SIAC-98
28 Dec
Frank Hickson has been fired as head football coach at Morehouse.
Hickson was 0-11 in his first season at the school.
The next head coach at "The House" will be the fourth in five years.
Also, it is reported from sources of the Sentry that Morehouse
athletics director Josh Culbreath was seen cleaning out his
office.
19 Dec
Pioneer Bowl II
A Day of Big Plays
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Michael Scott caught a 52-yard TD pass in the first
quarter, and set up a touchdown with a 59-yard run in the third period,
as Tuskegee punched out Livingstone 23-9 in the second annual Pioneer
Bowl. 'Skegee quarterback Aaron James connected with wide receiver
Juan Draine on a 97-yard TD strike early in the second quarter
to give the Golden Tigers an early 16-0 lead. James threw for
204 yards (on only 6-14 completions) in the game.
Perhaps the story of the game was how Tuskegee shut down Livingstone's
Carlton Jones, the nation's leading scorer. Jones was held to
46 yards on 13 carries with a 3.5 yard per carry average. He averaged
more than seven yards per run during the regular season.
One of the big reasons for the shutdown was Tuskegee's 6-1, 286
pound interior defensive lineman Ray Nobles, who fought off
triple-team blocking during the contest, shutting down the inside
run, and freeing up other Tuskegee defenders.
"I just wanted to get to the ball. I wanted to take
care of business, just wanted the ball."--Ray Nobles
Nobles had seven tackles (two unassisted for losses of seven yards).
Teammate Manuel Jones had eight tackles (five solo, three for losses).
Livingstone quarterback D'andre Hopper summed up the contest:
"We thought we would run the ball. In the first half, they
showed us we couldn't run on them. Mistakes hurt us bad."
Hopper was speaking of several critical errors for the Blue Bears.
The first one was in the first period when punter Sonji Mason
could not come up with an errant snap in the endzone, resulting in a
Tuskegee safety.
Another critical play was early in the third quarter when Hopper connected with wide receiver
Theron Wigfall for what appeared to be a 69-yard TD pass play.
However, Tuskegee safety Che' Bryant caught up with Wigfall
on the Tuskegee three-yard line and forced a fumble, resulting in a
two-point safety for Livingstone instead of a 69-yard TD.
Livingstone's only touchdown came with 45 seconds left in the
first half on a 10-yard scoring pass from Hopper to Julian Brooks.
The Blue Bears finished the season at 7-4. Tuskegee finished at
10-2, the first time they have won 10 games since 1974.
More in this week's Sentry.
19 Dec
Albany, GA(OTW)-Willie Hunt had 15 points and seven rebounds
as Albany State edged West Georgia 73-70. It was the first loss
of the season for WGSU.
Curtis Pass had 24 points and nine rebounds for the losers.
Albany, GA(OTW)-West Georgia's Tracy Sprolden had 18 points and 13 rebounds
as West Georgia hammered Albany State 74-51.
Zantae Kinchen had 18 points for the losers. ASU's Caren Colston had 11 points, six assists, five steals,
and four rebounds.
18 Dec
The Pioneer Bowl-Act II
Starring:
Carlton Jones-a freshman runningback for Livingstone. Jones rushed
for 1220 yards on 163 carries in 1998. This equated to a 7.5 yard per
rush average. Jones was third in the nation in scoring with 140 points.
Shavarez Thompson-a freshman defensive back for Livingstone who was third
in the nation in interceptions with seven in eight games.
Lateef Williamson-a 6-5 senior offensive guard, All-CIAA, who
anchors a huge offesnive line.
Tuskegee:
Michael Scott-the second leading rusher in the SIAC with
1167 yards. Scott averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and scored 13
touchdowns.
Kevin Bailey-an All-SIAC linebacker who was second in the
league in tackles with 103 (44 unassisted).
Che' Bryant-an All-SIAC free safety who was fifth in the
nation in interceptions with eight.
What other stars will rise from this Saturday's game?? Tune in
to Sentry Shorts Saturday night for the details.
15 Dec
Pioneer Bowl I-December 20, 1997
Final: Kentucky State 30, Livingstone 26
The first Pioneer Bowl had everything: rushing, passing, turnovers,
penalties, and last second excitement. The game seesawed back and
forth until 1:50 in the third quarter, when KSU quarterback Mike
Volarvich hit tight end Dan Troeger with a one-yard
TD pass to put the Thorobreds up 21-20. It was a lead Kentucky
State never gave up. Volarvich threw for 268 yards and two
touchdowns. He would be named one of the two Most Valuable Players
for the contest. Thorobred wide receiver Tommy Wilson had
five receptions for 129 yards and one TD in the contest.
Livingstone had more total yards (490 to 330), more first
downs (25 to 19), and a higher average gain per play (6.5 to 5.0).
They also had more turnovers (four to two) and more penalties
(12-101) to Kentucky State's 6-44.
Livingstone's Wilmont Perry rushed for 161 yards and two
touchdowns on 21 carries. Teammate Chris Williams rushed for
139 yards and one TD on 18 carries. Both players averaged
7.7 yards per rush in the contest. Perry would be named the game's
other MVP.
The outcome was not decided until the final play of the game. Livingstone
had driven the ball from their own 47 after recovering an onside kick following a touchdown.
The Blue Bears drove the ball down to the Kentucky State two-yard
line. On a third-and-goal from the KSU two, Livingstone
quarterback Parnell Wilder was stopped for a two yard
loss by KSU linebacker Sidney Levarity. Livingstone had
no timeouts, and time expired before they could get off another play.
Levarity had six unassisted tackles in the game.
Livingstone's Mike Austin had six unassisted tackles as well.
Coaches: Rudy Abrams-Livingstone, George Small-Kentucky State.
Location: Herndon Stadium, Atlanta, GA.
Game temperature: 62 degrees.
Announced Attendance: 7,136.
14 Dec
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Representatives of Tuskegee and Livingstone
attended the second annual Pioneer Bowl press conference Monday at
Herndon Stadium on the campus of Morris Brown College. Livingstone (7-3)
is making their second trip to the Bowl, while this will be
Tuskegee's (9-2) first visit.
According to Livngstone athletics director Clifton Huff the Blue Bears
are young but talented:
"We have an outstanding ground game. We're blessed with
a young man named Carlton Jones who has come in an done an
outstanding job. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores."
Tuskegee head coach and athletics director Rick Comegy gave his
thoughts on what his team had to do to win:
"No penalties. We have to play perfect to beat them. They
are on a roll right now now. They are tough up front. They are physical
up front."
On a financial note SIAC Commissioner Wallace Jackson said that this
year's Bowl had a sponsor: Coca Cola.
On another financial note, if CocaCola is sponsoring the game,
for some reason Livingstone is still paying its own way. According to Huff, Livingstone
has to cover its own expenses (hotel, travel, meals) with proceeds from
revenues generated by ticket sales.
CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry, nor any other official from the CIAA office, attended the conference.
More updates on the Pioneer Bowl throughout the week.
12 Dec
Magicians Edge Wolverines
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-LeMoyne Owen followed the uncanny 3-point
shooting of Antonio Harris
(pictured right, photo copyright Outwrite, 1998) to
edge Morris Brown 71-67 Saturday. Harris scored 30 points
(11-15 FG, 8-10 3-Point FG) to lead the Magicians.
"I practiced a lot in high school. We practice
shooting every day. You can't do anything but make it.
--LeMoyne Owen guard Antonio Harris
What about the Magicians fast start???
"We're determined this year, we want the championship."--
Antonio Harris
The Magicians (9-0) led by as many as 11 points in the game, but
saw the lead cut to 64-62 with 3:26 left in the contest.
Joseph Dunn came off the bench to lead MoBrown (2-8, 0-2)
with 22 points.
"We're trying to get experience for our freshmen, trying
to find out what we have and what we don't have. Tonight we ran into
a buzzsaw. They (LeMoyne Owen) shoot the ball well."
--Morris Brown head coach Russell Ellington
Magician forward Markese Reed had 22 points and a game-high
13 rebounds.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Clark-Atlanta slapped a sticky zone press
on Morehouse to edge the Tigers 89-85. With Morehouse leading
63-51 at the 12:38 mark, the Panthers turned the screws on the 'House'
with an ever intensifying press. From the 12:38 to the 9:14 mark
in the game CAU went on a 14-2 run to take a 66-65 lead. The
run was keyed by point guard William Rice who scored
nine points in the stretch. Morehouse led 47-41 at the half,
but could not hold the lead.
CAU's John Sanders (left) and Morehouse's Blake O'Farrow look on
in Saturday's action. Picture copyright Outwrite, 1998, courtesy of
Bryan Steven Follins)
Rice led CAU with 19 points.
Morehouse's Michael Harris led all scorers with 24 points.
Albany, GA(OTW)-Savannah State guard Marques Sterling
scored 25 points as Savannah State (4-4, 1-2) whipped Albany
State (2-6, 1-1) 90-74. SSU shot a sizzling 70 percent
from the floor in the second half, and 60 percent for the game.
Willie Hunt had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the game
for ASU.
Fairfield, AL(OTW)-Marlon Robertson had 18 points and
11 rebounds as Miles beat Paine 71-60. The Bears improved
to (5-3, 2-2).
Paine (3-3, 2-1) was led by Maurice Wright with 15 points.
The Women
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Kasha Doomes scored 21 points as Morris Brown
beat LeMoyne Owen 78-52 in a contest that got physical at times
in the second half. At one point Lady Magician guard LaKesha
Smith got her hairpiece knocked off while going in for a layup.
Rashida Allgood scored 11 for the losers.
Albany, GA(OTW)-Takeela Freeman scored 26 points as Albany
State edged Savannah State 81-79.
Guard Zantae Kinchen added 24 for ASU (3-4, 2-0).
Jeanne Zimmerman scored 18 points for SSU (3-6, 1-2).
Fairfield, AL(OTW)-Tomenia Porter scored 16 points as
Miles (2-8, 1-3) beat Paine (0-7, 0-2) 42-39.
Dameka Leslie scored 15 points for the Lady Lions.
8 Dec
Fairfeild, AL(OTW)-Derrick Hall fired in a jump shot
with four seconds in the game, giving Miles a 75-74 win over
Tuskegee. Miles led by as many as 14 points early in the game, but
lost the lead with just under 14 minutes left in the contest. Hall
led the Bears(4-2, 1-2) with 18 points. He also had 10 rebounds.
Lamont Gundy had a game-high 19 points for Tuskegee.
8 Dec
ASU Football Stars to Play in All-Star Game
Three Albany State University (ASU) football players have been invited to participate in the 1998 All-Star Football Classic in Orlando, Fla.
Andre Slappey, Willie Moreland and Herbie Ward will represent ASU in the annual game, which will kick-off on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. at Dr. Phillips Football Stadium in Orlando. They will be members of the West Team.
Seventy-two football players from Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs) have been invited to participate in the All-Star game, where more than
40 scouts representing 25 National Football League (NFL) will evaluate football players' performances.
Other players from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) include Bryan Holmes (RB), Marcus Clayton (WR)
and Willie Johnson (OL) from Fort Valley State University; Brelon Jones (WR), Larry McColley (DL), Horace Cook (LB) and Tramel Gilmore (DB) from Morris Brown College; Ramon Huff
(WR) from Savannah State University; and Raymond Butler (C/OL), Travis Hardy (OL) and Cletidus Hunt (DL) from Kentucky State University. Also representing the SIAC are Zure Gay (OL) and Kevin Bailey (LB) from Tuskegee University; Shannon Summerville (DL), Erick Reese (DB) and Derrick Reese (DB) from Miles College; and Michael Brown (OL) from Clark Atlanta University.
8 Dec
Spelman Clocks Agnes Scott
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Spelman (2-5) used high pressure defense by guards
Nicole M. Bullock and Tracy Willey, as they crushed Agnes
Scott 78-21 Tuesday night. The Jaguars jumped out to a 19-0 lead,
a 39-9 halftime lead, and led by as many as 54 points in the game.
Spelman actually held Agnes Scott without a basket from the 6:12
mark in the first half, to the 8:17 in the second half, a time frame
of 17:55.
Malika Lee came off the bench to lead Spelman with 18 points.
Wiley had six steals, Bullock had two, with numerous tie-ups.
Ashley Zauderer scored 10 for the losers, who shot only 20 percent
from the field in the game.
Note: Spelman is not a member of the SIAC conference. The Jaguars
have been granted provisional Division II status by the NCAA.
7 Dec
This is a message to colleague Hal Lamar. We here at The Sentry
hope things are going well. Stick to the quill, my brother. We need
all the writers we can get.
Lamar, who worked for a local radio station in Atlanta, was released
with several other members over a month ago. The station wanted
"to go in a new direction." Lamar had worked with the station (which we
won't mention), since the early 1980s.
5 Dec
The 18th Annual Ricky Williams Classic
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Julius Teal scored 16 second half points
(8-13 FGs in second half) as Kennesaw State held off Morris
Brown 60-55. Teal finished with 18 points (game high) and nine
rebounds to lead the winners.
Joseph Dunn and Anthony Adams scored 17 points each for
MoBrown.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Point guard William Rice pumped in
13 first half points to jump start Clark-Atlanta to a 48-32
halftime lead, as the Panthers rolled over Virginia State 98-70.
Rice was 5-7 from the floor in the first half, and finished with
17 points. According to CAU head basketball coach Anthony
Witherspoon, Rice has been a definite plus on a team which could not
get out of it's own way over a week ago:
"Since he stepped in we've been playing great. He
gives us another dimension (shooting). The more we've played
him, the more comfortable we've become."--Clark-Atlanta head
coach Anthony Witherspoon.
Guard John Sanders scored 21 points to lead CAU.
Virginia State's Jeffrey McCall scored a game-high 23 points.
4 Dec
The 18th Annual Ricky Williams Classic
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Anthony Pope came off the bench to go 5-5 from
the floor, and 3-3 on 3-pointers, as Morris Brown buried zombie-like
Virginia State 84-52. MoBrown's Antonio Graham sank a field goal
at the 9:10 mark in the first half to give the Wolverines a 19-18
lead over the Trojans. They never trailed after that. The
Wolverines had leads as big as 35 points in the second half.
It was MoBrown's first win on the year.
Jeffrey McCall led the Trojans (2-4) with 18 points.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Juan Gaston had 23 points as Clark-Atlanta
cruised by Kennesaw State 83-68 in game two Friday night. The Panthers
led by as many as 22 points in the second half.
Julius Teal scored 25 points for Kennesaw State.
3 Dec
Fairfield, AL(OTW)-Tamara Gills had 16 points, five assists,
and five steals to lead Miles by Stillman 55-44. It was the
first win of the year for the Lady Bears.
