CSU Surprises Kentucky Wesleyan in 64-62 Win

Posted by HBCU Editors
Posted on
With a chance to climb up the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings, the Central State men’s basketball team defeated perennial conference power Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday, 64-62.

With the win, the Marauders have put together a string of three consecutive victories for the first time this season and are now tied in the loss column for the top spot in the G-MAC.

Kentucky Wesleyan, which had a 9 game winning streak snapped in a 1 point loss to Cedarville on Thursday, led the entire 1st half. KWC’s leading scorer Ken-Jah Bosley had 9 points to help give his team a 34-23 lead at the break. The CSU shooters struggled to connect in the first stanza, converting just 29% from the field and managed just 1 basket from beyond the arc.

“Things weren’t going our way in the first,” CSU Head Coach Joseph Price said. “We were able to hang around in the first and kept ourselves in the game with good defense.”

The momentum shifted in the second as the Marauders went on a 11-0 run capped by a fast break layup from Masceo Harmon at the 13:07 mark to give his team a 42-38 lead. Kentucky Wesleyan managed to keep pace and came back to tie the game(55-55) on a CJ Blackwell layup with 3:50 to play. Tre’ Edwards came back down on the other end to score to put CSU back up by 2. Forward Raheem Lemons delivered a crowd energizing put back dunk at the 1:40 mark to give the Marauders a 4 point lead. A layup by KWC’s Patrick Neel cut the lead back down to 2. Free throw shooting proved to be crucial down the stretch with CSU unable to put the Panthers away due to a 3-6 performance in the last 1:23 of the game. Bosley had a chance to tie the game for the Panthers from the line but failed to convert the first attempt. Forced to foul, KWC sent Jeremy Brown to the line. Brown made 1 of 2 with 4.6 seconds left. The ball found its way into KWC’s CJ Blackwell, who’s potential game winner from half court came up short at the buzzer.

“Our focus all week was on this game,” Masceo Harmon said. “We managed to stay strong through the ups and the downs of the game and came out on top. This is a huge win for our team.”

Harmon scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Lemons racked up 12 points and 13 rebounds. Brown finished with 11 points and 2 steals. Tre’ Edwards finished with a game high 3 steals to go along with 9 points. Central State’s game against Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday (13-3; 3-0) is scheduled for a 4 pm tip-off.

CSU, which does not have a player over 6’5 in its rotation, managed to outrebound a much longer Kentucky Wesleyan team 39 to 37. The Marauders also held an edge 38-26 edge in points in the paint.

Kentucky Wesleyan fell to 13-4 overall with a 3-2 mark in the conference.

Now at 10-6 overall and 3-1 in the G-MAC, the Marauders will head to West Virginia to face Salem International on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on MarauderSports.com.

Central State’s Masceo Harmon Gets Nod for Player of the Game

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
Posted on
The Central State Marauders stunned the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers in a thriller that had everyone on the edges of their seats right down to the end of play, winning 64-62 at home today.

“This is a huge win for our team,” said Senior Guard Masceo Harmon, who scored a game-high 21 points, and named the Player of the Game.

He added, “Our focus all week was on this game. We managed to stay strong through the ups and the downs of the game and came out on top.”

Nancy Grace, 2 Chainz Stirs the Pot About Marijuana

Posted by LaTavia McQueen
Posted on
Updated 2:01 pm 1/16/2015

Nancy Grace invites rapper 2 Chainz on to her HLN show for a surprisingly amazing debate over the legalization of marijuana.

During the debate the rapper, who graduated from Alabama State University with a 4.0 while on a basketball scholarship, gave some insight on why he thinks marijuana should be legalized.

Go Gathright, Go!

Posted by Sonia Montalvo
Posted on
GO Gathright, GO!

XULA’s own Whitney Gathright has been chosen as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Though this is Gathright’s second time with the GCAC award, this is the first time this season an XULA women’s basketball player (Gold Nuggets) has walked away with the accolade.

Gathright, a New Orleans native has had quite an exceptional career thus far, and is proving day in and day out that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Currently a Junior at XULA, Whitney has averaged 14. 1 points, as well as 3.7 assists in this season alone. Lets not forget to mention that she has 33 made 3-pointers under her belt.

