A Nightmarish Road Trip

This is one nightmare that the Delaware State Hornets football team would like to forget. They went from 2-0 to losing three straight games to fall to 2-3 and it could get a whole lot worse if the Hornets don't find the answers and produce a decent season.

Lets face it, the Hornets were playing against three very tough schools, two MEAC Champions (South Carolina State and Florida A&M) and a NCAA National Champion runner up (University of Delaware). I was hoping DSU will give these schools a fight, instead these three school treated DSU like pushovers and made their victories into blow out laughers.

These stats made my eyes hurt so bad, that I had to drink some Vitamin A carrot juice just to realize what just happened. The Hornets were getting outscored by their opponents 148-7 and offense were just making too many mistakes making over 10 turnovers during that grueling road trip. Also injuries to the offensive line played a key part in a Hornets offensive woes including Jasshawn Jones not rushing for 100 yards yet this season, and without Justin Wilson, the rest of the wide receivers are forced to step and make plays but short passes and slants will not help the Hornets make scoring drives.

The defense once again were on the field for a long time, not to mention leaving huge gaps for their opponents to make 1st downs, gained a chunk of yards leading them to scoring points left and right. Also there was lack of communication in the secondary that needs to be fixed and now there is a huge gap in the linebacker position as Matt Spicer is out for the season due to a knee injury.

Head Coach Kermitt Blount knows that the Hornets are battered and bruise but they have to correct the mistakes quickly because they will take on 1st place Norfolk State later today at home. I will say this, if the Hornets don't find a way to get out of a funk, score touchdowns, make the right plays, and win games then they will be in for a long season. Also the nightmare of misery and another losing season will be lurking around the corner, but for this Hornets team, its a learning tool to live on.

Lady Hornets Can't Seem To Catch A Break

Two months has come and gone and so far the Delaware State Lady Hornets soccer team continued to find ways to lose games this season just like last season. No matter how hard they tried, how hard they play, the lady hornets soccer team can't seem to get that losing monkey off their backs.

For DSU head coach Nitan Soni, he is doing all he can to get the lady hornets to stay positive because they improve well on defense unlike last season, however on offense its a different story. The Hornets offense are getting outplayed by not putting enough shots on goal. In fact opponents have out shot DSU by a average of 17-8 per game, shutout five times, and has good chances to scored but couldn't. No wonder DSU has one win, 11 losses, and two ties this season.

There were some bright spots for DSU: The lady hornets scored 12 goals during their 12-0 victory over Lincoln University on back on September 10th. The most goals scored since September 16, 2007 versus Concordia University when the lady hornets scored eight. Also, goalkeeper Katelyn Koslosky is fifth in the nation in the saves category with a score of 78.0.

With four games left, I'm afraid that the coach Soni era may soon come to an end if the lady hornets don't find a way to win these final four games on offense including the Great West tournament.

One thing I will say is this, the lady hornets are improving on defense but if you don't win games on offense then you will have consecutive losing seasons since 2007 and that's something any hornet fan and Athletic Director Derek Carter don't want to see.

Blue Hens Gave Hornets a Reality Check

Last night, the Delaware State Hornets football team were ready to play the University of Delaware and hoping to give the Blue Hens a fight just like their first regular season meeting back in 2009. Instead, the Blue Hens were playing like it was November 2007 in a 45-0 victory over DSU.

All week long everyone thought that the Hornets and the Blue Hens will play a close game, however UD proved to DSU that they have a lot of work to do to be on UD's level.

Last night UD were heading into the game ranked #8 in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Rankings came right out the gates and showed the Hornets no mercy whats so ever.

DSU were out the sync from the start. The offense wasn't clicking all night because Justin Wilson wasn't playing due to a bad ankle, Darruis Jackson, Travis Tarplay was a non-factor, the running game from Jasshawn Jones was held to nine yards rushing the entire game and Nick Elko making two of the Hornets three turnovers. Also the defense were getting gunned down all over the field giving over 500+ yards, almost half of those yards involved the running game played by UD's running backs Walter Davis (109 yards rushing) and Andrew Pierce (106 yards rushing). Not to mention taking the DSU crowd out of the game.

As I watch the game while the Blue Hens were piling up the points, it almost felt like the playoff game of November 2007 when Joe Flacco, Omar Cuff, and the rest of the Blue Hens ran DSU out of the building in the Al Lavan era. Last night was similar only DSU did not scored a touchdown.

