Terrence Jones and the Wildcats played like the nation's #1 team Saturday night

If ever a basketball game was over at halftime, this one was. 

Top ranked Kentucky built a 52-25 halftime lead, largely on uncontested alley-oop dunks to a variety of their talented big men, and went on to an 86-52 victory over USC Saturday night at a Colonial Life Arena that more often than not sounded like Rupp Arena. 

Thousands of Kentucky fans filled the usually empty seats at the CLA to give the Wildcats a home court feeling, and they responded in kind with one of their most lopsided wins of the season.  Kentucky improved to 23-1 overall and 9-0 in the SEC.  USC fell to 9-13 and 1-7. 

The Wildcats took advantage of their superior size and athleticism with 8 first half dunks, some on fast breaks, others on lobs over the defense in their half court offense.

AUDIO:  John Calipari, Anthony Davis & Terrence Jones post game news conference

Leonard had career high 19

Kentucky jumped to a quick 12-3 lead but USC hung around for about the first ten minutes.  The Gamecocks trailed 25-18 with 10:33 to play in the half, but the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run for a 36-18 lead and never let up from there.

The only second half drama was whether UK star freshman Anthony Davis  would record only the second triple-double in school history, and if USC would suffer it’s worst defeat of the modern era.  Neither happened.  Davis finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.  He was removed from the game with 4:36 left after taking a hard fall. 

And the 34 point margin of defeat fell short of the 47 point loss for USC at Syracuse in 1999 under Eddie Fogler, but it was the Gamecocks’ worst defeat in their nearly four full seasons under Darrin Horn. 

AUDIO:  Malik Cooke & Damien Leonard post game news conference  

Four Wildcats scored in double figures with Davis leading the way with his 22 points.  Davis hit 9 of 10 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the line.  Doron Lamb added 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting including 3 of 3 from behind the three point line. 

Damien Leonard led USC with a career high 19 points including 4 three pointers.  Anthony Gills was the only other Gamecock in double figures with 10.  The play of Damontre Harris was one other bright spot for USC as he contributed 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. 

USC returns to action Wednesday at Tennessee.  Kentucky has a Tuesday night showdown at home against Florida.

Final Box

Brad Brownell suffers another close ACC loss

Story from Clemson SID:

Clemson rallied from a 17-point deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie or win in the final seconds, but Tanner Smith’s baseline shot fell off the rim and Virginia Tech escaped with a 67-65 victory on Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies improved to 13-10 overall, 2-6 in the ACC. The Tigers dropped to 11-11 on the season, 3-5 in conference play.

AUDIO: Brad Brownell postgame interview with Pete Yanity

K.J. McDaniels almost single-handedly put the Tigers on his back in the second half, as he scored eight of his team-high 14 points to lead Clemson’s gritty effort after a horrid offensive start to the game. He made 7-of-11 field goals, which included five dunks. He also had five rebounds and five blocked shots in a career-high 28 minutes of action.

The Tigers had four players in double figures. Andre Young also posted 14 points, 10 in the second half. He struggled shooting the ball from the field, making only four of 13 attempts. But, he was perfect from the charity stripe in four tries. Devin Booker added 11 points and 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. Tanner Smith also reached double figures with 10.

Virginia Tech was led by Jarell Eddie, who scored a game-high 15 points. He was supported by 12 points from freshman Dorian Finney-Smith and 10 from Erick Green.

The Tigers return to action at home on Tuesday, Feb. 7 against the Maryland Terrapins. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM at Littlejohn Coliseum in a game that will be televised by ESPNU.

Milton Jennings will not play Saturday at Virginia Tech

Clemson coach Brad Brownell announced Friday junior forward Milton Jennings will remain suspended for Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. Jennings was suspended indefinitely earlier this week for a class attendance issue and did not play in Tuesday’s loss at Virginia.

The Tigers are 11-10 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. They are still looking for their first road win of the season.

Tomorrow’s game tips at 4:00 in Blacksburg.

AUDIO: Brad Brownell previews Virginia Tech

Tomorrow night’s game tips off at 6:00 at Colonial Life Arena.

