WSSU's Bazemore signs with pro team in Spain

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- WyKevin Bazemore, a four-year starter at Winston-Salem State and one of the best rebounders in school history, has signed a contract to play pro basketball overseas.

Bazemore, a 6-3 forward, was a four-time All-CIAA player and is the 12th leading scorer (1,337 points) in school history and third in career rebounds (984). During his four seasons at WSSU, he helped the Rams to three CIAA title games and one CIAA title.

A relentless rebounder, Bazemore usually guarded taller players during his time with the Rams.



“I’m excited about getting this opportunity to play,” said Bazemore, who stayed in Winston-Salem over summer training. “My agent (James Blackburn) and I think this will be the best chance for me so getting to go over to Spain is going to be pretty cool.”

Bazemore will play for Ule Puertalia Leon, a team in the fourth division of the Spanish League. Bazemore’s team plays in the Liga EBA Division.

He will leave next week for training camp and games will run from October until May.

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Manzo’s foot gives Livingstone Blue Bears an edge

SALISBURY, North Carolina — Livingstone’s trip to Bowie State, 20 miles from Washington, D.C., resulted in a football loss but an educational gain. The Blue Bears took in the standard tourist sights, including the Washington Monument and the White House.

The highlight for many team members was a stop at the Lincoln Memorial, the venue from which Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I have a dream” speech still echoes. That was the defining moment in a Civil Rights Movement that changed the world.

“We have a total program,” Livingstone coach Daryl Williams said. “We want to provide opportunities for culture as well as football. We’ve got players from junior colleges, from Florida, from California. We’ve got a lot of guys who had never seen their nation’s capital.”

Williams said many players quietly thanked him for the opportunity. In the big picture, the D.C. visit, will stay with the Blue Bears long after they’ve forgotten Saturday’s 45-17 CIAA gridiron setback.

“Seeing the White House definitely was on my bucket list,” senior kicker Leo Manzo said. “The trip was cool. I really like where playing football at Livingstone has taken me.”



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St. Aug’s fires football coach

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- St. Augustine’s football coach Michael Morand, who had been placed on administrative leave two weeks into the season, has been relieved of his duties, the school announced Wednesday.

Contacted by phone, athletic director George Williams would only say, “We have decided to go in another direction. We will open up the job at the end of the season, and (interim) coach (Tim) Chavous is welcome to apply for it at that time.”

Morand took over a St. Augustine’s football team in the midst of a crisis.

Thirteen-year coach Michael Costa had just been released after the first game of the 2014 season, and several of the players’ relatives had gone to the national media to protest “unsafe travel conditions and inadequate food.”

Morand, who was the offensive coordinator at the time, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

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Upstart Chowan hopes to break WSSU's conference win streak

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Chowan will come into its game against Winston-Salem State on Saturday in unfamiliar territory.

Since moving from a junior college to a four-year college in 1992, the football team has never been 3-1. That changed Saturday with a convincing 49-0 win over St. Augustine’s in its conference opener.

The Rams have won 29 straight CIAA regular-season games with their last loss in 2010, but the Hawks are hoping to halt that streak. They come into Saturday’s game with plenty of momentum.

The Hawks are in the conversation as a contender in the Northern Division of the CIAA thanks to a quarterback who hasn’t shied away from making big plays. Randall Dixon, a junior college transfer who redshirted last season at Chowan, is one of the top newcomers to the CIAA.

Coach Tim Place, who is 25-49 in his eight seasons at Chowan, says Dixon’s play has been very good.

“We’ve done a decent job of protecting the ball, and our turnover margin is a lot better,” said Place, whose team also beat Division I Delaware State earlier this season.

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Bowie State Bulldogs Predicted To Finish First in the CIAA Northern Division

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The 2015-2016 CIAA Men's Predicted Order of Finish and Pre-Season All-CIAA Team were announced at the Annual Basketball Press Conference held at the Crowne Plaza Executive Park Hotel on Thursday (October 1st) afternoon.

The Bowie State Bulldogs were picked to finish atop in the CIAA Northern Division as voted by the CIAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association. Defending CIAA Champion Livingstone College is picked to finish first in the CIAA Southern Division.
 
