Bryan College Athletic Teams Excelling in the Classroom

Just this past week, the Bryan College Women's Soccer and Women's Volleyball Teams were recognized by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for succeeding in the area that, let's be hones, counts the most.

They were both awarded the 2009-10 NAIA Scholar Team Award. The Lady Lions Volleyball Team had a cumulative GPA of 3.49, which ranks 20th out of all NAIA Women's' Volleyball Programs in the nation. The Lady Lions weren't too shabby on the court as well. They finished the 2009 season. They finished with a record of 31-17 overall, 15-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Regular Season and finished the season undefeated at home at 9-0. They reached the AAC Tournament Finals before losing to eventual AAC Champions Union College. They went on to play in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Div. 1 National Tournament where they reached the Final Four of the tournament before losing to Campbellsville University. The Lady Lions VB Team will crank up the 2010 season Aug 23 with a trip to Johnson City, TN where they will face Bethel College (TN) and Campbellsville in the Milligan College Invitational, followed by a trip down to Clearwater, FL where they will play in the Clearwater Christian College Invitational.

The Bryan College Women's Soccer Team was also awarded the 2009-10 NAIA Scholar Team award. They had a team GPA of 3.44, which ranks 14th among all NAIA Women's Soccer programs in the nation. They also had an excellent 2009 season on the pitch as they finished the season with an 8-8-2 overall record and a 4-2-1 record in the AAC. They reached the AAC Tournament Finals and were one win away from securing the program's first ever trip to the NAIA National Tournament, but were defeated by Union College 2-1. The Lady Lions Soccer Team will start with a pre-season scrimmage against NCAA Div. 1 opponent University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, as well as scrimmages against Freed-Hardeman University and Covenant College before beginning the season for real against Campbellsville Univ. and Cincinnati Christian at the NCCAA Mideast Classic at Covenant College Sept. 3-4.

Congratulations to both the Bryan College Women's Soccer and Volleyball Teams for winning the 2009-10 NAIA Scholar Team Award. The type of award that again, let's be honest, counts the most.

Volleyball and Cheerleading not on the same level

Quinnipeac University, a small NCAA Div. l school in Connecticut, has decided to drop Women's' Volleyball and keep the less expensive "sport" of Competitive Cheer leading. The Volleyball team filed a law suit to save there program. It's a shame it has gotten to this point.

Yes, I know cheerleaders work hard, but it is not a sport like Volleyball. Volleyball is much more popular to the student bodies of hundreds of colleges and universities across the country. If the cheerleaders want to compete, they should do it at the club level. Volleyball, at least I believe, generates more revenue for the school than does competitive cheer leading. This is ridiculous! Cheer leading is not a sport1 Volleyball is. That's all I really have to say.

Chaos in the Carolinas and Florida

As most know by now, the NCAA is investigating both the University of North Carolina and South Carolina football programs to determine if any rules violations occurred. UNC Defensive Back Marvin Austin is the subject of the investigation as to whether or not Austin received monetary benefits from agents. Also involved is University of South Carolina Tight End Wesley Saunders, a friend of Austin's.



The NCAA is investigating what benefits the two players received while they were in Miami this past Spring: who paid for their hotel rooms, food, rent, etc. This happens all to often in big time college sports. Great college players are loured by sports agents into receiving payments before their college career is over, thus subjecting the programs they play for to stiff and costly penalties meted out by the NCAA.



Unfortunately, there is no way every coach can stop this entirely. They cant hold the hands of their players 24/7. For a great college player from a poor family background, as many of these kids do come from, the temptation of thousands of $ offered from an agent is tough to overcome.
Perhaps if a player is found to have accepted cash from an agent before he leaves school, that player, upon if and when he is drafted, should be required to pay back his scholarship money and extra compensation to the university. The extra compensation would be to recoup losses caused by NCAA sanctions (no TV appearances, no bowl games, etc.). That could add up to as much as $2 million, which would be the equivalent of or more than an NFL rookie's signing bonus.

If a student-athlete knows he may have to pay back much more than he took from the agent, he might think again before taking the money. This has also allegedly happened at Florida, where Marquis Pouncey, a member of the Gator Football Team, supposedly took $100,000.00 from an agent some time between the SEC Championship Game and the Gators' Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati. If Pouncey did take the money during this time, the Gators may have to forfeit their Sugar Bowl win being they used an ineligible player. There should also be a law in place forbidding agents from contacting college athletes while they are still enrolled in school, a law carrying a 5 year jail term if broken.

College Football Around the Corner: Pre=season Polls, Practice, Media Guides, Arrests?

College Football wouldn't be in the air without those pre-season polls, media guides, sports talk shows and of course, arrests.
What? Arrests? You guessed it. At both Tennessee and Georgia, the police blotters are in full swing.

This past week up in Knoxville, several Tennessee football players were involved in a bar fight in which a police officer was knocked unconcious. Freshman Wr Da'Rick Rogers, one of the top HS Wide Receivers in the country from Calhoun, GA, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. His teammate, fellow Georgia native and Sophomore Darren Miles Jr., a Safety from Atlanta, was charged with assault, resisting arrest and evading arrest. Rogers chose Tennessee over Georgia at the last minute during signing day last February.

The arrest bug has visited Athens as well. A week after former UGa athletic Director Damen Evans was arrested for Drunk Driving, which led to his subsequent resignation, UGA Sophomore Tailback Dontavius Jackson and starting Split End Tavarres King were both arrested. Jackson was arested for DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and other motor vehicle charges. King was arrested for under age possesion of alcohol. This all happened at around 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

I heard some sports talk pundit say that if your football program has players geting in trouble with the law, your program, as far as winning on the field, is in good shape. Does this mean that breaking the law translates to making plays on the field? Of course not! Why weren't these guys on curfew? As the old saying goes: Nothing good happens after midnight. As for Darren Miles Jr., this was his second offense and he has been kicked off the team. It's a shame. I've actually met Darren Miles Jr. along with his father. I waited on them at my job at a Men's clothing store in Atlanta. They seemed like nice people.

I guess this is just the norm. Boys will be boys , so they say. Well, Darren, Da"Rick, Dontavius and Tavarres, welcome to Idiot University.

If You Set Standards For Others, You Must Live Up To Them Yourself

Unless you live in a cave or don't follow Georgia Bulldog sports, you know by now that former UGA Athletic Director Damen Evans resigned from his post after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

What is ironic about this is that there were announcements made by Evans on the jumbo tron screen at Sanford Stadium during UGA football games telling fans to not drink and drive. It's unfortunate Evans couldn't live up to the standard he wanted students and fans to follow. The main topic in this blog is pretty simple. If you are a professor, athletic director, principal or some other position of leadership where you are responsible for setting the right example for young people, you must LIVE what you preach. Evans didn't do that and UGA President Michael Adams had no choice but to ask Evans to resign (i.e fire him).

How can you expect students to do what is right when those in charge of them don't. Yes, I know we all make mistakes, but some mistakes have more severe consequences than others. A major university's reputation is at stake. I wish Damen Evans would have thought of that before he did what he did. He did a fine job while he was the AD. Bulldog sports was doing well under his watch. He has brought in good coaches like Men's Basketball Coach Mark Fox, who will have the Dogs in the NCAA Tournament in the not too distant future. It is tragic that in one 24 hour period he ruined everything he had worked for at Georgia. However, if you are an educator, there are standards that you have to set for your students, and to do that, you must first set them for yourself.

Gamecocks Win National Title

With all of the excitement of the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament going on, I haven't been paying attention to the NCAA College world Series in Omaha, Nebraska. There was quite a finish for the national championship in the finals of the CWS.

