(Mike Gross/ Talladega) It’s been a long road but the student athletes of the Men’s Basketball Team at Talladega College now understand hard work and perseverance pays off. They were named the Nations No. 1 basketball team on today by the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings for the very first time in the school’s storied history.
For the first time in school history, Talladega (Ala.) earns the No. 1 position in the eighth edition of the 2014 – 15 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. With a 23-3 overall record (at time of rankings period), the Tornadoes posted seven first-place votes and 248 total points. With the NAIA’s longest active winning streak at 18-straight (Monday’s win not included), Talladega moved up from No. 2 after former top-ranked team Cal State San Marcos dropped an 86-67 decision over the weekend.
Talladega has been on the winning side ever since a 12-point victory over Cincinnati Christian (Ohio) on Nov. 22, 2014. Along the way, the Tornadoes have jumped to first place (11-0) in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) with three regular-season games remaining. Brandon Peters has been the individual star with 19.6 points per game (No. 17 in NAIA) and 2.2 steals (No. 13 in NAIA). On Feb. 23, Talladega is scheduled to face Philander Smith (Ark.).
Talladega has been steadily rising up the ranks this year by going on a 15 game win streak to get positioned in the top 3. After a loss by California State University San Marcos and a win by Talladega, the Tornadoes moved into the number 2 spot. Many of the students on the team are seniors / 4th year players and are elated that they have the opportunity to experience being the No. 1 college basketball team in the Nation.
Last year’s team won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season Crown and The GCAC Tournament Championship. They finished the regular season ranked 6th in the nation while reaching the “Sweet 16” of The NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. Coach Cross, who has been the teams’ coach for the last three years, states “I could not be more excited for these young men who all decided to come be a part of something real special here at Talladega College. These guys have totally bought into the vision I laid out before them during the recruiting process and we are all fired up that we have conquered one of our biggest goals in becoming #1 in the country.”
To maintain the ranking he says that he will continue to focus on developing the teams intensity, mental toughness and intelligence playing and make sure every player understands the challenge ahead of them to stay on top.
Talladega has three regular season games remaining. Next up for the Tornadoes will be its last home game of the season with a match up vs Philander Smith College on Senior Night, February 23rd. With a win over the Panthers the Tornadoes can clinch the GCAC Regular Season Conference Championship. Talladega College currently is 10-0 in the GCAC standings a full three games ahead of second place.
The Tornadoes will travel to New Orleans on March 6-8 in defense of their conference tournament title from a year ago. Xavier University of Louisiana will once again host the Gulf Coast Conference Tournament.
Talladega College will be making its second consecutive trip to the 2015 Buffalo Funds NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, MO, March 19-25. Tickets for this event are now on sale by visiting Ticket Master or going directly to the NAIA website at www.naia.org. This will mark only the college’s third appearance at the NAIA National Tournament, the first came in 1996. Last year, Talladega College won its first ever NAIA National Tournament game. The last HBCU to win the NAIA National Championship was Texas Southern in 1978. Talladega College’s Men’s Basketball Team repeated as National Champions of the United States College Athletics Association in 2009 and 2010.
ABOUT TALLADEGA COLLEGE
The oldest private Historically Black College in Alabama, Talladega College was founded in 1867 by two former slaves, William Savory and Thomas Tarrant. The College has an aggressive tradition of bringing the world to Talladega. Home of the Hale Woodruff Amistad Murals, the murals are on a nationwide tour where it is estimated to be seen by over a half million people and has received rave reviews from the New York Times. For more information, visit www.talladega.edu.
According to the Washington Post, “The 27-year-old District man charged in the 2013 fatal shooting of a Howard University student during a robbery pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday.”
The Washington Post also confirms, “Rasdavid Lagarde, of Northeast Washington, faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for the July 4, 2013 killing of Omar Sykes, a 22-year-old senior marketing major at Howard. Lagarde also pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.”
Testimony and reports show that Lagarde killed Sykes with a .380-caliber gun on accident while he was ordering him to the ground as a part of the robbery.
