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SPORTS/Sie Clatlsttt $ot
Thursday, September 22, 2005
C. JEMAL HORTON
Flimsy reasoning behind
Aggie-Eagle’s demise
Continued from page 1C
If A&T truly is concerned
that having Division-II
Central on the schedule will
hurt its at-large playoff
chances, then HI go ahead
and say it: Stop it. There’s
just no need to worry
For one thing, the I-AA
playoff selection committee is
savvy The people on the com
mittee know that a game
against a traditional archri
val, especially for a black col
lege, is a huge game, irre
spective of NCAA affiliation.
So if A&T loses to Central, it’s
not as if the A^ie lost to, say,
Wabash.
There are people of influ
ence associated with the
selection committee who
understand the plight of
HBCU programs very well.
For example, this year, there
are athletics directors from
two MEAC schools on
Division I-AA’s six-person
South Regional Advisory
Committee, which helps eval
uate prospective playoff
teams - Bethune-Cookman’s
Lyim Thompson and
Hampton’s Joe Taylor.
And, then, well, there’s this
ugly fact: It just might not
matter how deserving of an
at-large berth an MEAC
school is - if it doesn’t win its
conference championship and
earn an automatic bid, it still
might not get into the I-AA
playoffs. For instance, last
year. South Carolina State,
with a record of 9-2 and
schedule made entirely of I-
AA opponents, failed to land
an at-large berth - this while
Eastern Washington, with its
less-impressive 8-3 record,
got in as an at-large.
But when all those things
fail, usually it’s one’s roots
that keep one strong.
Of course, this stoppage
could wind up a mere hiccup
in the rivalry’s history.
Central is considering mov
ing to Division I-AA and, per
haps, joining the MEAC. The
school will announce the
results of a feasibility study
in a matter of weeks.
Whether or not that hap
pens, I hope Tbdd is listening
to the voices of people who
care about this rivalry - and
have for years.
“Might be devastating to us
old heads (if the rivalry
ends),” Aggie football player
Theron Thomas Jr, whose
father has been the A&T
equipment manager for 20
years, told The Greensboro
News & Record.
“Everybody looks forward
to the Aggie-Eagle.
Everybody”
E-mail C. Jemal Horton at see-
jemalwrite/rom.
NBA sets D-League ground rules
By Herbert L. White
herb.whiie®thecharloitepostjcom
The NBA has a new affiliation and assign
ment S5^tem for the NBA Development
League.
Each of the eight D-League teams will be
affiliated with either three or four NBA
teams, and the NBA teams may assign play
ers in their first two seasons to play in the D-
League. The Charlotte Bobcats will be affili
ated with the Fayetteville Patriots, which will
also take assignments fix)m New York and
Detroit.
The D-League devdops players, officials
and coaches under the NBA umbrella. Thirty-
four players have been called up since 2001.
“This is another step in the right direction to
assist in the continuing developm^t of play
ers,” said Stu Jackson, NBA Serdbr \fice
President, Basketball Operations. ‘It has long
been our goal to have team affiliations
between the NBA and the D-League and this
structure should be mutually beneficial to
both leagues and the players.”
“This is terrific news for basketball fans in
D-League markets,” said Phil Evans, NBA
Development League president. “Now, in
addition to seeing the best basketball players
in the world not ciirrently in the NBA, they
win have the opportunity to see current NBA
players as well, some of whom will be fiitui'e
NBA stars. We’ve now made a quality enter
tainment product even better.”
This affiliation and assignment system will
be reviewed by the NBA after the 2005-06
season, and if additional D-League teams are
added for the 2006-07 season, affiliations will
be adjusted to correspond with the total num
ber of D-League teams..
NBDL assignment rules:
• An NBA team may assign any player on
its Active List or Inactive List to play in the D-
League, provided that the player has zero or
one Years of Service at the time of
Assignment.
• No players may be given more than three
Assignments during any season. There is no
minimTim or maximum length of a D-League
assignment.
• No NBA team may have more than two
players on assignment at the same time this
season.
• A player on assignment will be carried on
the Inactive list of his NBA team.
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