Coppin State men’s basketball to begin 2014-15 season at Oregon

BALTIMORE – The Michael Grant era will begin at the University of Oregon on Friday, November 14 when he leads the Coppin State men’s basketball program into Matthew Knight Arena for its 2014-15 season opening contest.

The game time has not been announced yet.

This will be the Eagles’ second trip in as many years to the state of Oregon. Coppin State defeated Oregon State, 78-73, last year. The opener against Oregon will also be the second straight season, the Eagles will start against a Pac-12 opponent.

The Eagles will be different when they hit the floor to begin the season. Coppin State hired Grant from Division II Stillman College. Coppin State, which won 12 games last season and advanced to the MEAC semifinals has 11 players returning.

Senior guard Taariq Cephas, senior forward Dallas Gary, senior guard Daquan Brickhouse, senior forward Arnold Fripp, senior forward Brandon St. Louis, and junior guard Sterling Smith are among the top returning players for the Eagles this season. Cephas, who averaged 9.4 points per game, finished third in the MEAC in assists per game (4.1). Smith is the Eagles leading returning scorer (10.9 ppg.). He also led the Eagles with 60 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, Oregon enjoyed a strong 2013-14 season, posting an overall record of 24-10 which included a 10-8 mark in league play. The Ducks advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year, which was the fourth time in Oregon men’s basketball history that occurred. The Ducks defeated BYU in the second round before falling to Wisconsin in the third round.

Oregon will be led by senior Joseph Young, who averaged 18 points per game last season. The Ducks led the Pac-12 in scoring with 81.9 points per game in 2013-14. Oregon was ninth in the conference in scoring defense. Other key returnees for the Ducks include seniors Elgin Cook and Jalil Abdul-Bassit.

Overall, Coppin State’s 13-game non-conference schedule features opponents from the Pac 12, Big 10, American, ACC, CAA, MAC, and OVC.

The remainder of the schedule along with a huge road date against one of men’s basketball’s elite programs will be released at a later date.

Coppin State women’s basketball to open 2014-15 at N.C. State

BALTIMORE – The Coppin State women’s basketball team will open its 2014-15 season at North Carolina State on Sunday, November 16 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

This will be the first meeting in program history against N.C. State and second straight season the Eagles will begin the season against an Atlantic Coast Conference school.

The Eagles return seven players from last season’s team that won 17 games and advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship game.

The returnees include senior forward Bria Harris and juniors Janelle Lane, Jordan Swails, Tanaysa Henderson and Omaah Tayong and Amber Griffin along with sophomore Keena Samuels. They all made meaningful contributions to last year’s success and will be counted on to help Coppin State continue its winning ways. The Eagles have posted three straight winning records.

Harris averaged 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds last season. She scored in double figures five times. Harris tallied a season-high 12 points twice against Virginia Union and Florida A&M. Griffin led the Eagles in assists with 138 while averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She also led the MEAC in assist to turnover ratio (1.7) and was fourth in the MEAC in assists per game (4.6).

Tayong led the team with 33 blocked shots and was seventh in the MEAC in blocked shots per game (1.1). She made her first collegiate start memorable by notching her first career double-double of 10 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a 68-53 victory over Savannah State. Lane averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while making 50 percent of her shots (75-for-150) on the season. Lane started 10 of CSU’s final 11 games.

Swails was fourth on the team with 34 assists. She scored a career high 16 points in a win over Delaware State. In a win over North Carolina A&T in the MEAC semifinals, Swails scored eight points in 13 minutes to help the Eagles rally from an 11-point second half deficit.

Henderson averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while Samuels contributed 1.9 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Newcomers Genesis Lucas, Oluwaseun Adeniji, Candice Beverly, and D’ajahnae Smith are expected to make immediate impacts as well for the Eagles.

Meanwhile, N.C. State enjoyed a strong 2013-14 season, posting an overall record of 25-8 which included an 11-5 mark in ACC play. The Wolfpack participated in the NCAA tournament for the 22nd time in program history before seeing their season come to an end in the opening round to BYU in Los Angeles.

