NFL Offensive Tackle Tony Hills is taking advantage of Super Bowl LI being hosted in his home city. On Wednesday, February 1 from 7-10am, he will appear on Great Day Houston to share his pick for the win at Sunday’s game as well as his experience with the Saints this season, and more.
On Tuesday, January 31 from 4:30-6:30, the 6 foot 5 inches Hills along with Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, volunteers from Generation Hope, an outreach of Joel Osteen Ministries, and other community partners will host a “Super Football Fan Dinner” for the homeless women and children at Houston’s Star of Hope Mission.
The Alief Elsik High School graduate will tour the “You’re All Superstars” NFL Gridiron of Glory Exhibit at Texas Southern University on Thursday, February 2 from 4-6pm.
Celebrity Basketball Game
February 4, 2017, 3p.m
Madison High School
13719 White Heather Drive, Houston, TX 77045
Hills has played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and other teams in his 10-year career.
North Carolina A&T unanimous No. 1 with coaches in BOXTOROW Poll
Boxtorow.com
The defending BOXTOROW national champion North Carolina A&T Aggies received all 20 first-place votes in the BOXTOROW Coaches poll after the first week of play.
N.C. A&T opened the season with a 62-0 beating of Saint Augustine’s on Saturday. The Aggies outpace No. 2 Bethune-Cookman by 34 points.
Speaking of Bethune-Cookman, its matchup with Alcorn State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Sunday was supposed to help define week one and poll rankings for both teams, but the game was canceled due to severe weather and will not count for either.
Alcorn State sits at No. 3 in the poll.
Grambling and Prairie View A&M won its opening games and round out the top five.
Tennessee State is the only team in the bottom half of the poll to win in week one, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44-0 and sits at No. 9 after not being ranked in the preseason poll.
In its eighth season, the BOXTOROW HBCU FCS coaches poll is administered by FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW and is voted on by the HBCU Football Championship Subdivision coaches.
2016 BOXTOROW HBCU Football Coaches Top 10 Poll Week 1 (Records through September 4, 2016)
No. Team W-L Pts. Preseason Poll 1. North Carolina A&T (20) 1-0 200 1 2. Bethune-Cookman 0-0 166 2 3. Alcorn State 0-0 160 3 4. Grambling State 1-0 130 5 5. Prairie View A&M 1-0 114 6 6. North Carolina Central 0-1 95 4 7. Alabama State 0-1 64 8 8. South Carolina State 0-1 60 7 9. Tennessee State 1-0 41 NR 10. Southern 0-1 38 9
Other receiving votes: Hampton (0-1) 15, Norfolk State (1-0) 9, Texas Southern (0-1) 3, Morgan State (0-1) 2, Jackson State (0-1) 1. (1st place votes in parentheses)
Jackson State’s Yettra Specks shoots a free throw during the second half against Prairie View A&M.
In the third semifinal game of the SWAC Men’s Basketball tournament, two fiery coaches put their teams and their own instruct at the Toyota Center past noon.
One of those fiery coaches motivated his Jackson State University (JSU) team enough to win as they cruise past Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) with a 69-51 victory. Wayne Brent, head coach of the JSU Tigers, has now received his first SWAC tournament win in his third season with the school.
“We got to put this game behind us and focus on the next game,” Brent said.
Defensively, the Tigers made plays to not only stop the Prairie View A&M Panthers from scoring points, but locked in their spaces resulting in missed shots. Defense was mostly their first plan that gave the Tigers a 35-25 halftime lead.
On the other hand, Byron Smith, coach of the Panthers, had things to look at next season since his team’s exit of the tournament.
“I have to do a better job. My coaching staff has to do a better job,” Smith says.
Throughout the second half, Smith’s Panthers kept up with the tempo of the Tigers and maintained within ten points until shots by PVAMU were mostly short-ranged and poor reach toward the basket. Late bad shooting got to their psyche as they lose in their bout with JSU. Smith is not only going to get better, but also his team as he saw potential in his two scorers: Admassu Williams and Jaryn Johnson. Each led the team with 10 points.
