Authorities in Natchez are investigating after someone shot a BB gun at an Alcorn State University band bus.
The band was returning from Houston, Texas where it claimed first place at the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship.
Police said Sunday around 9:20 p.m., someone shattered a couple of windows on the bus while no one was in it while parked at the McDonald’s on Highway 61 in Natchez.
Aggies Fall in MEAC Debut to Howard
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N.C.A&T has not been opportunistic so far this season, and that trend spilled over into conference play Saturday afternoon.
James Miller had 17 points and James Carlton added 12 points and 12 rebounds as Howard opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play with a 54-47 victory over N.C. A&T.
A&T held a 38-36 lead with 12:33 left when Miller drove for a layup to start a 12-2 run and a 48-40 lead at the 6:37 mark, and then held on for the win.
“The story of our season is that we don’t know how to win,” A&T coach Cy Alexander said. “It’s frustrating, because we’re in every ballgame. But in the last 10 minutes of games, we don’t have the experience or the leadership to win.”
Howard (5-4,1-0 MEAC) overwhelmed the Aggies in the paint, finishing with a 34-16 advantage, and grabbed 38 boards compared to 29 for A&T.
The Aggies (1-8, 0-1) held James Daniel III, Howard’s leading scorer averaging 16.2 points, to a career-low four points. READ FULL
Cheyney University Interim President Frank G. Pogue has announced that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the body that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, has reaffirmed the University’s accreditation. In doing so, the MSCHE team closely examined the school and its programs, making sure that it lives up to its promises to students.
“This is outstanding news from one of the nation’s most respected accrediting bodies,” Dr. Pogue told the Cheyney campus community. “It sends a very clear message that Cheyney University, America’s first HBCU, continues its tradition of offering a quality education to its students. It also underscores the fine quality of our curriculum, students, faculty and staff.”
In giving its stamp of approval, the MSCHE team commended Cheyney University for the quality of its selfstudy process and report READ FULL
Hampton, Va. – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has signed a three-year agreement with Strategic Marketing Affiliates (SMA) as the exclusive licensing agency for the Conference through 2017. SMA was recently purchased by Learfield Sports and will immediately become part of the Learfield family of companies. This is the first time the conference has partnered with an organization to manage the licensing of its 100-plus year old brand.Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
SMA, which also represents five CIAA member-institutions, will provide consulting services to establish the CIAA’s licensing policies, and will launch and manage the CIAA’s comprehensive licensing plan and program designed to become an added revenue stream. SMA will also provide accounting, design and marketing services to maximize the use of the program for CIAA licensees, and will monitor marks and logos for unauthorized use.
“This agreement is the next logical step in the growth of the CIAA’s brand and impact,” said Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “We are excited to put a plan in place with that will make working with our brand even easier by providing clear guidelines to those vendors who support our championships and other events.”
Future plans may include the development of a CIAA e-commerce store, where fans will be able to purchase CIAA-branded apparel and more.
“Having a consistent image is critical to the success of any organization,” said Tony Johnson, senior vice president – SMA. “We work with hundreds of schools and conferences to ensure they are maximizing their marks, receiving royalties and addressing the unauthorized use of their image. We look forward to taking the CIAA’s 100-plus year tradition to the next level.”
(Johnson C. Smith Athletics) Charlotte, N.C. (Dec. 6, 2014) – The Johnson C. Smith men’s basketball team came back from as many as 22 points down to take a thrilling 61-60 win over visiting Morehouse in the CIAA-SIAC Challenge at Brayboy Gym on Saturday afternoon.Morehouse got off to a quick start, jumping ahead of the Golden Bulls 16-7 at the 9:42 mark in the first half. A pair of free throws by JCSU’s Stedmon Lemon (Lithonia, Ga.) pulled the Golden Bulls to within 16-9. A Morehouse three-point play extended their lead to 20-9.
A dunk by the Maroon Tigers Tyrone Brown forced a JCSU timeout and boosted the Morehouse lead to 24-9 with 6:57 to play.
A steal and dunk by Gabon Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) drew the Golden Bulls to within 29-13 at 4:04 in the first half.
Robert Askew would put Morehouse up 35-16 on a layup, but missed the ensuing free throw attempt with 1:45 left in the first half. JCSU’s Lemon would hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to provide the 40-21 halftime advantage for Morehouse.
JCSU shot a dismal 8-25 (32%) from the field in the first half, including a 3-10 mark from long-range while Morehouse connected on 45.7% (16-35) of their shots.
