MVSU releases 2011 football schedule

Mississippi Valley State released their 2011 football schedule today. The most intriguing match includes a Thursday night game at FCS school South Alabama. The Delta Devils open their season at home Sept. 3 against Alabama State. For Homecoming, MVSU will host Texas  Southern on Oct. 29. Enough of that, here’s the full schedule:

Sept. 3 vs. Alabama State

Sept. 10 OPEN

Sept. 17 at Alcorn State

Sept. 24 at Prairie View

Oct. 1 vs. Southern

Oct. 8 at Alabama A&M

Oct. 15 vs. Jackson State

Oct. 22 at Grambling State

Oct. 29 vs. Texas Southern (HC)

Nov. 3 at South Alabama (Thursday)

Nov. 12 vs. Pine-Bluff

Nov. 19 OPEN

MACJC Commissioner responds to the MDCC debacle

After a story book run into the MACJC State Tournament, the book has closed on the Mississippi Delta Community College men's basketball team.
The Trojans were removed from the tournament after a MACJC school notified Commissioner Jim Southward of an eligible player — Glenn Ford — on the Trojans squad.
MDCC was notified of the decision Wednesday during warm-ups prior to their semifinals game against No. 1 seed Gulf Coast.
"To the best that we know," said Southward, "I received a phone call (Wednesday) from one of our other schools stating that they suspected that (MDCC) had an ineligible player who did not have a transfer waiver form."
Southward, who said he did not want to reveal the name of the school that brought the situation to the forefront, added that he called MDCC Athletic Director Domino Bellipani who notified MDCC coach Derrick Fears of the issue. An investigation concluded that a transfer waiver form had not been submitted on Ford's behalf.
Southward said he then contacted the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for "advisement since we were in the middle of the state tournament."
The game was eventually called off and considered a "non-contest," not a forfeit, said Southward. The decision eliminated MDCC and gave new life to Itawamba, who replaced the Trojans in the tournament.
"If (an athlete) has been at another school within one calendar year, they have to have a transfer waiver," he said. Ford, a Greenville-Weston graduate who played at Copiah-Lincoln during the 2009-10 season, filled out a release form, but not a transfer waiver form, said Fears.
Southward said no decision has been made whether MDCC will have to forfeit their regular season games that Ford played in. That decision, he says, will come from the NJCAA.
Fears said this morning that he hopes to meet with other MACJC coaches Friday about the situation. The coach also said that he has considered taking legal action regarding the situation.
MDCC advanced to the tournament after winning their final five regular season games, and defeated Jones County in the quarterfinals on a Jestonia Kimber buzzer beater.
"It's happened before where teams have to forfeit games," commissioner Southward said, " but nothing quite like this one."

Rice-Totten renovation on schedule; arrive early to Saturday's JSU/Valley game

The renovation of the visitors side of Mississippi Valley State's Rice-Totten Stadium is underway.
So far, the bleachers have been removed and all "hazardous materials have been abated" from the East Grandstand, a MVSU spokesperson confirmed. Also, the demolition contract was awarded to Bayou Pipeline of Cleveland for $180,000, said Public Relations Director Debbie Montgomery.
The visitors side will be demolished by crane. The actual date the demolition will begin is unknown.
The bid to replace the stadium will begin March 3. As of now, the project is still on schedule, said Montgomery. The Delta Devils are still scheduled to open their 2011 season in Itta Bena, after be forced to play three home games at Greenville-Weston High in 2010.

JSU/Valley game
The Jackson State and MVSU basketball game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Itta Bena has a lot on the line, as the Delta Devils (11-17, 10-5 SWAC) remain a half game out of second place in the SWAC behind the Tigers (14-12, 10-4).
And with MVSU expecting their largest home crowd of the season, Valley officials have advised fans to get to the game early due to limited parking because of the renovation of Rice-Totten Stadium.
"Folks are going to have to do some walking," said Montgomery, who added that the school will open all exits after the game to help the flow of traffic.
The women tip off at 2 p.m. and the men follow around 4:30.