I thought the Hornets were ready to play the Blue Hens, instead they played slow couldn't pressure the quarterback, creating hole in their run defense, miscommunication in the secondary, and the offense couldn't even get pass their own 40 yard line let alone the UD 40 yard. Also the special teams couldn't return their kicks pass their own 20 yard to start their drive.

The Hornets will learned from this game and say to themselves that they have a long way to go in order to get on UD's playing level. They will meet again next year and 2013. For head coach Kermmit Blount it will be a good experience and teach the Hornets the problems they will have to solve throughout the rest of the season. After all the Hornets are still trying to forget the three straight losing seasons full of frustration and adversary.

As for the now UD, has turned DSU from contenders to pretenders for their 1st lost of the season.

A Saturday Night Miracle

If you were at Alumni Stadium or listened to the game on 1290AM The Ticket, then you witnessed one of the greatest comeback in Delaware State football history. Ok, try second biggest comeback that I know of. (1st comeback November 2007 DSU's comeback win over Norfolk State).

On a bizarre Saturday night the Hornets were at their home opener versus Division II Shaw of the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association). I had a feeling this will warm up game to prepared and gain momentum for their encounter with the University of Delaware on September 17.

As I listened to the game on the radio, DSU was in a whole lot of trouble for three quarters. Nick Elko was throwing three interceptions, wide receivers not making the plays they wanted, running game on thin ice, defense couldn't stop Shaw's offense attack down the field, and special teams not doing their jobs on coverage, missing field goals, and missing extra points.

All of sudden the defense woke by making sacks, causing Shaw to fumble and forcing the Bears to punt, make very dumb penalties, and lose control of the game.

Hornets started making first downs, driving the ball down the field and scoring touchdowns to get closer including a very key two point conversion . Then, with less than minute left the Hornets were hoping to tied the game or take the lead until rain started to fall down and winds were picking up 10-15 mph. The Hornets missed the 32 yard field goal and all hope seems lost. Fans were getting ready to head for the exits and sitting in my house saying to myself, "Man, I wish I was at the Hornets game then they will have a chance to win the game."

Shaw was getting ready to celebrate because all they need is make a couple of kneel downs and the game will be theirs. Instead Shaw decide to run the football to chew the time off the clock and lost the football in the progress.

The Hornets have the ball back and was getting ready for their final chance of winning the ball game and they accomplished that drive thanks to Darius Jackson's game winning touchdown catch. Hornets fans went crazy, the Hornets broadcasters were excited, I was at home screaming "YES!!!" from the top of my lungs as the Hornets came back from 24-6 deficit to win 31-27. It was a Saturday miracle that the Hornets will never forget and lesson to be learned that no matter how far get beat down, you never give up and achieve your ultimate goal to victory and that's what Coach Kermitt Blount and the Hornet did. One thing the Hornets will do is to learned from their mistakes, make up from those mistakes and Staying Alive (in my Bee Gees' voice).

Hornets Finished the Job When It Counts

Doing the Hornets 24-21 victory over VMI (Virginia Military Institution), DSU accomplished two goals: one, to make plays when it counts to score espically the red zone and second, to hold on to the lead to win the 4th quarter.

Lets start with the swarming defense of the Hornets, they kept the Keydets at bay swatting down balls left and right, stalling drives, and even forcing four turnovers. They very key play of the game came late in the 4th quarter when VMI went on a 4th and 10 from their own 20 yard and forced the Keydete to turn the ball over on downs. Despite only one sack, the defense was solid but need to clean up the defensive penalties and giving up over 300+ yards. Other than that, defensive coordinator Michael Ketuchum did a good job of not letting defense stay on the field for a very long time allowing the offense to score points.

On the offensive side of the ball, the game belong to the preseason MEAC Player of the Year Justin Wilson. He finished with six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Just like in training camp and practice from last year, Nick Elko's chemistry with Wilson was clicking on all cylinders making plays including a 47 yard touchdown catch late in the 3rd quarter. Also I can't forget Travis Tarplay who also made a diving touchdown catch back in the 1st half to help out the scoring. Nick Elko made great throws without making a turnover (remember Anthony Galud's turnover problem from last season).  The running game was okay but made big 1st downs late in crunch time to run out the clock because VMI were out of timeouts.

The offense don't need to be pass happy, just balanced out the offense with running the football and then pass the football. Try over 100 yards running and 250-300 yards passing. Also catch the football because there more than five drop passes from our wide receivers. Secure the football or it will  come back will to bite you.