Alandre Davis (Florence, S.C.) slammed home a follow off a miss early in the second half to begin the JCSU rally. A 16-7 JCSU run that included a Markel Lotharp (Marshville, N.C.) baseline jumper and a Williams layup would narrow the Morehouse lead to 44-33 with 11:52 remaining. Diondre Pratt (Morven, N.C.) would add a scooping layup during the run as well as two free throws at 10:52 to trim the Morehouse lead to 47-37.
JCSU would draw closer, forcing a Morehouse timeout when Robert Davis, III (West Friendship, Md.) would hit a jumper to make it 47-39 with 9:37 remaining.
Raston Brown (Hephizibah, Ga.) would pull JCSU to within one a 47-46 by making a twisting layup that banked in. The succeeding free throw would be good. Brown would give JCSU their first lead at 48-47 on another layup. Morehouse would regain the lead when Michael Scott would hit a three in front on the team bench to quiet the JCSU crowd. Following a JCSU turnover, Morehouse would go up 52-48 on a dunk from Tyrone Brown. Morehouse would add two free throws to go ahead 54-48 with 6:07 left.
A dunk by Lemon would bring JCSU closer at 54-51 following a Morehouse turnover. Alandre Davis would come up with the loose ball and would fire the outlet pass to Joshua Linson (San Antonio, Tex.). Linson then delivered the pass that set up the Lemon dunk.
Following another Morehouse turnover, Lotharp would hit two more free throws to draw within one at 54-53 with 2:24 remaining. On the ensuing Morehouse possession, Tyrius Walker would turn it over again. A JCSU turnover would lead to an apparent easy basket by Morehouse, but the lay up would draw iron, giving JCSU another opportunity to take the lead. The Golden Bulls would capitalize when Lotharp would drain a huge three from the top of the arc, giving JCSU the 56-54 lead with 1:32 left.
After a JCSU timeout, Morehouse would draw a foul, sending Michael Scott to the line for a pair of free throws. Scott would hit one, to bring Morehouse to within one at 56-55. Linson would try to put the game out of reach with a three, but was fouled by Johnathan Walker with 51.6 remaining. Linson would hit one-of-three foul shots to extend the JCSU lead to two at 57-55 with 45.1 remaining.
Out of the Morehouse timeout, the Maroon Tigers would tie it at 57-57 on a Brandon Glover jumper. Diondre Pratt’s slicing layup with 17.6 remaining gave JCSU the 59-57 lead. Following a JCSU timeout, a Morehouse three-point attempt by Scott was long and Lemon brought in the rebound and was fouled. Lemon hit two free throws to extend the lead to 61-57. Morehouse would call timeout with 1.7 and Scott heaved a half-court shot that beat the buzzer, but it was not enough as JCSU took the 61-60 win.
JCSU would finish the game shooting 21-50 (42%). The Golden Bulls were very efficient from the foul line hitting on 15 of 19 attempts (78.9%). Morehouse would shoot 38.3% (23-60) in the losing effort.
Johnson C. Smith Athletics
(Claflin Athletics) – Orangeburg, S.C.—After battling from nine down with just over eight minutes remaining, the Claflin University men’s basketball team come up just short, falling by one 49-50, to Clayton State in a non-conference game in Tullis Arena.
The loss is the third straight for the Panthers who drop to 2-5 on the season.
Claflin scored the first two points of the game and stayed pretty even with Clayton State over the first six-plus minutes of the game.
The Lakers then took control of the game, scoring the next seven-of-nine points to take a seven point advantage, 8-15, with 11:15 remaining in the half.
Clayton State pushed its lead to nine, 12-21, before the Panthers turned up its aggression. Claflin used an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to four, 19-23, heading into intermission.
The Lakers picked up its intensity at the start of the second half, opening on a 5-1 run to push its lead back to nine, 20-29, at the 16:49 mark.
A layup by Claflin’s Darrius Dunston at the 15:33 mark sparked a 9-2 run to aid the Panthers in decreasing the margin to two, 29-31, with 12:48 remaining in the contest.
Clayton State scored the next two points, but a layup by Dunston followed by a three-pointer by Trevor Dunston at the 10:25 mark, gave Claflin its first lead since the 18:01 mark of the first half.
The Panthers lead was short-lived as a jumper by Kelsey Terry less than 15 seconds later gave the Lakers the one-point lead, 34-35.
The teams exchanged leads and the Panthers enjoyed its biggest lead of four, 49-45, with 2:08 remaining but Clayton State kept pressing.
The Lakers managed to connect on a layup with 10 seconds followed by a free-throw with five seconds remaining to secure the one point victory.
