UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
SIAC / SWAC HOOPS: The men of Benedict
and the women of Fort Valley State were
picked as 
favorites to win the 2004-05 SIAC
basketball championships in voting by the league's
coaches last week while SWAC coaches and SIDs picked the
Alabama State men and Southern women to prevail.
Morehouse was the second choice for the men in
the SIAC with Tuskegee the second pick of the women. In the
SWAC, Alabama State forward Crystal Kitt led the all-conference
voting and was picked as women's preseason offensive and
defensive player of the year. Dion
Saunders, who played only the second semester last season
averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, was chosen as
the SWAC men's preseason offensive player of the year.
Alabama A&M guard Obie Trotter, last year's steals leader
in the conference, was picked as the top
defender.
POUGH EXTENDED: South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough has been given a contract extension University officials announced last Thursday. Pough's current contract has been extended two years, putting his agreement back to the original five-year pact that he received when appointed to the position three years ago. Thus, his tenure with the University will extend to 2009. Pough is in the third year of the agreement that he signed in December 2001. The Bulldog mentor has compiled a 20-10 record through six games (5-1) of the current campaign. His 2003 team, was 8-4 overall and finished 5-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to tie for second. Pough was 7-5 in his inaugural season in 2002.
NC A&T GETS TRACK REGIONAL: N.C. A&T has been awarded the 2006 Track and Field NCAA East Regional, as announced by N.C. A&T athletics director Charles Davis. The approval of the East Regional to N.C. A&T, by the Division I Championship Cabinet makes N.C. A&T the first HBCU to be awarded an NCAA track regional.St. Augustine's and Hampton have hosted NCAA Division II National Championships. The Irwin Belk Track, which surrounds the football field at Aggie Stadium, was dedicated on July 25, 2004. Prior to the dedication of the $1.5 million state-of-the-art track surface, the Aggies hosted the Russell Blunt East Coast Invitational.
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.