As most of you know by now, South Carolina won the National Title when they beat UCLA by the score of 2-1 in 11 innings. I believe this may be the Gamecocks' first national title in Baseball. I might be wrong. It certainly was their first national title in any sport in a long, long time.

Whit Merrifield, a Junior Infielder from Advance, NC, singled home teammate Scott Wingo in the bottom of the 11th inning to win it for the Cocks. Wingo led off the inning with a walk, then advanced to second base via a passed ball. Freshman Outfielder Evan Marzilli, a native of Cranston, RI, bunted Wingo over to third base to set up the magical moment for Merrifield. The fine pitching of Sophomore Michael Roth kept the Cocks in the game. The Greer, SC and Riverside HS product allowed 1 run on six hits over 5.0 innings.

Head Coach Ray Tanner was named National Coach of the Year. What a tremendous moment for South Carolina. Though their Men's Soccer program is still strong, they have not done much in Football or Basketball as far as coming close to competing for a title. It's nice that the Gamecocks can finally celebrate a national championship in Columbia and throughout the state.

Texas Holds Big 12-2 Together

Well, it didn't happen as I was afraid it would. The Big Xll, minus Colorado and Nebraska, is still in tact thanks to commissioner Dan Bebe and to Texas for deciding to stay.
Texas would not be able to have its own TV network if they had joined the PAC 10. They will be able to do that by staying. It makes sense also for parents of the student-athletes not having to travel to Oregon or Washington to watch their kids play. Texas and Oklahoma will still have their "Red River War" rivalry, one of the fiercest rivalries in all of College Football. To me , their are more positives for keeping the Big Xll in tact than not. A 16 team conference just doesn't make sense.

Dismantling of Big Xll Has Begun

About 14 years ago, the old Southwest Conference, which included Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU and TCU was broken up. Just about every school in that league had been cheating by breaking NCAA rules left and right. SMU and TCU went there separate ways, eventually ending up in the WAC and Mountain West respectively.
The old Big Vlll Conference which included Kansas, Oklahoma, OK St., Iowa St., Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas St. and Colorado merged with Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor to form the current Big Xll back in 1996. Now, the Big Xll is headed to join the Southwest Conference as ancient relics of college athletics. Nebraska has decided to join the Big 10, making it the Big 10 + 3. Colorado is joining the PAC 10, which is poised to add Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, OK St. and Baylor making it the NCAA's first ever 16 team conference.
So what does Kansas, Kansas St., Iowa St. and Missouri do? Texas A&M is considering joining the SEC. The Mountain West Conference, who added Boise St to the fold over the weekend, is also courting the Jayhawks, Wildcats, Cyclones and, perhaps, the Missouri Tigers. This will certainly improve the MWC as a basketball conference. The addition of Kansas and K St. along with New Mexico, BYU and Utah. The MWC is a better football conference for Boise St. It gives them more legitimacy in the eyes of the BCS, as if they really needed more legitimacy. The new PAC 10 as a basketball conference would certainly be improved on with the arrival of the Longhorns, Bears, Cowboys and Sooners to go along with the traditions of UCLA and Arizona, and a solid Washington program.
But here is my question. Why won't the Big Xll fight for its survival? It has been a very successful conference. In football, its members, such as Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas have played for the National Championship numerous times and have won the trophy at least twice in the decade. They've also had tremendous success as a basketball conference reaching the Final Four and winning a national title (Kansas) in 2008. If its about money and the large television markets, they have the Dallas / Fort Worth area, Houston, which is the fourth largest market in the country, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Antonio and Denver. I guess that's not enough.
I would like to see the Big Xll fight to survive. Why not try to grab TCU away from the MWC, or UTEP from the WAC, or Tulsa from Conference USA. They could at least be a decent basketball conference if not football. It seems as if this came on so sudden and out of nowhere. That's impossible, however. This has been talked about for a long time, probably at least 5 to 10 years. The Big Xll is doomed, but it was a tremendously successful conference. I hate to see it go.

Wooden Among Greatest Coaches / Managers Ever

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said. Last Saturday, the sports world, yea the world in general, lost perhaps one of the greatest men to ever live. John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA National Championships while coaching at UCLA, died at the age of 99.
Perhaps even more important than his success on the court was the success in the lives of his players. Ask anyone of them; Bill Walton, Marcus Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar and the Rev. Doug Mcintosh, a member of Wooden's first championship team. Rev. Mcintosh happens to be the Father of a friend of mine, Tim Mcintosh. They will all tell you of the profound, positive influence that he made on their lives far beyond Basketball.
The success that Wooden achieved on the court was staggering. Not only did he win 10 national titles at UCLA, he went through a period where his teams won 88 straight games. He is right up there with the great coaches and managers at any level, any sport and on any continent.
Name all of the great coaches at the armature or pro level: Don Shula in the NFL, Phil Jackson and Red Aurbach in the NBA, Joe Torre of the Yankees, Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno in College Football., Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United. Wooden is right up there with all of them. In fact, several college and professional coaches from other sports, such as New York Giants Head Coach Tom Caughlin, sought his advice.
John Wooden is famous for his proverbs such as "Be quick, but don't hurry", "You play like you practice", "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail", and several more. He is known for his famed "Pyramid of Success".
We just didn't lose a legendary coach, we lost a legendary human being.

Expansion: College Football Musical Chairs

I never thought it would come to this. The PAC-10 wants Texas, Oklahoma, OK. St., Texas Tech, Colorado and , I believe, Baylor to all join their conference. The big 10 wants Nebraska and Missouri, and Kansas, Kansas St. and Iowa St. may be "homeless".

This 21st Century version of "Land Grabbing" is ridiculous! Isn't college football fine as it is? Except for the fact that we don't have a playoff, Div. 1-A Football is fine as it is. It's exciting. You have the top conferences like the SEC, Big Xll and Big 10 rise to the top every year. You have non-BCS schools like Boise St. and TCU who go toe to toe with and even beat those schools in the BCS. Do you need a 16 team conference. It's all for money just like everything else in life. All 16 teams won't even be able to play each other, so you may still not get an accurate assessment of how good the conference's top team is. The PAC-10 and Big 10 are trying to loot the Bi9g Xll because they cant deal with the fact that, in football at least, they are both mediocre. You don't have what you want so, instead of working for it like the other guy did, you try to steal it from him. this sounds like what our current government is trying to do.

From what I hear from the "experts", it all depends on what Texas and Nebraska do. Supposedly, the Big 10 has given Big Red until 5 pm this Friday to decide whether or not to join the Big 10. If Texas decides to jump to the PAC 10, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, OK St. will follow, so they say. Creating 16 team conferences is a bad idea. Many corporations in the past tried to monopolize an industry such as the Aircraft industry. In the past, the government broke up the monopolies for the sake of fair competition. Would the government try to do this again if the PAC 10 and Big 10 are able to loot and destroy the Big Xll by taking their teams? I'm not in favor of expansion. Twelve teams in one conference is enough. That's my opinion and I welcome yours.

Chick Fillet Kickoff Classic Should Try a "Doubleheader"

A few years ago, Chick Fillet, the ACC and the SEC got together to start a tradition at the beginning of the College Football season, the chick Fillet Kickoff Classic. The game, like the Chick Fillet Bowl at the end of the season, features teams from the SEC and the ACC.

The first Kickoff Classic game was two years ago and featured Alabama against Clemson, in which Alabama won. A year ago, Alabama appeared in the game again. This time, it was against Virginia Tech. The Tide won that game as well, and it was the beginning of what would culminate in a National Title for the Crimson Tide. The 2010 Chick Fillet Kickoff Classic will feature LSU against North Carolina.