Despite the loss, the Panthers had two players to finish in double-figures led by Darrius Dunston, who came off the bench to score 14. Fare’al Walker, who had a well-balanced night, scored 10 points with a game-high eight rebounds.
Reginald Baptiste pulled in seven rebounds with two blocks for Claflin.
Jamil McKee scored 13 and Kelsey Terry scored 11 points to pace Clayton State, who improved to 7-1 on the season.
Richard Bell and William Asplund pulled in four rebounds to lead the Lakers on the boards.
Claflin Athletics
(MEAC Media Relations) NEWARK, Del. — Showing no ill effects from its nearly 10 thousand mile trip to Hawaii this week, the Delaware State men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a 66-53 win over Delaware at the Carpenter Center today.
Kendall Gray recorded his fourth straight double-double, tallying a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs, to lead the Hornets.
Gray, who was nine-for-14 from the field, has hit 32 of his last 46 shots over the past five games (.696). He has six double-doubles this season and 18 in his career.
His previous career scoring high was 20 points vs. Norfolk State last season.
Delaware State was 23-for-54 from the field (42.6%), but just four-of-18 from three-point territory (22.2%). The Hens were 30.4% from the field, hitting on 17 of their 56 shots.
The Hornets won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Hens 45-34.
Delaware State won its second straight game at the Carpenter Center to cut Delaware’s lead in the all-time series between the state’s two Division I programs to 11-4. The road team has won each of the last four games in the series. The margin of victory was DSU’s largest in the series.
Delaware State has won two of its last three games to improve to 4-4 this season. Delaware fell to 0-7.
The Hornets are home for the first time since Nov. 17 when they host Campbell in their next outing this Wednesday (Dec. 10). Game time is 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
NCCU knocks off Howard in Big Apple Classic
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Anthony McDonald scored a game-high 21 points and Jordan Parks recorded his second straight double-double to lead North Carolina Central University to a convincing 61-39 victory in Sunday’s nightcap of the “Big Apple Classic” inside the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
The win is the fifth in-a-row for the Eagles, who improve to 6-3 overall and remain unbeaten in MEAC play at 2-0.
McDonald drained 7 of 15 three-point field goal attempts to help NCCU shoot 40.0 percent (10-for-25) from behind the arc as a team.
Parks, playing close to his hometown Queens, New York, scored 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the floor, while collecting 13 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
NCCU point guard Nimrod Hilliard tallied nine points and distributed eight assists, while Dante Holmes contributed nine points, six boards, three assists and two steals, and Karamo Jawara chipped in seven points and six caroms for the Eagles.
Howard (5-5, 1-1 MEAC) was topped by James Daniel with 14 points as the only Bison to score in double figures. The Eagles held Howard to just 29.5 percent shooting from the field, making 13 of 44 shot attempts.
Up next, NCCU visits the Maryland Terrapins (8-1) on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
MEAC Media Relations
FAMU Fundraises Under Mangum
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If Elmira Mangum is being graded on her fundraising acumen, she certainly deserves an “A” – if not an A plus.
Mangum, the first female president in Florida A&M’s history, took office April 1 with a pledge to bring much-needed resources to the university.
It’s happening. Just five months into the fiscal year, FAMU is more than halfway to its annual $5.5 million goal, Thomas Haynes, vice president for university advancement, told the university’s trustees. Giving is up almost 175 percent from the same time last year, he added.
Mangum, who was vice president for budget and planning at Cornell University before coming to FAMU, estimated that 75 percent of her time has been devoted to fundraising and “friend raising.” She told FAMU’s trustees during their Thursday meeting that the university desperately needs resource to establish endowed faculty positions. She has been targeting corporations and research institutions for funding in addition to alumni for their support. Read Full
Bowie, Md. – Clyde Doughty, Jr., a veteran of intercollegiate athletics administration including 32 years of experience at New York Institute of Technology, has been named the new director of athletics at Bowie State University, beginning Jan. 7, 2015.
Doughty was director of intercollegiate athletics and managed the recreation and intramural programs at the Old Westbury campus of NYIT from 1988-2014. He served as the academic advisor to student athletes in 1982 and became the assistant director of athletics in 1984. A native of Queens, N.Y., Doughty first went to NYIT on a basketball scholarship in 1976 and enjoyed a playing career that included two appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including the national championship game in 1980.
“I’m extremely excited and blessed to have the opportunity to serve as the new athletics director of the Bowie State University Bulldogs,” said Doughty. “I look forward to working with the exceptional student athletes and the entire BSU community in continuing with the outstanding tradition of academic success, social development and quality athletic competition that is synonymous with Bowie State University.”
