Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Basketball. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Bethune-Cookman University names Craig acting head coach

Acting Head Coach Gravelle Craig
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Eight days after firing men's basketball coach Clifford Reed, Bethune-Cookman elevated assistant head coach Gravelle Craig to acting head coach. Craig, 41, was appointed to the new role Tuesday.

Reed was fired for -- according to his termination letter -- "failure to cooperate and insubordination with respect to the university's investigation into allegations against the university and its men's basketball program."

Reed had been head coach for 10 seasons and directed the program's turnaround to three straight winning seasons. The Wildcats went 21-13 in 2010-11, won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title and received a bid to the National Invitational Tournament to cap the school's most successful season in 30 years.

"We felt that we've been on the right track, and we've accomplished so much, that we decided to continue on with the existing staff," athletic director Lynn Thompson said in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "The program has been working. The elements are still there."

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Monday, July 4, 2011

The Washington Post's Eric Prisbell talks Howard Athletics with Coach Kevin Nickelberry and Athletic Director Louis Perkins



Clark Francis, (Hoop Scoop) recruiting analyst labeled the recruiting class that Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry signed as a top 40 class.

Long-suffering Howard basketball pulls in heralded recruiting haul

Washington, D.C. -- Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry was never confident about securing a commitment from Prince Okoroh, the Eleanor Roosevelt forward who Nickelberry felt was good enough to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference and smart enough to thrive in the Ivy League.

As a Gates Millennium Scholar, Okoroh had his choice of schools. Would Okoroh want to suit up for a team that had won just six games this past season? Would he commit to a program whose basketball court was sprinkled with dead spots and whose poorly ventilated locker room was no bigger than a large storage closet?

The answer was yes. And when Okoroh called Nickelberry with the news in mid-April, a few days before he was named MVP of the preliminary game of the Capital Classic, the coach was “astonished,” Okoroh recalled. “He almost didn’t believe me at first. When I told him I was coming, it was almost like he fainted.”

This area’s already competitive college basketball recruiting landscape became more competitive in recent weeks with coaching hires at Maryland, George Washington and George Mason. But an under-the-radar development has been the recruiting by success-starved Howard, which assembled an attention-grabbing class punctuated by Okoroh’s signing.

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Monday, June 27, 2011

Hayes finally running the show at Alabama A&M

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Just before preseason basketball practice started in 2004, then-Alabama A&M men's basketball coach Vann Pettaway called his staff together - Willie Hayes and Sammy Jackson - and told them they were going to have to run the show.

Pettaway had been disagnosed with cancer and was about to undergo the biggest fight of his life. Hayes, the associate head coach at the time, and Jackson, who recently was named the head coach at Fort Valley State, was asked to keep the program headed in the right direction.

"Coach Pettaway let us know what he was going through and he was going to put the program in our hands and he needed us to run things until he could get back into the swing of things," Hayes said.

Not only did Hayes and Jackson runs things, they ran them so well that A&M went on to win not only the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season championship, but the tournament title as well. As a result, the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time as a Division I program where they lost to Oakland (Mich.).

Now, six years later...

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Alabama A&M ticket prices on the rise

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M football fans will have to pay a few more dollars to watch the Bulldogs play this season. Athletics officials, charged with raising $700,000, increased prices to rent the 22 skyboxes inside Louis Crews Stadium and ticket prices also went up, according to sales manager Tourischeva Stubbs.

Skyboxes range from $10,250 to $12,700, while season tickets have increased $25 and single-game tickets have increased anywhere from $5 to $7. "The skyboxes sold quickly," athletics director Betty Austin said. "There is a great demand for skyboxes. We hope season tickets will sell just as fast or faster." Selling season/reserved tickets was difficult last season, Stubbs said. Only 361 reserved seats were sold in 2010. There are more than 2,000 available.

"We have to change the culture of our fans," Stubbs said. "We need to get people to really see the value of our product and we need to value our product and one way to do that is with the price. Eventually, with time, our fans will see the value and they'll pay for it."

