8 - THE CAROLINA TIMES - SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2019
For The Week of May 21 - 27, 2019
Howard Sports Photo
COLE: Howard soph
guard and MEAC player
of the year departs for
UConn.
Pioneering official Jim Burch passes
GONE
TOO
SOON
REFEREE PIONEER BURCH PASSES; DUNN OUT AT
TUSKEGEE; SWAC, MEAC CROWN BASEBALL CHAMPS
UNDER THE BANNER
WHAT'S GOING ON IN AND AROUND BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS
MEAC HOOPS STARS TRANSFER:
Two-time first team all-MEAC guard R. J. Cole of
Howard and 2019 all-MEAC guard Nic Thomas of Nor
folk State have both decided to transfer.
Cole (6-1), the 2017-18 MEAC Freshman of the Year
and 2018-19 MEAC Player of the Year who led the con
ference in scoring in both years, is taking his talents to
UConn.
Cole averaged 21.4 points and 6.4 assists (2nd) this
season and 23.7 ppg. and a league-best 6.1 assists a year
ago. At UConn, he will be playing for Danny Hurley, the
son of his high school coach, Bobby Hurley of the famed
St. Anthony's (N. J.) program. By rule, Cole will sit out
the 2019-20 season. He’ll have two seasons of eligibility
remaining. He could also apply for a waiver to be eligible
immediately for this upcoming season.
Thomas (6-2), the leading scorer (14.3 ppg.) for the
2018-19 MEAC regular season champ Spartans, is leaving
as a grad transfer to join new coach Ron Hunter at Tulane.
BROWN REJOINS SWAC AT UAPB:
Dawn Brown has been named head women's basket
UAPB Sports Photo
Brown
ball coach at the University of Ar
kansas At Pine Bluff. She succeeds
Nate Kilbert.
Brown, who won the 2014 South
western Athletic Conference Tour
nament Championship while leading
Prairie View A&M and is a former
SWAC student-athlete, comes to
UAPB after spending the previous
season as associate head coach at Jacksonville University.
In 2017 18, Brown was head coach at Division II Shorter
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Black college sports lost a
legend this weekend as pioneering
basketball official James. T. Burch
passed on Sunday at his home in
Apex, N.C..
Burch, 91, first began his of
ficiating career in the black high
school ranks and then moved to the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association in 1959. In 1969, he
became the first African-American
game official in the Atlantic Coast
Conference (ACC).
Throughout his career, Burch
officiated in the CIAA, ACC, Mid
Eastern Athletic Conference
(MEAC), and Southern Confer
ence and worked 14 NCAA tourna
ments.
He trained and mentored hun
dreds of officials with many go
ing on to prestigious careers in
the profession. Burch was twice
featured in the NCAA Champions
Magazine, first in 1994 and again
in 2014.
"He was the pioneer in this
officiating world for blacks," said
retired veteran official Larry
BCSP Notes
Virginia State sweeps
CIAA All-Sports awards
Virginia State earned both the Loretta Tay
lor and C.H. Williams All-Sports Awards as the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(CIAA) held its annual Spring General Assem
bly Meeting and End-of-Year Awards Reception
last week in Baltimore, MD. Both recognitions
are awarded annually to the CIAA institution
with the top women's and men's athletic pro
grams, based on a points system.
The VSU women won a championship in
indoor track & field while finishing third in soft-
ball and outdoor track & field helping them earn
their second straight Taylor award. The Trojan
men won men's basketball and cross country
titles and runners-up finishes in indoor and out
door track to capture the Williams award for the
fifth consecutive year.
In addition to its All-Sports Awards, the
conference announced its highest administrative
and team awards.
Bowie State's Clyde Doughty, Jr. and Vir
ginia State's Peggy Davis were named CIAA
Rose, who became the first Afri
can-American to referee an ACC
tournament championship game in
a 36-year career that included 11
CIAA Tournaments and 19 NCAA
Tournaments. Rose is now the co
ordinator of basketball officials for
the MEAC.