Special teams were average today because on the opening kickoff Tarplay fumbled the football and lost it. Punter Michael Kano first punt only went 11 yards and coach Kermit Blount gave Kano an earful. Since then, Kano calm down punted the football deep into VMI territory. My biggest concern was the field goal kickers. In the first quarter, the extra point was missed and I was saying to myself, "Oh no here we go again." After that DSU used two place kickers to get extra points and freshman Mitchell Ward made a huge 24 yard field goal early in the 4th quarter to extend the lead.

Overall Blount and the Hornets played very but remember its only the 1st game of the season and with a little stuff to clean up, expect some positive results coming from the Hornets football team.

Track & Field Finished in the Top 10

Even though Norfolk State has won the 2011 MEAC Track & Field Championships, the Delaware State Men's and Women's Track & Field was impressive finishing in the top ten on Mother's Day weekend. The ladies finished eighth and the men finished seventh during the three day event. 

On the ladies side, Kendra Myers finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 5.91 meters, her teammate Kristen Johnson finished sixth in the heptathlon. The highlight of the event belong to Tracey Fan Fan who set a career best of 1:00.63 in the 400 meter hurdles, good enough for a fourth place finish.


On the men's side the Hornet team of Tyquan Brown, Ryan Carter, Tarqi Devore, and Leslie Murrary won their third straight MEAC Title in the 1600 meter relay with a time of 3:08.42. Murray also capture the 400 meter title with a time of 50.29 seconds.

Now the that the MEAC season is over lets see how the Hornets will do individually in their respective meets between now and June. Also we are still keeping an eye out for the hornet men's track & field to move in the national rankings.

Men's Track & Field Moving Closer to the Top 10

For the first time, as far as I know in Delaware State sports history, the DSU men's track & field are ranked #13 in the mid-Atlantic Region of the NCAA Divison I Outdoor Track & Field. I must say I am pretty impress because Delaware State has been working hard everyday 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year including Leap Year.

This year besides Lesile Murray, Ryan Carter, Tyquan Brown, and Tariq Devore have helped the Hornets bring records this year and these are underclassmen. If this keeps up after this weekend's MEAC Championship, the Hornets might moved up to the top 10 before the they compete in the NCAA Championships.

Even if they don't make the top 10, they will be recognize throughout the nation as the best track and field team ever. Hampton, UMES, and Norfolk beware DSU is coming to make statement in the years to come.

March Madness Sports Wrap-Up

March has come and gone, however there were plenty of madness for Delaware State Sports Athletics. So without further or due lets recap the March Madness of DSU.

Men's and lady hornets basketball
It was one and done for the men's and lady hornets basketball as they both lost their respective games during the 1st round. One the women's side Brittany Washington had a double-double (12 points, 16 rebounds) but it wasn't enough as the lady hornets miss their last 13 shots, committed seven turnovers in a 52-44 lost to UMES.

On the men's side the free fall continued when the Hornet men lost to the same team that eliminated them from the MEAC last year, South Carolina State. During the Hornets 64-59 lost to the Bulldogs, Jay Threatt scored 20 points, to go along with four assists and five steals in a losing effort. Once again the Hornets were getting out rebounded by SC State 34-23, finished the season losing eight straight games. Both the men and lady hornets finished with the same record of 9-21 with a lot of rebuilding to do for the new season coming up in November.
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Lady Hornets Softball
Coach Fred Savage and the lady hornets softball team are on a roll finishing the month of March with a record of 13-8 batting .324 and averaging over six runs a game. They have been making a lot of hit and attempting to steal bases to try and score runs. Lets see if the lady hornets can keep up the momentum in the month of April as they prepared for the MEAC Tournament in May.
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Hornets Baseball
This was a baseball team that has some trouble fitting the right notes with a 10-9 record in March, the reasons pitching and defense. There were two home games that the Hornets blew the lead and lost: a winless Hartford team and University of Delaware. The Hornets need to calm down on errors and the pitchers need to have better command on their pitches so they can get the outs they need to win games.
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DSU Student wins her Boxing Debut
Congratulations to Melinda "The Gem" Levasseur for winning her Delaware boxing debut back on March 19. Levasseur is a accounting sophomore major made a TKO in the 1st round on Tisha Himes of York, PA. Melinda was going to play soccer here at Delaware State, but instead she chose boxing as her passion. No wonder her boxing record is 8-1 so far, and she's just getting started.

