Alicia Pete Inducted into PV Sports Hall of Fame

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The SWAC congratulates Prairie View A&M senior woman administrator and head volleyball coach, Alicia Pete, on her induction into the Prairie View Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 2012.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Pete was recruited to play basketball at Prairie View A&M before joining the Lady Panther volleyball team from 1987-1991. She earned All-SWAC volleyball honors and was selected to the SWAC All-Tournament team in 1989 and 1990.

After her playing career, Pete worked in retail management for six years. She became Head Bowling Coach at Prairie View A&M in 1997 and became Head Volleyball Coach in 1999. In her first season as Head Volleyball Coach, Pete received SWAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the team to its second SWAC title and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

As a result of her team’s accomplishments, Pete was recognized by Don Powell of the Texas A&M Board of Regents. In 2006, Pete made history once again as she led the Lady Panthers to their third SWAC Championship after winning the SWAC Tournament on the campus of Prairie View A&M University in addition to being named the SWAC’s Coach of the Year. The team also made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament as they faced the University of Texas.

Pete continued her string of excellence as the Lady Panther Volleyball team won the 2010 SWAC West Title with an unblemished record. Once again, Pete worked her magic in the fall of 2011 as the Lady Panthers captured the divisional crown for the second straight season despite a revamped roster full of newcomers. She was named Assistant Athletic Director for Women’s sports in February of 2003.

Her primary role is to assist the Athletic Director in the administration of 10 NCAA Division I women’s sports programs at the university along with assisting in the development and implementation of gender equity plans, coordinates annual updates of the department’s procedural manual and monitors the programs compliance with Title IX .

Active in the community, Pete has volunteered her time with the annual Toys for Tots Program and Prairie View A&M’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in addition to serving as a member of Order of Eastern Star and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has also represented Prairie View A&M University on a national level by serving several years as a member on the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet along with being the Chairperson of the SWAC’s Senior Woman Administrators. Pete is also a member of the school’s Athletic Council and also had a short stint as an assistant coach for the Lady Panther softball team in 2001.

She received both a bachelor’s degree in Business administration in 1991 and a master’s degree in Health in 1998 from Prairie View A&M University. Pete is married to John O. Pete, Sr. They have two children – John, Jr. and Ricky.

Courtesy of SWAC

“For God, For Central, For State”: Searching For A Successor to President John Garland of Central State University

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John W. Garland announced he will retire as President of Central State University at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. The search for someone to succeed Garland has officially begun.

The Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC) of Central State University is now in the process of selecting its eighth President, and invited the campus to participate in one of the three listening sessions that was held Friday, February 10, 2012. The process, according to the PSAC, includes gathering perspectives from staff, faculty, and students about essential leadership qualities for the next president as well as opportunities and challenges facing Central State University.

Garland was selected as the seventh President of the Alma mater of which he graduated from in 1971, and undertaken great change to a university that faced even greater opposition at the time.

Since Garland accepted the leadership of an institution that embodies 125 years of Academic Excellence in 1997, he has led a successful effort to restore financial and operational stability as enrollment grown significantly under his tenure. The University has also established strong cooperative relationships with its sister institutions in Ohio and it have won pledges of support from Ohio’s political and educational leadership thanks to President Garland.

“Every leader has an obligation to leave an organization in better condition than how they found it, and perhaps more importantly, to pass the baton to new leadership at a time when the organization is in good health and poised to prosper,” President Garland said about his contentment to depart from his Alma mater when both he and the university are in good health and have a bright future.

In the course of his term, Garland has achieved great feats for Central State University, such as increasing enrollment by 160 percent, constructing eight new buildings (including four residence halls), and witnessing Central State University being recognized as a Center of Excellence in Emerging Technologies by the State of Ohio. Faculty, staff, and students alike hope that his successor could further exemplify the university’s motto “Change is Central” into even greater heights.

T.I. and Tiny Family Hustle: Green Faces

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Ten year old Damoni is slacking off in school and T.I., or “Pop” as the boys affectionately call him is not having it! Damoni who wants to become an artist just like his father has put the book work to the side and started focusing more on music.

T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle

As T.I. appears in a video shoot with famed rapper Young Jeezy, Damoni expresses interest in shooting his own video for his single, “Green Faces.”

However, The King isn’t going to grant Damoni’s wish without a few stipulations. T.I. lets his son know that the only way this video shoot can happen is if he pulls himself together in the classroom.