 AUDIO: Darrin Horn previews Kentucky

Some of the other prospects who have indicated they plan to visit USC Saturday include WR Tramel Terry, LB Jalen Stevens and LB Gerald Turner of Goose Creek, ATH TJ Logan of Greensboro, NC, WR Mike Williams of Lake Marion, OL Tyrone Crowder of Rockingham, NC, DE Devin Washington of Orlando, DL Tashawn Bower of Somerville, NJ, OL Andy Dodd of Lindale, GA, DL Michael Hill of Pendleton,  RB Donnie Miles and OL Devondre Seymour of Suwanee, GA (Seymour is the son of NFL star Richard Seymour), OL Bryce King and committed OL DJ Park of Dillon, LB Rueben Foster of LaGrange, GA, and DB Jadar Johnson of Orangeburg-Wilkinson.

Junior DL Greg Gilmore (6-4 279) of Hope Mills, NC visited Clemson last weekend and was very happy with the visit. “I had high expectations from Clemson and they didn’t disappoint,” Gilmore said. “I loved the place. It’s a great community-a football town.” He spent most of the visit with coach Dan Brooks but also spoke with Brent Venables and Dabo Swinney. “They have a vision of family, of winning football games,” he said. “They make Clemson seem like the place to be. I really like coach Brooks. We talk a lot on the phone.” Gilmore has offers from Clemson, USC, NC State, North Carolina, East Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, California, Vanderbilt and Maryland. He plans to narrow his list soon. “I will come out with a top 10 or maybe a top five soon,” he said. “If I were going to name some of my top schools now I would say Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and NC State.” Gilmore will visit Virginia Tech February 18th and could visit UNC on the 8th. He does not have a favorite.

Junior OL Cameron Dillard (6-3 285) of Canton, MI flew south last weekend to visit Clemson. “It was really nice,” Dillard said. “I got to talk to coach (Robbie) Caldwell and coach (Dabo) Swinney. They’re really good guys.” Dillard does not have any favorites but appreciates the Clemson program. “I like that they bring family, faith and academics to football,” he said. “Coach Caldwell has been really honest with me, He says they need to get to know me better and that they’re really interested in me. I think they will offer me in the future.” Next Saturday Dillard will visit Michigan State and heads to West Virginia February 11th. Dillard’s father is a South Carolina native and Citadel graduate while his mother is from Greensboro. “We went to see the grandparents while we were down there,” Dillard added. His offers are from Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Buffalo. No leaders for the Michigan lineman.

Junior OL Bryce King (6-4 290) of Dillon made his way to Clemson last Saturday where he was shown a good time. “They took us all around the campus and we got to see the locker room,” King said. “My favorite part was putting on the jerseys in the locker room and also running down the hill.” Those in attendance were able to try on Clemson jerseys while in the locker room. They did not leave the room with the jerseys and later ran down the hill. The two activities were separate from one another. King’s next visit will be to USC this upcoming Saturday. He is not unfamiliar with USC or Clemson having visited each campus several times. In February, he heads to Virginia Tech. His offers include USC, Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, LSU and Tennessee. “I think Oregon or Georgia Tech will be the next to offer,” he added. King does not have any favorites saying, “I like every school that is recruiting me.”

DE DeMarcus Walker (6-4 265) of Jacksonville, FL attended Clemson’s junior day last Saturday, and the Tigers have put themselves in the lead position for him according to his coach. “Clemson probably has done the best job up to date,” coach Adam Geiss said. “He’s very comfortable with their staff. He feels good around their staff and enjoys being there. I feel like Clemson leads. He really likes Clemson. Clemson leads, no doubt about it.” Walker also has visited Florida State and Miami and will go to Alabama February 18th. Geiss said Alabama coach Nick Saban plans to call Wednesday with an offer. Walker also has offers from USC, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina, Louisville, Miami and others. Geiss said though USC has offered, the Gamecocks have not yet been by the school to check on Walker. Geiss said Walker will make his decision the first week of August. Last season Walker had 24 tackles for loss with 14 sacks.

