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THE COLLEGE SONG Dear Alma Mater, tried and true,
We’ll win respect and love for you,
We pledge our hearts to you each day.
To do our best at work, at play.
Dear PSC, when from your fold,
We’ll lift the dear old green and gold;
O’er Alma Mater vigil keep,
Her high ideals we’ll strive to meet.
When college days are at an end,
Our hearts will ever toward you bend;
With loyalty we’ll always be
A part of you, dear PSC.
To the friends and fans of Philander Smith,
Athletics plays such an important role in the
life of any university. It creates opportuni-
ties for students and alums to come togeth-
er in one voice to support the Green and
Gold. During the 2014-15 season our pro-
gram continued to make great strides on
the playing fields and in the halls of learn-
ing.
Two of our three teams finished in the top
half of the conference and Philander Smith
was one of just four Gulf Coast Athletic Con-
ference schools to be ranked in the 2014-15
Learfield Cup standings, representative of
excellence in all sports.
Our men’s basketball team advanced to the
NAIA Division I championship tournament
for the third consecutive season, our wom-
en’s basketball team posted its second con-
secutive 18-win season, and our volleyball
team now has back-to-back winning records
against GCAC opponents.
In the classroom, our student-athletes con-
tinued their outstanding performance. A
total of 20 athletes were named to the
GCAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll with two
more named Academic All-Americans.
As you read through this year’s report and
relive the great accomplishments of our
department, know that we continue to work
hard for the success of today’s student-
athletes with an eye on the future. We will
continue to maximize our resources in order
to graduate our student-athletes and field
competitive athletic teams.
We want you to continue to be a part of our
success and to follow your Panthers on our
athletics web site,
www.PhilanderAthletics.com or on Twitter
@PSCAthletics1. Let’s all look forward to an
even better 2015-16 academic and athletic
year.
Thurlon “Sam” Weaver
Director of Athletics
Dr. Crawford J. Mims Gymnasium
Mims Gymnasium is housed inside the 40,000 square -foot Multi-Purpose Complex on the
campus of Philander Smith College that was dedicated in 1995 and renovated in 2012, making
it one of the premier facilities in the GCAC.
It has a seating capacity of 900 persons.
Dr. Crawford J. Mims served as Provost and executive assistant to the president as well as
basketball coach for more than two decades.
Philander Smith supports athletics as a means of al-
lowing students to pursue their academic as well as
athletic dreams. Athletic Director Sam Weaver and
the Athletic Department coaches and staff work to
ensure that student-athletes have the support neces-
sary to reach their potential.
During the 2014-15 academic year, 20 student ath-
letes earned grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
Of those, six earned a 3.5 or better.
VOLLEYBALL
Zyra Wright 3.57
Brianna White 3.46
Brenisha Banks 3.28
Victoria Hicks 3.19
Mia Allmon 3.53
Kayla Denton 3.18
Jamikhan Wilson 3.28
Eboni Fennoy 3.65
Samantha Comet 3.65
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
De’ja Collins 3.64
Caryan Jones 3.44
Ashley Qualls 3.16
Yasmine Jones 23.06
Tiffany Richardson 3.32
Jerrica Scott 3.09
Jasmine Secrest 3.59
MEN’S BASKETBALL
LaDon Carter 3.07
Nelson Ollie 3.03
Ronald March 3.36
Aquil Baynard 3.13
Philander Smith volleyball player
Samantha Comet led all upperclassmen
with a 3.65 GPA.
All-GCAC forward Aquil Baynard fin-
ished second on the Men’s Basketball
team with a 3.13 GPA.
VOLLEYBALL
Zyra Wright
All-GCAC First Team
Victoria Hicks
All-GCAC Second Team
Brianna White
All-GCAC Second Team
Samantha Comet
1x GCAC Player of the Week
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Aquill Baynard
All-GCAC Second Team, 1x GCAC Player of the Week
LaDon Carter
All-GCAC Second Team
Ronald March
All-GCAC Second Team
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jerrica Scott
All-GCAC First Team, 1x GCAC Player of the Week
Caryan Jones
All-GCAC Second Team
Brittany Leonard
1x GCAC Player of the Week
VOLLEYBALL
Brianna White
2014 Daktroniks-NAIA Scholar Athlete
Zyra Wright
2014 Daktroniks-NAIA Scholar Athlete
MEN’s BASKETBALL
LaDon Carter
National leader in Field Goal Pct. (.707)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Rubyunnia McHenry
National leader in Blocks per Game (2.80)
CONFERENCE HONORS NATIONAL HONORS
SEASON REVIEW
Philander Smith continued its rise in the
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in head
coach Alexis Lowe’s second season. Just
three years removed from a 2-21 cam-
paign, including a 0-11 record in the GCAC,
the Lady Panthers went 15-20. PSC also
finished with an 8-6 record against confer-
ence foes. The Lady Panthers’ 15-11 GCAC
record over the past two seasons ranks
them fourth -best in the conference.
