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Thursday, March 11,2004
For the Week of March 9 through March 15, 2004
LET'S GO
D-2
DANCIN'
Carroll Smith / All Pro Photo
McLEESE: Former Floward
coach and Elizabeth City
State alum, leads UDC to
NCAA Div. II playoffs for the
first time since 1987.
▼ DOZEN TEAMS IN DIV. II TITLE CHASE;
MEAC, SWAC TOURNEYS; BSU NAMES LYNN
UNDER THE BANNER
WHAT'S GOING ON IN AND AROUND BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS
LYNN IN AT BOWIE STATE: The
last black college football head coaching vacancy was
filled last week when Bowie State
named Michael J. Lynn Jr. as its
new head man. Lynn comes to
BSU from just up the road in
Baltimore at Morgan State where
he served as director of football
operations and offensive line
coach for the past two seasons.
Lynn, 35, lettered four years as a
guard on the Morgan State foot
ball team before graduating in
1990 with a degree in political sci-
MSU Sports Photo
LYNN: Taking football
reins at Bowie State.
ence. He served as a high school assistant before returning
to his alma mater as an assistant in 2000. He is replacing
Henry Frazier who resigned in November to become head
coach at Prairie View A&M of the Southwestern Athletic
Conference.
BASKETBALL HONORS: The
Southwestern Athletic Conference. Mid Eastern
Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference named their all-league basketball ,
players on the eve of their postseason tournaments. MEAC
and SWAC honorees are listed in the top box. SIAC hon-
orees are listed below.
SWAC: SWAC coaches and sports information directors
named 6-7 Mississippi Valley State senior forward
Attarrius Norwood as the men's player of the year and
Alabama State junior forward Crystal KItt as the
women's top player. Norwood led the Delta Devils to the
regular season title averaging 14.5 points and 5.1 rebounds.
His teammate, junior guard Edward Mack (13.3 ppg., 3.2
apg., 2.4 spg.) was named defensive player of the year and
to the second team. MVSU forward Solomon Forbes, who
averaged 14.2 points per game, joined Norwood on the first
team. Kitt edged Defensive Player of the Year, center Amie
Williams of Jackson State, for the player of the year
honor. Kitt led the SWAC in scoring at 20.9 points per
game, in rebounding at 12 per game, and in field goal per
centage (57.8%) while posting 18 double-doubles.
Williams leads the nation in blocked shots (4.22 bpg.)
while averaging 18.1 points and finishing just behind Kitt
at 9.3 rebounds per game and shooting 49.6% from the
field.
MEAC: Individuals who led their teams to regular season
women's and men's titles in the Mid Eastern Athletic
Conference, guard Mandy Clark of the Delaware State
Lady Hornets and forward Thurman Zimmerman of the
South Carolina State Bulldogs, were named the top play
ers in the league in voting by coaches and sports informa
tion directors. Clark garnered all 60 first place votes to
sweep to the women’s award. She averaged 15.3 points per
game, seconcj best in the conference, while dishing out 3.1
assists and getting 3.0 steals per game. Teammate Terrelle
Waller (12.9 ppg.) joins Clark on the first team. Hampton
guard Sharema Dean, who led all freshman scorers at 12
points per game, was named the league’s top freshwoman.
Zimmerman, a versatile 6-5 forward, averaged 18.8 points
and led the MEAC with 8.4 rebounds per game to power
the Bulldogs to a 14-4 regular season conference record.
His teammate, freshman swingman Brian Mason, gar
nered the lop rookie award by virtue of his 13.2 points and
5.0 rebounds per game.
SIAC: Albany State guard Flem Tucker and Clark
Atlanta's Jennifer Stegall won the SIAC player of the
year awards.
