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INSIDE MOREHOUSE, OCTOBER 2014
Devon Mann Focuses on Athletic and Academic Success
BY ADD SEYMOUR JR.
DEVON MANN approaches school-work the same way
he deals with comerbacks - with a cool, calm demeanor
that helps the a junior kinesiology major and Maroon
Tigers wide receiver to be successful at both.
“On the field and in the classroom, I have the same
kind of mentality,” Mann said. “It’s a calm, focused and
collected mentality. 1 try not to get overwhelmed or get
too excited. Just get relaxed and find my groove so I can
focus on what I have to do.”
It has worked well for him. Mann has a 3.3 grade
point average and has been one of the best wide receivers
in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Mann’s focus comes from watching his parents work
full-time jobs while attending college. He wanted to fol
low in their footsteps. But it was his grandmother, whom
he lived with in Tampa, Fla., and a former coach, who
pointed him towards Morehouse - even as he had drawn
interest from schools such as Georgia Southern and the
Naval Academy.
“My grandmother thought Morehouse would be
a great opportunity for me to thrive as a student and an
athlete,” Mann said “And I had a coach who went to
Morris Brown College and he would always talk about how
HBCUs are important to African Americans, about the fun,
about the experience. He would always tell those stories.
“And being that my parents are in Adanta, I thought
Morehouse would be the perfect place.”
It has been a good move. Mann was the team’s most
valuable player last season after leading the team in recep
tions, reception yardage and touchdown receptions. He
has been solid this season, which has been highlighted
by a three-touchdown, 203-yard receiving day against
Central State.
“He’s a great person and a phenomenal player,” said
Leon Murray, the Maroon Tigers’ offensive coordinator.
“He’s the kind of guy who can change a game in one play
and he’s shown that so far this season. He’s good on the
field and definitely does his work in the classroom. He
means a lot to this team.”
That’s a role that means a lot to Mann. He encour
ages and helps his teammates on the field and with their
studies. He’s aware of the stigma of athletes not caring
about their academics and he said he and his teammates
strive to be examples of why that isn’t true.
“When you go to Morehouse, people expect noth
ing but success and better things from you,” Mann said.
“None of us want to be a disappointment by not doing
those things. It actually pushes us harder because we
know people are watching us and expect us to succeed.”
As for his own future, his goal is to play in the NFL.
But just as important is being seen as a scholar, he said.
“Basically, I’ve seen what it takes to get to the next level
and what it takes to be great in the classroom - discipline,” he
said. “That’s what I like about being a student-athlete.” ■
^orehoi/se
Devon Mann
Maroon Tigers Picked to Finish Third in the SIAC East;
Austin Anderson Named Preseason All-SIAC
BY ADD SEYMOUR JR.
SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE Athletic
Conference basketball coaches are expecting a resur
gence in Morehouse basketball this season.
After a lackluster campaign last season, the
Maroon Tigers have been picked to finish third, just
behind Clark Atlanta and Benedict in the SIAC’s
Eastern Division this season.
The Maroon Tigers finished 7-20 overall, 4-14 in
the SIAC, putting them last in the East only a year after
a 20-win season and an appearance in the SIAC cham
pionship game.
This season, a number of new faces should make
for an exciting team, said head coach Grady Brewer ’80.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “Last year was disap
pointing, but that’s the beauty of basketball. You can
come back and get another season to come play. We’re
very long; we’re very athletic; we want to go to an up
tempo type of game. We want to make our opponents
adjust to what we are doing. We want to be exciting.
We want to bring an exciting brand of basketball back
to Forbes Arena.”
Guard Austin Anderson will be important if
that is to happen. The 6’ 2” junior kinesiology major
from Inkster, Mich., was named to this year’s SIAC
Preseason All-Conference Team after leading the
Maroon Tigers last season in minutes played and fin
ishing second on the team in scoring and assists.
“Austin is the most consistent player returning
from last year and has the most experience,” Brewer
said. “He’s a very explosive guard who can score
20 to 25 points a game at any time. I hope Austin
comes in with the mindset that he will be challenged
in every game.”
Austin Anderson
The Maroon Tigers began preseason practice
on Oct. 15 in preparation for their Nov. 7 exhibition
with the Southeastern Conference’s Louisiana State
University and another exhibition on Nov. 11 at Forbes
Arena against Southern University. The regular season
begins Nov. 14 against Lee University in Carrolton,
Ga., with the team’s first regular season home game on
Nov. 21 against Fisk University.
“I think we are going to do pretty well,” Brewer
said. “I look forward to working with the new people
we have on board. Some of the guys who weren’t eli
gible second semester last season are back So we look
to be better than last season.” ■
CROSS COUNTRY
Hill Believes Cross Country Team’s
Slow Start Should Be a Memory
Come Tournament Time
BY ADD SEYMOUR JR.
THINGS MAY HAVE STARTED out slowly for the Morehouse Cross
Country team this year, but Head Coach Willie Hill says things are
working out well enough now that this may be the best group that
Morehouse has ever seen.
“We went through a few ups and down earlier in the season
when some people didn’t get their mileage in over the summer," Hill
said. “So we had to slow some things down so some people could
catch up.
“Now we’ve gotten the foundation that we need," he said. “This
is a group that has found their identity. They are really going to be a
great team."
The peak was the Robert Shumake Great American HBCU
Cross Country Challenge, held Oct. 4 in Cary, N.C. The Maroon
Tigers finished second overall as three Morehouse runners finished
in the top 12 in the individual results. Dahir Mohammed, the
team's only senior, was third, while Shinaola Agbede finished sixth,
and Gerald Jones 12th.
“Dahir is normally our leader," Hill said. “He was one who did
not come back in shape, but now he’s back. He’s stepping up to be
the leader and the runner he was last year.
“Shinaola’s father is a coach and he instilled a number of things
in him about understanding responsibility," Hill said. “He’s that person
you can tell other people to follow as a runner. If you’re out there,
three or four miles away and the coach isn’t there and you need to
hear something, he‘s really helping his teammates with understanding
that we're out here for a purpose.”
The Maroon Tigers competed in the LaGrange College Panther
Invitational the week before Homecoming. They will finish the regular
season in South Georgia at the Valdosta Invitational.
Then comes the true focus for the defending SIAC champs - the
SIAC Championships Nov. 6-7; the NCAA South Regionals Nov. 21 -22;
and the NCAA National Championship, Dec. 5-6. Hill is confident his
squad will be ready.
“They are the team to beat,” he said. “Most teams have one to
two great runners. We have five, possibly eight. We don't have any
injuries so far this year, so things look great for the program." ■