It was a struggle at the outset though, as
Philander Smith lost eight of its first 10
matches.
Slowly but surely, the team began to im-
prove. The Lady Panthers went 3-3 over
their next six, all away from home. In late
September PSC ran off a six-game winning
streak, winning five in a row against GCAC
opponents.
Another four-game surge in late October
would get the Lady Panthers to 15-15, and
8-3 in the GCAC. However, that would be
the last time PSC would earn a victory.
They dropped their final four matches of
the regular season and were unable to
reverse momentum at the 2014 GCAC
Volleyball Championship as they were
upset by fifth-seeded Talladega in the
tournament quarterfinals.
A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS
While the improvement of the Lady Pan-
thers was a team
effort, four players
had standout sea-
sons for the Green
and Gold.
Zyra Wright estab-
lished herself as
one of the GCAC’s
most talented play-
ers as she earned
All-Conference First
Team honors. The
junior from Dallas,
Texas finished in
the GCAC top ten in
kills per set (7th,
2.4), total kills (3rd,
296), digs per set
(10th, 2.8), and
total digs (5th, 348).
Junior Samantha Comet was one of the
top newcomers in the GCAC. Comet
earned the only GCAC Player of the Week
award for the team this season and led
the Lady Panthers with 52 aces. She fin-
ished in the GCAC top ten in hitting per-
centage (9th, .190), total kills (8th, 228),
aces (3rd, 52), and digs (7th, 332).
The next wave of PSC talent comes from
freshman Victoria Hicks
and sophomore Brianna
White. Both players were
named to the All-GCAC
volleyball second team.
Hicks was one of the con-
ference’s best defensive
players, showing poise
beyond her years. She
finished second in the con-
ference in digs with 504,
one of just two players in
the GCAC with more than
500 on the season.
Brianna White may have
been just as impressive
defensively. She led the
Lady Panthers in blocks
with 85, tying her for the
conference lead. Her 0.7 blocks per set
tied her for second in the GCAC.
With sophomore Kevinisha Jarrett, who
finished third in the GCAC in assists (598),
also returning in 2015, Philander Smith
has an opportunity to contend for a con-
ference title sooner rather than later.
SEASON REVIEW
The 2014-15 basketball season began with
hopes of a third consecutive 20-win sea-
son and a third straight trip to the NAIA
Men’s Basketball tournament.
The Philander Smith Panthers would ac-
complish both of those goals, finishing
the year with a 20-10 record and traveling
to Kansas City to compete in the Buffalo
Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball
Championship.
PSC executed coach Sam Weaver’s
up tempo offensive strategy effec-
tively all season, averaging nearly 89
points per game, second best in the
nation. The Panthers topped the
100-point mark nine times, and
scored 90 points or more 14 times.
Philander Smith wasn’t just piling up
points, they were active defensively as
well. The Panthers were second in NAIA
Division I in scoring margin at better than
18 points per game, third in blocked shots
per game(4.96), and ranked in the top 25
in steals per game (8.53). PSC also held its
opponents to just 43 percent shooting
from the field.
PSC started the season 8-2, with just a
three-point loss to John Brown (Ark.) and
a six-point defeat against Lincoln blemish-
ing their record.
Surprisingly, the Panthers struggled enter-
ing conference play. At the halfway mark
of the GCAC schedule, PSC was just 4-3
against conference foes. They rebound-
ed to win six out of the last eight games,
including going 5-2 in the GCAC down the
stretch.
Their 9-5 mark in the GCAC left them tied
for third place in the conference stand-
ings. The Panthers would advance to the
GCAC tournament semifinals before falling
to eventual champion Talladega 89-93.
Philander Smith would accept an at-large
invitation to the NAIA tournament where
they would face Cal State San Marcos.
That’s where their season would end, as
they fell to the Cougars, 79-85.
INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Aquill Baynard (16 pts, 7.7 reb) was
named to the All-GCAC men’s basketball
Second Team after leading the Panthers in
both scoring and rebounding. He finished
ninth in the nation in field goal percentage
(.592).
Also earning Second Team recognition
were LaDon Carter and Ronald March.
Carter averaged 14.7
points and 7 rebounds
per game and led the
nation in field goal per-
centage (.707). Carter
also finished in the top
20 in blocks per game
(1.78 bpg).
March was one of the
GCAC’s top newcomers, averaging 16
points and 4 boards. He finished the year
with nine 20-point games in 21 games
played.
Nelson Ollie finished the season ranked
second in the GCAC in assists at 4.56 per
game. Ollie helped the Panthers lead the
nation in assists per game as a team
(18.23 apg).
Philander Smith has been among the nation’s very best offenses
each of the past three seasons. Here’s a look at their
dominance by the numbers.
