JACKSON, Mississippi -- Alcorn State has turned to a familiar face with a very familiar name to lead its football program.
The Braves promoted Fred McNair, the team’s interim head coach, to head coach and introduced him at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
McNair, who was named the interim head coach on Jan. 31, is a former Brave quarterback and the older brother to former Tennessee Titan and Baltimore Raven quarterback Steve McNair.
He joined Alcorn in 2012 and has been the program’s assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. McNair helped coach former SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year John Gibbs Jr. and current quarterback Lenorris Footman transition into the starting role after Gibbs went out with an ankle injury during the 2015 season.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Gold Nuggets still 24th in NAIA coaches poll
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is 24th for the second consecutive week in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
The Gold Nuggets, 15-8 after a 75-62 victory Monday at SUNO, have been among the top 25 in all seven polls this season. Their highest rank was ninth Dec. 8.
Xavier has one game remaining this week, at 3 p.m. Saturday against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center.
Talladega (18-3), the leader in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference by three games over Xavier and Philander Smith, climbed from 20th to 19th nationally. This is the Lady Tornadoes' fifth consecutive top-25 appearance.
Ascending to No. 1 for the first time in the program's history was Our Lady of the Lake, which lost 91-86 in overtime to Xavier Nov. 14 in the LSUS Classic at Shreveport, La. Since then the Saints (19-2) have won 19-of-20, including their last 19 in a row. OLLU received 7-of-9 first-place votes and is the fourth school to hold the top spot this season.
XU city rival Loyola, which will play host to the Gold Nuggets at 7 p.m. Feb. 17, fell out of the top 25 after ranking 23rd a week ago.
| NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 31)
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XU's Goreau, Salwan are GCAC's 1st Players of the Week
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Charlene Goreau and Karan Salwan are the first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week of the 2016 tennis season.
Goreau, a freshman from Toulouse, France, and a graduate of Raymond Naves School, did not lose a game in doubles or singles in her collegiate debut Saturday at home against Loyola. Goreau and Brandi Nelson defeated Margaret Adams and Lauren Rosales 8-0 at the top doubles flight, then Goreau defeated Adams 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. The Gold Nuggets won the dual 9-0.
Salwan, a junior from New Delhi, India, and a graduate of Modern School, teamed with Tushar Mandlekar for an 8-2 doubles victory against Loyola's Steven Le and Ernesto de Diego at No. 1 doubles. Then Salwan beat Lee 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. The Gold Rush won that dual 8-1.
Salwan is the ITA's eighth-ranked NAIA singles player, and Salwan and Mandlekar are No. 13 in doubles.
The Gold Rush (1-2) and Gold Nuggets (1-0) will play William Carey at 11 a.m. Saturday at XU Tennis Center. All four teams are ranked among the NAIA's top 11. Admission is free to all XU home dual matches.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Rally at Wright time gives Gold Rush victory at SUNO
NEW ORLEANS — Morris Wright scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half Monday, and Xavier University of Louisiana rallied late for a 59-50 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory against SUNO at The Castle.The Gold Rush (16-8, 3-4) snapped a two-game losing streak and won a GCAC road game for the first time this season.
Wright, a senior guard and the GCAC Preseason Player of the Year, scored a 3-point play with an assist from Gary Smith to put Xavier ahead to stay, 48-46, with 3:03 remaining. Wright made two free throws at 2:33, and Smith's 3-point play at 1:46 gave Xavier a 53-46 lead and capped an 8-0 run.
Elex Carter had 10 points and six rebounds for the Gold Rush, and Smith had nine points and a season-high seven assists. Wright scored in double figures for the 32nd consecutive game and led Xavier in scoring for the 22nd time in 24 games this season.
Dominique Suggs and Junaid Olusesi scored 11 points apiece for the Knights (6-12, 1-6), who have lost four straight, and Joe Brown had nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Cortavius Williams had eight points and 14 rebound
Olusesi's 3-pointer gave SUNO its largest lead, 19-11, at 9:29 of the first half, but Leland Alexander's basket for Xavier with three seconds remaining tied the score at 25. The Knights held their largest second-half lead, 44-38, after Brown's basket at 6:45.
SUNO outshot Xavier 42.6 to 41.5 percent from the floor, but the Gold Rush made 11-of-19 free throws to the Knights' 4-of-12. Xavier produced a season-high 13 steals, with Wright matching his season high of four and Smith collecting three.
It was the sixth time this season that Xavier allowed 50 or fewer points. The Gold Rush entered the game ranked second in NAIA Division I scoring defense.
Xavier beat SUNO at The Castle for the eighth time in its last nine visits. It was the 100th meeting between the Gold Rush and Knights — Xavier leads the series 71-29 with 20 victories in the last 24 games.
Xavier will play GCAC rival Dillard at 5 p.m. Saturday in the second game of the Crosstown Classic doubleheader at XU's Convocation Center. Advance tickets are available all week in room 322 of the Convocation Center Annex.
