Monday, June 27, 2011

Nate Drayton former Indians hoopster signs with Florida A&M


FAMU inks four hoopsters
by Florida A&M Sports Information


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M University men's basketball announces their 2011 signing class. The mixture of athletes concentrated on increasing the size of the Rattlers' front line. Four athletes have signed, with three coming from within the state of Florida and one from Georgia.

First year head coach Clemon Johnson, charged assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Tony Sheals, to get some size to bulk up the inside play and toughen the defense. The result is the signing of Eddie D'Haiti, Markee Teal, Nathaniel Drayton and D'Andre Bullard.

D'Haiti, is from Orlando, Fla., and is a junior college transfer from Santa Fe College. He is 6'8" tall and weighs 235 lbs. He should help the Rattlers in the post position. He was an All-Mid Florida Conference player. He attended Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, where he led the team to a 43-13 record while playing there. He was shown interest by West Virginia, Valdosta St. and FAU.

Teal, is from State College of Florida (formerly Manatee Community College). He is from Ocala, Fla., where he attended Westport High School. He was also a first team Suncoast All-Conference selection as a post player. Teal stands 6'7" and weighs 220 lbs. He was shown interest by B-CU and St. Peters College.

Drayton, who goes by the name "Nate," is originally from Savannah, Ga. He is a junior college transfer from Salkehatchie Community College, where he was an All-Conference performer. Drayton plays the post and is 6'7" and 245 lbs. He was shown interest by Towson State, Coastal Carolina, and S.C. State.

Bullard, is a true freshman from Apopka, Fla. He attended Wekiva High School and was an All-County and All-Region player. He has good height for a point guard, standing 6'4" and 175 lbs. He was shown interest by Northeastern and Stetson University.

The Rattlers will open exhibition play on Nov. 4, against Albany State University at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Former Indian Simms signs with West Texas A&M University basketball


CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M head basketball coach Rick Cooper has announced that Donald Sims, a 6-5, 215 lb. forward from USC-Salkehatchie will attend WTAMU and play for the Buffs during the upcoming 2011-12 season.

“Donald is going to be a great fit into our offensive and defensive schemes for next year. He does a terrific job of scoring on angles when he is posted up, and has the ability to score over bigger defenders.”

As a sophomore during the 2010-11 campaign, Sims was the Indians’ leading scorer, averaging 18.6 points, while shooting at a 66.6 percent clip from the field. He also grabbed 12.0 rebounds per contest and dishes 2.2 assists per outing.

For his efforts, he was honored as a first-team all-Region 10 selection.

“Donald is a great addition to our program,” Cooper continued. “His size, athleticism and versatility will be a great addition to our team as we prepare for next year.”

Sims is the fifth player signed by Cooper’s staff this year, joining transfer Kerry Jones, a 6-6 forward from Tyler, Texas (Hill College), and incoming freshmen Kevin Waller, a 6-9, post from Groesbeck, Texas (HS), Jamarlas ‘Tez’ Dumars, a 6-2 guard from Garland, Texas (Lakeview Centennial HS) and 6-4 guard Kennon Washington from Mobile, Ala. (Faulkner State CC).


To learn more about Simms signing and to follow his career at West Texas A&M go to-
http://gobuffsgo.com/index.aspx

Friday, June 24, 2011

Former Indian Darnell Jackson arrives on UL campus~



New Cajuns arrive on campus

Written by
Joshua Parrott
Five newcomers to the UL men's basketball program started summer classes earlier this week.Forward Darshawn McClellan (Vanderbilt), guard Darnell Jackson (University of South Carolina Salkehatchie) and forward Odayne Clarke (Hill College) are transfers.Guard/forward Kentwan Smith (Piney Woods, Miss.) and guard Elfrid Payton (New Orleans) are recent high school graduates."We're excited about our new players reporting for summer classes," said Cajuns coach Bob Marlin, whose squad went 14-15 last season and won a share of the Sun Belt's West Division title."They're anxious to get started in the classroom and learn their way around campus."Three other incoming recruits — transfers Kadeem Coleby (Daytona State College), Alan-Michael Thompson (Brunswick Community College) and Kevin Brown (Tulane) — are not yet on campus.Coleby, a 6-foot-10 forward/center, and Thompson, a 6-2 guard, are still working to attain their associate's degrees. They both have two years of eligibility left.Brown, a 6-2 guard who must sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules, is working out this summer in his hometown of Houston. He has three years left to play.Four returning players from last season are enrolled in summer school: guards Josh Brown, Raymone Andrews and David Perez and forward Scottie Farrington.Returning players J.J. Thomas, a 6-5 forward from Opelousas, and Bryant Mbamalu, a 6-2 guard out of Houston, are taking online classes this summer while working out at home.McClellan, a 6-7, 230-pound forward, averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 95 games over three years at Vanderbilt.