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Howard women's basketball set to face Baylor in Preseason WNIT

Pairings Set for 2011 Preseason WNIT

The pairings for the 2011 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament were announced today, and Howard women's basketball is set to face Baylor in the opening round.

Top 10 teams Baylor, Notre Dame, and UCLA headline the field that features nine teams that played in the postseason last year. The Preseason WNIT field includes Akron, Chattanooga,Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB. Here is the first-round schedule. Please see below for team notes.

First-round Preseason WNIT games
All 2010-2011 team records in parentheses

Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
McNeese State (26-7) at UCLA (28-5), 5 p.m. ET
UAB (20-15) at Chattanooga (17-14), 7 p.m. ET
Tennessee Tech (23-8) at ETSU (19-12), 7 p.m. ET
Akron (14-16) at Notre Dame (31-8), 7 p.m. ET
Long Island (19-11) at Drexel (19-13), 7 p.m. ET
Howard (16-18) at Baylor (34-3), 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit (13-18) at Indiana State (16-16), 8 p.m. ET
Manhattan (24-10) at Hartford (17-16), 8 p.m. ET

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14 and sites will be announced following the first round results; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.

In last year's Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.

- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.

- Baylor is a favorite to win next season's national title after advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears have U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year Kim Mulkey to lead freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, All-American Brittney Griner, and the vast majority of the Bears that went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season's youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year's team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.

- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.

- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-13 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.

- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team, including Destiny Mitchell, who earned all-conference freshman team honors after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February.

- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs after a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.

- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.

- Indiana State head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament's semifinal round.

- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.

- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.

- McNeese State posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Their top players return to the team this fall.

- Notre Dame made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to TexasA&M, and the Fighting Irish (31-8) will be back in force this fall for another strong run. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins, who is among a record three Irish players who recently made the 14-player cut for the U.S. World University Games.

- Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record. They get all five starters back this fall.

- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters and all but one player on their roster.

- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close after Nikki Caldwell took the LSU job, but should again be picked to finish around the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 Conference this fall.

For more information about the WNIT visit the website at www.womensnit.com.



Provided by Howard University Sports Information
Jamilah Corbett, Assistant Director of Sports Information
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Alcorn State's Luther Riley to host celebrity basketball camp

LORMAN, MS — New Alcorn State University men’s basketball coach Luther Riley has a message for local parents: Don’t miss out. Riley, who was named the Braves’ new hoops coach in April, is planning to bring his celebrity basketball camp to Alcorn State. And he’s trying to get many local children involved.

“Parents, if I were you, I wouldn’t miss out on this grand opportunity,” Riley said. “We have scholarships available for campers.”



The Luther Riley 2011 Celebrity Basketball Camp is open to boys ages 5 to 17 and takes place June 26-30. The camp will cost $135 for campers that will commute every day, and $200 for campers who plan to stay overnight. Overnight campers will stay in the school’s dorms on campus.

“I want every kid from ages 5 to 17 in Natchez that’s a young man to be at my camp,” Riley said. “But that’s only if you’re serious about basketball.”

The camp will feature L.A. Clippers guard Mo Williams and Sacramento Kings forward Demarcus Cousins, as well as other celebrities, Riley said. Riley himself is a certified Nike instructor.

“Anytime kids might be at the edge, where they didn’t make their high school or AAU teams, I can provide them that edge,” Riley said.

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Florida A&M Rattlers inks four hoopsters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M University men's basketball announces their 2011 signing class. The mixture of athletes concentrated on increasing the size of the Rattlers' front line. Four athletes have signed, with three coming from within the state of Florida and one from Georgia.

First year head coach Clemon Johnson, charged assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Tony Sheals, to get some size to bulk up the inside play and toughen the defense. The result is the signing of Eddie D'Haiti, Markee Teal, Nathaniel Drayton and D'Andre Bullard.  



