8/7/2019 Black College Sports Page: Vol 17, No 35

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FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2011

© AZEEZ Communications, Inc. Vol. XVII, No. 35

SHAW FALLS IN D2 FINAL FOUR; ALCORN

STATE, VIRGINIA UNION CHANGE COACHES

GOLF GIFT: Grambling of-

ficials receive $25,000 checkand award plaque from Gulf States PGA Section ExecutiveDirector Scott Brown (l.)

CHANGEGONNA

COME

PGA of America Photo\

NATIONAL QUATERFINALS

Shaw 46, Metro State 45

  CIAA Tournament and Atlantic Region champ Shaw got abucket in the final second from Brittany Ransom to knock off 

Metro State in the Div. II national quarterfinals in St. Joseph,

Mo. and advance to the Final F our. It was the first win for Shaw

in three trips to the Elite Eight and sends the Lady Bears into the

national semifinals vs. Clayton State.

The Lady Bears (25-11), led only twice in the game, at the

final buzzer and with 9:41 left when Niesha Searles scored on

a layup to give them a 33-31 lead. The Roadrunners scored the

next six points to retake the lead which they held until the final

buzzer.

With both teams playing smothering defense and thus mak-

ing it difficult to score from the field, the free throw line proved

to be the difference. Metro State shot just 41.2% from the line

including critical misses in its last three attempts.

Trailing by four with 19 seconds left,

Shaw's Kyria Buford, who had hit just

one of her 16 shots, tossed in a 3-pointer

to cut the lead to one. Shaw's Britteny

Spencer fouled with six seconds left but

the Roadrunners' Brandi Valencia missed

both free throws. Shaw's Demaria Liles

rebounded the second miss, passed toSpencer who made a perfect half-court,

cross-court pass to Ramsom, who drib-

bled once, spun and hit the game winner

as the clock expired.

Ransom led Shaw and was Shaw's only double-figure scor-

er with 13 points. Aslea Williams had eight. Liles led the Lady

Bears with nine rebounds and three assists.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS

Clayton State 63, Shaw 46

  Shaw fell behind early, took a short-held lead late at 34-33

with 15:58 to play and then was outscored 29-13 over the rest of 

the game in falling to eventual national cham-

pion Clayton State (34-1) in the Final Four na-

tional semifinals in St. Joseph, Mo.

Shaw (25-13) scored the game's first

point but missed its first 16 shots from the

field, trailing for the rest of the half before go-

ing into the break down 27-23. Its first first-

half basket came with 10:49 left i n the half on

Demaria Lile's three-point play. The Lady Bears opened the second half 

on a 11-6 run to go up 34-33 on the second of Lile's  two free

throws at the 15:58 mark. They would then score only three

points over the next seven and a half minutes as CSU built a 50-

37 lead. Two Aslea Williams free throws cut the lead to 50-39

but that was as close as they would get.

"We didn't play well tonight," said Shaw

Head Coach Jacques Curtis. "Some of that

had to do with them and some of that had to do

with us. Every time we had a chance to make

a run, we would have a turnover or something

that just kept letting it get away. When we took

the lead by one, we thought we had something,

but we let it get away."

Shaw shot just 24.6 percent from the field, 25 percent from

behind the arc and had 29 turnovers but outrebounded the Lak-

ers 49-41. Liles led the Lady Bears with 13 points while Wil-

liams added 11. Liles had a game-high 11 rebounds while Wil-

liams had nine.

BCSP Notes

Alcorn State chooses Luther Riley asnew head men's basketball coach  JACKSON, Miss. – Luther Riley, head men's basketball coach of 

John W. Provine High School in Jackson, Ms. for the past eleven years and

former graduate assistant coach at Alcorn State under Dave Whitney,

has been named the ninth head coach of theAlcorn State Braves.