Whitney recently assisted her team with the first win XULA has had over Talladega College in 13 years. Gathright scored 18 points in the game, Ultimately taking the Gold Nuggets to VICTORY.

On January 10th,Whitney Gathright helped her team to a 61-48 triumph at home against Philander Smith College. Gathright scored seven points in the last four minutes of the game.

We see you Whitney Gathright! Handle that Rock!

Posted by Sonia Montalvo Posted on 67 articles

Honda to Honor TSU Assistant with the “First Power of Dreams” Award

Posted by LaTavia McQueen
Posted on
Audrey Stradford of Tennesee State University is being recognized with the “Power of Dreams” Award at the 13th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase on January 24.

The Power of Dreams Award is meant to honor an individual who has helped HBCU culture thrive—by helping students achieve their dreams through positive support, guidance and leadership within the institution or community. Stradford will be the first to be recognized.

The financial aid assistant, known as “Miss Audrey” graduated from TSU in 1966 with a degree in Sociology. Though she returned to the university only 12 years ago, she has maintained her presence at TSU for more than 30 years by returning back to campus to volunteer over the years.

No matter if it was new student move in, homecoming activities, or encouraging students to remain in school and study hard Stradford never ceased to lend a helping hand to any student. Michelle Allen, who wrote the nomination for the award, said Stradford has made an impact on the lives of many students over the years and is very deserving of the award.

“’Miss Audrey’ has been very instrumental in the lives of students here on campus,” said Allen, TSU band office manager. She went on how to say how Stradford serves as a mother figure and does things for the students out of the goodness of her heart.

When first hearing the news Stradford found it hard to believe. “I was shocked and actually thought someone was pulling my leg,” said Stradford.

She added, “I’ve always been one to work behind the scenes. I’ve been a giver my whole life and it is hard for me to be on the receiving end.”

Stradford’s main focus has been to reach out a helping hand to students who just need a kind word of encouragement, or a motivational “kick in the pants” when they need it.

It is not uncommon to see her open her checkbook to help pay for a student’s textbook and tuition or buy them a hot meal. According to Stradford, it is the joy of seeing “her” students graduate after sometimes struggling, that makes it all worth it for her.

“The proudest moment for me is watching the students I’ve had an influence on walk across that stage and receive their diploma. And that gives me the greatest satisfaction and makes it all worth it.”

Phillip Agnew Says to FAMU Students: “When Will You Answer the Call?”

Posted by Itopia Mills
Posted on
Certainly by now you have heard of the Dream Defenders, the product of some 60 students of color who organized a march in response to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Recently Phillip Agnew, the executive director of the Dream Defenders, an organization led by youth of color, has issued a call to action to all Rattlers.

Agnew took the stage of Gaither Gymnasium in Tallahassee, Florida for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at Florida A&M University and from the beginning he was set upon igniting students to rise up to the cause against social injustice in Black communities in the country.

“My question to you is, when will you answer the call?” said Agnew, who is a 2008 graduate of FAMU’s School of Business and Industry.

He added, “When will you declare that we will not go quietly into the night? When will you rise up for the youngest of these, the most innocent of these? The time is now.”

In his speech Agnew charged all Rattlers, young and old, to embrace the winds of change and begin to build on something new: “It’s time to rise up. It’s time to strike, strike and strike again,” Agnew said.

In addition, he stated that there is so much more work that still needs to be done and the students at FAMU, and elsewhere are able to do it, and expressed his feelings of gratitude towards FAMU and the Black college experience.

“It was here [at FAMU], it was here, and it was here that I discovered I had to fight back. If I can do only one thing this morning, I want to tell you it’s time to fight back,” Agnew said.

Trevecca Nazarene Gets the Better of Central State

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
Posted on
Box Score WILBERFORCE, Ohio – It was a tough lost playing at home for the Central State women’s basketball team against the visiting Trevecca Nazarene Trojans (7-8) tonight.

The Lady Marauders (3-10; 1-4) could not make a stop defensively when it matter most and lost to the away team, 69-76.

Central State University President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond was in the house with as many as 724 students in attendance to watch the double header game featuring both CSU Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams in action against the Trojans, but was sad to see the home team Lady Marauders suffer a heartbreaking defeat.