Last season he sat out as a redshirt before earning his undergraduate degree in May.He has applied for a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately next season for the Cajuns as a graduate student."I'm beyond excited to begin my new career," McClellan said Sunday night. "I can't wait to get a feel for the players and the atmosphere I've heard so much about."

Jackson, rated the nation's No. 138 prospect by JucoJunction.com, earned All-Region X honors as a sophomore. The 6-4 guard averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals.

Clarke, the No. 118 recruit in JucoJunction.com's top 150, averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds in three games this season before tearing the lateral meniscus in his left knee.

The 6-6, 250-pound forward received a medical hardship and has three years to play for the Cajuns.

Smith led Piney Woods to the Mississippi Class 2A state championship as a senior. The 6-8, 185-pound guard/forward averaged 14 points and seven rebounds.

Payton, a 6-1 guard, made the Class 5A all-state first team as a senior at John Ehert High. He averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 steals.

Coleby, the No. 50 prospect by JucoJunction.com, made the All-Mid-Florida Conference first team this season. He was fifth in Region 8 in blocked shots per game (2.4), eighth in rebounds (8.1) and averaged 10.2 points on 53 percent shooting.

Thompson, rated the nation's No. 115 recruit according to JucoJunction.com, was an honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Region X selection this season. He averaged 15.7 points and shot 46 percent from 3-point range.

Kevin Brown averaged 1.3 points in 6.4 minutes per game as a freshman at Tulane. He was rated the nation's No. 88 shooting guard by ESPN.com out of Alief Elsik High in Houston.

Josh Brown averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Cajuns as a junior. Andrews led the squad in steals (29) and tied for the team lead in assists (66) during his sophomore season.

Perez was second on the club in 3-pointers made (29) and averaged 5.3 points as a junior. Farrington topped the Cajuns in blocked shots (28), shot 53 percent from the floor and averaged 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as a junior.

Thomas made the All-Sun Belt Conference second team and was the All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year this past season after averaging 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Mbamalu started 18 games last season as a freshman and averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds.


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Photos from USC Salkehatchie youth softball summer camp~













Former Indian taking swing at television~


By Derik Vanderford, The Union Daily Times, S.C.
June 23--Two longtime teammates are taking a swing at television.

Timken Sports Complex Assistant Director Paul Wilkes received an email Tuesday from SportsArc -- a company comprised of filmmakers and sports coordinators who are credited with producing the sports action in over 300 episodes of television and 30 feature films. The email stated that SportsArc is currently casting real baseball players from North and South Carolina to perform in an HBO series. It also stated that interested candidates must be males between ages 18-32 who are not seeking NCAA eligibility and are able to play baseball at a competitive level. Tryouts are scheduled for Friday via a "baseball casting combine" held at Carolina Forest Community Center in Myrtle Beach.

"I know they sent the email because of the complex, but when I read it, it sounded like they were looking for me," the 27-year-old Wilkes said.

He immediately called his longtime friend and teammate Sam Phillips to tell him about the opportunity. Phillips was already scheduled to play softball in Myrtle Beach on Saturday with his weekend travel team, and he told Wilkes he was game for the casting combine experience.

Wilkes and Phillips have been playing baseball together since they were 8 years old.

"We were on the same championship team -- Smith's Drugs -- when we were twelve," Phillips said. "Jane Wilkes -- Paul's mom -- was our coach."

They also played together on the same Union High School team. After graduating in 2002, Wilkes played college baseball at The Citadel while Phillips played at USC Salkehatchie. Both also played on the same Community All-Star Baseball League team during the summer for eight years.

