BCSP Notes . . .

Dowell, a native of Arlington, Tenn., and a 1985 Ole Miss graduate, was in his first year at Valley. The fatal accident happened Saturday in Como, Miss., about 45 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.

"Cecil was one of the hardest working assistant coaches you could find and always had the best interest of young people in mind," Mississippi Valley State coach James Green said. "Cecil was a teammate and one of my best friends. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and especially his daughter Paris."

Said MVSU athletic director Lonza Hardy: "In his short time at Mississippi Valley State, he had proven himself to be such a man of exceptional character that the student-athletes looked up to and admired him."

Dowell, a native of Arlington, Tenn., played for Mississippi from 1980-84 and helped Ole Miss reach the NIT three times and the NCAA tournament once and was the team's most improved player in 1981.

Albany State, Morehouse capture SIAC All-Sports honors
A first place tie in the men's rankings has led Albany State and Morehouse to share the men's version of the SIAC Commissioner's All-Sports Trophy. With three conference championships under its belt, ASU won the women's trophy outright.

In the men's rankings, ASU and MHC finished tied with 31 points. Albany State took home conference titles in football and baseball, finished second in track & field, and finished third in cross country. Morehouse claimed its share of the award after winning conference championships in cross country and track & field, finishing second in tennis and third in baseball.

The first place finish for Albany State marks the third consecutive year that ASU has won the All-Sports Award. Stillman and Tuskegee finished tied for second place with 17 points and Fort Valley State finished third with 15 points. Stillman, the SIAC's newest member, took home its first-ever conference championship by winning the 2006 SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament.

The women's competition found Albany State well ahead of second place Benedict. The Lady Golden Rams tallied 30 points after winning conference titles in cross country, volleyball and track & field for their third consecutive award.

Benedict finished second in softball and third in cross country, tennis and track & field to accumulate 19 points. Fort Valley State finished in third place compiling 18 points after two second place finishes in basketball and track & field and a third place finish in softball.

SC State basketball coach Betts resigns
ORANGEBURG, SC _ South Carolina State head men's basketball coach Ben Betts, Jr., has resigned his position with the Bulldogs to become an assistant at Oklahoma. Bett's resignation is effective May 25, according to SCSU Athletics Director Charlene Johnson.       

In three seasons as Bulldog head coach, Betts compiled a 51-39 overall mark and a 36-18 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. During his first season _ 2003-04 _ he guided the Bulldogs to an 18-11 record and was 14-4 in the MEAC, earning a tie for the league's regular season crown.

During the 2004-05 season, SCSU was 19-12 overall and 11-7 in the MEAC. This past season, the Bulldogs were 14-16 on the season and 11-7 in the league.

Johnson said that a search for a successor would begin immediately. In the interim she noted that basketball operations would be handled by assistant coach Stan Cromartie.

Florida A&M, Miss. Valley State fall in softball regionals
MEAC champion Florida A&M lost to Georgia Tech 9-3 on Friday and was eliminated from the Region 5 NCAA Div. I softball tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama by the Yellow Jackets with a 10-7 loss on Sunday. The Lady Rattlers (40-25) won their first-ever regional game when they defeated SWAC champion Mississippi Valley State 7-5 in an elimination round game Friday. The MVSU Delta Devils (23-30) were eliminated by the loss to FAMU. MVSU lost its opening round game to host Alabama, 8-0 on Friday.

FAMU head coach Veronica Wiggins added another accolade to her career with the win over Mississippi Valley State that allowed the Lady Rattlers to finish the season with 40 wins for the second time in her career.

Her 1997 club finished 43-22, advancing to the NCAA play-in round, where they won the opening game in the best-of-three series, extending Cleveland State to three games before bowing out.

© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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