D'Haiti, is from Orlando, Fla., and is a junior college transfer from Santa Fe College. He is 6'8" tall and weighs 235 lbs. He should help the Rattlers in the post position. He was an All-Mid Florida Conference player. He attended Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, where he led the team to a 43-13 record while playing there. He was shown interest by West Virginia, Valdosta St. and FAU.

Teal, is from State College of Florida (formerly Manatee Community College). He is from Ocala, Fla., where he attended Westport High School. He was also a first team Suncoast All-Conference selection as a post player. Teal stands 6'7" and weighs 220 lbs. He was shown interest by B-CU and St. Peters College.

Drayton, who goes by the name "Nate," is originally from Savannah, Ga. He is a junior college transfer from Salkehatchie Community College, where he was an All-Conference performer. Drayton plays the post and is 6'7" and 245 lbs. He was shown interest by Towson State, Coastal Carolina, and S.C. State.

Bullard, is a true freshman from Apopka, Fla. He attended Wekiva High School and was an All-County and All-Region player. He has good height for a point guard, standing 6'4" and 175 lbs. He was shown interest by Northeastern and Stetson University.

By Florida A&M Sports Information

Monday, June 6, 2011

North Carolina A&T signs four 3-star players for basketball

GREENSBORO, N.C. - In an attempt to add speed and versatility to the 2011-12 North Carolina A&T women's basketball team, head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs has announced the signing of five new players.

Ariel Bursey, Kelsei Ewings, Chyanna "Chy" Cunningham, Kierra Dunnington, and Adriana Nazario will try to add to what has become a championship program at N.C. A&T. Bursey, Ewings, Dunnington and Nazario are considered three-star recruits (out of five stars) by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Recruiting expert Dan Olson of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, called the Aggies' class "by far the best amongst all HBCUs."

Earlier this year, the Aggies inked Jaylan Bodiford (6-2, Ballard Louisville, Ky.), Jasmine Parker (6-2, A.L. Brown, Kannapolis, N.C.) and Eboni Ross (6-2, Eau Claire, Columbia, S.C.). Tiffanie Adair, a 2010 signee, will also be added to the Aggies roster this year, bringing the Aggies total number of newcomers to nine. Bodiford, Cunningham, and Ewings were McDonald's All-American nominees.

"There are some outstanding guards in our conference," said Bibbs. "We had to improve our depth and team speed so we can defend those guards. We want to be able to matchup with any lineup our opponents put on the floor."

Bursey (5-10, Western Harnett, Sanford, N.C.) is ranked the 35th best guard in the nation. Bursey enters her collegiate career with the reputation of being a scorer. Over the final two seasons of her high school career, she averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. In the classroom, she earned a 4.2 grade point average. Her sister Trinity Bursey played at the University of North Carolina.

"She is super athletic and gets to the rim quickly," said Bibbs. "She is one of the highest rated players we have ever signed. She has good size and huge hands. But the thing I like about her most...she will play defense."

Ewings (5-5, West Point, West Point, Miss.) provides the Aggies with another scorer. She averaged 27.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. She is the No. 7 rated player in the state of Mississippi. ESPN HoopGurlz gives her a grade of 83 (out of 100), and ranks her as the 103rd best point guard in the country. In the Mississippi All-Star game, she was awarded Defensive Player of the Game.

"We are excited about finally having a smaller guard who can defend some of the small guards in our conference," said Bibbs. "She is lightning quick and a true menace defensively."

Cunningham (5-10, Tupelo, Tupelo, Miss.) is another Mississippi product headed to N.C. A&T. Ranked No. 17 in the state, Cunningham can play shooting guard, point guard and small forward. She is ranked 86th among guards in the nation. She averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

"She is going to be able to do so many things for us," said Bibbs. "She is a versatile athlete who can defend several different positions."

Dunnington (5-10, Indian River, Chesapeake, Va.) averaged 17.7 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. Maxpreps.com ranked her the 77th best player in the state of Virginia. The Aggies, who shot 27.7 percent from 3-point range during the 2010-11 season, welcome her ability to knock down perimeter jump shots. She is ranked the 121st guard in the country.