Junior QB Josh Dobbs (6-3 190) of Alpharetta, GA had planned to attend Clemson’s junior day Saturday but couldn’t making it in because he was taking the SAT. Not that the test was much of a problem. Dobbs is a 4.0 student who’s never missed a day of class and has an offer from Princeton. But some major programs also like him including Clemson and USC. “I’ve been talking with South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia, Stanford and Princeton,” Dobbs said. “A lot of schools have come thru. Clemson came by a couple of weeks ago and I’ve talked to Coach Mangus and he plans to come by the school in the spring. Clemson and South Carolina seem pretty interested.” Dobbs said he plans to get to future junior days at both. He went to games at both last season. Dobbs is a duel-threat quarterback who runs the spread. Last season he passed for 3200 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 300 yards and two scores.

Junior LB Jalen Stevens (6-3 215) of Goose Creek has named USC, Clemson and Georgia Tech as his top three in that order. “I’m really loving South Carolina right now,” Stevens said. “They’re showing me a lot of love too. I think they have the best defensive scheme to get me to where I want to go.” Stevens says he has told Steve Spurrier, Jr. that he would like to play the spur position for the Gamecocks. “I really like what Antonio Allen did there being able to attack the quarterback and drop back in coverage,” he said. “I plan on staying at 215 (pounds).” Stevens will visit USC this weekend with teammates LB Gerald Turner and WR Tramel Terry. He is good friends with OL Brandon Shell. Stevens also likes Clemson and plans to camp there this summer. “Their defensive line coach wants me to come for that so I’m going to go,” said Stevens. His last trip to Clemson was for the Florida State game. Stevens is looking to camp at Georgia and possibly Alabama as well. He has not received an offer but is hearing from USC, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida State, Alabama, NC State, North Carolina and Notre Dame among others.

USC has put itself in strong position early for RB TJ Logan (5-10 175) of Greensboro, NC. “South Carolina is still his favorite,” said Logan’s coach Johnny Roscoe. “They offered him when he was a tenth grader. He went to a couple of games there. They want him to visit this weekend but he’s got basketball.” Logan plans to visit West Virginia next week. He also has offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Virginia, Cal, North Carolina, NC State and Tennessee. Logan has met with new USC running backs coach Everette Sands, but it will be Shawn Elliott who will be his primary recruiter. Elliott is taking over much of the recruiting territory in North Carolina previously handled by Jay Graham. Roscoe calls Logan “the fastest player I’ve ever coached.” Logan rushed for 2460 yards and 43 touchdowns last season. He led the state in rushing and scored 5 touchdowns in the state championship game.

Junior LB Gerald Turner of Goose Creek has offers from USC and Clemson and will make an unofficial visit to Columbia this weekend. “I’ve been there before and I’m familiar with the campus and the city,” Turner said. “Coach (Steve) Spurrier, Jr. told me he is going to sit me down with coach (Lorenzo) Ward so he can talk to me for a while.” It will be Turner’s first meeting with the new head of the Gamecocks defense. On February 18th he travels to Georgia Tech and then will visit Clemson March 3rd. “It’ll be my first chance to meet (Tigers new defensive coordinator) coach (Brent) Venables,” he said. Turner is receiving interest from Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee and Georgia. “I’m going to try and visit some of those schools over the summer,” Turner said. No favorites for the Goose Creek product.

OL JJ Gustafson (6-6 265) of Dallas received a visit from Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris recently and was offered by the Tigers. “He offered me and two of my teammates,” Gustafson said. “He also offered wide receiver Jake Oliver and linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni.” Gustafson’s other offers are from SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, Purdue and Arkansas. “Coach Morris is from Lake Travis which is a Texas powerhouse,” he said. “He told me he would love to get some Texas kids to Clemson and that they have needs on the O-Line.” He added that he is interested in the Tigers. “I would love to visit them and as many schools as I can but, logistically, I don’t know if that’s possible,” Gustafson said. “I wouldn’t rule out an official visit. I know they know how to put points on the board and had a good recruiting class this year. That bodes well for the future.” Other schools showing interest include Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He plans to attend a junior day at each school and believes offers could come soon. “I don’t have any favorites right now and am considering all schools,” he said.