Cherrie Forbes scored 10 for Stillman, which only shot
22 percent from the floor (13-60) in the game.
Fairfield, AL(OTW)-Derrick Hall had 28 points and seven
rebounds as Miles' men beat Stillman 79-55.
Miles Thrash scored 21 points for Stillman.
3 Dec
The Ricky Williams Classic
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-The Clark-Atlanta men's basketball team
will host the 18th annual Ricky Williams Classic on Friday, Dec. 4th
and Saturday, Dec. 5th. The classic honors former Clark College and
All-SIAC basketball standout Ricky Williams, who was killed in an
automobile accident on Sept. 5th 1981.
Teams competing in the classic this year are Morris Brown, Virginia
State, Kennesaw State, and Clark-Atlanta.
On Friday, Morris Brown plays Virginia State at 6 p.m., and Clark-Atlanta
takes on Kennesaw State at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, Morris Brown will play Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. and
Clark-Atlanta will play Virginia State at 8 p.m..
2 Dec
Fairfield, AL(OTW)-Kasha Doomes scored 15 points as Morris Brown
beat Miles 55-41.
Neonta Williams scored 12 points for Miles, who shot only 21
percent from the field in the contest.
Morris Brown shot 35 percent from the floor in the game.
1 Dec
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Damien Williams cracked a 3-pointer at the
8:36 mark in the second half, giving Clayton State a 43-42 lead,
and a path to a 58-53 win over Morris Brown. Williams led all
scorers with 13 points. A.J. Rials had 12 points, 13 rebounds,
and five blocks for Clayton State (6-0).
Morris Brown (0-6) was led by Kareem Allison with 11 points.
MoBrown came back from an early first-half 10-point deficit to take
a five-point lead early in the second half. They could not
hold on, as they shot only 31 percent from the floor in the game.
The Wolverines missed three of four free throws in the last minute
of the game after climbing to within three points.
Jackson, TN(OTW)-Lauisha Rucker scored 17 points as the Clark-Atlanta
Lady Panthers demolished Lane 91-45. Five CAU Panthers scored
in double figures.
Chandra Macklin scored 14 points for the Lady Dragons.
CAU is 7-1 on the year.
The men's game saw 15 lead changes as Lane edged Clark-Atlanta 72-74.
28 Nov
Jefferson City, TN(OTW)-Melvin Oates rushed for a 19-yard
touchdown in overtime as Carson Newman (11-1)hung on to defeat
Fort Valley State 38-31.
Fort Valley, down 31-10 in the fourth quarter, scored three touchdowns
to send the game into overtime. Renotto Solomon threw a 27-yard
TD pass to Marcus Clayton with 1:18 left in the contest to
tie the score at 31. Clayton also had a 57-yard TD reception from Solomon
in the final period. Bryan Holmes added a two-yard run for the Wildcats
in the dramatic fourth quarter. Both Holmes' TD and the game-tying score
came as a result of Carson-Newman fumbles.
Solomon threw for a career high 333 yards in the game.
He was 17 of 39 with three touchdowns.
"We weren't concerned when we were down by three touchdowns. The only
concern we had was getting the ball back. No one panicked because we
knew we could come back on them. It's been a great year for us. We
had to change some attitudes at the beginning of the year, build
some character and get the players some confidence. They have responded
better
than I could have ever expected, on the field and off. This was
a great football game for the players, fans and anyone who loves
college football."--
Fort Valley State head coach Kent Schoolfield
Carson Newman's Ques Rumph started the game's scoring on a 50-yard pass reception
in the first period. Oates rushed for two TDs for the winners.
Rumph and Oates are from Fort Valley, Ga. C-N runningback
Heath Hawkins rushed for 123 yards in the game.
"This was the greatest challenge we have had all year and
I think our team responded in a big way. It was great to see how
they came back in the overtime and won the ball game with a "never-say
die" kind of attitude."Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks.
Wildcat Tremarcus Powell had 12 tackles and a quarterback sack.
Fort Valley's Peppi Zellner was one of three Fort Valley players
with 10 tackles. Zellner had eight solos.
The 11-2 record was Fort Valley's best in 53 years. More in this
week's Sentry.
28 Nov
The Second Annual Clark-Atlanta Lady Panthers Black Cat Classic
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA-Leading 60-50 at the 10 minute mark in the game, Clark-Atlanta
went on an 11-3 run to open up a 71-53 lead, and eventually bury
Robert Morris 94-68. Clark-Atlanta (6-1) was the only team to win two
games in the tournament. The Lady Panthers have won their last
three games by an average of 27 points.
Kisha Burns had 21 points for CAU. She was on of four
Lady Panthers in double figures. CAU led 39-33 at the half.
Samantha Smith scored 21 points for Robert Morris. Veronica
Mix had 13 rebounds for the Lady Eagles (2-6).
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Kimberly Sanders scored 24 points on 12 of 14
shooting from the floor to lead Talladega by Lane 77-38. Lane
did not score a field goal for the first eight minutes of the
second half. The Lady Tornadoes (6-5) led 41-21 at the half and were
never headed. Talladega freshman point guard Rachell Guyton
had a good floor game for Talladega with 10 points, four assists and
three steals.
"She's up and down because she is a freshman. She's
a legitamate Division I player but she's a freshman. After a year she'll
be one of the best small college players in the country."--
Talladega head coach Larry McNeal on Rachell Guyton.
Janell Kendell scored 10 points for Lane.
The All-Tournament Team consisted of Tammy Pitts and McKenzie Wills
of Robert Morris, Janelle Kendell of Lane, Kimberly Sanders of Talladega,
and Kisha Farmer of Clark-Atlanta.
27 Nov
The Lady Panthers Black Cat Classic
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Robert Morris went on a 21-4 run during the
first six minutes of the second half, as they trounced Lane
79-49. Robert Morris guard McKenzie Wills scored six points in the
run. Wills was the game's high scorer with 19 points (12 in the
second half). The winners led 30-25 at the half.
Lane forward Janelle Kendell had 17 points and a game-high
12 rebounds.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Clark-Atlanta used a 14-2 at the start of
the second half, to go on and rout Talladega 79-52. Kisha Farmer
and Sh'Mika Elder keyed the run by scoring six points each.
Kisha Burns led CAU in scoring with 14 points.
Rachel Guyton led Talladega with 13 points.
This was opening round play in the second annual Lady Panthers
Black Cat Classic.
24 Nov
Miles Outscraps Clark-Atlanta
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA-Jonathon Gardner sank a free throw with :05 seconds left
in the game, as Miles held off Clark-Atlanta 65-63. The game seesawed
throughout the second half with no team leading by more than four
points. It was Gardner who banked in a shot with 29 seconds left in the
contest to give the Bears the lead for good.
"Our kids played hard. We were lucky enough to get some
loose balls off the floor. Both teams played hard and deserved to
win. Our kids showed a lot of courage.--Miles head coach Roosevelt
Sanders
Miles, missing six players due to academics or health, did not have
a player over 6-6 to play.
Clark-Atlanta started one player at 6-6 (Juan Gaston),one at 6-7 (Juan Wharton),
and another at 6-11 (Eric Jones).
How does Sanders cope with his team's lack of size??
"The best thing to do is buy a chainsaw, cut the goals down, and
go home," he cracked.
Derek Hall led Miles with 24 points.
Juan Gaston had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Panthers.
Corey Allen missed two foul shots with 19 seconds left in the
game which could have given CAU the lead. Otis Key missed a
foul shot with nine seconds left which could have given CAU a tie.
Clark-Atlanta Women Wear Down Miles
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Clark-Atlanta guard Kisha Farmer rattled
off 13 points in the first four minutes of the second half, as CAU used a withering second-half press to wear down Miles, 67-43.
Farmer's outburst triggered an 18-6 run in the first four minutes
of the second half, as the Lady Panthers turned a 25-20 halftime
deficit into a 38-31 lead. They never looked back.
Farmer finished with 22 points. Kisha Burns and Lauisha Rucker
scored 14 each for the winners.
Chasity Phillips had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Miles, who
were missing two starters who failed to show up for the bus trip to Atlanta.
In other SIAC action, Kentucky State dumped Morehouse 101-88.
21 Nov
Fort Valley State beat Delta State 21-14 in opening round NCAA
Division II playoff action. The Wildcats advance to play
Carson-Newman, which defeated West Georgia 30-20.
20 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)- Forward Juan Gaston had 27 points, 18 rebounds, and four
blocks, as Clark-Atlanta routed Florida Memorial College 95-72.
Guard Malcolm Batchelor added 16 for the Panthers.
Shaka Morgan-Rose scored 21 points for Florida Southern.
19 Nov
Fort Valley-Delta State Preview
Fort Valley will travel to Delta State Saturday in first round action
of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Fort Valley State quarterback Renotto Solomon was second
in the SIAC in passing efficiency (134.7) per game. Solomon was
also third in the league in total offense (175.0).
Cleo Stinyard was second in the SIAC in kickoff return
average (28.5 ypr). James Schoolfield led the league in
punt return (16.0) average.
Delta State wide receiver Willie Duckworth is the team's leading
receiver averaging 16.0 yards per catch. DSU defensive back Rory
Bell leads the team in tackles with 66 (23 unassisted). Runningback Casey
Macke rushed for 823 yards during the season.
18 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Morehouse went on a 19-9 run over the last
6:31 minutes of the first half, to open up a 47-31 halftime lead,
and eventually beat Morris Brown 86-76. The House had leads as
large as 19 points in the second half. Point guard Michael Bonner
played a good floor game for the Maroon Tigers, winding up with 11
points. Jerome Dodd scored 19 points off the bench for the winners.
"We played a fairly good defensive ball game. I thought
we did well in spots."--Morehouse head coach Arthur McAfee
Morris Borwn's Kareem Allison led all scorers with 23 points.
Morehouse is 3-0. The Wolverines are winless. The game was played at
Morris Brown.
18 Nov
The Official SIAC Statement on the Pioneer Bowl
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-The Southern Intercollegiate Atheltic
Association is pleased to announce that the Second Annaul Pioneer Bowl
will be played on December 19, 1998. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. at
Herndon Stadium on the campus of Morris Brown College in
Atlanta, GA. Admission is $10.
Tuskegee University, 1998 SIAC Champion, will represent the SIAC while
the Blue Bears of Livingstone College will make their second appearance
in the post season bowl. The Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University are
9-1 overall and 6-0 in the SIAC. Their final game of the season is
November 26, 1998 against Alabama State University.
The Blue Bears won the CIAA title this season with an overall record of
7-3 and a conference mark of 5-2. The Blue Bears were defeated in last
year's Pioneer Bowl by the Thorobreds of Kentucky State.
17 Nov
Clark-Atlanta Men Have 10 Lettermen Back..
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-The Clark-Atlanta men's basketball team has 10
lettermen back from the 1997-98 season. The group is led by
6-6 All-SIAC forward Juan Gaston, who averaged 21.3 points per game
and 10.8 rebounds last season.
"Staying focused and playing agressive defense are the keys to vicotry,"
said CAU head coach Anthony Witherspoon, who is in his sixth season
as head coach at his alma mater. Having averaged 20 wins the last three
seasons makes accepting mediocrity hard to swallow. The Panthers have
set their 98-99 goals on the SIAC Conference Championship and NCAA
National Tournament participation.
"If we play hard every night and at the same time keep the game fun, we
can reach our goals for the season," added Witherspoon.
15 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Fort Valley State will visit Delta State this Saturday, in
opening round action of the Division II NCAA Football Playoffs.
According to the NCAA, the time of the game will be set by
the host institution.
Tuskegee (10-1) beat Savannah State 22-20 to win the SIAC title
outright. However, whether or not Tuskegee will be playing anywhere
in post-season depends on the status of the Pioneer Bowl.
14 Nov
One For the Books...
by Bryan Steven Follins
Columbus, GA(OTW)-Jevon Tyler kicked a 22-yard field goal
in overtime, enabling Fort Valley State (10-1) to whip Albany State (9-2)
17-14, and go into the NCAA Division II playoffs. It was a day for
big plays for the winners, as they scored their two touchdowns by way
of specialty teams. Wildcat James Schoolfield returned a
punt 95-yards for a TD in the second quarter. Cleo Stinyard
had a 95-yard TD kickoff return in the third period.
"It's unbelievable. This is my second time beating
Albany State. We still have unfinished business."--Fort Valley
runningback Bryan Holmes.
Albany State quarterback Jamal Robinson sent the game into
overtime with a two-yard quarterback sneak with 1:27 left in the contest.
This was the Ninth Annual Fountain City Classic. Attendance
was 21,255.
More in this week's Sentry.
13 Nov
The Sixth Annual Bettye McClendon Classic
by Bryan Steven Follins
Game One
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Lauisha Rucker and Lameegan Kent sparked a
23-11 Clark-Atlanta run between 13:27 and 2:27 in the first half,
enabling the Lady Panthers to go on and rout Benedict 92-62.
Rucker, who came off the bench, finished with 18 points.
CAU held Benedict scoreless from 6:36 to :04 left in the first half,
running out to a 42-28 halftime lead.
Game Three
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Guard Dawn Brey sank two free three throws
with 11.7 seconds left, clinching a 51-49 Morris Brown win over
Miles. Brey finished with 13 points. She scored the first basket of the
game at 19:43 left in the first half.
The Capital City Classic
Game One
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Eric Hanor sank a five-foot bank shot at the buzzer
as Savannah State edged Livingstone 80-78.
Livingstone forward Glynn Hubbard scored 22 points.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Justin Miller scored 19 points as Morehouse
held off Valdosta State 70-69.
Chris Irvin has 15 points and 15 rebounds for the VSU, who had
several shots at the buzzer, but could not make it count.
Oscar Woodall contributed to this report.
13 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-In case you missed it last weekend, Kentucky
State freshman runningback Alvon Brown rushed for 349 yards on
38 carries (9.2 yards per carry) in his team's 40-15
demolishing of Morris Brown. This was one of the most
spectacular displays of rushing in all of college football this
year on any level. It earned him the Sentry Bright Star
of the week award.....
29 Oct
Never Too Far Away
by Bryan Steven Follins
Copyright, Outwrite 1998
Albany, GA(OTW)-Gwen Reeves (pictured right) is the associate athletics director at
Fort Valley State. She has always been around or near sports in some
capacity, never too far away.
"When I was coming up, (Carver High in Columbus, GA) there
were no female athletics except for track, says Reeves. "I was either
a cheerleader or a part of the band."
Her desire for sports was matched with desire for an education.
It took her from an undergraduate degree in zoology (1970-Fort Valley)
to a master's in mental health counseling (1994). She obtained both
degrees from the same school. Her husband, Arthur, was a physical education
major at Fort Valley.
