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SPORTS/®()c Charlotte #03t
Thursday, July 5, 2007
For the Week of July 3 - July 9, 2007
AFLPhoto
STILL IN WYMAN: Former black
_U_ college lineman is a first
Inc team Arena League play-
ADCKIA er and plays this weekend
AKCINA in AFL playoffs.
CHARLOHE GETS CIAA GRID TITLE GAME;
JSU'S JOHNSON ON HEAT SQUAD
UNDER THE BANNER
WHAT’S GOING ON IN AND AROUND BLACk COLLEGE SPORTS
BROWN TAKES OVER AT AAMU:
After filling the position a year ago, Kentucky State
University is now searching
again for a head women's volley
ball coach. Nedra Brown, who
came to KSU after a seven-year
stint at LeMoyne-Owen. is leav
ing the Thorobrettes to take over
the program at Alabama A&M.
J In just one season. Brown's team
went 18-15 overall and finished
KSU Sports Photo
BROWN: Moves to
10-0 in the SIAC Western
Division. The Thorobrettes lost to
SWAC volleyball power Paine. defeated Tuskegee, then
Alabama A&M from r • . j u n j-*-
, I C.4 * '^ere eliminated by Benedict in
Kentucky State. ^
the 2006 SIAC Volleyball
Tournament. "I depart with mixed emotions," .said Brown.
"The kindness displayed by the institution has been over
whelming. I have enjoyed my time here." Brown will suc
ceed Betty Austin, who gave up the volleyball coaching job
at A&M in March after being named permanent athletic
director. Austin had served as interim athletics director since
March 2006. Austin leaves some big shoes to fill. During her
30-year tenure, all at her alma mater, Austin's teams were
604-235 making her only the 12lh Division I coach in the
history of the sport to reach 600 career wins. Austin's teams
had won six of the last seven SWAC volleyball champi
onships. "We wish Coach Brown much success as she con
tinues her career at Alabama A&M," said KSU Athletics
Director Derita Ratcliffe. "Though her time at KSU was
brief, her bright smiie will be missed."
NEW SOCCER COACH AT HU;
Howard University has named Joseph Okoh as its new
men's soccer coach. The new coach comes to the Bison from
NCAA Division II Shepherd University, At Shepherd, Okoh
led the Rams to their first ever national ranking, ending the
2004 season ranked 24th in the nation. Since the 2003 sea
son, under his leadership the Rams had three consecutive
winning .seasons peaking with an 11-5-4 record in 2004. A
native of the Washington. D.C. area. Okoh had coaching
stints on the high school level in the DC area, coaching both
boys and girls at Potomac. Bishop O'Connell, Wakefield and
T.C. Williams High Schools, Okoh also played on the pro
fessional level with the Colorado Foxes, receiving first team
all-league honors on three occasions. Okoh's son, Michael,
is a member of the Bison squad. He will replace longtime
BLson head coach Keith Iticker who had held the position
since 1980.TheBison finished 3-13-1 in the 2007-08 season.
ALL-ARENA LEAGUE: Former
Kentucky State and current Dallas Desperados offensive
lineman Devin Wyman and for-
« : mer Norfolk State and current
K San Jose Sabercats wide receiver
■ James Roe were both named to
■ the 2007 All-Arena League
P. .: teams. Wyman was named to the
f first team, a recognition that puts
^ him in the running for Lineman
of the Year, The award was to be
rn 1 / announced on July 3. Wyman is
AFLPhoio j„ |,jj, season and was
ROE: Former NSU
receiver is a second
team all-AFL player.
part of an offensive line that
allowed only four sacks and
enablcLi Desperados quarterback
Clint Dolezel to throw for 107 touchdowns. Wyman and the
Desperados will continue their season in the AFL playoffs as
they host a game in the Divisional Round on July 7, at 8 p.m.
