NCAA Basketball
UH ready to use summer school lessons
Sep 04, 02:42 AM
By Steve Campbell, Houston Chronicle
Sept. 04--On the first play of his first game as a Houston Cougar, Phillip Steward ran downfield to cover a kickoff. Encountering a wedge of Northwestern State blockers in last season's opener at Robertson Stadium, Steward learned a harsh college football lesson.
He who hesitates is at the risk of loss of limb. Or dignity.
"They must have devoured me," Steward said. "They hurt my ribs. I think my helmet came off."
On the sideline, UH coach Kevin Sumlin told Steward, "Welcome to college football." Sumlin's synopsis of the episode: "Got killed -- just blown up -- and got better as the game went on."
When the season begins at 7 tonight at Robertson against Texas State, some Cougars undoubtedly will experience similarly rude awakenings. The idea is to win, survive and get better as the season progresses.
"Football, just when you think you know what you have, something will surprise you," Sumlin said. "There will be somebody who surprises me Saturday. Hopefully, it's good."
Rude awakenings
Steward made a team-high 13 tackles in last year's opener, got his special-teams assignments down to a T the next week in an upset victory at No. 5 Oklahoma State and has since emerged as a starting outside linebacker. Teammate James Cleveland caught 104 passes and was the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year last season, never finding the going any tougher than he did in the opener. On top of having as many drops as catches (two) in a 55-7 victory, Cleveland had the indignity of getting knocked off his feet one play by a defensive back he estimates was 5-8 and 185 pounds.
"He said, 'Welcome to college football,'â" Cleveland said. "I was burned up on the other sideline."
Cleveland and his teammates have done an extended burn over a 10-2 start last season that ended with a 10-4 record. The Cougars finished 111th out of 120 teams in total defense last season, allowing an average of 45 points and 488 yards in their four defeats.
In a related development, they have a new defensive coordinator. Brian Stewart will roll out a 3-4 system that players say allows them to put the opposing offenses on the defensive. Two junior-college transfers who will be key components to the defense -- senior nose tackle Matangi Tonga and junior outside linebacker Sammy Brown -- will make their UH debuts.
"Every year we have something to prove, " UH junior defensive end David Hunter said. "People want to see our defense, see what our defense can contribute."
Former UH star Jason Phillips takes over as the coordinator of an offense that led the nation in scoring and yardage last season. With quarterback Case Keenum back, the Cougars are expecting more of the same kind of pyrotechnics.
Keenum has 12,950 career yards passing, leaving him 15 from passing former Cougar Kevin Kolb for seventh place and 334 from overtaking Texas' Colt McCoy for sixth on the all-time NCAA Division I-A list. One of four trios in history to reach 1,000 receiving yards apiece returns intact: Cleveland and juniors Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards.
'Bounce-back ability'
Two season openers ago against Southern, in his UH debut, Carrier was blindsided returning a kickoff and fumbled. The Cougars recovered, and Keenum threw a screen pass to Carrier on the next play. Another fumble.
The way Carrier remembers it, "I didn't see the field again that game."
He also remembers scoring two TDs the next week at Oklahoma State.
The Cougars are looking to show more of that kind of bounce-back ability. They got as high as 12th in the national rankings, only to suffer a late-season tumble. One of their quests is to finish a season in the rankings for the first time since 1990.
"It's a new team," Edwards said. "This year, we know the system. We just have to execute and do the little things right. Little things got us beat four times last year."
steve.campbell@chron.com
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KU's Opurum seizing opportunity of move to linebacker
Sep 04, 02:30 AM
By J. Brady McCollough, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Sept. 04--LAWRENCE -- Newly positioned Kansas sophomore Toben Opurum made one thing clear going into today's season opener against North Dakota State: He is not thinking about transferring.
"I want a sack," Opurum said. "That's what I want."
Opurum's move from running back to linebacker was the talk of fall camp. As a true freshman last year, Opurum led the Jayhawks in rushing with 554 yards and nine touchdowns. After KU coach Turner Gill sent Opurum over to the defensive side of the ball, many fans wondered whether that would be the first step in one of the more talented players on the roster leaving for another program. But Gill sufficiently convinced the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Opurum that he could have a future in football playing linebacker.
"I'm already past the frustrated stage or being mad stage about it," Opurum said. "I've already been through that. Now, it's gotten to the point where I look at it more as an opportunity and a chance to help our team. That will get me more excited about it."
No question, the Jayhawks need Opurum to step forward and play immediately at linebacker. Kansas does not have much depth at the position behind starters Justin Springer, Drew Dudley and Steven Johnson, and Opurum is expected to play anywhere from 10 to 20 snaps today against the Bison.