Reeves was first appointed associate athletics director at Fort Valley
State in June of 1997. When FVSU athletics director and head football
coach Doug Porter retired on June 30, 1997, she was appointed interim
athletics director at the school. She held the position until July
of 1998 when the school hired Ed Wyche. She credits Porter with
showing her the ropes in the administrative functions of an athletics
director's position. Some of the functions include budgeting,
familiarity with NCAA rules and regulations, and how to operate
a program. She also credits Dr. Curtis Martin, the Dean of Education at
Fort Valley, with helping her also.
There is a long, long, way to go, however, even with Title IX amendment
which is supposed to secure equitability for women in college
athletics.
"Salaries need to be equivalent to men. Positions need
to be equalized," says Reeves. "We have a lot of males coaching female sports, and
we don't see as many women coaching as there were awhile back. In the
early 60s female coaches coached female teams. (She says this all began to change with integration and affirmative
action, when all athletics programs were brought under one umbrella. This
left women with fewer jobs).
"There are more opportunities out there," she adds, "and more females
need to be given a chance to coach."
As far as discrimination is concerned, Reeves says it is more of a gender
thing than a race thing. Women have encountered barriers whether it be
at White universities as well as at Historically Black Colleges.
Solutions??--The Gospel According To Reeves:
"Those of us who are in the (athletic director) position
must do top quality jobs, so that others see we are qualified to do the
jobs. Hopefully we can encourage younger females to come into the
field. (We should be)going to school and becoming more knowledgeable
of athletics programs. (We should be learning) better marketing and
promotional skills to promote our athletics programs. I know
it (athletics directing) is administration, but there must be some
knowledge of sports. You don't have to be an expert, but you have
to know about sports which your institution sponsors'."
Reeves serves on the NCAA Division II financial committee. She is
also a member of the National Association of Women in Collegiate
Athletics, and the National Association of Girls and Women in
Sports.
More importantly, at the SIAC Volleyball and Cross Country Championships
held in Albany, GA (Oct 28-29), there was only one associate athletics director
(out of all SIAC athletics and associate athletics directors, male
or female) in attendance. Guess who? Gwen Reeves. Never too far
away.
Photo copywrite Outwrite, 1998. Picture courtesy of
Bryan Steven Follins.
12 Nov
Balancing The Books
by Bryan Steven Follins
Copyright Outwrite, 1998.
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Last summer Hosea Laney was reflecting
on why he came to Fort Valley State nearly four years ago.
"It was sort of like a family atmosphere," he said. "It's close
to my home (Warner Robins, GA). My father has asthma, my family's
close."
Laney, a senior defensive back for Fort Valley (9-1), said his father told him
it did not make a difference where he went to school, but what he did
after he got there. So what has he been doing?
Well, he has been no stranger to All-SIAC football teams, he
has made the Dean's List at FVSU, as well as being named Burger
King Athlete of the Week.
"I believe my strong point is leading by example and not by talking,"
adds Laney."
He is now a part of a solid line of defensive backs to come out of
Fort Valley, like Eddie Anderson and Tyrone Poole.
"Those are big steps. I can meet the challenge, but I
have my own footsteps."--Hosea Laney
What did Laney think about his team's chances last summer??
"I feel this is one of the best teams we've had since I've
been here. If we can get our passing game going (they have), and our
defense can be the best they can be, as far as stopping people (they
have), we can win the SIAC championship (not quite). As a team, I hope
to see us win the SIAC championships (almost) and then go on to the
(NCAA) playoffs." (very possible)
The accounting major knew exactly who was in the way of a
possible league championship (add Tuskegee) and the playoffs:
"In the SIAC, Albany State has been dominant for the last
couple of years. We've come close the last two years. My first
year, we beat them in Columbus. I feel that (this year) we have
a chance."
This year, like every year, the game again is in Columbus.
Laney is down to Albany State two debits to one credit. He wants
to balance the books.
7 Nov
Albany,GA(OTW)-Albany State (9-1) beat Livingstone (6-3) 15-7
in a game where all of the points were scored in the first half.
Albany State's Jamal Robinson threw a nine-yard TD pass to Blanchard
Thomas in the first quarter, and Robert Cummings added a three-yard
scoring run in the second period, for ASU's only touchdowns.
Livingstone quarterback Aaron Kirkpatrick and
wide receiverTheron Wigfall teamed up on a 12-yard TD pass
for the Blue Bears' only score.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Israel Thompson scored on touchdown runs
of eight and two yards as Clark-Atlanta knocked off Morehouse 31-10.
The loss made "The House" 0-for-98. Gary Catchings threw
a 13-yard TD pass to Terrence Harvey in the first quarter as
CAU ran out to a 24-3 halftime lead and never looked back.
More in this week's Sentry
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Renotto Solomon ran for a five-yard TD
with under three minutes in the game, giving Fort Valley State (9-1)
a 38-37 win over Benedcit.
In other SIAC games, Tuskegee (8-1, 6-0) clinched at least a tie for the SIAC
title with a 61-14 mugging of Lane. Savannah State (7-3, 4-2) beat
Miles 23-6.
7 Nov
Nice Morning For Running
by Bryan Steven Follins
Decatur, GA(OTW)-Morehouse's Jean-Paul Niyongabo finished third in the
NCAA Southeast Regional Division II Cross-Country Championships. This earned
him a trip to Lawrence, Kansas to compete in the finals. Niyongabo had
a time of 31:36 in the 10,000 meter course. NCAA qualifiers from the
region were the winning team, and the top two qualifiers from non-winning
teams (for both men and women). West Georgia's men won the team title.
Morehouse, Clark-Atlanta, Shaw, and St. Augsutine's were the only
HBCU men's teams participating in the event.
Candice Manigault of Savannah State finished 83rd in the women's
competition. Manigault's unofficial time in the 6,000 meter
run was 26:24. She is a freshman
athletically, and is an intermediate sprinter who just
started running cross country in August. How does Manigault prepare to run
a race??
"Mentally, I get my mind off of it. I kind of isolate myself.
I do my daily praying, I do my drills."
Candice, who is from the Low Country (Charelston, SC), says she does
not know if she is related to Earl "The Goat" Manigault.
Savannah State and Clark-Atlanta were the only two Historically Black
College teams with women's squads in the event. Albany State, the SIAC
Women's Cross Country Champions, were no-shows.
6 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-According to the NCAA, the Division II playoffs
will start Saturday, November 21. This means Tuskegee will not be
able to compete in the playoffs because of their game on
Thanksgiving Day against Alabama State in the Turkey Day Classic.
So, the Albany State-Fort Valley State matchup on
Saturday, Nov. 14, will have NCAA playoff implications for both
squads. Only one team will be able to go to the NCAA playoffs.
5 Nov
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-The Metro College Network (MCN), a newly formed broadcast
medium for schools in the metro Atlanta area, will televise 16
college basketball games in 1999. Three of the schools covered by
MCN will be Clark-Atlanta, Morehouse, and Morris Brown.
4 Nov
ASU Makes Administrative Change in Athletics
ALBANY, GA (November 2, 1998) - Portia Holmes Shields, president of Albany State University (ASU), announced the appointment of Oakland Raiders' cornerback and ASU alumnus Dan Land, Jr.
as interim athletic director, today.
"We are delighted that Mr. Land has joined the ASU family to direct our athletic program and we look forward to improving our overall program under his administration. While Mr. Land comes with impressive credentials, I think it is important to note that he completed his undergraduate and
graduate studies at ASU. He also played collegiate football here," Shields
said. Land replaces Craig Curry who is stepping down after reaching a
mutual agreement with Shields that his services would be best utilized as
full time director of the Center for the African American Male.
Curry was initially hired to serve as director of the center and the
athletic program. However, due to the great demands of the athletic
program, he was unable to devote time to the center, she said. "It is my
hope that now Mr. Curry will be able to help us positively impact the lives
of black males at the collegiate level and help those students serve as
mentors and role models for younger males," Shields said.
"Effective administrative management and communication are just as
important to us as winning championships. We think that Dan Land brings
administrative talents, fund raising capabilities and an intimate knowledge
of what our athletic program needs to be one of the best in the country. We
welcome him home," Shields said.
Land, a ten-year professional football player with the Oakland Raiders, spends his time off of the field coordinating the Professional Minority Male Athletes speakers bureau and serving as a mentor for Boys and Girls Clubs, Inc. and the YMCA/YWCA. Land is co-founder of the Dan Land and Derek Moore Professional Football Camp in Albany. His responsibilities include administrative supervision for 1,200 youth, compilation of annual reports, fund raising, granstmanship and public relations. Land is a certified
professional educator with master of education and bachelor of science
degrees in health, physical education and recreation. He has also worked
with the National Youth Sports Program as an instructor, coach and
motivator.
Albany State has had four interim athletics directors in the last four years:
Shirley Reese, Wilbur Campbell, Curry, and now Land.
Shields stated that other administrative changes will occur as needed.
3 Nov
In a story reported by Earnest Reese of the Atlanta Journal-Consttution,
Craig Curry, interim director of athletics at Albany State, is no
longer the athletics director. Former ASU football standout Dan Land
is now the new interim director of athletics at the school. Albany
State has had four interim athletics directors in the last four years:
Shirley Reese, Wilbur Campbell, Curry, and now Land.
2 Nov
Reading Defenses
by Purvis Jackson
In the past 15 years, the game of football has made a drastic change from
a power game to a game of SPEED. This change has prompted coaches
to modify their offenses and defenses to adjust to the uncanny speed
of their opponents week after week.
Having been a quarterback in a run-and-shoot offense as well as a
veer-oreinted offense, I have seen a large spectrum of defensive fronts,
techniques and coverages. The passing game, which arguably is the most
popular phase of offense, has become much more mental than physical.
Defensive coordinators throw a combination of coverages at a quarterback
(especially a young or experienced quarterback) to confuse him,
and utlimately disrupt his way of thinking. What I learned when
playing is that a quarterback that cannot think, will not be
successful in leading his offense.
One of the most frequently used coverages is a two-deep coverage.
This is characterized by two safeties who play approxiamately 10-15
yards deep in the secondary. If we divide the football field horizontally
into halves, each safety is resonsible for one half. The cornerbacks
and linebackers are responsible for the short passing range (from 0-10
yards) known as the flats and hook/curl zone.
Out of the two-deep coverage look, defensive coordinators can do a variety
of things. This is what confuses quarterbacks.
Quarterback: This looks like a two-deep coverage, but it looks just
like a four-deep coverage also. However, this could be man-to-man.
Are the safeties playing halves, or disguising a three-deep coverage with
one cornerback? Which cornerback is covering the flats, or is a safety
going to cover?? These are just a few questions that go through a
quarterback's head before the 25 second clock runs out.
This article only touches on a few points about defensive coverages,
but one fact still remains. The quarterback who is able to
decipher defenses will be more successful than the quarterback who
cannot.
Purvis Jackson is a former starting quarterback for Albany State University.
31 Oct
Final Weekend In Deadly October
Rams Erase Morris Brown
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Albany State tailback Marcus Horton filled
in for an injured Robert Cummings, and rushed for 145 yards and three
touchdowns as Albany State dumped Morris Brown 41-22. The Rams are
8-1 overall and 5-0 in SIAC play. The Rams, who led 17-14 at the
half, scored 10 points (a 30 yard field goal by Jeff Watson, and
a 35-yard Marcus Horton run) in the first three-and-a half minutes of
the third quarter to spurt out to a 27-14 lead. MoBrown never recovered.
Despite the win, ASU linebacker Travis McKinney said there was
lots of room for improvement until the end of the season:
"The main thing we want to focus on is to stop making
mental mistakes. We shouldn't be making them down the stretch."
McKinney had 10 tackles (eight solo), including five for losses.
With Hampton's loss, Albany State's winning streak of eight straight
regular season games is the longest in Black College football.
More in this week's Sentry.
Trick or Treat's On Clark-Atlanta
LaGrange, GA(OTW)-Tuskegee (7-1, 5-0) scored 31 fourth quarter points
to defeat Clark-Atlanta 48-28. CAU led 21-3 after one quarter and
28-10 at the half thanks to two TD runs by Israel Thompson.
Tuskegee's Michael Scott had a 30-yard TD run with 5:06 in
the final period to extend Skegee's lead to 46-28. Scott rushed
for 218 yards in the game.
Thompson had 212 yards on the ground for CAU.
More in this week's Sentry.
Elsewhere, Fort Valley beat Savannah State 28-10, Kentucky State
beat Morehouse 16-11, and Benedict rolled by Lane 36-13.
31 Oct
Brelon Jones of Morris Brown was presented with the Burger King
Athlete of the Week honors Saturday at the Morris Brown-Albany
State football game. Jones, a senior wide receiver, currently has
a 3.26 average in Business Adminstration. He is also the senior
class president. The Clarkston, GA native was on the SIAC All-Academic
Team in 1997, an Arthur Ashe Jr., National Scholar, and a member
of the National Dean's List. Jones was the Wolverines' leading
receiver in 1997.
29 Oct
A Matter Of Focus
by Bryan Steven Follins
Albany, GA(OTW)-After suffering a loss on Wednesday, the Albany State
Lady Rams ran a 5-0 table on Thursday to win the SIAC Volleyball
Tournament Championship. ASU started the run at 9 a.m by beating
Tuskegee three straight times, then they beat Savannah State three
straight times, then Kentucky State (whom they lost to on Wednesday)
three straight times. Then came the fourth match with Fort Valley
State. ASU beat the Lady Wildcats 15-9, 4-15, 15-10, and 15-9 to
send the championships to a 15th match. The final match (against
Fort Valley) went
five games with the Lady Rams prevailing 15-9, 11-15, 3-15, 15-12,
and 15-9 to complete the incredible run near or around 7:50 p.m.
What could keep the team focused for nearly 12 hours?
"Threatening their lives."--joked ASU head coach Robert
Skinner.
"It was a mind thing. We knew that if we lost one match it was over."
--ASU outside hitter Trenace Dave.
"It was the hardest thing in the world to do. We had to dig deep,
knowing we worked so hard. That was the best thing in the world,
coming back after a challenge."--Albany State outside hitter
Valecha Fletcher.
It was booming serves and aces by Fletcher and Teisha Cameron
as well as good net defense which helped to carry the Lady Rams.
Both ASU and Fort Valley had to fight mental fatigue as well as
physical exhaustion in the grueling matches.
SIAC All-Conference Volleyball Team;
Valecha Fletcher-Outside Hitter-Albany State University.
Trenace Dave-Outside Hitter-Albany State University.
Teisha Cameron-Middle Hitter-Albany State university.
Nakisha Reaves-Outside Hitter-Fort Valley State University.
Shemekia Williams-Outside Hitter-Fort Valley State University.