Sykes was also with a friend that day who was shot but was not killed. In fact, Largarde refused to tell authorities who was with him during the robbery.
Sykes’s mother, Sherry Sykes, who attended the hearing, said she was glad the case was nearing an end. “We believe in redemption and our prayer is Mr. Lagarde pulls himself together and is able to become a productive citizen once he is released,” reported the Washington Post.
Local Businesses of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, say that they don’t want South Carolina State University (SCSU) to close.
As of last week two subcommittees signed off on a plan that will close the university for two years in order for the institution to pull themselves out of their deficit. WLTX19 reports, the university currently owes $17 Million to vendors and $6 Million to the state for a loan they obtained last year. The plan is currently sitting with the S.C ways and means committee waiting to be decided upon.
Thetandd.com reports, the closing of the university would ultimately affect the community. Quintin Ryan, A dollar general manager in the area told thetandd the students make up about 85% of their store’s business. “Business increases exponentially when college is in session. The store basically dries up when students are away.” This is the general cry heard around the college town.
Linda Free a Fatz General Manager, told the news site that 20 of her 70 employees are from SCSU.
A study released in 2012 from university’s school of business stated that the school subsidizes over $180 million to state and local economy.
If the school closes down, the area will be significantly impacted.
The plan would lay off all positions at the university, including President Thomas Elzey. The school itself employs over 600 fulltime and part time employees
Elzey who gave a speech on February 10th to the student body, stated “It is unreasonable and unthinkable to fathom that the governor or any of our lawmakers would want to do away with 119 years of success.”
The ways and means committee met twice on Tuesday according to WTLX19, and did not discuss the plan. It is not generally expected for the plan to make it past senate.
“Stay calm because we’re not going to close” Elzey said.
According to reports and several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, President Obama has made some critical comments on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) this past week after the Black Caucus met with POTUS on Tuesday, Feb. 11, their first meeting since 2013 and the first with led by Chairman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC).
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) on the most powerful man in the world said, “He said there were some HBCUs that were not good at graduating students and if they did not improve they’d have to go by the wayside.”
[quote_center]“We worked on this for two years and it’s a lack of understanding with this Administration and – in particular – this Secretary,” Rep. Connie Brown said in reference to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.[/quote_center]
It is nothing new that during the administration of the first African-American president, HBCUs have had a continued tough plight getting support from Congress. Just recently, in 2011, some several thousand students had to end their studies due to a change of policy on Parent PLUS loans, and would eventually cost the country’s 107 Black colleges over $150 million, reports the Crew of 42:
[pull_quote_center]”In August 2012, Morris Brown College filed for Chapter 11. In 2013, St. Paul College closed after 125 years. This week it was learned that South Carolina State University may close for a year. Title III spending on HBCUs has steadily gone down since 2009.”[/pull_quote_center]
Hampton University President and Chairman of the Obama Administration’s HBCU Initiative, Dr. William R. Harvey recently issued critical comments to administration officials concerning HBCU funding and the lack of inclusion of the Board of Advisers for the Initiative on the administration’s policies.
[quote_box_center]“We are not consulted when it comes to policy changes and decisions impacting – in a major way – the institutions on whose behalf we are to advocate. It happened with Pell. It happened with Parent Plus. And, now it’s happening with the new community college initiative,” Dr. Harvey said.[/quote_box_center]
Hampton University President Dr. William Harvey
He added, “Pell grants to HBCUs are down. Direct loans to our students are down. Graduate subsidies have been eliminated. In addition to student support, overall support to Black colleges is down.”
The President’s sharpest criticism of the institutions was centered on the graduation rates. Former Black Caucus Chair Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) offered a retort to Obama’s emphasis on that particular point: “I would also suggest that there are as many private and for-profit schools who fail our children in a much larger way and nobody talks about them. Why single out HBCUs?”
Several HBCUs are on the list of worst graduation rates but they are not alone. Some of the country’s worst graduation rates according to Crew of 42are Utah Valley University (15% graduation rate), University of Maryland-University College (10%), and historically Black Kent State University (23%).
