BCSP Notes . . . 
National Stats Leaders
Ulysses Banks of Alabama
A&M, Kevin Thornton of Arkansas Pine Bluff
and Quintez Smith of Shaw are leaders in national
statistics categories thru football games of this past weekend.
Banks, a senior, currently the leading rusher in the SWAC and third in black college ranks at 119.5 yards per game (See STAT CORNER), also leads all black colleges and the FCS in all-purpose yards at 224.5 yards per game. On top of his rushing stats, Banks is averaging 30 receiving yards and 25.1 yards on 12 kickoff returns. Hampton senior running back Lemarcus Coker is sixth nationally (186.2 ypg.)
Thornton, with four picks in four games, leads the FCS and Smith, with six picks in four games, leads Div. II in interceptions. Elizabeth City State senior Justin Hamilton and Miles junior Justin Hill are behind Smith each with five interceptions in five games. ECSU sophomore Larry Jones is second in sacks in Div. II with 6.5 thru four games.
Florida A&M kick returner LeRoy Vann leads all black college punt returners at a whopping 24.5 yards per return, and the Rattler junior has brought back four punts for touchdowns early this season, but his average is currently second nationally in the FCS to Contrevious Parks of Stephen F. Austin (24.8).
Albany State wide receiver Demetrius Johnson is the leading black college scorer currently with 10 touchdowns in four games (15.0 ppg.) a total that is second in Div. II to Isaac Odom of Minnesota-Duluth who has 15 TDs in five games (18.0 ppg)
Clark Atlanta sophomore Winston Thompson leads the black college ranks and is sixth nationally in rushing at 136.0 yards per game.
Ronald Murray back in North Carolina, signs as free agent with Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats have signed former
Shaw University free agent NBA guard Ronald "Flip"
Murray to add depth to the backcourt.
Murray, a former CIAA and NCAA Div. II player of the year, in his seventh NBA season, averaged 12.2 points in 24.7 minutes last season for Atlanta. He also averaged 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 80 games during the regular season and 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 11 playoff games.
His signing gives Charlotte another capable scorer at the point and shooting guard behind Raja Bell.
"This signing adds depth, experience and athleticism to our backcourt and increases the number of players on our roster who can compete at multiple positions," Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins said. "Flip has a proven track record in this league as a guy who can score and distribute the basketball and we are extremely excited about what he brings to this team."
Murray, who has played with six other teams, originally picked by Milwaukee in the 2002 draft. He averages 9.9 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 412 games over his NBA career.
As a collegian, Murray was named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, First Team All-America and CIAA Player of the Year after leading Shaw to a 28-5 record and Division II Final Four appearance as a senior.
Charlotte opens training camp Sept. 29.
Grambling chooses Washington as new men's hoops coach
In a press conference Monday in the Grambling
State Assembly Center, GSU Athletic Director
Lin Dawson introduced Bobby
Washington as interim men's basketball coach. Washington succeeds
Rick Duckett, who was placed on administrative leave Friday until Oct. 31 when
his employment officially ends.
A native of Lexington, Ky., Washington most recently served as head men's basketball coach at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla. for five years. Prior to that Washington spent three years as assistant men's basketball coach at Florida A&M in Tallahassee, where in 2004 the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Rattlers participated in and won in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The departure of Duckett and two assistant coaches came in the wake of the death of men's basketball player Henry White, a 21-year-old former Hill Junior College standout, who became ill Aug. 14 at a preseason practice. He died at a Shreveport hospital a week later.
Prior to his hiring in May 2008, Duckett had worked as an assistant for six years at the University of South Carolina. In Duckett's one season at the helm, Grambling went 6-23 overall and 4-14 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
Washington holds a Bachelor of Science degree in juvenile services and corrections and a master's of Science in criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University where he began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant under Travis Ford.
"He is talented and capable and has big shoes to fill in a short time," Dawson said. "He understands that a great challenge lies aheadbut I think it's safe to say that as a son of a basketball coach, it's in his blood."
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