Weeks later when Damoni brings home an honor roll report card and it seems T.I’s plan has worked. Now, he must hold up his end of the bargain. With T.I.’s implemented budget of $2,000, Damoni can only afford his brothers, The OMG girls and director Uncle Snake. Although Damoni feels like this makes him look cheap, it isn’t the production that is the problem.

Damoni isn’t taking the shoot as seriously as T.I expected and has to give him a little advice on professionalism. Despite the bumps in the road, the video and its finished product had a good outcome. This may just be the beginning of Damoni’s rap career.

Howard University Debate Teams Wins Acclaim

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Ask most high school students to name their hobbies, and public speaking is not likely to be among them. In fact, it ranks among many people’s biggest fears.  But some very outgoing students at Howard School of Academics and Technology actually enjoy the art of debate, and it’s winning them national acclaim.

Teacher Mason West is preparing his Howard debate students for an upcoming presentation at the Volkswagen plant, but brushing up on German is just one of their tasks.  They’re also scheduled to visit Nashville, Washington (the Howard University School of Law) and Jamaica. It didn’t take him long to find great debaters.

West said, “Most of the students who excel in debate get in trouble for running their mouths, challenging other students and teachers.  They love to talk, they love to argue.  So it’s my job to take their natural abilities and hone them.”

Students say the debate team is a way of showcasing their personalities, and representing their school in a positive light.

Sophomore Tavisha McColley said, “I was so excited when I was recommended for this class. There’s a lot of talking, researching, and you have to learn how to network.  I may get into law, and I will need to know how to debate.”

Clayton Mason, a senior, said, “Once you get on the debate team, people hold you to a higher standard.  You’re required to do more for your school.  And Mr. West is a great motivator.”

As part of the practice for upcoming competitions, students speak before Mr. West, as well as occasional visits from a tough “judge.” Principal Dr. Paul Smith critiques them with Simon Cowell-like precision.

“You need to fully pronounce your words, use good diction, learn to pause at the right times.  Don’t talk so fast, everyone needs to hear every word you say,” Dr. Smith counsels one student, as the class erupts into applause.

Some of the students are hoping for careers in government or politics, and the Howard debate team just may be their ticket.

“These are opportunities that a lot of kids don’t get,” Mr. West said.  “They’re doing a great job representing themselves, their opinions and Howard School.  I wish the whole community could visit this class and see what they’re doing.  They would have a different opinion of Howard.”

Courtesy of WRCB

Assistant Secretary Esther Brimmer to Visit Spelman College

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Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer will travel to Atlanta February 15-16, 2012. While there, she will meet with civil society groups to discuss the role of U.S. multilateral engagement in advancing U.S. interests and addressing global challenges.

Assistant Secretary Esther Brimmer

The Assistant Secretary’s schedule includes meetings at Emory University on global health issues, with leaders of Atlanta’s LGBT community, and speeches at Spelman College and the Atlanta World Affairs Council. She will also meet with NGOs and American Jewish organizations at the Greater Jewish Federation of Atlanta.

For updates, follow Assistant Secretary Brimmer on Twitter: @State_IO.

Morehouse College Glee Club Makes Harris Debut, Celebrates 100th Anniversary

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The Harris Theater for Music and Dance will co-present the Morehouse College Glee Club, as it celebrates its monumental 100th Anniversary season. The Morehouse College Glee Club and the renowned Morehouse College Glee Club Quartet will make its Harris Theater debut on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 7:30 pm with “the stirring and soulful performances that have earned the ensembles a reputation for excellence.”

Morehouse College Glee Club

Under the direction of Dr. David Morrow, the nation’s only African-American, all-male glee club is recognized throughout the world for their impassioned performances at such momentous occasions as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral; President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration; Super Bowl XXVIII; the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta with Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan and Trisha Yearwood; as part of the soundtrack for the movie School Daze, directed by Morehouse alumni Spike Lee; and most recently at the dedication of the Dr. King Monument on the National Mall.

Performance tickets are priced at $35 and $50; VIP tickets (which include a special pre-concert reception and the performance) are $150. Tickets are available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

Read more at Broadway World

A New Wonder of the World: The African Renaissance Monument

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It’s a bird… It’s a plane… No, it’s the 160-foot African Renaissance Monument located in Dakar, Senegal.

To the naked eye, the striking bronze monument stands perched high on a hill, gazing into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.  The monument depicts a muscular man in a heroic position accompanied with his wife in one arm and child in the other, erupting from the vicissitude of life from a volcano.