Riley has compiled a head coaching

record of 286-70-0 (.803) in eleven seasons

at Provine, after having previously served

as an assistant coach at East Central Com-

munity College (Decatur, Mississippi) and avolunteer assistant coach at Mississippi Val-

ley State under former head coach Lafayette

Stribling.Riley was introduced at a press con-

ference on March 28 at the Jackson Conven-tion Complex in Downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

"We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome Coach Luther

Riley back home to Alcorn State University," said Dr. M. Christopher

Brown II, 18th president of Alcorn State. "Coach Riley is a seasoned

coach committed to restoring our basketball program's reputation on the

court as well as ensuring student athlete success in the classroom. Hiswinning nature, familiarity with the SWAC and proven ability to recruit

and develop the best talent will lead to many years of success for Braves

basketball."

Riley succeeds Larry Smith, who recently accepted another oppor-

tunity within the university on March 10, 2011, after three seasons as headcoach at The Reservation. Smith, a former Alcorn State and NBA stand-

out, compiled a 12-78 mark during his tenure.

Riley guided Provine to a 28-4 record in his first year and the program

won its first Mississippi High School Athletics and Activities Association

(MHSAAA) State Championship in 2003. For his accomplishments that

season, Riley was named Metro-Jackson Coach of the Year, MississippiAssociation of Coaches Coach of the Year and received the prestigious

Jackson City Council's Leroy T. Smith Award for leadership, sportsman-

ship and achievement.

Riley's teams have won over 20 games in nine of his 11 seasons. He

is the youngest coach in Mississippi History (30 years old) to win back-to-back state championships in 2003 and 2004. Having played in seven state

championship games, Riley's Rams have walked away with four titles in

2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008. The highlight of his career came when his

team won the "Big Daddy of Them All," the MHSAAA State Grand Slam

Championship in 2008 and he was named Clarion Ledger Coach of the

Year.His successes have been recognized and rewarded by respected or-

ganizations around the nation as Riley has served as the head coach of 

the Mississippi North/South All-Stars (2005), Nike All-American All Star

Coach (2005), Kentucky Derby Classic All-Stars Coach (2004), Louisi-

ana Showcase Skills Instructor and the Michael Jordan Capital Classic All

Star Coach (2005). Riley is also a Nike Certified Skills Instructor.A native of Walnut Grove, Mississippi, Riley is a 1992 graduate of 

East Central Community College where he earned an associate of arts

degree in liberal arts. He earned his bachelor of science degree in health

and physical education at Mississippi Valley State in 1995 and a master of 

science in secondary education from Alcorn State in 1998. Born Decem-ber 4, 1972, Riley is the son of Bernette and Earline Riley and the proud

father of one son.

A standout point guard during his playing days at East Central and

Mississippi Valley under Lafayette Stribling, Riley is considered by his

colleagues as an elite instructor of the game. Riley is a member of the 100

Black Men of Jackson and the Mississippi Association of Coaches.

WOMEN'S NCAA DIV. II

ELITE EIGHT RESULTS

Willard Coker let go at Virginia Union;Luqman Jaaber to replace him?

Despite compiling a 55-25 record in three years as head coach, Vir-

ginia Union had dismissed head coach Willard Coker.

Although no official announcement has come from the school, the

Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Sunday that

Coker would not have his contract renewed.

The school scheduled a press conference for

Wednesday, March 30 reportedly to announce anew head coach. Unconfirmed reports are that the

new basketball coach will be former VUU point

guard Luqman Jaaber.

Coker indicated that he was informed of the

decision on Thursday and confirmed the decisionto the newspaper on Saturday.

Coker was hired in 2008 to succeed Dave Rob-

bins after serving as his assistant for 23 years.

Robbins, who had 713 career victories and three national championships

at VUU before retiring, strongly influenced the decision to hire Coker.

"We have a degree of tradition at Virginia Union, and [our perfor-mance] might not have matched up to what they expected," Coker was

quoted to have said in the article written by Eric Kolenich. "I'm very grate-

ful for Virginia Uion allowing me the opportunity to coach," Coker said.

