13th-ranked XU Rush stretch win streak in openers to 19

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior guard Anthony Goode scored 20 points Wednesday to lead NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 93-82 men's basketball victory against Behaven.

It was the 19th consecutive season that the Gold Rush won the opening game.

Goode, who averaged 10.1 points last season, was 6-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers and 6-of-7 from the line in 24 1/2 minutes. He had three assists and blocked two shots.

Jarvis Thibodeaux scored a career-high 17 points for the Gold Rush, and Troy Salvant -- a 26-year-old freshman guard who spent the past seven years in the Army -- scored 13.

Jordan Bedford made six 3-pointers and scored 26 points for the Blazers (0-1). Jerrial Dawson scored 14, and Kyle Patterson had 11.

Gary Smith's 3-pointer at 15:00 of the first half put the Gold Rush ahead to stay, 13-10. Xavier led 47-40 at halftime and held its biggest lead, 74-50, on Josh Freeman's free throw with 9:57 remaining.

Xavier outshot the Blazers 51.7 to 47.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 36-28. Belhaven made 11 3-pointers.

"It was an exciting game for the fans with all those points scored," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "We probably had a few jitters. I'm glad we got this one behind us.

"What I liked most was that we showed the ability to put points on the board. Our two all-conference players (Sydney Coleman and Morris Wright) did not play well and we still put a lot of points on the board."

Xavier will play host to Carver College at 7 p.m. Friday. Belhaven's next game will be its home opener, 7 p.m. Monday against Xavier.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Update: Al Lawson blasts FAMU for firing Earl Holmes

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Former state Sen. Al Lawson, a Florida A&M alum whose name graces the university's state-of-the-art arena, pulled no punches in discussing his opinions on the firing of head coach Earl Holmes.

During a meeting of the 220 Quarterback Club on Wednesday, Lawson called athletic director Kellen Winslow Sr. "disrespectful" and said removing Holmes during the week of homecoming was "wrong."

"There's no one – not even in high school – that would interrupt homecoming," he said.

"A competent athletic director would have called someone in ... he wouldn't have sent a letter."

Lawson went on to say there is "no commitment" from the leadership of the athletic department.



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Florida A&M fires Holmes, promotes Fuller

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M football coach Earl Holmes slowly walked from the field house to his black SUV in the parking lot Tuesday afternoon, stopping to shake hands and share hugs with players.

Holmes also spoke briefly to the Democrat before driving away after he was informed he was fired by the university earlier Tuesday, four days before the Rattlers’ homecoming game.

“As a Hall of Famer — FAMU Hall of Fame and MEAC Hall of Fame — on homecoming weekend… I don’t know,” Holmes said while shaking his head.

“I’m amazed. Amazed.”

Holmes, 41, considered one of the program’s all-time great players, couldn’t duplicate that magic as the Rattlers’ head coach.

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Florida A&M fires coach before Spartans' visit

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Coach Pete Adrian said Tuesday's dismissal of Florida A&M coach Earl Holmes won't affect NSU's game plan when the teams meet Saturday.

Holmes, a former NFL linebacker and a member of the FAMU's Sports Hall of Fame, was fired after going 6-16 in less than two full seasons. The school confirmed the firing on Tuesday night.

Defensive backs coach Corey Fuller will be the interim coach.

"Regardless of who takes over, 80-85 percent will stay the same," Adrian said. "You don't have time to change anything."

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Rattlers quarterback Damien Fleming said the players will not boycott Saturday's game, though there had been "speculation" they might.

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Registered Sex Offender Emerges as Star College Football

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- A registered sex offender has emerged as a star player on a top tier college football team, resuming his athletic career after being expelled from the Air Force Academy where he was court-martialed for sexual assault.

No NCAA rule prevents a person with a criminal conviction from playing college athletics, a spokesperson told ABC News. It is left up to the individual college or conference to determine eligibility.

Jamil Cooks, 23, enrolled at Alcorn State in Mississippi, a Division One NCAA school, after being found guilty in April 2013 of abusive sexual contact in a court martial proceeding at the Air Force Academy, which required him to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Cooks' lawyer, Richard Stevens, says he is appealing the conviction.

The ability of Cooks to continue his football career despite being a sexual predator is only the latest example of distorted priorities that involve sexual violence, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York.


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GSU grateful of fan support, but goals remain the same

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling's football program has an unwritten rule inside its locker room — don't look at the standings.

As far as the Tigers are concerned, they're 0-0 despite their name atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference leaderboard with a 5-0 conference record.

Try telling that to the rapid fan base of Gramblinites who spent the last week congratulating players and coaches on their season so far.

Internally, they've accomplished nothing until a championship trophy sits in Grambling's case next to the one from 2011.

"They understand it's not over and it's not going to be over until we're standing there in Houston at the end of the season with the SWAC Championship trophy above our head," Grambling cornerbacks coach Bryan Ware said.

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Alcorn one win away from clinching SWAC East

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State is so close to making program history.

But it has to wait about two weeks to do so.

After defeating Prairie View A&M in a wild 77-48 shootout on Saturday, the Braves are one win away from clinching their division.



Alcorn coach Jay Hopson doesn't need a reminder.

And he knows his "take one game at a time" response may sound like coach talk. But he can't stress it enough.

"It's all about Alabama A&M. All that stuff takes care of itself," Hopson said. "As coaches and players, that's how you have to be. It's kind of coach talk, and you hear it. Certainly, players and coaches will be aware of that situation. But the reality is you got to go out every Saturday and take care of each opponent."

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