According to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), “What we should be talking about is: If there are weaknesses at certain HBCUs what do we do to strengthen those institutions.”
Rep. Fudge asks a sharp question that is not being addressed by the federal government in any substantive way that we are aware of. The for-profit schools that have poor graduation rates and unprepared graduates, straddle them with great amounts of debt as well. Many of these schools disservice many students in ways that HBCUs cannot reasonably be compared to. That needs to be addressed by the federal government.
Rep. Thompson expresses the basic sentiment of many alumni, employees, community members, and supporters of HBCUs. The task of helping to sustain and build up our HBCUs that are struggling should be not only a task of individual institutions themselves, but also the broader HBCU community and the federal government, where it can (i.e. funding, Pell grants, student loans). In addition, as Hampton President Dr. Harvey espoused his discontent with the handling of the advisory board which he chairs, it indicates a recurring theme in this administration.
There appears to be an indifference to HBCUs that is difficult to explain.
To be indifferent to the needs of these historic, enriching, and valuable institutions of higher education is most unfortunate. The important role that these institutions continue to serve in this country is unmatched. That cannot be something as the President is reported to have said, “to go by the wayside.”
The folks at The Detroit News recently sat down with a group of high school seniors who will be attending some of the country’s HBCUs and also got their views on why they made those choices. Jeremiah Wheeler is attending Howard University as a freshman this fall and says he just knew the school was a home away from home:
“…that feeling really is a mutual feeling of the people around me. It’s a feeling of welcome, it’s a feeling of home, it’s a feeling of a wanted challenge, and you’re learning every second that you are on campus,” Wheeler said.
HBCUs are institutions that nurture their students and DetroitNews.com says “enrollment at HBCUs rose 4.5 percent between 2002 and 2012” because of it.
Tyra Smith, who says she’s still awaiting to hear from her first choice, believes that “Everybody is there to pick you up and not leave you behind.”
There is nothing like attending an HBCU. The experience is almost surreal, and when you attend an HBCU you are also joining a family filled with people who want nothing more for you than to succeed. It is a community that aspires you to grow as an individual, and not just a number.
The blacker the college, the sweeter the knowledge.
“This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my career,” Taraji P. Henson is Uptowns Magazines new cover girl. In the interview following her Fox Network’s new record-breaking series, Empire she discusses a several topics; being pissed at the show for dissing Obama, black actresses on television, and why she decided to send her son to an HBCU.
Her son attending an HBCU:
[quote_box_center]“My child has been racially profiled. He was in Glendale, California and did exactly everything the cops told him to do, including letting them illegally search his car. It was bogus because they didn’t give him the ticket for what he was pulled over for. Then he’s at University of Southern California, the school that I was going to transfer him to, when police stopped him for having his hands in his pockets. So guess where he’s going? Howard University. I’m not paying $50K so I can’t sleep at night wondering is this the night my son is getting racially profiled on campus.”[/quote_box_center]
Dissing Obama:
[quote_box_center]Everybody don’t like Barack Obama,” she says, referencing the second episode of the season where her on-screen son, Hakeem (Gray) slams the POTUS, calling him a sellout. “People are out there saying that. That’s what art is supposed to do: expose this shit. You know, we’re dealing with subject matter that’s not really dealt with. Art is supposed to challenge, start a conversation, so let’s lift the carpet up and deal with this dirt. It’s not like we bashed Barack Obama and the show went off. No, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) jumped in his [son’s] ass. That’s real life stuff. So I’m glad you’re mad. Do something about it. Go in the hood and talk to the kids so they don’t do dumb stuff like that.”[/quote_box_center]
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) continued their dominance of the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference once again. The Eagles impressive streak, which is now to 30 consecutive victories against MEAC opponents, continued against a far outmatched opponent in Florida A&M (1-24, 111 MEAC).
