Football Honors
Tennessee State University’s Head Coach Rod Reed was named Coach of the Year and six Tigers were selected to the All-American team as announced by BOXTOROW. OL Kadeem Edwards, TE A.C. Leonard, DL Anthony Bass, DL Antonio Harper, LB Nick Thrasher and DB Daniel Fitzpatrick made the HBCU 22-man team, while kicker Jamin Godfrey was given an honorable mention. TSU had six players on the All-American team, more than any other school.
Reed led the Tigers to their first appearance in the FCS Playoffs since 1999 and first postseason win since 1986. The Tigers defeated Butler 31-0 in the first round before falling to Eastern Illinois in the second round. The Tigers finished the season 10-4.
Men’s Basketball
The TSU men’s basketball team won for the first time this season, snapping a 10-game losing streak with a 108-85 victory over in-city foe Fisk University on Dec. 15 in Gentry Center. Both teams had high-scoring first halves as Fisk held a 57-52 advantage at the break. But TSU doubled down in the second half as the Tigers outscored its opponent 56-28 on the way to the win. TSU shot 51.4% from the field for the game. Newcomer Jaleel Queary scored a career-high 21 points while adding seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Fourteen of his points came in the first half.
Tennessee State’s Patrick Miller added a team-high 25 points, dished out nine assists, had six rebounds and three steals. Tiger M.J. Rhett tallied his sixth double-double of the season by grabbing career-high 18 rebounds to go along with 16 points.
TSU will have traveled to Illinois State for a Thursday contest (results unavailable at press time) before returning home to host the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks on Fan Appreciation Day at 4 pm Saturday, Dec. 21. That contest features the return of former head coach John Cooper to the Gentry Center. Thursday, Jan 2, the Tigers host Tennessee Tech for Senior Citizens Appreciation Night at 7 pm. Saturday, Jan 4, they host Jacksonville State for a Family and Faith Night doubleheader at 7:30 pm, and Tuesday, Jan. 7, they host Middle Tennessee State for Kid’s Day at 7 pm. Follow the action live on FM 102.1 The Light.
Women’s Basketball
The TSU women’s basketball team picked up its first home victory of the season by defeating the Redhawks of Martin Methodist 92-61 in the Gentry Center Sunday, Dec. 15. Chelsea Hudson led TSU with 24 points while Rachel Allen added 13. Jayda Johnson pulled down a team-best 12 rebounds while I’mani Davis recorded seven steals. TSU rallied to build a 15-point lead at halftime and never looked back. The win was the second straight and moved TSU to 3-7 on the season. The win was the largest margin of victory since the 2008-09 season when the Lady Tigers defeated UT Martin 89-53.
Through 10 games, TSU is averaging 68.5 points per outing while shooting 36.8% from the field. Chelsea Hudson leads the team in scoring with 18.9 points per game while Rachel Allen (11.5 ppg) and I’mani Davis (7.1 ppg) round out the top scorers for TSU.
Tennessee State returned to action Dec. 17, when the Lady Tigers visited No. 3 University of Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. Results were unavailable at press time. TSU makes its third trip of the season to the state of Florida to participate in the University of Florida’s Holiday Classic, facing Florida Dec. 20 before taking on either FIU or LaSalle Dec. 21. Jan 4, they host Jacksonville State for a Family and Faith Night doubleheader at 5:30 pm. Jan. 6, they host Tennessee Tech at 6 pm.