After the ordeal of centuries of ignorant perceptions, prejudice and racism fueled by the western imperialism, the monument is meant to symbolize the potential, rebirth, and liberation of the African continent and its descendants around the world.

Just a couple of feet taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York, the African Renaissance Monument costs an estimated 27 million dollars with hopes to set Dakar as a prominent tourist attraction.

The mastermind of the monument is Senegal’s highly publicized President Abdoulaye Wade, who claims the monument as his “intellectual property.” The African Renaissance Monument is sure to live up to its assertions as a noticeable tourist stop, but many oppose the colossal monument, and is frustrated with Senegal’s health, economic, and educational well-being.

The beautiful bronze giant is believed by many to represent nepotism, corruption, and mismanagement.  “The economy has collapsed. … The education system is in a crisis. The health system is in crisis. And yet Abdoulaye Wade is squandering public money,” said Abdoulaye Bathily, an opposition leader who says the statue is the product of a “power-drunk” president.

At one point in time, thousands of Senegalese gathered on the street for a demonstration whose protestors marched against corruption, poor governance, and the poor delivery of services – a practice that does not occur often in the country.  With so much opposition and animosity against him, Wade appears to be running a mile behind from winning a third, and last term as President in 2012.

Although many clash with Wade’s philosophical approach and his “intellectual property”, many in return praise him and the monument, mentioning that the monument will be “one of the seven or eight wonders of the world”.

Isaac Ferris, the former director of the King Center in Atlanta and nephew of Martin Luther King Jr., says that “the monument symbolizes the emerging of Africa from years of darkness and domination, and symbols serve to remind people of their history, and how far they have come.”

Wade stands firm with his monument and its symbol of oppressing the horrors of slavery and the colonialism that Africa is now liberated from. “Five centuries of ordeals, slavery, Africa is still there, folding sometimes, but never breaking,” Wade said.

The African Renaissance Monument is a part of the African Renaissance movement, a concept that the African people objects to overcome the current difficulties confronting the continent. The movement aims to end the violence, elitism, corruption, and poverty that is believed to plague the African continent with hopes of replacing them with more approval in direction by the people.

 

Lockard loses “interim” tag, becomes Cheyney’s permanent head coach

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Cheyney University interim head coach football coach Ken Lockard officially had the “interim” label removed from his title, as the university named him permanent head coach today.

Ken Lockard. (Cheyney.edu)

Lockard was named interim head coach in March 2011 after Jeff Braxton left Cheyney to become the Defensive Line coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Delaware State University.

“I am very thankful (for the) opportunity to lead these wonderful student-athletes,” Lockard said in a statement released by the university. “This is a great opportunity for me and our staff to continue the progress that has been made here over the past couple of seasons.”

For the second consecutive season, Cheyney finished with a 1-10 record, with last season’s lone win coming against arch-rival Lincoln University in the Wade Wilson Classic. Though the Wolves went winless in PSAC play, four of those losses were by two touchdowns or fewer, compared to just three the season before.

Continue reading on Examiner.com

Fort Valley State University Sweeps Albany State in SIAC Matchup

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The conclusion of Fort Valley State University’s (FVSU) inaugural “All Star Basketball Reunion Weekend” on February 11th included the much anticipated basketball match up between the Wildcats of FVSU and the Golden Rams of Albany State University (ASU). Befitting the occasion of the weekend celebration, both Wildcat teams celebrated wins over the Rams.

Lady Wildcats 65, Lady Rams 56

FVSU's Joshuah Davis scores against Albany State. (FVSU Sports)

In their continuing battle to gain the number one ranking in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), the Lady Wildcats maintained their second place standing with the win over the Lady Rams. With just four games left in the regular season, the win keeps the Lady Wildcats within striking distance of the conference leading Lady Tigers of Stillman College.

Before a capacity crowd of 4,726 fans, the Lady Wildcats were finally able wrestle away control of a game that was a close contest from start to finish. Leading 31-27 at halftime, FVSU had to fend off several second half rallies by the Lady Rams. In fact, ASU forced three second half ties.

The difference in the game proved to be the staunch defense of the Lady Wildcats. By forcing 19 Lady Ram turnovers, FVSU actually fed it’s offense off the ASU miscues. Couple the turnovers with nine FVSU steals and the typical pattern for Lady Wildcat victories was firmly in place. Like so many other games, transition baskets paved the way for the Lady Wildcat win over the Lady Rams.