Junior DB Nick Washington (5-11 170) of Jacksonville, FL has offers from Clemson, USC, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, Tennessee, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Central Florida, Miami, Vanderbilt and Virginia. He is garnering interest from most ACC and SEC schools. Washington listed USC, Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and FSU as his top schools and has visited each. “Clemson and South Carolina have great family atmospheres and strong teams,” Washington said. “They’re both up-and-coming programs that had great seasons and both have good coaching staffs.” Washington has been to games at Death Valley and Williams-Brice. “I really like them both,” he added. He has also attended several games at Florida and was at the Alabama-Auburn game this past season saying, “It was a lot of fun.” Washington does not have any plans for upcoming visits and does not have a leader. He rushed for 11 touchdowns in his junior campaign and had four interceptions returning one for another score.

DE Jaylen Miller (6-3 250) of Gaffney is expected to be one of the state’s top defensive prospects next season. An excellent performer in the classroom, Gaffney coach Dan Jones says the four year starter matches that on the field. “He’s very athletic, determined and strong-nosed,” Jones said. “He’s strong, a state champion weight-lifter. He’s a five technique and sometimes a seven when there is a tight end. He’ll probably be a defensive tackle or nose tackle in college. He has great feet and good upper body strength.” Miller has not yet been offered but that’s probably just a matter of time. He’s been drawing interest from USC, Clemson, NC State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Maryland and several others.

Junior LB Brett Wade (6-2 220) of Kennedale, TX received an offer from Clemson last week as offensive coordinator Chad Morris delivered it in person. “Coach Morris came by to see me and told me about the offer,” Wade said. “He just told me that they were looking forward to getting me down there to look around and see what they have to offer.” Wade is also familiar with the Tigers new defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “He was recruiting me while he was at Oklahoma,” he said. Wade is somewhat familiar with the Tiger program. “I know that they’re the defending ACC champs and that they have some crazy fans down there,” Wade said. His other offers are from Penn State, Texas Tech, Missouri and Tulsa with interest from Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and most Texas schools. He has visited Texas A&M, TCU, Texas and Kansas State. “They’re all D-1 schools with top-notch facilities, ” he said. “The only real differences are the settings at each school.” He is unsure of when he will visit Clemson but does plan to do so in the future. As a junior he totaled 130 tackles and just under 10 sacks. No leaders for Wade.

DL Greg Webb (6-2 305) of Erial, NJ now has 24 offers. He already had offers from Connecticut, Rutgers, Syracuse, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa State, Central Florida and NC State adding offers from Boston College, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas among others. He continues to hear from USC. “I talk to them all of the time on Facebook and stuff,” Webb said. “They want me to come down to Gamecock country for a visit.” Webb is interested in such a trip. “I want to visit South Carolina and Alabama,” he said. “I’m not sure when that will be. This spring, I plan on taking one long trip to visit a lot of schools but we’re trying to figure out what we can afford.” USC is a possible destination during that trip. Webb says he is trying to get used to the attention and plans to narrow his list down in the near future. “Just a year or two ago, I was just a player. Now with all of the offers, people seem to know who I am,” he said. “It hasn’t been too bad and I am adjusting to the attention. I may try to start narrowing my list and focusing on some schools.” He is unsure of how many schools will make that list and when he will begin to make it. Webb does not have a leader.

Dabo Swinney

Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret said Friday the announcement of the dismissal of receiver Joe Craig from the football team was not intentionally delayed until after the conclusion of Signing Day. According to a Clemson University police report Craig was involved in an altercation with two females early Sunday morning. One of the females is the mother of his four month old baby. She, along with Craig, were arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal domestic violence. That charge is a misdemeanor.

Clemson announced Craig’s dismissal from the team via a release shortly after 8:00 Wednesday night. In the release Swinney stated, “Joe Craig has been permanently dismissed from the Clemson football team for a violation of team rules. We wish him the best as he continues his academic and athletic career.”

On Thursday afternoon it was reported Craig had been charged with criminal domestic violence. The timing of the story led to some speculation that Clemson sat on the story until after Signing Day. Bourret said he does not know when head coach Dabo Swinney first learned of the latest incident, but he knows Swinney was not informed of the facts of the case until Tuesday.

Bourret said Swinney was in Georgia part of Tuesday, and after learning of the details of the incident from Dr. Loreto Jackson, he then made the decision to dismiss Craig. Bourret said the release was not put out until Wednesday night because he was tied up with Signing Day duties during the day on Wednesday.