 

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Lady Hornets Bowling
The Lady Hornets bowling team were unable to defend their MEAC Title by losing to Morgan State in the semi-finals of the MEAC Bowling tournament. No worries though the lady hornets will be back better than ever.
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Equestrian
The lady hornets equestrian team are heading to the 2011 Varsity Equestrian National Championship later this month after competing against three tough school: Georgia, TCU, and South Dakota.
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Lady Hornets Tennis
The lady hornets tennis team are making impress start for the month of March and looking to do more in April as they prepared for the MEAC Tournament in May.
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Now that we are in the home stretch of April, Lets see if the DSU Spring Sports teams can continue to be on winning track as we head into the final month of the regular season.

Spring Football Practice Begins

Today maybe April Fools Day as we make safe jokes and pranks, but today the "new" Delaware State Hornets football team will begin spring practice as they prepared for their red/white spring game on April 16.

New hornet head Kermit Blount told dsuhornets.com that their coaching staff will introduce some new play systems to share with his players and everyone has a clean slate heading into spring camp.

I guarantee you that everyone on that football team will be fighting for their jobs because Coach Blount believes that this team will not only impress, but to make every minute count.

Here are the keys for the Hornets spring camp:
The Hornets will have four veteran wide recivers: Justin Wilson, Travis Tarplay, Donnell Dixon, and Darrius Jackson. Will they impress their coaching staff will good drills and make good catches with their speed?

Most of their defense will return including linebacker Brandon Harvey, Matt Spicer, and others but the defensive line will have a big gap to fill to replace Andre Caroll as leader of the defense. Can the defense improve better than last year?

The two headed monster: The Hornets might play with two running backs with Jaashawn Jones and James Rosseau, but who wants the job more to carry the load?

Quarterback Expectations?: Last season everyone expect Anthony Glaud to carry the Hornets to a winning season. Instead Glaud had a very tough season to begin the season but finished on a positive note. Now its up to Nick Elko to help the hornets offensive struggles. Are we going to expect good expectations or another struggling season for DSU quarterbacks.

Special Teams: Who will be the Hornets new kicker? Will it be be same kicker as last year or will it be someone else that can make extra points, field goals, and good kickoffs? Also can the Hornets special teams get good coverage and good kickoff returns?

Lets see how the two week spring camp will turnout. Also they will have summer camp before the real deal begins September 3 versus Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

Coming Soon To Delaware State Sports...

Doing the past few days I was looking for jobs to apply at Delaware State University and I saw two coaching positions for women's sports: Golf and Lacrosse.

So I refresh the page twice to make sure and looked at both job descriptions and my eyes did not deceived me at all. So coming soon to DSU Sports, lady hornets golf and lacrosse.

The question that puzzled me a bit was why would DSU have golf and lacrosse come to Dover? That answer was simple because the Delaware State Athletic Department tried to get rid of equestrian due budget concerns. We already know what happened next: the Equestrian team took DSU to court won the case, forced DSU to pay up for their mistakes on Title IX, keep equestrian, and find more female sports in order to meet the Title IX criteria.

Now with golf and lacrosse coming to Delaware State, can you imagine how many students will attend at DSU? Think about it lacrosse has been popular here in Delaware especially in the Delmarva region next to football and basketball. Now where will hornets golf will practice and compete at? Well, there is the Cavalier Country Club  in Newark, Delaware for the hornets  to play at.

I don't know when Hornets golf and lacrosse will start but I'm pretty sure there will more female athletics than ever before at Delaware State University. Hornet fans get ready golf and lacrosse is coming to DSU, it will be a fun experience and great way to expand hornet sports for females everywhere.

Hornet Football Schedule Release

Forget spring and summer, I'm so ready for the start of the Delaware State Hornets football season. This week I went to dsuhornets.com and found the 2011 Hornets football schedule and I'm saying to myself that its going another challenging season.

Think about it, new coach, new plays, new season, new attitude. The only question is will be the results be the same as it was the last three seasons?

It will be a tough season for new head coach Kermitt Blount as his new look Hornets begin the season on September 3rd on the road versus WMI (Virginia Military Institute), followed by a home opener versus Shaw University on September 10. Then the Hornets will be on a three game road trip starting with their in-state rival University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware on September 17, followed their MEAC opener versus MEAC co-champions South Carolina State (September 24) and Florida A&M (October 1).

