- Created on 18 March 2013
Atlanta City Council Could Vote on New Stadium Monday
The Atlanta City Council is scheduled to meet Monday afternoon and could vote to move forward with plans of a new Falcons stadium.
Although the stadium is not on the agenda of topics to be discussed during Monday's session, the subject matter may still be brought up.
If agreed upon by the council, the city would embark upon a plan to put down $200 million in hotel-motel tax revenue in order to build the $1 billion retractable roof facility.
"This will be one of the best stadium deals of its type in the country, bar none. And we're actually getting more out of the deal than we would if we were to renovate the existing dome," Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond told WAGA.
Some believe the stadium deal is being rushed and are hesitant about moving forward.
"We are talking about a proposal that was put on the city council halfway through this week that's an inch thick. And there's no way that they could possibly read through it, retain it, understand everything in it and vote on it as quickly as this thing is moving forward," William Perry of Common Cause, a watchdog group, said.
The proposal was announced 11 days ago and has already been approved by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The only potential road blocks after the City Council's approval would be Friendship and Mount Vernon Baptist Churches, two places of worship that would have to be bought out and moved.
"Once we do have a proposal from the city, that will be something we will bring forward to the congregation to review, discuss and then vote," Lloyd Hawk of Friendship Baptist Church said.
If the churches refuse to be bought out, the city may possibly look into an alternate location north of the Georgia World Congress Center.
- Created on 18 March 2013
SIAC Coach of the Year Grady Brewer Reflects on Bittersweet Ending to Morehouse's Basketball Season
Hometown favorites, the Morehouse Maroon Tigers, fell to the Benedict College Tigers in the finals of the 80th Annual SIAC Men's Basketball Championship.
In a dog fight that kept hostile fans in the Frank L. Forbes Arena on edge throughout the evening, Morehouse's missed opportunities on free throws and sloppy play with turnovers led to their demise as Benedict captured their second consecutive SIAC Basketball Championship, 68-60.
"It was a battle," Benedict Coach Fred Watson said. "Morehouse is a physical team, well coached and ran a lot of good stuff. They schemed us out of what we wanted to do. It took us a little while as a team to figure out what we needed to do.
The loss by the Maroon Tigers may mean the end of a season, but also recaps one of the most successful seasons in school history, thanks to newly named SIAC Coach of the Year, Grady Brewer.
Brewer and his team were predicted to finish sixth in the east division during the preseason after wrapping up the 2011-2012 season at 8-19, with a loss in the first round at last year's conference tournament. Going into the new year, Morehouse began living up to low expectation by starting the season 1-5.
Out of nowhere, the Maroon Tigers went on a school record-tying 14-game winning streak and posted a 15-2 conference record, earning them a share of the SIAC East Division regular season title with Benedict.
"Any time you win 19 out of 22 ball games, you've done a great job," Brewer said. "We just hope that the NCAA Division II selection committee will allow us the opportunity to play."
The 2012-13 basketball season was Brewer's thirteenth as head coach at Morehouse, after serving 13 seasons as an assistant to the legendary Arthur McAfee, who coached 35 seasons at Morehouse, compiling more than 450 wins.
Players named to the All-Tournament team from Morehouse were center Andrae Nelson, who had 20 points, and guard Darrius Williams scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the championship game.
"It was a good run, felt good being back on court," Williams said. "My team played hard. We have a lot of guys coming back next year, so we're just going to take this loss right here and we're going to be ready to respond for next time."
By winning the conference tournament, Benedict automatically receives a bid to play in the NCAA Division II National Basketball Tournament. Morehouse, who was ranked sixth in the South region, did not receive an at-large bid by the tournament committee and ended its season on the sour note of losing in the championship game. But Brewer doesn't see it as a defeat.
"Great players make great coaches at any level," Brewer said reflecting on this season's accomplishments. "It's a sweet victory for the people in Forbes Arena because it's nice to see them able to come to a playoff game and for a championship game because in the past we haven't been past the first round. I love these guys. I love them all. They're going to get their chance."
- Created on 16 March 2013
Clark Atlanta Lady Panthers Fall in NCAA Tournament
The inside duo of La'Quisha Lewis and Erika Sumpter was dominate, but it was not enough as the No. 8 Lady Panthers of Clark Atlanta University (19-11) fell 87-60 to the top-seeded Sharks of Nova Southeastern University (21-8) in the first round of the NCAA South Region Tournament at the Don Taft Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Friday.
- Created on 16 March 2013
Hawks Sign Shelvin Mack to Another 10 Day Contract
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Shelvin Mack to a second 10-day contract, Hawks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard has appeared in five games for the Hawks, totaling eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 30 total minutes. In the Hawks' win against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13th, Mack scored seven points on 3-5 (.600) shooting and dished out two assists in 14 minutes.
- Created on 15 March 2013
Falcons Sign Former St. Louis Rams Running Back Steven Jackson to 3-Year Deal
The Atlanta Falcons offense is starting to take shape. After learning just before the start of free agency that Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez would return to the team instead of retiring, on Thursday free agent running back Steven Jackson has agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Falcons' official Twitter page reports that the deal will be for three seasons. Dollar figures for the contract were not immediately provided by the team. However, ProFootballTalk.com reports that the deal is worth $12 million.
Jackson hit the free agent market after the St. Louis Rams provided him with the option to void the final year of his contract. The Rams are preparing to go forth with 2012 draft choices Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead in the backfield, acoording to Yahoo! sports.
Jackson drew interest from both the Green Bay Packers and Falcons before deciding on Atlanta on Thursday. The Falcons were in the market for a veteran back after releasing Michael Turner earlier this month. Turner topped 1,300 three times during his first five seasons with the Falcons, but was released after averaging just 3.6 yards per carry in 2012 and watching his 2013 base salary swell from $5.5 million to $6.9 million.
Jackson will join Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers in the Falcons backfield.