MEN
FIRST TEAM
Nick Wallery. Jr., C, Albany State
Flem Tucker, Sr., G, Albany State
Allen Early, Sr., G, Ft. Valley State
Jason Williams, Jr, F, Lane
Nate Lewis, Sr, F, Benedict
Joshua Obajuriwa. Fr. C, Benedict
SECOND TEAM
Kenyon Gamble, Jr, C, Tuskegee
Imbert Prosper, So., G/F, Tuskegee
Roderick Thomas, Sr, G, Lane
Andre Davis, So., C. LeM-Owen
Benjy Mitchum, Jr., G, LeM-Owen
Eugene Jackson, Sr, G. Benedict
WOMEN
FIRST TEAM
Sherika Tarpkins, Jr, G, Ft. Val. St.
Litreece Hum, Jr, G, Lane
Kisha Lucette, So., F, Paine
Kim Cue, Sr, F. Benedict
Pamela Butler, Sr, G/F, Albany St.
Jennifer Stegall, Sr, G, Cl.-Atlanta
SECOND TEAM
Temika Green, Jr, G, Tuskegee
Nikisha Richards, Sr, F, LeM-Owen
Felicia West, G, Kentucky State
Jennifer King, Jr, C, Cl.-Atlanta
Andriette Roberts, Jr, F, Ci.Atlanta
Amanda Ray, Fr., F, Ft. Valley St.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Fred Watson, Benedict
FRESMAN OF THE YEAR
Joshua Obajuriwa, Fr. Benedict
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Zachary Bright, Lane
COACH OF THE YEAR
Vanessa White-Moore, Cl.-Atlanta
FRESMAN OF THE YEAR
Amanda Ray, Fort Valley State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Jennifer King. Clark Atlanta
OAZEEZ Communications. Inc. VOL, X, NO. 31
2003-04 BASKETBALL (SWAC and MEAC All-Conference and Season Honors)
2004 MEN'S BASKETBALL
ALL-SWAC TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Obie Trotter, So., G, Alabama A&M
Brion Rush, So., G, Grambling State
Attarrius'Norwood, Sr, F, Miss. Valley State
Paul Haynes, Sr, F, Grambling State
Solomon Forbes, Sr. F, Miss. Valley State
SECOND TEAM
Ishmael Joyce, Sr, G/F, Jackson State
Edward Mack, Sr, G, Miss. Valley State
Terry Horton, Sr, F., Alabama A&M
Tyrone Nelson, Fr, F, Prairie View A&M
Lionel Willis, Sr, F, Texas Southern
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Attarrius Norwood, Sr F, Miss. Valley State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Edward Mack, Sr, G, Miss. Valley State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Deon Saunders, Jr, F, Southern
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Tyrone Nelson, Fr. F, Prairie View A&M
COACH OF THE YEAR
Lafayette Stribling, Miss. Valley State
2004 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
2004 MEN’S
ALL-SWAC TEAM
ALL-MEAC BASKETBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Scherwanda Boston, Sr, F, Grambling St.
Thurman Zimmerman, Jr, F. S. C. State
Rolanda Monroe, So., Southern-
Jimmy Boykin. Sr, F, Coppin State
Crystal Kitt., Jr, C, Alabama Stat
Devin Green, Jr, G/F, Hampton
Amie Williams, Sr, C, Jackson State
Chakowby Hicks, Jr, G, Norfolk State
LaShowann Smith, Fr, F, Alabama A&M
Terrence Woods, Sr, G, Florida A&M
SECOND TEAM
Latesha Lee, Sr, Jackson State
SECOND TEAM
Latoya Johnson, Sr, Alcorn Slate
Brian Mason, Fr, F, S. C. State
Carolyn Hopkins, Sr, Prairie View A&M
Tee Trotter, Sr, G, Maryland E. Shore
Ashley Blake, So., Southern
Jeff Granger, So., G, Hampton
Crystal Robinson, Fr. Texas Southern
• Terrence Hunter, Jr, F, Delaware State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
James Wilkerson, Sr, F, Howard
Crystal Kitt, Jr, C, Alabama State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Amie Williams, Sr, Jackson State
Thurman Zimmerman, Jr, F, S. C. State.-
CO-NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Latoya Johnson, Jr, G, Alabama State
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ashley Blake, So., F, Southern
Brian Mason, Fr, F, S. C, State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Fredreika Lewis, Fr, Southern
COACH OF THE YEAR
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ron 'Fang' Mitchell, Coppin State
Denise Taylor, Jackson State
Butch Beard, Morgan State
Freda Freeman-Jackson, Alabama St,