"We are so pleased to be able to go into the Tidewater area and get a player of this quality," said Bibbs. "That is a tremendous accomplishment for our program. She is lightning quick on the defensive end, and she is going to hit some big threes for us."

Nazario's father Dre Nazario told ESPN HoopGurlz, "North Carolina A&T offers (Adriana) a family environment with a top notch education along with a competitive team that always has a goal of challenging for a championship." Nazario (5-8, George Washington, Charleston, WVa.) verbally committed to Virginia Tech originally, but later decided to come to Aggieland. She is ranked No. 7 in the state of West Virginia, and Jumpoffplus.com ranks her 140th in the nation.

"We landed a steal here," said Bibbs. "You're talking about a young lady who was an All-State performer and the conference player of the year. She will be a perfect fit here."

By North Carolina A&T State Sports Information
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Friday, June 3, 2011

Long-suffering Howard basketball pulls in heralded recruiting haul

"We’re going to shock the world. That’s what we plan on doing."

Washington, D.C. - Howard men’s basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry was never confident about securing a commitment from Prince Okoroh, the Eleanor Roosevelt forward who Nickelberry felt was good enough to play in the Atlantic 10 Conference and smart enough to thrive in the Ivy League.

As a Gates Millennium Scholar, Okoroh had his choice of schools. Would Okoroh want to suit up for a team that had won just six games this past season? Would he commit to a program whose basketball court was sprinkled with dead spots and whose poorly ventilated locker room was no bigger than a large storage closet?

The answer was yes. And when Okoroh called Nickelberry with the news in mid-April, a few days before he was named MVP of the preliminary game of the Capital Classic, the coach was “astonished,” Okoroh recalled. “He almost didn’t believe me at first. When I told him I was coming, it was almost like he fainted.”


Videographer: NCSAbasketball; Prince Okoroh Recruiting Video--Eleanor Roosevelt High School star forward will major in Chemical Engineering at Howard.

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Note:
This is exceptionally great news for the MEAC! No doubt Coach Nickleberry will produce a highly competitive program that will change the dynamics of the MEAC conference. Heck, it's time to purchase season tickets, as the Bison conference schedule will be very exciting with Hampton, Morgan State, NCCU, Savannah State, Bethune Cookman, A&T, Coppin State and upstarts---FAMU with new Coach Clemon Johnson, Del. State, SCSU, Norfolk State and UMES. There are no easy road games in MEAC conference. On any given night...the Bison may stampede them all!

See what a talented athletic director will do for your sports programs (Skip Perkins). Great job, Howard University!

beepbeep

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

FAMU's new coach hopes to reignite Rattlers' basketball

Tallahassee, FL -- Clemon Johnson, a Monticello native who set records at Florida A&M and also wears an NBA championship ring, finally experienced a homecoming Tuesday afternoon that was in the making for 18 years.

With about 200 Florida A&M fans looking on with the Marching 100 and cheerleaders as the backdrop at the Lawson Center, Johnson was introduced as the new men's head basketball coach. He hugged little children, signed autographs and took countless photographs, then pronounced himself ready to rebuild the program that had foundered as a bottom tier team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for the past four years.

At the same time, Johnson was at the University of Alaska Fairbanks gaining experience that he said will help him make the Rattlers winners. He was hoping to...



Rattlers welcome home Clemon Johnson

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 31) - Florida A&M University welcomed home one of its favorite sons to lead the men's basketball program today at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. Clemon Johnson, was officially presented to alumni, fans and family at a pep rally and press conference in his honor. The world-famous Marching "100" and the MEAC Co-ed Champions Cheerleaders were on hand to add to the excitement.

Johnson was a star basketball player for the Rattlers from 1974-1978. He was an All-SIAC and All-American selection his senior year at FAMU, with several of his records still standing to this day. Johnson went on to a solid career in the NBA, winning a world championship with the Philadelphia 76ers. He later started coaching in the high school ranks, before being hired at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks

FAMU interim Sports Information Director, Vaughn Wilson, presided over the event. FAMU Director of Athletics, Derek Horne, gave the welcome from the FAMU Athletic Department and FAMU President, Dr. James H. Ammons, welcomed the crowd of about 300 people to the event and introduced new head basketball coach Clemon Johnson.

