Jags Advance To Face #1 Troy In The Sun Belt Tournament
The ninth seeded South Alabama Jaguars opened up the Sun Belt Tournament against the eighth seeded Florida Atlantic with a win on Saturday. While the Owls are sent home, the Jags advance in the SBC Tournament and get one step closer to the SBC title game.
The beginning to the game was quite rough for the Jags, committing seven turnovers and only scoring two points in the opening three minutes of the match up. However after the first five minutes passed and the Owls lead was stretched to six points, the Jags woke up and began playing basketball again.
The Jags, lead by Tim Williams scoring, would rally the Jags and take the lead. FAU would be held to shooting only 20% from the floor for the half and would miss its last 10 three point attempts. They also went over five minutes without a single point. But Sherrer would end the half a four point play when FAU fouled him while making his three point attempt.
The second half was a bit like cruise control for the Jags for the most part. They would extend their lead out to 14 at one point in the second half. However, this would not hold. The Owls would get back into the game with a 15-4 run to close the Jaguar lead to a mere three points, 46-43.
The Jags would score on back to back possessions to regain a seven point lead, However the Owls would not give up scoring eight consecutive points to regain the lead by one with 27.4 seconds left.
The Owls would foul twice trying to force a turnover, however their number of team fouls did not send the Jags to the line. Bryan Sherrer would nail a jumper with five seconds left to give the Jags the final score of the game, 52-51.
The Owls tried a desperation shot to try to win the game, however it was off its mark and time expired.
Bryan Sherrer lead the Jags with 21 points on 8-11 shooting and 2-3 from outside the arc. Close behind though was Tim Williams who scored 12. No other Jags were in double digits.
After the game Coach Arrow said, “It was a very close game. We survived and get to go on and there are a lot of schools that wish that they were still playing. Our guys played hard. I was proud of our guys – they played hard and hit the big bucket at the end.”
With the win the Jags improve to 17-14 on the season and will face the #1 seed Troy Trojans on Sunday with tip-off scheduled for 6:45pm.
Go Jags!
USA Athletic Director Joe Gottfried To Retire August 1st
At a press conference in the Mitchell Center today, Athletic Director Joe Gottfried announced that effective August 1st he will retire. This marks the end of an era of unprecedented success in athletics at the University of South Alabama under his guidance.
President Gordon Moulton will conduct a nationwide search for his successor at the University.
Gottfried said the following at the press conference, “It has been a terrific experience, I have been very fortunate to have been surrounded by an outstanding group of coaches, student-athletes, support and administrative staff. To be able to have the success and accomplish the many things we have, you need to have the support of the President and the Board of Trustees. I have felt that has been a big plus, it made my job much easier.”
“Obviously I am very proud about what has been accomplished and to have been a member of the South Alabama family for 28 years. It’s been important to me and my family. We will always be Jaguars and will continue to follow the progress of not only the athletic program but the University as well.”
University President Gordon Moulton commended Gottfried on his many years of service to the University. “Anyone who cares about University of South Alabama athletics owes a debt of gratitude to Joe Gottfried, who has led the growth and expansion of the Jaguar athletic program for more than a quarter century. He has guided Jaguar Athletics to new heights of accomplishment and has set the stage for greater achievement in the future. The entire University of South Alabama family appreciates his contribution, and we trust that he will remain a familiar face at Jaguar athletic events.”
The Jaguar Athletic program has experienced success in competition as well as in the classroom. He has been key in the development of numerous athletic facilities but also on the community with the recent addition of the football program to USA.
During his time at USA, the Jags was presented with the Vic Bubas Cup which goes to the program that demonstrates excellence in the league’s now 19 sports. USA has claimed this honor 10 times in a 13 year span, which no other school in league history has earned more than USA.
Here are some raw numbers. Overall, Men’s and Lady Jaguars have won 104 league titles, USA Teams have appeared in 54 NCAA Championship events, individuals have qualified for NCAA postseason action 123 times (this inclues two track and field athletes who have won NCAA titles). 75 USA student-athletes have earned All-America recognition while 62 coaches have been selected to the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in their sports. 95 baseball players have signed with teams in the professional ranks, including 17 who have gone on to the Major’s.
