Around the Ohio Valley- February 4th

National signing day has come and gone for football. Buzz across the nation is still permitted after the big day for the sport so we will catch you up on every school's activity, but we also have basketball stars making national headlines and teams getting into the rankings. Furthermore, we have universities planning new facilities and former Super Bowl winners set to visit campus. There is much to catch up on, so let's go.

Austin Peay: Out in Clarksville the Govs are set to honor a new class of Hall of Famers. Adrian Henning was a two time All-OVC forward who helped guide APSU into the NCAA Tournament in 2003, Paige Smith also guided the Govs to a few NCAA tournament berths in her time there and also Ryan Bennett who is considered one of the best two-way catchers in APSU's history will all be honored at halftime of the Govs' home game against Murray State. APSU got into the act on signing day, addressing some needs at quarterback, skill positions and on their lines. There is a very good article that shows off the new recruits skills in some videos, click here to take a look.

Eastern Illinois: In the spirit of this week's Super Bowl we would like to make mention of the three-time Super Bowl winner Mike Shanahan teaming up with EIU Athletic Department on the 24th to conduct the Athletic Director's Gala. They should have plenty to talk about as EIU athletics has enjoyed recent success in many departments such as Track and Field moving up in national rankings and their men's side recent sweep of conference honors. EIU has a complete PDF file on there website where you can here all the players comment on their signing to the school, but I wanted to show a clip of one of their future stars I have heard some chatter about. Trey Pendergrass looks just as fast and elusive as everyone suspects here.



Eastern Kentucky: There is a good buzz coming from Richmond regarding baseball and perfect timing too as the OVC baseball season is fast approaching. EKU is in the planning stages to construct a new state-of-the-art baseball stadium that will serve as the cornerstone for the campus. The stadium will offer new amenities, more than we could list here, and for further reading check out the Colonel's article. EKU is also getting in on the ESPN BracketBuster series as they will take on Western Carolina on the 19th. EKU also announced their news of adding 23 signees to the football program, they have a full list here.

Jacksonville State: The men's and women's golf programs were picked to win the OVC this season on Wednesday. Elsewhere, the Gamecocks have signed 16 players on National Signing Day to the football program. Coach Jack Crowe had identified that JSU needed an influx of lineman, well, they got just that as they inked 3 offensive linemen and 3 defensive linemen. Coach Crowe stated about this recruiting class, "I think its the best we have ever signed." See Coach Crowe's interview below.



Morehead State: Frankly it is just hard not to write about the guy. He dunks on anything that moves, continuously gets recognized nationally and he can flat out play. We are talking about Kenneth Faried if you didn't know, and now we must report the latest in his ongoing season of publicity. Dime Magazine has recently released an article in which it dubs Faried the "next Dennis Rodman." Faried seems to carry himself quite well as he did when asked if he would rather win the OVC title of be a first round pick in the NBA. He responded, "Would I get drafted first if I won the title?" Pretty smart Faried. Check out the rest of that article here. Not to be left out on the football extravaganza, Morehead is making headlines with multiple players receiving honors which they highlight on their website.

Murray State: The Racers honored over 100 student-athletes for their academic achievements at halftime of a home game over the weekend, truly a great moment for the campus. Last night in men's basketball Murray State got past TSU in Nashville and moved into second place in the OVC. The Racers also have announced their 2011 football recruiting class, and you can read more about the victory in Nashville and the football headlines in Murray Ledger & Times article here.

Southeast Missouri: Men's Basketball will host Sacramento State on February 19th as part of ESPNU's Bracketbusters. For the Redhawks, recent headlines have been about football with the restructuring of the coaching staff and renewing of contracts. This week the Redhawks announced the Brian Mohnsen has been hired as defensive coordinator while Tim McGuire moves to offensive coordinator and assistant coach. Head coach Tony Samuel has had his contract renewed as well. Semoball.com has all the news for the campus covered.

Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville: SIUE is eligible to compete in conference play for the first time since joining the league in 2008 in softball and they have been picked to finish fourth in the OVC. SIUE's start of a new era with the OVC provides excitement for all involved. Check out the university's website which goes into depth on the upcoming season, and be sure to pay attention to video that pops up, it is an interesting look at how exactly a cougar roars on the campus of SIUE.

Tennessee State: It sure was a tough loss at home in Nashville for the Tigers as Murray State edged them out in men's basketball, but their women's team snapped a losing skid in a victory over the Racers. Football Coach Rod Reed hosted a "Meet and Greet" for the 22 players TSU inked on Signing Day. Catch the full report of the signings here.

Tennessee Tech: Basketball programs at Tech have lots to celebrate with their coaches and players making some history, including junior Tacarra Hayes moving past 1,000 points in her career this week and head men's basketball coach Mike Sutton recorded his 141st victory moving into the 10th spot all time in the OVC. Meanwhile, versatility was the key in recruiting for Tech's football program and you can catch Head Coach Watson Brown's comments on it below.





UT Martin: The men's basketball tean fell short at Austin Peay this week while the women's team lost in a close one to the Lady Govs. UT Martin's tennis program saw two players make the preseason All-OVC top 10 list. Head football coach Jason Simpson has announced his 23 player signing class for the University as well. Catch up on all UT Martin's latest here.