Tougaloo College Coleman Receives GCAC A.D. of Year Award

TOUGALOO, Mississippi  -  The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) recently announced its 2012 Athletic Director of the Year.   Dr. James C. Coleman Athletic Director at Tougaloo College, received this prestigious honor voted on by his fellow ADs.

Coleman, a 1961 graduate of Tougaloo College, will be celebrating 50 years of service as a longtime educator and administrator this year. Coleman began his journey in athletics as a coach and moved up to athletic director after serving in several other positions like sports information director and athletic trainer. After countless years in athletics, Coleman moved from athletics to take on other administrative duties. In 2005, Coleman accepted the position again. Under his leadership, the athletics department has soared to unexpected heights.

After accepting the job, one of Coleman first assignments was hiring head men's basketball coach Lafayette Stribling. Since hiring Stribling, the men's basketball program has brought home 4 regular season championships and 1 tournament championship. They have also been to the national tournament 5 out of the last 6 years, including 2 trips to the "Sweet Sixteen." Also under the leadership of Dr. Coleman, the program has brought international athletes, a new volleyball program, and a growing women's basketball and baseball program.

Coleman brought a women's volleyball program to Tougaloo in 2011. In only their second season, the Lady Bulldogs volleyball team finished 5th with a conference record of 5-5. Head Coach, Shandrea Taylor, received GCAC Coach of the Year and two players were on the All-Conference Team. In 2005, Coleman was honored for his longtime success in athletics with the naming of the outdoor athletic complex the Dr. James C. Coleman Athletic Complex, which includes the baseball field.

After receiving his bachelor's degree from Tougaloo, Coleman also received a master's degree from Tennessee State University and a doctorate of education from the University of Mississippi. Coleman is married to Dr. Marilyn Houston-Coleman and is the father of five children, all of whom graduated from Tougaloo College.

COURTESY TOUGALOO COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Dillard University Alum named Women's Basketball Associate Head Coach at Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee  -- The women's basketball staff at the University of Memphis solidified its coaching vacancy with the recent hiring of associate head coach Keila Whittington it was announced by head coach Melissa McFerrin Tuesday.

"We are excited to add someone with Coach Whittington's experience to our staff," McFerrin said. "She brings high level recruiting and coaching experience, including Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight experience. She also brings our staff some extensive contacts on the East Coast and in the upper Midwest, both important recruiting areas for us."

A Louisiana native, Whittington is a 1989 graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans, where she earned a degree in Health and Physical Education. She then went on to receive her M.A. in Physical Education from Delaware in 1993. Upon earning her Master's Degree, Whittington excelled and enjoyed her first collegiate coaching job as a graduate assistant at Delaware, where she coached from 1991-1993. That collegiate job followed a stint as the assistant varsity girls' coach at McDonogh #35 High School in New Orleans.

Photo Courtesy: DILLARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS AND ERIC EVANS

"I have been blessed to receive so many great Division I coaching opportunities as a Dillard University Alum," said Coach Whittington. "Anytime I am asked about where I attended college, I proudly say Dillard University in New Orleans, La. I was groomed for greatness as a Dillard student-athlete, and I will always be proud alum."

Whittington is not only heavily involved in basketball and coaching, but she has also donated her time and efforts to help those who are less fortunate than herself. She is responsible for organizing a supply relief drive consisting of non-perishable food items, water and toys that was sent to St. Bernard Parish in Chalmette, La., following Hurricane Katrina.

"We would like to congratulate her in another accomplishment in her career," said Kiki Barnes, Athletic Director at Dillard University. "She is a shining example of the kind of women that have come through the athletics program here at Dillard University."

She got her first full-time coaching job at Rhode Island (1993-1995). She worked her way up to the top assistant spot there and also served as the recruiting coordinator during the 1995 season.

Whittington has spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon, where she coached the post players and served as the Ducks' recruiting coordinator, helping Oregon land nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including a top-50 ranked class by ESPN Hoopgurlz in 2011. As a post coach, Whittington has coached three student-athletes to Pac-10 all-conference honors.

Prior to joining the Ducks in April of 2009, Whittington served as an assistant coach at Marist (2007-09), where she helped guide the Red Foxes to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. In her time at Marist, the Red Foxes posted a mark of 61-7 over two seasons, winning two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season and tournament championships.

Posting an undefeated MAAC regular season mark of 18-0 in 2008, Marist made a splash on the national scene, eventually finishing the season with a mark of 32-3, and finishing the season ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Similar to her experience with the Ducks, Whittington assisted in recruiting, helping land a top-50 ranked class in 2008, the program's first ever nationally-ranked recruiting class.