During this 25 point victory NCCU (20-6, 12-0 MEAC) stormed out of the gate and were one point shy of a 20 point lead by halftime. During the first half the Eagles shot 65% from the field while holding the Rattlers to under 40%.
Their dominance continued into the second half as NCCU would outscore FAMU by 6 points to seal the victory.
This dominance on both ends of the court was shown particularly through the Eagles dominance of the glass 43-26.
NCCU seeks to extend both it’s MEAC winning streak and the nations third longest home-court winning streak against Morgan State this Saturday.
Xavier Louisiana Women’s basketball team climbs to two games above .500 and into second place in the conference after their latest win against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference foe Tougaloo.
XU (15-13, 8-4 GCAC) dominated Tougaloo (2-10, 2-7 GCAC) by far throughout the game. Behind eight points from Junior Guard Whitney Gathwright the Gold Nuggets jumped out to a 20 point halftime lead.
They would not let up outscoring Tougaloo 35 to 26 in the second half. Shooting 41% throughout the game Xavier was able to hold their opponent to 22% shooting from the floor.
The final score would end up being 67-38, the Gold Nuggets largest margin of victory this season
The women’s basketball team looks to continue to build on their success against SUNO next Monday.
Paul Quinn College, a private, religiously affiliated and historically black school will announce its effort to support the work college model. Beginning with the 2015-16 academic school year, students will be working in offices and departments on campus or with local businesses.
Students are to work their entire enrollment and in exchange, they will pay less tuition. President Sorrell recently spoke to HBCU Buzz on this next chapter of Paul Quinn College:
[pull_quote_center]”Our students drove this decision. We listened to what they said and what they could not say. We also heard the stress in their voices and saw the fear in their eyes. Every single dollar mattered to them. Hopefully, by adopting this system, they understand how they attend a college that loves them.”[/pull_quote_center]
Joining this effort will make Paul Quinn the 8th school in the nation but the first in a city the size of Dallas. The school is making strides to grow enrollment and to be more affordable. A few years ago, the school was in the media for successfully converting its football field into a farm.
“What we were trying to accomplish has always been very clear. We think there is a place in higher education for an institution that commits itself to the needs of the population and the communities they serve.” Sorrell told the Texas Tribune.
To attend the institution, tuition is $14,275 per year. With work credits and other assistance, on average that student wouldn’t pay more than $2,300 a year. Sorrell also told the Texas Tribune that “We have made a decision to function leanly in order to pass our savings onto our students, that’s just the right thing to do. It’s who we are, and that’s taking care of our family.”
Behind a career effort from junior guard Brian Darden, the Hampton University men’s basketball team stormed past Morgan State 93-65 in front of a national ESPNU audience Monday night in Hill Field House.
The Pirates, with their third straight win, improved to 11-14 overall and 7-5 in the MEAC.
Darden (Hampton, Va.) scored a career-high 23 points, going 7-for-8 from the floor and hitting six of his seven 3-pointers. Junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) added 17 points, while junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) chipped in 10 points.
Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
In scoring a season-high 93 points, the Pirates shot 54.4 percent (31-for-57) from the floor and hit nine of 22 3-pointers (40.9 percent). Hampton shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the floor in the first half alone, hitting eight of 16 3-pointers.
Hampton also held a 51-37 edge in rebounds.
There were four lead changes and two ties in the opening minutes of the contest, and the game was tied at 10-10 with 15:57 left in the first half. But a 3-pointer from Darden at the 14:49 mark gave the Pirates a 13-10 lead and broke the game open early.
In fact, that bucket kicked off a 23-4 run, and the Pirates took a 33-14 lead with 9:26 left in the half following a putback from Johnson. Read Full at HamptonPriates.com
(WBOC) PRINCESS ANNE, Md.—University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hall of Famer and member of the storied National Invitational Tournament Team, Dr. Michael D. Casey, was recognized on recently by the school’s National Alumni Association as they inducted him into the UMES Hall of Excellence. The HOE ceremony was held on campus as part of the school’s annual Homecoming celebration and is a bi-annual event that takes place on the years opposite the school’s athletic Hall of Fame ceremony.