However, there are rumors of bringing in teams from outside the ACC and SEC. There was talk yesterday on an Atlanta sports station, 680 The Fan, to have Georgia play teams like Texas, Oklahoma or USC in the Kickoff Classic. I like the idea. I would love to see the Bulldogs play someone like Texas or Ohio St.. It doesn't matter to me if they lose. They took the risk. Georgia is also capable of wining games like these.

But I have an even better idea. How about a doubleheader? Georgia Tech could play Texas at 2 pm that afternoon followed By Georgia against USC at 8pm. There should be enough time after the completion of the first game to get ready for the second game. They could sell the "cheap" tickets for $50. The ticket would be good for both games. Lower level prices would go for as high as $150. This might be feasible. Georgia and Georgia Tech competing against the top teams in the country. The Atlanta Sports Council could bring even more money into the city with 4 teams involved. That's my opinion, and I would welcome yours.

Big Ten Becoming "Big 10 x 10"

What is this I'm hearing that the Big Ten Conference wants to expand even more and steal schools from other conferences, like the Bitg Xll and the Big East? Is the big Ten trying to absorb almost all of major college sports?

On a local Atlanta sports talk show earlier today, one of the hosts stated that the Big Ten is trying to entice the University of Missouri, a Big Xll member, to join the Big Ten. Also according to this host, the Big Ten is trying to pull Notre Dame and a few Big East schools into its conference. They are looking to have at least 16 teams in their conference.

If this is true, it's ridiculous! Big Ten schools most certainly won't be able to or won't try to play everyone in the conference during the regular season. In College Football, they've got to play some of those "Cup Cake" schools to guarantee wins. Are they doing this because of the mediocre reputation they have because of their mediocre football teams? Are they trying to guarantee the conference a national champion? We will never get a true idea of what team in the Big Ten is the best team because with 15 or 16 teams in the conference, no Big Ten team will play everyone in the conference.

Also, what about the other conferences like the Big Xll, SEC and ACC? They will be at a disadvantage. The NCAA should put a limit on how many schools a conference can have. Twelve is plenty. We already have exciting conference championships like the SEC, Big Xll and ACC Championship Games. The Big Ten has taken a hit (and rightly so) because it did not do well in bowl games last season and their basketball teams met early exits in the NCAA Tournament. Big Ten, if you want to compete for or win a National Championship, your schools need to step up their game on the field and court. You don't do it by stealing teams from other top notch conferences.

Clemson High Jumper Wins ACC Honors

Here at KG's College Athletics, we haven't highlighted or discussed too much the successes of student-athletes competing in the world's oldest sport: Track & Field. Red-shirt Sophomore April Sinkler, a Professional Health Science Major from Stafford, VA, was named ACC Performer of the Week this past Tuesday for her performance in the High Jump and Long Jump in the Double Dual meet against Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State held in Atlanta two weeks ago.

This past weekend, Sinkler became the first female to clear 6 feet in the high Jump breaking her own personal record in the process. Her successful jump moves her into a tie for eighth place nationally. Sinkler has already been named ACC Women's Indoore Performer of the Week back on Jan. 19 and is the ACC's Most Valuable Field Athlete in both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field this season. Sinkler captured the Long Jump Crown this past weekend with a personal Outdoor best of 21'1.25. She ranks second all time in Clemson history in the event behind Monyetta Haynesworth, who jumped 21'5.5 in 1992. It is no surprise, therefore, that Sinkler won the ACC Championship in the High Jump and Long Jump in both Indoor and Outdoor for 2009-10.

During her career at Clemson, April Sinkler has qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the Indoor High Jump and Long Jump, as well as the Indoor Triple Jump. She ranks #1 in Clemson history in the Indoor High Jump and Long Jump, as well as third in the Indoor Triple Jump and seventh in the Outdoor High Jump. One more thing to mention, Sinkler was a USA Junior All-American in the Long Jump and High Jump back in 2008. Needless to say, she is quite an athlete and will hopefully have a spot on the US Olympic Team two years from now when the Summer Olympic games come to London.

The MCLA And SELC, A Great Option For College Lacrosse Hopefuls

As mentioned in an earlier article, Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in America. At the college level, the NCAA has Lacrosse as a sanctioned sport and schools like Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Cornell are traditional powers at the Div. l level.

However, many other schools in the South who participate at the NCAA Div. l level in other sports have Lacrosse programs. They just don't compete in the NCAA. They compete in the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC). Schools such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida and Auburn are just some of the members. High School Lacrosse players who aren't being recruited by NCAA Div. l Lacrosse programs have another option. They can play at the many schools around the country who are a part of the Men's College Lacrosse Association (MCLA) of which the SELC is a member. There are also non-NCAA College Lacrosse programs for women as well.

The MCLA and WCLL have member schools such as Florida and Michigan St. as well as small schools such as Tennessee Wesleyan and Chapman University, both NAIA and NCAA Div. lll members respectively when it comes to other sports. The SELC has two divisions. Div. l is comprised of large universities such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida. Div. ll is comprised of mostly small schools like Tennessee Wesleyan and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), but also contains schools like Kennesaw St., Georgia St., Furman, Appalachian St. and Elon. Tennessee Wesleyan finished the regular season a top the SELC Central Division at 5-0 and 10-5 overall. They beat App. St. 9-7 in the SELC Div. ll Quarter Finals and lost to Elon in the Semis 16-8. TWC had two players who received SELC Div. ll honors. Anthony Hunt, a Junior from Nashville, TN, was named SELC Div. ll Specialty Player Of The Year. His teammate, Junior Attacker Ryan Horvath from Verona, WI, was named SELC Div. ll Offensive Player Of The Year. Horvath finished the season with 57 goals and 17 assists.

Though it does not get the publicity that NCAA Lacrosse gets, schools that participate in the MCLA and WCLA are very competitive. They provide an opportunity for high school players who are passed over by NCAA schools. If you are an aspiring Lacrosse player in high school, check out the MCLA website at http://www.mcla.us/. If you're a female player, you can go to http://www.womenscollegiatelacrosse.com/. Incidentally, congratulations to the University of Florida Men's Lacrosse Team. They are the SELC Div. l Champions.

A 58 year old Pitcher Makes College Team

When the players on the Springfield College JV Baseball Team saw 58 year old Larry Hasenfus, some of them thought they were getting a new coach. Instead, however, they were getting a new teammate.

Hasenfus suffers from Dyslexia, a learning disorder which seemed to have doomed his dream of getting a college degree some 40 years ago. "I couldn't do the assignments and I didn't understand why", Hasenfus said. He didn't know why until he was diagnosed with Dyslexia. Hasenfus went on into the work force, got married and is now a father of three. Recently, however, he was laid off from his job due to the recession. He wanted to go back to college to develop some new skills, but also to do something else. "It was always a dream of mine to play college sports", said Hasenfus.

He decided to go out for the Springfield College JV Baseball Team as a pitcher, and lo and behold, he earned a spot on the roster. As his teammates watch him pitch, some see Hasenfus as a blast from the past with his high leg kick and his knuckle ball. He has earned the inspiration and respect of his teammates.

There have been other examples of guys at least 2 decades removed from college age who have come back to "give it the old college try". A few years ago, a 59 year old man made the Sul Ross State Football Team. There has been a 73 year old to make the roster of a college basketball team. These stories just show that you are never to old to learn, play and compete.

Lacrosse Spreading Across America

Once a game concentrated primarily in the Northeast and the New England Region, the game of Lacrosse is growing in popularity all across the country. The game is particularly growing at the high school level.

The traditional collegiate powers are schools like Johns-Hopkins, Duke, Syracuse, Princeton, Virginia, UNC and Maryland. However, more and more schools, particularly small colleges, have started Men's' and Women's' Lacrosse programs. It's an exciting game to watch and probably even more exciting to play. Invented by Native Americans in the northeastern United States and Canada, the game has similarities to Field Hockey and Ice Hockey. Instead of hitting a ball or puck with a stick, the stick has a net at the end of it with which to catch the ball, a rubber ball about the size of a billiards ball.

