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CCU's Jerome Simpson -- the active FCS touchdown receptions leader (44) -- has received an offer to play in the East-West Shrine Game, Coastal coach David Bennett said Friday.
Simpson has already accepted an invite to play in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 12. The East-West game follows a week later. See Saturday's Sun News for more details.
CCU basketball coach Cliff Ellis announced Friday that point guard Joshua Mack has asked and been granted his release from the men's basketball team.
Mack was averaging just 13 minutes and one point per game this season, after earning Big South Freshman of the Year honors last season. Mack averaged 12.3 points per game last season.
Mack played four minutes against Houston on Monday and was not at practice Thursday.
Read more in Saturday's edition of The Sun News.
After being out of town for a few days here is a brief CCU roundup ...
Brian Ashley resigned as the CCU women's golf coach Wednesday in regard to a ``secondary'' violation of NCAA rules: Here is the CCU release. No word on what that violation is as of yet ...
Coastal football may have landed an heir to Jerome Simpson here and Former CCU soccer star Joseph Ngwenya has joined Alemannia Aachen of the German Second Division soccer league for training and a change to tryout with the Budesliga Club. Ngwenya scored the tying goal in the Houston Dynamo's 2-1 win over New England in the MLS Cup on Nov. 18.
Also, CCU Volleyball (Kelsie Mauck) and women's basketball (Olivia Irick) have each added a player during the early signing period.
We'll have more on Page 2 in tomorrow's paper
This was released yesterday ... but in case you missed it we present the Big South all-conference selections
2007 Big South Football All-Conference Teams
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Brock Smith, Jr., Liberty
RB Rashad Jennings, Jr., Liberty
RB Mike Tolbert, Sr., Coastal Carolina
WR Jerome Simpson, Sr., Coastal Carolina
WR Duvaughn Flagler, Sr., Gardner-Webb
WR Dee Brown, Jr., Charleston
TE Chris Luck, R-Sr., Liberty
OL Stephen Sene, R-Sr., Liberty
OL Eddie Pinigis, Sr., Liberty
OL Marshall Ausberry, R-Sr., Liberty
OL Demario Deese, Jr., Gardner-Webb
OL Britt Leggett, R-Jr., Coastal Carolina
DEFENSE
DL Brian Johnston, Sr., Gardner-Webb
DL Steve Ackley, Sr., Liberty
DL Tommy Lloyd, R-Sr., VMI
DL Adrain Grady, R-Sr., Coastal Carolina
LB Jada Ross, R-Sr., Charleston
LB Vince Redd, R-Sr., Liberty
LB Mario Brown, Jr., Gardner-Webb
LB Stevie Ray Lloyd, Sr., Liberty
DB Marrio Norman, R-Jr., Coastal Carolina
DB Patrick Calvary, Jr., Liberty
DB Brandon Autry, R-Soph., Coastal Carolina
DB Cedric McGowan, Soph., Gardner-Webb
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Noah Greenbaum, Sr., Liberty
P Michael Hanna, Jr., Gardner-Webb
LS Dan Liberty
KR Tim Maypray, Jr., VMI
PR Wynton Jackson, R-Sr., Liberty
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Kyle Hughes, Soph., VMI
RB Zach Terrell, Jr., Liberty
RB Howard Abegesah, Soph., VMI
WR Wynton Jackson, R-Sr., Liberty
WR Tim Maypray, Soph., VMI
WR Dobson Collins, Jr., Gardner-Webb
TE Ryan Ard, Jr., Charleston
OL Robert Brown, Sr., VMI
OL Rick Charleston
OL Ivan Anderson, Sr., Gardner-Webb
OL Mike Godsil, Jr., Liberty
OL Britt Stone, R-Jr., Liberty
DEFENSE
DL Dennis Justiniani, Sr., Charleston
DL Colin Dugan, Jr., Liberty
DL Phillip Oboh, Soph., Coastal Carolina
DL Jacob Killeen, R-Jr., Charleston
LB Jeffrey Williams, Fr., Gardner-Webb
LB Anthony Steele, Sr., Coastal Carolina
LB Nick Hursky, Jr., Liberty
LB D.J. Rice, Jr., Coastal Carolina
DB Whittmin Reese, Jr., Coastal Carolina
DB Ryan Greiser, Jr., Liberty
DB Dan
DB Okeba Rollinson, R-Jr., Charleston
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Nick Ellis, Sr., Charleston
P Zac Kolegue, Sr., Liberty
LS Matt Hoisington, Sr., Charleston
KR Dominic Bolden, Jr., Liberty
PR Dobson Collins, Jr., Gardner-Webb
ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Nick Ellis, K/P, Sr., Charleston
Whittmin Reese, DB, Jr., Coastal Carolina
Billy Luther, DL, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Ryan Greiser, DB, Jr., Liberty
Jacob Rochester, LB, Jr., VMI
Sherman
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rashad Jennings, RB, Jr., Liberty
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brian Johnston, DE, Sr., Gardner-Webb
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jeffrey Williams, LB, Gardner-Webb
COACH OF THE YEAR
Danny Rocco, Liberty
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Nick Ellis, K/P, Sr., Charleston
Last edition of MMQ … but we’ll have some weekly basketball musings beginning next week …. 10. It will be interesting to see if Will Richardson will keep the starting quarterback job next season. He wrapped up 2007 with a solid 13-of-16, 127-yard passing performance. Key numbers: no sacks, one touchdown, no interceptions. In his favor for week Week 1 next year is this: do you sent a freshman on to the field for his first start against a FBS defense and before 100,000-plus fans at Penn State? 9. It’s hard to believe there were no demons for Jerome Simpson after the Super Safety in 2005. But say this, he conquered any that were there as he recorded 27 touchdowns in 24 games since the gaffe. 8. Coastal fans should like the way the Chants wrapped up their season. With no postseason possibilities and little chance at a share of a conference title, CCU responded with some its best practice and play of the season. 7. Coastal will lose some big offensive guns in Mike Tolbert and Simpson, but the good news is all five starters - and their backups - return along the offensive line next season. What was a huge question coming into the season, could turn into a strength with another year for the young group in the weight room. 5. Area of concern? The Chants are losing their starting two defensive tackles, and their immediate backups, on a run defense that ranked near the bottom of the FCS this season. The secondary appears to be in good shape though, with Marrio Norman, Keon Cunningham and Whittmin Reese each slated to return. 4. One would imagine Eric O’Neal will open as the starting tailback next season. It should be fun to watch. 2. Non-football thought? Everyone should be rooting for CCU’s Diana Jepchirchir today at the NCAA cross country championships in Indiana. Her story is one of amazing perseverance. 1. I think Liberty was a playoff caliber-team, but without an automatic Big South bid, they did not have the seven wins against Division I foes needed to make a case for an at-large selection. Here are the first-round match-ups… New Hampshire (7-4) at UNI (11-0) Delaware State (10-1) at Delaware (8-3) Eastern Illinois (8-3) At Southern Illinois (10-1) Fordham (8-3) At Massachusetts (9-2) Eastern Washington (8-3) At McNeese State (11-0) James Madison (8-3) At Appalachian State (9-2) Wofford (8-3) At Eastern Kentucky (9-2) At Richmond (9-2) Who ya like?
