NBPA To Hold Top 50 Basketball Camp in July for SIAC and SWAC Players

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

The 50 of the best ballers from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference will participate in a full-range basketball camp run by some of the NBA's present and former stars.

The National Basketball Players Association has announced an agreement with the SIAC and the SWAC to hold a basketball camp July 20-23 at Morehouse College's Forbes Arena in Atlanta for 25 players from each of the conferences made up primarily of historically black colleges and universities.

The NBPA is the union that represents the NBA's players.

The camp is modeled after the Top 100 Camp which plays host to the nation's top high school basketball players, but also provides mentoring for education, leadership, life skills, character and skills development. So think the same thing, but for the top SIAC and SWAC players.

"Our members are very excited to be able to share their professional knowledge and life experiences with today's student-athlete," said NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts.  "This relationship with the HBCUs demonstrates the NBPA's capacity to play a role in enlightening the young people of today as they seek to shape their future, on and off the court."

The camp also gives current and former NBA players looking towards a coaching career an opportunity to connect with administrators and officials at HBCUs where many often get their first shot at coaching careers.

"Historically black colleges and universities often provide crucial "first chance" opportunities to professional athletes seeking coaching and administrator opportunities in intercollegiate athletics," said SIAC Commissioner Greg Moore.  "This initiative seeks to cultivate, institutionalize and ultimately broaden critically important talent pipelines, while also imparting invaluable skill instruction and mentoring to our student-athletes."

"The Southwestern Athletic Conference is honored to work with the leadership and members of the NBPA, as well as the SIAC, to bring this incredible opportunity to our stakeholders," added SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp.  "The most fulfilling piece to this is an opportunity for these future leaders to develop their academic and character compass as they embark on their future on and off the court."

Football Media Days Soon To Kick Off New HBCU Season

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

HBCU football fans won't have to wait much longer for the unofficial start to a new football season.

The first HBCU conference football Media Day is only a few weeks away as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference holds their media day on July 11.  This year comes a new venue and city - instead of Montgomery, Alabama where it had been held, the event moves this year to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

"The College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience was built to serve as the home for an celebrate all things college football - players, coaches, teams, conferences and fans," said Dennis Adamovich, CEO of the Hall.  "We are the perfect venue for important events like this and we are thrilled to welcome the SIAC here to host their Football Media Day."

"We are very pleased to have the SIAC Football Media Day hosted by the College Football Hall of Fame," added SIAC Commissioner Greg Moore.  "In light of the rich history which spans more than 100 years, I cannot think of a more appropriate place to hold this year's event."

Coaches from the SIAC's football playing institutions will speak about their teams and will each be accompanied by two players.  The preseason All-SIAC team will be announced, as will the teams predicted order of finish.

A few days later, the Southwestern Athletic Conference holds their annual Media Day on July 14 in Birmingham, Ala.  Following the same format of the SIAC, it will also be the first opportunity media types will have to question a gathering of the league's coaches, administrators and players about SWAC officials' new plan to do away with the SWAC football championship game after this season.

SWAC Media Day will stream live on the SWAC Digital Network.  It will be available via audio and video online at SWAC.org.

Six days later, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association holds their football Media Day on July 20 in Roanoke, Va.  It kicks off a special season for the CIAA as the conference is celebrating the 125th year of black college football. CIAA institutions Livingstone College and Biddle Memorial Institute, which is now Johnson C. Smith University, played the first black college football game on December 27, 1892.

On July 28, in Norfolk, Va., the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will hold their annual Media Day. One of the biggest off-season news items to come up for the MEAC is the decision by Savannah State University to leave the MEAC and FCS competition to drop back down to Division II in two years.

Citing Focus on the Celebration Bowl, SWAC Decides to End Conference Title Game After 2017 Season

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

After this season, the regular season Southwestern Athletic Conference football  champions from the East and West divisions won't be meeting in a league championship game.

Tuesday, SWAC officials said the annual Toyota SWAC Championship game, held in Houston since 2013, is being phased out after the 2017 season.  It has been held since 1999, starting in Birmingham, Ala.

"With the creation of the Celebration Bowl as a national showcase for HBCU football, the Council of Presidents and Chancellors decided to suspend the championship game format after the 2017 season," said SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp.  "By focusing on the Celebration Bowl, we can continue to grow the [Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl] as an HBCU classic for the teams and fans of both conferences and for HBCU football nationally."

Ten teams play in the SWAC, with Grambling winning the championship game and the Celebration Bowl last season.  Their Celebration Bowl opponent last season was North Carolina Central.  Eleven of the MEAC's 13 member schools play football.  The conference doesn't have a championship game and isn't split in divisions.

While the SWAC champion had been determined by the title game since 1999, after this season, the champion will be determined by who has the best regular season conference record.  Conference school administrators, coaches and SWAC officials will work on a new tie-breaker format and scheduling format.