MDCC forced to forfeit tournament game; coach says he may take legal action

The Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans’ magical run has come to an end. But not because the Trojans lost a game on the court, but based on what MDCC coach Derrick Fears calls a big misunderstanding.
MDCC was forced to forfeit their semifinal state tournament game Wednesday against No. 1 seed Gulf Coast due to the ineligibility of a walk-on backup point guard.
MDCC sophomore Glenn Ford, a Greenville native who played at Cophiah-Lincoln last season, was ruled ineligible due to “incomplete paperwork filed with the national office of the National Junior College Athletic Association,” MDCC Sports Information Director Joe Wilson said in an e-mail.
In a phone interview, Fears said a transfer waiver was not filed on Ford’s behalf. However, a release was submitted, and “it’s the same thing,” said Fears.
Ford, who played at Greenville-Weston and spent one season at Co-Lin with MDCC teammate Anthony Evans, joined the squad in January after spending his first semester in Moorhead as just a student. Fears said he needed a backup point guard, so Ford joined the team this year, playing only “a few minutes here and there.”
Fears also added Wednesday night that every game Ford has played in will be forfeited. Fears, however said this morning that he is unsure if they will force the Trojans to forfeit regular season games as well.
Fears said his team was notified of the issue during warm-ups prior to Wednesday’s game.
“The floor was soaking wet (from the players’ tears),” said Fears. “These young guys were crying because old guys can’t take losing.”
Gulf Coast was reportedly awarded a 7-0 victory over MDCC in Wednesday’s game.
Fears said he plans to seek legal counsel regarding the matter.
“I’m going to sue because that’s something we can’t get back,” he said. “…I’m not going to give up on it.”
Efforts to reach MACJC Commissioner Jim Southward were unsuccessful by press time. MDCC defeated Jones County Junior College 73-72 Tuesday night on a 3-point buzzer beater from Jestonia Kimber.
Pearl River will now face Gulf Coast today in the championshp game. And MDCC will be replaced in the regional tournament by Itawamba, who Delta defeated last week in their regular season finalè to advance to the tournament.
“It’s one thing if you beat me on the court. I can walk off with my head held high,” said Fears. “But to do what they did, that’s wrong.”
Fears added this morning that he will meet with other community college coaches Friday regarding the issue.

Pete has big plans for Gentry football

PHOTO courtesy of the Birmingham News

INDIANOLA — Melvin Pete Jr. knows all about disappointment. He's familiar with it all too well.
"When I played at Jackson State, we lost to Mississippi Valley State two years in a row," said Pete, whose father, Melvin Pete Sr., coached at JSU for 25 years before retiring in the mid 90s. "That's something you just don't do."
The younger Pete also knows what it's like to get to the top of the mountain. The upfront — and often entertaining — coach won the Class 4A state title at Alabama's Central High in 2007.
Now he has plans to duplicate that success in Mississippi after being named the head football coach at Gentry High School.
"I don't know if it's been done before," said Pete, "but I want to be the first coach to win a state title in two states."
The Meridian native, who was raised in Jackson, takes over a program that has now hired its fourth football coach in four years. And that doesn't bother Pete one bit, he said.
"I'm not nervous about that," Pete said. "I'm going to try to bring this community together....(and) get them to rally around their football team."
Pete said he doesn't have any family in the area, but has a history with Gentry High Principal Ricky Taylor. Pete's father coached Taylor during his time at JSU. Plus, principal Taylor, who coached Steve McNair at Alcorn State, was his first quarterbacks coach at Jackson State.
Pete will take over the reigns of a Rams team that finished 3-8 last season and will lose about 20 seniors, including Mississippi State signee Rufus Warren. But, despite those losses, Pete envisions a successful Gentry program.
"The sky is the limit," he said. "I like to dream big.....We're going to start with getting (grades) up and graduating all the players. If I do that, I know we have a better product."
Pete, who said he'll commute from Canton occasionally until he officially takes over the program, got a chance to meet his new players Friday afternoon. He chatted with MSU signee Warren earlier that day.
"I had to see where he was (mentally)," said Pete. "And that way I know where all the rest of the guys are."
Gentry's returning players will immediately join the extensive list of Pete's former players who he refers to as his "kids." Although Pete doesn't have any children of his own, he says his "kids" always keep in touch.
"I have kids all across the country. They call on Christmas and other holidays," Pete said. "One of my oldest kids was 28 when I coached him at Spelman (College)."
Why'd he leave Spelman? "I got fired for scoring too many points," Pete said jokingly.
He said his current task is evaluating players and searching for assistant coaches. So who does the veteran coach have in mind to help him out at Gentry?
"No one's safe but the guy running the pee-wee league," Pete said, followed by his signature laugh.
But there is one person he wish he could get on the sidelines.
Said Pete: "Sometimes I wish I could get my father to come up here and run around the sidelines and tell me what I'm doing wrong,"
That's probably a long shot, but Pete still expects to make a splash at Gentry. Asked what he wants people to remember about him when his time is done: "They'll put a statue of me out there by the stadium," he joked.
"But seriously," he continued," when I leave I want people to say he was a good guy and got the best out of the players."

