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BCSP Notes . . .
- Black College Players in NBA Camps
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
player of the year, Tarvis Williams of
Hampton, is playing for two NBA Summer League teams
so far.
Williams is with the Phoenix Suns this
week as they begin rookie/free-agent camp at
America West Arena. Practice sessions will be
conducted twice a day from July 16-18 on the America
West Arena practice court. The Suns will conclude with a morning session on Thursday, July 19,
and depart for the Rocky Mountain Revue Summer League at Salt Lake Community College's
Redwood Campus in Salt Lake City, Utah for six games from July 20 - 28.
Williams was also on the roster for the Sacramento Kings three-day mini-camp
which began Friday July 6 at the team's practice
facility. Following the mini-camp, Williams played
with the Kings squad at the 32nd Annual Southern California Summer Pro League (SPL) at
the Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State University, from July 9-16.
REPRESENTIN' After earning championship honors in 1999 and taking a
year off in 2000, a four-man team made up of CIAA Sports
Information Directors won the 2001 CoSIDA Basketball Tournament
by sweeping through the competition in San Diego earlier this month.
Representing the conference on the championship team
(pictured above, l. to r.) was Kyle Serba
(N. C. Central), Paul Williams (Virginia
State), Leonard Haynes (J. C.
Smith), and Jerry Scarborough (Virginia
Union). The CIAA crew remains
undefeated in CoSIDA play. |
Former Florida A&M and all-MEAC
center, Jerome James, is on the Seattle
Sonics summer league roster. Former Elizabeth
City State forward/center Kenny
Williams made the Boston Celtics' roster.
- O'Neal in the Money in Wichita
Former Jackson State golfer Tim
O'Neal shot a third-round eight-under par 64 to get
in contention, but could only put up a one-over 73 in the final round of the BUY.COM
Wichita Open last week.
O'Neal finished in a tie for 15th and pocketed $6,587.50 for his efforts. The payday
raised his total winnings to $55,670 in 13 events
and places him 36th on the BUY.COM Money List.
It was his fifth top 20 finish this year.
He finished tied for 12th and won $8,075 as his
last event, the Knoxville Open which ended July 1.
O'Neal's bogey-free 64, which included
eight birdies, vaulted him into a tie for fifth
place entering Sunday's final round.
O'Neal is second on the Tour in birdie
average, getting 4.37 per round and is also second
in par breakers (205 birdies or eagles in 828
holes). He also stands 13th in putting average (1.74
per hole) and 13th in putts per round (28.59).
- Black College Football Exhibit
The Afro American Cultural Center in Charlotte, N.C. is putting together an exhibit on
the black college football experience (including bands) in North Carolina. The exhibit will
open this September. If you have any memorabilia
you would like to loan to the Center -- news or magazine clips, photos, game programs, or
any other items of interest that would be pertinent
to the exhibit's theme -- please contact Stephanie McKissic at 704-374-1565 or Michael
Hurd, 650-754-0246
- New Coach at Elizabeth City
Shawn Walker, an Elizabeth City
State alumnus, has been named the Vikings' new women's basketball coach. He takes the
position vacated by Vanessa Taylor who took the
same job at Johnson C. Smith, replacing Barry
Street. Walker, a 1994 graduate, returns to ECSU
after coaching the men's basketball program at Voorhees
College. He compiled a 70-59 record in four years. Walker's hiring leaves three
basketball coaching vacancies in the CIAA at St.
Paul's (men), Winston-Salem State (women) and
St. Augustine's (women).
- BJ Leaves for NBADL
Bradford "B.J." Evans has resigned as
Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference office. He
has accepted a position as Director of Media
Relations for the NBA Developmental League's
Asheville, N.C., franchise. There he will work under
former Southern Conference commissioner, Rodney White, who resigned last week to run the
franchise.
- HBCU's on CoSIDA Board
For the first time in the history of the
organization, there will be two members of the Board
of Directors of the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) from
HBCUs. Morgan State sports information director
Joseph McIver and Clark Atlanta assistant
SID Cecil McKay were recently elected to the board
in San Diego at the business meeting during the annual CoSIDA workshop. McIver and
McKay were elected as at-large members of the Board
and will serve three-year teams. Former SWAC Media Relations Director
Lonza Hardy just completed a term and had been the only HBCU
representative prior to the selection of McIver
and McKay.
- Walter Payton Complex
Jackson State University is in the midst of
a $15 million fund-raising campaign, the largest
in the history of the university, to pay for
construction of the Walter Payton Athletic Complex.
JSU president Ronald Mason said last
week the campaign is a warm up for the school's
125th anniversary drive in two years and hopefully
represents a turning point in the school's
long-standing inability to raise capital. The money for
the complex will come from public funds and
private donations..
The target date for completion of the
complex is 2005. Mason said that date may be
overly optimistic, but he praised his athletic
department for their gumption.
Jackson State has been a breeding ground
for NBA, NFL and Major League baseball all-stars, including Payton, the NFL's career leader in
rushing yards.
The complex will be built on 22 acres on campus, and construction is already under way.
In November, a ceremony was held to dedicate the land and a campus street to Payton. The
complex will include an athletic-academic center, a physical therapy
center, a new weight room and locker rooms. Also in the plans are a
new baseball field, new soccer fields and new softball fields.
The first major event of the drive will be a gala held at
the Crowne Plaza in Jackson on Aug. 24. Delores Jordan, the
mother of basketball great Michael Jordan, will be a guest speaker at
the event. Invited guests also include Education Secretary
Rod Paige and actor Morgan Freeman.
© 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc.
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