The Hornets will return home on October 8 when they take on Norfolk State, then its back on the road to the Dawg Pond versus North Carolina A&T on October 15. After their bye week, the Hornets be back home starting with their Homecoming game versus Morgan State on October 29 (remember the fumble of 2007), and North Carolina Central on November 5.

Normally DSU plays their rival Hampton in either September or October, instead they play November 12 at Hampton followed by the final game of the season at home versus Howard.

The Hornets will not play co-champion Bethune-Cookman this season but they will meet again next season. Before I jumped the gun, I want to see how the new look Hornets will fare starting with their spring game on April 16 at Alumni Stadium followed by their summer training camp in August.
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2011 Delaware State Hornets Football Schedule

September 3 @ Virginia Military Institution (VMI)
September 10 Shaw University
September 17 @ University of Delaware (Route 1 Rivalry)
September 24 @ South Carolina State
October 1 @ Florida A&M
October 8 Norfolk State University
October 15 @ North Carolina A&T
October 22 Bye
October 29 Morgan State University (Homecoming)
November 5 North Carolina Central
November 12 @ Hampton
November 19 Howard

Note: All games will be played on Saturday, Home teams are bold. Times will be announced at a later date. Schedule is subject to change.

Hornets Throwing a Lucky 7

After a very long road trip to begin the season, the Delaware State lady hornets softball are very glad to be home and get some wins.

So what did lady hornets do: Keep on hitting and keep on winning. Through March 23rd DSU has won seven in a row and rolling the dice by making every hit, steal every base, and score every run they can to win the game.

During the seven game winning streak DSU  has batted .420, outscoring oppoents 62-8 and throwing a no hitter.

Also six lady hornets are batting .320  and above during the streak. The reason behind those win is that the lady hornets won their own Capital City Classic Tournament last weekend and earning a huge over their in-state rivial University of Delaware back on Tuesday. With their MEAC conference games fast approaching, the lady hornets can not afford to make mental errors and just continue to play more smart in running the bases and leaving runners on base.

Even though their pitching is just under a 4.00 ERA the hornets has found ways to get out of situations and finished strong to get the wins they need. The Lady Hornets long home stead continues with the John Savage Tournament and I'm looking to see how the lady hornets will fare espically with Morgan State coming to town along with three other school participating in the tournament as well.

A Season Full of Growing Pains

Its was very tough season for the Delaware State men's and women's basketball team during the 2010-2011 season as both teams finished 9-21 overall and 5-11 in the conference. For head coaches Ed Davis and Greg Jackson it was a tough season for both of them, coaching a young squad with inexperience and little or no senior leadership.

On the women's side, the lady hornets only had two seniors to try and helped a young DSU squad that are trying to learn the tricks of the trade of winning games. Instead cold shooting and turnovers was the lady hornets Achilles heal all season long as DSU shot only 33% from the field, averaging over 20 turnovers a game, and scoring 53 points a game.

DSU were no match versus West Virginia, Syracuse, Maryland, Seton Hall, Hampton, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and other teams. Something tells me that the lady hornets have a lot of work to do on their shot selection and handling the basketball. Not to mention attitude because their body language were saying we are not ready to battle these tough teams and win games.

As for the Hornet men this was a season where games that would've been won, instead it turnout to be painful loses. DSU would've beat LaSalle, Delaware, Bethune-Cookman (twice), Coppin State (twice), Hampton (twice), Howard, North Carolina A&T (twice), UMES (on the road), Florida A&M (on the road), Tennessee State, and South Carolina State (MEAC Tournament).

With those wins DSU could have at least 14, 15, or 16 wins, instead only nine wins during the regular season and finished the season losing eight in a row and 12 of their last 13.

All season long the Hornet men were undersized having a very small lineup and only one big man. That spells bad news because  getting out rebounded by opponents 35-23 a game and letting teams to shoot almost 50% from the field.

The Hornets will have most of their players back but DSU needs more big men to help these guards so they can rebound and get block shots on defense. Also the Hornets need stop falling behind and tried to rally to get back in the game. Also the Hornets needs to maintain a big lead at all times.

Can both the men and lady hornets get back on track next season and try to compete for the MEAC title? Only time will tell.