At Memphis, she will serve as the Tigers' post coach, inheriting a core of players that includes second team all-C-USA forward Nicole Dickson, junior KK Harvey, sophomore Ann Jones and newcomers Asianna Fuquay-Bey, Devin Mack and Courtney Powell. The Tigers will play the 2012-2013 seasons in Conference USA, then move to the Big East conference for the 2013-14 season.

COURTESY DILLARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton Alum Wells, McCorory Qualify for Olympics in London

HAMPTON, Virginia - Hampton University alum Kellie Wells and Francena McCorory will both represent the U.S. during the upcoming London Olympics. 

Wells, a former Hampton track and field standout, qualified for Team USA after finishing second in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.77 seconds during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field on June 23.  The Richmond, Virginia born pro hurdler is the current USATF Outdoor National Champion in the 100-meter hurdlers event.



Hampton, Virginia born McCorory, a three-time NCAA track champion, also qualified for Team USA after finishing third in the women’s 400-meter race at the U.S. trials. McCorory is most famous for winning the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field title, while also breaking a 19-year old record in the 400-meter event.



McCorory also qualified and competed in the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. She joins Wells and Johnson C. Smith University's Leford Green (400M hurdles) as the only HBCU alum who will take the Olympic track in London next month.

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2012 Port City Classic Details Announced

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana - The 2012 Port City Classic featuring the Grambling State University Tigers taking on the Alcorn State University Braves will be held Saturday, September 1, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Kick-off for the game is set for 6 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at all Shreveport Federal Credit Union branches in Shreveport, Grambling and Bastrop, the Independence Bowl office and the State Fair of Louisiana office.

Ticket prices for the game are $125.00 for Club Suite Level Tickets, $20.00 for reserved seats, $15.00 for General Admission and $10.00 for Grambling and Alcorn students with a valid university ID. To purchase tickets by phone or for group rate pricing, contact the Grambling State University ticket office at (318) 274-2625 or the Alcorn State University ticket office at (601) 877-6822.

JCSU alumnus Leford Green qualifies for 2012 London Summer Olympics

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Johnson C. Smith alumnus Leford Green is headed to the 2012 London Summer Olympics after winning the 400 meter hurdles on Friday.

Green is the national champion in the event for the third consecutive year. He won the race with a season best time of 48.88. Green ran a strong race to secure the men's 400m hurdles final at the JAAA/SVL Jamaica National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.



Green's time of 48.88 seconds, beat Josef Robertson and Roxroy Cato into second and third. Robertson clocked a time of 49.53 seconds, while Cato did 49.65 seconds. Olympic medallist Danny McFarlane did not make the cut this time around as he finished 4th in a time of 49.69 seconds.

While at Smith, Green won the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II crowns in the 400-meter dash during his senior season. He ran his best time in the 400-meter hurdles (48.47) at the 2010 CAC Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

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Shaun McCarty takes small-town toughness to Daytona Beach

COTTONWOOD, Arizona -- Ever since Shaun McCarty won the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove award, his phone has been blowing up. University coaches from across the country were giving him offers to play ball.

In 41 games at shortstop for the Paradise Valley Pumas last season, McCarty posted a .975 fielding percentage with 71 put outs and 123 assists. He did it all with an injured glove wrist.

Maroon and gold will be the colors of his jersey next season, but he'll be playing in the Sunshine State, not the Valley of the Sun.

"Since he was nine years old, when I asked him what his goal was, he said, 'Dad, I want to play Division 1 baseball someday and I don't want my parents to pay for any of my college.' Shaun's goal remained true. He's going to end up playing Division 1 in Florida on a full-ride offer," said Tom McCarty. "He turned down probably 20 or 30 offers from colleges across the country. He finally found Bethune-Cookman out of Daytona Beach, so he loves the location, and they play all the tough Florida schools. Miami, Florida, Florida St."

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Denmark comes home to FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- Beads of sweat were no longer on Brandon Denmark’s chiseled body soon after he settled inside the air-conditioned Florida A&M field house. The first day of off-season workouts was done for the former Rickards High School linebacker, who transferred to FAMU after two seasons at Illinois.

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be,” Denmark said. “I’m a real strong person so I’ve been working on speed and endurance.”

He got a good start on Thursday, lifting weights and running sprints in the blazing afternoon heat. Denmark was ahead of the rest of the players for most of the runs up and down the field.  He hopes his off-season conditioning work would prepare him to compete for a spot on the Florida A&M depth chart. He decided to come home in hopes of gaining ...

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