2004 WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL ALL-MEAC TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Mandy Clark, Jr, G, Delaware State
Terrelle Waller, Sr, F, Delaware State
Yolanda Dixon, Sr, G, Florida A&M
Leisel Harry, Sr, C, Coppin State
Tiffany Wakefield, Sr, F, Maryland E. Shore
Nicole Brathwaite, Sr, F/C, Hampton
SECOND TEAM
Katie Clark, So., G, Bethune-Cookman
Antoinette Reese, Sr, G/F, Coppin State
Elana Greene, Jr, F/C, Florida A&M
Lynetta Sullivan, Sr, G, Hampton
Yomika Corbitt, Jr, C, Norfolk State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mandy Clark, Jr, G, Delaware State
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Sharema Dean, Fr, G, Hampton
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ed Davis, Delaware State
MEAC, SWAC tournaments under way
First-year men's head
basketball coach Benjamin
Betts has S. C. State right
where former coach Cy
Alexander left them - atop
the Mid Eastern Athletic
Conference as the league's
postseason tournament
began Monday in
Richmond. Va.
Betts's Bulldogs (17-10)
clinched the regular season title with
a season-ending win over N. C.
A&T Saturday and entered this
week’s tourney as the top seed.
Alexander won the tourney title and
automatic NCAA bid last year
before moving on to Tennessee
State.
The Bulldogs' 14-4 conference
record tied them with Ron "Fang"
Mitchell's Coppin State Eagles
(16-13) for the regular season title
but SCSU got the top seed by
sweeping the Eagles in their two
meetings this season.
BETTS
For the first lime in his
four-year tenure, head
coach Ed Davis's Lady
Hornets of Delaware State
(19-8) are the women's top
seed. '
Their 14-4 league mark
was matched by Patricia
Bibbs's Hampton Lady
Pirates but DSU got the top seed by
virtue of defeating Hampton by a
larger margin (19 points, 66-47).
Hampton defeated DSU, 56-40.
The top five men's and women's
teams received byes through play-
ins held Monday and Tuesday at the
Arthur Ashe Center. The Richmond
Coliseum is the venue for the
remainder of the tournament includ
ing quarterfinal play Wednesday and
Thursday and semifinals Friday.
MBC will televise the semis.
The men's final at 12 noon
Saturday will be carried live on
ESPN. The 4 p.m. women's final
will be carried live by MBC.
The men of Mississippi
Valley State enter this
week's Southwestern
Athletic Conference
Tournament in Birmingham
as solid favorites after win
ning the regular season title
by a whopping five games.
But that doesn't matter
FREEMAN4ACKS0N
ing a 13-game winning
streak that has earned
them the lop seed in the
women’s tournament
which opened with quar
terfinal play Wednesday.
The final win of the was
Saturday over Jackson
State giving Freda
now as only a tournament champi
onship will get head coach
Lafayette Stribling's Delta Devils
(22-6, 16-2) the conference's auto
matic bid to the Big Dance, the
NCAA Div. I Tournament.
"We just have to remain
focused to get through this tourna
ment," said Stribling who last made
the trip to the NCAA in 1997. The
Delta Devils play Alcorn State (10-
17) Thursday at 7:30 p.m., in one of
four quarterfinals at the Bill Harris
Fair Park Arena, site of the men's
and women's tournaments.
Defending champion Lady
Alabama State (19-8, 15-3) is rid-
Freeman-Jackson’s squad a sweep
of their head-to-head meetings this
season. JSU (22-6, 15-3) is seeded
second. ASU will meet eighth-seed
ed Mississippi Valley State (4-14)
in Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. contest.
Both men’s and women's semi
finals are Friday and will be tele
vised on the MBC-TV network on a
tape-delayed basis (Saturday 3/13).
Saturday's play begins with the
women’s championship game at 4
p.m., followed by the men’s cham
pionship game at 7 p.m. Both
games will be broadcast live-on
MBC.