No sports media relations = a lack of coverage

A friend of mine recently asked, “Why doesn’t the Clarion Ledger ever pick anyone from the Delta for their awards? It’s always someone from North Mississippi or Jackson.”
Some might call the Ledger — and other newspapers, including the DDT — biased based on their selections. Others might believe that’s where the best players in the state come from. The rest probably couldn’t care less.
But the truth is, the C-L, the DDT and other newspapers can’t recognize an athlete it knows nothing about. Without stats, scores and updates from a coach, statistician or concerned parent, we are left completely in the dark — and so are our readers.
Unfortunately, the athletes are the ones who suffer in the end. When Player of the Year awards and All-Area teams are selected, we have to go off of the material we have. But, after each game, our fax machine is quiet, phones are silent and e-mail inbox empty.
Area schools and supporters, your athletes won’t see their name on that prized Dandy Dozen list or the All-DDT team if the first time we hear from you is after the selections have been made. And keeping a kids name out of print can equal keeping a kid away from a scholarship. College coaches can’t recruit players they’ve never heard of.
In an one-man sports department, covering nine high schools, there’s no way to can devote equal newsprint without help from the community. So help me — help you — help your student-athlete.
If you’re at a basketball game and have a camera on hand, snap a picture. We’ll be glad to print it. Know the final score and who scored the goals at a Greenville-Weston soccer match? Send it over.
We want to capture every aspect of Washington County sports, whether it’s at Deer Creek or Parks and Recreation basketball games. Have a feature idea? Tell me about it.
A column in this newspaper, written more than five years ago by Troy Treasure, documented these same issues. He wrote about the 72 Mississippi schools, including eight in the Delta, that names were printed in the Clarion Ledger for not submitting statistics throughout the entire year. Greenville-Weston, which was one of the eight schools named back in 2005, now submits scores, stats and updates like clockwork. And we thank you for that.
In today’s technology-driven world, there are ample ways to keep area student-athletes at the forefront. My e-mail is kennethmister@ddtonline.com, my office number is 378-0722, and my Twitter account is @kennymr.
After only a year and a half at this occupation, I’ve even been told “you like ‘this’ school over ‘that’ one.” And “that school gets more coverage than our school.” And my all-time favorite: “I stopped buying the paper because our school’s never in there.”
My point is, this is a community newspaper. And it takes the entire community to get everyone their justified coverage. Soon we will be releasing the All-DDT Basketball teams — and as of now there are only four out of nine high schools who have regularly sent in statistics. The rest have sent them in sporadically, others not at all.
We’ll also be naming the Basketball Player of the Year. Don’t be surprised if it’s a player from one of those four schools.

Kenneth Mister is the sports editor of the Delta Democrat Times. He can be reached at 378-0722 or kennethmister@ddtonline.com.