Yolanda Berry-Middle Hitter-Kentucky State University.
Marlissa Logan-Outside Hitter-Kentucky State University.
Melissa Hughes-Setter-Kentucky State University.
Tika Scruggs-Outside Hitter-Miles College.
Melody Webb-Roving Hitter-Savannah State University.
Setter of the Year: LaTondria Page-Fort Valley State.
Defensive Player of the Year: Marlissa Logan-Kentucky State University.
Most Valuable Player: Yolanda Berry-Kentucky State University.
Coach of the Year: Lonnie Bartley-Fort Valley State University.
Elsewhere, the Albany State women took the 1998 Cross Country
Championship scoring 48 points. Karen Lumpkin of ASU finished
third with a time of 23:02.
Clark-Atlanta freshman Teea Reed won individual honors
with a time of 22:30.
"We had no idea the caliber of runner she (Reed) was. She
came in running the 800 (meters). Cross Country was a base for her.
We train long and hard. She is dedicated. She has a goal in
mind."--Clark-Atlanta Cross Country women's coach Pamela Page.
Morehouse won the Men's 1998 Cross Counrty championships
taking the first five spots in the five-mile race:
1. Jean-Paul Niyongabo-27:13
2. Christophe Irumva-27:14
3. Wilson Koros-28:09
4. Micah Ragland-28:33
5. Momodou Drammeh-28:44
It was business as usual for "The House."
Most Valuable Player (Women): Teea Reed-Clark-Atlanta.
Most Valuable Player (Men): Jean-Paul Niyongabo-Morehouse.
Coach of the Year (Women): Willie Lassiter-Albany State.
Coach of the Year (Men): Willie Hill-Morehouse.
27 Oct
Atlanta, GA(OTW)- Albany State will host the 1998 Volleyball
and Cross Country Championships Oct. 28-29. In volleyball, the
top four teams from each division will compete. The West includes:
Kentucky State, Tuskegee, Miles, and Lemoyne-Owen. In the East, it
will be Fort Valley State, Albany State, Clark-Atlanta, and Savannah
State. Matches will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m at the Health and Physical
Education Buidling on ASU's campus.
The cross country finals will be Thursday at 10 a.m.
24 Oct
The Fourth Weekend In Deadly October
The Monkey Wrench
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Aaron James threw for one touchdown and
ran for two others as Tuskegee (6-1, 4-0) beat Fort Valley State 7-1, 3-1) 23-21 before an
overflowing crowd at Fort Valley's Homecoming. The Wildcats led
14-3 at the half thanks to two Renotto Solomon touchdown passes to
Marcus Clayton.
In the second half, James had two TDs runs (one and nine yards), and a
19-yard TD pass to Garry Curry.
Tuskegee and Albany State are now tied for first in the SIAC.
The twist here is the two teams do not play each other this
season. If neither team lost another league game during the season,
a tie-breaker would have to be instituted.
The loss leaves the Wildcats looking from the outside in despite
a 7-1 overall and 3-1 league record, plus a previously strong ranking
in the NCAA Division II South Region.
More in this week's Sentry.
Albany, GA(OTW)-Robert Cummings rushed for 159 yards and two
TDs as Albany State (7-1, 4-0) punished Clark-Atlanta 32-6. The Rams
piled up 324 yards on the ground, 27 first downs, and controlled the
ball for 42 minutes in the game. It was ASU's Homecoming.
Augusta, GA(OTW)-Morris Brown freshman quarterback Kewan
Dewberry threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines
chewed up winless Morehouse 47-12.
Through 18 Oct:
Albany State leads the SIAC East Volleyball standings. Kentucky
State leads the SIAC West.
17 Oct
Third Weekend In Deadly October:
Wildcats Win A Catfight
by Bryan Steven Follins
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Bryan Holmes rushed for 159 yards and three
touchdowns as Fort Valley State beat Clark-Atlanta 36-7 Saturday
night. Holmes had TD runs of 48, 12, and one yard.
"We knew we had to execute. We're playing better together
as a team."--Bryan Holmes
"We worked real hard. We stayed together (over the summer) and dedicated
ourselves."--Fort Valley State defensive back Hosea Laney.
Clark-Atlanta had six turnovers in the game. Chris Freeman led
the Panthers in tackles with 11.
Fort Valley is 7-0 and 4-0 in SIAC play. More in this week's
Sentry.
Itta Bena, MS(OTW)-Albany State spoiled Mississippi Valley's
homecoming with a 37-9 win over the Delta Devils. Blanchard Thomas
rushed for two TDs and Robert Cummings gained 186 yards on the ground
for the winning Rams. This marked the first time that ASU head coach Hampton
Smith has played his alma mater. It was a non-league clash.
Tuskegee, AL(OTW)-Aaron James threw for a TD and ran for another
one was Tuskegee stopped Alabama A&M 14-7. It was a non-conference
contest.
15 Oct
As the SIAC prepares for the third weekend in Deadly October,
something very interesting is beginning to unfold. Both Albany State
and Fort Valley State are ranked in the Division II top 20. However,
more importantly, they are in the top ten in the NCAA's Southern Region.
What makes things even more interesting is that seven teams are
still mathematically alive for the SIAC title. They are Albany
State, Tuskegee, Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, Savannah State,
Clark-Atlanta, and Lane.
Despite losing four out of its last five games Clark-Atlanta can
jump right back in the race with a victory at home against Fort Valley
State this weekend. Out of the four games Clark-Atlanta has lost, only
one was a designated conference game.
Elsewhere around the SIAC, Ronnie Spry, the head basketball coach
at Paine, has resigned his post on the NCAA Division II Academics Requirements
Committee.
10 Oct
Second Weekend In Deadly October
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Abdul Rashad kicked a 25-yard field goal
with four seconds left in the game to give Savannah State a
19-16 win over Morris Brown. SSU improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1
in play to remain in contention for the SIAC title.
Eugene Childs caught a 22-yard TD pass for MoBrown,
who fell to 2-4, and 0-3 in league action.
Columbus, Ga(OTW)-Michael Scott ran for 207 yards and a TD
as Tuskegee (4-1, 3-0) remained unbeaten in league play, beating
Morehouse 27-20.
Birmingham, AL(OTW)-Bryan Holmes rushed for for 153 yards and two
TDs as Fort Valley (6-0) beat Miles 26-6.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Clark-Atlanta snapped a four-game losing
streak with a 10-7 win over Benedict.
David Kennedy threw a 63-yard TD pass to Todd Davis for
CAU's only touchdown.
Ramon Robinson threw a 45-yard TD pass to Bernard Keitt for
Benedict's only score.
9 Oct
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Savannah State came from a 2-1 game deficit to
edge Morris Brown 3-2. The scores were 15-5, 13-15, 14-16, 15-7, 15-9.
Front hitters Jennifer Burkle and Melody Webb had 24 and 23 kills
respectively for the winners (3-6 overall and 3-4 in league play).
Eugenia Jackson had 17 kills for MoBrown. Letricia Alvarez
added 15 kills for the Wolverines (11-9, 2-5).
Savannah State played the game with no bench players.
"These (Webb and Burkle) are my best players. We just needed
to make sure we executed. This was one we needed to win."--SSU
head volleyball coach Tamica Smith
The Tigers moved past the Wolverines in the SIAC East with the win.
9 Oct
ASU to Sponsor Midnight Madness Basketball Practice:
Albany, Ga(OTW)-
The Albany State University (ASU) Department of Athletics invites you to stay up and catch the 'Midnight Madness' and meet the ASU Golden Rams basketball teams. The 'madness' will start at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the HPER Gymnasium.
Thursday, Oct. 15, is the first official day of practice for teams governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Golden Rams teams will start their practices after midnight.
Basketball fans will have the opportunity to meet the Lady Rams, who won the 1997-98 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) crown, and the Golden Rams men's team. Both teams were invited to participate in the NCAA Division II South Regional Playoffs.
ASU Director of Athletics Craig B. Curry said the basketball teams can showcase their talents during the Midnight Madness.
"We have very talented basketball athletes at Albany State. The Midnight Madness will allow these students to 'show off' and let everyone in the ASU community know that we have top-notch basketball stars and a beautiful facility for everyone to enjoy.
I challenge all basketball fans and ASU supporters to stay up and catch the madness."--Albany State athletics director Craig Curry
4 Oct
SIAC Volleyball Results:
Thru 4 Oct
Hitting: Tiffeny Stanbrough-Kentucky State--.412
Kills: Nakisha Reaves-Fort Valley State-3.2
Assists: Melissa Hughes-Kentucky State-8.8
Service Aces: Givonna Broome-Lane-1.1
Blocks: Kenya Hodge-Savannah State-2.1
Digs: Yolanda Berry-Kentucky State-5.1
Albany State led the east region. Kentucky State led the west region.
3 Oct
Macon, GA(OTW)-Robert Cummings ran for a 37-yard TD in the
fourth quarter to seal a 24-7 win for Albany State (5-1) over Savannah State
Saturday. Cummings rushed for 119 yards in the game. Albany State held
Savannah State to 52 yards on the ground in the contest.
Tommy Dawson had 10 tackles (seven solos) for Savannah State (4-2).
Tuskegee, AL(OTW)-Michael Scott rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns
as Tuskegee (3-1, 2-0) rolled over Kentucky State (2-4, 1-1) 42-9.
In other SIAC games, Morris Brown edged Miles 21-20, and Lane beat Clark-Atlanta
21-18.
1 Oct
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Spelman College ran its record to 11-4 by whipping Morris Brown
15-11, 5-15, 15-12, 16-14. One reason for the Jaguars win was sophomore
Jalia Johnson . The outside hitter was a big part of the
Spelman victory, as she was all over the court.
"I try to make sure we stay up and stay positive. When you stay
up, you get confidence in yourself."--Jalia Johnson
Spelman came from behind in two of the victories.
Deadly October in the SIAC
by Bryan Steven Follins
The best thing that can be said about Deadly October in the SIAC
is that almost every team still has a shot at the title, except Morehouse
and Miles.
Albany State, Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, and Savannah State
are all undefeated in conference play going into Deadly October.
One of the most intriguing matchups this weekend will be Albany Stats
vs. Savannah State in Macon, GA. Savannah State is playing very
well under first year head coach Daryl McNeill. The Tigers
lead the SIAC in rushing defense, passing defense efficiency, total
defense, and scoring defense. They have an explosive kick returner
in Roosevelt Williams who is averaging 43.8 yards per
return. Not only does SSU have Albany State in Deadly October,
they also have conference games with Fort Valley State and Morris Brown.
Albany State has Morris Brown and Clark-Atlanta later in Deadly
October. The possibilities are endless in the SIAC in Deadly
October, so we will play it by ear.
SIAC Volleyball Stat Leaders:
29 Sep
Hitting Percentage: Tiffeny Stanbrough-Kentucky State-.411 avg.
Kills: Nakisha Reaves-Fort Valley State-3.31 avg.
Assists: Melissa Hughes-Kentucky State-8.4 avg.
Services Aces: Givonya Broome-Lane-1.1 avg.
Blocks: K. Kohn-Paine-2.07 avg.
Digs: Yolanda Berry-Kentucky State-4.8 avg.
SIAC Leaders: East: Albany State (6-5, 5-0). West: Kentucky State
(9-3, 5-0).
26 Sep
Albany, GA(OTW)-Robert Cummings rushed for two touchdowns as
Albany State (4-1) held off North Carolina Central 31-24. The Rams
built a 21-3 and held off NCCU in the second half.
Junior Bulla rushed for two TDs for Central, both coming in the
third quarter. NCCU is 3-2. The game was a non-conference clash.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Aaron Glover caught a 21-yard TD pass and ran
for another as Miles edged Clark-Atlanta 27-22.
David Kennedy threw two TD passes for CAU, both to Terrance
Harvey.
In other games Savannah State beat Morehouse 34-0, Fort Valley beat
Kentucky State 16-11, and Lane whipped West Virginia State 12-10.
19 Sep
Albany State Mows Down 'The House'
Atlanta, GA(OTW)- Albany State garnered 568 total yards of offense
en route to a 36-0 pasting of Morehouse. The Rams limited the losers
to 47 yards of total offense in the game. Albany State's defense had 15
stops for losses, including seven sacks.
Robert Cummings rushed for 258 yards on 26 carries for the
winners, who had 469 yards on the ground.
"We wanted to come out and run, execute our plays, stay on top
of the young (Morehouse) defense."--Albany State offensive tackle
Omar Williams.
Albany State is 3-1 and 2-0 in the SIAC.
The loss kept the Maroon Tigers winless in 98 (0-4). Bryan Steven
Follins has more in this week's Sentry.
Wildcats Win On Sunset Avenue
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Freshman Cleo Stinyard returned two kickoff returns
for touchdowns as Fort Valley beat Morris Brown 28-22. Stinyard's returns
were for 91 and 80 yards.
"It felt good. It was a very important time in the game for
the special teams to step up"--Fort Valley's Cleo Stinyard
Stinyard's TDs came after a Morris Brown field goal in the second
quarter, and a MoBrown touchdown in the third quarter.
Fort Valley is 4-0 and 2-0 in SIAC action, which ties them for the
conference lead with Albany State.
The loss dropped Morris Brown to 1-2 and 0-2 in SIAC action. Bryan
Steven Follins has more in this week's Sentry.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Dan Amos rushed for 91 yards and caught
a 51-yard TD pass, as Kentucky State beat Clark-Atlanta 39-14.
Clark-Atlanta was limites to 30 yards rushing and fumbled the
ball four times in the game.
In other SIAC scores, Tuskegee beat Miles 30-15.
16 Sep
Morris Brown will look to stay in the SIAC race, as they host
Fort Valley State in a key matchup this weekend in Atlanta.
FVSU has a 3-0 record and is led by quarterback Renotto Solomon, who
has thrown seven touchdown passes in three games. Solomon is averaging 174 yards
in the air per game. Fort Valley's Marcus Lee leads the SIAC in
tackles with 29 (26 unassisted).
Morris Brown's Brelon Jones leads the SIAC in receiving with 223
yards (seven catches per game, 15.9 yards per catch, and two TDs).
This will be a designated conference game. Morris Brown has a 1-1 record
with one loss in the conference. Another defeat would put them in a must
win situation (conference-wise) for the rest of the year.
Sat., 12 Sep
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Savannah State scored 24 second quarter points
as they routed Clark-Atlanta, 38-7. SSU quarterback Jermaine
Brooks threw for two touchdowns in the second quarter outburst.
Tuskegee, AL(OTW)-Morris Brown quarterback Jerome Weeks
threw two touchdown passes to lead the Wolverines by Tuskegee 24-3.