He says he has not made a tackle on defense since the ninth grade.
"All my tackles have been off interceptions," Opurum said. "We played Oklahoma, and I had a tackle on Jeremy Beal, the defensive end from Oklahoma."
KU defensive coordinator Carl Torbush said he is keeping things simple for Opurum. He does not want Opurum to have too much to think about early on.
"The first day, a lot of it was just instinct, looking for the football and running as fast as you can to it," Opurum said. "That's one thing you can't coach is effort."
It appears Opurum's plan is still to give that effort for Kansas.
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Other story lines
-- HOW WILL KU DIVIDE CARRIES? The big and bruising Angus Quigley and the small and quick Deshaun Sands couldn't be more different. KU coach Turner Gill has not said whether he expects one player to emerge as the guy. True freshmen Brandon Bourbon and James Sims could also get time.
-- WHO WILL EMERGE AT DEFENSIVE END AND CORNERBACK? Position battles are still raging between defensive ends Tyrone Sellers, Kevin Young and Quintin Woods, and cornerbacks Isiah Barfield and Calvin Rubles.
-- WILL TERRY REDSHIRT? The Jayhawks have spent the last week trying to decide whether true freshman Keeston Terry, a star wide receiver from Blue Springs, can help them this year at safety. Indications so far have been positive.
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NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT KANSAS -- WHEN: 6 tonight
-- WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
-- TV/RADIO: Fox College Sports; KCSP (610 AM)
-- J. Brady McCollough, jmccollough@kcstar.com
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NCBL League Combines High-Level Basketball, Life-Skills Lessons
Sep 04, 01:09 AM
By Mike Anthony, The Hartford Courant, Conn.
Sept. 04--HARTFORD -- Shawn "Smooth" Bell, executive director of Northeast Community Brotherhood Leadership, is quite busy as his youth summer basketball league's semifinals are playing out in the Kelvin D. Anderson recreation center.
He's in charge of music. He's doing play-by-play over the loudspeakers. He's enforcing rules. He's part coach, part parent, part friend, part motivator.
When 6-foot-8 Weaver High forward O'Shawn Bannister comes to the sideline during a break, Bell lowers the microphone, approaches and offers some advice.
"You've got to stop reaching," Bell says emphatically. "Put your hands up. You're a 7-footer when you put your hands up."
A few minutes later, he tells a player who had recently misbehaved he would not be allowed to participate in tonight's game. "You know why," he says sternly.
The NCBL league is affectionately known as the "Baby Pro-Am." Many NCBL players star at local high schools and go on to play in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am, but the league is more than a feeder program, and it's about more than basketball. There are two divisions -- junior varsity for players ages 9-13, varsity for players 14-18 -- for about 250 kids who meet certain standards.
"If you put on that uniform, you've done the work," Bell says.
The league runs every August, culminating in a tournament in the final week and a league cookout, which took place last Saturday. Each player is required to participate in life-skills initiatives, highlighted by guest speakers every Tuesday. It's an involved fraternity, uniting kids from various parts of Hartford and beyond. Bell and his players and volunteers also coordinate skill teaching sessions for young children.
The league offers a safe haven and teaching component at a time "when you can lose kids," Bell said. "We're trying to be there for them during those months when they're between grades."
Basketball is the draw and the reward, but becoming a better and more prepared person is as much the focus.
"These kids are developing their basketball skills and their people skills," said Leonard "Champ" Wiggins, a volunteer. "The life skills [component] is the No.1 thing this league offers and the most important reason for them to be here."
Along the way, there is some good competition.
"It brings together players from so many different schools, so you get to know everyone and it really prepares you for the [high school] season," said Jaquan Starks, a junior at Classical Magnet.
Bell brings an equal sense of fun and discipline.
"He keeps it real with you, and he's tough," said Angel Rodriguez, a junior at Hartford Public. "But I like that. I respect how he is with everybody."
Bell, 46, is a Hartford native who attended Central Connecticut State. He works as a special police officer at Weaver High, where he is also an assistant basketball coach. He's had a long career in the insurance field and has been an assistant coach at Watkinson and Windsor. He has been running the NCBL, which began in 1979, since 1998.
Players from every Hartford high school are involved, as well as a few from East Hartford High and Windsor High.
"We'd like it to grow," Bell said. "Our doors are open to anybody."
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Copyright (c) 2010, The Hartford Courant, Conn.
