Jim McMillian, member of L.A.Lakers 1972 championship team, dies at 68
Jim McMillian, a key component of the longest winning streak in NBA history, died Monday, May 16, 2016, at his home in Winston-Salem, N.C.
For Toronto Raptors fans: Fast facts
Maybe it’s time for the National Basketball Association to shift its name to the International Basketball Association. With the slogan “We the North,” the Toronto Raptors have reached the NBA Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
3 of 9 quarterbacks chosen in NFL draft are black
A wave of talented African-American quarterbacks has emerged as NFL headliners in recent years. But what are the prospects for the next wave?
Few HBCU quarterbacks drafted by NFL
The last quarterback from a historically black college or university to be drafted by the NFL was Alabama State University’s Tarvaris Jackson in 2006. Virginia Union University’s Shawheem Dowdy would like to end that decade-long drought. There’s no faking the tape measure, scales or radar gun, and Dowdy has what the scouts generally covet — a large, durable frame and a howitzer for an arm.
MJBL registration open
Registration is under- way for the upper age groups of the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League.
Barlow ready to lead VSU Trojans
You don’t have to examine his résumé to be convinced of Reggie Barlow’s success in football. Just look at his hand. With a Super Bowl ring glistening on one finger, Barlow was introduced, May 5 as Virginia State University’s third football coach in three years, and the fourth in five seasons.
Curry wins MVP Award again
Stephen Curry, the best player on the NBA’s best team, has won his second straight MVP award. In so doing, the Golden State Warriors’ point guard became the first ever to win the MVP unanimously, collecting all 131 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
VIA Heritage Association meeting May 21
The VIA Heritage Association will meet 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 21, at Azurest South Alumni House at Virginia State University.
VSU to name Barlow as new coach
Reggie Barlow, a former NFL player and Alabama State University football coach, will be introduced as the new football coach at Virginia State University, the Free Press has learned.
Charles Oakley, fifth VUU inductee into Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
Charles Oakley has completed the journey. A native of Cleveland, Oakley arrived in Virginia in 1981 as an 18-year-old freshman basketball player at Virginia Union University.
VCU Rams lose another player by transfer
Virginia Commonwealth University’s list of basketball players who are transferring continues to grow. Michael Gilmore, a 6-foot-9 sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., is the latest Ram to depart.
Lisa Borders is new president of WNBA
The decades old Women’s National Basketball Association has passed the more established pro leagues in terms of administrative diversity.
Allen Iverson lone Virginian to be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
Richmond’s high schools got an early glimpse of Allen Iverson’s athletic greatness. Before taking his talents to Georgetown University, the NBA and what will soon be the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Iverson left his mark on RVA.
Tubby Smith hired to coach at Memphis
Tubby Smith, whose coaching roots can be traced to Virginia Commonwealth University, is on pace to become the most successful African-American basketball coach in NCAA Division I annals. Smith, 64, was hired last week at the University of Memphis after spending the past three years at Texas Tech University. In coaching stops at Tulsa (1991-95), Georgia (1995-97), Kentucky (1998-2007), Minnesota (2007-13) and Texas Tech, he has amassed a record of 557-276 (67 percent).
Flying Squirrels to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day Friday
April 15, 1947, is a red-letter day in sports history and American history. That is the date when Jackie Robinson, son of a family of Georgia sharecroppers, broke the color line in modern major league baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Frantz, Traynor win Monument Ave. 10K
One step forward for the celebration of local athletes. One step backward for diversity. That sums up the 17th running of the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K last Saturday with nearly 30,000 participants and streets lined with excited but chilled fans.
Ed Davis, former Benedictine standout, looks toward NBA playoffs
Ed Davis’ reputation for rugged play under the backboards has earned him the nickname “Phys Ed” with the NBA Portland Trail Blazers. The 240-pound southpaw has developed into an elite rebounder —and short-range scorer — coming off the bench. “It’s not pretty,” he said of his ready-to-rumble style. “But someone has to set the hard screens, hit the offensive boards, do the dirty work.”
Former VCU Rams in NBA playoffs
Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans will have two former Rams to follow in the upcoming NBA playoffs. Troy Daniels of the Class of 2013 is in his second year with the Charlotte Hornets, while Briante Weber, Class of 2015, was recently signed by the Miami Heat.
VSU coach looking to move from interim to permanent
As an athlete, Justin Harper was best known for his ability to catch a football. It was a skill that carried him all the way to the NFL.