Coker led the Panthers to an at-large bid in the NCAA Div. II Atlantic

Region in his first season. His teams lost in the first round of the CIAA

Tournament in the last two seasons. This season his team finished 15-9

overall and 9-3 in the conference's North Division, good for second behind

Bowie State.

Jaaber was a star point guard for VUU under Rob-

bins from 2002-05 and led the Panthers to a Div. II

championship in his senior campaign when the Pan-thers finished 30-4 and defeated Bryant for the national

title. He is the school's all-time steals leader. Jaaber also

distinguished himself in the classroom earning severalconference and national academic awards.

Polk promoted at Bowie State  Bowie State University Athletic Director Anton Goff has announced

that Donna Polk will assume the position of Associate Athletic Direc-

tor for Compliance on a full-time basis, relinquishing women's basketballhead coaching responsibilities. Assistant Coach Renard Smith has been

appointed Interim Head Coach.

"The change had nothing to do with wins and losses. We sim-

ply needed more help administratively," said Goff, who

became AD last October. "I strongly feel Ms. Polk will

better assist me with the goals of this department such asfund raising, upgrading facilities and other administra-

tive needs."

Polk accumulated a record of 55-29 over three sea-

sons including an 18-10 mark this season. A search will

begin for a head women's basketball coach with hopes of 

having the position filled by July 1st.Polk came to BSU in October, 2005 as associate ath-

letic director for operations. She was appointed head women's basketball

coach on October 6, 2008 and continued to assist with other administra-

tive duties. Prior to coming to BSU, she served as director of compliance,

sports information director and head women's basketball coach at Colum-bia Union College (now Washington Adventist) from 2002 to 2005. Polk

has a Bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia Union

and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University

of Phoenix.

 

Hoops coaching changes

COKERRILEY

Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavingives $25K to Grambling and Spelman

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — St. Patrick's Day was a lucky day for

Grambling State University and Spelman College as they were presentedwith a $25,000 checks on behalf of 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey

Pavin.

U.S. Ryder Cup Team members each received $50,000 to donate to

colleges and universities of their choice to help support or start that school's

Play Golf America University program. Team Captain Corey Pavin elected

to use his funds to support The PGA of America's diversity initiatives

and split his donation between Grambling State ($25,000) and Spelman($25,000), two historically black colleges/universities.

"I have huge respect for Grambling State Uni-

versity as an institution and am honored to be a part

of establishing the Play Golf America UniversityProgram for its students," said Pavin. "With more

than 100 years of history and tradition, I believe that

Grambling will be a great recipient of this program.

I hope to continue to see the game of golf diversify

as more and more young adults of all backgrounds

acquire the desire to pick up clubs and hit the golf course."

Robert Brown, Executive Director of the Gulf States PGA Section,

presented the $25,000 check and an award plaque on behalf of The PGA of 

America toDr. Frank G. Pogue, Grambling State University President, last

Thursday. On hand for the presentation was Dr. Kenoye Eke, Interim VicePresident Institutional Advancement; Dr. Willie Daniels, Head, Depart-

ment of Kinesiology, Sports and Leisure Studies; and Donald J. Donohue

III, PGA Member Golf Professional – Instructor for the Golf Program.

Play Golf America University is a PGA of America college and uni-versity golf program designed to teach and engage students in the game of 

golf through PGA Professional instruction and other golf programs. Sincethe Ryder Cup Outreach Program began in 1999, more than $15 million

has been donated on behalf of the Ryder Cup team and captain, with more

than $6.7 million of that amount going to PGAU programs at colleges

and universities. Since 1999, and covering a total of six U.S. Ryder Cup

Teams and captains, a total of 149 player-designated charities and 50 col-leges and universities have received funding from the Ryder Cup Outreach

Program.

Hampton's Pierce on USATF staff for Pan American junior championships

HAMPTON, Va. – Hampton University head women's track & field

coach Maurice Pierce has been named as an assistant coach for the USA

Track & Field National Team for the 2011 Pan Am Junior Champion-ships.