Senior guard Yasheeka Jones led the Lady Wildcats in scoring with 13 points.  She finished with three assists and one steal. Center Jasmine Birdsong registered a double, double in the win with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Carmenonique Dawson also tallied 10 points along with five rebounds.

Now 16-6 overall and 14-4 in conference play, the Lady Wildcats need to win all four remaining games to ensure 20 wins during the regular season. The four-game stretch begins on February 14th at 6 p.m. when the Lady Wildcats host the Lady Lions of Paine College.

Wildcats 66, Rams 59

After losing their last three games, nothing pleased FVSU Head Coach Sammy Jackson more than to break the skip with a win over the Golden Rams.  Ranked 10th in the conference standings at the start of the game, the win was a push upward for FVSU and it avenged the loss the Wildcats suffered at the hands of the Golden Rams earlier in the season.

Sophomore forward Brandon Davey led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points. He also finished with seven rebounds; one block; and three steals. Desmond Lofland added 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. Joshuah Davis finished with 11 points and Corey Hunter had 10 points and six rebounds.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats need a strong finish to enhance their playing position in the upcoming SIAC Basketball Tournament. The higher they are able to finish in the rankings, the better their initial pairing in the tournament. Currently, the Wildcats are 10-10 in conference play and 10-12 overall.

FVSU returns to action on February 14th in the HPE Complex when they host the Lions of Paine College at 8 p.m.  Admission to the game is free of charge.

Courtesy of FVSU Sports

Bethune-Cookman Combines Balanced Scoring and Clutch Free Throw Shooting In Win Over Howard

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Bethune Cookman scored its last 11 points from the free throw line to hold off Howard University, 73-67 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Burr Gymnasium.

Glenn Andrews (Howard-Bison)

The Wildcats (11-14, 8-3 in the MEAC) controlled the game from the opening tip, getting out to an early 17-6 lead and taking a 37-29 lead to the locker room. Bethune Cookman’s Kevin Dukes led all scorers with 12 first half points as the visitors shot 57 percent (13 of 23) from the field. Howard (7-19, 4-9 in the MEAC) was led by freshman Prince Okoroh’s nine points.

Bethune Cookman continued its success in the second half and went on a 21-16 run to take a 58-45 lead at the 5:37 mark.

Howard clawed its way back in the game on the scoring of senior guard Glenn Andrews, who
tallied 12 of his team-high 15 points in the second half and freshman Simuel Frazier, who added all 14 of his points in the second half.

The Bison were able to get the deficit to four at 64-60 with 1:15 remaining, but the Wildcats
converted on 16 of 20 free throws to hold off the young Bison and preserve the victory.

In addition to Duke’s 19 points, the Wildcats got balanced scoring from Anthony Breeze with 12 and Adrien Coleman and Javoris Bryant with 11 each.

Andrews led Howard with 15 on 5 of 8 shooting from the three-point line and Frazier and Okoroh contributed 14 and 11 respectively.

Courtesy of Howard-Bison

Grambling State University awarded Whitney Houston honorary doctorate in 1988

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Entertainer Whitney Houston, who died Saturday, was the speaker at Grambling State University’s commencement in the summer of 1988 and received one of the university’s highest honors, the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

“The Grambling State University Family, like others across the world, was saddened to hear the news of a fallen alumnus,” officials said in a news release. “Our sincerest sympathy is extended to the Houston family.”

“Whitney Houston was the most naturally gifted singer I have ever heard,” Grambling State University President Frank Pogue said. “The fact that she was selected to receive an honorary doctorate, the most prestigious degree a university can confer, is a clear indication that Grambling has always recognized excellence.

The fact that she willingly accepted the award confirms her respect for the academic quality for which Grambling is widely known. Her contributions in music will live forever.”

Larry J. Pannell, GSU’s acting head of the Department of Music and director of the GSU Tiger Marching Band, said the life of an entertainer is difficult and very demanding.

“The rigorous pressure of trying to stay on top makes it tougher,” Pannell said. “As a whole, when you look at her life, Whitney serves as an inspiration to all musicians who are striving to be the best that they can be by emulating her. It’s a sad day for the world and for the world of music. The music will live on and her spirit will live on through her music.”

University photographer Glenn Lewis said: “I was really saddened to hear of the loss of Whitney Houston. She was a great singer and entertainer. Her 1987 Bayou Classic concert was simply superb. Seems like it was not that long ago (summer of 1988) when she walked across the T.H. Harris Auditorium stage and President Joseph Johnson awarded her the honorary doctorate.”