Further complicating this case is the fact that Craig was involved in an altercation with a female track teammate in May of last year. That incident started with an argument at a pool party and ended with Craig reportedly hitting the female over the head with a towel rod after she cut his arm with a razor blade. Clemson University Police were called to the scene and filed a report, but no arrest was made. Craig and the female were transported to the hospital by track coaches and called the incident minor.   Several legal experts said at the time it was out of the ordinary that no assualt charges were filed, but the Clemson police captain said they followed protocol.

In June Swinney suspended Craig from summer workouts and announced in July at his preseason Golf tournament that Craig would be also suspended the first three games of the season.

“Joe’s a good kid,” Swinney said at the time. “This is an unfortunate situation. You know there’s consequences for your actions. He’s a guy that, you know, I believe in and hopefully at some point he will come back and help us win the ACC this year.”

Craig finished last season with three receptions for 18 yards in seven games this past season. He also lettered on the Clemson outdoor track team during the spring of 2011.

Jimmy Lindsey

Furman head football coach Bruce Fowler announced today the hiring of Jimmy Lindsey as the Paladins’ new defensive line coach, replacing Ricky Logo, who accepted a similar position at the University of Houston last month.

“Jimmy Lindsey is a successful, highly regarded coach we are very happy to have joining our football program at Furman,” said Fowler on Friday.

Lindsey recently completed his second season as defensive line and special teams coach at Chattanooga, his alma mater. In the short stint at UTC, the second of his coaching career, he helped mold a Mocs’ defensive front into one of the best in the Southern Conference in 2011, evidenced by Chattanooga leading the SoCon in a number of categories, including scoring defense (19.7 ppg), total defense (305.3 ypg), passing defense (140.8 ypg), passing defense efficiency (100.1 rating), opponent third downs (15.1 avg), opponent third down percentage (33.5 percent), and opponent fourth down percentage (38.1 percent).

Four of Lindsey’s players earned All-SoCon honors a year ago, including Josh Williams, a first team selection, and three newcomers — Josh Freeman, Keyon Reed, and Davis Tull — were named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

Lindsey served as an assistant coach at Tennessee-Martin in 2009 after working two seasons (2007-08) as defensive ends coach at Miami (Ohio), where in his first year he helped the Redhawks pace the Mid-America Conference (MAC) in six statistical categories, among which were rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense, and sacks. He also served as co-special teams coordinator in charge of kickoff and punt return units.

Before Miami he spent four years at Gardner-Webb (2003-06) coaching the defensive line and linebackers while also serving as recruiting coordinator. Harold Wells, one of Lindsey’s products, was named 2004 I-AA (FCS) Football Gazette National Defensive Lineman of the Year, and defensive end Brian Johnston was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008.

Lindsey went to Gardner-Webb from Chattanooga, where he coached UTC linebacker Josh Cain to second team All-American honors in 2002. He spent the 2000 & ‘01 seasons as a restricted earnings coach on the Mocs’ staff.

The young coach played linebacker at Chattanooga and served as a team captain in 1999, his senior season. He was a three-time member of the Dean’s List and 1999 recipient of UTC’s Marco Sheppard Mr. Hustle Award.

Lindsey, who graduated from Chattanooga in 2001 with a degree in sports administration, has served NFL Minority Coaching Internships with the Denver Broncos (2010), Detroit Lions (2008), and Cleveland Browns (2006)

He has a daughter, Kiara, 12.

In preparation for Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining the conference, the ACC announced that it will expand conference schedules and introduce a new scheduling model for both football and basketball.

ACC commisioner John Swofford praised the universities in the conference, stating, “It’s a tremendous tribute to the leadership at our schools that we will be able to seamlessly add Pitt and Syracuse at the appropriate time when they become full playing members.”

Football conference play will expand from eight conference games to nine on Syracuse and Pittsburgh officially join the ACC.  Pittsburgh will join the Coastal Division and Syracuse will join Clemson in the Atlantic Division.  The new scheduling model will allow teams to play all six other members in their division, its primary crossover rival, and two rotating opponents from the other division every year. 