N.C. State's first season under new head coach Wes Moore was a resounding success. The Wolfpack enjoyed a top-20 RPI rating, finished fourth in the ACC despite being picked 10th and spent 10 straight weeks in the AP and USA Today top-25 polls. N.C. State’s top returners are senior forward Len’Nique Brown and sophomore guard Miah Spencer, who each averaged over eight points per game.

Overall, Coppin State’s 11-game non-conference schedule features opponents from the Big 12, Big 10, ACC, Atlantic-10, SEC, America East, and NEC. This will be the second straight season, Coppin State will open the year at a ACC opponent. The Eagles started last year’s season at Georgia Tech.

The remainder of the schedule along with a huge home date against one of women’s basketball’s elite programs will be released at a later date.

Coppin State women’s basketball announces recruiting class

BALTIMORE --- Following a memorable season which featured a run to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship game, Coppin State women’s basketball coach Derek Brown will look to rekindle the magic with the 2014-2015 recruiting class.

Coppin State’s recruiting class of Oluwaseun Adeniji, Candice Beverly, and D’ajahnae Smith come from winning backgrounds in high school and have the size and athleticism to make an immediate impact.

“I think they will be able to play right away,” Brown said. “We are looking for some size, we have some size in Oluwaseun, we have a shooter in D’ajahnae and we have a wing player in Candice Beverly.”

Adeniji is a 6 foot, 3 inch center from Staten Island, NY. She anchored the defense while helping Curtis High to a first place finish in the Staten Island A league and a 13-5 overall record. She averaged 5.7 rebounds per game for the Warriors and upped it to 6.5 per game, during their playoff run.

Beverly is a wiry six-foot athletic wing from Fredericksburg, Va. She led Riverbend to 15 wins while leading the team in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.4 rebounds per game). Beverly wasn’t just a prolific scorer but served as a defensive stopper as well, leading the Bears in steals and blocks with 1.5 per game for both categories. During her senior campaign, she was named first team all-area in Fredericksburg according to FLSvarsity.com.

“She’s a long wing player with a good outside shot and who can slash to the basket,” Brown said.

Brown admitted that strength will be her next oncoming challenge at the college level, but with her size and shooting ability, she can be a special player that will put points on the board right away.

Smith is a quick and versatile forward from Miami, Florida. She has the quickness to play a guard position, but at 5-8, also has the length and athleticism to be a forward. Averaging an impressive double-double stat line (12 points per game, 11 rebounds) in her last two seasons at American High, Smith has proven she can do it all. As a senior, she led her team in rebounding, and was named third team all-Dade according to MiamiDade.com.  She also helped lead the Patriots to two consecutive appearances in the title game.

“D’ajahnae Smith I think is a little diamond in the rough,” Brown said. “She’s going to be a terrific player in the years to come. I’ve likened her already to (two-time MEAC Player of the Year) Sherry Tucker.”

Beverly, Adeniji, and Smith will join seven key returnees from last year’s team that won 17 games and helped the Eagles advance to the MEAC title game. The Eagles will begin the season in November. The complete 2014-15 schedule will be released later this week.

Jones joins Coppin State men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach

BALTIMORE --- The final piece of the Coppin State men’s basketball staff is now in place with the announcement of local native Kevin Jones being named as an assistant coach.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Jones worked for two seasons as an assistant coach for St. Frances Academy in Baltimore on its varsity staff. During his tenure at St. Frances, it reached heights of being ranked as high as 18th nationally, produced a top 40 nationally ranked prospect in Dwayne Morgan as well as a Baltimore Sun Player of the year in Tevon Saddler.

Before joining St. Frances Academy, Jones spent six years as an A.A.U. coach where he helped develop and mentor over 30 Division I players. Jones has worked numerous camps and is well respected within the city of Baltimore.

Prior to coaching A.A.U, Jones was a member of Bowie State University’s staff as a student team assistant in the 2004-05 season. During that season, the Division II Bulldogs won 24 games, advanced to the Sweet 16 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the season.

Jones is a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bowie State.