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.