"He showed all of us young
guys the way," said Rose. "That's
why we called him.'Daddy B.' He
was always there to help us move
to the next level..
"He was the father and I was
the son. He's going to be missed."
Burch most recently served for
18 years as the CIAA Coordinator
of Officials until retiring in 2018.
Veteran broadcaster Charlie
Neal, who worked as an official
before beginning his career in the
media, has known Burch since the
1970s. "He was a consummate pro
fessional in every shape and form,
not only as a referee on the floor but
as a coordinator," said Neal.
Burch was inducted into eight
different halls of fame with the
most recent being the' CIAA John
B. McLendon Jr. Hall of Fame in
February 2019.
Burch
"We have lost another CIAA
angel," said CIAA Commissioner
Jacqie McWilliams. "His contri
butions to the CIAA and across the
country left a legacy and a mark on
us all. I'm grateful the CIAA cel
ebrated his life while he was here..
He was an amazing storyteller,
no-nonsense caring leader, with a
great sense of humor and an infec
tious laugh."
In an interview at his CIAA
Hall of Fame induction ceremony
in February, Burch was asked by
Neal, who was the greatest player
Co-Athletic Directors of the Year. Jolisa Wil
liams of Shaw was named CIAA John Holley
Sports Information Director of the Year. Dr. La-
Wanda Miller of Fayetteville State was voted
by her SWA peers as the CIAA Senior Woman
Administrator of the Year. Claflin softball stu
dent-athlete LaKaylin Lee was named CIAA
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year while senior
basketball standout Tyre Gathright of Saint
Augustine's earned CIAA Male Scholar Athlete
of the Year.
Joe Taylor, Felicia Johnson
promoted at Virginia Union
B(RICHMOND, Virginia) _ Virginia
Union University President & CEO Dr. Hakim
J. Lucas has announced the promotion of Na
tional College Football Hall of Fame Coach Joe
Taylor to Vice President of Intercollegiate Ath
letics and the appointment of Felicia Johnson
as athletics director.
In his new role, Taylor will oversee VUU's
comprehensive intercollegiate athletics division,
leading a range of programs that support and de ¬
he had seen in his long career.
"That's easy," Burch said.
"Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe of
Winston-Salem State."
Asked about the greatest game
he officiated, "That's easy too," said
Burch. "The 1968 CIAA Champi
onship game between Norfolk
State and North Carolina A&T,
(won by NSU) 134-132 in triple
overtime."
A former teacher and admin
istrator for Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools, he also served on numer
ous civic boards, including becom
ing the first African American to
serve on the Charlotte Housing Au
thority board.
A native of Raleigh but raised
in Larchmont, NY, Burch was
a 1949 graduate of Fayetteville
State University, where he was a
two-sport athlete and would later
serve on its board of trustees
He went on to establish the
James T. Burch Scholarship to
recognize student-athletes who ex
emplify the qualities of academic
excellence, involvement in public
service, and love of athletic compe
tition.
velop approximately 240
student-athletes playing in
15 NCAA sports.
VUU has won 15 di
visional, conference and
regional championships
while completing a stu
dent-athlete graduation rate of over 60% since
Taylor was appointed Athletics Director in De
cember 2014. During his 40 years of coaching,
Taylor posted a win-loss record of 233-96-4.
Johnson spent the past 11 years as the as
sociate athletics director for compliance /Se
nior Woman Administrator. She joined the staff
in July 2007 as Director of Compliance.' Since
then, she has been awarded additional responsi
bilities as the Senior Woman Administrator and
Associate Athletic Director.
The Mappsville, Virginia, native is a 2003
honors graduate of VUU, where she earned her
Bachelor of Science in Management Informa
tion Systems. Johnson was a student-athlete at
VUU, lettering in volleyball, bowling and earn
ing All-CIAAhonors in softball.
University of the Gulf South Conference.
