Sunday, May 23, 2010

South's D'Andre Harris signs with Winston-Salem State

LANDIS, N.C. — Winston-Salem State's football program returns to its CIAA roots this fall, and South Rowan running back D'Andre Harris will be part of the excitement. Once Winston-Salem State found out D'Andre hadn't signed anywhere, he was an apple they were quick to grab," South coach Jason Rollins said. Harris had a tough recruiting experience. Rollins explained that North Carolina A&T offered a full ride pretty early. Harris — a productive back, solid citizen and strong student — wanted to wait to see what other options developed. Basically, that scholarship got pulled off the table and went elsewhere. It happens.

But what put Harris in a really difficult spot was that he appeared signed, sealed and delivered for A&T. Lots of schools had crossed him off their lists, and that helps explain why he was sort of a free agent longer than a player with his talent and transcript should've been. Fortunately, coaches still make the recruiting rounds in the spring. Sometimes they find a gem who finally made a decent SAT or ACT score after everyone had backed off. Sometimes they run across a player who got hurt and slipped through the cracks. Sometimes they discover a late-blooming lineman who's put on 30 pounds since football season ended.

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

NCAA's: Alabama Softball Beats Alcorn State, 9-0

Alabama Softball Beats Alcorn State, 9-0


Tuscaloosa, Ala. - - The Alabama softball team (49-9) opened NCAA postseason play with a convincing 9-0 victory over Alcorn State (24-25) Friday evening in game two of the Tuscaloosa Regional at the Alabama Softball Complex. With the win the Crimson Tide has run off 25 straight victories, tying the third longest winning streak in school history. “We talked about whoever we play, you play your best and respect the opponent by coming out and playing a great game,” UA head coach Pat Murphy said. “I think we did just that. Lauren Sewell did a really good job and Amanda Locke was awesome in the three batters she faced. We scored in every inning and that’s what we do.”

Tide slugs its way past Alcorn State


TUSCALOOSA | Alcorn State coach Kevin Montgomery figured his team's only chance against the University of Alabama softball team would be if the Crimson Tide took his Lady Braves lightly in the first round of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Fat chance. Alabama (49-9) needed less than an hour-and-a-quarter Friday to send Alcorn State (24-25) to the loser's bracket with a 9-0 victory, shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. The Crimson Tide, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, won for the 25th time in a row, extending the nation's longest winning streak.

“We talk about whoever we play — no matter the opponent, the situation, the site — you play your best and you respect the opponent by coming out and playing a great game,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “I think we did just that. “We scored in every inning. That's kind of like our … what we do. That's how we roll.” Alabama got rolling early against the Lady Braves, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding three in the second and three more in the third.

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Alcorn State will face the University of Alabama-Birmingham in an elimination game Saturday at 4 p.m.

Division I dream comes true for GSU recruit McIver

Killen High School (Texas) Volleyball star Tiara McIver selected the GSU Lady Tigers over offers from Tarleton State, Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. The 5-10/145 left-handed spiker plans to major in English/Language Arts Teacher Education.

After two months of waiting for a response — any response — Tiara McIver would've given Grambling State "another week or two weeks or so," the Killeen High senior, affectionately known as "Tree," said. McIver got the response she was looking for from Lady Tigers coach Kim Young. Then, the Lady Roos outside hitter received her invitation to visit the Grambling, La., campus and was finally offered her opportunity to play Division I volleyball, which she accepted Friday in the Killeen High School gymnasium by signing her national letter of intent.

"I thought she was going to e-mail the next day. I really did ... but she didn't," McIver said. "I would check my e-mail all the time, I asked my mom to check my e-mail all the time when I was in school. I thought she was going to contact me back right then. "As soon as I heard from her, it was just a sigh of relief," said McIver, who posted 198 kills, 22 aces, 254 digs and 87 blocks as a senior and Killeen's only all-district first team selection.