ET on ESPN. Roe. in his eighth AFL season, had li60
receiving yards and hauled in 40 TD passes for the
SaberCais. The team's career leader in receptions, receiving
yards, scoring and TDs scored, Roe enjoyed his third straight
1,000-yard receiving season, and fourth overall, Wyman and
Roe were both drafted in the sixtli round of the 1996 NFL
Draft, Roe by the Baltimore Ravens and Wyman by the New
England Patriots.
CIAA title game moving to Charlotte
Charlotte's Memorial Stadium
was played in Winston-Salem at Bowman-Gray
Stadium in 2001 and 2002,
The move from Durham was all but necessi
tated by the departure of NCCU, host of the past
four title games and winner of the last two, from
the CIAA. NCCU is seeking re-classification to
NCAA Division 1 status. Their official relation
ship with the CIAA ended June 30.
"Tm excited that the CIAA championship
game is coming to Charlotte," said Harry Jones.
Mecklenburg County manager, "Speaking for the
citizens of Mecklenburg County, it will be a
pleasure hosting the CIAA championship. We
have proven that we are outstanding hosts, and
look forward to laying out the red carpet for
CIAA fans on November 10.”
The ultra-successful CIAA basketball tour-
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association officially announced last week that
its football championship will be going to the
city where its basketball tournament is enjoying
unprecedented success, Charlotte,
The 2007 title game will be played on
Saturday, November 10 at American Legion
Memorial Stadium in Charlotte and marks the
first time the event has been played in the Queen
City since 1982. The game kicks off at 1 p.m.
"We look forward to our premier football
event moving to Charlotte," CIAA
Commissioner Leon Kerry said in a press
release from the conference, "Without question,
the 2007 season is poised to be one of the best
ever. The Championship Game has, been great
for our fans who have watched the game all over
the country, whether at the stadium or on televi
sion."
Last year, in front of a record crowd of
nearly 13,000, North Carolina Central kicked
a last-second field goal to defeat Elizabeth City
State in a 17-14 thriller. The last three champi
onship games including both the 2004 and 2005
games have been decided by three points.
The CIAA football championship game, re
instituted in 2000, has been played in Durham
and Winston-Salem over the past seven seasons,
Durham's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium hosted the
first game in 2000 and the last four. The game
BCSP Notes
Johnson to play for the
Miami Heat Summer League team
One day after being snubbed in the two-round, 60-pick 2007 NBA
Draft, Jackson State's high-scoring guard Trey Johnson has agreed to
play for the Miami Heat's summer league team.
"Obviously, I still feel like I should have been
drafted," Johnson told the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-
Ledger. "But if it had to be like this. I'm glad I was
picked up by Miami, Now, I'm just preparing to do
the best I can,”
The Heat, one of the teams that had shown a lot
of interest in Johnson before the draft, will play five
games in the Orlando Summer League, NBA sum
mer league teams are usually comprised of rookies
and other players trying to find a spot on an NBA
roster. Though nothing is guaranteed, good play
can often materialize into an invite to training camp JwriN&uiN
for undrafted players and eventually a spot on the team's regular season
roster. Miami's summer league games are scheduled for July 9-13 at the
RDV Sportsplex.
Johnson finished his senior season at Jackson State as the second
leading scorer in the nation, averaging 27.1 points per game. He was also
named the Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year, SWAC
tournament most valuable player and a College Insider.com Mid-Major
All-American, Johnson led the JSU Tigers to a SWAC championship and
their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000. Johnson had gotten
quite a bit of pre-draft publicity that his skills and abilities would likely
have him taken in the second round.
"You knew teams respected Trey's game because so many teams
invited him for a workout," JSU coach Tevester Anderson told the
Clarion-Ledger. "I don't know why he fell out of the draft, but I still tbink
there's plenty of interest."
Jackson State had even planned a press conference on campus for the
hours following his selection. Neither materialized.