Earlier today, I was watching a Men's' Lacrosse match between Virginia and Maryland, two of the top teams in the nation. The Cavaliers were ranked #1 and Maryland #5. During the game, Maryland had a beautiful goal started by the Terps goalie flinging an outlet pass to a Midfielder who flicked the ball to his teammate. The teammate faked an overhand shot and ducked under the defender, shooting an underhand shot for a goal. Virginia won the game 10-6, but it was a beautiful sequence of play by Maryland. It reminded me of a fast break in basketball or a counter attack in soccer. For those of you who are familiar with the game and, perhaps, have played it for years, you see this all the time.

Unfortunately, Lacrosse got a bad name in the press a few years ago when several players on the Duke team were charged with rape at a team party. they were all acquitted, but that was how many people not familiar with the sport were introduced to it. However, Lacrosse is not for the timid, faint of heart or the lazy. It requires speed, stamina, power and agility. Many football fans have heard of the name of Jim Brown, the Hall of Fame RB from the Cleveland Browns and, before that, Syracuse University. However, I wonder how many people realize that Brown was also an outstanding Lacrosse player as well. In fact, he was an All-American at Syracuse. Another well-known NFL player who excelled at Lacrosse was former Seattle Sea Hawks and Atlanta Falcons Linebacker Patrick Kearney. Kearney came to Virginia on a Lacrosse scholarship and ended up playing football for the Cavaliers and had an All-American career.

As we get closer to the NCAA Div. l Men's' Tournament, here are the top 10 teams: As mentioned earlier, Virginia occupies the top spot with a 13-1 record followed by North Carolina, Syracuse, Duke and Maryland. Loyola (MD), Hofstra, Stony Brook, Bucknell and Notre Dame round out the top 10. What is interesting is there are schools playing at the Div. l level who at one time would have never though of competing at all, schools such as Presbyterian, Jacksonville and Denver. At one time, the game did not expand south of the state of North Carolina or west of Pennsylvania. But, as mentioned earlier, the sport has grown in popularity in the last 20 years.

Continuing our look at the Men's' College Rankings, NCAA Div. ll looks like this: undefeated Mercyhurst (12-0) is #1 followed by Le Moyne, who is also 12-0 but trails Mercyhurst in the power rating category. Dowling, Limestone and C.W. Post round out the Div. ll top 5. Incidentally, Limestone, a school in Gaffney, SC, barely held on to their #4 national ranking when their goalie, Steve Gartleman, stopped a shot with just seconds left to preserve a 10-9 win in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship Game over Belmont Abbey College on Sunday. Belmont Abbey happens to be ranked #15 in the country. The rest of the div. ll top 10 looks like this: Merrimack is at #6 followed by St. Leo, Mars Hill, NYIT and Bentley. Div. lll looks like this: Cortland College from upstate New York is at the top with a record of 11-2. They are followed by Stevenson, Gettysburg, Salisbury and Roanoke. Rounding out the top 10 are Tuffs, Geneseo, Nazareth, Lynchburg and RIT. That is your look at the rankings of NCAA Lacrosse. Many colleges also have teams at the Club level as well.

From what I understand, here are some of the rules of the game. Ten players to a side, there is a 60 second shot clock in which a player must get off a shot before the 60 seconds expire. If he or she is unable to do so, it is a shot clock violation and the ball is turned over to the other team. You obviously cant hit a player in the head with your stick. I'm not sure if there is an offside rule, but there probably is. There is a 2 point arc, much like a three point arc in basketball. The player's feet have to be behind the 2 point arc when they shoot in order to score a 2 point goal. So far, that is all I know. Whoever knows the game is welcome to post a comment on this site as to what other rules are involved.

As mentioned earlier, the sport of Lacrosse has grown at the high school level as well. Like all of Lacrosse, it is most popular in the Northeastern US, but it has spread all the way down to Atlanta, GA and farther south. With the influx of northerners into the Atlanta area, several area high schools have embraced the game and some, like Lassiter High School in Marietta, GA, have produced top notch recruits for colleges. The sport seems to be most popular in the mostly white, upper class communities but some minorities have embraced the sport.

The sport is growing internationally as well. Being that it was invented by the Iroquois Indians of the Northeastern US and Canada, some Canadians play the game. Australia has had a national team in the past. Who knows, maybe Lacrosse will one day become an Olympic sport. Being that there is a lot of scoring and the game is physical, just like Ice Hockey, Lacrosse will only grow in participation and spectatorship here in the United States.

Who Is The Greatest All-Time Starting 5 In Bryan History

As an alum of Bryan College, I have always followed their sports teams ever since I came there in 1990 and walked on the Soccer Team. Bryan Athletics wasn't very good back then as far as wins and losses were concerned, but the school had several student-athletes who excelled tremendously both on the field and court as well as in the class room.

I witnessed first hand some of the exploits of the athletes when I was the Public Address Announcer during Bryan Men's Basketball home games from 1992-94. Mark Pack was one of the greatest players wo ever ware a Bryan uniform. He was a two-time NCCAA and NAIA All-American during his three years there on the hill in Dayton, TN. He was a prolific three point shooter. During his last year, he hit 13 in one game. Also during his tenure at Bryan, Pack set College Basketball's all-time record for most three pointers made in one season with 221. That record still stands and is an All-Divisions record, which includes NCAA Div. l.

There were other great players during the early 90s. Clay Causey was a solid point guard for the Lions as well, along with fellow Louisiana native Jason Martinez. One of the greatest moments in my sporting life was doing the PA duties for a game in which Bryan trailed Covenant College by 31 points. Led by the scoring of Pack and Martinez, scoring 31 and 32 points respectively, the Lions scored 78 points in the second half and capped off the dramatic come from behind victory with the winning bucket by Jeremy "Jay Train" Sperring. The final was 101-100, and at that time, it was the second greatest come from behind victory in ALL of college basketball including NCAA Div. l. Sperring happened to have gone to grammar School with me from third grade to sixth grade. I actually played against him in high school. Sperring was an NAIA Scholar Athlete and an NAIA Academic All-American.

Other great players come to mind, such as Travis Dotterer, John Spears, Jeff Van Der Mark and Mitchell Byrd. Of course, these were, are and always will be great friends of mine. There were great Bryan players in the 80s, before my time at BC, players such as Dean Ropp, Dave Zuberer, Ron Cox, Rick Torbit and the Landice brothers. The Landice brothers, along with Ropp and Torbit, have been inducted into the Bryan Hall of Fame. Incidentally, Rick Torbit was the creator of the instructioanl video series called "Better Basketball" which has been endorsed by NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.

There have been great players after my time at BC. In the late 90s and the early part of this century, Randy Evans and Jason Beschta come to mind. There are great current players as well such as DeMond Craig and Scott Newton.My whole reason for mentioning all this is that I want to pick the best all-time starting 5 and best all-time sixth man in Bryan history. Any of you who played at Bryan or went to the school and were privileged to have watched these great players need to post your comments at the "post a comment" section at the end of this article. I would love to hear your feedback.

Terry Becomes Berry's All-Time Leader In Home Runs

From time to time here at KG's College Athletics, we want to recognize milestones and tremendous individual accomplishments. One of those accomplishments happened Friday night, April 9 in Rome, GA.

Mitch Terry, a Sr. Third Baseman on the Berry College Baseball Team, jacked a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning to become the school's all-time leading home run hitter with 31 homers in his career. The Vikings went on to beat Auburn-Montgomery (AL) by the score of 13-12. The home run erased a 5-0 deficit and was part of a huge inning for the Vikings as they sent 11 batters to the plate. Terry's teammate Madison Moss started off the inning with a single and accomplished something rare, he got two hits in the same inning.