The Celebration Bowl is heading into its third year of hosting the champions of the SWAC and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  The game, telecast in mid-December by ESPN, is one of 13 college football bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events each year.

Often called the HBCU national championship, there is no actual HBCU championship game, especially as the only HBCU teams eligible to play in the Celebration Bowl come from the SWAC and MEAC.  That leaves out independents like Tennessee State and Division II HBCU football teams such as Tuskegee and Winston-Salem State.  The NCAA doesn't recognize an HBCU champion either.

The move allows the SWAC to get away from the cost of staging a week-long championship event and game day.  Attendance for the  SWAC title games held in Houston at NRG Stadium hovered around 39-40,000 fans the first three years, dropping to just under 25,000 fans this past season when Grambling defeated Alcorn State.  This year's game will be held in the new Mercedes Benz Dome in Atlanta.

Prairie View A&M head football coach Willie Simmons told the Houston Chronicle that the move could also mean the need to move from seven conference games to nine.

"Personally, I think if you play nine, it works itself out," Simmons told the paper.  "Everyone plays everyone and the best team eventually comes out on top. If you decrease it to seven, like our current format, then you run into, 'Well, we didn't play this team and this team that won a championship didn't have to play a tougher schedule.' So I think there are some discussions that have to be had moving forward."

Charleston Southern Offensive Coordinator Gabe Giardina Named Albany State's New Football Coach

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Gabe Giardina, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Charleston Southern, has been named head coach at Albany State University, school officials announced Monday.

It will be the first head coaching job for Giardina, who was in the fifth season of his second stint at Charleston Southern.  He was the special teams coordinator and running backs coach from 2008-2011. He was offensive coordinator at Delta State in 2012 before returning to Charleston Southern.

"We are going to be a bright light in this community that alums and community members will be proud of by the way our young men compete on the field and by the way they conduct themselves off the field," said Giardina, who also said he wants the Golden Rams to be "Albany's team."

"It is our goal that all our players have the type of experience that truly transforms their lives and puts them on a path to do the same for others, all while bringing home championships to southwest Georgia," he said.

Giardina's multiple offense led Charleston Southern to 36 wins over a four year period, most in that program's history.  Charleston Southern won Big South Conference championships in 2015 and 2016 and was ranked 14th in the NCAA FCS Coaches Poll last season.

Giardina replaces Dan Land, a former assistant who took over the football program two years ago when longtime ASU head coach Mike White took the Benedict head coaching job. Land, had been an assistant at Albany State since 2002 and was a star running back for the Golden Rams in the 1980s.

His team went 6-4 in 2015 when when he was the interim head coach.  He was given the permanent position in June 2016. ASU went 5-4 season in 2016.  The Golden Rams lost their final game to Fort Valley State in a battle for a spot in the SIAC Championship Game.

Land, who served as ASU's athletic director in the past, will remain on the University's faculty.

Giardina is familiar with the state of Alabama as he was a student and graduate assistant for University of Alabama head coaches Mike Shula and Nick Saban. Giardina also played for the Crimson Tide from 2000-2003.

"Gabe did a great job for us at the University of Alabama, and we appreciate his contributions to the program," Saban said. "The characteristics that made him a good coach while he was here will make him a successful coach at Albany State and we wish him the best of luck."

More than 100 people applied for the position, with that number narrowed down to four recently. Athletics Director Sherie Gordon and President Art Dunning both said they found the right man.  He also becomes the second white football coach at an SIAC school, joining the 2016 Coach of the Year John L. Smith of Kentucky State.

"We wanted a strong leader with a plan and genuine passion about the social and academic development of our young men," Gordon said. "We wanted someone committed to recruiting in the state and in the bordering states. We wanted someone who could connect with our student-athletes and engage positively with the University and the Albany community.  We wanted a winner. We have found that person in Gabe Giardina."

Dunning added, "Having a head football coach who is committed to building character, promoting academics as a priority and working to ensure that our players graduate into meaningful careers aligns directly with our goal for student success. I am pleased to welcome Coach Giardina and his family into to Albany State University. I look forward to working with him to develop and sustain a winning football program on and off the field of play."

Shaw Defeats Chowan to Avenge Only Conference Loss and Win CIAA Tennis Title

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Shaw's women's tennis team avenged their only Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association loss this season when they defeated top-seeded Chowan to win the CIAA Women's Tennis Championship this past weekend.

Shaw went 12-1 in the CIAA, their lone loss coming to Chowan in late March.  But singles wins by Daniela Vanko, Adrijana Martic and Simbiat Aleem erased a 3-2 deficit to give the Bears the championship.

Vanko was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Shaw (21-2, 13-1 CIAA) wins the CIAA's automatic bid to the Women's NCAA Tennis Tournament and finds out their seeding on Tuesday. Chowan finished the season 20-9 (14-1 CIAA) and will be watching the tournament selection show closely as they were ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II's Atlantic Region (Shaw was eighth) on April 19.