With the addition of football, the athletic department is now supporting an all-time high number of student-athletes at around 300.
In the classroom the students have excelled as well. In the most recent Academic Progress Rate report that was released by the NCAA, 13 of USA’s 16 programs scored above the 925 standard set by the NCAA. While Gottfried has been at USA, 83% of the student-athletes have graduated and 37 USA student-athletes have been named to the SBC Commissioner’s List for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better with another 32 who have made the SBC Academic Honor Roll with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in 2007-2008.
Gottfried has been instrumental in the following buildings on campus: $30 Million Mitchell Center, a $3.5 Million renovation to Stanky Field, a 4,000 square-foot clubhouse, the intramural fields on campus, a $1 Million football field house to open this summer, a new Softball adn Soccer locker room and office complex, A new softball field, improvements to ‘The Cage’ (the soccer facility), the USA Track Complex and the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts. Future plans are a new academic center, upgrades to the track and field venue with new seating, lights and locker rooms.
Gottfried was also instrumental in getting the Sun Belt Conference basketball tournament to Mobile for the first time in 1991 and would also bring the highest attendance at the event in 20 years.
This is merely a few highlights to his great time here at the University of South Alabama. President Moulton will have very large shoes to fill.
From the fans of Jaguar sports, we thank you Coach Gottfried for your years of great service to the University and its fans. We are proud at what you have done for USA and we hope you have a great retirement. You are always welcome in the stands and we will miss you.
South Alabama Sports Round-Up 2009-05-28
Baseball
The Jaguars baseball teams season ended early in the Sun Belt Championship falling first to Troy 4-10 then again to Lousiana-Monroe 8-13. These two losses to end the season leaves the Jaguars with a 25-30 overall record for the season.
Head Coach Steve Kittrell said, “It was a tough loss, I hate for our seniors to go out like this. We’ve just got to regroup and get South Alabama back on top next year.”
However David Doss was named a Louisville Slugger third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Doss hit .378 with 20 doubles, 12 homeruns and 59 RBI’s as a senior. He was a four-year letter winner.
Men’s Basketball
Head Basketball Coach Ronnie Arrow announced on Tuesday that DeAndrae Ross and C.J. Garner will leave the program and transfer to another school.
Ross is a shooting guard that played in 27 games last season with six starts. He averaged 3.8 points per game.
Garner started 16 times as a point guard and appeared in 28 games last season. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as well as 37 assists for the season.
Coach Arrows’ comments about them were, “Both of these young men contributed significantly to our team development last year and helped us get to the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.” He further added, “But they both decided it would be in their best interest to transfer and we wish them the best.”
Head Coach Joey Jones and his staff are teaming up with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers to help save lives in Mobile and Baldwin counties with the Community Champions Blood Drive.
On Saturday, from 10AM to 3PM, Jones and his staff will be at LifeSouth’s donor center at 967 Hillcrest Road to donate blood and to encourage others to do the same. Also they will be delivering a piece of history that one lucky Jaguar fan will get.
The entire coaching staff have signed a football that will be given away on June 27th. During the month of June, every donor has the opportunity to enter a drawing to win the ball in addition to a signed banner that will be displayed during the first ever USA Football game on September 5th, 2009.
Additionally, the incoming players are now on campus and taking summer courses and getting prepared for the Fall season.
South Alabama Sports Round-Up 2009-05-18
Baseball
The Jaguars got into the Sun Belt Championship by taking two of three against Troy at Stanky Field. Winning the first two 6-5 and 13-6 but losing the third 7-12.
The Championship begins on Wednesday in Troy, Alabama. The first day will see #4 FIU take on #5 ULL at 9am, #1 MTSU vs #8 FAU at 12:30pm, #2 WKU vs #7 ULM at 4:00pm and a fourth consecutive matchup between #3 Troy and #6 USA at 6:30pm.