Cannon lowers ‘Boom’ on VSU’s opponents
Successful college football recruiting is all about organization, forming contacts, perseverance and hard work. It also helps having a bit of luck.
VUU’s ‘hitting machine’ is winding up for final season
Whether it’s a battle of the brains or a battle of brawn, Virginia Union University’s Taylor Hamilton is a home run hitter.
Russell Wilson at Forum April 2
Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson, out of Collegiate School in Henrico County, is scheduled to team up with renowned Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for an evening of discussion 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the Richmond Forum at the Altria Theater.
Pirates routed by U.Va. in first round
This wasn’t a banner year for NCAA Division I basketball champions from historically black colleges and universities. MEAC Tournament champion Hampton University was trounced 81-45 by the University of Virginia in a first-round NCAA game last Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.
Cuba played role in Dodgers’ history
Cuba made headlines this week with President Obama’s historic trip to the largest Caribbean nation located just 90 miles south of Florida.
National ‘Player of the Year’
Kiana Johnson and “Player of the Year” are now officially synonymous. The Virginia Union University senior guard was named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Monday by the Women’s Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC).
VUU’s ‘Windy City Wonder’ breaks records, dazzles fans at regional finale
Kiana Johnson is so fast, so agile, so dynamic. She navigates a basketball floor like a sleek sports car, reducing foes to clunker status.
VCU heads to Oklahoma City for NCAA despite A-10 loss
If you’re among the thousands of passionate Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans, you’ve become accustomed to this time of year scrambling for last minute flight reservations. For the third straight year, the Rams are headed to the NCAA. So Rams fans who want to cheer on the team in person will be putting up considerable time, effort and expense. After losing to St. Joseph’s University 87-74 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament finale last Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Rams are headed to Oklahoma City, 1,293 miles from Richmond. Coach Will Wade’s 24-10 Rams are seeded No. 10 in the NCAA’s West Region and will face No. 7 Oregon State University, featuring Gary Payton II, on Friday, March 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., with the game slated to be televised on TNT.
Hampton Pirates win MEAC; now face U.Va. in NCAA
Of 68 teams chosen for the NCAA, Division I, basketball tournament, Hampton University has drawn one of the most challenging first round games.
John Marshall bows to I.C. Norcom in state semifinal
Some people worried that when all-time scorer Travis McKie left Richmond’s John Marshall High School, the Justices’ basketball fortunes might dip. It didn’t happen.
Norcom’s legend lives on
Great feats by I.C. Norcom High School basketball players have come to be expected. If it’s not too late, former Greyhound Johnny Morris, who still lives in Portsmouth, may even deserve a page in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”
Trojans play first game Saturday
Famed UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden traveled cross country long ago to tiny Franklinton, N.C., population 2,023, to sign Henry Bibby.
Lady Panthers play at Barco-Stevens Frida
You can make a powerful case for Virginia Union University’s Kiana Johnson being the best basketball player in the NCAA Division II.
Justices take on I.C. Norcom Friday in state tournament
John Marshall High School is among the smallest schools in the Virginia High School League’s 3A classification. It also ranks with the state’s 3A elite, at least basketball-wise. Relying on multitasking athletes such as Xavier Trent and Isaiah Anderson, Coach Ty White’s Justices are hopeful of a second state basketball title in three years.
A look back
Spirit of Maggie Walker’s 1967-68 Green Dragons lives on
One state with two state champions. That’s the way it was in Virginia.
Hampton U. Pirates favored to win MEAC Tournament
Hampton University has the MEAC’s best basketball record, and arguably the conference’s two best players. Its archrival, Norfolk State University, however, has the last regular season laugh, as well as hometown advantage, heading into this week’s MEAC Tournament at the Norfolk Scope.
Hanover golfer making big mark at 14
Christian Dyer would rather follow a golf ball, and the exciting places it might lead him, than follow the crowd. At 6-feet, 210 pounds, the young athlete would seem well suited for basketball or football. Instead the 14-year-old has been all-in for golf since receiving a set of clubs from his grandparents for Christmas when he was 3.
VUU enjoying turnaround
Long story short — Coach Jay Butler has turned things around at Virginia Union University. In recent times, VUU’s men’s basketball team would return from the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., with no victories and little cause for optimism. The image brightened last week as VUU won its first tournament game since 2009 (over Shaw University), nearly tacked on a second win against two-time defending champ Livingstone College, and did so with a roster oozing with skilled underclassmen.