Chace Franklin, junior guard and native of Desoto, Texas, from JSU would win the points battle with 15. Raeford Worsham was the other double-digit scorer with 11 points and added 10 total rebounds. They, along with the rest of the Tigers, executed more in their possession than PVAMU with fierce defending.
Jackson State will meet Mississippi Valley State in the semifinals 2:30 pm on Friday.
Mississippi Valley State and Grambling State shaking hands after the game.
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) and Grambling State University (GSU) opened the Men’s basketball side of the 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament at the Toyota Center.
But after two competitive time periods, Mississippi Valley State’s Delta Devils advanced with an 87-73 victory over the Grambling State Tigers. MVSU head coach Andre Payne felt confident in getting his first win in his second year.
“It was a good win, but we have a long way to go,” Payne said.
Payne’s second season as coach also included his second overall SWAC tournament. He can finally put his first-game exit from last season’s tournament behind him.
Valley, which MVSU also goes by, and Grambling went through most of the first half scoring back and forth, points after points, until halftime showed 36-27 in favor of the Devils. Grambling only tied the game one time.
Throughout the second half became a different result. Continuous baskets from both teams were made until key defensive plays from Valley and smart shots made began to give Grambling an early exit from the tournament. Grambling eventually loses 87-73 at the end. Grambling State head coach Shawn Walker was disappointed with the loss but is not upset with the team’s future.
“I would expect us next year not to finish in last place of the conference,” Walker said.
Tiger and senior guard Ervin Mitchell had 19 points total, but Valley’s player and junior shooting guard Marcus Romain put up higher points with 32. Romain was one of three Valley players with double-digit points; Latrell Love had 21 and Isaac Williams finished with 20.
Valley’s next opponent is second-place Alcorn State University Wednesday at 2:30 pm.
Lady Panthers defeat Alabama A&M to conclude first weekend of SWAC Roundup
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers tennis team split the second day of the first Southwestern Athletic Conference roundup Saturday.
The Lady Panthers defeated Alabama A&M 5-2 after falling to Alcorn State by the same scoreline.
Playing against a short-handed Lady Bulldogs squad, Prairie View A&M had little trouble getting the necessary four points to claim victory over Alabama A&M. Sydney Thomas and Maria Lackey‘s 6-2 win over Orianna Rodriguez and Shrarre Smith in flight two was enough to take the doubles point, as the Lady Bulldogs did not have a third duo.
With forfeit wins guaranteed in singles play, it put the Lady Panthers in a comfortable position heading into singles play, as they needed to win only one of the four matches contested. Thomas and Shaddae Findley(pictured) insured the PVAMU win with victories in flights two and four. Thomas won her flight two match over Rodriguez by a score of 6-3, 6-1.
In flight four, Findley took down Smith by a score of 6-4, 6-1.
Earlier in the day, the Lady Panthers fought hard in a 5-2 loss to Alcorn State. Prairie View A&M got its two wins in flights five and six of singles play. Findley defeated Aakansksha Punj 6-4, 6-3 in flight five, while Timara Maxwell defeated Marlene Maier 6-4, 6-2.
In doubles play, Findley and Tatiana Ruhl edged Punj and Laura Arruda 7-6.
The Lady Panthers finished the first SWAC Roundup with a record of 2-2, having defeating Grambling and falling to host Southern on Friday.
HOUSTON- The Texas Southern University Tiger men’s basketball team beat the Alabama A&M University Bulldogs 77-54 on Saturday night. With the win, TSU improves to 15-12 on the season and continue their dominance at home as they are 8-0 in the HPE Arena.
The team also cushioned their lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings, moving to 14-1 in conference play. The victory ensures that the Tigers have snared at least a share of a regular season SWAC championship.