Terry's good work didn't stop with the milestone home run. In the top of the fifth, the Vikings had the bases loaded with the Woodstock, GA native stepping to the plate. Terry promptly laced a double down the right field line giving the vikings three insurance runs and a 13-6 lead.
The Senators of AUM battled back to within one run, but the Vikings held on for the win. Terry went 3 for 5 in the contest knocking in 6 RBIs. After Friday night's performance, Terry was the team leader in home runs this season (10) and RBIs (41).

In the 2009 season, Terry was a Second Team All-Conference selection. He batted.332, hit 10 home runs and had a .574 slugging percentage. His 39 RBIs during the year were tied for fifth most on the team. Terry had back-to-back three-hit outings against Faulkner (3/28) for his best batting performance of the season. Terry plays Third Base, a very demanding position. At Third Base, Terry posted an .868 fielding percentage.

Terry is just one of the many student-athletes who are competing at the small college level. These are stories most college sports fans don't hear about. These are stories that deserve to be made known, and they will continue to be made known here at kgcollegeathletics.blogspot.com and our Sister blog kgussports.blogspot.com. For more information on this story, the reader can go to www.berry.edu/athletics.

Baseball Factory In Idaho

When it comes to the subject of College Baseball, schools such as Texas, Georgia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma St. Stanford and Miami (FL) come to mind. They, among others, are the traditional NCAA Div. l powers and seem to make it to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska almost every year. Also, they have produced many of Major League Baseball's best players.

However, there is a college program in the Pacific Northwest that doesn't get a whole lot of notoriety because they play at a lower level. However, their brand of baseball is anything but low. Lewis & Clark St. College, located in Lewiston, ID, is one of the most successful college baseball programs in the country. The warriors have won 16 NAIA National Titles dating back to 1984. They have produced three NAIA National Players of the Year, 78 All-Americans, and 14 players who have either played in MLB or are currently playing. One of those players was pitcher Keith Foulke, who while with the Chicago White Sox back in 2001, tallied 42 saves on the season, the second most in White Sox history. Another pitcher who hales from LCSC is Steve Reed, who pitched for several Major League clubs, including the Atlanta Braves. Reed pitched 13 straight seasons in the Bigs (1992-2005) and tied the Major League record for appearances with 50 in 13 straight seasons.

Currently, there are only two Lewis & Clark players in the Majors at this time: Carlos Fisher, a pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds and Brendan Ryan, a Shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals. There are also several former LCSC players playing at all levels of the Minor Leagues.

This year is not much different than most years for the Warriors. They sit at the top spot of the NAIA Top 25 with a record of 28-2. They currently have the nation's best ERA at 2.55. They are #1 in runs scored per game (7.8) and the Warrior hitters rank 10th in the nation with an average of 11.3 hits per game. Coach Ed Cheff has been at the helm for 34 years and, as mentioned earlier, has led the Warriors to 16 national titles. From 1982 to 1992, Cheff guided the Warriors to 11 consecutive national championship games, 8 of which they won. That has not been duplicated at any collegiate sport at any college level. Cheff is currently fourth on the All Division List with most wins. He trails Gordie Gillespie of St. Francis University, Augie Garrido of the University of Texas and Gene Stephenson of Wichita State University. Coming into the 2010 season, Cheff win/loss record was 1,657-425. Over 100 of his former players have gone on to play professional baseball. Cheff was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2009, Cheff was honored as ABCA's recipient of the Lefty Gomez Award for his lifetime contribution to Armature Baseball. f things keep going as they have been, Cheff may find himself one day in Cooperstown. For more information on Lewis & Clark State College and their baseball program, go to www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Baseball.

Penalties Are Keeping Dawgs Form Winning the SEC

Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt has no answer for why his teams are ranked near the bottom of Div. 1-A College Football in penalties. The Dawgs were ranked 113th in penalties.

There are about 120 Div. 1-A college teams. Many of those penalties came in very close games. Some of those games they won, and some they lost. Richt brought discipline to the Dawgs when he arrived in Athens in 2001. That discipline led to an SEC Championship and BCS bowl win in 2002.

Many of these penalties are non-physical penalties such as jumping off sides, illegal procedure, delay of game, things like that. Those penalties indicate a lack of discipline and concentration. Other kinds of penalties such as pass interference, holding, face mask or late hit out of bounds are more understandable because they involve aggression. However, too many of these types of penalties are unnecessary. Some how , some way, Richt must get this corrected. I'm not sure that running stadium stairs or suspending a starter for the first quarter are going to be enough to stop penalties. Those punitive measures have been tried and for the most part, they have not worked.

I have an idea. On all teams, players have decals placed on their helmets as rewards for excellent play on the field. In the case of Georgia, they get dog bones placed on their helmets. At Florida St., they get tomahawk's. If a player who commits a stupid penalty like jumping off sides or a personal foul, take their dog bones off their helmet. In fact, they lose ALL of their dog bone decals which they worked so hard to get. Players have pride in their play. The dog bones represent, in a sense, how good they are and how hard they have worked. If they commit a stupid penalty or penalties, take all the bones off the helmet. I don't know if it will help, but it might be worth a try.

With Mid Majors Gone, Tournament Not As Interesting

Now that Northern Iowa and St. Mary's have been eliminated from the dance by Michigan St. and Baylor respectively, the NCAA Tournament, at least to me, doesn't seem as interesting anymore.

I see the teams from the so called "power conferences" all the time from November till March. We know how good the are. They are so predictable. There is no intrigue, no suspense with these "name brand " teams. There is a renewed excitement when a Northern Iowa, St. Mary's or other teams from the smaller conferences advance in the NCAA Tourney to the elite 8 and, as in the case of George Mason in 2006, to the Final Four. Most of us Americans are "little guys". We work ordinary jobs and make ordinary salaries. In short, we live ordinary lives. The Dukes, Kentuckys and North Carolinas of the world remind me of the celebrities in life who are elitists and don't want anything to do with the common man. As I've said before, may college basketball fans root for the lower seeds because, in some way, they can relate with them. Northern Iowa is like your next door neighbor, or your barber or your friends you go out to lunch with. Duke and Kentucky are like Michael Jackson, David Letterman or any other celebrity who are too big for their britches and wouldn't give you the time of day.

What really gets me is the attitudes of people in the media such as ESPN. They all seem to want the power conference teams to win all the time. What is wrong with someone like George Mason or Northern Iowa crashing the party at the Final Four? If they can beat these so called "power conference" teams, then they must be better, at least on that occasion. As I was riding home with my Father, I heard Fred Coleman on ESPN Radio say that Kansas St., Baylor, West Virginia and Duke would make the Final Four. That's fine. That's his opinion. But then he added "At least we'll have all power conference teams". What an elitist, conceited attitude. Are your ratings really effected if the big boys don't get to the Final Four? Fred, are you afraid of losing your job? I am lamenting that Northern Iowa won't have a chance to beat Tennessee to go to Indy. I think they would have had a good chance. At least there is one mid major team left: Butler. They play Kansas St. Tomorrow at 4pm. Should the Bulldogs win, they will go home, home to Indianapolis where they will play in the Final Four in front of their home crowd. Butler has even more incentive to win Saturday. If Kansas St. wins, they will go to Indianapolis and will probably practice at Butler University. What an insult! That would be embarrassing for Butler.

