All results / Stories / Fred Jeter
Panthers predict greater gridiron success in ‘23
The 2022 football season ranks with the finest in Virginia Union University’s football history. That said, don’t be surprised if 2023 is equally exciting.
VUU upsets VSU before crowd of 15,000
Panthers, Broncos set for CIAA rematch
Virginia Union University is on its way to scratching more than a two-decade old football itch.
Banner Christian’s Burke travels in the fast lane
Davian Burke specializes in takeoffs and landings and is almost always right on time. He ranks with the state’s top hurdlers even though he attends a high school – Banner Christian in Chesterfield – far removed from local sports’ neon lights.
2 top basketball standouts commit to UR
Imagine winning the lottery, then two days later winning it again. That’s about how University of Richmond basketball Coach Chris Mooney felt after landing two highly acclaimed rising seniors from the 804 area code.
George Wythe High driving toward state championship
In 1975, Willard Coker was an up-tempo, high-energy guard who led Winston-Salem’s R.J. Reynolds High School to the state championship in North Carolina. Now, 40 years later, Coach Coker — still brimming with energy — is close to winning another high school state title state, this time as coach. Coach Coker’s fast-breaking George Wythe High School Bulldogs were playing unbeaten Spotswood High School of Rockingham County in the State 3A finals at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center at press time for the Free Press on Wednesday, March 11. The Wythe Bulldogs improved to 25-4 on Tuesday, March 10, by cruising past Northside High School near Roanoke, 78-57. Coach Coker “let the Dogs out” at just the right time for peak perfection.
Freedom Classic comes to Coliseum Sunday
It’s fitting that someone from historic Yorktown has helped spark a basketball revolution at Virginia State University. The reasons are numerous why VSU has vaulted from the bottom to the top of the CIAA standings. You can start the list with versatile 6-foot-8 junior Elijah R. Moore, aka “ERM,” from Yorktown’s Grafton High School.
George Wythe wins opener for first time in 13 years
George Wythe High School found a quality quarterback and a long overdue victory all in the same week. As a result, the Bulldogs are 1-0 for the first time since 2003. “I saw some good things and some bad things. That’s always how a coach looks at it,” second-year head Coach Dion Foxx said after his 8-6 win last Friday at Armstrong High School.
VSU wins home opener
When former NFL wide receiver Reggie Barlow was hired as Virginia State University football coach, many felt he would install a wide-open passing game. That may eventually come.
Southside Ducks win 5th straight championship
Football is alive and kicking — and quacking, too — at the Southside Community Center. Headquartered on Warwick Road at the site of the former ROC church, the Southside Ducks are piling up touchdowns and winning trophies.
Standout Justin Tillman chose VCU twice
Among the most talented basketball players recruited to Virginia Commonwealth University by former Coach Shaka Smart was Justin Tillman.
6th NCAA crown for UNC
The University of North Carolina’s sixth NCAA basketball championship will be remembered for many things.
VCU heads to Oklahoma City for NCAA despite A-10 loss
If you’re among the thousands of passionate Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans, you’ve become accustomed to this time of year scrambling for last minute flight reservations. For the third straight year, the Rams are headed to the NCAA. So Rams fans who want to cheer on the team in person will be putting up considerable time, effort and expense. After losing to St. Joseph’s University 87-74 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament finale last Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Rams are headed to Oklahoma City, 1,293 miles from Richmond. Coach Will Wade’s 24-10 Rams are seeded No. 10 in the NCAA’s West Region and will face No. 7 Oregon State University, featuring Gary Payton II, on Friday, March 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., with the game slated to be televised on TNT.
Usain Bolt dashes off with medal
Jamaica, homeland of the incomparable Usain Bolt, ranks 139th in the world in population but it’s No. 1 in terms of speed. The Caribbean island of some 2.95 million people deserves the title “World’s Fastest Country” based on its domination in 100-meter dash Olympic competition.
Coach Lancaster returns home for next chapter in legendary career
George Lancaster says there is one aspect of coaching he’s looking forward to even more than the home court advantage.
VCU ready for 7th consecutive bid to NCAAs
Barring an unlikely late season collapse, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams are primed for a seventh straight trip to the NCAA playoffs.
Fouls central part of Rams’ strategy
Virginia Commonwealth University’s winning basketball recipe includes balanced scoring plus a little discussed “secret” ingredient — balanced fouling. Now with eight straight wins after last Friday’s 84-73 victory at the University of Richmond, the Rams are 22-5 heading into difficult Atlantic 10 Conference road tests at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Dayton.
John Marshall ready for regional playoffs with tall men in front, back court
Richmond’s John Marshall High School boasts perhaps the tallest basketball front line in Virginia in 6-foot-9 Isaiah Todd, 6-foot-7 Isaiah Anderson and 6-foot-6 Greg Jones.
For Toronto Raptors fans: Fast facts
Maybe it’s time for the National Basketball Association to shift its name to the International Basketball Association. With the slogan “We the North,” the Toronto Raptors have reached the NBA Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
VUU to take on VSU Feb. 22 at Barco-Stevens Hall
The rematch between Virginia Union and Virginia State universities on Saturday, Feb. 22, might be billed “No. 1 scorer versus No. 1 team.”
VSU's team virtually all new
This has been something of a “meet-and-greet” basketball season at Virginia State University. With the top five scorers gone from last year’s CIAA championship squad, name tags might be helpful in knowing the “rookies.”