The Bulldogs did not make it easy on the Tigers in the first half as TSU went into the intermission down 31-29. TSU struggled some on offense in the first period, shooting just 40 percent from the field.
The second half was all Tigers, though, as they began to create separation and led by double-digits for much of the game after the intermission. After halftime, TSU shot a blistering 60.6 percent, including 5-8 from three-point range.
The Tigers had balanced scoring with four players scoring in double-digits and three posting double-doubles. Orlando Coleman led all scorers with 21 points and hit 5-8 from deep. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and two steals.
Derrick Griffin had double figures in points and boards, as well, chipping in 12 points and 10 rebounds. Griffin provided excellent defense to go with his impressive offensive game as he blocked two shots and added two steals.
Chris Thomas got his double-double via points and assists. He contributed 15 points and 10 assists for the Tigers and played the entire contest.
TSU also turned up the pressure in the second half on defense. The Tigers held the Bulldogs to just 34.8 percent from the field after halftime. TSU created 18 Bulldog turnovers, which the Tigers turned into 21 points on the offensive side of the court.
The Tigers look to take full ownership of a regular season SWAC championship as they welcome the Alabama State Hornets to the HPE Arena Monday night. Come cheer them on and help them finish the season undefeated at home.
Three lovely Texans’ fans all smiles after a Texans 23-10 win over the 49ers.
Houston Texans quarterbacks Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett and Tom Savage, already ranked one, two and three in the eyes of many eyes showcased their talents in a 23-10 victory over the San Francisco at NRG Stadium as three quarterbacks vied for starting position in the season opener in the midst of 71,400 fans.
The Texans started with Hoyer. He was in and out but, he went straight into action promptly with a 58-yard pass to wide receiver Cecil Shorts III. He continued with a two-point conversion to DeAndre Hopkins. Texans lead the first quarter 8-0. Hoyer finished 2 for 4 with 67 yards.
The 49ers got on the board in the second quarter with a 10-yard pass from back-up quarterback Blaine Gabbert, followed by the extra point from kicker, Phil Dawson. The game, a one-point difference, between the teams, 7-8, with a Texans’ lead
Late in the second quarter, Dawson puts up three for the 49ers with a 37-yard field goal. The 49ers get the lead, closing out the second quarter 10-8.
Mallett took over through the half and came up short when it came to scoring. At one point the ball was moved all the way to the 1-yard line. The Texans had eight plays to take it into the end-zone. But just couldn’t make it. It was a serious ball-stall.
Mallett finished his preseason opener with 10 of 11 for 90 yards and eight-pass completion.
Like Hoyer, Savage made his way to the scoreboard. He landed a 10-yard pass to wide receiver, Jaleen Strong in the third quarter. Texans up 15-10. Two more points were added by safety, Jason Ankrah as he stopped Gabbert in the endzone. Houston leads 17-10.
Fourth quarter scoring was left solely to the Texans. Kicker Randy Bullock does what he does best. He put up two field goals. One was for 41-yards; the other for 39-yards with 6:47 remaining in the game. Final score 23-10, gives the Texans a win it the pre-season opener.
The answer is still in the air, somewhat on who will be the Texans’ leading quarterback. What is for sure from the mouth of Coach Bill O’Brien is that Mallett will start the next preseason against Denver on August 23 at NRG Stadium.
Texans’ fan, Michael Moore, says that he is picking Hoyer for the top spot. “He’s the best. The Texans got him in and he played only a short time. This means, they know what he can do. Also, they don’t want him to get hurt. The others, (Mallet and Savage) have to prove themselves,” he said.
Moore could be right in a sense, since Mallet is starting next week. Mallet does know that he will have to put some points on the board. If not, then the contest starts again between Hoyer and Savage and not among the three.
TSU, Coach Mike Davis gives his famous bull-horn victory call.
