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.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Reflecting On National Signing Day 2010
After what took place on National Signing Day, many people are ready to crown Florida next year's national champion or the national champion two years from now. They had the top recruiting class in the nation, signing 17 recruits in the ESPNU Top 150, four of them being five star recruits, including the nation's top high school player: Ronald Powell out of Rancho Verde, CA. Tennessee did remarkably well considering their circumstances, as the Vols signed the top player in Georgia, Wide Receiver Da'Rick Rogers out of Calhoun, GA.
I think there will be those from this class who will go on to fulfill the expectations of their respective schools, but let's not get too excited yet. They have yet to srap it up on the college gridiron. A few years ago, RB Lorenzo Booker was raited the top player in the nation. He signed with Florida St., but it took him a few years before he really saw a lot of playing time and I'm not sure he turned out to be the player everyone thought he would be.
There have been two players to have great college careers who went on to have even greater careers in the NFL. However, these two players were not highly recruited by Div. l schools at all. The two players I'm referring to are Brett Favre and Doug Flutie. Flutie ended up being a Heisman Trophy winner and had a solid career in both the NFL and CFL. As everyone knows, Brett Favre has already won a Super Bowl with the Packers and, at 40, nearly took the Minnesota vikings to their 5th Super Bowl. The only Div. l school that offered Favre a scholarship out of high school was the school he signed with, Southern Mississippi.
By the way, while at Southern Miss, Favre was at one point 7th on the QB depth chart. He worked his way into the starting lineup, and in 1989, he led the Golden Eagles to an improbable upset win over power house Florida St. in Jacksonville. Fifteen years ago, a high school player from Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA by the name of Brett Milliken signed with Georgia. Milliken was among the top running backs in the state, but was not a five or even four star recruit. However, he played an important role in Head Coach Jim Donnan's offense catching the ball out of the backfield and he scored a few touchdowns.
You really don't know how good these kids are gonna be until about two or three years from now. Some will make immediate impacts, but most will have to grow into being a productive player an it takes some time. I agree with former Georgia Bulldog Kicker Rex Robinson when he said that the minute he allows the decision of a 17 or 18 year old high school football recruit to dominate his thinking and to make him worry is the day that hell will freeze over. Players like Powell and Rogers will see time on the field next Fall and will make an impact for their teams, but many, if not most, will take a little longer to fulfill the sometimes unrealistic expectations of the schools they signed with and their fans.
I think there will be those from this class who will go on to fulfill the expectations of their respective schools, but let's not get too excited yet. They have yet to srap it up on the college gridiron. A few years ago, RB Lorenzo Booker was raited the top player in the nation. He signed with Florida St., but it took him a few years before he really saw a lot of playing time and I'm not sure he turned out to be the player everyone thought he would be.
There have been two players to have great college careers who went on to have even greater careers in the NFL. However, these two players were not highly recruited by Div. l schools at all. The two players I'm referring to are Brett Favre and Doug Flutie. Flutie ended up being a Heisman Trophy winner and had a solid career in both the NFL and CFL. As everyone knows, Brett Favre has already won a Super Bowl with the Packers and, at 40, nearly took the Minnesota vikings to their 5th Super Bowl. The only Div. l school that offered Favre a scholarship out of high school was the school he signed with, Southern Mississippi.
By the way, while at Southern Miss, Favre was at one point 7th on the QB depth chart. He worked his way into the starting lineup, and in 1989, he led the Golden Eagles to an improbable upset win over power house Florida St. in Jacksonville. Fifteen years ago, a high school player from Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA by the name of Brett Milliken signed with Georgia. Milliken was among the top running backs in the state, but was not a five or even four star recruit. However, he played an important role in Head Coach Jim Donnan's offense catching the ball out of the backfield and he scored a few touchdowns.
You really don't know how good these kids are gonna be until about two or three years from now. Some will make immediate impacts, but most will have to grow into being a productive player an it takes some time. I agree with former Georgia Bulldog Kicker Rex Robinson when he said that the minute he allows the decision of a 17 or 18 year old high school football recruit to dominate his thinking and to make him worry is the day that hell will freeze over. Players like Powell and Rogers will see time on the field next Fall and will make an impact for their teams, but many, if not most, will take a little longer to fulfill the sometimes unrealistic expectations of the schools they signed with and their fans.
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