Soccer
The Jaguars Soccer team has released their 2009 schedule with notable matchups against University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Florida State, Auburn and the University of Alabama lined up. Their season will start August 22nd in Hattiesburg against USM. You can see their full schedule here.
Football
We have 109 days until kickoff of the University of South Alabama Jaguar Football’s inaugural season at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on September 5th.
Go Jags!
Sports Round-Up For 2009-05-14
Football
Football keeps getting closer. With 113 days until kickoff of the first season in South Alabama history another small, yet historic mark creeps up upon us. Season ticket holders will begin choosing their seats at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Tuesday, May 19th. This process begins for 4,500 individuals who have already made the commitment for the 2009 season. The USA Ticket Sales Office is recommending that all season ticket holders select their seats over the phone. It can be done in person, however individuals who come to campus may experience a delay in choosing their location.
Baseball
Men’s Baseball has dropped their last four games, all at home. They dropped three over the weekend to FIU with scores of 1-9, 15-21 and 7-8. Then on Tuesday night they lost to Southern Miss at Stanky field, 5-7.
Starting tonight, the Jaguars, 11-15 in the SBC, have a three game home series against in state rival Troy to round out the regular season. These three games are crucial for the Jags because if they get swept then the Jags may not make it into the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament in Troy.
So come out and help the Jags win some crucial games.
Softball
Unfortunately the Jaguars softball team were knocked out of the SBC tournament last week in Denton, Texas. The Jags beat #3 WKU in the first round but fell to #7 FAU in the second round to fall into the losers bracket where they lost the rematch with #3 WKU to be eliminated from the tournament. #1 seeded ULL lost their first round matchup with #8 ULM but ground out five consecutive wins to win the SBC Championship title.
USA Junior Beth Pilgrim became the first South Alabama softball player to be named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team for her performance at the SBC Championship last week. This is her third conference honor this year. She was previously named Pitcher of the Week on April 6th and second-team All-Conference on May 5th.
Basketball
Coach Arrow added two names to the list this week. USA announced Rob Phillips signed a national letter of intent to play at USA. He is a 6’2″ shooting guard who is currently attending Charis Prep School in Goldsboro, N.C. He averaged 23.1 points per game, 56.9% from 3-point range and 92% from the free throw line for Charis.
Also P.J. Reyes signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play for USA. Reyes is a 6’4″ wing from Lamar Community College in Lamar, CO. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He started 33 games and averaged 20.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47%.
Tennis
As reported yesterday, the Men’s Tennis program was hit with the news that they were found guilty of major infractions on Tuesday by the NCAA.
The violations as stated by the NCAA include unethical conduct by the former head coach Scott Novak, the University’s failure to monitor, impermissible financial aid and loans, improper student-athlete certification and an impermissible decrease in athletic scholarships.
The penalties include placing the program on probation for three years, including a postseason ban in 2010, the loss of scholarships and the forfeiture of past wins and championships. The number of scholarships have been reduced from 4.5 to 2.72 per year through 2011. The full write-up about this can be found here.
South Alabama Sports Roundup – May 4th 2009
Coach Ronnie Arrow is looking for a new assistant coach as Andrew Helton has been named the new head coach at Eastern New Mexico University. He will be the 11th head coach in school history and inherits a team that went 4-23 last season.
Helton has been a member of Coach Arrow’s staff for the past eight seasons, the last two at USA helping to lead the Jaguars to two consecutive 20-win seasons. ENMU is a Division II school that plays in the Lone Star Conference. Us Jaguars wish him the best in his new position.
Coach Becky Clark and the Jaguar Softball team will go to Denton, Texas to make its second appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Championship. North Texas will host the SBC Championship from May 6th through May 9th. The Jaguars, 26-26-1 and 10-12 in the SBC clinched the #6 seed and will face #3 Western Kentucky (32-17 overall and 14-9 in the SBC) on Wednesday at 3pm.
The SBC Softball Championship matchups are: #1 Louisisana-Lafayette vs #8 Louisiana-Monroe, #2 Troy vs #7 Florida Atlantic, and #4 Florida International vs #5 North Texas.