Wilkes contacted SportsArc to find out more about the audition. He was told that the company was casting baseball players to play ball during episodes of the hit HBO series "Eastbound and Down." Wilkes was already a fan of the show, and he said that bit of information sealed the deal on his trip to Myrtle Beach Friday.

"Eastbound and Down" stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher who -- after an up-and-down career in the major leagues -- is forced to return to his hometown middle school in Shelby, NC as a substitute physical education teacher. The show premiered in 2009 and is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

"My sister Caroline introduced me to the show; she told me she thought I'd like it," Wilkes said. "I watched it and thought Kenny Powers was hilarious. Now I've seen every episode."

The SportsArc representative told Wilkes that candidates could choose between a morning session at 10 a.m. and an afternoon session at 2 p.m.

"He said, 'Bring yourself, your glove and any baseball gear you need to be ready to play when you get there,'" Wilkes said. "So that's what we're going to do. Be ready to play when we get there."

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Don't forget about the USC Salkehatchie softball camp!!



USC Salkehatchie youth summer softball camp will be June 21-23 at the USC Sallkehatchie softball field on the Allendale campus. Girls ages 8-17 will attend from 9 a.m. until 2 each day. Cost is $25 for one day, $40 for two days and $50 for all three days. For more information, contact Coach Tat Slawson at 803-584-3446, ext 255.

Go Indians

USC Salkehatchie youth summer baseball camp underway!

The USC Salkehatchie youth summer basketball camp is underway in Walterboro, South Carolina. USC Salkehatchie head coach Travis Garrett said, "It is great to be able to teach the youth in our area about basketball. I hope that if your child is interested in learning the game, you will bring your child out tomorrow if they aren't already here, it's not too late."
The USC Salkehatchie youth summer basketball camp will run until Thursday.


Monday, June 13, 2011

USC Salkehatchie Summer Baseball Camp-Underway!!!




The USC Salkehatchie summer baseball camp is underway in Allendale, South Carolina. We have a large group of kids for the first day! If you would still like your child to attend, it is not too late as camp will run until Thursday. I know some of you are looking for action photo's from the camp, I will start adding them tomorrow!!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Former Indian drafted by the Kansas City Royals in MLB Draft~




Former USC Salkehatchie Indian and current Charleston Southern RHP Ali Williams has been selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on last Wednesday afternoon. Williams was the fifth pick of the 34th round by the Kansas City Royals.

Williams, a redshirt junior who transferred to CSU after two seasons at USC Salkehatchie, made 22 appearances for the Buccaneers in 2011 with four starts. He finished the season 2-2 with an ERA of 5.53, giving up 44 hits and 26 earned runs in 42.1 innings. Williams struck out 45 batters on the season, including six in the team's 5-0 loss to Gardner-Webb in the 2011 Big South Tournament.

While at USC Salkehatchie, Williams garnered several awards and is on the all-time leaders list in several categories.

The 2011 MLB draft marks the second time in the past three years a former USC Salkehatchie Indian was drafted, with former Indian Oliver Santos selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 35th round of the 2009 draft.

USC Salkehatchie Grads enjoy Columbia Blowfish game!



Former Indian pitcher graduates from Wofford College!~

Are you ready for some camps??? USC Salkehatchie has them!!!

Baseball camp is June 13-16 at the baseball field on the Allendale campus. Rookies 6-8 years old will attend camp from 9 a.m. to 12 noon each day. Big Leaguers 9-13 years old will attend camp 9 am to 3 p.m. each day. Price is $50 for rookies and $75 for Big Leaguers. Big Leaguers will need to bring their lunch. For more information, contact Coach Bubba Dorman @1-800-922-5500, ext 143.

Basketball camp will be held June 20-23 at the gym on the Walterboro campus. Boys and girls ages 6-13 can attend from 8 a.m. to 12 noon each day. Cost is $100 for the camp: includes instruction, t-shirt, rock basketball, pizza and drink every day. For more information contact Coach Travis Garrett at 843-549-6314, ext 316

Softball camp will be June 21-23 at the softball field on the Allendale campus. Girls ages 8-17 will attend from 9 a.m. until 2 each day. Cost is $25 for one day, $40 for two days and $50 for all three days. For more information, contact Coach Tat Slawson at 803-584-3446, ext 255.