She spent six seasons at Prairie View A&M (2010-
16) as an assistant coach as the Lady Panthers won SWAC
Tournament Championships in 2011,2012 and 2013, ad
vancing to the NCAA Tournament every year.
Upon being named interim head coach prior to the
2013-14 season, Brown led the Lady Panthers to their
fourth consecutive SWAC Tournament Championship and
NCAA Tournament berth. She was named full-time head
coach after the season, and in three seasons as head coach,
PVAMU won 41 games, including 30 victories in SWAC
play.
A Jackson, Miss, native, Brown began her collegiate
coaching career as recruiting coordinator at Tougaioo
College (2008-09). As a player, after a junior college
career, she completed her playing her career at Jackson
State, leading the Lady Tigers to a SWAC Regular Season
Co-Championship. Brown earned her bachelor's degree
in sociology and her master's degree in Health, Physical
Education, and Recreation from Jackson State.
TUSKEGEE DECLINES TO RENEW DUNN:
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — The Tuskegee University De
partment of Athletics announced last
week that it has chosen not to renew
the contract of men's head basketball
coach Jerry Dunn. A national search
will begin immediately to identify his
successor.
Dunn, a former head coach at Penn
State (1995-2003) who also served as
an assistant at Penn State, Michigan
and West Virginia, spent five seasons at the helm of the
TU program and led the Golden Tigers this past season to
a 13-15 overall record — finishing 8-10 in the Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). He con
cludes his Tuskegee coaching career with a 52-87 record
and two winning seasons: 2014 and 2015.
SMITH LEAVES LINCOLN (MO) FOOTBALL:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Steven Smith has re
signed as the head coach of the Lincoln (Mo.) football
team to pursue an opportunity in professional football.
Malik Hoskins, who served as the team's offensive
coordinator the past two seasons, has been elevated to the
position of interim head coach for the 2019 season.
"I'd like to thank Coach Smith for his work build
ing the Lincoln football program the past two years,"
said John Moseley, Lincoln's Director of Athletics. "The
team made some positive strides last season, and Coach
Hoskins' familiarity with the program and our players
should allow that development to continue this fall."
— Spring Sports Update ——
Southern takes SWAC Baseball title
NEW ORLEANS, La — After a 10-year hiatus, Southern University
baseball claimed the program's first Southwestern Athletic Conference
tournament title since 2009 with a dominant 15-0 shutout of Alabama
State Sunday afternoon at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
. Tyler LaPorte, a senior third baseman who shared the league's Player
of the Year award with Alabama State's Yasil Pagan, capped a phenomenal
SWAC tournament with a 2-of-4 performance, which included three runs
scored and a three-RBI home run in the top of the sixth inning:
Southern pitcher Eli Finney made his second start of the tournament
and baffled Hornet hitters from the start, pitching 8 and 1/3 innings, al
lowed no runs and scattered three hits. Finney fanned six hitters while
the SWAC's 2019 Relief Pitcher of the Year, Connor Whalen, entered in
the bottom of the ninth to close the game. Whalen forced Alabama State
shortstop Eriq White to groundout to Malik Blaise at short to ignite a
post-championship dogpile that was 10-years in the making.
Finney only allowed five Alabama State baserunners and Alabama
State failed to land a runner in scoring position until shortstop Cristopher
DeGuzman reached second base on a passed ball in the bottom of the
eighth.
Centerfielder Javeyan Williams and second baseman Johnny John
son led Southern with four hits each and combined to score five runs and
plate four RBIs. Catcher Bobby Johnson finished 3
of 5 at the plate and hit a two-run blast over the left
field wall to spark Southern's offensive onslaught.
The Jaguars belted out 16 hits in the win.
Head coach Kerrick Jackson engineered a
worst-to-first Southern turnaround in his second sea
son as coach. Southern was 9-33 last year.
Southern (32-22) will head to Chicago for a post-
season exhibition tune-up in the inaugural HBCV
World Series against North Carolina A&T Thurs ¬
In the second game, Florida A&M capitalized on three Spartans er
rors to put six runs on the board, seizing complete control after being one
strike away from going home.