Doughty brings a wealth of experience in Division II athletics. “I have spent my entire career in Division II,” he said. “Bowie State has allowed me to continue with that experience while also becoming part of the historic Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA).”
While at NYIT Doughty counts among his successes the enhancement of the athletic department’s organizational structure and stability and the improved academic performance of student athletes. Under his leadership, the program also fielded highly competitive teams that made numerous appearances in NCAA and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) post-season play. The men’s lacrosse team appeared in the NCAA DII Championship six times, winning the title in 1997, 2003, 2005, and 2008. The lacrosse team also won the ECAC Championship in 2001, and the men’s
basketball team captured the ECAC title in 1995. Several other teams, including men’s track and field, men’s soccer, softball, women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s tennis, all earned repeated trips to post-season competition.
“Mr. Doughty comes to us with decades of high-quality experience as an athletics director in Division II and identifies strongly with student athletes,” said Bowie State University President Mickey L. Burnim. “I think he is just the right person to take our intercollegiate athletics program to a higher level of excellence, and I am very pleased about his joining our leadership team.”
“I want to thank and commend Ms. Donna Polk who has served admirably as Interim Director of Athletics since the departure of Anton Goff in July,” Burnim added.
Polk thanked Dr. Burnim for the opportunity to serve in the leadership role and for his support of the athletics program. “I am excited about the great things occurring in our department with facilities projects and improving the student athlete experience, and I look forward to our continued progression toward excellence under the new leadership of Mr. Doughty,” she said.
Doughty has been active in management roles at both the conference and national levels. He was chair of the ECAC men’s basketball committee, men’s basketball chair for the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference, or NYCAC (now the East Coast Conference), and a member of the NCAA’s Northeast Men’s Basketball Regional Committee. He was president of the NYCAC from 1994-97 and a member of the ECAC’s Executive Council from 1989-1992.
In 2001 he was named to a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Management Council to represent the ECC and was appointed to a second term in 2013. As a member of the council, he served on numerous committees and task groups, including the Division II Budget and Finance Committee, the Division II National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Graduation Rates Project Team.
Doughty has managed multi-million dollar budgets and is an accomplished fundraiser with a record of success in developing alumni programming, sponsorships and marketing initiatives. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the NYIT Athletics Bears Den Fund Raising Association and the establishment of the Bears Athletic Hall of Fame.
An advocate for educational and social development of student athletes off the field, Doughty assisted in the development of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, the BEARS Mentor Educational Program, and the Bears Care Community Service Program. He also developed the Night Out and Day Out programs as part of the award-winning Bears community engagement initiatives.
In 2004, Doughty was selected by the National Athletic Directors Association as the Division II Northeast Region Athletic Director of the Year.
Doughty holds three degrees from NYIT: a bachelor’s in business management and master’s degrees in human resource management and human relations.
19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports
(19 Action News) South Carolina State University cleared its first hurdle in its efforts to secure a $12 million loan from the state to help shore up the university’s finances.
The House Joint Bond Review Committee voted in favor of helping the university during a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
A Blue Ribbon Review Panel recommended the state give SCSU a $12 million loan. This proposed loan follows a $6 million loan the historically black public university received in April.
“I suspect there will be conversations about the merits of doing that,” said state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat from Orangeburg. Cobb-Hunter sits on the committee as does Republican Rep. Chip Limehouse, who has brought up the idea of University of South Carolina absorbing SCSU.
“I’ve not heard anybody else who shares that view.” Cobb-Hunter said. “I want to assure Bulldog Nation that that ain’t going to happen.”
South Carolina State University asked for financial assistance from the state after the university announced in April it had only enough money to function for a few months. SC State President Thomas Elzey says the loan is what the school needs to pay back its vendors. Read full 19Action News
ATLANTA (AP) – Clark Atlanta University is using a federal grant to study the use of fossil fuels while offering education and research opportunities for minority students.
Clark Atlanta associate professor of chemistry Conrad Ingram says the grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will help the university develop new chemical absorbent materials to capture greenhouse gas.
University officials say the school along with Delaware State University and Prairie View A&M are using grants of $250,000.
(SBNATION) To find Cheryl Miller now, you have to know where to look. Langston University is about 10 miles farther off the interstate than most people are willing to go. Those that do usually aren’t looking for the women’s basketball game. They’re not looking for the football game, either. Most are just looking for the Marching Pride’s halftime show. This is not a school with a budding athletic tradition or a football team that demands attention, and sometimes it seems like most people attend the games for the award-winning marching show band. Langston is a safety school for some, a last resort for many, a place many want to forget as soon as they leave it.