"Future of the SWAC" - Local alums take on topic

GREENVILLE – Davis Weathersby remembers SWAC sports at the height of its popularity.

“When Steve McNair played at Alcorn (State), we left Greenville at 4:30 in the morning for a 1 o’clock game,” said Weathersby, who head coached Mississippi Valley State football from 1970-77.

Corey Holmes, MVSU’s all-time leading rusher, has his own fond memories of his days playing in the SWAC.

“We might not have been the best team,” said Holmes, who is now the mayor of Metcalfe, “but people wanted to come see the SWAC’s leading rushing attack….They wanted to come see us run for 200 yards.”

Those recollections are a far cry from the current state of an athletic conference that has been hit hard due to school integration and a financial downturn. And for those reasons, an open dialogue – “The Future of the SWAC” – will be held today at 6:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Jackson.

MVSU Athletic Director Donald Ray Sims and former Valley AD Lonza Hardy are among those who will be in attendance.

A press release posted on the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum’s website announcing the event addressed the current state of the SWAC: “Amidst dwindling budgets, shrinking attendance, crumbling facilities and talk of school closure and consolidation, the future of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has rarely been more uncertain.”

That uncertainty can be traced back to black players choosing more prestigious universities and a lack of financial support, which have caused a downturn in interest, say many SWAC alums.

To get an attention hungry 17-year-old to sign with a SWAC school is a tough task, said Alcorn State Hall of Famer Elijah Moore.

“I don’t care what you do in high school, if you select Alcorn you won’t be on ESPN,” said Moore. “And that’s another reason for a kid to select a larger school.”

Attendance at SWAC sporting events has also been a problem. Last season, Valley averaged just 2,600 fans while playing three home football games 45 miles away at Greenville-Weston High School. Their highest attended game – 3,197 – was in October against Grambling.

The poorly attended games ending up costing the cash-strapped Greenville School District nearly $6,000. Large crowds could be seen outside the stadium, but only a select few paid admission.

“Only the people that really love you are going to come see you play,” said Moore.

“A typical SWAC day – come see the band….don’t worry about the team,” said Holmes, the record-setting running back turned mayor.

For several decades, highly sought after athletes have bolted for schools where they can get their names in headlines in hopes of a professional career.

Take basketball for example, the latest player from MVSU to get drafted was Marcus Mann, who was selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, Michael Phelps was the last Alcornite to hear his name called when the Seattle Supersonics selected him in the seventh round of the 1985 Draft.

Weathersby, who went 33-45 during his tenure at MVSU, cited a lack of resources as one primary reason for the lack of support for SWAC schools.

“During my time, we were the youngest school and we had to compete against Jackson State and Alcorn, plus the smaller schools that made it difficult with limited resources,” said Weathersby. “We had a small staff that was coaching, teaching and taking care of training programs….So you’re at a disadvantage.”

Currently, there are no NFL players from MVSU. Alcorn State, meanwhile, has two former players in the NFL ranks – Jacksonville Jaguars’ Nate Hughes and Super Bowl champion Donald Driver.

Moore remembers a completely different time period. “I remember when you couldn’t turn on the TV without running across a few SWAC players,” he said.

All of those interviewed agree on one aspect: nobody wants to pay to watch a losing team.

“The generation that you’re dealing with now – they’re more of a show me generation,” said Holmes. “If they’re not seeing progress, we have a (tendency) of pulling ourselves away.

“The past generation was about school spirit and bleeding green,” added Holmes. “But if you’re not winning nowadays, people won’t follow you.”

MVSU’s football games in Greenville were attended mostly by older alumni, not current students. And those that did attend tailgated instead of watching the game.

“You can’t exist without moral and financial support,” Weathersby said.

Holmes said he hopes something good comes out of today’s discussion. As for MVSU, he’s said will do whatever he can to help boost support.

“We have to get the older guys back into the program (and) get the Valley pride back,” he said. “It’s definitely needed right now.”