The Lady Marauders shot poorly at 29.41% from the field in the first half and improved late in the game, shooting just under half of its shots at 44.12% in the second half.

Senior Guard Iniquia Snell scored multiple 3-pointers and was 6-13 from the field in a notable effort to get the dub for CSU. The Lady Marauders however failed to get the win after tying up the game 41-41 in the 2nd half of play since being on the defensive and trailing throughout against the Trojans.

In order to get the game tied at 41-41, Guard Kourtni Perry made a clutch shot to make it 37-39, Trojans. Later Guard Demetria Nunley-Lash made a big 3-pointer to finally tie the game as the Lady Marauders was on a roll offensively.

But the story of this game was the Lady Marauder’s inability to make stops defensively against the Trojans.

The Lady Marauders plays GMAC foe Kentucky Wesleyan University next on Saturday, Jan. 17

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @MeadeReport

9 Things to Know Before Dating at an HBCU

Posted by
Posted on
If dating were a movie, it would be like the film Inception, or Prestige, or Trance or Double Jeopardy or some other really big film that has 5-star plot twist, but is not really understandable. If dating on an HBCU campus were a movie…the film director would soon realize he/she needed to make it a reality show instead because dating at a black college would not be a movie, it would be a reality show. And a really good show.

When dating on an HBCU campus, each campus has its own dynamics. But 9 things will never change:

In the prime, don’t waste your time

Understand at the collegiate age, the students are in their prime. What does this mean? In most cases, it means young men and young women are experiencing a new environment different from high school, and are adjusting to more freedom. For guys, they prioritize: having fun, being free of obligation, and exploring new things. It is a rightfully selfish time adolescent males and experience.

For women, we prioritize having fun, being free of obligation, and exploring new things. Young women and young women express priorities differently.

Ladies: do not get caught being his exploration of something new. Do not confuse him having fun with you as being in a relationship.

Gents: do not sell a dream, and do not dig to reveal what someone you are interested in desires by pretending to be what she desires.

Joe Shmoe vs. Mr. President

Ever wonder why girls go for certain types?

I recently overheard a conversation between two guys in Starbucks, and they were trying to figure out how one guy has women throwing themselves at him for sex, and the other gets thrown marriage proposals, arranged marriage, and more serious, permanent offers. I had pointed out, after politely interrupting them, that if a girl is looking for intimacy it is likely she will draw an introverted guy who is an innate gentleman, which has already made her comfortable. Not the ladies man, who is already presumed to have a high body count and tons of options.

One point for the Joe Shmoes out there.

Time is everything and being proportionate matters

If someone does not respect your time, they do not respect you.

Think of dating as a meal at a picnic: there is a red and white checker-print blanket between you and your date, and the both of you each have a basket. It is not ideal to simply dump your basket out.

It is ideal however to empty the baskets together, i.e. sharing “food” at the same time–if he pulls out the beans, match him with a salad, and if she takes out the potato salad, share the pasta.

Know your worth

If you have a list of things you may want in a man/woman, have you seriously asked yourself your own worth? What do you bring to the table? Be honest with yourself.

Ladies: you say you want that millionaire, but what have you saved? Yes, you are cute. But what millionaire WANTS a broke woman? You will have more confidence in this type of relationship having your own anyway. So get to saving.

Gents: you say you want a woman that has her own, that “Miss Independent” woman. But do your have your own? Do you still depend on your mother, or have you even moved out of her house yet?

Dorms do not count.

Nobody wants to wife the girl that has been smashed by all the homies

…and knows the secret escape routes to all the male dorms. NOBODY.

And nobody wants to date the guy who will spit game to a paper bag. Again, NOBODY (no one of quality, at least)!

WOW…so you are excited that you have met someone in the family?

Cute, but certain members of the family do not count as much as you think. Introductions to brothers and sisters are typically used to make the person being introduced comfortable.

Let your heart skip a beat if/when you meet your significant other’s mother or grandmother.

Status matters to some people

I know we have all seen those couples that ‘should not’ be together. Then you discover that one is a Nupe or an AKA, and you erase this conception from your little collegiate list of worries because that fact alone gave their relationship justification.

Guilty.

Everybody knows people that date for status purposes. It is not right, but that is life.

When he or she gets “off line,” he/she will be a bit different…

Expect it and get over it.

