higher in Garland. Sharp said the Dallas-area was a good fit for the tournament because it has the second-largest alumni base for the 10 universities.

The conference wants to expand and improve the three-day event which includes men's and women's tournaments. It has hired Urban Sports, a marketing firm, to plan and publicize the event. Garland school board member Linda Griffin said she is pleased to see the tournament because of the educational opportunities that are being planned for the event.

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