Go Indians


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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Bacon signs with Indians soccer


Photo by Patty Leon~

Story by Patty Leon Staff Writer
Coastal Courier


Liberty County High School’s Robbie Bacon signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to play soccer at the University of South Carolina–Salkehatchie.

Bacon was one of the Panthers’ leading scorers with more than 15 goals in his final year as a Panther, LCHS coach Bryant Durham said.
Bacon will join the Indians at their Allendale, S.C., campus under third-year coach William Glass.
“Coach Glass expressed an interest in (Bacon) and he came and saw him play in a couple of games,” Durham said. “He is interested in his speed and his ball-handling abilities. He said he was interested in placing him around the field in different positions to see where he fits in the best for his program. He is as enthusiastic about having Robbie as I am enthusiastic about Robbie going there.”
Bacon’s father said it was a great opportunity and something his son has strived for since he started playing soccer at the tender age of 4.
“He tried real hard to get it and his work ethics are real good,” the senior Bacon said.
“Coach Glass is a good coach and I think he can take me to the next level,” Robbie Bacon said.
Bacon said he will study mechanical engineering. He said he would like to make his mark on the Indians’ squad as a striker or forward.
“It feels good, really good,” he said about the opportunity to play in college.
Bacon said he is drawn to soccer because of its intensity and fast pace.
“This is great. And it’s scary,” said his mother, Linda Bacon. “We visited the campus once and he got to play with the college students and it was great. He really liked it.”
Durham said he will have a difficult task next season trying to fill the void left by Bacon.
“We will have to fill it and we will have to find a way to do it,” Durham said. “Nobody ever takes the place of somebody else. Each person is unique in their own ability and we will have to find something else to do as far as having a go-to guy. But we will be looking forward to seeing how well he will do at the next level.”

One Signing Moment: Lady Gators Bohnenstiehl ready for next level



photo by Rob Gantt


Goose Creek senior outfielder Nicole Bohnenstiehl (center) has signed a national letter of intent to play softball for USC Salkehatchie in Allendale. She is joined in the photo by mother Janine, brother Devin and GCHS softball coach Kerry Grimm.

The pieces began to fall in place last season for Nicole Bohnenstiehl and now she’s moving on to the next level.The Goose Creek High School senior center fielder has signed a letter of intent with junior college USC Salkehatchie.“Last year, I started to see what I was capable of,” said Bohnenstiehl, who began getting some starts in the outfield for the Lady Gators as a sophomore. “I really started to track the ball well and began covering a lot of ground. I started hitting the ball better, too.”This past season, she batted .294 and knocked in 11 runs for Goose Creek’s softball team. The Lady Gators finished second in Region 7-AAAA and hosted a Class AAAA playoff game.“I’m very excited for Nicole,” said GCHS coach Kerry Grimm, who just completed her first season. “I don’t think she thought this was possible a couple of years ago but she really started to improve. She’s got one of the best ranges I’ve seen. “She’s got a unique batting style but it gets the job done.”The Lady Indians play in Region X of the NJCAA against other junior colleges from South Carolina and North Carolina. They are coached by Tatjana Slawson and former Lady Gator Alyssa Chambers is an assistant coach.Bohnenstiehl’s signing is the first in the Grimm era.“We had a great season,” Bohnenstiehl said. “For me, it was one of the best seasons I’ve ever had. Coach Grimm is an awesome coach.”But now, Bohnenstiehl has to leave GCHS and Grimm behind for the Lady Indians, a move she’s better prepared to make after the last couple of seasons.“I’m definitely going to down there and try to be a leader,” she said. “I’m going to go down there and give it my all. I’m going to try to leave all the nerves back home.”She chose Salkehatchie over Morris College in Sumter. She plans on doing two years there then transferring to a bigger school in hopes of playing at an even higher level of softball.
“I’ve got to thank my mom (Janine),” Bohnenstiehl said. “She always supported me and pushed me to go further.”