12 black college teams in Division n title hunt
Seven black college men's
teams in three regions, and five
women’s teams in those same
regions take to the court this week
end with the goal of winning their
respective NCAA Div. II national
basketball championships.
The expanded 64-team fields
for the national tournaments were
selected Sunday. Eight teams were
selected from the nation's eight
regions, up from six from each
region and the 48-team field that had
previously determined the champi
ons.
The Lady Bears of Shaw (28-
2), two-time CIAA tournament
champions, are the only team of the
12 to get a top seed and will host the
women's South Atlantic Regional at
their on-campus facility, Spaulding
Gymnasium. Friday through
Monday (March 12-13, 15) in
Raleigh, N.C.
Head coach Jacques Curtis's
troops, who made it to the regional
finals last year before losing to North
Florida, will open Friday at 6 p.m.
against eighth-seeded Augusta State
(21-7) of the Peach Belt Conference.
They will be joined in Raleigh
by the team they defeated for the
CIAA title. Virginia Union (23-6),
who will come in as the sixth-seeded
team. Moses Golatt will lead the
Lady Panthers against third-seeded
Lander (24-5) in the 1 p.m. opener
Friday.
The men's and women's Elite
Eights are scheduled for March 24,
CURTIS D'ALESSIO WATSON
BREWER
HILL
25 and 27. The men's final three
rounds will be held at Centennial
Garden in Bakersfield, Ca., and be
hosted by Cal State-Bakersfield. The
women's Elite Eight will be hosted
by Missouri Western Slate College
in St. Joseph, Mo., and will be
played at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.
CIAA men's tournament cham
pion. Virginia Union, will be joined
by conference rival Bowie State in
the men's South Atlantic Regional to
be played on the campus of top-
seeded Kennesaw (Ga.) State on
March 14, 15, and 17.
Dave Robbins's fourth-seeded
VUU Panthers (25-4) will face
fifth-seeded Columbus State (21-8)
in an 8:30 p.m. quarterfinal game
Saturday. Robbins won Div. II
national titles with the Panthers in
1980 and 1992.
CIAA tournament favorite
Bowie State (22-5), seeded third,
plays Lenoir-Rhyne (19-8) at 2:30
p.m. Luke D'Alessio's Bulldogs
won last year’s South Atlantic
Regional and advanced to the Elite
Eight, where they lost in the nation
al semifinals against Kentucky
Wesleyan. The Bulldogs stumbled
two weekends ago. losing in the
quarterfinals of the CIAA tourna
ment — an event they also won last
year.
Benedict's men and women
were upset winners of their respec
tive SIAC tournament titles to earn
automatic bids to the South
Regionals.
The Lady Tigers (16-13), under
Maurice Bailey, got an eighth seed
and will face the top seed and host,
Rollins (27-3), on its home floor in
Winter Park, FI., Friday at 6 p.m.
Fort Valley State received an
at-large bid and is ranked third in the
region. Lonnie Bartley will lead the
Lady Wildcats (23-6) into the
regional for the sixth straight time,
and 12th overall, taking on sixth-
seeded and defending regional
champ, Central Arkansas (21-10) at
3 p.m.
The men’s South Regional will
be held at the home of Valdosta (Ga.)
State (25-3), the region's top seed,
beginning Saturday with the finals
on Tuesday.
Benedict (20-8) is seeded seventh
and begins its quest for the title
against Rollins (24-5), the second
seed, in the 1:30 p.m. opener. Fred
Watson leads the Tigers.
SIAC tournament runner-up
Morehouse (24-6), under head man
Grady Brewer, is seeded fourth and
faces fifth-seeded Henderson State
(22-6) at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Three black college men's
teams are in the East Region men's
field to be played on the campus of
the top seed, Pfeiffer College in
Misenheimer, N. C.
The University of the District
of Columbia returns to the tourna
ment for the first time since 1987.
UDC won the Div. II national title in
1982 with stars Earl Jones and
Michael Britt and made a return trip
to the finals in 1983. They were then
coached by Wil Jones.