MoBrown wide receiver Brelon Jones had 104 yards in receptions,
including a touchdown.
Birmingham, AL(OTW)-Miles kept Morehouse winless, defeating the Maroon
Tigers 28-15. Aaron Glover ran for two touchdowns for Miles.
Frankort, KY(OTW)-Jamal Robinson threw for two touchowns, and
Blancahrd Thomas ran for two, as Albany State wiped out Kentucky
State 36-7.
Jackson, TN(OTW)-Renotto Solomon threw four touchdown passes
as Fort Valley State kicked Lane 49-19. Fort Valley has now won
three straight games, and will face Morris Brown in a crucial conference
game in Atlanta next Saturday.
In other scores Albany State crushed Kentucky State 36-7, and Fort Valley
State ran over Lane 49-19.
6 Sep
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-David Kennedy threw a 32-yard touchdown pass
to Juan Gaston with 14:53 left in the game,
as Clark-Atlanta edged Morris Brown 14-13
in the Labor Day Classic at Morris Brown's Herndon Stadium. MoBrown
was first in nearly every statistical category except the one that
counted the most, the scoreboard.
CAU defensive end James Roscoe turned in a particularly big
game with 10 tackles (seven solos) and three sacks.
"We came out and went through our normal routine. We played
hard. Conditioning paid off"-James Roscoe
"Clark-Atlanta just played good defense. We had a lot of opportunities.
We Just didn't come through when we should have."--Morris Brown head
coach Joe Crosby.
Over 18,000 fans saw the game on Sunset Avenue.
More in this week's Sentry.
5 Sep
Albany, GA(OTW)-Albany State scored 21 first quarter points
en route to a 33-21 win over Miles. Jamal Robinson passed for
one TD and ran for another in the quarter. His TD pass was for 38-yards
to Robert Cumming, and his scoring jaunt was 68 yards.
Miles got on the board late in the second quarter with a 12-yard run
by Aaron Glover.
Herbie Ward had five tackles and two pass inteceptions for the
winners.
Robert Coker had 13 tackles and one interception for the
losers.
Valdosta, GA(OTW)-Renotto Solomon passed 25 yards to Marcus Clayton
to give Fort Valley State a 20-14 triple overtime victory over
Valdosta State. Solomon passed for two TDs and ran for another
in the win.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Lane quarterback Kevious Clark rushed
for a two-yard TD late in the third quarter to give his team a 40-35
lead, and victory over Morehouse. Clark would run for two TDs and
throw for three more in the game. His target for two of
his scoring passes was wide receiver Linton Coleman(42 and 39 yards).
Coleman continually torched the Morehouse secondary all day.
"They (Morehouse) had a linebacker on me in the lane.
I'm too good for that. They messed up. This team is dedicated.
We're going to have a good team this year"--Lane wide receiver
Linton Coleman
Morehouse runningback Jason Taylor rushed for two toucdhowns.
"They (Lane) made critical plays on third downs. We were
not able to make plays back at them."--Morehouse head coach
Frank Hickson.
4 Sep
Oops!!
The Sentry reported Morehouse as having an 11-game losing streak. That
was in error. The Maroon Tigers won their last game of the season
in 1997. It must be the heat.
31 Aug
More Scores From Saturday:
Frankfort, KY(OTW)-Mike Volarvich threw for 203 yards as
Kentucky State beat Miles 36-14.
Elizabeth City, NC(OTW)-Roosevelt Williams returned an interception
29 yards for a TD, and Terrance Boney scored on a two-yard run
as Savannah State upended Elizabeth City State 16-2.
29 Aug
A Night In The Sun
by Bryan Steven Follins
Albany, GA(OTW)-Valdosta State scored 17 unanswered points in
the fourth quarter, to come back from a 10-3 deficit, and beat Albany
State 20-10. The loss snapped the Rams' 17-game regular season
winning streak.
James Lightfoot kicked a 27-yard field goal with
7:18 left in the game to give the Blazers the lead for good.
The Rams took a 10-3 lead early in the fourth period when quarterback
Jamal "PeeWee" Robinson connected with Jason Ivey on a
33-yard TD pass. The game was played in front of over 12,000 fans.
More details in this week's Sentry
The contest was played in searing heat. At 5:15 p.m. in Albany Saturday,
the temperature was 101 degrees.
Just How Hot Was It In Albany??
1. Too hot to sweat.
2. Hot enough that the chicken served in the press box at halftime
started flying out of the box.
3. So hot that the sun did not set, it just hid behind the moon.
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Fort Valley rolled up 408 total yards to
crush Morehouse 46-7. Bryan Holmes had five touchdowns for
the winners, who scored 27 points in the second quarter.
28 Aug
Charles Ward is the new SIAC public relations director. Ward is
also the play-by-play man for foootball and basketball for Clark-Atlanta
University, a position he has held since 1991. He has worked on
shows such as Prep Sports Plus (Georgia), This Week In Black College
Football (nationwide), and has also broadcast high school football and
basketball playoff action in Georgia. Ward has a a bachelor's and
master's from Florida A&M, as well as a juris doctorate degree from
Howard. He is a native of Statesboro, GA.
Correction:
Albany State enters the season with a 17 game regular season
winning streak, the longest in Black College Football.
Thur, 13 Aug
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-The SIAC has announced its 1998 Pre-Season All-Conference
Football Team:
Offense:
QB-Renotto Solomon-6-4, 190, Jr., Fort Valley State.
RB-Bryan Holmes-5-11, 225, Sr., Fort Valley State.
RB-Marcus Horton-6-2, 213, So., Albany State.
WR-Marcus Clayton-6-1, 190, Sr., Fort Valley State.
WR-Brelon Jones-6-0, 190, Sr., Morris Brown.
TE-Howard Birl-6-2, 240, Jr., Tuskegee.
C-Raymond Butler-6-3, 300, Sr., Kentucky State.
OL-Travis Hardin-6-10, 315, Sr., Kentucky State.
OL-Willie Johnson-6-2, 275, Sr., Fort Valley State.
OL-Anthony Reddick-6-4, 340, Jr., Savannah State.
PK-Abdul Rashad-5-9, 160, So., Savannah State.
RS-Tramel Gilmore-5-9, 175, Sr., Morris Brown.
Defense
DL-Andre Slappey-6-6, 325, Sr., Albany State.
DL-James Roscoe-6-6, 280, Sr., Clark-Atlanta.
DL-Darryl Clark-6-3, 285, So., Fort Valley State.
DL-Avo Adwater-6-3, 260, So,. Albany State.
LB-Horace Cook-6-3, 245, Sr., Morris Brown.
LB-Willie Moreland-6-2, 235, Sr., Albany State.
CB-Tramel Gilmore-5-9, 175, Sr., Morris Brown.
CB-Herbie Ward-6-0, 175, Sr., Albany State.
SS-Eric Reese-6-0, 195, Sr., Miles.
FS-Hosea Laney-6-3, 190, Sr., Fort Valley State.
P-Jonathan Thomas-6-0, 180, Jr., Clark-Atlanta.
Picture day for Tuskegee's football team will be Aug. 20 at Abbott Stadium.
Sat, 8 Aug
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-The new athletics director at Fort Valley
State is Edmond (Ed) Wyche. Wyche had spent the previous five
years as assistant athletics director and compliance coordinator at
North Carolina A&T. Wyche has held head football coaching positions at
Delaware State, Hampton, Morgan State, and Alabama A&M. He has a
bachelor of science in health and physical education from Florida
A&M, where he played for Alonzo "Jake" Gaither. He also has a masters
of science from Howard. More later....
5 Aug
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-A total of 19 starters return (10 offense and nine
defense) for the Morris Brown Wolverines in 1998. This should make for
fast times on Sunset Avenue (Herndon Stadium), home of the Wolverines.
Linebacker Horace Cook (6'3, 240), who led the team in tackles last year with
91 (63 solo) is back. Defensive tackle Larry McColley (6'4, 260)
also returns. McColley had 54 tackles (36 solos) and two quarterback
sacks in 1997.
The secondary is headed by Tramel Gilmore (46 tackles, 35 unassisted,
two fumble recoveries, and one interception) last season.
Perhaps the most feared part of Morris Borwn's offense will be the
wide receiving corp. This group is led by Brelon Jones. In 1997,
Jones (6'0, 190) caught 45 passes for 754 yards and eight touchdowns,
mostly of the last second variety.
Four of five offensive line starters return, including 6'5, 320 pound
offensive tackle Dante English.
The Wolverines play four of their six league games at home (including
Albany State and Fort Valley). This should help.
3 Aug
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Tuskegee has 500 wins in its storied football history.
It is only the sixth team in NCAA Division II to attain that feat.
This year the Golden Tigers return 15 starters from a 7-4 team in 1997.
Eight are on offense and seven on defense.
Here are some reasons why 'Skegee is a Sentry Sleeper in 1998:
They return three starting linebackers, Anthony Mitchell, Chris Rainey,
and Kevin Bailey. Mitchell had 80 stops, 10 for losses, and three
quarterback sacks in 97. Rainey had 36 tackles and three sacks. Bailey
garnered 79 tackles, seven for losses, and two QB sacks.
On the defensive line, Donell Wade and Ray Nobles are back.
Wade had 71 tackles and Nobles 60 last season.
On offense, running back Micheal Scott returns. Scott rushed for 743 yards and seven
touchdowns in 97.
Four starters return on the offensive line, led by seniors Marlon
Milton and Zuri Gray.
Placekicker Luke Bell also returns. Bell was 18 of 21 on PATs
last year and he was 7 of 14 in field goals.
Out of the six conference games the Tigers will play, three will be at home,
two at neutral sites, and one on the road. Also, they do not
play Albany State.
23 July
Ram Tough In '98
by Bryan Steven Follins
The Albany State Rams are the favorites once again to win the
1998 SIAC Football Title. Here are a few reasons why:
-Ten starters return on defense, led by 6'6, 315 pound
defensive lineman Andre Slappey.
The 1997 SIAC Player of the Year had 37 tackles (22 solos) and seven
quarterback sacks. Senior linebacker Willie Moreland (6'2,
235) also returns. In 1997 Moreland had 77 tackles (40 solos), nine
stops for losses, and six QB sacks. Junior defensive back
Eugene Dorsey led the team in tackles with 84 (41 unassisted).
He also had five interceptions.
--Robert Cumming, the team's leading rusher (869 yards) in 1997
returns. Also, offensive tackles Eugene Hollis (6'5, 310) and Rodney
Williams (6'7, 325) return to bookend the offensive line.
--The schedule will not be easy. The Rams open the season hosting
in-state foe Valdosta State. They also have non-conference
clashes against Mississippi Valley State (away) and Livingstone (home).
Their toughest conferences foes will probably be Morris Brown and
Fort Valley State. They do not play Alabama A&M (a new member of the
SWAC) or Tuskegee, a potentially dangerous football team, in 1998.
**Ram Facts: The 1998 meeting between Albany State and Mississippi
Valley State will be the first time coach Hampton Smith will play
his old alma mater.
--The Rams go into the 1998 season riding a 16-game regular season
winning streak. This is currently the longest regular season winning
streak in Black College Football. Albany State has won 24 of 26 games
dating back to 1996, a winning percentage of 91 percent.
The SIAC Football Coaches Press Luncheon
10 July
Atlanta, GA(OTW)
From SIAC Commissioner Wallace Jackson
by Bryan Steven Follins
--According to Jackson, he will meet with CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry
before the end of July to finalize proceedings for the 1998 Pioneer
Bowl. At the present time, Jackson said the game is scheduled for Dec. 19, 1998.
He also added that the sight of the game was not set in stone, but
it is a good chance that it will be played at Herndon Stadium on
the campus of Morris Brown. This is the same site as the 1997
Pioneer Bowl. Jackson also said that the new SIAC public relations director would be named within the next week.
--The Commissioner added that the SIAC was also thinking of doing
away with its East/West basketball alignment in for favor of
one major division. If this happened, the top eight teams would
go to the post-season tournament.
Other Notes:
--LeMoyne-Owen coach Jerry Johnson is the Chairman of the SIAC
Basketball Committee.
--The new Lane football coach is Leonard Anderson. Also,
according to Lane athletics director J.L. Perry, the school will
announce its new sports information director next week.
--Most coaches provided their annual smoke screens by
describing their teams in broad terms and not
volunteering any information. Some examples:
"Really, I don't know where we're going to finish. I
though we would be in the middle of the mix. We'll be
competitive. We'll be in every game."--Albany State head coach
Hampton Smith. He usually says something like this every year
before Albany State beats up on the rest of the conference.
"(In the spring)I saw some good and I saw some bad."--Tuskegee
head coach Rick Comegys. When asked to expound on "the good he
saw", he just got more general.
The 1998 SIAC Football Predicted Order Of Finish
1. Albany State
2. Fort Valley State
3. Morris Brown
4. Kentucky State
5. Tuskegee
6. Miles
7. Savannah State
8. Clark-Atlanta
9. Morehouse
10. Lane
The media luncheon was a part of the SIAC Annual Workshop...
1 July
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Morehouse and Albany State are the SIAC 1997-98
All-Sports awards winners.
Morehouse tallied 95 points in the conference competition to win the
men's award. The Maroon Tigers won titles in track and field, tennis,
cross country, and basketball (West Division).
Albany State won the women's competition with 80 points. The Lady
Rams won the SIAC basketball tournament, and finished second in volleyball,
cross country, track and field, and basketball (East Division).
The SIAC football press luncheon will be held Friday, July 10, at 12:30
p.m. in Atlanta. The location is the Club Hotel by Doubletree Atlanta
Airport South.
Fort Valley State 1998 Tentative Football Schedule:
Aug. 29 vs. Morehouse-7 p.m. est
Sept. 5 @Valdosta State-7 p.m. est
Sept. 12 @Lane-5:30 p.m. est?
Sept. 19 @Morris Brown-7 p.m. est
Sept. 26 Kentucky State-7 p.m. est
Oct. 3 Open Date
Oct. 10 @Miles-1:30 p.m. cst?
Oct. 17 @Clark-Atlanta-7:00 p.m.est
Oct. 24 Tuskegee (Homecoming)-1:30 p.m. est
Oct. 31 @Savannah State-1:30 p.m. est
Nov. 7 Benedict-1:30 p.m. est
Nov. 14 Albany State @Columbus-1:30 p.m.est
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Fort Valley State's women's basketball
team has announced three signings. They are 6'3 center Naterria Mitchell,
5'7 guard Anitra Sanders, and 5'11 forward Rosalyn Smith.
Mitchell, who averaged 24.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and
4.0 steals per game, earned first-team Kodak All-America honors while
playing at Trinity Valley Community College (JC) in Athens, TX.
Sanders and Smith were also junior college transfers.