Montana (11-0)
CCU athletic director Warren Koegel said Friday he has received a contract back from Towson, agreeing to a four-year contract to play Coastal Carolina football. Coastal will host Towson in 2008 and 2011 and travel to Towson in 2009-10.
The Chants have signed Mario Edwards, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, out of Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., which is CCU coach Cliff Ellis' hometown.
Edwards is the fourth signee for the Chants' 2008 class. Rashard McGill (6-7 forward), Samuel McLaurin (6-4, guard) and Dexter Moore (6-2 point guard) each signed on Wednesday.
Rashard McGill and Samuel McLaurin, each of Gadsden High School (Fla.), signed with Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, which marked the beginning of the early signing period.
McLaurin said earlier this month after he made a verbal to the Chants that he was also being recruited by Florida State, the College of Charleston and Charleston Southern. McLaurin averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior. McGill averaged 12 points per game. McLaurin was also being recruited by Florida State, the College of Charleston and Charleston Southern. McLaurin averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior. McGill averaged 12 points per game last season.
Coastal Carolina returns to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Campbell. The Chants return to the court after a rout of North Greenville with the nation's leading scorer, Jack Leasure. Leasure's 34-point opening night places him No. 1 in the country two slots above USC's O.J. Mayo.
A little bit of this and a little bit of that … 10. The Chanticleers could have packed it in after losing to Liberty, which sealed the school’s first losing season and set the Flames in great position to win the Big South. But the Chants responded with what Jerome Simpson called ``a great week’’ of practice and played their most disciplined game of the season against Gardner-Webb. CCU had just one penalty for five yards. A welcomed change for the Chants who average 58 yards in penalties per game this season. 9. Speaking of Simpson he is going out with a bang, six touchdowns in three games to bring him within seven scores of Jerry Rice (50). Not bad company. I think some NFL team is going to be very happy taking him in the middle rounds. I agreed with a fellow member of the press who compares his skills to former Michigan State star Charles Rogers. Rogers was the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft. He was thought to be a Pro Bowl-talent before injuries and attitude derailed his career. 8. Simpson has 43 touchdowns in his career -- I errantly gave that to him earlier this week, how prophetic. If Simpson gets two more at Charleston Southern -- where he no doubt has some unfinished business -- he’ll have averaged a touchdown per game in his career, which is pretty special. 7. Maybe his height will hurt him, but Mike Tolbert deserves a look from an NFL team. He is averaging 10 yards a carry in conference season. 6. Who knows if Tyler Thigpen will be the next Tony Romo or if he is out of the NFL in a few years, quarterback is such a difficult position to project. But I think the Vikings regret letting him go at this point. Journeyman Brooks Bollinger started for an injured Tarvaris Jackson on Sunday for the Vikes, but was held to 16-of-26 passing for 176 yards and a pick. He only had seven passing yards in the first half. And Jackson has not been good. 5. Speaking of Thigpen, Brodie Croyle, who is No. 2 on the Kansas City Chiefs depth chart above Thigpen, replaced a shaken up and shaky Damon Huard on Saturday. Croyle completed 17-of-30 passes for 162 yards and an interception. Croyle could be the starter going forward and if that experiment fails might Thigpen see time late this season? Unlikely but one would figure he will get a long look next training camp. 4. The Chanticleer defense, which has been embattled much of the season, came up with its finest performance of the year, limiting a red-hot Gardner-Webb offense to 14 points, and holding the Bulldogs to 128 yards on the ground. 3. It was pretty cool that CCU coach David Bennett allowed senior Ren McKinnon to take the first snap Saturday. By all accounts McKinnon is a great guy and if he had stayed healthy this season may very well have pushed for the starting quarterback job after a solid preseason. 2. If I were in charge of student seating, the CCU students would be placed directly behind the visitor’s bench next season. It works to great effect at Liberty and James Madison, and next to the fervent CCU band -- which earned a warning Saturday for excessive song Saturday-- could give the Chants a greater edge on their home field. 1. The Chants are now the biggest Gardner-Webb fans in the Big South, if the Bulldogs can upset Liberty on Saturday -- which looks highly improbable -- the Chants would take a share of the conference title for a fourth straight season.
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