cetmo
CIO
Spivery takes a swipe at SWAC media
By A.A. Moore
Montgomery Advertiser
BIRMINGHAM ? As the coach of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's defending men's basketball team, Alabama State's Rob Spivery was expected to set the tone for the season when he took the podium.
He did his job. But it certainly did not have a lot to do with basketball.
On a day when the SWAC was set to showcase its basketball talent for everyone to see, there was not much media around to deliver the goods to the public. And Spivery was quick to hammer the point home.
"There's no 'SWAC' banner anywhere. I don't see a television camera in the room and this date has been on the calendar for some time," Spivery said. "I'm not going to sit idly by and not say anything about it. We have tremendous students and athletes but we deserve more. I think basketball deserves more. I hate to do it publicly but when it's said privately, nothing will get done."
On a day when the Hornets men's and women's team were both picked to finish second in the conference's preseason poll and three men and two women were selected to either the all-conference first or second teams, there was a distinct feeling of disappointment in the media day event.
"I've been here four years in a row and it's basically been the same thing," said ASU women's star Nichole Miller. "This is probably the worse media day I've been to. I can count on one hand how much media I see. Fortunately, we're only 80 miles away. Texas Southern and Prairie View are coming from 13, 14 hours away. I probably would rather be in class."
The contingent from Southern University arrived late from Baton Rouge, La., and women's head coach Sandra Pugh apologized for their tardiness, blaming a late-arriving flight.
But men's head coach Ben Jobe had no such feelings.
"I'm not going to apologize because I don't want to be here. I've been in the SWAC before and I'm not surprised at anything that goes on. If I knew that (Mississippi Valley men's coach Lafayette Stribling) wasn't going to be here, I would've stayed at home," he said.
Despite the feelings about the poor media day turnout, both Bama State teams are feeling good about the upcoming season. Spivery, along with Joey Ball and Tyrone Levett, were proudly sporting their 2000-01 SWAC championship rings.
"It feels good just having the opportunity to be on top," Ball said.
Spivery said his team should be pretty solid again this season. But he is concerned about having to replace the one starter that is not returning ? point guard Tobarie Burton. But the players feel that either Malcolm Campbell or Kevin Harris will be able to pick up the slack.
"If the point guard knows his role and his assignments, that's all we can ask for," said Levett, a senior. "We're still going to have a strong team. Malcolm isn't a bad point guard. In fact, he's going to be one of the best point guards in the league because of the way he works. He's real confident in his game."
The women also are returning the majority of their team that advanced to the conference semifinals last season.
"We're a veteran ball club and being my fourth year, we now have the players that I've recruited to play in this system," ASU coach Freda Freeman-Jackson said. "Most of them are juniors and Nichole has been with me since Day 1. It's too early to tell how we'll finish. But we've got eight returning players from last year's team and working with the incoming, younger girls, it'll just take time to have them work into our system."
But the players seem to feel more confident about their chances.
"It just takes leadership and confidence," said junior Shameka Jackson. 'If we believe we can do it, we've got the players to get it done."
All-SWAC team: Alvin Pettway, Ball and Levett were all named to the preseason all-SWAC men's first team. Levett was also named to the preseason Player of the Year. Alabama A&M guard Desmond Cambridge and Alcorn State forward Marcus Fleming joined the ASU trio on the first team.
Alcorn State was chosen as the men's favorite, followed by ASU and Alabama A&M, which is eligible for the conference championship for the first time this season.
ASU forward Shameka Jackson was named to the preseason women's first team, joined by preseason Player of the Year Shrieka Evans of Grambling State, center Tanisha Lee of Prairie View and Jacklyn Winfield and Tammy Bullock of Southern. Lady Hornets' guard Nichole Miller was a second team selection.
The Lady Hornets were picked behind Southern as the preseason championship selection with Grambling and last season's champion Alcorn State atop the conference.
By A.A. Moore
Montgomery Advertiser
BIRMINGHAM ? As the coach of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's defending men's basketball team, Alabama State's Rob Spivery was expected to set the tone for the season when he took the podium.
He did his job. But it certainly did not have a lot to do with basketball.
On a day when the SWAC was set to showcase its basketball talent for everyone to see, there was not much media around to deliver the goods to the public. And Spivery was quick to hammer the point home.
"There's no 'SWAC' banner anywhere. I don't see a television camera in the room and this date has been on the calendar for some time," Spivery said. "I'm not going to sit idly by and not say anything about it. We have tremendous students and athletes but we deserve more. I think basketball deserves more. I hate to do it publicly but when it's said privately, nothing will get done."
On a day when the Hornets men's and women's team were both picked to finish second in the conference's preseason poll and three men and two women were selected to either the all-conference first or second teams, there was a distinct feeling of disappointment in the media day event.
"I've been here four years in a row and it's basically been the same thing," said ASU women's star Nichole Miller. "This is probably the worse media day I've been to. I can count on one hand how much media I see. Fortunately, we're only 80 miles away. Texas Southern and Prairie View are coming from 13, 14 hours away. I probably would rather be in class."
The contingent from Southern University arrived late from Baton Rouge, La., and women's head coach Sandra Pugh apologized for their tardiness, blaming a late-arriving flight.
But men's head coach Ben Jobe had no such feelings.
"I'm not going to apologize because I don't want to be here. I've been in the SWAC before and I'm not surprised at anything that goes on. If I knew that (Mississippi Valley men's coach Lafayette Stribling) wasn't going to be here, I would've stayed at home," he said.
Despite the feelings about the poor media day turnout, both Bama State teams are feeling good about the upcoming season. Spivery, along with Joey Ball and Tyrone Levett, were proudly sporting their 2000-01 SWAC championship rings.
"It feels good just having the opportunity to be on top," Ball said.
Spivery said his team should be pretty solid again this season. But he is concerned about having to replace the one starter that is not returning ? point guard Tobarie Burton. But the players feel that either Malcolm Campbell or Kevin Harris will be able to pick up the slack.
"If the point guard knows his role and his assignments, that's all we can ask for," said Levett, a senior. "We're still going to have a strong team. Malcolm isn't a bad point guard. In fact, he's going to be one of the best point guards in the league because of the way he works. He's real confident in his game."
The women also are returning the majority of their team that advanced to the conference semifinals last season.
"We're a veteran ball club and being my fourth year, we now have the players that I've recruited to play in this system," ASU coach Freda Freeman-Jackson said. "Most of them are juniors and Nichole has been with me since Day 1. It's too early to tell how we'll finish. But we've got eight returning players from last year's team and working with the incoming, younger girls, it'll just take time to have them work into our system."
But the players seem to feel more confident about their chances.
"It just takes leadership and confidence," said junior Shameka Jackson. 'If we believe we can do it, we've got the players to get it done."
All-SWAC team: Alvin Pettway, Ball and Levett were all named to the preseason all-SWAC men's first team. Levett was also named to the preseason Player of the Year. Alabama A&M guard Desmond Cambridge and Alcorn State forward Marcus Fleming joined the ASU trio on the first team.
Alcorn State was chosen as the men's favorite, followed by ASU and Alabama A&M, which is eligible for the conference championship for the first time this season.
ASU forward Shameka Jackson was named to the preseason women's first team, joined by preseason Player of the Year Shrieka Evans of Grambling State, center Tanisha Lee of Prairie View and Jacklyn Winfield and Tammy Bullock of Southern. Lady Hornets' guard Nichole Miller was a second team selection.
The Lady Hornets were picked behind Southern as the preseason championship selection with Grambling and last season's champion Alcorn State atop the conference.