Pierce will serve as a sprints and hurdles coach at the Pan Am Junior

Championships, which will be held July 22-24 in Miramar, Fla.

In his ninth season guiding the Lady Pirates, Pierce has won three

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) cross

country titles (2004, '06, '10), eight MEAC indoor track

& field titles (2003-09, '11) and seven MEAC outdoorchampionships (2003-04, '06-10).

Pierce, the 2008-09 Southeast Region Women's

Head Coach of the Year as named by the U.S. Track &

Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTF-

CCCA), has coached 10 All-Americans and watched

his student-athletes bring home five individual NCAAtitles – two from Yvette Lewis in the triple jump and

three from Francena McCorory in the 400-meter dash.

But Pierce's success isn’t exclusive to Hampton.

He has also coached Olympic athletes – most recently, Pierce coached

HowardproductDavid Payne to the silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at

the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Pierce, considered one of theworld's best hurdle coaches, has coached athletes in the last four Olympics

– including the likes of former Pirate James Carter and Rachelle Boone-

Smith. Both athletes have won World Championships under Pierce.

Pierce, a native of Newport News, Va. and a graduate of Norfolk State,

is also chair of the USATF Virginia Association Women Elite Athletes.

 

Mansfield earns CoSIDA2011 Rising Star award  Chevonne Mansfield, Assistant Director of Communications/Sports

Liaison for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), has beenhonored as the 2011 CoSIDA Rising Star Award recipient for the University

Division (Division I organizations).

Annually, the Rising Star Award is presented to one University Division

and one College Division member with 10 years of service or less whose

work at their institution and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm tothe profession make that individual a "rising star" in the collegiate com-

munications field. Mansfield will be honored in June

at the CoSIDA National Convention in Marcos Island,

FL along with the all other CoSIDA Special Award

recipients.

"I am truly honored to be a part of CoSIDA andto receive this award," said Mansfield. "It truly means

a great deal to me and I'm very proud to be honored

with so many distinguished professionals."

Mansfield has been in her current SWAC position

since last August. Her duties include oversight for theOlympic sports in addition to facilitating scheduling

with the league's TV partners. She has also helped increase social media

efforts and visibility of the league.

Prior to working at the SWAC, Mansfield served as assistant SID at

Howard University for three years. Before Howard, Mansfield performed

full-time duties while completing her graduate studies at the University

of Maryland Eastern Shore. Mansfield received her B.S. degree from St.

John's in 2004 and her masters degree from UMES in 2007.

PAVIN

JAABER

RANSOM

WILLIAMS

SHAW LADY BEARS' RUN ENDS IN FINAL FOUR: TheCIAA Tournament champ Shaw Lady Bears bowed to even-tual national champion Clayton State in the NCAA Div. IIsemifinals last Wednesday. The Lady Bears finished theseason with a 25-12 record. (L. to r. Seated) Brittany Ran-som, Victoria Tanner, Shamieka Brown, Brittney Spencer,Allyssa Lane, Janelle Harrison, Niesha Searles. (L. to r.Standing in uniform) Demaria Liles, Kyria Buford. Aslea Wil-liams, Maggie Tanner, Jacqueline Sanders.

CURTIS

PIERCE

POLK  RALEIGH, NC - North Carolina Governor Beverly Purdue host-

ed Shaw University's three CIAA championship teams at a reception

at the Governor's Mansion on Tuesday, March 29 at 4:00 p.m.

The football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams

were honored - all of whom won their respective Central Intercol-

legiate Athletic Association titles this academic year.

"The Shaw University Family is extremely proud of all of our

champion student athletes," said Shaw University President Dr. Irma

McClaurin. ". . . Our student athletes have been models of endurance,

skill, teamwork, and optimism. They reflect the best of this institution's

values when playing, and when in the classroom"

MANSFIELD