1 May
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Tennell Lockett and Gregory Roberts earned
the top awards at the 1998 Morehouse All-Sports Banquet. Lockett,
a running back on the Morehouse football team, received the James Edward
Hines Most Scholarly Athlete Award. The first team all-SIAC player
sports a 3.94 grade point average. Roberts earned the Franklin
Forbes Most Outstanding Athlete Award. A high jumper on the Morehouse
track team, Roberts is the defending NCAA Division II Indoor (1997 and
1998) and Outdoor (1996 and 1997) high jump champion.
Roberts and Lockett are seniors.
7 Apr
Savannah State Athletic Program Put On Probation...
Report Provided by the NCAA...
I. INTRODUCTION.
This case involved the football, men's and women's basketball, men's track and field, baseball, and women's tennis programs at Savannah State University and primarily concerned violations of NCAA bylaws governing financial aid and institutional control.
Savannah State University is a Division II institution and a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The university has an enrollment of approximately 2,800 students and sponsors four men's and five women's intercollegiate sports.
The violations in this case represented a serious breakdown in the administration of the university's athletics programs and resulted in a significant competitive advantage for the university when numerous student-athletes received impermissible financial aid. During the 1994-95 academic year, the institution exceeded NCAA football financial aid limits by at least 28 scholarships and during the 1995-96 academic year the institution exceeded NCAA limits in women's basketball and football. As the institution admitted to the committee, these violations occurred because of a lack of institutional control. Institutional staff members misunderstood NCAA rules and the institution did not have a formal compliance program in place to monitor the activities of the coaching staff or to maintain the required records. These systemic failures led to violations in several of the university's athletics programs.
The committee recognizes that major personnel changes at the institution and in the athletics department have occurred since the violations were discovered and self-reported by the institution. The institution has a new president, who personally assured the committee that the university had implemented new compliance, monitoring and educational programs to prevent future violations. The committee understands the commitment of the president and the new athletics administration to initiate appropriate corrective actions and to establish an environment of institutional control, with the proper checks and balances. Initially, as part of the summary-disposition process, the committee had proposed a five-year probationary period to provide the institution with sufficient time to allow its monitoring and educational programs to bring the university's athletics department, including the coaching staff, into full compliance with NCAA rules and to ensure that the checks and balances instituted were functioning. However, after an expedited hearing on the penalties, the committee determined that four years of probation should be sufficient, given the steps already taken and the strong commitment evidenced by the university's Board of Regents, the president, and his staff.
Because of the significant competitive advantage gained as a result of the financial aid overawards, the committee determined that significant financial aid penalties were warranted, particularly in football. However, because the committee's traditional "one-for-one" penalty would have resulted in a reduction of 39 scholarships and a devastating effect on the football program, the committee imposed less of a reduction and distributed the penalty over a three-year period.
A. CASE CHRONOLOGY.
On April 11, 1995, Savannah State University's acting director of athletics wrote the NCAA assistant executive director of enforcement and eligibility appeals concerning a possible violation of NCAA financial aid rules and indicated that the school would forward the institution's findings as soon as it concluded its investigation. It is unclear when or how this violation was first discovered. The current institutional and athletics administrations were not present during the 1994-95 academic year, and documentation concerning the initial discovery could not be located.
On July 25, 1995, the institution submitted a report to the NCAA enforcement staff indicating that a major violation had occurred in the football program when it overawarded scholarships to its football student-athletes. Also on July 25, the institution dismissed the head football coach, the head women's volleyball coach and the head women's basketball coach.
On August 31, 1995, the enforcement staff requested additional financial aid information from the university, which the university provided on October 5. On November 22, 1995, the enforcement staff issued a letter of preliminary inquiry to the university.
During the fall of 1995, the coaches dismissed by the university requested that The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia review the terms of their dismissals and after the Board upheld the institution's decision, the volleyball coach and the basketball coach filed lawsuits against the institution.
Also, during this time period, the enforcement staff learned of other possible violations. On January 25, 1996, an NCAA director of enforcement wrote the institution concerning these violations and asked the institution to respond.
On May 9, 1996, the lawsuits filed by the two coaches were dismissed without prejudice. On May 22, pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 32.3.3.4.1, the enforcement staff notified the institution of the six-month status of its inquiry and cited that delays in processing the case were caused by the administrative hearings and litigation related to the termination of coaching staff members.
On July 17, 1996, the enforcement staff met with university officials to discuss the ongoing investigation and to review the request for information set out in the enforcement director's January 25 letter. During this meeting, the staff also was informed that additional litigation with the coaches was pending.
On August 12, 1996, the enforcement staff requested additional information from the university. After delays due to the institution's difficulty in locating some of the requested information, the institution submitted the available information on September 19 and October 24.
On November 20, 1996, pursuant to Bylaw 32.2.2.4.1, the enforcement staff notified the institution of the one-year status of its inquiry and the NCAA Committee on Infractions notified the institution that it had granted permission to the enforcement staff to continue processing information regarding possible violations at the university. The committee granted the request because the administrative hearings and litigation had delayed and limited the university's and enforcement staff's ability to develop complete information and conduct necessary interviews.
On March 18, 1997, the enforcement staff requested an update on the pending litigation and to schedule a campus visit. From April through August 1997, the enforcement staff and the university gathered additional information, recreated student-athlete financial aid files and conducted related interviews.
On August 5, 1997, the enforcement staff sent a letter of official inquiry to the institution. On August 26 the university submitted its response.
On September 8, 1997, the enforcement staff conducted a prehearing conference with university representatives via a telephone conference call. As a result of the prehearing conference, it was determined that the institution and the enforcement staff were in substantial agreement with the facts of this case, that the facts constituted violations and that the case was major in nature. Accordingly, the institution requested that this case be processed under the summary-disposition procedure of NCAA Bylaw 32.6.
On September 17, 1997, the university and enforcement staff submitted a summary-disposition report to the NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions. The report contained a description of the violations that the enforcement staff and university agreed had occurred, the corrective actions taken by the institution, and the penalties self-imposed and proposed by the institution.
In the summary-disposition report, the enforcement staff stated that the institution's internal investigation, combined with the enforcement staff's inquiries, was complete and thorough and that the university had cooperated with the NCAA.
The Committee on Infractions considered the summary-disposition report at its meeting on September 24, 1997. The committee accepted the findings and penalties in the report, but also proposed additional penalties. On October 6 the committee notified the university of the proposed penalties and of the right to a hearing before the committee as to the penalties. On October 16 the university notified the committee that it was requesting an expedited hearing. On February 1 representatives of the university and enforcement staff appeared before the committee at an expedited hearing regarding three of the penalties. Following the expedited hearing, the committee deliberated and imposed the penalties contained in this report.
B. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF VIOLATIONS.
The violations found by the committee may be summarized as follows:
During the 1994-95 academic year, the institution exceeded NCAA financial aid limits in football by at least 28 awards.
During the 1993-94 through 1995-96 academic years, at least 14 student-athletes in six sports received athletics financial aid that exceeded the value of a full grant. During the 1995-96 academic year, the institution exceeded NCAA financial aid limits in football and women's basketball.
During the 1995-96 academic year, the institution reduced and adjusted financial aid awards without providing proper notification.
The institution did not maintain on file records required by NCAA rules.
During the 1995-96 academic year, a men's track and field student-athlete participated in intercollegiate athletics while ineligible.
There was a lack of institutional control.
C. SUMMARY OF THE PENALTIES.
In imposing the following penalties, the Committee on Infractions considered the corrective actions taken by the university, as detailed in Part III-A of this report, and the penalties proposed and self-imposed by the university.
1. The committee adopted as its own the following penalties proposed and self-imposed by the institution:
Vacation of all wins in football, women's basketball and men's track and field for
Reduction by two in the number of permissible track and field financial aid awards for the 1998-99 academic year and by one for the 1999-2000 academic year.
Reduction by two in the number of permissible women's basketball financial aid awards for the 1998-99 academic year and by one for the 1999-2000 academic year.
Maximum of 25 official visits in football during the 1997-98 academic year and of 20 during the 1998-99 academic year.
2. The committee found the penalties imposed by the university meaningful and significant. However, because of the lack of institutional control, the significant competitive advantage gained, the length of time over which the violations occurred and the fact that multiple sports were involved, the committee imposed the following additional penalties:
Public reprimand and censure.
Four years of probation (instead of the five years initially proposed by the committee prior to the expedited hearing).
Reduction by eight in the number of permissible football financial aid awards for the 1998-99 and the 1999-2000 academic years and by six for the 2000-01 academic year.
Reduction by one in the number of permissible financial aid awards in women's te
Reduction by one in the number of permissible financial aid awards in men's basketball during the 1998-99 academic year.
Reduction by one in the number of permissible financial aid awards in baseball during the 1998-99 academic year.
Requirement that the institution continue to develop a comprehensive athletics compliance education program, with annual reports to the committee during the period of probation.
Requirement that the university send specified individuals to an NCAA compliance seminar.
Recertification of current athletics policies and practices.
II. FINDINGS OF VIOLATIONS OF NCAA LEGISLATION.
A. EXCESSIVE FINANCIAL AID IN FOOTBALL. [NCAA BYLAWS 15.02.4.1, 15.1.1, 15.5.1.2.3, 15.5.1.3.3, 15.5.3.2 AND 15.5.7.1]
During the 1994-95 academic year, the institution awarded institutionally administered financial aid to 88 football student-athletes for a total of at least 64.71 equivalency awards, an amount that exceeded the NCAA limit of 36 equivalency grants-in-aid by at least 28 awards. This overaward occurred because football coaching and institutional staff members awarded institutional aid without full knowledge of NCAA legislation regarding financial aid awards and the institution did not include in its calculations all countable aid as set forth in Bylaws 15.02.4.1 and 15.1.1, such as employment and government grants. The institution also misapplied NCAA legislation regarding multisport participation.
B. EXCESSIVE FINANCIAL AID AWARDED TO NUMEROUS STUDENT-ATHLETES IN FOOTBALL AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL. [NCAA BYLAWS 15.02.4.1, 15.1.1, 15.5.1.2, 15.5.3.2, 15.5.3.3 AND 15.5.7]
During the 1993-94 through 1995-96 academic years, at least 14 student-athletes in the sports of baseball, football, men's and women's basketball, men's track and field and women's tennis received institutionally administered financial aid that exceeded the value of a full grant-in-aid because the university did not include in its calculations all countable aid as set forth in Bylaws 15.02.4.1 and 15.1.1, such as employment and government grants.
Further, as a result of this miscalculation of individual financial aid, and the improper counting of financial aid for multiple-sport student-athletes and non-inclusion of some student-athletes in team limits, the institution exceeded the permissible maximum value of equivalency grants-in-aid in football and women's basketball during the 1995-96 academic year. Specifically:
1. The following chart identifies the 14 student-athletes who received financial aid in excess of a full grant-in-aid:
YEARSTUDENT-
ATHLETE
NUMBERSPORTEQUIV.1993-941football1.061993-942women's tennis1.171994-953men's basketball1.091994-954football1.12 1994-955football1.031994-956football1.261994-957men's track & field1.021995-968baseball &
football1.391995-969women's basketball1.031995-9610football1.031995-9611football1.031995-9612football1.031995-9613football1.031995-967men's track & field1.151995-9614men's track & field1.031995-962women's tennis1.45
2. During the 1995-96 academic year, the following team sports exceeded the maximum number of equivalency financial aid awards as a result of the miscalculation of individual financial aid and the exclusion of student-athletes who should have been counted in women's basketball or football under multisport legislation:
YEARSPORTMAXIMUM
EQUIVALENCYAWARDEDAMOUNT
OVER1995-96women's basketball1011.781.781995-96football3647.5411.54
C. REDUCTION OF FINANCIAL AID WITHOUT THE PROPER NOTICE TO STUDENT-ATHLETES. [NCAA BYLAWS 15.3.2.3, 15.3.4.3.2, 15.3.5.1 AND 15.3.5.1.1]
During the 1995-96 academic year, the institution improperly reduced the amount of financial aid to football student-athletes by failing to notify them by July 1 of the reductions or of the opportunity for a hearing to appeal the reductions.
The head football coach improperly reduced the amount of aid to at least 30 football student-athletes by an average amount of $1,500 per student-athlete after learning that 76 football student-athletes who were receiving athletically related financial aid would be returning to the institution, combined with the 15 prospective student-athletes who had signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the university.
D. FAILURE TO MONITOR REQUIRED FORMS. [NCAA CONSTITUTION 3.2.4.5 AND 3.2.4.6 AND BYLAWS 14.1.3, 14.1.4, 15.5.1.2.3, 15.5.1.3.3, 15.5.9.2, 30.12 AND 30.13.]
The university failed to maintain on file in the office of the director of athletics records that include squad-list forms, student-athlete statements, counter forms, participation records and drug-testing consent forms. As a result, the forms were not available for examination upon request by authorized representatives of the institution and the NCAA enforcement staff when conducting the investigation.
E. IMPROPER ADJUSTMENT TO STUDENT-ATHLETE FINANCIAL AID. [NCAA BYLAWS 15.3.2.3 AND 15.3.4.]
The institution improperly adjusted athletics aid to student-athletes during the period of the award as other countable aid became available, without providing written notice of the opportunity for a hearing concerning the change in aid.
F. PARTICIPATION BY AN INELIGIBLE STUDENT-ATHLETE. [NCAA BYLAWS 14.4.1, 14.4.3.1 AND 14.4.3.3.2]
During the 1995-96 academic year, a men's track and field student-athlete practiced, competed and received athletically related financial aid even though he was not eligible under NCAA legislation. He did not meet NCAA satisfactory progress that required a 1.800 minimum grade-point average and 36 quarter hours since the beginning of the previous academic year.
G. LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL. [NCAA CONSTITUTION 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.8.1, 6.01.1 AND 6.3.1 (1996-97 MANUAL).]
The findings of violations detailed in this report demonstrate a lack of institutional control and a failure to appropriately monitor the athletics program. The university failed to: (1) monitor the awarding of football grants-in-aid; (2) monitor the processing of athletics grants-in-aid; (3) properly increase and gradate athletics aid during the period of the award: (4) develop rules education and administrative procedures for compliance with NCAA legislation; (5) maintain NCAA forms as required; and (6) complete its five-year self-study within the required period. Specifically:
1. As evidenced by Finding II-A, the institution failed to monitor the number of football grants-in-aid it awarded. Institutional procedures did not exist to either monitor the number of grants-in-aid awarded or detect the occurrence of an overaward in football because aid was awarded by total dollars instead of equivalency scholarships. In addition, the financial aid office automatically awarded athletically related aid to enrolled or prospective student-athletes based upon the names the head coach submitted to that office.
