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News Nuggets, 02.12.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

C-USA football schedules held up

Complexities created by the dizzying pace of league realignments in recent months has delayed the customary early February release of football schedules for the teams in Conference USA.

C-USA assistant commissioner Russ Anderson, who was in attendance at Wednesday night's East Carolina-Memphis basketball game in Minges Coliseum's Williams Arena, said the league's schedules probably won't be finalized for a couple of weeks or so.

Anderson indicated the delay was due in large part to ESPN needing extra time to factor the ripple effects of shifting league landscapes into its lineup of television games. ESPN and C-USA are in the midst of a multi-year TV contract involving football and basketball.

Noting that last season the league released the football slates the day after national signing day for gridiron recruits, Anderson said the league might be in position to announce the schedules in late February.

This year's signing day occurred Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Stripper agency boss backpedals on claims

HOUSTON — Every Rice football player has denied knowledge of a stripper agency owner's contention that his entertainers were hired by students to dance at parties, possibly for recruits.

Rice coach Ken Hatfield, who gathered the players after word spread that a Denver-based businessman claimed students from Rice and Houston threw such parties, said his players promised him they had no involvement.

"There's no proof to show there were any football players involved in any of these allegations," Hatfield said Wednesday. He said members of all Rice athletic teams denied the statements by Steve Lower, president and chief executive of Hardbodies Entertainment Inc.

Lower, in an interview with the Rocky Mountain News for Tuesday's editions, said Rice and Houston were among several schools where topless dancers were hired to work at football recruiting parties. But he softened his statement Wednesday in interviews with The Associated Press. first characterizing his clients as "players," then later only as "students."

Rice and Houston have denied knowledge of such parties, and Lower said his company never has done business with either school or its representatives. Houston is a member of Conference USA and Rice will join the league in 2005-06.

Green Wave adds two to football staff

NEW ORLEANS — Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo added a wide receivers and a defensive line coach to his staff Wednesday.

Darryl Mason, who has nearly 20 years experience as a college assistant coach, joins the Green Wave as a wide receivers coach, while Lorenzo Costantini spent the last four seasons as the defensive line coach at Central Florida.

"I'm very pleased to add these two high quality individuals to our staff," Scelfo said. "Both of them are excellent teachers who are also excellent people and will fit in well with the goals and philosophies of Tulane football."

Mason has spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Northwestern State University, where the offense broke a multitude of school records while averaging 376 yards and 32.2 points per game.

Costantini coached at Central Florida from 2000 to 2003. His defensive line compiled 31 sacks in 2002.

Wake's Strickland banished for Clemson game

Wake Forest sophomore Trent Strickland did not accompany the team to Clemson and will not play Thursday night against the Tigers, head coach Skip Prosser announced Wednesday night.

Strickland, 6-5, is averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He has played in all 50 Deacon games in his two-year career. Strickland scored 10 points and went 5-of-5 from the field when Wake Forest beat the Tigers, 78-63, Jan. 10 in Winston-Salem.

Wake Forest and Clemson meet Thursday night at CU's Littlejohn Coliseum at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007