When asked about this year's team, sixth year head coach Darrell Brooks said, "We're really excited about the start of a new season and believe our guys are in really good shape".  "With the addition of four newcomers combined with 11 returning players, we're a lot longer and more athletic than we were last year."

Of the individual student-athletes honored Bowie State senior Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) was selected by the CIAA Coaches. Beck played in all 30 games last season, ranked second on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and first in rebounds (6.0 rpg).

Last season, the Bowie State University Bulldogs were Co-Champions in the Northern Division and finished the season with a 22-8 overall record and 13-3 CIAA record. A complete list of the 2015-2016 Pre-Season Team and Predicted Order of Finish is as follows;

MEN'S PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Northern Division
Bowie State University
Virginia State University
Lincoln University
Chowan University
Virginia Union University
Elizabeth City University

 
Southern Division
Livingstone College
Winston-Salem State University
Johnson C. Smith University
Saint Augustine's University
Fayetteville State University
Shaw University

2015-2016 Men's Pre-Season Basketball Team
Ray Anderson (Virginia Union), Justin Beck (Bowie State), Jamar Cooper (Shaw), Joshua Dawson (Fayetteville State), Eric Dubose (Livingstone), Anthony Gaskins (Saint Augustine's), Quincy January (Saint Augustine's), Elijah Moore (Virginia State), Stedmon Lemon (Johnson C. Smith), Ty Newman (Livingstone), Diondre Pratt (Johnson C. Smith) and Larry Richardson (Shaw).

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEDIA ADVISORY - BSU Bulldogs Football at Johnson C. Smith Moved Up to 12 p.m. Kickoff

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Bowie State University football game scheduled for this Saturday (10/3) at Johnson S. Smith University has moved up kickoff time to 12 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. due to the pending hurricance moving up the east coast. You can still follow the game via audio stream by CLICKING HERE

CSU (1-3, 0-1 CIAA) comes off a 33-3 loss at Virginia Union last week.  The Golden Bulls were led by senior linebacker Austin Jacques (Springdale, Md.), as he finished with 18 total tackles, 4.0 for loss.  For his performance against the Panthers, Jacques was named CIAA Linebacker of the Week.  Defensive back Carlo Thomas (East Orange, N.J.) also continues his solid play, as he tallied 7.5 tackles, with six being solo stops.

Offensively, JCSU struggled against a stout Virginia Union defense, only gaining 58 yards of offense.  JCSU's score came from a career-long 46 yard field goal in the third quarter from junior kicker Erik Amaya (Kannapolis, N.C.).  

Bowie State (3-1, 1-0 CIAA) counters with quarterback Matthew Goggans, as he has earned CIAA quarterback of the week on three occasions thus far this fall.  Goggans has thrown for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception in 2015.  Last week, Goggans torched the Livingstone defense, tossing for 345 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-17 home win over the Blue Bears.  Goggans' favorite target is receiver Nyme Manns, as Manns has collected 29 catches for 431 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Defensively, Bowie State is led by linebacker Kevaugn Townsend.  Townsend has racked up 41 tackles on the season, including 19 solo stops.  He also has 2.5 sacks to his credit along with a fumble recovery.

This week's game will once again be broadcast on AM 1450 WGNC.  Dave Friedman and Josh Diggs will have the call with the pregame show kicking off at 2:30 p.m.  Fans can access the live video and audio stream at jcsn.wgnc.net.

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WSSU's Gaddy being moved to hospital in Charlotte

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Marquise Gaddy is making steady progress in his recovery from neck and spinal cord injuries suffered a week ago at practice at Winston-Salem State.

Gaddy, a freshman safety from Charlotte, has been in Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center since the Sept. 23 incident. His father, Juan, says his son will be moved to a rehabilitation center in uptown Charlotte.“He’s making real progress, and that’s what we are all excited about,” Juan Gaddy said Wednesday morning just before checking out of his hotel. “He’s going to go a rehab center in uptown Charlotte, and he’ll probably be there for three or four weeks.”

Marquise Gaddy suffered a broken neck and was knocked unconscious during a tackling drill, according to his father. He was first able to wiggle his toes and move his legs about 24 hours after being rushed to the hospital.

The progress since then has been steady, according to Juan Gaddy. Marquise started rehabilitation at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center last Thursday.



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