Well, even though the Final Four will once again be made up of mostly power conference teams, at least there might be new faces. Perhaps Baylor, Tennessee and West Virginia will make it. The Vols have never made it to the elite 8 let alone the Final Four like their female counterparts. Baylor, unlike their female counterparts, has not made it this far either. The Mountaineers last trip to the elite 8 was in 2005 when they lost to Louisville. In their way are Michigan St., Duke and Kentucky respectively. Three power house programs with tons of Final Four appearances and championships combined. Butler, do it for all the Mid Majors. Make it to Indy. Please!!

March Madness Living Up To The Name and Then Some

What an incredible three days we have seen in the NCAA Tournament. A #1 seed and by most, a favorite to win it all, Kansas, was gone by Saturday night. Most people had Georgetown going to at least the Sweet 16, but they get bounced, or trounced, by Ohio U, not Ohio St. The Racers of Murray St. topple Vanderbilt and very nearly made it to the Seed 16 but fell just short to Butler.

The tourney is playing out just as I like it. Mid Major schools are sending the giants home early. St. Mary's, led by forward Omar Samhan and guards Mickey McConnell and Matthew Deladova beat a strong Richmond team who some thought could make the Sweet 16. But they didn't stop there. They toppled #2 seed Villanova, led by Scottie Reynolds. The Wildcats were fortunate to even be playing the Gayles since they were nearly taken out in the first round by 15 seed Robert Morris. St. Mary's faces Baylor in the Sweet 16. Who would have thought of that. The biggest upset of all so far was the Panthers of Northern Iowa shooting down, literally, the top dog in the whole thing; the mighty Kansas Jayhawks. I, like many people, had them cutting down the nets in Indy. Just like Ali/Frazier, it was Ali/Kansas. Down goes Kansas! I'm referring to Northern Iowa's Sharpshooting Guard Ali Forukmanesh. He shoots the winning shot to beat UNLV in the first round, and then, with 36 seconds left and UNI with a tenuous 1 point lead on the Jayhawks. He shoots what most coaches would call an ill-advised three pointer and makes it to go up by four. It was the shot of the game and the knock out punched that sent Kansas to the canvas.

The upsets continued as 13 seed Cornell knocked out Temple, Ole Dominion toppled Notre Dame before falling to Baylor in the second round. Could we be seeing another "George Mason" in the Final Four. Some think Northern Iowa might be this year's George Mason. Why Not? They beat the overall No. 1 seed Kansas. Kansas St. needs to be considered now as a possible national title contender. The Wildcats, led by shooting guard Jacob Pullen and PG Danny Clemente, put on a show as they knocked out BYU. The Cougars themselves faced K St. as a result of their double OT win over Florida. K State's Pullen had 34 points and connected on 7 three pointers. The state of Kansas may yet have a national champion, just not the one most thought it would be.

There is still a lot of ball to be played. Today, Syracuse, a No. 1 seed and picked by many to win it all, takes on Gonzaga. Cornell tries to continue their upset ways as they face Wisconsin. Duke faces a tough California team. Georgia Tech, who is peaking at the right time, faces red hot Ohio St. Pitt faces Xavier, Michigan St. takes on Maryland. Many more chances for madness, buzzer beaters and upsets. I love it!

Mississippi St. Situation May Call for Tournament Expansion

If Mississippi St. does not get an at large bid after missing the field by just a tenth of a second, it will be a shame. Utah St., although they finished 27-7 and won their league's regular season championship, did not play the schedule and beat the teams the Bulldogs did.

With so many teams like Mississippi St. riding the fence as far as their NCAA Tournament chances, their may in fact be a need to expand the tournament to 80 teams. They can play instead of one play-in game in Dayton, OH, 8 games on Tuesday. They can include all of the regular season champions in the mid-major conferences. Also, if there is any doubt whether to take a Mississippi St. or Utah St., have the two teams square off as one of those Tuesday games to decide who gets an 8 or 9 seed on the following Friday. Expanding the tourney to 96 is too much. I think 80 is plenty.

Mississippi St. (23-11, 9-7 in SEC) played an outstanding game against Kentucky. Had it not been for a shot made with just a tenth of a second left, the Bulldogs would be going dancing. However, the Bulldogs missed three critical free throws during regulation which, if made, would have iced the game and their ticket for them. If they don't make the field of 65, they cant just blame DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. They will have to also look back on those missed free throws.

Nevertheless, back to my point. Their are a few more teams who won't make the tournament this year that perhaps deserve to. If there are any doubts as to whether a Mississippi St. or Utah St. should go, invite them both, but have them play each other as one of 8 games played on Tuesday night, two days before the "tournament proper" begins.

Bubbles Turn To Tears For Dancing Dreamers

As I have mentioned before, the NCAA Tournament is the most exciting American sporting event of the year, but the "preliminaries", that is the conference tournaments, can be just as exciting. But as a result of upsets in the conference tournaments, such as New Mexico State over Utah St. in the WAC Championship, teams that were "on the bubble" have seen their bubbles burst into tears.

According to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, as of right now, Mississippi St., Illinois, Ole Miss, Florida and Seton Hall are out of consideration for inclusion into the Big Dance. this being as a result of automatic bids taken by conference tournament winners New Mexico St. and Houston. Houston was the 7th seed in the Conference USA Tournament, and the Cougars defeated #1 seeded UTEP (Univ. of Texas-El Paso) to win the automatic bid to the dance. UTEP is a lock to make it as an at large due to their record of 26-6 overall and 15-1 in conference play. The Cougars will make their first appearance in the dance since 1992, and they probably stole a bid from Illinois or Ole Miss.

Illinois had their chances during the season to shore up an at large bid, but losses to Georgia, Bradley, Utah, Minnesota, Missouri and Northwestern will probably do them in despite wins over #24 Vanderbilt, #5 Michigan St. and #13 Wisconsin. If Illinois had toppled Ohio St. in the Big 10 Tournament, they might have earned themselves a bid. As it is, they will have to sweat it out come Sunday Night at 5 pm CST when the brackets are announced.

The Gators also might be crying "alligator tears" come Sunday night. They finished the regular season with an over all record of 20-11 and 9-7 in the SEC, but they too have crucial losses against Georgia (14-17, 5-11 SEC), South Carolina (15-16, 6-10 SEC), Xavier, Richmond and a bad loss to a mediocre South Alabama team. Xavier and Richmond are solid teams and will make the tournament, but Georgia and South Alabama had average to poor seasons. Minnesota really helped themselves with big wins over Michigan St. and Purdue, both top 10 teams, and with a win over #7 Ohio St. in the Big 10 Final Sunday 3/14, the Gophers will have doug themselves out of a huge whole which will truly be "Golden". Teams like Florida, Ole Miss, Rhode Island and Memphis will probably be sorely disappointed come Sunday night if the Golden Gophers win.

It is situations like this that are making officials in the NCAA think about expanding the tournament to 96 teams. I would say that if they were to allow more RSVPs to the dance, then expand it to 80. That's 15 more teams. Ninety-Six is too many, but I'm getting away from the topic at hand. Bid stealing by lesser teams who win their conference tournaments make it clear that every game during the regular season from November to February is so important. You never know what can happen in the first week of March.

Mississippi St., as of right now according to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, is currently out of the tournament, but that can change with a win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Final. Obviously should that happen, they would get the automatic bid. That will be a tall order. The Cats have clawed their way through the SEC tourney field to a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As mentioned earlier, New Mexico St. upset Utah St. to win the WAC automatic bid. However, Utah St. will probably still go to the tourney. I could be wrong and some experts such as ESPN's Doug Gottlieb think they won't be chosen. They are the regular season champions with a record of 27-7 and 14-2 in the WAC. They have a strong RPI of 26 (the lower, the better). The suspense is exhilarating. None of us really knows till Sunday night. It's exiting. March Madness, in a sense, is already begun.