Jesse Owens had backup
17 other black athletes competed on 1936 U.S. Olympic team
Adolf Hitler’s bigoted theory on “Aryan supremacy” took a terrible beating at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. A talented band of African-American athletes led by Jesse Owens blew up Hitler’s hateful propaganda and kicked the rubble in his face.
VUU’s Chaz McKenzie named MVP of CIAA field events
Chazton McKenzie is the master of multitasking at Virginia Union University. The recent CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., served as a showcase for his versatility. “Chaz isn’t some average athlete. He’s a great athlete,” said VUU track Coach Wilbert Johnson. McKenzie’s academic major, business management, is apropos. He meticulously took care of business Feb. 14-15 at Winston-Salem’s JDL Fast Track.
VSU signs area high schoolers for Trojans football
C.J. Bynum was an All-State foot- ball offensive lineman this past fall for Highland Springs High School in Henrico County. Now he hopes to become an All-CIAA performer for Virginia State University. Bynum’s powerful blocking helped Highland Springs to the State Group 5A football championship. His postseason honors included All Conference 12, All- Region 5A South and 5A All-State.
Trojans ready with Kevin Williams
to Iverson, comparing a college player to an all-time NBA great. But they’re much the same in terms of size, speed, jumping ability, hand speed on defense and shooting.” Wearing the No. 3 jersey, the number Iverson wore during an illustrious NBA career, Williams stands out statistically in many categories. On top of that, he’s added a “wow” factor to VSU hoops. “I’ve had so many people ask me ‘Who’s No. 3?,’ ” said Coach Blow. “Some of his dunks are amazing for a player his size.” Coach Blow was coaching at St. Augustine’s University in 2012 when he began recruiting Williams at Louisburg College, a two-year program in North Carolina. When Coach Blow moved to Ettrick in 2013 as the Trojans’ coach, he continued to recruit the Junior College All-American. Williams agreed to join Coach Blow at VSU, but there were extenuating circumstances that slowed the process. Academically, he needed work and enrolled at Vance-Granville Community College in Henderson, N.C., for the 2013-14 season. Then last year, he transferred to VSU but did not play while continuing to spruce up his academic résumé. Not yet qualifying for a scholarship, he paid his own way.
Lady Panthers seeking first title since 1982
There is inspiring history associated with Virginia Union University women’s basketball. The problem is it’s mostly “ancient” history. First-year coach AnnMarie Gilbert, scintillating transfer Kiana Johnson and towering Lady Walker have helped freshen up the team’s résumé.
Armstrong-Walker Alumni Club to honor Coach Christian
The Armstrong-Maggie Walker Alumni Club will honor the late Bill Christian at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 3, at Send-A-Chef Restaurant, 1303 Hull Street, in South Side.
Thompson hopes to take Saints to championship
Eric Thompson Sr. has left his son, Eric Jr., with a tough act to follow on the basketball court. The elder Thompson was on two State Group AAA championship teams at Marshall-Walker High School, and on two CIAA championship teams for Virginia Union University. Eric Sr. was all about defense and ball handling and still holds several records for assists for the state high school and CIAA tournaments.
Former Springer wins NBA D-League shootout
Andre Ingram is like fine wine. He seems to keep improving with age. At 30, the former Highland Springs High School guard rang the victory bell last Saturday at the NBA Development League’s All-Star festivities in Toronto.
VCU’s Melvin Johnson mirroring former Rams star Calvin Duncan
Melvin Johnson grew up in New York, first signed a scholarship offer with a Florida program and then changed his mind and came to Virginia Commonwealth University. Sound familiar?
Chemistry clicking among George Wythe players
There appear to be three basic categories of George Wythe High School basketball Bulldogs. There’s the obvious leading man, senior do-it-all guard Maliek White, the Providence College-bound 2015 State 3A Player of the Year.
VIA Heritage Association to meet
The Virginia Interscholastic Heritage Association will meet 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 at Union Baptist Church in Hopewell, 212 Rev. C.W. Harris St.
Newton vs. Manning in Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl 50 will be played on a football field in Santa Clara, Calif., but a Hollywood movie set seems a more fitting location.
Newton joins 5 other black Super Bowl quarterbacks
African-American quarterbacks, long absent on Super Bowl Sunday, have become commonplace on football’s brightest stage.