Courtesy of The News Star

Virginia Union Alum Ben Wallace to Retire from the NBA

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Detroit Pistons Forward/Center Ben Wallace has announced that he will retire after the 2011-2012 NBA season.

“It takes a special type of guy to stay at something long enough to make it to this level,” Wallace said. “A lot of times you’re being told that you’re too this, you’re too that, you can’t do this, you can’t do that.”

Ben Wallace (Duane Burleson/ AP Photo)

 

“Once you get here, you want to be able to show everybody that you’re capable of going out and playing at a high level night in and night out,” Wallace said. “I’m just proud to have had the opportunity to come here and play.”

Wallace tied Avery Johnson’s mark Sunday night. Next on the list of undrafted players are David Wesley (949) and Bo Outlaw (914), according to STATS LLC.

Wallace was a virtual unknown before earning his spot in the NBA with his tough defense around the basket and terrific rebounding ability. He eventually won four defensive player of the year awards and helped the Pistons win the 2004 championship.

Wallace, who played his college ball at Virginia Union, made his NBA debut with Washington in November 1996. After three seasons there and one with Orlando, he was dealt to the Pistons in a trade that sent Grant Hill to the Magic.

His career took off in Detroit. The 6-foot-9 Wallace led the NBA in rebounds per game and blocks per game in 2001-02. That season, he won his first of four defensive player of the year awards in a five-season span.

Courtesy of ESPN.

Ex-ASU employee says firing was retaliation for complaints

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Plaintiffs rested their case Monday afternoon in a sexual and racial harassment lawsuit against Alabama State University.

Three women who used to work for ASU allege that they were repeatedly subjected to racial slurs, being called “bitch,” comments about their bodies and inappropriate touching by Lavonnette Bartley, who is associate executive director in the office of Executive Vice President John Knight.

Lydia Burkhalter, one of the three plaintiffs, testified Monday morning that she was fired in retaliation for filing complaints about an ASU administrator she accuses of racial and sexual harassment.

She also testified Monday that she continued to worry about what might happen to her after she was fired, saying that she has received threats and was informed that she needed to be careful.

ASU trustee Herbert Young was the first witness called by the defense Monday, and his testimony contradicted testimony by Burkhalter and co-plaintiff Cynthia Williams, both of whom said they discussed with Young their problems with Bartley and their dismissals from ASU.

Young also contradicted testimony by Burkhalter claiming that Young had told her that she was the type Knight would be interested in romantically and that she could have avoided problems had she “laid on her back for John Knight.”

Courtesy of The Montgomery Advestiser.

Grambling State’s Mass Commucations Department Wins $50,000 Reynolds Grant

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The department of mass communication at Grambling State University is in rarefied company, being the smallest program in the country selected for the $50,000 Reynolds Foundation Visiting Business Journalism Professor Program grant.

The grant proposal was submitted by Martin Edu, chairman of the department. Other journalism programs whose grant proposals were also selected included Colorado State University, Texas Christian University and the University of South Carolina.

The grant was sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University from a $1.67 million grant received from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to promote business journalism. This is the first phase of the annual competitive awards to be made to colleges and universities over the five-year life of the grant.

“It’s very exciting,” said Dr. Martin Edu, head of GSU’s mass communication department. “At a time when print journalism is shrinking, there seems no doubt that business journalism provides a pioneering path for future growth and recognition among Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”

Will Sutton, a veteran journalist of more than three decades, selected as the Reynolds Visiting Business Journalism Professor, is teaching two business journalism courses this spring semester.

“Grambling has had a good reputation for educating African-American students for media careers, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to my native state to help the faculty build on a strong foundation,” said Sutton, a past president of the National Association of Black Journalists and a member of the Society of Business Editors and Writers. “I will open students’ eyes to the great options in business journalism in broadcasting, online and in print.”Far too few students, and even some professionals, put business journalism in a box, thereby closing off incredible choices in small, medium and large markets and beyond.”

Sutton, 56, a New Orleans native, has been a reporter and editor at Gannett, Knight-Ridder and McClatchy newspapers. An Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster, he has been a senior editor at the Post-Tribune in Indiana and The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. He has been a judge for the Pulitzer Prize, Gannett, Cox and other regional and national competitions.

The professorships will enable students to get valuable training in a specialized and increasingly critical area of journalism, said Andrew Leckey, president of the Reynolds Center and the Reynolds Chair in Business Journalism at the Cronkite School.

“Grambling provided a superb proposal to obtain our grant,” Leckey said.

Edu said that the mass communication department had a concentration in business journalism was a major selling point in the grant proposal he submitted.