McIver assumed the delayed response was because of the Lady Tigers' Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament finals appearance and other end-of-season requirements. Whatever the reason, McIver said she never gave up on earning a Division I scholarship, despite receiving numerous offers from smaller schools. That goal was made all the more difficult by the Lady Roos' struggles. Killeen hasn't made the playoffs since 2004 and has a combined six district wins (of 30) and one winning season in the last three years. So McIver created a profile on the website berecruited.com and contacted Young via e-mail shortly after her final prep season at Killeen, where she finished as a three-year starter and the District 16-4A MVP blocker as a sophomore.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

More limbo for Vikings and former Alabama State QB Jackson

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Tarvaris Jackson has taken plenty of heat for his performance, and physically he’s been hurt a lot too over four NFL seasons. Last summer, he was brushed aside for Brett Favre. For all Jackson has been beat up or bumped back, though, he can’t hide his smile. There it was, on Wednesday after practice with the Minnesota Vikings, spreading fast across his face when asked if he had a gut feeling about whether Favre will return or not.

"Yeah, I do. I’m not going to share it," Jackson said, flashing that grin. "But I think everybody has their feeling, and I think everybody is pretty much on the same page." That sure sounded like an expectation Favre will be Minnesota’s quarterback again this year. Jackson said he’s traded text messages a few times with the 40-year-old star, but insisted they talked only about "life stuff" and not football. Jackson said he "wouldn’t dare ask" the burning question about Favre’s status for 2010.



Profile: Tarvaris Jackson, #7, QB, Minnesota Vikings, Height: 6-2, Weight: 225 Age: 27, Born: 4/21/1983 Montgomery , AL; College: Alabama State University, Experience: 5th season; Contract: one year, $1.176 million tender as a restricted free agent; High School: Sidney Lanier HS (Montgomery, AL).

"That’s not even in my character," Jackson said. Well, how about Favre’s health, the left ankle he’s considering surgery on? "I don’t know," Jackson said, laughing. "I didn’t even know he was hurt." Jackson attempted 21 passes last season, the fewest since he turned pro and all in mop-up duty — "Every time I got in the game last year, the game was pretty much over with," he said, smiling again.

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Savannah State says Wells violated NCAA rules

Former SSU Tigers coach Robby Wells was asked to resign for committing two NCAA secondary violations reports the Savannah Morning News.

As Savannah State University was preparing to join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, former football head coach Robby Wells was responsible for two of three secondary violations within the football program that SSU self-reported to the NCAA, according to documents obtained by the Savannah Morning News through a Georgia Open Records Act request. Wells, who resigned Jan. 28 after two seasons, broke an NCAA rule on Jan. 20 when he invited an SSU student - a non-qualifier - to participate in weightlifting and conditioning drills with the football team.

SSU Assistant Athletics Director/Compliance Shed Dawson wrote in a report he submitted to the NCAA that, during a routine practice site visit, he observed the prospective athlete participating in the practice session. The athlete had been declared a non-qualifier by the NCAA Eligibility Center and was not eligible to participate in team practices or competition.

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Grambling State Broadway meets the fans, talks football

Grambling State football coach Rod Broadway isn't shy about telling you his dislike of putting Football Bowl Subdivision schools on his nonconference schedule. The Tigers have played the likes of Nevada and Oklahoma State lately, and while the university gets an added financial benefit to play in the games, the Tigers have been dealt lopsided losses with numerous injuries.

Broadway used this argument as his push to get more fans in the stands for football games when he spoke at Lake Bethlehem Baptist Church for the Shreveport leg of the GSU sports caravan Thursday night. "If we sold our home games out, we don't have to play teams like Oklahoma State," Broadway said to about 50 members of the Shreveport alumni chapter. "The Oklahoma States have 22 more scholarships than we do. That's just not fair."


Grambling State University

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Dr. Phillips WR Chris Gallon lands Florida A&M and Colorado State offers

Dr. Phillips High School (Orlando, Florida) senior WR Chris Gallon, a transfer this year from Oviedo High School, located in adjacent Seminole County, landed his second NCAA Division I-A scholarship offer Tuesday night from Colorado State, and also received an offer from Florida A&M University. His other D-I offer was from University of Memphis. Gallon will be looking to fill huge shoes this season for the Panthers with the graduation of Kenny Shaw, who is headed to Florida State. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Gallon is ranked No. 20 on the Sentinel’s 2011 Central Florida Super60.

Dr. Phillips is the defending Metro Conference Champions. Gallon had over 450 yards receiving for Oviedo High and scored six touchdowns last season. "I'm transferring to Dr. Phillips, I think that's very good for me," Gallon said. "I'm having some family issues and I'm trying to do what's best for me." Gallon runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and is also being shown interest by Tennessee, Florida, and Miami.



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