Nobody pledges Alpha Phi Alpha to become He Phi He nor Delta Sigma Theta to become She Phi She. Greeks (most, sadly) are going to be ‘different’ than what you remember them as because…they are now Greek.

Jay-Z says it best, nobody works really hard to remain the same.

Both guys and girls gossip

So if you are sleeping around, SOMEBODY will know.

I would argue that in some ways, contrary to popular belief, information regarding sexual promiscuity spreads at a more rapid pace among males. I believe males have a tendency to be more open when it comes to sharing information regarding women, primarily because they are realistic about the longevity potential for the relationship, and only protect information of females who are not “hoe-ing around” and who they truly like.

Raised in a society that denounces feminism, women are constantly trying fulfill our personal definitions of being a grown woman, and in most cases, because that definition does not include sleeping with the university, we opt to conceal our business.

..Oh and ladies, I am also saying, if you are not dating, and sometimes even if you are, that cool trick that you got from  that ‘cool’ website, and that one time at band camp when you “lost your mind,” more likely than not, he told his boys.

Date responsibly.

Vice President Biden Announces $25 Million Cybersecurity Grant to HBCUs

Posted by Robert Hoggard
Posted on
Norfolk State University, a historically black college or university (HBCU), will be the lead site for a $25 million cybersecurity grant for Black colleges that will be announced today, Thursday by Vice President Joe Biden and the White House.

From the White House, “The Vice President will make the announcement as part of a roundtable discussion with a classroom of cybersecurity leaders and students at Norfolk State University. The visit builds on the President’s announcements on cybersecurity earlier this week, focusing on the critical need to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. job market, while also diversifying the pipeline of talent in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The event and announcement is also an opportunity to highlight the Administration’s ongoing commitment to HBCUs.”

The White House will bring together 13 of the country’s 107 Black colleges in order to work hand in hand with minority students to get the better of the “rapid growth” of cybercrime:

There is a “…growing need for cybersecurity professionals across a range of industries, from financial services, health care, and retail to the US government itself,” according to WhiteHouse.gov on the increasing amount of cybercrime in the country.

The full list of participating HBCU members are:

Virginia

Norfolk State University (lead)

Georgia

Clark Atlanta University

Paine College

Maryland

Bowie State University

North Carolina

North Carolina A&T State University

South Carolina

Allen University

Benedict College

Claflin University

Morris College

South Carolina State University

Voorhees College

US Virgin Islands

University of the Virgin Islands

Former NFL Player, Willie Jackson to Direct Athletics at EWC

Posted by Sonia Montalvo
Posted on
Congratulations are in order to former NFL player Willie Bernard Jackson Jr., who has been recently appointed as the Athletic Director of Edward Waters College.

Edward Waters College, which is the oldest private institution in the state of Florida, released the official statement of Jackson’s new position on Jan. 7 via President Nathaniel Jackson.

Jackson succeeds former EWC Athletic Director Johnny Rember, who served in the position for 10 years until he retired this past July.

Jackson started his football career at University of Florida during undergrad where he played for three years. He started his professional career with the NFL in the 1990s. During his career, he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cincinnati Bengals, the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Washington Redskins. 

Jackson played eight seasons and retired in the year 2004, and finished his career as a wide receiver with 284 receptions, 3,641 yards, and 24 touchdowns.

Congrats to you Willie Bernard Jackson Jr., and welcome to the HBCU community!

 

XULA Women’s Basketball Beats Tougaloo

Posted by Robert Hoggard
Posted on
The Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) Gold Nuggets beat out the Tougaloo Bulldogs 69-58 in a “slew of season and career highs” on Monday.

The Gold Nugget now has three wins in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, and remains undefeated in conference play this season.

XU led the way the entire game, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half and it seemed as if the Bulldogs were no match for XULA’s firepower on Monday.

From SportsNOLA, “Four scored in double figures for the Gold Nuggets (10-9, 3-0 GCAC), led by freshman Ireyon Keith with a career-high-tying 13 points. Donyeah Mayfield and Whitney Gathright scored 12 points apiece — Mayfield matched her season high — and sophomore Kelsee Singleton produced her first XU double-double with a career-high-tying 10 points and a career-best 10 rebounds.”

