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Page 14 • THE MAROON TIGER • Thursday, April 25, 1991
SPORTS
Coach Cason Brings The Pride Back
Photo by: Oscar Danieis
Coach Craig Cason
By Martin L. Duncan
After a grueling mid-April
practice session, head football
coach Craig Cason took a few
minutes to cogitate on the
future of the Morehouse College
football program. Seated in
Chivers Dining Hall, Coach
Cason had these things to say:
Maroon Tiger: In a previous
discussion with me you cited
disorganization as a problem
with recent Morehouse teams.
What do you plan to do to make
the program more organized?
Cason: Well, it wasn’t so
much the disorganization of past
programs I was talking about as
much as it was my wish to im
plement some of the things
which I used in other programs.
Morehouse is similar to other
Ivy League schools where I’ve
coached in that academics is
stressed first. Sports is a learn
ing process; it has to take its
place in the grand scheme of
education here. Successful
academics and successful foot
ball can go hand in hand. There
is no reason for us to have to
lower our standards for the sake
of football.
A strong recruiting base can
be established in coordination
with alumni and high school
coaches. This type of recruiting
effort could bring good players
in.
Maroon Tiger: What was the
purpose of your one on one
meetings with the individual
players?
Cason: Twofold. Any time
you come into a new program
you have to get to know the
players. The meetings allowed
them to express their opinions
and goals. They [meetings] also
gave me a chance to let the
players know about me and my
expectations. I also learned a
tremendous amount of the
history of the program. There
was a lot of consistency in what
the players had to say. The con
sensus was that the nucleus of
the team is good; they’re just
hungry for someone to help
them win. I’m impressed with
the attitude of the players; en
thusiasm has not been lost and
the will to win is still there. We
want the attitude to build and
grow.
I don’t have a magic wand
which I can pull out of my back
pocket and wave to bring in; 8
or 9 wins in a season. It’ll take
the efforts of many players and
others to put all the pieces
together. I have no illusions
about the directions and amount
of work it’ll take to get there,
but I’m enthusiastic.
Maroon Tiger: What do you
see as the strengths and
weakness of the team?
Cason: It’s difficult to assess
the strengths at this point. The
skill level at the wide receiver
and defensive back positions is
at a level to match other teams
in the league. The offensive line,
which I’m coaching, is short on
people...but they have big
hearts.
I believe you can win with
good defenses. It’s my intention
to have the best and strongest
defense possible. That’s not to
detract from the offense, but
defense sets the tone for the
game.
Maroon Tiger: The team
slogan is “The Pride is Back.”
How do you plan to bring the
pride back? What are your
goals?
Cason: A few weeks ago we
had an intense team meeting
where we laid out the plan for
the pride being back. When I
first got here, there were very
few optimistic people. There
were a lot of negatives. Sinbad
said on “the Arsenio Hall
Show” that Morehouse hs
everything except a good foot
ball team. I’m emphasizing a
positive approach, a “planned
positive attitude” as I like to
call it. There are no secrets to
a winning program. Commit
ment, a strong sense of pride,
and the ability to overcome
adversity and setbacks are all
needed to have a successful pro
gram. I think that in using the
“Pride is Back” theme you have
to have the pride first before
developing the other things in
your program. The number of
wins and losses doesn’t
necessarily reflect a winning at
titude. With a winning attitude
the W’s take care of themselves.
Maroon Tiger: What is the
team doing now to prepare?
Cason: We’re concentrating
on conditioning and developing
mental and physical toughness.
We’re talking to each young
man about becoming the best
possible athlete he can be. What
he does on and off the field is im
portant...in the weightroom, the
classroom...how he behaves. It’s
all about coming together as a
team — commitment.
Maroon Tiger: How is the
recruiting progressing?
Cason: The athletes available
are limited. We are going after
some guys and trying to lure
some guys here. We’re not go
ing to have an outstanding
recruiting class this year, but
we’re already recruiting for
next year.
Maroon Tiger: Is there
anything else which you would
like our readers to know?
