14 The HBCU Advocate HBCU Sports


CIAA Basketball Champions: Virginia State Tops Shaw


Volume 2 Number 8 Aggie Track FROM PAGE 1


University, a little school on the east side of Greensboro.


White really wanted to show


off the for the athletes who didn’t decide their sport until later in life by doubling as a national champion, but she finished second in the 60-meter hurdle final to Southern Cal’s Chanel Brissett who finished in 7.90 to White’s personal-best 7.92.


“Kayla is a great athlete which we have seen time and time again,” said Duane Ross, the Aggies director of track and field programs. “Our plan this year, her senior year, was to do this.”


Ross said White has been a


tremendous team leader for an Aggies team that just completed winning three straight indoor conference titles in both men’s and women’s track and field. Therefore, before her 200m race, he freed her momentarily from her team leadership duties.


BY THE CIAA CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Virginia


State University held off a strong second half rally to defeat the Shaw Bears, 77-66, in the 2019 Central Inter- collegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s Basketball Championship game Saturday afternoon at the Spectrum Center.


The Bears battled to turn a


31-point second half deficit into single-digits but their rally fell short despite a game-high 34 points from Junior Amir Hinton, who also finished with five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Junior DaVaughn Kelsie added 17 points and freshman Geremy Taylor chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.


The Trojans scored the game’s


first basket on a 3-pointer from Jalen Jackson on the first possession, VSU then went ahead 6-0 before the Bears got its first basket on a 3-pointer from Kelsie to close the gap to 6-3. Virginia State then used a 15-8 run to lead 25-11 over Shaw with 11:25 left.


The Bears chipped the deficit to


single digits after scoring five-straight, capped off by a steal and slam dunk from Hinton to force the Trojans to call a timeout with 9:21 on the clock. Two steals and fast break dunks from Hinton helped pull the Bears help bring the score to 27-22.


VSU held a 38-34 advantage of


the Bears on the glass which led to a 19-6 frame for the Trojans in second chance opportunities. Shaw never led the entire game despite its bench outscoring its opponents 66-13.


“I take my hat off to Coach


[Lonnie] Blow and Virginia State on a wonderful season,” Shaw coach Joel Hopkins said. “They did a great job tonight.”


Virginia State (27-4) then doubled


its lead again by closing out the first half on a 15-3 run for a 42-25 lead at halftime. A huge part of VSU’s run was a 22-13 advantage on the glass as the


Trojans gathered 11 points in second chance opportunities compared to the Bears who registered just two in the opening half.


The Bears committed three


consecutive turnovers to start the second half and failed to score until the 15:18 mark when Kelsie hit a 3-pointer from the wing. The Bears trimmed the large margin to 12 after four straight baskets from Hinton with 8:08 remaining.


As time chipped away, the Bears continued to claw its way back by cutting the deficit down to single digits in the last 3:17 when Taylor hit a free throw but a poised Trojans team maintained control and stymied Shaw's comeback effort with a jumper from Cedric Wiggins in the last 1:07 that ultimately sealed the win for VSU.


“It wasn't perfect, but it doesn't


matter how many you win by,” said Blow, who has won three CIAA titles as a coach including 2010 at Saint Augustine’s. “We're going to enjoy it, but we have more stuff to do.”


The Trojans were led by Jahmere Howze with 28 points and 12 rebounds. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP for his efforts. Teammate Jalen Jackson registered 16 points and eight rebounds while Wiggins tallied 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Andrew Corum would round out the double figure scoring for the Trojans with 11 points and eight rebounds.


2019 CIAA Men's All-Tournament Team:


Alex Owens, Shaw; Amir Hinton, Shaw; Jalen Jackson, Virginia State; Jahmere Howze, Virginia State; Cyonte Melvin, Virginia State; Jalen Gaddy, Saint


Augustine's; Joseph


Allen, Elizabeth City State; Roger Ray, Livingstone; Cameron Hayes, Bowie State; Roddric Ross, Johnson C. Smith


Most Valuable


The CIAA Men's Tournament Player


is Howze, Virginia State. Jahmere


“I told her this was about her. It wasn't about me, it wasn't about the team. It was about her being selfish and coming out of this race as a star,” Ross told his multiple first-team All-American.


White’s first and second place


finishes gave the Aggies 18 points for the championships tying N.C. A&T for seventh place nationally among such schools as South Carolina and Alabama.


“I came into the 200-meter final with a chip on my shoulder because I felt the hurdles race was mine too. I really ran well in that race,” said White. “Going into the 200 race I just wanted to stay focus because I didn’t want to leave here without at least one national championship.”


That is not a bad weekend for


a sprinter who was a dancer until the 11th grade. White said she had dreams of making it big dance until a high school track coach saw her hanging out at Miami’s Southridge High


School. While others saw


White’s God-given long legs as a pathway to her being a dancer, he saw something else.


“He said why aren’t you running


track?” White recalls. “I had never done it before, so I decided to give it a try.”


The “try” did not earn her a lot of


college offers. In fact, it wasn’t until she helped her high school’s 4x100 relay team qualify for regionals that she caught the interest of Alabama A&M. But Ross did not give up his pursuit. When the


scholarship Ross gave her an to Alabama


A&M did not work out, White got a call from Ross.


opportunity


many other colleges in America were not offering. Six years later the duo has combined to make White the best indoor 200m sprinter in the world. It can also be said there is no shame in being the second-best 60mh runner in the country. With those two factors in place, the recent convert to track and field has a message.


“Come to A&T,” White said.


“Athletes think you have to go to a big school to improve as an athlete. A school like A&T will teach you how to get better if you stay focused on the objective. It is like a family here.”


White still has her senior outdoor season ahead of her. Before that even starts she is already a two-time first-team All-American in the 60mh. She is also a first-team All-American in the indoor 200m and a second-team outdoor All-American in the 4x100 and 100mh.


She has combined to win an amazing 14 MEAC indoor or outdoor titles in her career. Now, she can dance all the way to the podium to claim her national title.


“I wanted this moment so bad


coming into my senior year. I wanted to make sure I stayed focused during the offseason,” said White. “I trusted my training and it is paying off. It really means a lot coming in here from an HBCU because you really don't see too many people coming from small schools and being able to compete against the Power Fives.


I wouldn't classify myself as just


an HBCU sprinter though. I'm one of the best sprinters in the nation.”


Spring 2019


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