Driving toward that small campus in the midst of the plains of central Oklahoma — a half-hour from anywhere you want to be — you can feel like you’ve missed it. Surrounded by nothing but pasture land, you wonder if you’ve taken a wrong turn. It seems as if the only historically black college in Oklahoma is trying to hide from you. You can feel like you’re never going to find it. And all of a sudden, like a desert oasis, there it is. Brightly lit. Smack in the middle of nothing. Plain as day. A wave of relief washes over you as you smile, knowing it was there all the time. READ FULL SBNATION
One of six children who graduated from Central State University, the only public historically black college or university in the state of Ohio, Joshua I. Smith has lived a life of action. The recipient of numerous awards, Smith can now also add “Alumnus of the Year” to his resume filled with a number of citations and honors for outstanding achievement over the years.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) recently named the 1963 cum laude graduate of Central State as the 2014 “Alumnus of the Year” for his many contributions as a nationally renowned entrepreneur, business executive and speaker.
Smith originally began his marveled career as a school teacher in Washington D.C. and served on the faculties of Central State and the University of Akron before making it big with his MAXIMA Corporation, one of the largest and fastest growing African American companies in the United States.
Smith has since been the recipient of over 400 awards and is a lifetime member of the first Black Greek Lettered Organization founded on the campus of Cornell University, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
“The increased costs of college, coupled with stricter [PELL] grant and [PLUS] loan requirements, limits college access for thousands of students today,” TMCF President & CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. said at its annual Award Gala held recently.
“Every five seconds a student drops out of college usually because of money,” he said. “For this reason, TMCF brings together the nation’s most influential people to recognize our honorees, celeb rate HBCUs, and to raise money for nearly 300,000 students who attend their institutions.”
Smith, alongside three other distinguished leaders, was honored at Thurgood Marshall’s 26th Annual Awards Gala for their achievements while using “their status to support education and positively impact the lives of students attending HBCUs.”
Central State also recently renamed a prominent building after the pioneering entrepreneur–the Joshua I. Smith Center for Education and Natural Sciences.
In societies eyes America’s Black men are considered the most difficult to educate and lack adult guidance. But Black men at our nation’s 107 historically black colleges and universities HBCUs continue to break those stereotypes.
Starting your own business is one difficult task but being a young black innovator as a college student can be difficult to sustain and commit to. For Mississippi Valley State University student Vinte`vion Lake, he makes it enthusiastic and meaningful.
Here’s what he had to say:
Buzz: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur or innovator?
Lake: My favorite aspect is being able to share a vision with others and seeing your passion grow. I want my friends and people who look up to me realize that you can do and be anything you want despite the odds. It is more than getting paid to me. I love getting compliments from my peers. It makes me want to continue to grow as an idealist. I don’t believe in being stagnant. I want to continue to come up with new ideas to make me better as a designer and innovator.
Buzz: Why did you institute this particular type of business?
Lake: This business was instituted because I felt to share my sense of fashion and creativity with others. The idea came from when creating my own shirt and after receiving good comments about the style/message I considered sharing it. My thing is if your friends see potential in you then you should take it into consideration that you have something special, something you didn’t even see in yourself and when they considered that idea to me I said why not. I think I have a unique taste of fashion and I would always get compliments on my style so I wasn’t afraid to take initiative to create my own brand of clothing.
Buzz: Where do you see your business in 5-10 years?
Lake: I see my business not only carrying out through Mississippi but through other states as well. I want everyone to share my sense of style and creativity. I’ve been doing this for almost a year now and my clientele has expanded ever since. It’s a continuing revenue. I’m doing custom crewnecks’ right now and I have floral jerseys dropping again. It started off as a t-shirt business but I wanted to expand my brand and become more creative. It is more than just a logo on a t-shirt, and now crewnecks and jerseys. My ideas and innovation come to life on these shirts and I am forever grateful for my cliental who continue to support me and my business, my passion.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, a global security and aerospace company engaged in advanced technology systems, products and services, recently funded the Jackson State University College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) with $60,000 in robotics and 3-D replication.
According to Jackson State’s website, the university will receive $15,000 for four 3-D desktop replicators and $45,000 for a robot training package to enhance laboratory experience. Jackson State first reported the news in mid-November.
The computer design classes will use the 3-D printer equipment and the computer engineering and electrical engineering curricula will make use of the robotic training package, school officials says.
“Three-D printing is in its infancy,” said Dr. Wilber Walters, CSET associate dean, so “we’re keeping students in the trend” of emerging technologies, he said.
“We are excited to be able to bring these learning tools to our technology program,” said Walters.