Cason: Being able to come
back to the Black college at
mosphere has been a rewarding
experience for me, I’m looking
forward to the challenge of
building a strong program.
Coach Cason’s Staff:
Sean Gibson (Offensive Coor
dinator) - Successfully coached
offense at Virginia Union,
Delaware State and Princeton.
Vincent Willliams (Defensive
Coordinator) - Played at
Cheyney State and then in the
USFL; linebacker coach at
Cheyney St. the last 5 years.
Brian Bossard (Defensive
Back Coach) - Outstanding
defensive back at the Universi
ty of Delaware before coaching
that position at the same
university.
Derryk Sellars (Defensive
Line Coach) - Previously coach
ed defensive line at Hillside
High School in New Jersey; at
tended Morehouse and played
football in the mid-80s.
Jeff Braxton (Running Back
Coach) - A graduate of Salisbury
State University; previously
coached RBs at Bowie State.
“Dr. Keith has allowed me to
assemble the best coaching staff
possible,” says Coach Cason.
Cason himself coached at
Princeton for seven years. He
spent one year each coaching
the defensive line and the
freshman team. He coached the
offensive line for the past five
years. Before that he coached
the defensive line at Dartmouth
for a year.
What’s New In Tennis?
Morehouse Sweeps Augusta
By Gary Q. Abernathy
The Maroon Tigers zipped the
Jaguars 5-0 earlier (2/27/91) in
the season at Augusta and some
difficulties at home (4/5/91) but
managed to prevail 5-3.
Things did not go too well for
Morehouse in the singles as
they lost two out of six matches.
Team captain Jermaine Wilson,
a Junior from Los Angeles,
California, playing at the no. 3
position lost a close one (6-2,2-6,
6-4) to Mike Hayes. “I was up
4-0 in the third set, got over
confident and winded up losing
six straight games,” said
Wilson. Alan Van Campen of
Augusta took Maiko Mills out in
straight sets 7-5,6-3 to force the
match into doubles since neither
team had five points. “I did not
think my guys would be that
competitive today considering
the way Morehouse took us out
so fast at our place. My team
surprised me and came ready to
play,” said Augusta’s Head
Tennis Coach Trey Bogue.
Morehouse split the doubles
with Augusta, one apiece, but
picked up the point they need
ed to win the match. The no. 3
doubles was retired in the se
cond set with the Maroon Tigers
ahead 1-0. “We needed all three
doubles to win the match overall
and started to changed my
lineup. But, I decided to let my
guys have some fun because I
knew we could not beat
Morehouse’s no. 1 doubles,”
said Coach Bogue.
The Maroon Tigers no. 1
doubles team is comprised of
Jason Clark and Richard
Williams. These two freshmen
honor roll students from Los
Angeles, California, easily
disposed of Augusta’s Pablo
Perez and Danny Uischner 6-2,
6-3. The victory gave them then-
eighth win of the season against
two defeats. The two are not do
ing that bad in singles either.
Clark (no. 1 singles) improved to
16-2 on the season by defeating
Pablo Perez (6-1, 6-1) and
Richard Williams (no. 2 singles)
ran his record to 15-4 after
squeaking past Damon Costner
(6-2, 2-6, 6-4). The good thing
about Jason is that he wins con
sistently. He has only lost to
Emory and Brunswick. He
should have beaten Emory’s no.
1 man but lost in three sets (7-6,
2-6, 6-2). But Brunswick’s no. 1
man was too tough and beat him
(6-1, 6-2),” said Morehouse’s
Head Tennis Coach James
Haines. Clark is currently rank
ed seventh in the south among
NCAA Division II tennis
players and eleventh nationally
in the latest Volvo/ITCA
rankings.
“I think what threw us off to
day was that Coach Bogue
changed his lineup from the last
time. He flipped flopped his no.
1 and no. 2 players so Jason and
Rich were not playing the same
guys. I also had to substitute for
my regular no. 5 player, William
Scales, and his replacement had
only played in one of our
previous sixteen matches,” said
Coach Haines.
Despite their problems,
Morehouse held on to win their
eighth match in a row. The vic
tory gave them a 12-5 record on
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