Hornets MEAC Tournament Preview

March Madness has started and the 2011 MEAC Tournament will begin tomorrow from The Joel Coliseum, home of Wake Forest University. 11 teams vining for the richest prize in mid-major sports: to become a MEAC Champion and a trip to the Big Dance (NCAA Tournament).

Both the Delaware State Men and Lady hornets basketball team will play 1st round games.

The Lady hornets will play UMES for the 3rd time this season. During the regular season the lady hornets won in overtime at home 73-67, however last Thursday on the road the lady hornet lost 55-49. If the lady hornets is able to beat UMES, they have to have a good half court offense, score points in the paint, and pervent turnovers.

Meanwhile the Hornet men will playing South Carolina State. In their first and only meeting in January, Jay Threatt scored the game winning jumper as time expired as the Hornets beat the Bulldogs 61-60. In order for the Hornets to win the game, they need to rebound better, attack the paint, and stop settling for 3 point shots. Also the defense needs to be crisp and fresh from start to finished.

Even I won't be there at the MEAC Tournament, I will catch all the action online on meacsports.com and 1290theticket.com.

Good luck to the DSU Hornets basketball teams in the MEAC tournament.

The Night was Rough for Hornets Basketball

Last night was the final home game of the year for the Delaware State Hornets men's and women's basketball team. Last night was supposed to be special night for the Hornets, one its was Senior Night, and number two this was chance for the Hornets to show their home fans and  their long time rival Hampton that they can be just as tough as they are. Believe me nobody wants to lose on Senior Night.

During the lady Hornets 77-66 lost to Hampton, the lady hornets fell into a early hole they can't get out of. The lady hornets were trailing the whole game from start to finish. The lady hornets committed 19 turnovers that lead to Hampton scoring 31 points off of turnovers (25 points in the 1st half). There were a lot of fouls being called for both teams Also it was free throw shooting marathon in which both teams combine for 68 free throw attempts (Hampton 38, DSU 28). Even if the lady hornets made a brief rally early in the 2nd half, the lady hornet couldn't cut the lead any further. I wanted to cover my eyes at the game but instead  I was the Public Address announcer for the game I had to witnessed it like everyone else in Memorial Hall.

Then there was the Hornet men's basketball team, a free falling team that can't get wins down when they needed that most all season.  The team that really need this win more than anything. Instead no matter how well they shoot their defense was no match for Hampton's size in a 71-64 defeat. DSU did made 28 points in the paint but the Hornets would've made 40 points in the paint if it weren't for Hampton's defense that the Hornets to missed some close up bunny shots. Once again the Hornets live and die with the long range shots by shooting 14 three pointers making only six.

The scene at Memorial Hall felt emotional inside but hopefully Thursday night at UMES both the men and lady hornets will finished their losing streak and at least gained a little momentum for the 1st round of the MEAC Tournament.

Threatt Breaks Single Season Assists Record

Congratulations to Delaware State Hornet point guard Jay Threatt for breaking the single season record in assists.

On Wednesday February 23, Threatt made history that no other DSU point guard has ever accomplished in a very long time. During the Hornets 42-39 lost to Morgan State, Jay made six assists totaling his assists for the season with 162. He broke the assists record held by Emanual Davis who had 157 assists during the 1996-97 season.

Just last season as a sophomore, Threatt lead the nation in steals, now this year he has broke a Delaware State Hornet record in assists. When I first saw Jay Threatt playing in November 2009, I had a good feeling he can handle the basketball very well and barley get any turnover. Throughout the course of the season last season and this season Threatt is in a second gear.

The best thing about this is that he is only a junior with one more year left. I kept saying to myself that Jay Threatt is the Rajon Rando of the Delaware State Hornets, but I can't call him that anymore. Besides Jay Threatt is on a mission to become a better player, a leader, a educator, and hopefully next season a MEAC Champion.

Despite Cold Shooting, Lady Hornets Finished The Road Trip Even Steven

As we approached the final two games of the regular season and the MEAC Tournament, the Delaware State Lady Hornets basketball team are trying to builder momentum and play spoiler to the MEAC teams that have a record of  .500 and above.

On Valentines Day weekend, the Florida teams, Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M, gave DSU no heart at all as the Lady Hornets lost to Bethune-Cookman 55-50 thanks to 31% shooting, and 69-46 due to their lack of effort and 27% shooting.

After two very tough defeats, the lady hornets recharge their batteries for February 19th and 21th to play spolier on Morgan State, the number two team in the MEAC, and Coppin State.

