Grambling State: 2023-24 Southwestern Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Grambling State men's basketball team beat Texas Southern 75-66 in the SWAC tournament championship game to secure a bid for the NCAA tournament.

Jourdan Smith was the leading scorer for the G-Men with 20 points. Three other Tigers finished in double figures.

This is the Tigers first SWAC tournament championship. Head coach Donte Jackson was recently named the SWAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Quick hits, November 30, 2008

And as November ends with one month to go in 2008, today has been a very interesting day. It wasn't a perfect day, due to Long Beach State men's water polo continuing their role as the Jobbers to the Stars and Cal Poly ending their season on a two-game losing streak as well as the likes of Auckland City and Melbourne Victory losing its winning touch, but it did have more highs than lows.

First off, the Lakewood Lancers are where they were during the days of Luther Brown. Mission Viejo was upset by the Noble Thanes of Thadd, 28-7, on a cool November evening at the John T. Ford Stadium grounds before a standing-room only congregation. I saw the score and thought, "If it's Poly we're facing, they might as well have divine right to win it all, those lucky Jackrabbits." They faced Esperanza tonight.

Grambling State shrugged off its two-year slump of fail against Southern, winning the Bayou Classic, 29-14. Kill Jackson State, Rod Broadway. Get it done and put yourself in a position to be tops in the Sheridan Poll by season's end. Get to it.

Hawaii is going bowling...again. a 24-10 revenge win over Washington State sends them to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In a season without Colt Brennan, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen and a whole lotta other stars from last year...this had to be a good season under first-year coach Greg McMackin. If he gets WAC Coach of the Year Honors, he should.

And Saturday had shootouts galore. Throw defense out the window, it's time for some Heisman and BCS-stat padding sessions, STAT! #1 ranked Alabama shuts out Auburn, 36-0. Florida and Tim Tebow are set to pull off a season of Archie Griffin proportions with a 45-15 scalping of Florida State. In the Civil War, USC's hopes to be at the Rose Bowl for two straight matches were improved by a 65-38 demolition of Oregon State. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma made his case to be in New York clear with a 61-41 steamroll of Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Bowl (the BoBA Master is pleased with this one). Boise State and Ball State ran over Fresno and Western Michigan, 61-10 and 45-22, respectively. Where they will be bowling remains to be seen. The Georgia Bulldogs got Ramblin' Wreck'd by Georgia Tech Between The Hedges, 45-42, while Charlie Weis could be shown the door after a 38-3 defeat to the Trojans as the cauldron lit through the Coliseum air. Colt McCoy and Texas made their intentions clear with a 49-9 crushing of Texas A&M.

In volleyball, the Long Beach State 49ers took out Colorado State in four games after dropping the first set, and now will find out where they will be heading off to (or whether they will stay home) for first and second round matches.

150th post...a moment of silence

As I create this 150th post on BoBA, I would like to ask that you hold a moment of silence for someone special. Weeks after lead singer for Boston Brad Delp passed away, and a few days after the Virginia Beach Mariners folded, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I FCS football history, Eddie Robinson, died at the age of 88 due to Alzheimer's Disease.

He was perhaps one of the greatest coaches, if not the best ever, in Black College Football. Grambling State University won many National Championships under Coach Robinson, and he was a proud supporter of the game after he finished his coaching days with 408 wins to his credit, a record that stoood until Coach John Gagliardi eclipsed it years later with the Johnnies of St. John's in Division III.

He lived a long, proud, rich, accomplished life, and BoBA, along with its sister blogs Love and Liberty II on SeiyaUsagi.net, Love and Liberty Lite on TagWorld, and Bedlam on MySpace Boulevard on MySpace, saluted Coach Robinson for his contributions to the game of American Football...and to life.

Rest in peace.