The Gold Nuggets will play city rival SUNO at 5:30 p.m next Monday at XU’s Convocation Center.

Read more at XULA.edu/athletics

Empire a New Fav?

Posted by Sonia Montalvo
Posted on
On Jan. 7 Fox debuted their new scripted show Empire starring some of our favorites, Terrence Howard and Howard grad Taraji P. Henson. The two play a couple who went separate ways after Henson, who plays “Cookie,” goes to prison for a drug deal gone bad.

The premiere of the FOX show attracted the attention of 9.8 million viewers. With Empire centering on hip hop culture, and drama (because really, who is not interested in both these days?), it looks as though it will turn out to be a series with longevity.

The money “Cookie” recoups from her drug dealing lifestyle is what starts her Ex-Husband “Lucious Lyons’” (Terrance Howard) multi-million dollar Music Business, Empire Records. The show centers upon Cookies’ return where she is determined to get what she believes she rightfully deserves, and also focuses in on Lucious’ decision on which of his three sons will run the company after he steps down.

Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal (Jussie Smollett), and Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Gray), are all extremely different from one another, and each of them wants to take over the family business. It all simply comes down to who is right for the job, in Lucious Lyons’ eyes.

The series, being based upon a musical aspect, features music produced by Grammy Award Winning Producer Timbaland. We all know that Timbaland can bang out the hits in the studio, so this show definitely is not falling short of grace in this area.

Reviews for the show are exhibiting fence riding or skeptical tendencies. But it looks as though people are at least going to give the show a chance before they shoot it down completely:

From Hollywood Reporter, “Empire does much more right than it does wrong is encouraging — but it’s always hard to judge the actual quality of a series, or even what that series will eventually be, by just one episode.”

While the show is giving us good acting, the plot does seem to be somewhat broad, nevertheless it is interesting, and will create some curiosity among its viewers.

The premiere was the highest rated among Fox’s shows in the past three years. The next episode will air on Jan. 14 on FOX at 9/8c.

Tell us your thoughts on Empire by commenting below.

3 Tuskegee Students Shot in Off-Campus Incident

Posted by Itopia Mills
Posted on

Three of Tuskegee University’s students were wounded during an off-campus shooting Saturday night. The university is currently cooperating and working side-by-side with the City of Tuskegee police to investigate the incident.  

“Tuskegee University confirms that there has been an off-campus shooting involving three of its students,” university officials say. “The City of Tuskegee police department is investigating the incident. University representatives have visited and been in contact with the students and their families. The students are in stable condition and are expected to recover from their injuries. The university is cooperating with local authorities regarding the investigation.”

One victim, 19-year-old student Ayden Harris, was shot five times and is now in stabled condition in the Intensive Care Unit at East Alabama Medical Center, reports say. 

Family members of Harris, and others are still trying to piece together exactly what happened that Saturday, and the university is currently conducting its own investigation to determine whether there have been any violations to their student code of conduct policy.

“He’s in good hands here at the medical center. But he is in, ICU, intensive care, and that means a lot to me,” Harris’s uncle, Carl Hemphill told WTVM.

“He’s a real strong guy. He’s an A-student, pre-med, ROTC, he’s part of a fraternity – a real cream of the crop I would say. And I’m real surprised that this incident took place and he was involved with it. So I’m still trying to figure it out and piece together what exactly took place,” Hemphill said.

Counseling services are being made available to those who have been impacted by this incident. The university is also asking that any information on the alleged shooter be given to the City of Tuskegee police department at 334-727-0200.

This story is still developing.

40 People Reported Taken to Howard U. Hospital After Smoke Filled DC Subway Station

Posted by HBCU Editors
Posted on
Updated 1/13/2015, 4:07 p.m. EST

Some 40 people were taken to Howard University Hospital in the nation’s capital after smoke from an unidentified source filled one of Washington D.C.’s most busiest subway stations, reports say.

Authorities say the L’Enfant Plaza station was evacuated around 3:30 p.m. and at least a dozen people with injuries and one casualty was reported.

From Newser, Fire and EMS Spokeswoman Caroline Laurin confirmed that a person had died, but did not offer an official statement.

Laurin did however report that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), whose office is just seconds away from the L’Enfant metro station, where at the scene and are conducting an investigation.

More on this story as it continues to develop.