The Jaguar Baseball team visited Tuscaloosa on Wednesday but could not come away with a second victory in a week agaist the Crimson Tide. They lost 14-3. Over the weekend the Jaguars travelted to Monroe, LA for a three game series against Louisiana-Monroe. The Jaguars got to play two of the three games with Sunday’s matchup being cancelled due to the weather. But the Jags came out on top in both games 12-9 and 11-9.
After five days off this week the Jaguars will have seven home games to conclude the season (unless the ULM game is rescheduled). Starting on Friday May 9th, Florida International will visit Stanky field for three games, then Southern Miss visits on Tuesday may 12th and then Troy comes to town for a three game series beginning on Thursday May 14th.
Currently the Jaguars sit at 23-23 overall for the season and 11-12 in the Sun Belt. The Jags are fifth in the Sun Belt standings 2 1/2 games behind Florida International and 7 1/2 game from first.
The Sun Belt Championship starts May 20th and will be in Troy, Alabama.
Coach Arrow has signed a pair of players for the Basketball team. Tim Williams from Pontiac, Michigan has signed a National Letter-of-Intent. He will be transferring from Motlow State CC in Lynchburg, Tennessee and will have two seasons of eligibility. He averaged 21.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds and had a team high 55 3-pointers and 52 steals.
Raymond Sims is a 5′ 9″ guard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He will be transfering from Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas and will have two seasons of eligibilty. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game leading his team to a 25-6 record. Paris JC competes in one of the toughest Junior College leagues in the nation and has averaged 27.3 wins in the last two seasons and won a school record 30 games in the 07-08 season.
Previous signees include Augustine Rubit, Javier Carter and Andre Gowins. All three signed in November.
Jaguars Announce Two New Additions To Future Schedules
The University of South Alabama announced two additions to future football schedules on Thursday. Joe Gottfried, South Alabama’s Athletic Director, announced details of three-game contracts with Kent State and Mississippi State. The Jags will play in Starkville September 12, 2012 and September 10, 2016 in addition to hosting the Bulldogs in Mobile on September 13, 2014.
Coach Jones was quoted saying, “To be able to bring Mississippi State to Mobile is a great plus for our program. These two-for-one contracts are very important early on as we continue to build for the future. I’ll never forget when Missouri visited Troy a few years ago, that was a big deal when they went down there. Any time you can do that you’re advancing your program, and that’s where we’re going.”
Joe Gottfried added, “With the contractual agreement with Mississippi State to play in Mobile, we are clearly sending a message to the community that we are committed to football and to provide our fans an opportunity to see the Jags play teams like MSU, North Carolina State, Navy and others.”
South Alabama will travel to Ohio to play Kent State on September 1, 2011 and September 6, 2014. Kent State will travel to Mobile to face the Jaguars in their first season in Division I-A, also known as the Football Bowl Subdivision, on October 19, 2013 as well. The 2013 season will be the first season that the Jaguars will compete in the Sun Belt Conference and also will be eligible for a bowl game. USA also has previously announced that they will be playing Tennessee in Knoxville and begin a four-game home-and-home series with Navy in 2013. Also the Jags will play a three game series with North Carolina State, two in North Carolina and one game in Mobile.
The Jaguars will take the field for their first game on Saturday, September 5, 2009 to face Hargrave Military Academy at 4pm. Get your tickets now for this historic event.
GO JAGS!
Jaguar Baseball Complete Weekend Sweep Of Lousiana-Lafayette
The Jaguars swept the weekend series 9-5, 8-6 and 7-4 for their first sweep of ULL since 1999 and the first at ULL since 1995.
The Jags got a great effort from Brandon Sage, who went 7 innings and allowed three runs. Lance Baxter came in for the last two innings for his fourth save of the week.
After the weekend sweep the Jaguars have improved their record to 18-20 overall and 8-10 in the Sun Belt.
The Jaguars will make a stop in Thibodaux, Louisiana on Tuesday to face Nicholls. Then come back to Stanky Field to host the Alabama Crimson Tide for a 6pm matchup on Wednesday, April 22nd. They will also host a weekend series against Middle Tennessee State.