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Sports Briefs
Sep 03, 11:53 PM
baseball
Pate wins state tournament opener
Eugene Pate powered past Madison 10-1 in the American League state baseball tournament in Plymouth, Ind. on Thursday. Landon Langley, Matt Wilkinson and Jordan Adams each hit leadoff home runs in the second, fifth and seventh innings, respectively. Reid Haefner, a junior at Bosse High School, came through with a three- hit, three-RBI night to back a complete game by Jacob Hamilton. Hamilton, a rising senior at Central, pitched a 3-hitter, striking out 10. Pate (28-16) earned a bye today in the double-elimination event and will next play in a winnerOs bracket game on Saturday.
ACADEMICS
UE tennis, volleyball teams earn honors
The University of Evansville womenOs tennis and volleyball teams have been honored for academics. For the 15th consecutive year, the womenOs tennis team received the 2010 Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team award after recording a team grade point average of 3.441. Seniors Kate Chybowski and Ashton Schwerin and juniors Aleksandra Dzakula and Payal Sharma were named ITA Scholar-Athletes. Twenty-five schools were honored. The volleyball team was one of 94 in Division I honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The Aces were included for the sixth time in seven years with a 3.322 team GPA.
FOOTBALL
Bearcats will play for HollyOs House
The Ohio River Bearcats (5-3-1) are hosting a benefit game for HollyOs House on Saturday, with $1 from each $5 ticket to be donated. Kids under 12 with a paid adult are admitted free, as are military personnel with valid identification cards. The Bearcats will play the St. Louis Spirit, a team they defeated 35-8 earlier in the semipro football season, at 6 p.m. at Central Stadium. A Bearcat victory will clinch a Great Midwest Football League playoff spot.
BASKETBALL
Lorenzen WrightOs death a homicide
Former NBA big man Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found in the woods outside Memphis, was shot to death and the case is being investigated as a homicide, police said Thursday. Records indicate that Wright, 34, revered in his hometown as a generous and likable sports hero, was probably carrying a large amount of cash when he disappeared on July 18. Wright had sold two vehicles to a man affiliated with a drug ring thatOs suspected in six deaths. His family filed a missing person report with police on July 22, four days after he was last seen. WrightOs mother said in the report that she was worried because his silence was out of character and Ohe probably has a large amount of cash.O
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Harrison Calls in Stars for Benefit
Sep 03, 11:53 PM
By STEVE FORD STAFF WRITER / (812) 464-7511 fords@courierpress.com
When an inaugural fundraiser like the 2009 HHS Hoops Event and Auction goes well, there's only one thing to do: Have another.
So the second annual Harrison High School Hoops Event and Auction was announced for Saturday, Aug. 7 at The Pub Banquet Hall.
The benefit, which goes primarily toward boys' basketball, starts with a social hour at 7 p.m., with emcee Pat Shoulders moving to the microphone around 8. He'll introduce head coach and athletics director Bryan Speer and special guest speaker Walter McCarty. The auction will then follow.
"Our first effort exceeded all expectations," said Ben Shoulders, a former Warrior and Harrison booster. "Some of the proceeds went straight to the athletic department, but most of it went to the boys for everything from equipment to travel expenses."
The first event, which featured former Warrior and current Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery as guest speaker, netted over $5,000.
"Our goal is $6,000 this year," said Shoulders, who played on the 1996 regional
champions. "We found this was a great way to bring the Harrison basketball family back together. To have all the players from different eras in the same room, to hear all the talk, was a lot of fun."
McCarty, a member of Kentucky 1996 National Championship team and a 10-year NBA veteran now an assistant with the Indiana Pacers, is hardly the only storied name from Harrison's past.
Since the school opened in 1962, Harrison has won nine sectionals and three regionals, and won or shared 13 Southern Indiana Athletic Conference titles.
Other former Warriors include 1993 national Player of the Year and Indiana's all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney, 1970 NCAA finalists Greg Nelson and Vaughn Wedeking (a recent inductee to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame), and Division I coaches Lowery and Brad Brownell, who recently took the job at Clemson.
So it's no surprise the auction items include SIU and Clemson tickets, in addition to two free passes to all Harrison athletic events, golf foursomes at Evansville Country Club and Victoria National, autographed items by McCarty, Cheaney, Tom Crean, Rick Pitino, Louisville tickets, four main-level seats for IU basketball and more.
"It was a really fun night last time and will be again," said Speer, himself a former Warrior. "We had representation from every decade of Harrison basketball.
"Now our hope is to make it better, not just in raising funds, but in raising the interest in Harrison athletics and its rich history. When guys like Chris Lowery say they're coming back just to be a part, it makes you realize just how special Harrison is."
(c) 2010 Evansville Courier & Press. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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