Sports

Off-Field Scandals Don’t Hurt Recruiting for FSU, UNC

Published

10 years ago

February 5, 2015

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher speaks to members of the media during an NCAA college football media day on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014, in Tallahassee. (AP Photo)

AARON BEARD, AP Sports Writer

Off-the-field scandals at Florida State and North Carolina didn’t seem to hurt the schools’ recruiting efforts.

The Seminoles have spent the past year making headlines about legal troubles of several players, most notably Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston. Ugly questions have hovered even longer over North Carolina over a long-running academic fraud scandal.

And yet, Florida State unveiled the top class in the Atlantic Coast Conference on national signing day Wednesday, while the Tar Heels put together a top-30 class.

FSU coach Jimbo Fisher and school officials were criticized for failing to discipline top athletes for off-field behavior. Winston was accused of sexual assault in December 2012 but was never charged.

The Department of Education is investigating how FSU handles possible Title IX violations in the wake of the Winston case, namely in how it responds to sexual violence complaints.

But Fisher said the program’s handling of some of those issues turned out to be a positive in recruiting.

“Parents respected that we didn’t cave to pressure and we didn’t cave to media and we didn’t cave to public opinion,” Fisher said. “You can’t worry about what other people try to bully you into doing.”

Meanwhile at UNC, the school has been dealing with an academic fraud case that an independent investigator reported spanned more 18 years and involved more than 3,100 students — roughly half being athletes. The NCAA reopened its investigation into academic misconduct last summer.

Coach Larry Fedora said other schools constantly used it against UNC in recruiting.

“There was never a situation where we were trying to hide what was going on,” Fedora said. “… In each of those cases, it was continually brought up to them so we always had to go back and re-address it.”

Louisville turned into the school of second chances on signing day. Coach Bobby Petrino, who returned to the university after falling from grace at Arkansas and a one-year stop at Western Kentucky, signed outside linebacker Devonte’ Fields.

Fields was the Big 12 Conference’s 2012 Defensive Player of the Year as a TCU freshman, but was dismissed before last season after his ex-girlfriend accused him of assaulting her and threatening her with a gun. He was arrested on a misdemeanor assault warrant in July and posted a $3,500 bond.

Said Petrino: “We felt comfortable that, No. 1, there was absolutely no gun there, and that it’s a misdemeanor charge.”

___

Here are things to know about national signing day in the ACC:

BEST CLASS: Florida State ranked third nationally by Rivals and No. 11 by Scout. Still, the Seminoles missed on making this haul even better, including losing defensive back Iman Marshall to USC. Clemson had the league’s second-best recruiting class, peaking at No. 4 nationally according to Rivals.

IMPACT PLAYER: Devonte’ Fields certainly has the chance to make a big impact at Louisville if he can stay out of trouble. He spent a season at Trinity Valley Community College ranked by Scout as the nation’s No. 2 junior college player.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins enters a good situation at Clemson. The five-star prospect, ranked as the nation’s No. 4 player at his position by Rivals, joins a Tigers team that lost six members from its front seven, including star Vic Beasley. That sets up the 6-foot-5, 305-pound recruit from Connecticut’s Suffield Academy with the opportunity to find a role quickly.

SOLID SHOWING: North Carolina’s list of problems — from a miserable defensive season to the NCAA investigation — didn’t stop the Tar Heels from putting together a solid class. The 19-player class ranked 24th nationally according to Scout and 28th according to Rivals.

TOUGH DAY: A coaching change didn’t help Pittsburgh, which ranked last in the ACC at No. 72 nationally according to Rivals and near the bottom among league teams at No. 63 on Scout. New coach Pat Narduzzi had fewer than six weeks to put together a 15-player class after Paul Chryst left to take over at Wisconsin.

___

Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

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Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Getty Images

By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!