The list of crossover rivals goes as followed: Clemson-Georgia Tech, Duke-North Carolina, Virginia-Virginia Tech, Miami-Florida State, Syracuse-Boston College, Pittsburgh-Maryland, and NC State-Wake Forest.

Basketball conference play will expand from 16 games to 18 games starting next season.  The new scheduling model is based on a three-year cycle where teams play every other team at least once a season, with a rotating home-and-home series with four opponents, along with a home-and-home series with their cross division rival (listed above). 

The conference said that creating a more competitive balance was the driving factor behind the new scheduling models, but the new formatting will end some traditional basketball home-and-home rivalries.

Grady Brown

Below USC’s offical release announcing Grady Brown as its new secondary coach.  We’ve also included an interview we did with Brown Friday afternoon.  Please enjoy.

AUDIO: Grady Brown on SportsTalk First Edition

USC  head football coach Steve Spurrier has added former Southern Miss assistant Grady Brown to his coaching staff, it was announced today. Brown will serve as the Gamecocks’ secondary coach and assistant special teams coordinator in 2012.

“We’re pleased to announce the hiring of Grady Brown, a sharp, young defensive secondary coach who has had much success the last three years at Southern Miss,” said Coach Spurrier. “He will also assist Joe Robinson with the special teams. He and Joe were together at LSU and know each other well. He will fit in extremely well here and be an excellent addition to our staff.”

Brown, 34, has spent the past two seasons as the Golden Eagles’ cornerbacks coach. During the 2011 campaign, Southern Miss was No. 7 nationally in pass efficiency defense (108.47 rating) and set an NCAA record for interceptions returned for touchdowns with eight. As a unit, the Golden Eagle defense finished the season as a Top-30 defense.

In his first year at USM, Brown, who was hired just prior to the start of fall camp, quickly instilled a toughness and physicality into his corners that amounted to a pair of freshman being selected to the All Freshman squad.

“I’m excited to work with Lorenzo Ward, someone I’ve known since I was 17,” said Brown. “It should be a smooth transition and a blessed opportunity for me to work with someone I’ve known for such a long time. I also am excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach Spurrier. He is such a well-respected coach and has done some great things here at South Carolina. I’m looking forward to becoming part of the Gamecock family.”

Brown came to Southern Miss after spending the previous year and a half working in the strength and conditioning area at LSU, where he helped tutor NFL third-round pick Chad Jones and free agent signees Danny McCray and Chris Hawkins.

Brown went to LSU after working a season at Texas Southern where he was the safeties coach and also the community outreach liaison.

His arrival to TSU came after a six-year stint as the secondary coach at Alabama State. While at ASU, the Hornets’ defense finished ranked in the Top 10 nationally in six team categories and once for an individual. In his first season at ASU, Brown mentored Antoine Hill who finished third in the country in interceptions with 10, while the squad ranked seventh in both turnovers gained and interceptions. The team won the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown in 2003 and then the league’s overall title in 2004, in which his defensive squad ranked seventh in turnovers gained and ninth in rushing defense.

During his time at ASU, Brown served two NFL Minority Coaching Internships, first with the Seattle Seahawks in 2004, then with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007. He also served as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach for the Magnolia All-Star Football Classic in 2005.

Brown began his coaching career in 2000 at his alma mater, Alabama A&M, before being promoted to the rank of a full-time assistant coach for the 2001 campaign.

After completing his high school career at Wenonah High School in Birmingham, Ala., Brown played defensive back for Alabama A&M from 1995 through 1998. After his senior season, he played one season with the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the Arena Football League.

Born June 13, 1977, Brown graduated from Alabama A&M with a degree in mathematics education in 2000. He is married to Rashidah Brown.

Dawn Staley

The USC women’s basketball team rolled into Knoxville Thursday night and upset the eigth ranked Tennessee Lady Vols 64-60.  The win is easily one of the biggest in program history for the Lady Gamecocks.  Their last  and only other win over the Lady Vols came on January 23rd, 1980 when a man named Jimmy Carter was occupying the White House.  USC had lost 40 straight to UT since that game.

It’s also been a decade since the Lady Gamecocks beat a top ten, and 11 years since they did it on the road.  The 8th ranked Lady Vols are the highest ranked team coach Dawn Staley has notched a win against in her career.