Even Florida A&M head coach Jamey Shouppe thought his team's
four-game run through the elimination bracket was "an all-timer." But it
fit in with what he preached to a team that started 0-6 and went through a
seven-game skid midway through th? season.
Shouppe got two complete games from pitcher Kyle Coleman in the
tournament, the second in the championship game on just two days’ rest.
He scattered six hits, walked one and struck out nine while keeping the
Spartans off-balance after they registered their lone run in the first inning.
Outstanding Tournament Performer honors went to Kaycee Reese,
who batted .455 with six runs scored and six RBIs in
the tournament. The senior was the batter for FAMU
with two strikes and two outs the ninth inning of Sat
urday's first game.
He kept alive, fouling off four pitches before
drawing the walk to keep the inning going. Maxwell
followed with his game winner.
Outstanding Performer: Kaycee Reese, FAMU
Outstanding Coach: Jamey Shouppe, FAMU
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Miguel Rivera, John Weglarz, DSU; Kyle Coleman, Willis McDaniel, Tucker Ray
burn, Kaycee Reese, FAMU; Chase Anderson, Jonathan Mahoney, Caleb Ward,
NSU; Zach McLean, Brandon Melendez, NCA&T; Dwayne Franklin, SSU
Reese
day afternoon before learning where they will play in NCAA Regional on
May 31.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jahmoi Percival, Drexler Macaay, GSU; Daniel Lingua, Tyler Gordon, PVA&M; O.J.
Oloruntimilehin, Texas Southern; Nio Garza, TSU; Terrell McCall, Jeremy Rivera,
Santiago Garcia, ALS; Eli Finney, Javeyan Williams, Tyler LaPorte (MVP), Southern
Another honor for St. Aug runner Shannon Kalawan
RALEIGH, N.C. (May 17) - Saint Augustine's University stand
out Shannon Kalawan (Jr./Westmoreland, Jamai
ca) was named NCAA Division II Atlantic Region
Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches As
sociation (USTFCCCA) on Friday.
Kalawan captured the award for the second
straight year after another outstanding season. She
ranks first nationally in Division II in tire 400 hurdles
(57.37) and 400 dash (52.97), and is part of the na
tion's top-ranked 4x400 relay squad (3:35.03).
Kalawan
Florida A&M escapes with MEAC baseball title
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.-Florida A&M’s motto of "grind to great
ness" resonated during an incredulous run to the Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference (MEAC) Baseball Championship on Saturday.
Five runs down in one elimination game, and down to the final pitch
in another, the Rattlers somehow went from surviving to thriving as they
downed Norfolk State 5-4 and 8-1 to win their eighth conference champi
onship overall (and first since 2015) at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Rattlers (27-32) will learn their NCAA Regional destination and
opponent next week (the Selection Show will air on ESPNU on Monday,
May 27 as 12 p.m.). Norfolk State concluded its season 24-26.
Brett Maxwell's two-out, two-run single in the ninth gave the first
game to the Rattlers, who found themselves down 4-2 after Norfolk State
launched back-to-back home runs in the seventh.
The SAU junior will defend her national titles in all three events at
the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Kingsville, Texas, this
week on May 23-25.
Highlights from this season include a 400 hurdles victory in the Penn
Relays for the second straight year, running her season-best time in the
event. She also was the CIAA Women's Outdoor Runner of the Year for
the second consecutive season.
A gifted sprinter and hurdler for the Lady Falcons, Kalawan will try
to duplicate last year's success when she won the 400 dash, 400 hurdles
and 4x400 relay in the national championship meet after winning regional
honors.
Her performance at the meet earned her the NCAA Division II Wom
en's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year award in 2018.
© AZEEZ Communications, Inc. Vol. XXV, No. 41
news@thecarolinatimes. com
news@thecarolinatimes. com
ads@thecaro linatimes. com
ads@thecarolinatimes. com