With the Heat, Johnson will look to find space on a guard roster that
includes star Dwayne Wade, veterans Gary Payton, Eddie Jones and
Jason Williams along with draftee Daquan Cook (Ohio State) and Chris
Quinn, who just finished his rookie season out of Notre Dame. According
to multiple reports, Payton has been leaning toward retirement. Jones will
turn 36 years old before next season starts.
"They've got a lot of veterans to learn from so I think it's a great sit
uation," Johmson told the newspaper. "Hopefully, I can find some room
on the roster and grow as a player."
NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson
to kick off 2007 SWAC Football Media Day
Former NFL All-Pro and 2006 NFL Hall of Fame inductee Harry
Carson, who had a Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame
career at South Carolina State, will be the keynote speaker at the 2007
Southwestern Athletic Conference Football Media Day on Tuesday,
July 24.
The former New York Giants standout will speak during the kickoff
luncheon at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel located on Richard
Arrington Boulevard in downtown Birmingham.
Carson spent 13 seasons with the New York Football Giants and dur
ing his tenure, the former All-Pro served as team captain for ten seasons.
One of those magical seasons came in 1986 when the Giants downed the
Denver Broncos 39-20 to capture Super Bowl XXL
His career was filled with accolades and honors. He ended his first
professional season being named to the NFL All-Rookie Team,
Subsequently, during his NFL career, he was named to the All-NFLTeam
seven times, the All-NFC Team eight times, and NFC Linebacker of the
Year twice. He once made an amazing 25 tackles in a Monday Night
Football Game against the Green Bay Packers. With performances like
that he was selected by his peers to play in the NFC-AFC Pro Bowl nine
times and is among the top 300 players to ever play in the National
Football League.
Carson is CEO and president of Harry Carson Inc., a sports consult
ing and promotions company. In that role, his company consults with
media outlets, educational sources and corporations on sports as well as
non-sports related issues. Harry Carson Inc. provides expert television,
radio, print media and internet commentary on spons matters as well as
motivational and inspirational speakers to schools and corporations.
He is also a member of the New York Football Giants pre-season
broadcasting team and is a regular season broadcast analyst and co-host
of Giants GamePlan. Carson also serves as Executive Director of the
Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization dedicated to creating racial diver
sity within non-player roles within the National Football League.
The 2007 SWAC Media Day activities will begin at 9 a.m. with
interview sessions from the head coaches and student athletes from all ten
conference institutions. Following the interview sessions, the kickoff
luncheon will begin at 11 a.m, with remarks from the Conference Office
nament has been played in Charlotte for the past
two years and has set attendance and revenue
records each year. CIAA officials are hoping the
football championship can generate excitement of
Its own.
Several all-America candidates return for the
2007 campaign including electrifying quarter
backs Lamar Little of Virginia Union, Curtis
Rich of Eastern Division champ Elizabeth City
State and 2005 Jay Autry of Fayetteville State.
The 2006 season was arguably the most
exciting in CIAA history. Two teams (NCCU and
ECSU) were invited to the NCAA Division II
playoffs. It was the first time since 1991 that the
conference had two teams in the playoffs, Johnson
C. Smith earned a Pioneer Bowl berth.
Since the Eastern-Western Division format
was put in place in 2000, CIAA regular season
attendance has continued to grow.
Simultaneously, the championship game has
grown into one of the league's most anticipated
events.
"Charlotte and American Legion Memorial
Stadium are proud to be chosen as the home of the
CIAA Football Championship for the first time in
25 years," said Jeff Beaver, Executive Director of
the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. "The
.student-athletes, their families, and the fans of the
football teams will also be warmly welcomed by
all the citizens of Charlotte."
CARSON
and the announcement of the preseason honors and
predicted order of finish.
Limited tickets are available to the public for
$30 and can be obtained by contacting Duer Sharp
at the SWAC Office (205) 251-7573. Media regis
tration forms can be found on the conference website
and requested from the SWAC Media Relations
office.