During the Morgan State game, the lady hornets shot 33% from the field, but held Morgan State to 34% shooting in a 59-47 upset victory. Then on 21st of February, with time whining down, Kianna Conner hit a game winning three pointer to help DSU beat Coppin State 51-49.

Despite their 2-2 record, the Lady Hornets offense continues to struggle by 33% from the field during their four game road trip. However, their defense improved by holding their opponents to shoot just 39% from the field. DSU had found ways to win with making big shots down stretch, making free throws, and tightening up their defense. Their toughest test is yet to come when the lady hornets play against the number one team in the MEAC Conference, Hampton on Saturday night.

The Free Falling Hornets

Hornets fans lets face it, this is a young Delaware State team that no matter how many big shots they dropped, how many free throws they made, and trying to show coach Greg Jackson Sr. how to play defense, the Hornets just can't seem to final a way to win ball games.

Ever since the Hornets beat Morgan State back on January 22, the DSU has lost six out of their last seven games.

There are four reasons on why the Hornets are free falling and losing games at the most critical times.

Reason #1 Defense: Coach Jackson said it best that in order to win games you have play better defense because DSU has let their opponents score 71 points a game. In other words the Hornets has got to prevent teams from at least 65 points or less. That includes defending the paint and jump shooters.

Reason #2 Offense: The hornets can not live and die by the three point shots every time. When DSU faced North Carolina A&T back on February 5, DSU shot 40 three pointers and made only 17. The result a lost in over time. Also the hornets are lacking points in the the paint. Sure Marcus Oliver can score in the paint on any given night but the rest of his teammates need to step up and score easy twos in the paint for the rest of the season.

Reason #3 Bench Scoring: All season long the Hornets are lacking in bench dept. The Hornets are being out score 15-11 per game. Can Chad Wilson and terron Stowe step up and help their bench. The Hornets can't win game without bench scoring.

Reason #4: Rebound Rebound Rebound: the Hornets were out rebound 41-23 a game and the reason why is because the Hornets don't have any big men (besides Marcus oliver) that can get up and grab rebounds both offensively and defensively. Since DSU's lineup is small they need to jump very high for the rebounds.

We already know the Hornets chances of winning the MEAC Tournament is very slim but if the Hornets can fix these problems and finish the final five games of the season on a positive note, then the Hornets will be the team to beat in the MEAC Conference next year as serious contenders.

The Losing Streak is Over Thanks to Better Offense

Its already going to be a tough season for the lady Hornets basketball team. Back on Saturday it was nice to see the lady hornets get a win at home and break a six game losing streak.

During the lady hornets 73-67 victory over North Carolina A&T, Kianna Conner was shooting lights out with 19 points and five three pointers while her teammates Taisha Bristow and Brittany Washington had 14 point each.

The main highlight of the game was the lady hornets offense when they shot 40% from the field and had their best offensive performance since their January 13 game versus University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

During the six game losing streak the lady hornets offense is shooting very cold at 31%. The reason for that was poor shot selection, missing easy buckets, turnovers, and lack of leadership.

If the lady hornets want to keep winning ball games the rest of the season, they need to scored in the 60s and 70s and maintain their defense because like every coach says, "a good defense can lead to a good offense." That can helped the lady hornets win ball games. Let see if the lady hornets can build a new winning streak because after Monday's home game versus Norfolk, DSU will be on a two week road trip versus Morgan State, Coppin State, Florida A&M, and Bethune Cookman.

It may sound challenging but the lady hornets will continue to play hard no matter how the odds are stack against them.

Delaware State Meet Your New Football Coach

Even though I wasn't at the press conference back on Friday, word was spreading all over campus that President Harry L. Williams and Athletic Director Derek Carter will announced a new football coach for Delaware State.

After a two month nationwide search DSU has named Kermit Blount the Hornets new football coach.

Derek Carter told reporters that Blount will be the "automotive repair wizard." The reason why is because the Hornets football program was sagging and was about to hit rock bottom because ever since the Hornets had won the MEAC Title back in 2007 in the Al Lavan era.

Before Lavan was fired back on December 2, the Hornets produced winning seasons including winning the MEAC Championship. Since 2007, DSU had a combine record of 12 wins and 21 losses in the last three seasons. Remember there were games that Hornets would've won during the last three seasons.