Horne, was excited to have the search completed and a Rattler hired to guide the team. "It's a great day for not only FAMU, but our athletic department. We have an alum coming back to the hill that we think will do a great job for us," said Horne.

Ammons, was emphatic about doing what it takes to regain championship composure for the basketball program. An emphatic Ammons said, " We wanted someone who could come back and ignite that old Rattler spirit. When you think about Rattler sports, you immediately think about some of the great student-athletes who have been a part of this campus. You think of Althea Gibson, Bob Hayes and legendary coach Jake Gaither. Then, when you think about basketball, you think about Clemon Johnson."


Videographer: FAMUTube1887

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Monday, May 30, 2011

Jackson State Taylor's situation remains in limbo

Coach Denise Taylor-Travis
Jackson, MS - If Jackson State fires women's basketball coach Denise Taylor without cause, the university would owe her nearly $190,000. Taylor, who just completed her 10th year with JSU, is heading into the third month of paid administrative leave.

Taylor, through her attorney, said she was asked to resign or be fired on May 13.

School officials have refused to discuss Taylor's situation, citing personnel matters. Even when asked if Taylor remained the women's basketball coach, interim athletic director Robert Walker would not comment. Taylor is in the second year of a contract that pays her $91,000 per year and runs through June 30, 2013.

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Friday, May 27, 2011

Santa Fe Saints D'Haiti Signs with Florida A&M

Eddie D'Haiti
Gainesville, FL - A member of the Santa Fe Saints men's basketball team has signed a letter of intent with Florida A&M University, Coach Chris Mowry announced. Eddie D'Haiti inked with Florida A&M University on May 26, 2011.

D'Haiti joins a FAMU team that finished the 2010-11 season 12-20 overall and 7-9 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Rattlers are coached by newly hired Clemon Johnson, the former head coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 2007-2010. Johnson is a graduate of FAMU (1978) and played 10 years in the NBA, winning a championship with the Portland Trailblazers in 1983.

As a sophomore at SF, 6'8" D'Haiti averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30 games. For his efforts, he was named to the All Mid-Florida Conference First Team.

D'Haiti will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Florida A&M University Rattlers.

PROFILE
Place of Birth: Orlando, Florida
High School: Oak Ridge High School (Orlando, Florida)
Size: 6-foot-8, 210 Strong Forward, Averaged 16 pts/11 rebounds per game.
Honors: Honorable-Mention Class 6-A All-State Selection, First Team All-Metro, All-Orange County and 2nd-Team All-Central Florida.
Rank: Ranked as one of the top 40 seniors in Florida by FloridaHoops.com and Hoop Scoop. Considered a four-star recruit by the recruiting services.
Colleges: Out of high school, signed NLI with Youngstown State University (Ohio).
Senior Year: Lead Oak Ridge to 21-8 record and advanced to the regional quarterfinals of the state tournament losing to eventual semifinalist Winter Springs (77-67). Pioneers had a 43-13 record during his junior and senior years...coach was Matt Turner.
Prospectus - A transfer from Youngstown State University, D’Haiti is a skilled big man with crafty post moves who can score with his back to the basket or knock down jumpers. Eddie has great court vision, which makes him a very good passer.
Parents: Odilbert Lubin and Rosemonde Milien
Major: Business
Born: January 30, 1989

By Santa Fe College Media Relations


Videographer: ysusports


Howard Women's Basketball Among the teams in Preseason WNIT Field

Washington, D.C.(May 26,2011) – The 16-team field for the 2011 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament was announced today.

Top 10 teams Baylor, Notre Dame, and UCLA headline the field that also includes Akron, Chattanooga, Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB.

The Preseason WNIT bracket will be announced in June. Here’s a quick snapshot of the field:

- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.

