The CIAA held its annual Media Luncheon Thursday in the new Donald J. Reaves Student Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State. It was a fun day, with lots of laugh and excitement over the upcoming season. Per tradition, the conference released its predicted order of finish for 2013.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Winston-Salem State-The two-time lost more than two dozen players from last year’s team, but return five players on the preseason All-CIAA Team
2. Elizabeth City State-The two-time defending CIAA Northern Division champions are hoping to get over the hump and win the overall conference title.
3. St. Augustine’s– The Falcons have a veteran quarterback, a solid running game and some of the best pass rushers in the conference. But will that be enough to knock WSSU off its perch in a tough Southern Division?
4. Chowan-Coming off it’s best season in its short CIAA tenure, Chowan won’t be able to sneak up on other teams in 2013.
5. Shaw– Shaw has several key pieces coming back, but an unsettled quarterback position makes them a hard read.
6. Bowie State– Bowie’s defense is known for it’s hard-hitting style. The question is whether or not its offense can capitalize on that and score points.
7. Johnson C. Smith-JCSU finished second to WSSU in the Southern Division last season. With players like preseason All-CIAA QB Kahean Wallace and WR Fred Scott, the Golden Bulls are a threat to score on every play.
8. Virginia Union-The Panthers lost several key players from last year’s squad, which finished just 5-5 in 2012.
9. Fayetteville State-The big challenge for new head coach Lawerence Kershaw will be improving a passing game that threw for just six touchdowns in 2012.
10. Virginia State– New coach Latrell Scott has some pieces in place, but turning a program around will take time.
11. Livingstone-Unlike the other new head coaches, Daryl Williams has had a year to get familiar with his players. With building blocks like QB Drew Powell and linebackers Kenneth White, there is hope in Salisbury.
12. Lincoln (PA)– Another new coach, another rebuilding project.
Finally, five things that stood out:
1) Focus on WSSU
Had fun at the #ciaa media day….wishing I could face Winston right now but focusing on Virginia state September 7th
– Michael Johnsonâ“‚1⃣8⃣ (@Bigplaytay18) July 25, 2013
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js From the players to the coaches to the fans, Winston-Salem State was the subject of much discussion on Thursday. Fayetteville State’s Blade Shoop didn’t beat around the bush: “They (WSSU) are the top dog. We want a piece of that dog.”
While other coaches danced around the questions about WSSU, many posed by fans from online, Shaw’s Robert Massey took the question straight on.
“The goal is to beat WSSU,” he said. “Not to overlook anyone else, but they are the measuring stick. We strive to be better than Winston.”
2) Lots of new faces
Thursday was sort of a get-to-know you day for many media members, as four teams, one-third of the 12 teams in the conference, have new head coaches. Lincoln’s Ramon Flanigan talked about changing the culture for his team. Livingstone’s Daryl Williams talked about building on the players he inherited. Virginia State’s Latrell Scott talked about building a powerhouse program with in-state recruits. Fayetteville State’s Lawrence Kershaw wasn’t focused so much on changing the culture as much as getting the process of winning games down pat.
“I’m not really worried about Virginia State,” he said. “I’m worried about our first practice.”
3) Impressive interviews by student-athletes
The CIAA made its student-athletes available for interviews along with their coaches for the first time, and the results were pretty good. While a few players gave conservative answers straight out of their coaches’ handbook, others spoke candidly about everything from post-graduation goals to field turf differences. It was a pretty good tweet.