In conjunction with the kickoff luncheon, the
fourth SWAC Youth Football clinic will take place
on Monday, July 23. 2007 at Birmingham’s Legion Field from 9:00a to
12;00n. The three-hour event will contain drill and instruction for
Birmingham-area youth and will be conducted by SWAC football coach
es. Scheduled to appear are Alabama A&M head coach Anthony Jones
and new Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow, West, and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar,
Blackcollegebaseball.com
announces 2007 Elite Team
BlackCollegeBaseball.com released its fourth Black College
Baseball Awards. Candidates were taken from the nineteen Division-I
programs which included the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference,
Southwestern Athletic Conference, and Independent programs Chicago
State and Savannah State University.
The 2007 Coach of the Year is Bethune Cookman's head coach
Mervyl Melendez, Melendez has earned the award for the second
straight year and continues to run the tables on MEAC opponents. During
the regular season, Bethune only lost one conference game and has a two
year conference record of 31 -1, As a player for Bethune Cookman and as
a coach. Melendez has won nine MEAC titles.
BCB Player of the Year award goes to Prairie View A&M shortstop
Michael Richard, This is the second straight year the award went to a
dominating SWAC shortstop. Before being drafted in the 11th round in
the 2007 MLB draft by Oakland, Richard was named SWAC Player of the
Year and Most Outstanding hitter. Richard accounted for almost 15% of
Prairie View's runs scored.
Pitcher of the Year goes to Norfolk State hurler Luke Foss. Foss fin
ished the season at with a 10-2 record and an amazing 2.28 ERA. Some
of his notable wins this season were against Savannah State, Villanova
and Seton Hall . Foss was also named to the 2007 American Baseball
Coaches Association (ABCA) All-East Region second team.
For the men and women behind the scenes that usually receive no
recognition. Sports Information Directors and their baseball contacts are
the ones that get the information out, Bryan Harvey of Bethune
Cookman stayed busy sending press releases and game notes on his 2007
BCB Champion Wildcats. Bryan also helps Wildcat fans stay in touch
with their team during games by using Gametracker and by keeping the
Wildcat website fresh and current.
The Black College Baseball Elite Teams are comprised of athletes
from the Independents, Mid-Continent, MEAC, and SWAC conferences.
Bethune-Cookman and Prairie View landed 4 players on the squad.
Alcorn State was next with three on the Elite Team followed by Norfolk
State, North Carolina A&T and Jackson State at two apiece. The
remaining schools had one representative on the BCB Elite Team:
Alabama State, Delaware State. Florida A&M, Maryland Eastern
Shore. Mississippi Valley State. Savannah State and Southern.
FIRST TEAM POSITION PLAYERS
C Lyall Foran, Norfolk State
IB Johnathan Stevens, Alabama State
2B Shawn Taylor, Alcorn State
SS Michael Richard, Prairie View A&M
3B Charlie Gamble, North Carolina A&T
OF Marcus Davis, Alcorn State
OF Joe McIntyre, North Carolina A&T
OF Angel Mercado, Bethune Cookman
FIRST TEAM PITCHERS
SP Luke Foss, Norfolk State
SP Francisco Rodriguez, Bethune-Cookman
SP Matt Chase, Prairie View A&M
R Josh Schmitt - Delaware State
SECOND TEAM POSITION PLAYERS
C John Keene, Savannah State
1B Sean Bard, Mississippi Valley
2B Spenser Dennis, Prairie View A&M
SS Chris Henaull, Bethune Cookman
3B Chris Stamps, Jackson State
OF Darryl Evans, Florida A&M
OF Joel Gonzalez, Maryland Eastern Shore
OF Anthony Mclin, Jackson State
SECOND TEAM PITCHERS
SP Wrandal Taylor, Prairie View A&M
SP Dustin Blackwell, Bethune Cookman
SP Roydrick Merritt, Southern University
RP Lee Johnson, Alcorn State
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