NEW DIRECTION AT TSU:
On the heels of losing four consecutive games by an average of 24 points, Tennessee State decided Monday to end the six-year tenure of men's head basketball coach Cy Alexander.

TSU Director of Athletics Teresa Phillips made the announcement. "We thank Coach Alexander for his service to the basketball program as head coach,'' said Phillips. "The program at this time, however, needs a new direction."

Mark Pittman, one of Alexander's assistants, will serve as interim head coach.

At TSU, Alexander posted an overall record of 67-107 including 48-56 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The recent losing streak dropped his team to 6-17 overall this season and 4-9 in the OVC.

In 24 years as a head coach including 12 successful years at South Carolina State where he won five MEAC tournament titles and made five NCAA Tournament appearances, Alexander has posted a record of 344-306. Last season, TSU finished 15-17, 10-10 in the OVC, after reaching the championship game of the conference tournament for the first time since the 1998 season.

CALDWELL OUT AT WSSU:
The uncertainty about the direction of the Winston Salem State athletic program has apparently cost Athletic Director Percy "Chico" Caldwell his job. WSSU Chancellor Donald J. Reaves announced this week that Caldwell, who has been in the position since 2000 and has overseen the three-year transition of the Rams from the CIAA and NCAA Div. II to the MEAC and Div. I, is leaving his position.

Effective Monday February 9, Tonia Walker, the associate director of athletics became interim athletic director and assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the athletic department and its programs. Walker has been at WSSU since 2000, serving initially as both the head volleyball coach and the assistant athletic director. Currently, she is responsible for the internal operations of the athletic department.

The school said a national search to replace Caldwell has already begun.

The school is reportedly considering a move back to Div. II after the NCAA recently required it to wait an additional year before officially joining Div. I. The additional year means the Rams won't be eligible for MEAC championships until the 2011-2012 season. Raising funds to finance the move up has been the biggest hurdle with the school recently requesting a hike in student fees, a proposal that has been opposed by UNC System Chancellor Erskine Bowles.

Walker, the former public relations director for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), served as Senior Women's Administrator at WSSU and was named the SWA of the Year in 2003-04 and 2005-06 while the Rams were still in the CIAA. A December 1993 honors graduate from Hampton University, Walker played basketball and softball for the Pirates and later earned a M.S. in sports management from Old Dominion University in 1998.

She has served on numerous committees both nationally and for WSSU and is rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after athletics administrators in the nation.

JONES INTERIM AD AT CAU:
Dr. Tamica Jones has been named interim director of intercollegiate athletics for Clark Atlanta effective Jan. 28, announced by President Dr. Carlton E. Brown.

Since the departure of Brenda Edmonds as athletic director in December 2007, Jones has served as liaison to the office of the President in the management of the Department of Athletics. Since that time, the athletic department has experienced many improvements in day-to-day operations, student welfare, facilities and general ethos.

She is a former head women's volleyball coach at CAU.

© 2009 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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