A 1975 Business Administration graduate of UMES, Casey first earned accolades helping his men’s basketball team to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championship in 1974. The team went on to earn a spot in the prestigious NIT and became the first Historically Black College or University to earn a berth to the event. Soon after, UMES won their first round game over Manhattan, 84-81, becoming the first HBCU to win an NIT game. The team finished the season with a 27-2 record, was ranked during the season as high as No. 20 in the National Associated Press poll and finished the regular season with one loss, enough at the time to deny the Hawks a bid to the NCAA Tournament, which took just 25 teams at the time. Read Full
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member and North Carolina Central University great, Sam Jones’ jersey, will be raised on March 5th between the Women’s and Men’s double header against in-state rival North Carolina A&T University.
Sam Jones parlayed a prolific career in which he became the second leading scorer in NCCU history, a record he still holds, into being drafted in the first round by the NBA’s winningest franchise the Boston Celtics.
During his 12 year NBA career, all for the Celtics, Jones would eventually become a dominant force winning 10 championships, second only to teammate Bill Russell.
As far as Individual accomplishments are concerned Jones was not lacking in that area either. He would be selected to five All-Star Teams and named an All Pro three times. After his career he would be selected into both the NBA 25th anniversary team and the 50th Anniversary team as well. Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Sam Jones is also a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the NCCU Hall of Fame.
C-SPAN is hosting a historically black college and university tour, where they will visit several HBCUs in honor of Black History Month. Wednesday, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Dr. Elmira Mangum sat down with C-SPAN host, Greta Wodele Brawner.
Mangum, Elmira. Interviewed by Greta Wodele Brawner. Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Washington Journal, 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
In this clip, Michael Imhotep breaks down the misinformation about John Hanson being a Black President. This is a ground breaking presentation originally uploaded to youtube.com by user: mjrob1914, providing verifiable evidence proving that John Hanson wasn’t President. This is a 15 minute clip of a 4.5 Hr lecture by Michael Imhotep, Executive Producer & Host of “The African History Network Show called “Should African-Americans Celebrate Black History Month: Exposing The Myths”. The presentation deals with the origins of “Black History Month”, why it was created and what we need to do to make it relevant for us today. Visit www.TheAfricanHistoryNetwork.com to purchase this DVD Item #744.
This in-depth presentation dispels myths regarding African and African-American history in an astonishing way that will surprise you. This lecture is full of sources such as articles, video clips, websites and more. Once you watch this DVD you will ask the question, “Is Black History part of American History or is American History part of African History?”.
Norfolk State University launches LiveSafe to increase campus safety. According the NSU press, LiveSafe is the leading mobile technology solution being used by forward thinking schools in 18 states across the United States. Norfolk State is the first HBU in the country to partner with LiveSafe. They adopted the problem solver to allow students, faculty and staff to forwardly contact campus safety officials for a wide range of safety issues.
A launch event was held by the University for the new app earlier this month at the Norfolk State University Student Center lobby for students, faculty and staff.
NSU Press states that the LiveSafe campus safety app enables a two-way communication system between students and campus officials. Students can share information about anything from suspicious activity and mental health concerns to sexual assault and violence – through text, photo or video directly from their smart phones – and anonymously if they choose. Safety officials can respond to these actionable and monitor real-time information from a Command Dashboard to help ensure a safe environment for all members of the community. Additionally, app users can receive important broadcast notifications sent by Norfolk State University.
Acting Norfolk State University Police Chief Ted Price told NSU Press “LiveSafe is a powerful communication tool that will help us create a closer, more connected community. Students are deeply connected to their smartphones, so providing them with a modern solution to share safety information made sense for our campus.”
“LiveSafe is committed to making the world a safer place and we’re proud to partner with prestigious institutions like Norfolk State University,” said LiveSafe President & CEO, Jenny Abramson.
“Technology is breaking down barriers for students to take more control of their campuses, to more effectively look out for one another, and to create a safer environment that ensures students get most out of their college experience.”