2. Finding II-B illustrates the university's failure to monitor the processing of athletics grants-in-aid. The university failed to include all countable aid in its financial aid calculations as required by NCAA legislation and to effectively implement a system of checks and balances in the awarding of athletically related financial aid.
3. The institution failed to have in place procedures for properly reducing or adjusting student-athlete financial aid. In addition to improperly reducing and adjusting athletically related financial aid, as detailed in Findings II-C and E, the institution also failed to keep records of the names of the football student-athletes whose aid was reduced, and the amount of aid that was reduced.
4. Findings II-A, B and C illustrate the institution's failure to provide adequate rules education for athletics department staff members, coaches and other institutional staff regarding NCAA financial aid rules. No one in the financial aid office was knowledgeable of NCAA legislation and those athletics department staff members that awarded financial aid misunderstood the legislation. The university also failed to effectively establish lines of reporting and verification methods to ensure compliance with NCAA legislation.
5. As detailed in Finding II-D, the university failed to monitor other aspects of the athletics program, including maintaining required records.
6. Although the institution was required to complete its self-study before April 1996, it did not submit its certificate of compliance until February 1997.
III. COMMITTEE ON INFRACTIONS PENALTIES.
For the reasons set forth in Parts I and II of this report, the Committee on Infractions found that this case involved several major violations of NCAA legislation.
A. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE UNIVERSITY.
In determining the appropriate penalties to impose, the committee considered the institution's self-imposed corrective actions. Among the actions the university has taken or will take are the following:
1. In June 1995, termination of the head football coach for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 academic years, for violations cited in Finding II-A.
2. In November 1996, termination of the head football coach for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 academic years, for violations cited in Finding II-C.
3. In July 1996, hiring of an interim director of athletics and creation of a position for a compliance officer. 4. Creation of a system of checks and balances with the offices of financial aid
5. Creation of a central administrative office for athletics.
6 Revision of the policies and procedures manual and development of a student-athlete handbook.
7. Agreement to submit to an institutional audit by the NCAA or an outside representative named by the NCAA for the 1996-97 through 1998-99 academic years.
B. PENALTIES PROPOSED AND SELF-IMPOSED BY THE UNIVERSITY.
The Committee on Infractions adopted as its own the following penalties proposed and self-imposed by the institution:
1. The university will vacate all wins in football, women's basketball, and men's track and field for the 1993-94 through 1995-96 academic years.
2. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in men's track and field shall be reduced as follows:
a. 1998-99 -- reduction of two scholarships, which limits the institution to 10.6 scholarships under current rules.
b. 1999-2000 - reduction of one scholarship, which limits the institution to 11.6 scholarships under current rules.
3. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in women's basketball shall be reduced as follows:
a. 1998-99 - reduction of two scholarships, which limits the institution to eight scholarships under current rules.
b. 1999-2000 - reduction of one scholarship, which limits the institution to nine scholarships under current rules.
4. The number of expense-paid visits to the institution's campus in football shall be limited to 25 during the 1997-98 academic year, and to 20 during the 1998-99 academic year.
C. ADDITIONAL PENALTIES IMPOSED BY THE COMMITTEE ON INFRACTIONS.
Although the Committee on Infractions agreed with and approved of the actions taken by the institution, the committee decided to impose additional penalties. After receiving notification of the additional penalties, the institution, pursuant to Bylaw 32.6.1.4.3, elected to participate in an expedited hearing on the penalties.
The university and enforcement staff appeared before the Committee on Infractions at an expedited hearing on February 1, 1998. After the hearing, the committee determined that it would not be appropriate to impose all of the presumptive penalties specified in Bylaw 19.6.2.1 because of the complete change in administration since the violations occurred, because of the significant corrective actions and controls initiated by the current administration, because of the assurances provided to the committee during the expedited hearing by the president and institutional staff and because of the relatively limited nature of the violations. However, the committee decided to impose the following penalties because of the lack of institutional control evidenced by the violations, the significant competitive advantage gained as a result of the financial aid overawards, the length of time over which the violations occurred, and the fact that the violations were systemic and involved multiple sports.
1. Public reprimand and censure.
2. Four years of probation from September 24, 1997 (instead of the five years originally proposed by the committee prior to the expedited hearing).
3. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in football shall be reduced as follows:
a. 1998-99 and 1999-2000 academic years -- reduction of eight equivalency scholarships each year, which limits the institution to 28 scholarships each year under current rules.
b. 2000-01 academic year -- reduction of six equivalency scholarships, which limits the institution to 30 scholarships under current rules.
4. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in women's tennis shall be reduced by one equivalency scholarship during the 1998-99 academic year, which limits the institution to 5.0 scholarships under current rules.
5. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in men's basketball shall be reduced by one equivalency scholarship during the 1998-99 academic year, which limits the institution to 9.0 scholarships under current rules.
6. The number of total athletically related financial aid awards in baseball shall be reduced by one equivalency scholarship during the 1998-99 academic year, which limits the institution to 8.0 scholarships under current rules.
The violations occurring in football came under the tenures of Joe Crosby, Jr.
(now head coach at Morris Brown)and Wendell Avery.
2 Apr
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Fort Valley State University will start
spring drills on April 7. The session will conclude on May 2
with the annual Blue & Gold Scrimmage.
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Fort Valley State's men's basketball head
coach Michael Moore will be honored as the Georgia Division II Coach
of the Year by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. The event will take place April
4 at the Cobb Galleria. In the 1997-98 season, Valley posted its
first winning record in 13 years (19-12). The post season SIAC
tournament championship was the first in 29 years by the Wildcats.
28 Mar
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Morehouse totaled 107 points enroute to a victory at the Emory Classic track meet Saturday. Timothy Fields won first place in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 15:26.64 for the Maroon Tigers. Morehouse finished first and second in the 800 meter dash. Momodou Drammeh won the race with a time of 1:50.52. Wilson Koros placed second at 1:52.49. Morehouse's Jerome Hamler won the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.83.
Albany State's Octavia Jones won two events. He finished first in the men's long jump at 7.05m. Jones also won the triple jump at 15.56m. Teammate Chamar Wade won the high jump at 2.08m.
Maryland-Eastern Shore's Johnny Splunge won the 400 meter dash with a time of 48.33. Teammate Peter Fredericks took first in the 200 meter dash, clocking in at 21.29. Stillman's Shawn Williams finished second with a time of 21.79.
Livingstone's Chris Gallimore triumped in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 53.00.
Albany State finished fourth with 67 points, Maryland-Eastern Shore fifth with 52, Livingstone tied for eighth totaling 22, Clark-Atlanta 10th with 16, and Stillman was tied for 13th with nine points.
6 Mar
Russellville, AK(OTW)-Tanisha Rickman scored 14 points as West Florida eliminated Albany State from the NCAA playoffs, 70-64.
ASU's Caren Colston had 29 points and six steals in the contest.
Cleveland, MS(OTW)-Twentis Magee had 19 points, and teammate Chris Sykes had 13 rebounds as Delta State beat Albany State 84-62. The loss ended the Rams playoff run. ASU's Willie Hunt led all scorers with 21 points. The Rams shot 35 percent from the field in the game.
Danny Shirley of the Albany Herald compiled this report.
5 Mar
Cleveland, MS(OTW)-Willie Hunt had 23 points and 15 rebounds as Albany State beat Florida Southern 86-80. The Rams were down by 20 points late in the first half. They advance to meet South Regional host Delta State Friday.
Danny Shirley of the Albany Herald compiled this report.
Cleveland, MS(OTW)-Lonnie Edwards had 18 points and Brian Parker added 16 rebounds as West Georgia (21-7) eliminated Fort Valley State 77-74 in NCAA opening round action.
Wildcat Jamal Jenkins ended his career with 27 points. Fort Valley (19-12) shot 33 percent from the field for the contest.
1 Mar
Albany, GA(OTW)-Albany State's men have received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament. The Rams will play in the Southern Region on the campus of Delta State in Cleveland, MS. They play Thursday at 6 p.m against Florida Southern.
Fort Valley's men will play in the second game against West Georgia.
The ASU women are in the South Region at Arkansas Tech in Russellville, AR. They will play at 6 p.m. Friday against West Florida.
In somewhat of a surprise, Fort Valley's women were not inivited to the 1998 tourney.
25 Feb
SIAC Hall-Of-Fame inductees announced Sat., 21 Feb were: Jack "Cy" McClairen,(Click twice to see both slides) Roscoe Murchison, Francis M. Powell, Kenneth J. Riley, John T. Staten, Sr., Robert B. Stone, Alphonso B. Varner, and David L. Walker.
24 Feb
1998 SIAC All-Tournament Selections:
Women:
Caren Colston-Albany State.
Charlene Williams-Fort Valley State.
Kisha Farmer-Clark-Atlanta.
Melissa Upton-Paine.
Mia Williams-Kentucky State.
Exandra Wilson-Albany State.
Lauisha Rucker-Clark-Atlanta.
Alexis Glenn-Paine.
Chiquita Wright-Albany State.
Shatonya Fort-LeMoyne Owen.
Sportsmanship Award: Kisha Farmer-Clark-Atlanta.
Hustle Award: Caren Colston-Albany State.
Most Valuable Player: Caren Colston-Albany State.
Outstanding Tournament Coach: Robert Skinner-Albany State.
Men:
Juan Gaston-Clark-Atlanta.
Wade Evans-LeMoyne Owen.
Cherard Boyd-Albany State.
Justin Miller-Morehouse.
Cory Dumphord-Kentucky State.
Michael Harris-Morehouse.
Kenneth Smith-Morehouse.
Steven Mattair-Miles.
Tracey Kitchens-Fort Valley State.
Peppi Zellner-Fort Valley State.
Sportsmanship Award: Herman Banks-Morehouse.
Hustle Award: Nick Bailey-Clark-Atlanta.
Most Valuable Player: Jamal Jenkins-Fort Valley.
Outstanding Tournament Coach: Michael Moore-Fort Valley.
23 Feb
SIAC All-Conference Team:
Women:
All-Conference:
Melissa Upton-Paine-C-6'0-Sr.
Kasha Doomes-Morris Brown-G/F-5'10-Jr.
Kwana Graves-Morris Brown-G-5'8-Sr.
Rashida Allgood-LeMoyne Owen-G-5'7-Jr.
Tiffany Clifton-Kentucky State-G/F-5'9-Jr.
Nakisha Reaves-Fort Valley State-G-5'7-Jr.
Tammy Daniels-Fort Valley State-C-6'3-Jr.
Sheneeka Watkins-Miles-C-5'9-Sr.
Chiquita Wright-Albany State-G-5'5-Sr.
Caren Colston-Albany State-G-4'11-So.
Player of the Year: Kwana Graves-Morris Brown.
Newcomer of the Year: Cecelia Hague-Kentucky State.
Coach of the Year: Lonnie Bartley-Fort Valley State.
Men:
All-Conference:
Steven Mattair-Miles-G-6'2-Sr.
Juan Gaston-Clark-Atlanta-6'6-So.
Anthony Helterbrand-Kentucky State-G-6'0-So.
Cherard Boyd-Albany State-G/F-6'3-Sr.
Miguel Smith-Alabama A&M-G-6'2-So.
Antonio Harris-LeMoyne Owen-G-6'2-Jr.
Michael Harris-Morehouse-G/F-6'4-Jr.
Donald Cunningham-Tuskegee-F-6'5-Jr.
Willie Hunt-Albany State-C-6'5-Jr.
Jamal Jenkins-Fort Valley-G-6'4-Sr.
Player of the Year: Willie Hunt-Albany State.
Newcomer of the Year: Juan Gaston-Clark-Atlanta.
Freshman of the Year: Peppi Zellner-Fort Valley.
Coach of the Year: Michael Moore-Fort Valley.
21 Feb
Fort Valley Brings 'The House' Down.....
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Tracy Kitchens scored 27 points as Fort Valley (19-11) crushed Morehouse 87-61, to win the SIAC men's tournament championship. It was the first tournament championship for the Wildcats since 1969. The Wildcats led by as many as 29 in the second half. They led by eight at the half. The surging Wildcats shot 59 percent in the second half.
"We wanted to push it the first five minutes of the first half. We crowded (Kenneth) Smith and (Michael) Harris behind the three-point line. They (Morehouse) were physically and menatally tired after beating Clark-Atlanta."--Fort Valley head coach Michael Moore.
Morehouse (15-13) shot 30 percent from the field for the game.
"We didn't execute as we had done the two previous games. They put us in the hole offensively early on."--Morehouse head coach Arthur McAfee.
Smith led Morehouse with 12 points.
The women:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Exandra Wilson sank a lay-in with 14 seconds left in the game, as Albany State edged Clark-Atlanta 73-71 to win the SIAC women's tournament championship. Albany State had led by as much as 21 points early in the game. The victory propelled the Lady Rams into the NCAA tournament. What would ASU have to do to survive in the NCAA tourney??
"We've got to play like we're capable of playing. We have to eliminate our turnovers and play good defense. We've worked hard to get this far."--Albany State's Exandra Wilson.
Wilson led Albany State with 20 points.
Kisha Farmer scored 20 for Clark-Atlanta. The Lady Panthers actually held Albany State without a field goal from 12:01 in the second half until Wilson's lay-in.
20 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Adrienne Tinch hit a lay-up as time ran out giving Clark-Atlanta a thrilling 77-75 victory over Fort Valley in SIAC women's semi-final action. The win propelled the Lady Panthers into Saturday's 4 p.m. finals against Albany State.
Did it make any difference to Tinch who CAU played in the finals??
"It doesn't matter. Whoever we face, we're going to beat them"
Clark-Atlanta trailed 40-34 at the break, but got turned around in the second half.
"The biggest thing was that we started rebounding. We got everbody involved on the scoring end. Everbody stepped up offesnsively. We started putting pressure on them like they put pressure on us."-- Clark-Atlanta head coach Angelyne Brown
Lauisha Rucker scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds for the winners (19-9). It was Rucker who tied the game at 75 with a basket with 39 seconds left in regulation.
Andrea Kerr and Charlene Williams scored 11 points each for the Lady Wildcats (21-6). Fort Valley now waits to see if they will be offered an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Caren Colston had 28 points and six rebounds as Albany State(19-9)whipped Paine 69-64. ASU will played Clark-Atlanta Saturday in the finals.
Melissa Upton had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Lady Lions.
Men's semi-finals:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Jonathan Nelson scored 28 points off the bench as Fort Valley manhandled top-seeded Albany State 95-81. The Wildcats (18-11) shot 58 percent from the field in the game. They advanced into Saturday's finals against Morehouse.