Now Blount will bring 27 years of football experience to Delaware State University and he has his own set goals that wants to accomplished:

• Have DSU become a competitive football team
• Make sure that his kids will come prepared and cover every aspect of the game on Saturdays.
• To bring structure, discipline and install pride back to DSU football

Blount's resume is very impressive with over 90 wins when he was coaching at Winston-Salem State University for 16 years. He also did a very good job helping with academics where he help Winston-Salem State's football team increase from 42% graduation rate in 1993 to a 80% graduation rate 2009.

After reading his resume and his accomplishments on and off the field its time to begin rebuilding the Hornets football team. It will take a while for the Hornets football team to get back to the promise land but with Blount's attitude and coaching skills, I'm pretty sure DSU will go back to their winning ways as soon as possible. Will it happen when the season starts in September 2011? Only time will tell. Good luck to coach Kermit Blount and welcome to the Delaware State Hornet family.

Lady Hornets Equestrain Upsets South Carolina

Mark your calenders because back on February 1st the Delaware State Lady Hornets Equestrian team went to Waco, Texas and upset 6th ranked South Carolina in equestrian competition.

Here's the break down of the lady hornets 10-6 (6-2 English, Western 4-4 tie) historic victory over South Carolina:

• On the Flats, Kayla Blair, Frayser Tuttle, and Ashley Butler helped DSU earned a 3-1 victory.
• Tuttle, Blair, and their teammate Caroline Foltz helped gain DSU a 3-1 victory in the Fences.
• In the English competition, Delaware State, as a team, received a raw scoring of 587-513.
• Horsemanship winners Brittany Good & Brittani Collins and Reining winners MacKenzie Trueba & Shelby Bonneville helped DSU claimed a 2-2 tie with South Carolina in Western Horsemanship and Reining

I am very proud of the equestrian team for accomplishing the biggest upset in Delaware State sports history. Throughout the rest of the season, the lady hornets equestrian team will continue to grab national attention by competing against the biggest schools in the country. If this keeps up they could become National Champions in the near future, then again I might get ahead of myself.

Game Changer Help the Hornets Get That Morgan State Monkey Off Their Backs

Since 2008, the Morgan State Bears has found ways to beat DSU at home, on the road, and even in the MEAC Tournament.

On Saturday, it only takes one game changer for the Delaware State Hornets men's basketball team to finally get that Morgan State monkey of their backs once for all.

During the Hornets 60-55 home victory the Hornets had their backs against the walls once again when the defending MEAC champions Morgan State took a 48-41 lead thanks to a 11-3 run midway through the 2nd half.

Then at the 5:39 of the 2nd half mark, anything change. DSU's Terron Stowe and Morgan State's Aric Brooks had both of their legs tangled up after falling out of bounds. Both of them couldnt let go of each other and even not try to get up until Brooks punched Stowe in the ribs. Both players quickly got back up and had stare down showdown when the refree came over to break the two players before even more punches were thrown. That got the crowd and the so was the rest of the hornet players.

Brooks got ejected from the game throwing the punch. Since that little incident, the Hornets starting waking up by hitting their shots, free throws and playing their stingiest defense as the Hornets finished the game on a 14-5 scoring run. Morgan State and head coach Todd Bozerman had no answer for the Hornets and left the game with disappointment and a little bit of frustration.

I'm so proud of the Hornets effort back on Saturday because they didn't quit on themseleves and their coach. They knew they had Morgan State's number the entire time and finally broke through Morgan State's wall to get the victory. I hope the Hornets do the same thing on the road when DSU and Morgan State lock horns again in Baltimore on February 23. Delaware State and Morgan State are offically a rivalry next to Hampton and University of Eastern Shore.

Walker Shooting Lights Out vs FAMU

Last night, during the Hornets 62-57 victory over Florida A&M, I witnessed Casy Walker's shot selection and I noticed that he can rear back and fired shots from all over the place. No wonder he shot five from eight from three point land (eight form 12 from the field overall).

Walker made sure he wasn't going not to have another struggling game like he had last Saturday versus Bethune-Cookman by shooting his shots from the left wing, right wing, mid-range, the perimeter, and in the paint. I was saying to myself all season be on the lookout for Casey Walker for DSU. Walker also made huge statement throwing down the one handed dunk with 2:40 left in the 2nd half to seal the deal before the rest of his Hornet teammates had to make free throws to put the game away for good.

The only crazy part about it is that he is only a freshman with three more years left of his college career to be a basketball player and soon to be leader for coach Greg Jackson Sr.