BOX SCORE
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Monday, February 1, 2016
Ram Ramblings: Saint Paul's spirit, legacy lives on
SALISBURY, North Carolina - Oralia Washington was busy and had no time to pose for a picture between games of the Livingstone and Winston-Salem State basketball doubleheader on Saturday at New Trent Gym.
To Washington, a consummate pro when it comes to the behind the scenes work as a sports information director, she was in her element. She kept stats, printed out those stats to impatient coaches, and attended to every other detail that goes along with her job. And she did this in one of the loudest and best atmospheres in the CIAA. New Trent Gym was packed.
Washington, a 2000 graduate of St. Paul’s, is a former player who in the mid-1990s was a shooting guard for the Tigers.
She is among the many in the CIAA who work behind the scenes making what little media is left covering a Division II conference easier.
I have it easier than some because WSSU actually has two full-timers devoted to sports information in Kevin Manns and Trevin Goodwin. Manns and Godwin know I can call them at any time and get questions answered.
CONTINUE READING
To Washington, a consummate pro when it comes to the behind the scenes work as a sports information director, she was in her element. She kept stats, printed out those stats to impatient coaches, and attended to every other detail that goes along with her job. And she did this in one of the loudest and best atmospheres in the CIAA. New Trent Gym was packed.
Washington, a 2000 graduate of St. Paul’s, is a former player who in the mid-1990s was a shooting guard for the Tigers.
She is among the many in the CIAA who work behind the scenes making what little media is left covering a Division II conference easier.
I have it easier than some because WSSU actually has two full-timers devoted to sports information in Kevin Manns and Trevin Goodwin. Manns and Godwin know I can call them at any time and get questions answered.
CONTINUE READING
Nuggets' 1st-quarter run sparks 75-62 victory at SUNO
NEW ORLEANS -- Kiera Robinson and Whitney Gathright led a lengthy first-quarter run, and Donyeah Mayfield produced her fourth double-double of the season in Xavier University of Louisiana's 75-62 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against SUNO at The Castle.
The Gold Nuggets (15-8, 4-3), ranked 24th in NAIA Division I, snapped a two-game losing streak and won on the road for the first time in three GCAC games.
Gathright had seven points and Robinson six during an 18-0 run that gave Xavier a 20-2 lead at 4:41 of the first quarter. The Gold Nuggets led 28-6 at the end of that period -- their largest lead -- and 39-25 at halftime. Xavier finished with a 12-5 run after SUNO cut the lead to 63-57 with 3:44 remaining.
Robinson, a freshman, scored a career-high 18 points -- she was 9-of-11 from the floor -- grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. Gathright made 3-of-4 3-pointers and had 16 points and six assists, and Mayfield had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Also in double figures for Xavier were Trana Hopkins with 11 points and Jasmine Bush with a career-high 10. Hopkins had a career-best five steals. Reserve center Kelsee Singleton had five points, seven rebounds, four blocks and a steal.
Rayvin Miller and Deja Young scored 14 points apiece for the Lady Knights (8-10, 3-4), and Micah Brooks had 12 points and five assists. Miller had 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals in her second double-double of the season, and Young's points were a career best.
Xavier outshot SUNO 43.8 to 37.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Knights 46-33. The Gold Nuggets made 5-of-9 treys for a season-beCst 55.6 percent, and their 12 fouls were a season low.
Xavier ended a four-game losing streak against the Lady Knights and leads the series 63-13.
Xavier will play GCAC rival Dillard at 3 p.m. Saturday in the first game of the Crosstown Classic doubleheader at XU's Convocation Center. Advance tickets are available all week in room 322 of the Convocation Center Annex.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Alcorn State to name new football coach on Tuesday
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Time: 3:00PM
Location: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
The press conference will be streamed on www.alcornsports.com.
LORMAN, Mississippi -- It didn't take long for Alcorn State to find its next football coach, now it's just a matter of revealing who it is.
The university issued a press release stating that it'll announce its new coach at a press conference at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
The vacancy for the Braves' coaching job was created when Jay Hopson, who had coached the team the past four seasons, was named Southern Miss' coach late Saturday night.
Derek Horne, Alcorn State's athletic director, tabbed assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Fred McNair as the Braves' interim coach shortly after Hopson departed.
CONTINUE READING
Time: 3:00PMLocation: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
The press conference will be streamed on www.alcornsports.com.
LORMAN, Mississippi -- It didn't take long for Alcorn State to find its next football coach, now it's just a matter of revealing who it is.
The university issued a press release stating that it'll announce its new coach at a press conference at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
The vacancy for the Braves' coaching job was created when Jay Hopson, who had coached the team the past four seasons, was named Southern Miss' coach late Saturday night.
Derek Horne, Alcorn State's athletic director, tabbed assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Fred McNair as the Braves' interim coach shortly after Hopson departed.
CONTINUE READING
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