Cherard Boyd scored 26 for Albany State (18-10), who now has to wait and see if they get an at-large bid in the NCAA playoffs.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Justin Miller scored six of his team's last eight points, giving Morehouse a 75-70 win over Clark-Atlanta(19-12), and sending them into Saturday's finals at 6 p.m. against Fort Valley. Miller put 'The House' on top 71-70 with a basket with 1:24 left in the game, then made two free throws with three seconds left, providing the final margin of victory.
"They (Clark-Atlanta) said we could not beat them again. We showed 'em. We sent 'em home."--Morehouse forward Justin Miller
Neither team could build leads bigger than five points in the second half.
"We got nervous going down the stretch. We struggled. We missed easy shots"--CAU head coach Anthony Witherspoon
SIAC Men's Quarterfinal Action:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Juan Gaston scored 24 points, as Clark-Atlanta drubbed Kentucky State 89-73 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The Panthers jumped out to a 13-1 lead, and led by as many as 27 points in the second half.
Cory Dumphord scored 23 for K-State.
The win sends CAU into semi-final action Friday at 8 p.m. against Morehouse.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Cherard Boyd hit a field goal with 37 seconds left in the game, giving Albany State a 74-70 lead, and an eventual 74-73 victory over upset minded Miles. The game ended on a controversial note when Golden Bear Steven Mattair missed a lay-in with 1.4 seconds left. One official called a foul, and another one called a jump ball. The jump ball call stood, leaving Albany State with the possession and the victory. The call shocked the Miles players and left Bear head coach Kirk Patrick hopping mad:
"It was obvious what happened. They killed(fouled) him(Mattair). All of America saw that!"--Miles coach Kirk Patrick
Albany State could never shake Miles in the second half, leading by no more than eight points. Timothy Alexander led the Rams with 20 points. Mattair also scored 20 for Miles.
The victory sent ASU into Friday's semi-finals against Fort Valley State at 6 p.m.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Peppi Zellner made two free throws in the last 41 seconds of overtime as Fort Valley eliminated higher seeded LeMoyne Owen 75-71 in OT. Fort Valley will play Albany Friday evening.
Fort Valley's Jonathan Nelson sent the game into overtime tied at 67, when he hit a 3-point jump shot with 23 seconds left.
Jamal Jenkins led Fort Valley with a game-high 33 points.
Markese Reed had 18 markers for the Magicians. Wade Evans had 17 rebounds for LeMoyne Owen.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Michael Harris scored 22 points as Morehouse put pain on Paine 77-61. Harris converted a 3-point play with 1:51 left in the first half to put 'The House' on top for good, 34-31.
Morehouse will play Atlanta University Center rival Clark-Atlanta Friday night.
Sha'Drach Qawly led Paine with 12 points.
18 Feb
SIAC Women's Quarterfinal Tournament Action
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Exandra Wilson scored 21 points, and Caren Colsten had 14 points, six steals, and four assists, (including making an incredible over the shoulder shot) as Albany State defeated pesky Miles 59-53. ASU advanced to play Paine Friday at 3 p.m. in the semi-finals.
Sheneeka Watkins and Denica Cole scored 10 points each for Miles.
In the second game, Clark-Atlanta ran over LeMoyne Owen 94-73. Kisha Farmer led the way for CAU with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Shatonya Fort scored 26 points (11-13 FGs from the floor in the game) and had 13 rebounds for the Lady Magicians. Clark-Atlanta advanced to Friday's 1 p.m. semi-finals against Fort Valley State.
In game three, Paine knocked off Kentucky State 78-71 in overtime. The game was tied at 65 at the end of regulation. Paine's Melissa Upton scored four points in the OT, and teammate Alexis Glenn scored three in the overtime period. Upton finished the game with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Glenn had 24 tallies in the contest. KSU was led by Mia Williams, who scored 21 points.
Paine advanced to play Albany State on Friday.
In the nightcap, Fort Valley wore down upset minded Tuskegee 76-60. 'Skegee actually tied the game 41-41 with 16:07 left in regulation, on a field goal by Tileatha Williams. However from 13:25 left in the game until the 6:32 mark, Tuskegee was held without a field goal. Nakisha Reaves led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points. Dawn Harris scored 17 for the losers. Tuskegee committed 41 turnovers in the game. Fort Valley advances to play Clark-Atlanta Friday in semi-final action.
17 Feb
Albany State's men's head coach Oliver Jones on getting his team ready for tournament time:
"We can improve in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and transition. As a coach you always look for the things we are not doing. I schedule my games back to back the last weeks. We try to schedule the games to get the team used to playing back-to back."
16 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Freshman Tobias Davis scored eight points in overtime as Paine knocked off Morris Brown 79-74. The win pushed the Lions into quarterfinal action in the SIAC tourney against Morehouse on Thursday. Davis led Paine with 27 points.
"I just came to play hard. We've been through so much adversity. This game came from the heart"--Paine freshman forward Tobias Davis
"Tobias I thought played an exceptional game. If you have to give a game ball, you give it to Tobias tonight."--Paine head coach Ron Spry
Paine trailed by as many as 15 points in the game. Lion Maurice Wright made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to tie the score at 65 and send it into overtime.
Azuka Oji had 24 points and 13 rebounds for MoBrown.
Fort Valley, GA(OTW)-Jamal Jenkins canned a jumper with five seconds left in overtime as Fort Valley edged Savannah State 93-92 in SIAC play-in action. The win gave the Wildcats a date with the Magicians of LeMoyne Owen in SIAC quarterfinal tournament action on Thursday. Jenkins finished the game with 25 points. Wildcat strongman Peppi Zellner hauled in 16 rebounds in the game.
Dejanero Green of Savannah State sent the game into overtime tied at 81, as he hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation. Eric Hanor led SSU with 18 points.
In women's action Paine beat Morris Brown 63-51. The Lady Lions advance into the quarterfinals of the SIAC tourney against Kentucky State on Wednesday.
First Round Action Thurday, Feb. 19-Men:
@Morehouse
Kentucky State vs. Clark-Atlanta-1 p.m.
Albany State vs. Tuskegee-Miles play-in winner. 3 p.m.
LeMoyne Owen vs. Fort Valley 6 p.m.
Morehouse vs. Paine . 8 p.m.
15 Feb
Play-in games on Feb 16:
Men:
Savannah State@Fort Valley
Miles@Tuskegee
Women:
Morris Brown @Paine
Savannah State@Clark-Atlanta
First Round Action Wednesday, Feb 18-Women:
@ Morehouse
Albany State vs. Miles-1 p.m.
LeMoyne Owen vs. Fort Valley vs. Savannah State play-in winner--3 p.m.
Kentucky State vs. Paine-Morris Brown play-in winner--6 p.m.
Fort Valley State vs. Tuskegee--8 p.m.
13 Feb
Friday the 13th, Good Luck for Clark-Atlanta
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Clark-Atlanta went on a 20-9 run between 11:54 and 4:29 in the game , to eventually whip Morehouse 93-78. CAU 6-6 bookends Juan Gaston and Frankie Butler combined for 41 points and 25 rebounds in the win. Gaston had 21 points and 14 rebounds. It was the regular season finale for both teams, and it was a non-conference game.
"Everybody's playing with heart. We had to play good defense to win"--CAU's Juan Gaston.
Jerome Dodd scored 16 for Morehouse.
SIAC Play-in schedule for Monday, Feb 16:
Men:
West: Miles@Tuskegee
The other men's play-in games have not yet been determined.
Women:
East: Savannah State@Clark-Atlanta
Morris Brown vs. Paine(site undetermined)
11 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Savannah State shot 66 percent from the field in the second half (58 percent from 3-point territory), as they came from behind to beat Morris Brown 90-81. MoBrown led 61-52 with 13:06 left in the game, but was outscored 38-19 the rest of the way. Ricardo Green scored 15 points off the bench for SSU. Savannah State head coach Jacques Curtis explained what turned the game around:
"We went man. The players like playing man-to-man. We started pressing the second-half, full court."
Qountell Harold scored a game-high 26 points for MoBrown.
The win virtually assured Savannah State of a play-in date with Paine. Morris Brown will probably play at either Clark-Atlanta or Fort Valley in play-in action next week.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Juan Gaston had 22 points and 14 rebounds powering Clark-Atlanta to an 82-78 win over Tuskegee. Art Ford scored a game-high 25 points for Tuskegee.
The women:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Kasha Doomes scored 22 second-half points (24 in the game) as Morris Brown whipped Savannah State 79-63. MoBrown will play Paine in a play-in game Monday at a site yet to be determined.
Montez Morales scored 18 points for SSU.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Adrienne Tinch scored 13 points as Clark-Atlanta punished Tuskegee 74-53.
Bernice Atkinson scored a game-high 24 points for the losers.
9 Feb
Albany, GA(OTW)-Derrick Abner and Willie Hunt scored 15 points each as Albany State edged Clark-Atlanta 70-69.
Malcolm Batchelor scored 12 for CAU. The Panther loss opened the door for Fort Valley to move into a second-place tie, provided they win at Paine on Wednesday.
The women:
Albany, GA(OTW)-Exandra Wilson scored 22 points on 9-10 shooting from the floor, as Albany State whipped Clark-Atlanta 69-66 in a key SIAC clash. The win kept Albany State and Fort Valley tied for first in the SIAC. The loss knocked CAU into third place.
Kisha Farmer scored 17 points for the Lady Panthers.
8 Feb
Albany State has clinched the SIAC East, Morehouse and LeMoyne Owen are currently tied for the SIAC West lead. Marlon Tisdale of Albany State is the SIAC Men's Player of the Week.
Fort Valley and Albany State are in a virtual tie for the SIAC East lead. LeMoyne Owen leads the SIAC West by one half game over Kentucky State. Tammy Daniels of Fort Valley State is the SIAC Player of the Week.
Big game Monday night--Clark-Atlanta@Albany State--The CAU women trail Albany State and Fort Valley by a game.
7 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Micah Mays will be transferring to Grambling. Mayes, a freshman quarterback at Morehouse in 1997, will be following head coach Doug Williams to Grambling. Mays was a highly sought after high school prospect in Florida.
7 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Albany State point guard Marion Tisdale had 29 points, five assists, and four steals, as he led Albany State to a 91-77 win over Morris Brown. The win clinched the regular seaon title for ASU. The Rams led by as many as 19 in the second half.
Despite the win Ram coach Oliver Jones is not overlooking the rest of the regular season:
"Our thing right now is to concentrate on Clark-Atlanta (Monday night). We have three games left. I want to win all three games."
Albany State shot a sizzling 75 percent from the floor in the second half, and 64 percent for the ball game.
Azuka Oji led Morris Brown with 19 points.
The women:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Kwana Graves scored 22 points as Morris Brown upended Albany State 63-53. Caren Colston scored 22 for ASU.
5 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Morris Brown saw a 15 point second half lead dwindle to one, and then held on to beat Fort Valley 57-50. Tyrone Simmons and Azuka Oji scored 16 apiece for MoBrown(7-15, 5-6).
Jamal Jenkins had 12 markers for the Wildcats(13-10). The loss dropped FVSU percentage points behind Clark-Atlanta in the race for the second spot in the SIAC East. CAU will travel to Fort Valley Saturday night.
The women:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Charlene Williams scored 14 second half points, leading Fort Valley back from an 11 point second half deficit, and to a 70-66 road win over Morris Brown.
Williams led the Lady Wildcats(17-5, 8-3) with 14 points.
Kwana Graves led MoBrown(14-8, 4-6)with 18 points.
4 Feb
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Justin Miller had 18 points, as six Morehouse(12-10, 7-5) players scored in double figures in route to an 84-67 romp over Kentucky State.(9-12, 5-6
"We're starting to gel. Team ball wins ballgames. By the time we get to the (SIAC) tournament, we'll be playing our best ball"--Morehouse forward Justin Miller
Morehouse led by as many as 21 points in the game, which was marred by shoving matches midway through the second half. At 9:54 left in the game, KSU's Paul Hagins and Morehouse's Dadon Dodd got into a mild scuffle. A Morehouse security guard came on the floor and pulled Hagins away. Kentucky State coach Thomas Snowden tried to separate the guard and Hagins, and Snowden appeared to have been shoved by the guard.
"It was a physical game. I think it could have been controlled better."--KSU head coach Thomas Snowden
Snowden would not comment on the incident with the guard. Corey Dumphord led the Thorbreds with 15 points.
The win, Morehouse's fourth straight, gave them sole possesion of first place in the SIAC West.
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Juan Gaston continued his fine play, scoring 35 points with 14 rebounds as Clark-Atlanta (15-10) whipped Alabama A&M 86-76.
Miguel Smith led A&M, with 18 points. The Bulldogs(16-6) shot only 31 percent from the floor for the game.
The women:
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Latreisha Moon had 21 points and 14 rebounds as Alabama A&M defeated Clark-Atlanta 65-62.
Kisha Burns led CAU with 14 points.
3 Feb
Kentucky State will travel to Atlanta Wednesday to meet Morehouse in a big SIAC West match. Morehouse has won three straight games, including going over the 100-point mark in their last two matches. Kentucky State point-guard Anthony Helterbrand is in the top ten in three of eight stat categories in the SIAC. Both teams are in a virtual tie for the West lead.
Morris Brown's women can either step up or step out this week. On Thursday, the Lady Wolverines will host Fort Valley State. On Saturday they play at home to Albany State.
2 Feb 98
Atlanta, GA(OTW)-Kenneth Smith scored 30 points (13-18 field goals) as Morehouse beat Lane 100-90. 'The House' built leads as large as 18 in the second half. Terrance Price scored 23 points for Lane, which will be a full-fledged SIAC member next fall.
Sat., 8 Nov
Normal, AL(OTW)-The lightning-like Archie Turner lll broke an 80-yard TD run offearly in the third period to give Alabama A&M a 23-8 lead,an eventual 26-15 win over Tuskegee Saturday afternoon. Turnerhad a punt return for a TD called back because of a penalty.loss eliminated the Tigers from the Pioneer Bowl sweepstakes. It was a cool Saturday afternoon in the Tennessee Valley. However,got heated up right before the ballgame when both teamsto run onto the field using the same sidelines. Tempers flared,no fights erupted. The incident did seem to flipswitch for one player in particular. That was Alabama A&MMarcus Worthy, who promptly went out and had 12 tackles(seven solos)for the game. Five of those tackles were for . On one of the stops behind the line, Worthy actuallyboth Tuskegee quarterback Leon Day and Tiger runningbackScott in an attempted handoff exchange.
"They disrespected us(running onto the field beforegame). When a man is at home, you give a man his respect."--Alabama A&M linebacker Marcus Worthy
For his efforts, Worty is the Sentry Monster for the week.
"We made too many mistakes. It wasn't a crisp day for today."--Tuskegee head coach Rick Comegy