By Rob Gantt
The Gazette

NJCAA has 3 baseball players selected in round 1 of 2011 MLB Draft



Three NJCAA baseball players selected in first round of 2011 MLB Draft


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft is underway and three current NJCAA baseball players were selected yesterday in the event's first round, which was aired live on the MLB Network. Each year MLB clubs look to the NJCAA for furture talent. In 2010 a record 175 NJCAA players were drafted.

Yesterday's first round saw Cory Spangenberg of Indian River State College (Fla.) go to the San Diego Padres with the 10th overall selection, Brian Goodwin of Miami Dade College (Fla.) was then selected with the 34th overall pick by the Washington Nationals and Central Arizona College's Keenyn Walker was selected with the 47th pick by the Chicago White Sox.

The 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft continues through June 8th and can be followed live at http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2011/draftlive_app.jsp

Here is Baseball America's analysis of the selections of Spangenberg, Goodwin and Walker.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/2011rnd.php?rnd=1

Round 1 - #10 San Diego Padres Cory Spangenberg 2B Indian River (Fla.)
Spangenberg emerged as one of the draft's best pure hitters and should be the first college player drafted out of Florida. He's a Pennsylvania prep product who raked for one year at Virginia Military Institute in 2010, transferring after winning Big South Conference freshman of the year honors. He's a late bloomer physically, with a body type that defies easy categorization. While he isn't lean and athletic, he's also not stocky at 6-foot, 185 pounds. He produces well above-average speed, earning 70 grades on the 20-80 scale and posting 80 times on drag bunts (3.5 seconds from the left side). He also owns a pure lefthanded swing and is an above-average hitter. Spangenberg has hand-eye coordination, patience and the ability to manipulate the barrel, squaring balls up and lacing line drives to all fields. His swing lacks loft, but he has the feel for hitting to add power down the line, which would improve his profile. He has average arm strength, and scouts are mixed on his future position while often comparing him to versatile Marlins regular Chris Coghlan. He may lack the fluidity and footwork to stay in the infield. He played third base this spring at Indian River, but even those who like him at the hot corner admit he probably lacks the power to profile there. He played second base at VMI and shortstop in the Valley League last summer, where he was the MVP after hitting .399. His speed should allow him to play center field. Heavily scouted down the stretch, Spangenberg wasn't expected to make it out of the first round.

Round 1 - #34 Washington Nationals Brian Goodwin OF Miami-Dade, Fla.
Goodwin has been under the microscope this year and has responded well. He was a 16th-round pick out of Rocky Mount (N.C.) High in 2009 but didn't sign and went to North Carolina, where he posted a solid .291/.409/.511 freshman season. Goodwin then went to the Cape Cod League and ranked as the No. 6 prospect after hitting .281/.364/.360. Then he was suspended for a violation of university policy at North Carolina, so he transferred to Miami-Dade. He got off to a slow start thanks in part to a tweaked hamstring, but Goodwin came on to earn comparisons to ex-big leaguer Jacque Jones. Goodwin has average to plus tools across the board, starting with his hitting ability. He's patient, draws walks and has present strength, and some project him to have future plus power. A plus runner who's not quite a burner, Goodwin has the tools for center field, but he played a corner spot at North Carolina and doesn't consistently display natural instincts in center.

Round 1 #47 Chicago White Sox Keenyn Walker OF Central Arizona
Walker was drafted in the 16th round out of high school in Utah in 2009 and last year at Central Arizona, in the 38th round. Scouts have always been intrigued by the 6-foot-3 switch-hitter with standout tools and impressive athleticism. The raw tools don't always translate on the baseball field, however, and he didn't even start regularly last year. This year is a different story. Walker has performed well with wood and he should get more than the $250,000 he reportedly turned down out of high school. Walker has more power from the right side, but his lefthanded swing is more pure. He's mostly a gap hitter with above-average speed, so he profiles as a good defensive center fielder. He has the speed to hit at the top of the order, but needs to cut down on his strikeouts. If he doesn't sign, Walker will head to Utah.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

USC Salkehatchie "Official" athletic FaceBook page reaches 400 plus members


The USC Salkehatchie "Official" athletics Facebook page has reached 400-members in it's first year! If you haven't become a member yet, click on the link below. We offer behind the scenes information and photo's from all the action! Stay informed by clicking on the link below and be sure to ask all your friends to join today!



http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_70847401152&ap=1