The No. 1 ranked Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Texas Southern University (TSU) men’s basketball team declared victory against the Southern University Tigers on March 14, at the Toyota Center for the SWAC Men’s Championship Title beating the Southern Tigers 62-58
TSU actually had the SWAC championship title in its pocket the night in the 90-77 semifinal win over Prairie View A&M.The Southern Tigers were actually playing in a barred phase due to poor academic performance.In February, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned all Southern University athletic programs from postseason play because of poor grades.
For the record if Southern would have beat TSU, in the SWAC Championship game, the Southern Tigers would have not advanced to the NCAA.The Saturday win for the TSU Tigers just made their automatic SWAC bid to the NCAA bid just that sweeter.
This is the second consecutive year for the TSU Tigers (22-12, 16-2 SWAC) to step into the NCAA March Madness.They will go up against the powerful Arizona Wildcats.The Wildcats are second seeded (31-3).The action will take place in Portland, Ore in the second round of the NCAA West Region.
TSU should not be taken lightly.In regular season, the Tigers had some surprising wins against Michigan State (74-61) and Kansas State (58-56).Plus the Tigers’ not-so- secret weapons, the self-assured coach, Mike Davis who is ready for any opportunity and challenged.
He told a local CBS sports radio show that the big non-conference wins gave his guys a sense of pride. “I told the guys they have to play against really good basketball teams so they can understand the process. When we played Michigan State and won, Kansas State and Mexico State, our guys realized you can win basketball games without having a lot of great talent,” said Davis.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will swing into action on Tuesday, March 10 at the Houston Toyota Center with both Texas Southern University (TSU) men’s and women’s teams holding the top bracket spots.
Texas Southern University senior, Madarious Gibbs 3# will play his last game as a TSU Tiger in the 2015 SWAC championship.
The Texas Southern men won 11 of their last 12 games to finish 16-12 in league. Overall they landed 19-12. TSU will face the winner of Alcorn State (5-25, 4-14 SWAC) and Grambling State (2-16, 0-18 SWAC) in the last quarterfinal game of the day on Wednesday, March 11, at 8:30p.m.
Alabama State University (18-9), 14-4 SWAC) defeated Jackson State University (11-20, 9-9 SWAC) to secure the No.2 seed. The will take on No. 7 seed Mississippi Valley State University (6-25, 5-13 SWAC) Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
On Thursday, No. 3 Southern University (16-16, 15-5 SWAC) will face No. 6 Alabama A&M (9-19, 8-10 SWAC) at 2:30 p.m. Then No. 4 Prairie View A&M University (14-17, 12-6 SWAC) against No. 5 Jackson State University in the final quarter matchup at 8:30 p.m.
After finishing the season tied, The TSU Lady Tigers (19-10, 16-2 SWAC) split the regular season title with Southern (18-10, 16-2 SWAC), and edged past in the tiebreaker for the No.1 seed. TSU lost only one game after a 15-game win streak heading into the tournament.
They will take on the winner of the Alabama A&M (6-23, 5-13 SWAC) and Mississippi Valley (4-25, 2-16 SWAC) on Wednesday, March 11 at 6 p.m. As the No. 2 seed, Southern faces No. 7 Grambling (10-19, 7-11 SWAC) at noon.
Day two of the women’s tournament pits No. 3 Jackson State (13-16, 10-8 SWAC) vs. No. 6 Alcorn State (10-17, 9-9 SWAC) in the first header at noon on Thursday. In the second game, No. 4 Alabama State (14-14, 10-8 SWAC) takes on No. 5 Prairie View (13-17, 10-8 SWAC) at 6p.m.
The 2015 SWAC tournament will open Tuesday, March 10, with a doubleheader, beginning with the No. 8 Alabama A&M women against Mississippi Valley at 6 p.m. and ending with the No. 8 Alcorn State men taking on no. 9 Grambling State.
The semifinal game will take place on Friday, March 13 at noon and 6 p.m. with the championship broadcasting live on ESPN3 at 2 p.m.