Go Jags!
Sun Belt And ESPN Announce New Agreement Together
Back in February the Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced a new agreement that extends their relationship through the 2011-2012 academic year. It will take affect at the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year and will expand the conference’s national television exposure to new heights.
Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters said, “The Sun Belt Conference’s negotiation with ESPN, Inc. is one of the most significant events in the conference’s 33 year history. There have been many great steps taken in the history of this league including the Sun Belt becoming a member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Bowl Championship Series. I firmly believe that this new deal and our partnership with ESPN, Inc. is another important step for the success of the Sun Belt Conference.”
ESPN will remain the exclusive national television home for the Sun Belt Conference and the new agreement will give the Sun Belt’s rising football league a minimum of two games on either ESPN or ESPN2. Additionally, ESPN regional television will have the right to produce, distribute and syndicate up to five football games each year. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, the 24 hour college sports network, will also be granted additional opportunities to select games to air.
The three networks will be granted a 12 day rolling window during the season to select additional games to televise. Games available for selection are after the third Saturday of the season.
SBC teams have made quite an impression with thier appearances on the ESPN family network. Troy defeated Big 12 powers Missouri and Oklahoma State in nationally televised contests in addition to the 2006 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl that was also nationally televised. Florida Atlantic became the first SBC team to win bowl games in back-to-back years when they won the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the 2008 Motor City Bowl, both ESPN nationally televised contests.
ESPN and the SBC have a long partnership in men’s basketball as well. They televised the conferences men’s championship for the 29th consecutive season recently. This is its longest affiliation with any conference in the country.
Not only will this new agreement conintue to air the SBC championship game but will also create additional appearances for the league’s men’s programs. They will not make a minimum of four appearances annually on ESPN or ESPN2. They also maintain the right to produce, distribute and syndicate up to eight men’s games annually.
The women’s basketball is the most successful sports in the SBC and will benefit greatly from the new deal. SBC teams will make a minimum of two appearances annually on ESPNU, which marks the first time that the women’s basketball is guaranteed national exposure on an ESPN network. ESPNU will televise either the league’s women’s basketball championship or up to two regualr season games.
The Breakdown:
- Football – Guaranteed national exposure on ESPN or ESPN2 with a minimum of 2 Sun Belt controlled games a year. Upon request the SBC will make available two midweek games to ESPN/ESPN2. Through a 12 day rolling window (i.e., by the second Monday preceding each Saturday telecast date) ESPN may select additional games to air after the first three weeks of the season for inclusion on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
- Men’s Basketball – 25% increase in guaranteed annual exposure on ESPN and ESPN2. Continued relationship with ESPN for championship week and will continue to air the championship game on ESPN or ESPN2.
- Women’s Basketball – Is guaranteed national exposure for the first time on ESPNU. ESPNU will air either the women’s championship game or at a minimum one women’s regular season game.
- Olympic Sports – Will retain first selection rights on all other sports.
- Syndication – ESPN Regional Television retains the rights to produce, syndicate and distribute up to eight men’s basketball games a year. ESPN Regional Television retains the right to produce, syndicate and distribute up to five football games a year.
Way to go Sun Belt!
Men Come Up Short On The Road Against Ole Miss
A strong start by the Ole Miss Rebels en route to a 19 point halftime lead on Tuesday. David Huertas of the Rebels connected on a career tying seven three-pointers, he went 7-13 falling just one short of the Rebels all time mark of three-pointers in a game. He still finished with 27 points on the night.
Overall the Rebels hit on 11 three-pointers and out shot the Jags 47% to 42% from the field and forced 11 of 15 Jags turnovers in the first half but only allowing four turnovers in the second half.
However they did lead most of the first three plus minutes before a 14-2 run helped Ole Miss take control. Brandon Davis, who was named the first Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday, scored 19 points on 7-11 shooting with 3 blocks. The loss drops the Jags to 1-1 (0-0) for the season, which is only two games old.
The Jags continue their three game road trip with a 7pm tip versus Florida A&M in the opening round of the Billy Minardi Classic hosted by Louisville.