Year Points per Game Rank Field Goal % Rank
2012-13 84.34 7 .450 34
2013-14 91.63 3 .496 5
2014-15 88.97 2 .530 1
SEASON REVIEW
The Philander Smith Lady Panthers contin-
ued their upward movement in the Gulf
Coast Athletic Conference under head
coach Brandon Greenwood. Since taking
over for the 2011-12 season, PSC has
climbed from a 5-20 record (0-10 GCAC) to
18-14 (8-4) in 2013-14.
With three starters returning (Jerrica
Scott, Rubyunnia McHenry, and Caryan
Jones) along with key reserve Brittany
Leonard taking on a starter’s role, the Lady
Panthers had plenty of talent and experi-
ence returning for the 2014-15 campaign.
Philander Smith got off to a great start,
winning nine of its first ten games, includ-
ing taking four out of five on the road. As
the 2014 calendar year came to a close
the Lady Panthers were 10-2.
With the new year came conference play,
and PSC started strong, picking up home
victories over Edward Waters, Voorhees
and Talladega to go along with a road win
over Dillard. Five games into the GCAC
schedule and Philander Smith was 4-1; a
road loss to perennial power Xavier the
only blemish on their record.
However, a three-game road trip at SUNO,
Tougaloo and Edward Waters turned into
a three-game losing streak; dropping the
Lady Panthers back to .500 in the GCAC.
Break even was how Philander Smith
would finish the regular season. The Lady
Panthers earned home wins against Xavi-
er, Dillard and Tougaloo and loss to Voor-
hees, Talladega, and conference champion
SUNO. They finished the regular season
18-9, 7-7 in the GCAC and seeded fifth at
the 2015 GCAC Basketball Championships.
Their season would end in the quarterfi-
nals on the conference tournament with a
loss to Talladega, giving the Lady Panthers
a final season record of 18-10.
Philander Smith improved its winning per-
centage for the fourth consecutive season:
2011-12 - 5-20 (.200)
2012-13 - 15-16 (.484)
2013-14 - 18-14 (.563)
2014-15 - 18-10 ).643)
The Lady Panthers also posted back to
back winning seasons for the first time
since joining the GCAC.
INDIVIDUAL/TEAM HONORS AND
ACHIEVEMENTS
Several Lady Panthers players had out-
standing individual seasons and were rec-
ognized for their efforts.
Jerrica Scott led the team in scoring at
14.29 points per game, good for sixth in
the GCAC. Scott was named Player of the
Week once, and scored 20 points or more
five times. The First Team All-GCAC selec-
tion also set career highs in field goal per-
centage, 3-point percentage, and a career-
low in turnovers.
Senior guard Caryan Jones earned 2nd
Team All-GCAC honors after leading PSC in
assists and steals. Her 2.46 steals per
game were 2nd in the GCAC and 19th in
the nation.
Brittany Leonard joined the starting lineup
and contributed 11.8 points per game and
earned her first GCAC Player of the Week
Award.
Ruby McHenry was one of the nation’s top
defensive centers. She led the nation with
2.8 blocks per game and finished in the
top 15 in rebounding and ranked 7th on
the defensive glass with 6.88 defensive
boards per game.
Defensively, Philander Smith was one of
the nation’s best units. PSC ranked in the
top ten in steals, blocks, and turnover
margin. The Lady Panthers finished in the
top 20 in scoring margin, and in the top
30 in field goal defense and 3-point field
goal defense.
Philander Smith College
Athletic Department Staff
ADMINISTRATION
DR. DANIEL EGBE Faculty Athletic Representative 501-370-5232
JASMINE GREEN Assistant Athletic Administrator 501-370-5348
TERRY WALLACE Vice President of Fiscal Affairs 504-370-5224
THURLON(SAM) WEAVER Athletic Director 501-370-5317
SPORTS INFORMATION
JASMINE GREEN Sports Information Director 501-370-5348
COMPLIANCE OFFICER
BERTHA OWENS Registrar 501-370-5215
MEN’S BASKETBALL
ANTON MCKINNEY Assistant Coach 501-370-5339
THURLON(SAM) WEAVER Head Coach 501-370-5317
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
JAMES ACKLIN Assistant Coach 501-370-5348
BRANDON GREENWOOD Head Coach 501-370-5348
PANTHER DOLLS
PATRICIA WALKER-SWINTON Head Coach 501-975-8553
MEN’S & WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
THURLON(SAM) WEAVER Head Coach 501-370-5317
MEN’S & WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
THURLON(SAM) WEAVER Head Coach 501-370-5317
VOLLEYBALL
ALEXIS LOWE Head Coach 501-975-6063
2014-15 Team Results
Team
Overall
Record
Conference
Record/
Finish
National
Finish
Volleyball 15-20 8-6/4th -
Basketball
Men 20-10 9-5/4th RV
Women 18-10 7-7/5th -
900 Daisy Bates Drive ׀ Little Rock, AR 72202 ׀ www.PhilanderAthletics.com ׀ 501-370-5348