Johnson Brings Montana To The Dance

Another team from a Mid-Major conference has just punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Montana Grizzlies. led almost single-handedly by Senior Point Guard Anthony Johnson, won the Big Sky Conference Tournament with a come from behind victory over top seeded and tournament host Weber St.

What is even more amazing is that the Grizzlies were down by as much as 22 points. Johnson, almost single-handedly, led Montana to the victory by scoring 34 of his 42 points in the second half. He did it from the outside by shooting three pointers as well as inside with dribble penetration. Johnson's performance set both a championship game record and Big Sky Tournament record for most points scored in a game by one individual.

If you did not watch the game on ESPN2, trust me. This Montana team is going to be a tough out for one of the higher seeds. The Grizzlies will probably be a 14 or 15 seed so they will play someone from one of the "power conferences". Nevertheless, if Johnson can perform anywhere close to what he did in the Big Sky Championship Game, the Grizzlies' opponent will face anything but a walk in the park in their first round game. One other footnote: The Big Sky Conference Tournament is the second oldest conference tournament in NCAA Div. l Basketball next to the ACC.

March Madness Shows America's Love For The Underdog

It's here again, finally. In my opinion, the greatest American sporting event of the year. In a way, it defines what America is all about. Anyone, no matter skin color, race, religion, social background, etc., has a chance to succeed if they believe and are willing to work hard to make the dream come true.

Realistically, about 8-10 teams have a shot to win the national title, teams like Kansas, Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky. Perhaps Villanova, Kansas St. and a few others. However, many teams in the field of 65 have absolutely no shot of winning the title. Their best hope is winning a first round game, and even that, for some is a pipe dream.

However, it has happened in the past. In 1998, Valparaiso University, a 14 seed, made it to the Sweet 16. Hampton, a 15 seed in 2001, scored one of the biggest first round upsets by beating one of the top teams in the country at that time, the #2 seed Iowa St. Cyclones. Perhaps the greatest of all underdogs was the 2006 team from George Mason. They were a #11 seed. You might give them a chance to beat the #6 seed Michigan State, which they did in the first round. However, almost no one gave them a chance to beat defending champion North Carolina, but they did.
Wichita St. wasn't that much of a "Shocker", but absolutely no one, save the boys from Fairfax, VA themselves, saw them beating Connecticut to get to the Final Four. They did just that.

Hampton, Valparaiso, George Mason, Gonzaga in 1999, UT-Chattanooga in 97; these are the ordinary people, the "Mom and Pop" businesses, the people struggling to make ends meet. There is a reason why these underdogs are cheered for vociferously during the tournament. They represent most of American society. They represent the "average Joes". Teams like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Syracuse are the IBMs, Chase Manhattans, Microsofts and other Fortune 500 companies. They have the tradition, talent and resources the smaller schools don't have. When someone like Hampton or George Mason pulls off a major upset, it gives me hope as an individual. It reminds me that opportunity for great success is there for me as well. That's why I root for the "Mid-Majors", as they are called.

America itself was an underdog in its beginning. We had to overthrow the greatest military power on earth at the time, Great Britain, and of course, we did it. The concept of "Cinderella" or "Underdog" was part of America's inception. Therefore, in a sense, it is no surprise that many Americans who are fans of March Madness will cheer like heck this year for Wofford, Cornell, Oakland, ETSU and other hopefuls still to be decided. Again, to re enforce my point, most people relate to past teams like Hampton, Valparaiso and George Mason, as well as teams of the present such as Wofford, Cornell and East Tennessee St. (ETSU). They are like most of us; struggling day to day to make ends meet and eventually climbing to the top of the mountain. Bring on the madness!!

Zach Mettenberger, Welcome to Idiot University

If you are in your Sophomore year in college, and your a backup quarterback at a major college program. When you have an opportunity win the starting job as the quarterback of the University of Georgia, I would think you would do everything you can both on and off the field to earn that job. you are competing with two other guys who are as good, maybe better than you. You cant slip up.

Unless, that is, you are Zach Mettenberger. Sunday night, Mettenberger was charged with under age drinking, obstruction of justice (in this case, lying to the police) and disorderly conduct, plus two other charges at a bar down in Remerton, GA near Valdosta. It is Spring Break at UGA, and the players got a break from Spring practice as well. there is no doubt that Coach Mark Richt told the guys to keep their noses clean and stay out of trouble. Mettenberger, apparently, didn't get the message. To be the starting quarterback at a place like Georgia requires not only superior physical talent but leadership ability as well. Mettenberger has the talent. By all accounts, he has a great arm. However, if you cant make wise decisions off the field and do the right things, how can your teammates trust you on the field.

Zach Mettenberger's idiotic behavior over the weekend will cost him dearly. There will be some sort of suspension. He will lose valuable practice time in which Logan Grey and Aaron Murray, the other two QBs vying for the spot, will move ahead of him. He has put himself behind the 8 ball. For his sake, I hope he gets a second chance, but his chances of becoming the Dawgs' No. 1 guy, at least for 2010, have been severely diminished. Ironically, while Mettenberger was engaging in his stupidity, another more accomplished QB with the name of "Berger" was misbehaving some 100 miles north of Remerton. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roeflisberger is under investigation for sexual misconduct in Millidgeville, GA, where he has a home on Lake Oconee. This is obviously nothing more than a coincidence, but a strange one indeed. It was a bad weekend for the Bergers in Georgia. Zach, I hope for the best for you and I hope you at least get some playing time at UGA if you never start, but you did it to yourself. Zach Mettenberger, welcome to Idiot University.

Fox Must Capture Gwinnett For the Hounds

I have many times already mentioned that there is a ton of talent in the Gwinnett County area of Atlanta, GA. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few talented Gwinnetian players, Georgia has lost several big time basketball recruits from this county: Jody Meeks, Tony Naismith, Chris Allen, Kevin Anderson, Avery Jukes and a few more.

These players mentioned above have gone to places like Kentucky, Michigan St., Butler, Richmond and Auburn. Yes, Georgia was able to get guys like Ricky McPhee, Billy Humphry, Mike Mercer and Trey Tompkins. I know UGA cant sign all the Gwinnett starts, but what will it take to get more in. There is so much talent in Gwinnett County, as well as the rest of the Atlanta metro area and the state of Georgia. Georgia Head Coach Mark Fox doesn't have to even recruit out of state.

Is it the out dated "Stegasorous" as one talk show host calls Stegmen Colosseum, Georgia's basketball arena? Is it the lack of tradition? Georgia Basketball doesn't have much of it. The Dawgs made it to the 1983 Final Four, but none of these high school phenoms were even born then. Georgia has had some "blips on the screen" if you will. The most recent one came two years ago when the Dawgs, in last place in the SEC East, made a miraculous run to win the SEC Tournament in Atlanta. A terrible tornado ripped through the city that weekend making the Georgia Dome unsafe for further competition. The Dawgs beat Kentucky and Mississippi St. on the same day, and beat Arkansas to win the tourney and a ticket to the Big Dance. All of this took place at Georgia Tech's Alexander Colosseum.

Georgia does have the talent to do the same this year. They have beaten Tennessee, Vandy, South Carolina and Florida. The problem is they won all those games, along with the rest of their wins, at home. Incredibly, they went winless on the road for the entire season. If they had won even half of their games on the road, they would be at least "on the bubble". Instead, they are 13-16 going into the tourney next Thursday.

But back to my original subject, Georgia is losing top Gwinnett talent left and right. Hopefully, Fox has the salesmanship of a Zig Ziggler. He's got to find a way (other than cheating) to get the best local talent into Athens. Perhaps they should blow up Stegman and play in the Gwinnett Arena for the next two years until they get a state of the art on-campus arena. Does Georgia want to be more than just a football school. A new arena might be the answer. there is already talent in Athens, fortunately. Fox needs to find a way to keep it there and get more local, preferably Gwinnett talent, on campus. Howard Schnellenberger, the former Univ. of Miami Football Coach back in the early 80s, brought in the best talent from the Miami area into Coral Gables. The rest is history: Four national titles in a decade. Mark Fox should try the same strategy.