- Baylor is a favorite to win next season’s national title after advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Lady Bears have U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year Kim Mulkey to lead freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, All-American Brittney Griner, and the vast majority of the Bears that went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season’s youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year’s team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.

- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.

- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-12 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.

- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team, including Destiny Mitchell, who earned all-conference freshman team honors after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February.

- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs despite a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.

- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.

- Indiana State head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament’s semifinal round.

- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.

- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.

- McNeese State posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Their top players return to the team this fall.

- Notre Dame made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to Texas A&M, and the Fighting Irish (31-8) will be back in force this fall for another strong run. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins, who is among a record three Irish players who recently made the 14-player cut for the U.S. World University Games.

- Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record. They get all five starters back this fall.

- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters and all but one player on their roster.

- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close after Nikki Caldwell took the LSU job, but should again be picked to finish around the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 Conference this fall.


Videographer: howarduniversity; Performer Frenchy Davis tells how Howard University shaped her career

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.

In last year’s Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.

For more information, visit the website at www.womensnit.com.

Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information
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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Willie Hayes Named AAMU Men's Basketball Coach

NORMAL, AL -- Director of Athletics at Alabama A&M University has announced that 16 year assistant coach Willie Hayes has been hired as the next head coach in the Bulldog men’s basketball program.

The Bulldogs have won over 250 games since Hayes joined the Bulldog staff. One of the best point guards to ever play for A&M, Hayes thrilled Bulldog fans with his pinpoint passing and deadly shooting. He held the school record for career assists with 669 until Craig Lottie surpassed the mark in 1997, by just four.

Still, Hayes will always be known for his fantastic performances on the court. In 116 games as a player in the Bulldog program, Hayes averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from three-point range and ...

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

JSU Football Receives Postseason Ban

Jackson State University head football coach
Rick Comegy is in final season of contract.
Nearly 90 percent, 16 of 18, of Jackson State University's athletic programs scored at or above the national average when the National Collegiate Athletic Association released its annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) report Tuesday, May 24. Two sports, football and baseball, failed to meet the standards.

Two JSU teams were nationally recognized for being in the top 10 percent, in regards to Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and achievement. The women’s golf and tennis teams both received perfect APR scores of 1,000. Four other teams recorded scores of 970 and above: men’s tennis (970), volleyball (978), softball (982) and women’s cross country (994). Eight teams scored in the range 926-968: bowling (926), men’s indoor track (943), women’s indoor track (946), men’s outdoor track (946), men’s golf (946), soccer (963), women’s outdoor track (965) and men’s cross country (968). The women’s basketball team recorded a score of 917 and the men’s basketball team scored 906.

Football and baseball were the only two sports to fall below the national benchmark of 900. The football program scored 879 and the baseball team scored 888. The football team will be limited to 50.46 scholarships, 16 hours of practice time five days a week and a ban from post-season play (with the exception of the Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship game according to NCAA Bylaws). However, the final decision...

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SWAC takes big hit in latest APR report

Southern's head football coach Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell
 was not with the Jaguars during the APR reporting period

-- 2006/07 through 2009/10. Former coach Pete Richardson
compiled a career record at SU of 134-62, including 5
SWAC Championships and 4 Black College National Titles.
Richardson was fired on Dec. 7, 2009 after 17 seasons
at Southern University.
INDIANAPOLIS -- NCAA President Mark Emmert expects athletes at historically black colleges and universities to make the grade -- and he's willing to help after seeing the results of the latest Academic Progress Rates.

The NCAA banned Jackson State and Southern of the Southwestern Athletic Conference from postseason play in football next season and did the same thing for Southern and Grambling in men's basketball, citing poor classroom performance by all three schools and a host of others in the SWAC and Mid-Eastern Athletic conferences.

The SWAC does not get an automatic bid to the NCAA's FCS playoffs, but its own conference title game could be affected. The NCAA released the penalties Tuesday. Southern became the first school to be banned from the postseason in two sports in the same year -- football and men's basketball -- because of academic performance.

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