Savannah State Will Leave MEAC FCS/Division I Athletics and Drop to D-II, SSU Officials Confirm

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

The cost of sustaining a Division I/FCS athletics program has forced Savannah State University to drop its athletics program back down to the Division II level.

SSU President Cheryl Dozier made the announcement Monday and the school issued a statement on its athletics web site to confirm what media reports said athletes were told in a meeting with Athletic Director Sterling Steward about a pending move in 2019.

"While I am extremely proud of the progress our athletes and coaches have made at the Division I level, it is not financial feasible for us to continue," Dozier said in a statement.

According to the Savannah Morning News, Steward said to media Monday that, "The fiscal issues just didn't pan out. We didn't generate enough revenue to cover our operating expenses."

After a transition period of two years in which Savannah State will remain a member of the FCS/Division I Mid-Eastern Athletics Conference (MEAC), they will leave for Division II after the 2018-2019 school year ends.

"I wish Savannah State the best in its future endeavors as they transition from Division I to Division II," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas in a statement. "Dr. Dozier and her leadership team are faced with and have had tough financial decisions to make.  Again, I wish them the very best."

Savannah State left Division II in 1998 after being a 29-year member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).  SSU was a Division I/FCS independent until 2010 when they joined the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).  The Tigers participate in FCS football and Division I for all other sports.

Currently Savannah State participates in FCS (Football Championship Series, which is the former Division I-AA) and Division I athletics for all other sports.

The SSU athletics program has a $5.1 million budget, less than half of the $11.9 million average allocated budget for FCS schools, according to a 2016 Forbes story.  Division II schools which offer football have average athletic budgets of $5.3 million, according to the NCAA.  FCS schools offer 63 scholarships while Division II schools give a maximum 36,

Savannah State often put their football team on the road against much more successful and larger FBS (Football Bowl Series, formerly Division I) football teams that would completely overwhelm them on the field, but would leave a nice check for them to play.

Even that turned out to be not enough.

"Without having those kinds of large donations in the millions of dollars to support athletics, it is a strain financially," Steward said, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The school said they have been discussing this move for months and have been in talks with Division II conferences in the region.

There are two conferences featuring historically black colleges and universities and are Savannah State's most likely landing spots, though school officials won't say who they are talking to.

The SIAC has had several recent changes in their membership, and may have more as schools such as finances forced Stillman College to cut football and drop down to NAIA membership. Paine College started a football program in 2015, but the school's finances forced them to drop the program after only a year.  Spring Hill College joined the SIAC in 2015, but doesn't participate in football.  Ten of the SIAC's 14 members participate in football.

Member schools are in Georgia (5), Alabama (3) , Ohio (1), Kentucky (1), South Carolina (2)  and Tennessee (2).

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, is made up of 12 schools, eight that are in North Carolina, three in Virginia and one in Pennsylvania.

Other non-HBCU Division II conferences in the Southeast include the South Atlantic Conference, the Sunshine State Conference, the Gulf South Conference and Conference Carolinas.

Savannah State Considers Drop From FCS/Division I to Division II Athletics, Say Reports

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

(Photo from Savannah State athletics website)

The mounting costs of running a Division I/Football Championship Series athletic program may have become too much for Savannah State University.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school may drop down to Division II athletics in all sports in 2019, according to the Savannah Morning News.  Savannah State became a Division I/FCS member of the MEAC in 2006 after participating in Division II athletics in all sports prior to that.

The paper reported April 12 that SSU Athletic Director Sterling Steward told the school's athletes in a meeting on Wednesday night that it would be a financial move, according to SSU baseball player Turner Davis.

Savannah's ABC affliliate, WJCL-22, quoted sources who said unless there was an influx of finances, the move would happen.

ADD'S HBCU SPORTS REPORT is waiting for responses to questions emailed to Savannah State athletics media relations officials Friday afternoon.

2016 was a year that Savannah State's football program, which competes in the Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA), seemed to finally turning the corner after being one the MEAC's annual doormats since beginning conference play.  For the first time as a MEAC member, the Tigers won three conference games during the season, finishing 3-6 overall, 3-4 in MEAC play.  One of their wins came over 2015 MEAC co-champions, Bethune-Cookman.

The men's and women's basketball program, along with the other SSU athletic programs, compete on the Division I level. The men's hoops team finished 10-6 in MEAC play this season, 13-16 overall. The women's basketball team was 8-8 in conference play, 12-19 overall.  Their baseball and softball teams have had dismal seasons as the women's softball team is 0-27 while the men's baseball team is 10-24 overall, 1-11 in the MEAC.  The women's tennis team lost all 21 matches this season.

According to the school's website, Steward, in his sixth year at SSU, oversees a department that has 16 sports and a $5.1 million budget.  The website also said the football program has brought in $5 million through guarantee football games, in which they've played FBS (formerly Division I) football schools such as Georgia Southern, Colorado State, Akron and Southern Mississippi over the past four years - teams they've been soundly beaten by.