“It was probably the most attractive aspect of our package,” he said.

Steve Anderson, president of the Reynolds Foundation, lauded the selected schools.

“These four schools will form the nucleus of a much larger group of institutions that will be selected annually over the next five years,” Anderson said. “The program’s goal is to select institutions that will commit long-term to the teaching of principles and skills necessary to train business journalists.”

, in what we believe, is an increasingly important field of journalism.”

The business journalism concentration, along with a sports journalism concentration, was developed and added to the GSU Mass Communication curriculum in 2009, joining print, visual and broadcast journalism and public relations concentrations.

Courtesy of The News Star

Virginia Union Past President Allix B. James Still Leads

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Seventy years later, Allix B. James can recount in humiliating detail his first 24 hours in Richmond.

Allix Bledsoe James, the 7th university president of Virginia Union University. (Richmond-Times Dispatch)

James came to Virginia Union University as a student in 1942 and went on to be its president. He would become the first African-American to serve as president of the Virginia Board of Education and as chairman of the Richmond Planning Commission.

And along the way, he helped change the very policies that made his introduction to the city one that he still recalls as “a terrible story.”

James had arrived by train with dark, sooty spots on his clothes, having been ushered by the conductor in Washington to the segregated car behind the engine. All the way to Richmond, exhaust from the engine blew on James and the other black passengers.

At Broad Street Station, a dispatcher directed white passengers through the front door and blacks through the side door.

James lined up for a cab to take him to VUU but was told to just be patient as whites went ahead of him. Finally, a black-operated taxi picked him up.

It was about 10:30 at night and he had not eaten since lunch, so the cab driver stopped at a White Tower restaurant at Lombardy and Broad near campus.

“I went to the front door and the person behind the counter told me to go to the side window,” he recalls. “Well, I refused that, so I went to the campus hungry.”

The next morning he and other students set off to explore the city — on foot after the conductor on the streetcar tried to steer them to the back seats.

They noticed the whites-only signs in the restaurants as they walked and headed to Woolworth’s when a student from New York suggested they would be served there. Again, they were turned away.

“And that was my first 24 hours in Richmond,” James said.

Read more at The Richmond Times Dispatch

Norfolk State defeats Hampton 70-62, Completes Sweep of Conference Rival

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Chris McEachin’s first Battle of the Bay game was an epic failure: he missed all six of his shots from the field and went scoreless.

His last Battle of the Bay game was just plain epic.

NSU's Pendarvis Williams drives against Hampton University's Jasper Williams during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. (Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot)

With Norfolk State star center Kyle O’Quinn pinned in by double teams, the Spartans needed someone to heat up from the perimeter and McEachin did.

The 6-foot-6 senior, who transferred to Norfolk State from Radford to play his last two seasons, scored a career-high 27 points as the Spartans beat Hampton 70-62 in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 6,191 Saturday night at Echols Hall.

The Spartans maintained their hold on first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, improving to 18-8 overall and 10-2 in league play. And they continued to stretch their school record for victories as a Division I program.

Meanwhile, Savannah State stayed hot, winning at North Carolina Central to improve to 15-10 overall and 8-2 in the conference. The Tigers have won seven straight and 10 of their last 11 and remain tied with the Spartans in the loss column.

O’Quinn had yet another strong night, finishing with 18 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots. But it was clear he needed help in this one.

“Hampton threw that stretched-out zone at us in the early going and we had a bit of a problem figuring it out,” O’Quinn said. “But once Chris knocked a few down and got us going, we rolled.”

They also swept the regular-season series, coupling this outcome with an 80-75 victory at Hampton three weeks ago. The Spartans, who have four MEAC games remaining, will play their last home conference game Wednesday when they host Delaware State, a team the Spartans have not beaten since 2009.

“It will be a huge game for us,” he said.

So was this one. Playing in front of a crowd that bordered on frenzied most of the night, the Spartans shut down one of the league’s pure scorers, limiting Hampton guard Darrion Pellum to 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting from the field. Pellum’s night ended prematurely as he was given a pair of technical fouls with 11.9 seconds left, meaning he must sit out the Pirates’ next game.

It was McEachin, who was an All-Tidewater first-teamer while at Norview High in Norfolk, who turned in a Pellum-like line. McEachin went 8 for 16 from the field, 5 for 7 from beyond the arc and made all six free-throw attempts. He also had five rebounds, three steals and a lone turnover in 38 minutes.

Read more at Hampton Roads