The Firebirds, 18-9 this season
under Mike McLeese, are seeded
sixth and will face West Virginia
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
runner-up, West Virginia State (24-
5), the third seed at 12 noon
Saturday. Bryan Poore coaches the
Yellow Jackets
Cheyney (22-7) of the
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference is
seeded fifth and faces conference-
rival California (Pa.) (23-6), the
third seed at 6 p.m. Cheyney is
coached by Cleo Hill, Jr.
West Virginia State is the lone
black college team in the women's
East Regional hosted by California
(Pa.). The Lady Yellow Jackets (22-
8) are seeded seventh and will face
second seed Glenville State (27-3) at
3 p.m. WVSC is coached by Will
Heasley.
Benedict sweeps SIAC hoop titles
Benedict, in just its second year in the Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conferencce, swept both the men's and women's titles at the
league's 2004 basketball tournament in Albany, Ga.. this past weekend.
The third-seedefl Benedict men (19-8) needed overtime to subdue
regular season winner and defending champion Morehouse, 89-86 in the
men's final after the sixth-seeded Lady Tigers (16-13) held off Tuskegee
in the women's final, 56-55.
The wins vaulted both teams into the NCAA Div. II South Regional
by virtue of automatic berths that come from winning their respective
tournaments.
In the women’s final, a 15-footer from Benedict guard Shaunna
Armstrong with 7.5 seconds l^ft proved to be the game-winner. It was
the final blow in a nip-and-tuck battle that saw Tuskegee come back from
a seven-point deficit late to take the lead in the final two minutes.
Kim Cue and center Christie Yusef led Benedict with 12 points
apiece. Cue was named the tournament's most valuable player. Ashley
Howard scored 15 for Tuskegee (20-10) while Nicole Dailey added 12.
The Benedict men upset top-seeded Morehouse to win its first con
ference title since 1961. Dazzling point guard Eugene Jackson threw in
30 points getting key baskets throughout the game but it was a three-
pointer by guard Pete Asmond that allowed the Tigers to get to overtime.
Jackson was chosen as the tournament's most valuable player.
Morehouse (25-4) was led by 21 points from Brandon Childs and
Ronald Thompson and 20 from Darius Wade.
SIAC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
MEN
FIRST ROUND
ALL TOURNAMENT
Clark-Atlanta 70, LeMoyne-Owen 59
Jason Williams, Lane
Fort Valley State 83, Tuskegee 71
Brandon Childs, Morehouse
■ Kentucky State 61 Paine 60
Eugene Jackson, Benedict
QUARTERFINALS
Darius Wade, Morehouse
Miles 68, Albany State 63
Joel Brown, Benedict
Morehouse 78, Clark-Atlanta 64
Ronald Thompson, Morehouse
Benedict 60, Fort Valley State 42
HUSTLE AWARD
Lane 95, Kentucky State 92. OT
Pete Asmond, Benedict
SEMIFINALS
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Morehouse 76, Miles 68
Ronald Thompson, Morehouse
Benedict 89, Lane 75
OUTSTANDING COACH
FINALS
Fred Watson, Benedict
Benedict 89, Morehouse 86. OT
MVP
Eugene Jackson, Benedict
WOMEN
FIRST ROUND
ALL TOURNAMENT
LeMoyne-Owen 57, Miles 48
Kim Cue, Benedict
Tuskegee 74, Paine 59
Sherika Tarpkins, Fort Valley State
Lane 67, Kentucky State 59
Nicole Dailey, Tuskegee
Benedict 52, Albany State 44
Ashley Howard. Tuskegee
SECOND ROUND
Christy Yusef, Benedict
Fort Valley State 63, LeM.-Owen 38
Shaunna Armstrong, Benedict
Clark-Atlanta 60, Lane 43
HUSTLE AWARD
SEMIFINALS
Tina Hayes, Benedict
Tuskegee, Fort Valley State
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Benedict, Clark-Atlanta
Christy Yusef, Benedict
FINALS
OUTSTANDING COACH
Benedict 56, Tuskegee 55
Maurice Bailey, Benedict
MVP
Kim Cue, Benedict