Steve Alford Headed Back to IU? Quite Possible

New Mexico Head Mens' Basketball coach Steve Alford has guided the Lobos to their greatest season in school history. They are currently ranked #10 in the country and have just clinched the Mountain West Conference Regular Season Title. They currently are 28-3 overall and14-2 in conference play.

As for Alford's alma matre, Indiana University, the season could not be more opposite. The Hoosiers are 9-20 overall and 3-14 in the Big 10. Tom Crean has had two years to get the program back on track to the excellence it enjoyed under Bob Knight and, to a certain extent, under current UAB coach Mike Davis. I know that Indiana lost their best player to injury. However, this is the second year in a row that Indiana has had a losing season. For those who didn't care for Mike Davis, he did not do this bad. Crean will get another year, but if next year is just like this year, Crean may be out. If Steve Alford has another fantastic year with the Lobos next year while Crean and Indiana are struggling again, look for Steve Alford to "finally come home." No disrespect to UNM, but Indiana is a better job than New Mexico. Basketball is King in the State of Indiana, as is Indiana University. Alford will get the best players in the state. He turned around a mediocre New Mexico program and now they are in the top 10.

I don't think anyone expected Alford to get New Mexico where it now is. He is a fine coach and a great recruiter. As a fan of the "Mid Majors" (if you consider the MWC a Mid Major conference), I don't want Alford to leave UNM. But let's face it. IU would be willing to throw big time money at Alford to lure him back to Bloomington. If things continue as they are at both Badminton and Albuquerque a year from now, there's a great chance that Steve Alford will come home to Bloomington to be Indiana's next head coach during the 2011-12 season.

Dangerous Dark Horse No one is Talking Aout: New Mexico

Steve Alford has something cooking in Albuqurque, His New Mexico Lobos are ranked #15 in the nation and have won 25 games so far this year. No one expected that to happen. When asked by Seth Davis of CBS College Sports how this is happening, Alford simply said that they don't even know how it's happening. Alford said that the players are unselfish and believe in each other, and that they have good chemistry.

Much of the credit can go to 6'7 forward Darington Hobson, who was a Junior College All-American a year ago at the College of Eastern Utah. Hobson leads the Lobos in points average (15.5 PPG), rebounds, assists and even steals. New Mexico is on their way to have the best season in the program's history. This is a team that will for sure get into the tournament. They may very well make it to the Sweet 16. Nobody is going to want to play these guys in the first round. The last time the Lobos made it to the "Big Dance" was back in 2005 when Richie McKay, currently an assistant with Virginia, was the Head Coach, and Danny Granger, now with the Indiana Pacers, played Center. For those filling out their office pool come tourney time, don't go against the Lobos, at least not in the first round.

Cameron Newton Didn't Make a Maistake, He Committed a Crime

Today, Auburn's football program got a new quarterback for the 2010 season. His name is Cameron Newton. However, there is a reason why Newton is at Auburn and not at his former team, the Florida Gators.

About a year ago, while at Florida, Newton stole a lap top from another student and, as a result, was dismissed from the team by Head Coach Urban Meyer. According to reports, when Newton heard the police were coming, he threw the lap top out the window before the police could get to him. When the police questioned him about the theft, he lied to them. Eventually, the charges were dropped, but Newton's days in Gainsville were over.

Newton then enrolled in a junior college, where apparently he has kept his nose clean. With Auburn in need of a quarterback since they aren't confident in what they have on campus, the Tigers signed Newton and he is expected to be the Tigers' signal caller next Fall. I'm all for second chances if the offender has truly repented, regrets what he or she has done, and tries to do what is right from now on. Unfortunately, the only reason he is getting this second chance at a great opportunity is because he is a talented football player. We average Joes would not get that second chance. That's just the way it is.

I was listening to a sports talk show on the way home from work and some of the callers kept saying that Newton made "a mistake". One of the hosts rightly pointed out to the callers that what Cameron Newton did was not a "mistake", but a bad decision. It was wrong doing. Again, I'm all for the young man getting a second chance, but don't call what he did a mistake. A mistake is locking your keys in the car, heating your dinner too long in the oven, or texting while driving and causing an accident (that mistake can be fatal).

What Newton did was willfully deliberate and he knew it was wrong. He knew it was stealing (a crime) and he did it anyway. It was, and I'm not afraid to say it, SIN! Let's stop minimizing sin. Let's stop minimizing evil. What Cameron Newton did was a crime, not a mistake. Let's call it what it is.

College Athletics From a Winter Olympics Perspective

The 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver, BC are underway. I was watching the Men's 5,000 Meter Speed Skating. American Shani Davis, who won Gold back in Salt Lake City in 2002, was beaten by Dutch super star skater Sven Kramer, who will most likely win Gold in this event. There were other speed skating races that were exciting.

Why isn't speed skating an intercollegiate sport? What an exciting scene to see a UCONN skater against one from Syracuse. Rivalries in the Big 10 could be enhanced in speed skating. Places like Chicago and West Alice, Wisconsin, where former Olympic Gold Medalists Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen are from, are speed skating hot beds.

An Olympic sport that is also an intercollegiate sport but doesn't get much notice is Skiing. The University of Colorado Ski Team has won several NCAA national championships, which is no surprise being they have "lots of mountains" to work with. Speaking of CU, a former football player with the Buffaloes, Jeremy Bloom, was a former member of the US Olympic Ski Team and competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Another Olympian who is competing in Vancouver is a member of the US Women's Hockey Team. Catlin Cahow played four years at Harvard University. She earned first team All-America honors at the end of her senior season in which she scored 37 goals in 34 games. The US Women's Hockey Team is a contender to win Gold in Vancouver.

Another Olympic sport that should be an intercollegiate sport is figure skating. You have Gymnastics in the NCAA and that's an Olympic sport. Why not figure skating. It has the same type of artistic style as the floor exercises of gymnastics. Many universities, particularly in the north, have their own ice centers for their ice hockey teams. They could fit in figure skating. It's just a thought. Speed skating should definitely be an intercollegiate sport. That's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

Expanding NCAA Tournament Not A Good Idea

There is a discussion going on about expanding the NCAA Basketball Tournament from the current 65 teams to 96 teams. Frankly, I don't think it's a good idea. There are several good reasons for this.

First of all, it cheapens the accomplishment of making the tournament. If 96 out of 300 plus schools get a berth in the NCAA Tournament, then that's almost half of the schools participating at the Div. l level. That would be like all of these college football teams who go to the small, obscure bowl games just for having a .500 or above record. It will also destroy the NIT Tournament. Many younger people aren't aware of this, but there was a time that the NIT was more prestigious than the NCAA tourney. The NIT was the more important tournament to be a part of. I know that's hard to imagine, but that was the case at one time. There's no need to kill a tournament that has been around even longer than the NCAA tourney.

Also, you would water down the NCAA tournament. I know there was a time when there were only 32 teams allowed in the "Big Dance", then 48 teams. The tournament expanded to 64 in 1985 Let's face it. The Tuesday Night game they have is really a play-in game, so there really are still 64 teams. I know teams like St. Mary's last year would have loved for the field to be 96 because they no doubt would have been included. The problem is that it cheapens the regular season and it relaxes the sense of urgency that we all love to see. We all like the "win or go home" scenario that faces many teams. There's no need to expand the tournament. You already have the NIT and the CBI Tournament as well. No need to expand the field.